New Beer Sunday (week 620)

I haven't opened the LIC beer yet, but I had the zoigl and I'm glad I managed to get my take before encountering your post. Here's my half of our double review.

Here's one commerical description of the beer:

The first (and only) time I ever had a beer called a Zoigl, I was so enchanted by it I cursed at the bartender in exclamation. Perhaps @Lurchus is available to chime in on this term.




Friedenfelser Steinwald Zoigl

(Nice choice of glass you used @TongoRad )

The brewer describes this as an unfiltered amber lager. The first thing I noticed was sludge in the neck. The pour barely gave it a loose head. Michael managed to get a better head than me. The carbonation is clearly very light. Those looking for some tight German froth will be very disappointed, but the carbonation here is by design. It is intended to be low and natural.

I enjoyed this one more than Michael. I really enjoyed the bready malt and the slightly spicy hop finish. The character feels so unmistakably German. On the downside, the beer came across as what I'd describe as stale and there was something that prevented it from really coming together. Perhaps a victim of travel.

 

Great start @JackHorzempa! Very informative read as usual. I hand shoveled my driveway so I'm hurting a bit right now. Probably overdid it a bit but I like challenges.....I have a few new beers sitting here but if I join it will be later. Getting fired up for the GMen right now. I'll be checking things out through the the day though. Hope everyone is enjoying their NBS.

 

After my review, I noticed there was a thread about the new Sierra Nevada "alternate takes" on their classic beers. Man, had I read that before hand I could've realized not to waste my time trying to determine if I liked the beer or not, since it's already been pre-determined that SN is an inferior brewer that is actually quite ok, but not as good as many, many others .

Anyhow, as I half pay attention to this first NFL game, I popped open a new beer. This is a "holiday beer" - limited release from Evolution. This beer is called Southern Pecan Pie, and presumably is an attempt at a beer that brings about the impressions of said dessert. The beer is brewed with brown sugar and maple syrup, with roasted pecans added.


This beer has a nice look to it, though the feel is a little on the harsh side with a bit of alcohol and a slightly more aggressive bubbles than I'd like.

In between, though, this is a sweet nut brown ale that is never overly sweet (unlike the dessert). I felt the beer went a little dark in the sugary notes, though - with the flavors coming across as dark sugar and molasses with the maple not as evident to me (though I kinda sense it when searching for it). I always think of pecan pie filling as a lighter-colored sugary sweet, and the flavors in this (ignoring the pecans) reminded me a little more of shoo fly pie.

They didn't quite hit the target food for me, but they didn't completely miss it. It is a sweet brown ale that does show a little bit of the base style, especiailly closer to the end when the sweetness has diminished. But this beer is really more about the adjuncts and additions, and it does a solid but not exceptional job in its attempt.

Actual review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/19897/257418/?ba=cjgiant#review

 

Sore Thumb DIPA from a ~local (Destination Beer Co.)
-clear, dark amber can pour, 1 cm of foam. Scant hop aroma present. The flavors are malt > hops. The balance is even, but a slight off-flavor is noted (my fourth try in six days), so I waited to review. No discernible alcohol heat, so good job there. Finish is crisp with a bit of hop bite. Local price for a 4-pack was kind of silly-expensive for a new/ low profile brew co. ($19/4 16 oz.). I'll check it out again if I see it at a lower price.

 

The first (and only) time I ever had a beer called a Zoigl, I was so enchanted by it I cursed at the bartender in exclamation.
That tells me everything! =) Cheers! I need to find a beer in this style.

 

YOu need a snow blower. That's a very long driveway. =) You did a good job.

 

That's where the craziness comes in.
I have one.

 

Good Afternoon everyone, just got back from a beer run and finished watching a UNC basketball game on to football. I am a bit behind but getting started with a beer I picked up while in NC a few weeks ago by Durty Bull in Durham, NC called Imperial Rice IPA I looked up some info before I began and found the below on their website:

Imperial Rice IPA - This hugely aromatic IPA was brewed using 300 pounds of rice in the mash and was dry-hopped at 2 pounds per barrel with Nugget, Summit, Columbus and Polaris hops. It clocks in at 8.2% with a super dry finish from the addition of the rice which really allows the hops to shine!

I was excited to try it before but after reading this it was time to go. The first impression from the pour was wow huge head that lasted forever, the aroma was pretty sweet and it was not as bitter as I expected. I am very impressed by this beer and have a few others from this brewery that I will probably move up in my rotation based on this one. If you have a chance to try this do not be afraid it is good.



Appearance 4.25 - Pours clear golden color with super thick foamy white head that lasts forever. Excellent lacing covers the inside of the glass with rings of foam.

Aroma 4.25 - The first thing I notice is the sweet smell, there are hints of pineapple and mango nice hop aroma as well. It has a nice biscuit smell mixed in there as well.

Taste 4.25 - Based on the aroma I was expecting a bigger hop flavor but it was not there not much bitterness either. There is a good hop flavor mixed with sweet mango, there is a mild alcohol taste but you would not think this is an 8.2% beer. This is just a solid tasting Imperial IPA.

Feel 4 - Medium body, dry finish no where near the bitterness I was expecting very mild.

Overall 4.18 - I am really impressed with this beer, great flavors and dangerously drinkable.

 

I'm back for another because I have so many new beers to try. A good problem to have! While there's no beer history behind it, I decided to include some to honor the theme of the thread that @JackHorzempa kindly kicked off today.

My next new beer is something from a six pack that I received as part of a Christmas gift. It's a twelve ounce bottle of Sweet Potato Ale from Bent River Brewing of Rock Island Illinois. The abv. on the label is 4.81%, 20.4 IBU's and a dreaded cryptic date code stamped under the label that reads 0811W20111 9. I personally won't buy a beer that doesn't have a simple easy to read date code. Let's pour this in my vintage Atlas Prager sham pilsner glass for the review.

Pours a dark gold almost amber color leaving a couple centimeters of off white foam that settles to form a thin ring. The beer is very transparent with no lacing left behind. Smell is pie spice heavy with cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. Very strong to the point of smelling like mouthwash! A bit of earthy grain in the back that is perhaps the sweet potatoes? The taste is once again heavy with cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg. There's an earthy cereal-like finish. Feel is very thin, flat and uninteresting.



The person that gifted this to me said the beer store clerk told them it was like Pumking. Perhaps a very watery and over spiced version? A generalization probably because of the spices is my guess? Speculation aside this beer was a train wreck in my mouth. I'll be nice and get to the score which is 2.27 r/Dev -31%. I guess I was due for a clunker!

A short side story to the glass now. Atlas was a brewery in Chicago that enjoyed a period of success from 1933 until they closed in 1962. Prager was their flagship beer and the subject of some really colorful and coveted advertising material. I was born and raised in Chicago and became interested in the bygone era and subsequently became a collector of artifacts from defunct Chicago breweries. Here's a few photos of Atlas Prager items that grace the man cave.





Look familiar?



The white label bottle on the right is from around 1960 and still full. I haven't got hammered enough to open it for a review yet. Perhaps one day?

I'm going to tip a few with my bro next and enjoy the rest of the NFL action. Have yourself a great Sunday of football and new beer. Here's the review.....

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/5443/25970/?ba=Prager62#review

 

I didn't have a hard time with the finish. I have one other bottle since I grabbed two for myself. While I'm tempted to say that I'm going to try it with your detailed notes in mind, I might just try to turn the brain off to better enjoy the last one instead. (I'll probably aim for a combination of both). Cheers man.

 

Wow! So much good reading today!
Thank you Jack for starting us off. I just finished bottling my first home brew, and now I am ready to enjoy someone else's, as I can't enjoy mine for another two weeks.

Raging Blonde Ale by Veterans United in Jacksonville, FL.

This is a beer my parents brought up with them from Florida. Honestly, it is not the first time I've tried this brew, but it is the first time I've tried it and liked it. I have a six pack of it, and the first one I tried was too bitter for my taste. However, upon this second try, I've found it less so.

I'm not sure what could have changed . . . both beers were from the same six pack, both were poured into a pint glass, and both had the same appearance. . . that gorgeous, creamy, foamy white head that left thick lacing down the perimeter of the glass as I drank. This second try yielded less hoppiness (bitterness? I may be confusing these two tastes), both in aroma and taste. You could still smell hops, but your could also smell something like sweet grass. You could still taste the hops, but it was slight, mellow. Sweetness really reigned on the palate this time with some notes of caramel. The feel "popped" with carbonation, but left a dry finish, almost like champagne.
A little history of the ale . . .

Of course, we all know "Rosie the Riveter," the face of that encouraged women during WWII to help out in the factories. This brewery in Jacksonville, FL is veteran owned and operated. Pretty cool.
Cheers!

 

Great Lakes Brewing Blackout Stout
Imperial Stout - 9.0% ABV



4.27/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This seems like a great beer to start with on a "cold" Florida day with the fireplace going. 12oz bottle poured into a snifter. I do not know exactly how old this bottle is but it is definitely has a few years in the bottle. The "For freshest taste, please enjoy by:" date on the label is 03/14/14.

The taste is incredibly dark and roasty with bittersweet chocolate, charcoal (?) and just a touch of lingering warmth in the finish. I imagine the taste flavors have smoothed out over the years. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Overall, a very solid imperial stout.

 

Happy NBS, gang. It feels like Alaska here in North Jersey today so I decided to drink like I'm up there. This is Midnight Sun Brewing's Berserker, a 12.7% Imperial Stout aged in both bourbon and red wine barrels. What really sets it apart are the red wine notes. It's perfect for a cold day (or at least for watching football played in cold places). Here's my review:

4.49/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

2016 Vintage. Poured into snifter glass. It pours black as midnight with two fingers of frothy, mocha-colored head and lacing with excellent retention. It's a lovely pour. It smells of dark roasted malt, freshly brewed coffee, cocoa, caramel, peat, smoke, and whiskey. This is delicious! A wonderful blend of roasted malt, chocolate, caramel, tobacco, and dark fruit. Also, there are red wine notes in the taste, particularly at the finish, that I didn't smell. While you can taste the whiskey, it's subtle and pleasant; not overly hot. This stout is medium-bodied; it's creamy but not chewy. It is mildly carbonated and while it isn't overtly boozy in taste, you can certainly feel the 12.7% ABV. This is a sipper for sure. Overall, it's a wonderful Imperial Stout, with lots of taste notes that blend seamlessly. It deserves its world class rating.

Stay warm and enjoy your new beer today!

 

Jack, thank you for posting this. Stroh's was very popular in Central Penna. during my college days in the late '70's and early '80's. We didn't see it in New Jersey back then so it was sort of exotic in a poor-man's Coors sort of way.

 

I exclaimed, "Holy Zoigl!" and the owner had his uncouth ruffians escort me out.

 

I totally agree! I have seen people raving about this beer on BA for the past week. I don't see it. I had this from the tap at the SN tasting room in Berkley last week and wasn't overly impressed.
~Cheers

 

Hands-down a great stout and one of the better bourbon beers out there. Also, a great brewery with lovely people. I read an article about them in a cigar magazine a few years back. Cheers!

 

Good afternoon BA gang !!

I watched the Steelers take the ball down field three times easily to start the game and figured it was time to deal with the cars and snow .
Too lazy azz teenagers finally showed up once I did most of the shoveling and cleaning

Once I was out of breath I knew it was time to slow down , but still feels good to know that I'm not totally feeble
Directed the rest of the job and took the old dog for a little walk ..

Now it's time to warm up a with a new 22 oz Stout

Grabbed three of these the other day for $4.50 each on closeout .
Date says best by March, but who knows what year that was ????
At 10 abv I really didn't care as they may only get better .

McNEILS BREWERY DARK ANGEL
IMPERIAL STOUT CONNECTICUT

Look: Pours a pitch black with nice foamy head and lacing 4.25
Smell: Smells pretty roasty toasty with something else I can't quite figure 3.75
Taste: Rich roasted malts, hoppy bitterness and maybe a little coffee on the end 3.75
Feel: Thick and creamy with a tongue coating 3.75

Overall: Nice thick roasted Imperial Stout, which is great for a warmer . A little bitter for my palate, but nothing I can't handle . No boozy taste of the 10 abv at all. 3.75

At $4.50 a 22 oz bomber I am not complaining whatsoever and would probably by a couple of cases and drink them over time . I'm trying to give you all a stout comparison, but it's not coming to me at the moment . Possibly close to a few Russian Imperial stouts (maybe Old Rasputin) that I've had over the years .






CHEERS FROM LITTLE WALTER & BIGPOPPA

 

Dang !! That brew sounds Delicioso !!!