New Beer Sunday (week 623)

Ok, on to a new beer after running out to pick up my credit card that I accidentally left at the restaurant earlier this weekend. I know a few people reviewed this in recent weeks, but I cannot find their posts using BA's search. Maybe the beer wasn't in the text, but oh well. I'll just give my thoughts and anyone can chime in as they wish, as always .

This evening's beer is Allagash Hoppy Table Beer. I almost overlooked it in the cooler of the store side of the restaurant we just returned from. First off, the head grabbed just under half the volume of the glass with an aggressive pour. The first pour was crystal clear, the second had a little haze, so apparently there was a little bit of yeast in the bottom.


The head was still over half a cm as it settled while I typed this up, and seems to have settled in there. The nose has a little farmhouse nature to it. There's a tart fruit surface that I noticed first, but then a little musty to funky note. There's actually more of it than the Blackberry Farm Brett beer from earlier.

The taste doesn't show this funk, though. In fact, upon tasting I am thinking the hop notes are combining with the yeast notes to mimic a nice funky farmhouse ale. A grassy crisp opening stays grassy as the crispness fades into bitterness. The bitterness comes as woodiness, and I am left wondering where the tart fruit came from in the nose.

Re-smelling the beer... it's gone! The nose now has more of a floral to almost herbal note to it (along with the farmhouse notes). Oh well, onward with the palate...

This beer has a dry bitterness by mid taste. The Belgian yeast makes a little appearance just past this, but the wood and earthy bitterness gains the end game. A water-crackery malt note starts to invade the bitterness with more warmth.

A big cloud of lace now stares at me from the opposite side of the glass. The beer has balanced out a tad with warmth. My tongue tingles after every sip, and overall my palate feels a bit more refreshed than it did for the first half the pour.

I think I have hit the right temperature here, and will continue to enjoy this the rest of the way. There's a nice bitterness to this beer, one that is strong early and in tune late. There is the slightest note of a clashing flavor that I get when hops meets Belgian yeast, but tis only a small dip in the road on this one. Not a surprise Allagash has made a quality beer.

 

Happy New Belgian Strong Pale Ale Sunday!

Did a nice hike, around 36, sunny, still some nice patches of snow around. I thought it was years since I last had this brew, I was wrong. Either way, very tasty brew, glad to see it around here. The Bruery makes some very tasty brews, wish more of them were around here though.

Look 4.5 Smell 4.25 Taste 4.5 Feel 4.25 Overall 4.25

Revisit: 29 Jan 17
750ml
Capped
Bottled Conditioned
Bottled On: 10/06/15

Over a year on this one!

Poured into a chalice a very nice slightly hazing dark golden yellow color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice foamy/thick one-finger plus white head, leaves a nice pretty big oil slick, and leaves some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, yeasty, some sweetness, kinda floral/fruity, kinda hoppy, coriander. The taste is very nice, malty, very nice yeast note, with some nice sweetness, fruity/floral, slightly hoppy. Medium body, nice sweet/bitter/dry finish. Overall a very nice brew, definitely worth seeking out.

750ml
Capped
Bottled Conditioned

Poured into a chalice a very nice cloudy golden yellow color, very nice carbonation, with a very nice foamy/thick one-finger plus white head, leaves a nice big island in the glass, and lots of sticky lacing. The nose is malty, yeasty, sweet, kinda floral. The taste is very nice, malty, very nice yeast note, with some nice sweetness, fruity note. Medium body, nice sweet/bitter/dry finish. Overall a very nice brew, it's been quite awhile since I've last had anything from this brewery, always liked what they had to offer, now I only live a couple of blocks away from CL, hopefully they will carry other offerings from this brewery.

Cheers!

 

It's only right to partake in a beer like this waiting for the Royal Rumble to start. I only got a few tastes as this bottle was shared amongst friends but man did I enjoy it! This was very hard to come by and I was glad I got to share it with my friends that are really into wrestling. I'm just here to drink beer. Salud BAs

 

Elysian Avatar Jasmine IPA. Decent, really do get a nice Jasmine flavor in the finish. As far as an IPA it's a little light and not a hop bomb by any stretch. Enjoyable and drinkable for sure. USA, USA, USA!!!!! Pix taken in my front yard in waistdee
Waist deep snow!!! Cheers!!!!

 

Picked this up the other day when I ran into Trader Joe's for Avocados. Normally I'd make a hard pass on Green Flash, but figured if it helps support Trader Joe's, I'm in. Plus, it was tough to miss their advertisement (for once) considering an end-cap was several cases high. Either way, let's see what's going on here, after all, it's a collaboration between a brewery and a grocery store. Cheers!



Green Flash + Trader Joe's Fearless Fifty.

Pours a clear yellow with just a little fog to it. Head foams up to two fingers in height, and white in color. Head retention is a little strange. Most of the head deflates rather quickly, with large bubbles quickly replacing the tightly-laced head. Aroma is a lively saison, with notes of banana, clove, Belgian yeast, orange zest, and biscuit malts. Flavor profile is very similar, with notes of banana and clove hitting first. Belgian yeast with biscuit malts and a zing of orange zest keep this beer lively and fun. Mouth feel is medium-thin, with a bit of a carbonated, fizzy feel on the back of the tongue. Still, it slips down smooth. Overall, a flavorful saison with plenty of spunk and liveliness. The Belgian taste with a zing of orange zest really makes this one fun to drink.

Score : 3.75 | 4 | 4 | 3.75 | 4 | BA Score: 3.96 | rDev: +3.7%

Personal asides: This beer is quite lively. While it isn't a stand-out example of a saison, it does have a fun and funky flavor profile. I am pleasantly surprised.

 

Greetings All:

Oh Jane, I love your poem, but... "a snowy morning is always filled with delight" if you don't have to go out into the winter landscape and shovel said snow, endure freezing cold, drive on slippery roads, etc. Today is one of those "delight" mornings for me, but tomorrow will likely be "dread". I'll take a bright and sunny summer morning over winter any time.

Hoping for spring, today we turn away from the winter ales and have Upheaval IPA from Widmer Brothers.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/8/106024/

A good IPA, if a bit one-dimensional in terms of flavor. Long on bitterness, pine and grapefruit, short on sweeter bread and fruit flavors.

I stopped at one my favorite beer bars yesterday and noticed they had a number of Founders handles. A first for me, and I took the opportunity to try the All day IPA and Centennial IPA. Very nice beers. I'm looking forward to seeing more Founders offerings here in the northwest.

Until next time,

Happy Trails!

 

Small Faces........HELL YES!!!!! GREAT underrated band!!! Steve Marroit was a BAD ASS!!!!

 

Hair of the dog can cure that. ;-) Happy (belated) Birthday!

 

The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars..... One of the greatest albums of ALL TIME!!!! Hunky Dory,, Aladdin Sane, Diamond Dogs, Low.......dude put out some amazing timeless albums......R.I.P. Ziggy....

 

Today's beer is Dogfish Head Beer for Breakfast Stout. Completely new to me and excited to try it. I really like dogfish head brewery because they are great promoters of the craft beer industry, but unfortunaly I am usually a little dissapointed in their beers.
Look: Pitch black, tan head with some staying power. Also, a lot of lacing 5
Aroma: Coffee, chocolate, smoke, and roasted malt 4.25
Taste: Coffee, chocolate, anise, smoke, sweet in middle, but ends slightly bitter and dry. Very pleasant with some powerful flavors, especially the coffee flavor. Really like the balance between sweet and dry. 4.25
Feel: Great full low carbonation mouthfeel 5
Taste: Nice coffee flavored beer with a few other flavors going on as well 4.5.

Have a great week everyone. Enjoy your brews.

 

This one was a gift, given to me today. I know a lot of folks turn away beer gifts. Admittedly, I do have plenty to drink, so having another beer is a little over whelming. Never the less, it was a kind gesture. Figured I'd give it a go tonight to cap off the night.



Mother's Spiffy Britches.

Pours a hazy orange with two fingers of off-white head. Head foams up quickly with strong retention and lacing. Aroma is full of spicy and earthy hops, with a strong biscuity, bready malt presence. Flavor profile is spicy, earthy, floral hops, and biscuity and bready malts. Malt presence is strong, but it helps bolster the hops nicely. Mouth feel is thick and filling, with a grainy, pleasant texture. Overall, a huge IPA from Mother's. Between the thick feel and the spicy hops, this beer carries a lot of weight.

Score: 4.25 | 4 | 4 | 3.75 | 4 | BA Score: 3.99 | rDev: -0.2%

 

CHEERS TO THAT BRO !!
RIP ZIGGY !! ❤

 

New American Brown Ale

It's been too long.

I decided to take an evening off from the adult soccer league to do a proper review and participate in this week's festivities.

Today's beer was another winner. Bumpy cake is a bit of a Detroit thing. This beer certainly did it's confectionery counterpart justice.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/41783/255201/?ba=GRPunk#review

 

Getting a late start for NBS but been busy catching up on chores around the house.

Today's new beer is the Stone collaboration - Megawheat.

Lots going on here, but it boils down to a well executed IPA with a very unique aroma and flavor. Nice for one bottle but not for regular purchase.



Poured from 22 oz bomber dated 1/6/2017.

A: Crystal clear sunshine yellow with two finger white head. Lasting retention and lots of lacing.

S: Bright citrus with a significant grassy note. Herbal hops with hints of pepper.

T: Tangerine and lime with dank herbal hops. White pepper and leomgrass. Contribution from the wheat is apparent and makes for a unique flavor profile.

M: Medium body with average carbonation. A bit more heft than a typical IPA, but smooth and easy drinking.

O: A clean well executed IPA which is no surprise from Stone. Not something I would turn to everyday, but glad I tried it.

 

Good Evening NBS and thanks Maria for the excellent review and kickoff. Your dough looks perfect!
Proclamation continues to brew some fantastic beers and I'm lucky to have them just a short drive away. Plans are in the work for a bigger facility so I'm really taking advantage of their under the radar status before word spreads.
Todays beer was a special limited release that I tried the day they canned it.
I like to sit on these really hoppy brews for a week or so. Just seems like most settle down and the flavors tend to marry after a short period of rest- with exceptions of course. The brew:
Proclamation Mouth Breather DDH Mango IPA
A- Pours a cloudy golden yellow with a 2 finger head that disappears quite rapidly settling to a thin ring with scant lacing.
A- huge fruity mango, floral and grassy notes and a sauvignon blanc grape like quality. There is also some sweet citrus- maybe tangerine. Really nice aroma on this one.
T- Of course sweet mango, some bread notes and the white grape. Lots of green pungent hop notes, along with citrus pith balance out the sweetness of the fruit. Full flavor that rounds out and lasts for what seems like minutes. Tasty juice.
M- The medium body is slightly slick but is lightened by the prickly carbonation that dances on the tongue. None of the 7.5% is detectable. Very easy to drink.
O- I've said on these parts before I'm not big on the fruited IPAs. However I did enjoy Finbacks version of a mango IPA. The mango seems to compliment the tropical fruit notes of the hops. There is no notes on what type of hops they used but I would venture to guess any one combo of Galaxy, Citra and Amarillo possibly small amounts of Mosaic- though I'm far from and expert at identifying hops. Overall another fantastic brew from Proclamation - which it wasn't limited. Cheers all! have a great week and as always thanks for listening. NewOldVinylSunday spinning XTC's Grass- from the album Skylarking produced by Todd Rundgren.

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @utopiajane for getting us started off this morning. Not much going on here, did some laundry today and got a full CO2 tank for my keezer yesterday. Got some more new beers from the store today. Looking to start brewing again soon, haven't done an all grain batch in a while. Was thinking about making a coffee porter or something similar. Probably draft up a recipe during the week in my free time. Need to fill an empty keg for a while now. Just another busy work week ahead.

New beer:

Very nice APA. Aromas and flavors of big grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, passion fruit, mango, lemon/orange peel, citrus rind, pepper, and pine hops; with moderate honey, biscuit, light caramel malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Moderate pine/rind/spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium bodied; balanced sticky/resins and grainy creaminess in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing resin/rind dryness; touch of lingering hop astringency, but hardly anything major. Extremely dank, juicy, and bright on hops; nice malt backing for bitterness balance. Was not expecting this to be as piney and resinous as it was, but I really enjoy it. Pretty quickly drying palate, but refreshingly drinkable and crisp. Glad I grabbed a 6 pack. Definitely one for the piney IPA/Pale ale fans only. 1/10/2017 can date. 3.9


This was delicious! Aromas and flavors of big grapefruit, tangerine, peach, pineapple, lemon/orange peel, and pine hops; with moderate honey, spicy rye, toasted biscuit, and light caramel malt balance; with herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Moderate pine/citrus peel bitterness and rye spiciness on the finish. Medium bodied; balanced bready creaminess and hop stickiness in the mouthfeel. Touch of resins and increasingly drying finish; zero hop or rye astringency. Extremely refreshing, drinkable, and well balanced. Total gamble on this one from the singles fridge since they don't can date, but it tastes pretty darn fresh! Bright citrusy hops with balanced rye malt presence. This is literally the only Arcadia year round beer I haven't reviewed; and this is an instant favorite for a rye ale. One of their better offerings no doubt. Would buy again, no complaints. 4


JP/Anchorage collab with Raspberry/lime peels and MI grown hops. This was awesome as expected. Aromas and flavors of big lightly tart raspberries, lemon, lime, strawberry, grapefruit, citrus peel, pear, apple, melon, white wine, oak, peppercorn, and pine; with some moderate wheat/crackery malts; with hay, straw, floral, grass, and light leathery/funky yeast earthiness. Moderate peppery brett and tannic oak spiciness; with some pine/grassy bitterness on the finish. Touch of lingering tartness. Light-medium bodied; moderate hop/yeast stickiness, oak tannins and light acidity in the mouthfeel; with a fair amount of grainy wheat. Fairly crisp feeling with quickly increasing sticky/tannic dryness after the finish. On the low end of the sourness scale on the bottle; this comes off as a very Brett heavy saison with great balance of fruit and citrusy hop character. Refreshingly drinkable with pleasing tartness. 4.1


Cheers, be back a bit later NBS.

 

New beer #3 Evil Twin Imperial Biscotti Break Raspberry Umami. Really enjoying this, I have always been an IBB fan and this doesn't disappoint!

4.54/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

22 oz bottle poured into a teku

A- Black with a two finger dark mocha head

S- Roasted coffee, raspberry jam, some chocolate, touch of oak and vanilla.

T- Roasted coffee, milk chocolate, sweet raspberry jam, some vanilla, touch of oak, touch of caramel malts.

M- Smooth, creamy, full body.

O- A great, tasty twist on IBB. Raspberries work really well with the the base beer, worth picking up.

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Cheers!

 

Hello my fellow New Beer Sunday fanatics. So happy to be here once again, after work to enjoy a new beer. I've been thinking about popping open this beer all day at work. I picked it up in Hudson, Wisconsin yesterday, and am very excited about it.

Une Annee Le Seul X

It is an American Wild Ale fermented with passion fruit. 6.5% ABV. The fruit really hits you, and so does the sourness. Very well balanced, and very delicious. I will be picking up more from Une Annee the next time I cross the St. Croix.

Review
4.5/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This pours a very cloudy golden color, almost orange. The head was minimal when poured from the bottle, but there's nice carbonation in the glass. The nose is very fruity (passion fruit), and it isn't mellow - it smacks you upside the head with a 2X4. The taste is sour, and strongly fruity. The fruit hits hard, but pleasing. Really good balance between the fruit and the sour. The feel of this beer is fairly thick. You also feel he carbonation as it goes down. The bubbles tickle the throat. Very solid beer, and I highly recommend it.

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Cheers, and see you on the next beer.

 

I'm back for another with a bomber of Lumberjack Breakfast coffee and maple imperial milk stout from Hailstorm Brewing of Tinley Park IL that I purchased at Binny's Beverage Depot yesterday. The bottle date is 1/18/17 and the abv. on the label is listed at 13%. Let's give it a pour in my 14oz. stout glass for the taste drive!

Pours a rather flat looking oily black leaving a centimeter of mocha foam. It rapidly settles revealing some light lacing. The smell is maple syrup, bakers chocolate and coffee. There is a slight fusel alcohol smell in the back. Taste is dark chocolate, sweet maple syrup, coffee, tobacco and some vanilla. A hint of char is in the finish. The feel while oily is very flat and under carbonated.



I've had a few beers from Hailstorm and had high hopes for this one. My expectations were somewhat dampened by the flat undercarbonated feel. It tastes like a beer that sat out for many hours. That aside, the smell and flavor is quite pleasing. Perhaps this was a bad bottle? If not, I'm hoping the carbonation issue is adjusted on future batches as this could be something special in my opinion. My score is 4/5 rDev-2.0%.

Time for some mindless TV down in the cave as I finish this bomber. Have yourselves a great week and thank you for the always thoughtful reviews. Here's mine......

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34315/264816/?ba=Prager62#review

 

Good evening, my NBS friends. Tonight I'm going to sample a couple of new beers to me from a brewery that I love.

First up, this deceptive DIPA .....



The brewery is one of my favorites because they brew really great stuff, and because they brought a friend of mine to his knees (almost literally).

This buddy is an inveterate Crown drinker. I've seen him pound 6 Crown doubles, and you'd think he was drinking iced tea if you watched him from a distance.

But one night when we were out for dinner, he wanted to drink beer with me. I was drinking Sculpin (the first time I tried it), so he had a Sculpin
(and declared how pungent it was after his first sip), then a 2nd. We tried to leave then - and he couldn't walk without leaning against the wall.

So we sat and drank water for an hour, and we've got a story we both still tell 4 years later.

So I'm a BP fan boy, and this is another beer from them that I enjoy. It is probably the clearest DIPA I've seen - it's as clear as Mrs O's daily bottle of Miller Lite.

The aroma is very reminiscent of the aromas I associate with the ubiquitous Mosaic hop, and so is the taste - but the malt is something in the Pilsner range because this is pretty dry for a DIPA.

Which is how this can sneak up on you - it'a an 8.5% ABV beer that has all of the flavor of a DIPA, but not the associated heaviness.

This has widely varying reviews , but I'm enjoying it - it's a beer ninja because it'll sneak up on you and whomp you upside the head. Rated 4.21.