New Beer Sunday (week 627)

Agreed, their best alhough that Barrel Aged Rock Candy is pretty close

 

Hello. I doubt I'll be joining you all today, even though I really need it. Today we're pulling the tubes on my dad, and let nature take it's course. It's really been a day of teers. Once the tubes are pulled it might take hours, or days for him to go. It's a tough decision, but the right one.

Thanks for letting me rant NBSers.

 

Happy Sunday, NBS gang. After some nice pre-spring temperatures the past few days, it's more seasonable for the end of February; a little chilly for deck drinking but warmer days are coming! My contribution today is Kane's Solitude, a Belgian Strong Dark Ale with an ABV of 9.2% Kane shows its great versatility by adding some nice chocolate notes to the dark fruit and Belgian spices. Here's my full review:

4.18/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from 750 ML bottle into Kane tulip glass. It pours a dark mahogany with ruby hues when held to the light, and an enormous, light khaki colored head and lacing with great retention. It smells of plum, dark cherry, burnt coffee, and a whiff of tobacco smoke. It's full of dark fruit: raisin, plum, and cherry, along with some nice chocolate in mid-sip, and some subtle spice at the finish. It has a chocolate covered cherry quality. As the glass warmed, I tasted more of the smoke. This ale has a creamy mouth feel with lively carbonation. The label shows an ABV of 9.2% which gives it a nice potency without being overtly boozy. Overall, this is a nicely crafted and tasty Belgian Ale. The chocolate gives it a unique taste and makes it ideal as a dessert beer. It would also pair well with a hearty meal.

I hope you're enjoying your new beers today!

 

Congrats on your new family addition! You are MAJORLY outnumbered in the the house now!
She's a precious lil beauty too!
Cheers!

 

Yay! Congratulations to all the 'Brau's! Lifting my glass to you all right now.

 

Woooaaah seems like some momentous doings here, will have to sift through more carefully, as I sip a new beer I am so very happy to be drinking, and I will explain all that in a bit and catch up with y'all.

 

Hey all, back to NBS this week after a couple weeks off due to hectic weekend schedules and whatnot! Shout-out to @Greywulfken for beating me to the punch with a review for this one... very excited to crack into it as I've long been a fan of FSW's anniversary blends and having one of the components for many of them on its own is an exciting prospect to me.



First of all, I kinda dig the format change on this series. It's a bit cheaper ($10 for a single 12 oz bottle compared to $20 or so for a 22 oz bottle) and you get the benefit of being able to buy multiples for sharing/aging purposes if you can find more than one bottle in the same place. Luckily, I did and will be storing my other one for at least 6 months.



Pours a dark, chestnut-like brown color with a lighter mocha/off-khaki colored head of thin yet retentive foam that keeps all of its constituent bubbles clustered together tightly. The surface is medium-hazy with some wispy clouds of foam swirling about loosely.

Nose is toffee, sweet and hot bourbon, toasted nuts, roasty and nutty malt, rock candy and salted caramel. Pretty hefty ethanol component, which means that even if this rules, it'll probably be even better with some time on it... a prospect I'm very excited for!

On the tongue, this comes forward with sweet toffee and nutty malt followed by some flashes of raisin and orchard fruit before collapsing into stiff tannic notes, decnet amount of forward ethanol heat and woody, semi-sweet bourbon. Mildly sticky and open-ended finish with some wood and caramel combined with a firm bitterness. Letting this warm up brings out some chocolate and espresso notes and some light chalky yeast flavors.

This is definitely a liiiiiittle bit too hot for its own good, but it's still rather fresh and young. A very good sipper, but about 6-9 months on this baby will probably smooth it out and temper its heat. Very glad to savor and enjoy Bravo on its own for the first time. Cheers!

 

Good afternoon to all the NBS faithful and welcome to all the newcomers. Thanks to Maria for the great start as always. And also congratulations to the new parents Mr and Mrs @Lingenbrau.
The weather here has been anything but typical this but living in New England you learn to expect the weird weather. We have had a visitor to the yard the last few days and he has been enjoying some of the old dead trees that are still standing. He is a Pileated Woodpecker.

He can make a large hole in a dead tree in very little time.
I'm going to follow a couple of other people here with my review today and it will be Founders Frootwood.

Poured from a 12oz bottle into my tulip glass. Chilled to 45*. Bottle is dated 12/20/2016 but Labeled 2017 vintage.
This beer pours a slightly reddish golden color with a thin white head on top.
The nose is sweet mostly cherries and some bourbon.
The taste follows the nose sweet cherries and a slight hint of bourbon in the back. To me the maple is lost somewhere before it got to this bottle.
The mouthfeel is smooth not overly carbonated.
Overall this beer is mostly what it is labeled as a barrel aged fruit beer. I really found no maple in this. I will say I enjoyed the flavors that were there and will probably enjoy at least one more from the 4 pack I bought. I'll let someone else enjoy the other 2.
3.64/5 rDev -9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

 

I'd generally agree with this statement



I am almost through a Nu Skool IPA, by Southern Tier, with my review written but awaiting any last second tweaks. This beer has three months on it, and a label that states "New American Hops with a Tropical Twist."

I wouldn't expect three months to do too much to a Southern Tier beer, but this is "nu." My initial impression was that this beer had almost nothing going on. It was along the lines of earthy clay with a stale bitterness.

Luckily things improved, but not to the levels that others have found. Maybe the flavors (and especially the scents) were tired, though - as none of them seemed to put in much effort to gain my attention.

The nose became pleasant from herbal to grassy with a light accent of sweet orange citrus - though near the end I started getting a little more of a lemony accent. The taste was initially a little better, cereal malts with a dead grass opening that did yield a dry grass to herbal to even spicy notes. There is a little lingering grassy bitterness after the transitions run their course.

This came out to me as more of a lighter APA with the balance of malt grain and sweetness and grass to citrus bittering. I would let it warm if you have an "ol skool" bottling date, as that seemed to coax the flavors out better for me.

 

Thanks again, it was special!

 

That's tough. I'll say a prayer for you and your family.

 

So sorry. I'll be thinking of you and your family.

 

Wow! Full cycle of life (perhaps) here on NBS today. Thoughts are with you after that tough decision. I may need another beer just thinking about it. Will raise the next one thinking of you, your dad, and your family.

 

G' afternoon NBS-ers!

Spent yesterday at the Kennedy Space Center with the wife, our youngest son and Pops!
Helluva of an awesome time, too! The Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit is the highlight imo!

You're almost close enough to touch it. It's really amazing to be that close to a space shuttle that has been launched into space 33 times!

So anyway, thanks to @utopiajane aka Maria, for getting us started with her usual thoughtful and well written reviews!

Today's entry is one of the last remaining beers from the last round of the NBS BIF, Monkeys With Knives, from @beertunes . I saved this one in the back of the fridge to share with Pops on his visit.


Poured from a 22 oz. bottle into 2 SN glasses, after allowing the bottle to warm for a few minutes on the counter. Date appears to be June 6, 2016.

Appearance: Dark brown body with a cola looking color along the edges. Root beer brown colored head that formed a thin cap on the top and left some nice islands on the glass.

Aroma: Cocoa, coconut and a slight caramel aroma. Not a whole lot going on to make you think it was German Chocolate Cake other than the strong cocoa aroma.

Taste: Holy sheet! It's definitely German Chocolate Cake in liquid form! Sweet chocolate, a hint of coconut, a little spiciness right after the swallow and just really fantastic tasting! So tasty it's hard not to chug it down! It's amazing the aftertaste is just like having had a bite of moist German Chocolate Cake!

Mouthfeel: A little thin, but I think if it was heavier it wouldn't taste the same at all. Like I said the lingering taste is great!

Overall: A huge THANK YOU! to @beertunes for this one! It's really a fantastic beer that I'm glad was in the box! A real treasure and if I lived in the PNW this would be in my fridge A LOT! A smooth drinking beer with a lower abv and full of flavor. If you get a chance to get your hands on this one, my suggestion would be...YOU DO IT!

Cheers!

 

Moving along here NBS players. The temperature continues to drop and it's really just flat out cold. Got the heat cranked back up.

Beer number two is Colonial ale, an american brown ale with golden molasses and spruce tips, from Blue Point. Bringing the abv way down at just 3.8% ( I didn't realize it was that low when I bought it) and a bottle date of 12/14/16. The brew is apparently inspired by the original GW's recipe after he toured long island and making an apparent pit stop in Patchogue, ny where of course the brewery is located.

A brown/mahogany pour with a thin white head. The nose is malted barley and sugars. Extremely light on the first few sips. Upfront I get a carry over from the nose with a malted barley blast and sweet sugary syrup. A very clean and almost watery flow with a dry and slightly bitter finish. Subtle flavor notes of vanilla, oak, bitter pine and caramel. The mouth feel is very light but the flavors do seem to hold up ok considering.

Overall, if you're looking for a super session ale this isn't to bad. But it's just not that good either. I'm glad it only cost 5 bucks. I'm gonna give it a 3.

 

So sorry to hear. November of 2015 me and Pops and my brother had to decide to let Mom go too. It's not easy and I feel for you and your loss. Come back to us when you're ready.
May your father find peace and rest and you and your family find some comfort in knowing you will see each other again some day, in another place and time.



Peace.

 

Congratulations!!!

 

Here's a new one for me, got it on tap. Clown Shoes Mango American Kolsch. I can't imagine that this is fresh. Wasn't really a lot to it, and VERY low carbonation. Got it on tap from a place that I've had this issue with before.

 

This thread is blown up today, I've got lots to catch up. Watching Spartans take it to the Badgers! Hell yes. I've got an East Lansing beer to help matters, Ellison Brewing, Dawn Street Pale Ale, 6.5 ABV, carry out 4 pack 16 oz, $14. Pours a bit hazy gold with a nice one finger creamy, frothy head that sustains very well, nice carbonation supporting. Aroma of pine, very floral. Taste is solid pine, and grassy, mostly hops with a bitterness, creamy medium mouthfeel. Very solid well done beer, I'd seek out this one! Cheers, go Green.