New Beer Sunday (week 624)

Nice first post!

I'm in the opposite situation and super Sunday in a non-football country really makes you realize how much it is treated like a holiday in the states! At the very least it's a good excuse to eat, drink and be merry.

 

Now up another solid beer from @2beerdogs, Canteen Exodus IPA, thanks!

4.1/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thank you 2beerdogs for this
12 oz can poured into a snifter

A- A slightly hazy golden amber with a two finger white head

S- Citrus, hints of tropical fruits, light stone fruits, touch of caramel malts, piney/resin.

T- Citrus, some citrus rind, faint tropical fruits/stone fruits, touch of caramel malts, piney bitter finish, some resin.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A solid IPA, easy to drink. Can is almost 4 months old and I wish I had opened it sooner, but it still taste good and fairly fresh with that age.

Cheers!

 

Could you remind me what the potential dates are?

 

Okay I'm going to start this over for the second time today. Seems the BA gods are not for some reason happy with me as the last two half finished posts have disappeared. Welcome back to the full bodied Dave not only here in spirit this week but also among the weaker of us and drinking beer again after his hiatus. I have also limited my intake the past few weeks and hope to do so for a few more. I didn't stop all together like Dave but have been having a few dry days each week.
Our new family addition has settled in and the estranged siblings seem to be finally getting along. Playing ref to a couple of huge dogs is not something that I found enjoyable. But the last week has been uneventful and even overly peaceful at times.
My porch took a couple of beating this week one at the hands of our own @SammyJaxxxx and the other at the hands of another great BA @Corriecrafts. So my beer for today comes at the hands of the more than over generous Corrie.
My new beer for this Sunday comes from Braxton Brewing and is Tropical Flare an Imperial IPA

This to me is what I consider an old school IPA much more malt forward than the tropical juice bombs we have all become used to here in New England.
This beer poured a darker orange brownish color into my glass. it has a nice think tannish foamy head on top.
The nose is malty and bready to me with little aroma from the hops coming through to the nose.
The taste is strongest of the malts with a back of the mouth bitterness coming through from the hops.
The mouthfeel is smooth and it has great carbonation.
Like I said in the beginning this is a old school DIPA which in no means makes it a lessor beer. I think we have a become more used to the New England style DIPA the tropical juice bomb type. Lets get to the point did I enjoy this beer. Yes for sure. Do I want to drink this all the time. No. With the heavier malt backbone it makes this a lot heavier beer to me. Is this a well done beer in the style? Hell yes! So where do I go from here. I enjoyed this beer a lot but not something I'm going to drink everyday.

 

I bought two beers for NBS but I shamefully drank them last night.

 

It's VERY much a holiday, also similar to when the March madness starts for college basketball (something Canadians can't really relate too). But then hey while College Football gears up for bowl games around New Years, many Canucks are all cramming over World Junior Hockey!!!

Yup being down here when the Superbowl is on, man there's nothing like it!! Although sometimes the game does suck but hey that's sports.

I always jokingly wished they announce the day after Superbowl as a holiday just so everyone can recover.

 

on to the next brew! OOOOoo and I am loving this one!

Von Trapp Bohemian Pilsner | von Trapp Brewing


Von Trapp Brewing - Bohemian Pilsner Lager by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the bottle into a Libby style pilsner glass.

Pale lemon body color, and quite a bit hazy actually. Minimal head creation but a very nice bleach white two fingers. Settles to a half fingered crown top and big fine bubbled collar. Lots of really fine carbonation going through this thing, and creeping up slowly.

Very different Bohemian quality here on the nose. Exceptional hop herbality with a killer fruit angle. Crisp notes of green herbs and spice with a tangy marmalade apricot bitterness that is very pronounced. Wow! Just crushing, and simple. Classic clean smell, faint touches of bread dough. Wow this is great stuff for an aroma.

I was really expecting some good quality here from that hinted nose, and boy did it deliver. If anything, simple malt depth and doesn't quite get the great chewy and bakery quality I like out of a pils. However, it stays simple and is simply supportive of the great flavors that follow. Crisp hop green herbs of pine and mint, with an absolute mouthwatering apricot fruit and peach fuzz quality minus the sugary sweetness. Only a faint hint of bread dough, but then the hop quality flourishes like a breath freshener. Thyme and sage, even a touch of orange zest gets in there.

Wow, this is a great friggin pils, too bad I can't get this regularly it's just wonderful. Czech or German? Who cares… it's fantastic. (I lean toward Czech but that's my 2 cents).

look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5 | BA Generated Score: 4.47

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Salud!

 

Cheers you all. I am back with my second beer of the day for a Two Beer Sunday! I have been saving this one for today and I am glad I did because I think it's well made. Southern Tier 2XOak'd.

Happy New DIPA Sunday!



Pours golden amber. Very clear. No head to speak of but just a tan head to show up and then fall fast. Slight stream of bubbles coming up from the center of the glass and this one is very pretty.

Fruity sweet nose. spicy. I smell a little honey like malt, breaddy then rich fruit and spice. wood does not dominate but fills up the nose with it's airy sweetness.

Drinks very well. A bit sweet but goes to the finish with enough oomf so that you don't mind. Fruity, juicy and the hops stay on the palate fruity and herbal. Bitterness and alcohol both ting the finish for medium dry. The maple syrup is harder to detect on the nose but on the palate it is a mellow earthiness. It does not taste like sweet sugar and it's a nice surprise. Very rich but stayed in the background. I liked this more than I thought I would and I thought the oak and maple syrup were well done.

Cheers!

 

My last NB will be this Evil Twin Imperial Doughnut Break



Super dark with a massive coppery brown head. Nose has me a little confused, as there is a molasses sweetness, but I'd swear there's some spicing of some sort. Taste reveals a significant coffee punch, which may have contributed to that spicy thing. Beyond that, I am getting some chocolate and a decent caramel finish. On the very exit, I get a vanilla contribution as well. Pretty thick bodied and sticky as well with shockingly little on the aftertaste.

 

Cracked open a 1999 Bigfoot. Bottled the last time Atlanta made a Super Bowl.
Go Falcons!

 

Visiting the second iconic IPA from The Alchemist.



The Alchemist's Focal Banger.

Pours a light hue somewhere between yellow and orange with a layer of haze and fog to it. Head formation is two fingers, with an aggressive start, and a conservative finish. Foaming action of the head is easily controlled. Great head retention followed by great lacing left behind after each sip. Off to a strong start. Aroma is citrus, papaya, and mango. Malts are well hidden, keeping the aroma centered on citrusy hops with little divergence from the bulls-eye. Flavor profile is a smooth induction of light citrusy hops, with not much else to finish it. It's very one dimension in that the flavor profile is all delicate citrus hops, and yet it refrains from being bitter or unbalanced. There is a hint of biscuit malts in the back. Mouth feel opens thin, with a feel that gets a little fizzy and thicker as the beer warms on the palate. Overall, a slightly fizzy, but otherwise smooth IPA. It drinks much smaller then a 7% IPA, and yet has plenty of powerful flavor. Nicely constructed and executed.

Score: 4.75 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.25 | 4.5 | BA Score: 4.49 | rDev: -1.8%

Personal reflection: Not as big a fan of this as Heady Topper. That said, I tried to stomp out any potential bias in my review. The fizzy feel really distracted from the otherwise promising aroma and flavor profile.

 

I used to work for a guy (Jim Staton) that was a big time All-American player at Wake Forest and a player for the Washington Redskins for a while. He made his mark playing for the Montreal Alouettes in the 50s and was the toughest man I've ever known. He swore by Canadian football, and just about everything else!

 

Happy NB Super Bowl Sunday, gang. Russian Imperial Stout is may favorite beer style and I'm always excited to try a new one. This is Barrier's Morticia. I have to say I was disappointed. I found it rather one dimensional, without sweetness or dark fruit to offset the bitter char. Here's my review:

3.98/5 rDev -4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 16.9 oz. bottle into stout glass. It pours nearly jet black with dark walnut hues, and an amazing fluffy, mocha-colored head that resembles coffee gelato. It smells roasty with dark coffee, chocolate, and tobacco smoke. The first taste sensation is char, followed by burnt coffee grounds, baker's chocolate, nuts, and a hit of caramel. What is noticeably missing for a RIS is the dark fruit I like so much. It finishes surprisingly bitter. That said, it's rather one-dimensional; there's little sweetness or fruit to juxtapose to the char and bitterness. It's creamy but not particularly viscous. The body is more like a porter than, say, Ten Fidy, FIS or Parabola. The 10.1% ABV is well hidden. Overall, while I can understand some reviewers really liking Morticia, I don't think it measures up to its more famous brethren of the style.

The good news is that I've got plenty else to drink today. I hope you're enjoying your new beers today as you pre-game. Cheers from North Jersey!

 

think it's Sunday but ... so happens it's Tuesday here




label closeup here



this is my new beer, but I don't have the history to truly review this outstanding beer

pours out dense black and has a fine bubble head that quickly rings, then disappears 4.5
wonderful bouquet of bourbon roasted dark chocolate, cherry and a touch of vanilla. 4.5
cant decide if barrel made this more toasty or sweet,i'll choose toasty.
also get jam and bakers chocolate. 4.5
superior balance, great depth. tingling mouthfeel.no noticeable alcohol. 4.5
put a gun to my head and i'll say this would pair well with a slice of peanut butter pie

cheers BA's

 

Let me add mine to the welcomes back!

 

Thanks! And thanks for the suggestion regarding the review. Adding it to the database now.

 

A good super Sunday to all you NBSers.

It is pretty chilly here and I have already knocked out chores, cooked some for the upcoming week and I'm getting ready to head to a super bowl party later on.

My beer this afternoon comes from a generous BA who always gets me amazing things every time he has a chance. It is truly appreciated!



I love OB and Ten Fidy is one of my favorite imperial stouts. So needless to say this is one that I have been lusting after since they first started canning it.



Let's see how she drinks.



This one is great and made for sipping in a snowstorm. It pours about as viscous as could be and sports a pretty nice little head for a 12% monster.
The aroma and flavor are pretty much exactly what a BA stout should be, in my opinion. There is a perfect balance between the sweet, mellow barrel character and the thick, also mellow, malt profile. It is good to the point that it all forms a unifed front that is proving hard for me to tease apart. Very sweet but between the charred malt and the booze it is all kept in check.
This is a fabulous beer and is one I would gladly have again.

Cheers, all!

My review is here if you're curious.

 

I get the feeling that BA Ten Fidy will be a beer discussed for a long time, at least this year's. It's so damn smooth, and large, and yet incredibly packed with flavors, despite a surreal balance. I hope they continue to make it, and make it as available or more so than this year's. It may be the new BCBS. BA Ten Fidy is everything I envision in a BA imperial stout.

 

Boulevard Imperial Stout X: Aztec Chocolate, 11% ABV, 63 IBU. Pours medium viscosity and black, with a one finger tan head that lingers like nitro, leaving foamy lacing. Nose is malt, cinnamon, chocolate, peppers, with a hint of alcohol. Taste is sweet malt and chocolate, light on the pepper taste, but with a slight bitter burning close. Excellent creamy mouthfeel, and overall outstanding. Competes favorably with Prairie Bomb, and better than Central Waters Space Ghost and Rogue Sriracha. Hope they bring this one back, real nice.

 

Here's to hoping they increase production and distribute Rum BA Fidy! Would love to get my hands on one to see how it competes with Prairie Bomb.