New Beer Sunday (week 618)

zid · Dec 26, 2016

Ozzylizard said: ↑

Wow @cavedave, what a surprise! Christmas poetry! If I'd have known, I'd have written something apropos. Can we make this a tradition? Very clever indeed.

Well, after that great lead-in, it's hard to follow. However, today's new breakfast beer is:

$ 16.19 (including tax)/750 mL bottle ($ 0.637/oz) at Oppermann’s, Saginaw, MI
Undated bottle at 42 degrees into a hand washed and dried JK snifter
Aroma – sour, oaky
Head average (Maximum 3.7cm, aggressive pour), off white, creamy with rocks, diminishing to an irregular three to five mm ring and thin layer with rocky outcroppings
Lacing poor. Some slight dragging of the ring which quickly rejoins
Body – medium orange, hazy, effervescent (bottle conditioned)
Flavor – definitely sour, mulled spices with no particular flavor, don’t really notice any chestnut but the tannin and vanillin from the oak come through; no malt, no hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate – medium, watery, soft fuzzy carbonation

A pleasant sour which is another that would make a good gateway into sours for those who think they don’t like sours. However, the price may keep some experimenters away.

Appearance 4, Aroma 4, Flavor 4, Palate 4.25, Overall 4. Rating 4.03, rDev -1.2%

I bought this beer because of the chestnuts used in it. I don't know anyone else who actually eats chestnuts but I like them. I don't really notice any chestnut overtones in this beer, but who cares! It's still pretty darn good.

Enjoy the season, y'all!

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You don't know anyone else that eats chestnuts? I can't get enough of them. That's a smart choice of beer today. Chestnuts are actually a traditional ingredient in Italian brewing but I don't think they are used for flavor. Problem is, I don't know what they're used for at all. It's a mystery to me.

utopiajane · Dec 26, 2016

cjgiant said: ↑

Good afternoon, NBS! Been a couple weeks where new beers just weren't in the cards. But being in a new place made it very easy to remedy this condition. I generally don't cross-post, and I wasn't planning on reviewing my first beer posted (w/pic) on WBAYDN, but pFriem IPA was so tasty, I figured I'd combine a review of it with this post.

I was also impressed by the opening today, in inspired me to have a little fun, as well. This does not live up to the host's stanzas, but was fun for me to work through:

As the family made their way through the gifts,
I was feeling quite parched,
As though I wanted an ale to pass over my lips.

So I arose and to the fridge I marched.
What would be the first beer of this day?
To decide the previous days' riches were searched.

The choice was made, it would be pFriem's IPA
That was brewed barely over two weeks ago
And upon pouring, looked quite wonderfully more than okay.

A tropical note came from the nose
Accompanied by grapefruit and flowers,
Whose strength above medium did not really grow.

To share this with family did take some power
As with the first sip I was quite enthralled,
But this was a gift onto others I showered.

The beer started with a nice taste of malts
That gave it a backbone to hold up the hops,
Initial impression, this beer seemed without faults.

Tropical fruit and citrus pith stood out atop
A nice level of bitterness that included some grass,
All of which combine to make this beer really pop!

Perhaps its youth helped make this high class,
But the medium bubby feel also gave a good lift
To this wonderful beverage that occupied my glass.

Speaking of the gifts from the first stanza, no surprise the gifts for me focused on a certain theme:

Anyhow, thanks for indulging. The actual focus of this post, however, is a medal-winning Foreign (Export) Stout from Alameda Brewing of Portland, OR - Black Bear XX Stout.

The beer pours rather thick looking - like a lightweight oil. a nice medium to dark tan head builds up and forms a lightly foamy cap. Lacing comes in lines of residual bubble stretching 2/3 the way around the glass.

Nose is roasty with maybe just a slight bit of char. Seems to be a little amount of unsweetened chocolate or cocoa, perhaps, but that is harder to discern.

Taste doesn't give you much sweetness up front. It almost teases you ever so briefly before bitterness takes over. Roasted malt bitterness along with the feel and bitternss of the skin of dark nuts is quite strong. No chocolate in the taste, here - it's more of a coffee-like roasted malt flavor with an extra dose of woody bitterness (my guess is that is hop-influenced). I noted a few reviews talking about dark fruit - I am not getting any of those; a little nuttiness perhaps, but no fruit.

Beer is a more bitter than I'd hoped. It's fairly bold in its roastiness, and seems to have a decent dose of hops. I long for a little of the sweetness some reviews spoke of. There is no bottle date to help me rule that out - so it's unknown if it's that or just my palate. Even though I wished for a little more, this is a beer I will easily finish this morning before moving to the next.
Click to expand...

Wonderful poem! =) cheers!

cjgiant · Dec 26, 2016

utopiajane said: ↑

Wonderful poem! =) cheers!
Click to expand...

A fun little exercise, at least. Probably spent too much time on rhyming scheme, though trying to get an actual pseudo-review in a rhyming poem is hard enough without worrying about meter as well .

Maybe next time I can get all three .

cavedave · Dec 26, 2016

cjgiant said: ↑

Good afternoon, NBS! Been a couple weeks where new beers just weren't in the cards. But being in a new place made it very easy to remedy this condition. I generally don't cross-post, and I wasn't planning on reviewing my first beer posted (w/pic) on WBAYDN, but pFriem IPA was so tasty, I figured I'd combine a review of it with this post.

I was also impressed by the opening today, in inspired me to have a little fun, as well. This does not live up to the host's stanzas, but was fun for me to work through:

As the family made their way through the gifts,
I was feeling quite parched,
As though I wanted an ale to pass over my lips.

So I arose and to the fridge I marched.
What would be the first beer of this day?
To decide the previous days' riches were searched.

The choice was made, it would be pFriem's IPA
That was brewed barely over two weeks ago
And upon pouring, looked quite wonderfully more than okay.

A tropical note came from the nose
Accompanied by grapefruit and flowers,
Whose strength above medium did not really grow.

To share this with family did take some power
As with the first sip I was quite enthralled,
But this was a gift onto others I showered.

The beer started with a nice taste of malts
That gave it a backbone to hold up the hops,
Initial impression, this beer seemed without faults.

Tropical fruit and citrus pith stood out atop
A nice level of bitterness that included some grass,
All of which combine to make this beer really pop!

Perhaps its youth helped make this high class,
But the medium bubby feel also gave a good lift
To this wonderful beverage that occupied my glass.

Speaking of the gifts from the first stanza, no surprise the gifts for me focused on a certain theme:

Anyhow, thanks for indulging. The actual focus of this post, however, is a medal-winning Foreign (Export) Stout from Alameda Brewing of Portland, OR - Black Bear XX Stout.

The beer pours rather thick looking - like a lightweight oil. a nice medium to dark tan head builds up and forms a lightly foamy cap. Lacing comes in lines of residual bubble stretching 2/3 the way around the glass.

Nose is roasty with maybe just a slight bit of char. Seems to be a little amount of unsweetened chocolate or cocoa, perhaps, but that is harder to discern.

Taste doesn't give you much sweetness up front. It almost teases you ever so briefly before bitterness takes over. Roasted malt bitterness along with the feel and bitternss of the skin of dark nuts is quite strong. No chocolate in the taste, here - it's more of a coffee-like roasted malt flavor with an extra dose of woody bitterness (my guess is that is hop-influenced). I noted a few reviews talking about dark fruit - I am not getting any of those; a little nuttiness perhaps, but no fruit.

Beer is a more bitter than I'd hoped. It's fairly bold in its roastiness, and seems to have a decent dose of hops. I long for a little of the sweetness some reviews spoke of. There is no bottle date to help me rule that out - so it's unknown if it's that or just my palate. Even though I wished for a little more, this is a beer I will easily finish this morning before moving to the next.
Click to expand...

Nice rhyming review. You picked a really difficult rhyme scheme and made it your bitch, well done.

I too like a touch of sweet to balance out a really roasty stout, but there are some that can get away with just smacking you with roast and hop bitter. To me, too sweet is the worst thing a stout can be.

cavedave · Dec 26, 2016

Monday, the inevitable reinforcement of two concepts. Paying the piper for the dance, and all good things must come to an end. Hope to see you next Sunday, for the first edition of NBS 2017. We'll see. Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year. Cheers!

Ozzylizard · Dec 26, 2016

zid said: ↑

You don't know anyone else that eats chestnuts? I can't get enough of them. That's a smart choice of beer today. Chestnuts are actually a traditional ingredient in Italian brewing but I don't think they are used for flavor. Problem is, I don't know what they're used for at all. It's a mystery to me.
Click to expand...

Mrs. Lizard will eat a few if I've found and roasted them. Beyond that, nobody.

New Beer Sunday (week 618)

zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York
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cjgiant Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,584) Jul 13, 2013 District of Columbia
Society Pooh-Bah

cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,157) Mar 12, 2009 New York
In Memoriam Pooh-Bah Trader

cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,157) Mar 12, 2009 New York
In Memoriam Pooh-Bah Trader

Ozzylizard Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,419) Oct 5, 2013 Pennsylvania
BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

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New Beer Sunday (week 618)

zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York Pooh-Bah

cjgiant Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,584) Jul 13, 2013 District of Columbia Society Pooh-Bah

cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,157) Mar 12, 2009 New York In Memoriam Pooh-Bah Trader

cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,157) Mar 12, 2009 New York In Memoriam Pooh-Bah Trader

Ozzylizard Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,419) Oct 5, 2013 Pennsylvania BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

zid Grand Pooh-Bah (3,132) Feb 15, 2010 New York
BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

utopiajane Grand Pooh-Bah (3,982) Jun 11, 2013 New York
Pooh-Bah

cjgiant Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,584) Jul 13, 2013 District of Columbia
Society Pooh-Bah

cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,157) Mar 12, 2009 New York
In Memoriam Pooh-Bah Trader

cavedave Grand Pooh-Bah (4,157) Mar 12, 2009 New York
In Memoriam Pooh-Bah Trader

Ozzylizard Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,419) Oct 5, 2013 Pennsylvania
BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader