New Beer Sunday (week 627)

Congrats @Lingenbrau
Interesting thread today, hope everyone the best.

My first beer is Rock Arts Single Hop Mosaic Double IPA

I've enjoyed most of Rock Arts hoppy offerings in the last year or so. They're priced well and pretty widely available.

This one looked good, thick white frothy big bubbled head, moderate haze in straw colored base.




Head settles into thin whispy cap and there is plenty of lacing.

Aroma is bright hops, Mango and hint of residual malt sweetness.

Flavor a bit subdued, malt and tropical fruit balanced, but neither takes the reigns. Hints of citrus.

Moderate carbonation and medium body. A bit syrupy.

Overall a nice brew, but lacks a bit of punch in the flavor.

Cheers!

 

Harpoon Leviathan IPA ( DIPA actually ), prettty tasty, Thanks @jzeilinger! 3.91 overall

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/98/44755/?ba=russpowell#review

 

I have just cracked Full Steam's Pay Check Pilsner. It weighs in at 4.5%, is beautifully bright yellow, tossing off a fine white cap. The Kolsch glass seemed to be a good vessel. This is a drinking beer by the looks of it, and my inkling is well found...I could drink these all day if lucidity wasn't required at some point.....A nice grassy/straw nose is only the beginning. This is an innocuous beer, right? Not at all. A very surprising richness attends this brew and the nose is interesting. I get some botanicals, something like mint, anise, very mild, but bubbling away in a fine light brew. The taste follows, with the drinkability chipping away at the thinking part. This is a very clean and crisp beer that has nice depth. This is a lovely brew.
Cheers to Sean at Full Steam for making real beer, and for being a stalwart back in 05-06 getting Pop the Cap done. North Carolina beer became a real thing because of smart politics....something that we really need now and always!

I like this pure tune.

 

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27917/121178/#navigation



Light to moderate pour yields a 3/4 inch white head over a hazy golden body with minimal lacing. Nose of funk, citrus, and apple. Taste follows nicely with a crisp, dry finish of lemony apple. Feel is adequate for a sour and a tad thin for a saison. Overall, very interesting and at this price point ($7.99), this should be on everyone's radar!

4.21/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

Went with some depth on my next brew.

Lots going on with this one:

R&D Series Bramble Berry Bourbon

Not the prettiest brew, but rich layers of dark fruits, soft and balanced tartness. Smooth, but not hidden barrel in the aroma.

Flavor is tart sour cherry, dark candied cherries, figs and soft Bourbon background. Everything balances together nicely to form a delicate but complex brew.

Higher side of medium body and perky carbonation.

Excellent brew, my favorite NG I've tried.

 

A nice piece of history!

 

Going through some of the other posts... many many beers I'm jealous of in other people's glasses, but regardless... I'll find the courage to carry on and post my second new beer for this NBS. A decidedly less-strong beer, Throwback's Cheek Squeezer is a kettle-soured blonde ale with tart cherries added. The can states that the beer has "an inviting fruity aroma" and that it "drinks a bit dry, with a pleasant tartness that mellows after the first sip." I got a single can of this cuz I wasn't sure whether or not I'd want four. Throwback has been a little bit hit or miss to me, and this is (as far as I know) their first sour beer, so I'll cut them a little slack along the way.



Pours a sorta-dingy golden color witha lot of haze and a soapy, thin ring of foam that settles down from the initial voluminous pour. Expected with the kettle-souring process, though... lacto seems to heavily inhibit head production and retention, even in wheat-based recipes like many of these quick sours tend to be. Semi-lazy carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass... eh, not a super attractive beer, that's for sure...

Nose is a bit better with strong cereal grain notes and some slight undercurrent of lemon and cherry. Only a slight hint of lacto at all. I'm mainly getting a ton of wheat and weird herbal notes for whatever reason. Underwhelming nose.

On the tongue, it finally opens up (almost too little, too late honestly) with a bright acidity and huge, authentic(!) cherry flavor right in the transition to the middle. Wow, this is nice and juicy with a superb level of tartness... excellently balanced. Not funky/lactic or too "steely" like some kettle-sours can be... just gives a very good impression of the fruit itself atop a very solid wheat beer base. I'm satisfied by this one. Thinking that I stand by my decision to only get a single, though, given that the price was a little bit above what I would traditionally want to pay for a sub-5% kettle-soured ale, from what I remember. However, that isn't really a knock against this. It's certainly enjoyable. Perhaps the heavy body detracts a little from the drinkability here, but I just really enjoy how superbly handled the cherry flavor is.

This one's a bit weird because my first impression wasn't spectacular, and that certainly plays into my overall feelings about it, but it's super fun to sip at and drink considering the nice thirst-quenching flavor and bright cherry tartness. Nothing mind-blowing but good stuff at the end of the day.

 

Next, and last, is a beer so new that I added it to the system yesterday. When I visited Double Shift, just about half (no kidding) of the clientele had this in their glass. While I nearly joined the masses and had one from the tap, I found out I could get a bottle of it, so why not extend the local beer session at home and enjoy a unique brew on tap. Let's dive into this local stout.



Double Shift's Huck Stout.

Pours back with a thick, khaki colored head. Head foams up to two fingers in height, and with its tight and foamy formation, retains well. Lacing is swathed about with fair regularity. Aroma is roasted malts with blueberries, and gooseberries. While it is no doubt a stout, its aroma keeps it lively, and friendly for a dark, soul-sucking liquid. Well delivered aroma gives the impression of enjoying dark beer on a river sand bar. Flavor profile is a touch darker then the aroma, with notes of roasted and toasted malts right at the forefront. It then winds into notes of blueberries, and gooseberries with a touch of the gooseberry pucker to it. It finishes earthy. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a good robustness. At 6.9%, it sips smooth while cold, and a little more robust as it warms. Overall, it's a incredibly smooth and delicious stout. It doesn't rely on a demonentor level of darkness to rely the stout style. Plenty of flavor and robustness, and yet approach-ability, lands this stout into a delightfully appreciable, and yet shareable with those new to the style, area that makes it a little... dangerous. Delightful.

Score: 4.5 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4 | 4.25 | BA Score: 4.24 | rDev: 0.0%

Personal reflection: This is a stout through and through. It's not throat clotting thick, nor is it incredibly robust in a sense that it'll make you question even the deepest of your most core values, but it puts the style on the map for those seeking a stout they can sip on while they talk about the latest Always Sunny episode, or gossip after their latest high school reunion. While I may be a bit biased as this is brewed by a local brewery that produces some extremely solid beers with a bunch of cuties working behind the bar, I still find this beer to be marvelous. I intended to share the bottle, but as the other person is distracted, I may relegate all 750mL to my snifter. Woops? At under 7% for a solid stout, that doesn't seem too bad.

 

New Beer Sunday: A Foreign Extra Stout

Evenin' NBSers, with special greetings to all you friendly finders of Foreign Extra Stouts.

After a full afternoon it's time to relax with another new beer. For this one I'll begin with thanks to @TongoRad. His comments about this beer on several occasions led me to think it is worth a try so when I saw it for the first time I immediately grabbed a 4 pack.

This evening's new beer is the Guinness Foreign Extra Stout.

The latest draft of my review can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/209/752/?ba=drtth#review

The review will be in progress until about mid-way through the beer when I’ll then be testing it out in a beer-cheese pairing with some White Stilton. The White Stilton cheese is not as well known as it’s blue veined relative. It is a bit crumbly but with a rich creamy flavor. It has no blue veins at all or none of the flavors they provide. To compensate/complement the White cheese they’ve mixed some bits of mango and ginger into this version. I’m expecting the beer and cheese pairing should be quite tasty but the beer definitely won’t have the same flavors during the pairing.

Before commenting about the beer, a note about the date coding on the bottle. This is one of those Julian date codes and the general rule for this beer is that the code is Lxxxx. The L=Lot, the 1st digit is year, and the next 3 digits are the Julian date. So this beer is from batch L6319 and so was bottled on 14 Nov 16.

This beer is a big brother of regular guinness but is it is both stronger and more heavily muscled. The things I like in a stout are here: some coffee flavor, a good bit of dark roast malt, some dark chocolate and an earthy almost burnt bitterness in the dry ending. I think there’s a bit more going on here that I’m not identifying yet (e.g., hints of dark fruits). So I'll be repeating this beer a number of times both because I'm enjoying this one and there’s some complexity here I’d like to explore further. I'll also revisit the review with each of those bottles and with an eye to improving it based on multiple bottles.

And now some Irish Drinking Songs.

Cheers, all!

 

Not a big lager person, so I grabbed a single as I wait for my pizza to cook. Not bad. I can actually taste some hops behind the strong malt backbone.

 

Na Zdorovie, NBSers, and thank you to @utopiajane for he magnificent introduction. First up, this APA by Evil Twin.



3.73/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

This is sorta "APA by the numbers." Burnt orange color, couple of fingers of slightly off-white head, citrus aromas (though a bit weak), the citrus comes through more on the taste, and there's a healthy caramel malt backbone, which helps amp up the mouthfeel.

I almost get the feeling Evil Twin made this to poke at the stereotypical "hipster/neck beard beer geek" that is synonymous with "craft beer," and brewed it to appeal to the "entry-level" beer drinker.

If that was their intent, I raise my Lagunitas Mason jar glass to them. Mission Accomplished. If that wasn't their intent, then they owe the guy that sent me this in a trade an explanation, because he definitely has the neck beard.

 

Wishing you the peace and strength in this hard moment!

 

Glad you enjoyed it! I definitely get dark fruits in it, and that's one of the reasons why I prefer it to the Extra Stout. Plus, everything just works so harmoniously together in it, and nothing really dominates, as you pointed out in your review.

 

Those dark fruits are part of why I'll be having more than one. I think they are there but haven't gotten them sorted out yet.

 

Wanted to drop in for a quick one tonight.
Thanks again Maria for the wonderful review and again congrats to @Lingenbrau family. Turned back yltime last night and filled in as guest Chef for a friend in his pop up restaurant. Was quite an interesting and fun evening. Guests were happy and that's the most important thing.
Finback Stellar Wind TIPA
Pours a burnished gold with a very small disappearing head leaving almost no lacing.
Aroma is very unique. Lots of sweet citrus; lemon, lime and tangerine and possibly some deep apricot and peach. Nary a sign of any bread from malts.
Taste follows with citrus, stone fruits, a tad of tropical passion fruit and a touch of sweet malts. Some rind bitterness that fades quickly.
Body is moderate but not too heavy for the style. Low on the carb. Some oilyness is left on the tongue. Flavor comes and goes.
Overall an OK take on a hard to pull off style. This is more on the fruity side but from hops more than malts. Interesting with the Motueka Hops. Didn't get a lot of Citra. I know it's rare but I prefer a little more bitter and a bit more dryness which I realize is to get with "TIPAs" . Been drinking Knee Deep lately and that seem to have that down to a science. Watching Dog Day Afternoon. Gotta run. I'll continue to check out your NBS posts. Have a good night and thanks for taking the time.

 

New (out of state) Beer Sunday, part 1 of 3

Yuengling Traditional Lager


I know it isn't by any means a whale, but this beer has been on my beer-bucket-list for a while. Despite being the fact that only one state sits between us and the state where this beer is brewed (damn Ohio, who btw gets this beer) we here in Michigan don't get distribution. I've always heard it was a great alternative to the major adjunct lagers on the shelves. When I found out my bff (beer friend forever) @kenny21435 was making a trip to Florida, I knew he was going to grab me some.

The appearance is, well, amber, as was suggested by the style and the writing on the can. The aroma is reminiscent of many beers I have had. The toasty notes and touch of honey-like sweetness set it apart from the BMC crowd. The flavor follows the nose with those toasty grain and slight honey notes, but is rather subtle, which is not a negative for a beer seemingly best suited for easy drinking and washing down BBQ food. It drinks light-ish, crisp, clean, and refreshing.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It would be a great alternative to have on our shelves here. It reminds me of a better crafted Bush Signature Copper Lager. I put two down pretty easy tonight, and look forward to the other 10 I have waiting.

Cheers, NBS!

 

#2, this coffee porter from our 50th state.



4.12/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

My first beer from these guys, this looks beautiful - jet black, tan head. The nose is REALLY heavy coconut, with the chocolate macadamia sitting in the background, and the coffee a non-participant.

The coconut dominates the taste, too, but the chocolate macadamia comes forward as this warms, and the coffee is (barely) lurking in the background. For a beer weighing in at 9.5% ABV, this is a bit thin, but the feel is spot on for the style and the heft of the beer.

I wish I had a second bottle of this to age for a year to see how it developed. I like it, but with a bit more body, this could be world-class.

 

New beer number two, Burley Oak Lost in the Bush, thank you @CanConPhilly for this one!
4.17/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thank you CanConPhilly for this
16 oz can, dated 2/16/17, poured into a tulip

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

S- Citrus, some tropical fruits, herbal tea, stone fruits, some pale malts.

T- Tropical fruits/pineapple, citrus, herbal/piney finish, some pale malts.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A solid IPA, more a classic IPA with some influence from the hazy craze. Worth picking up.

Cheers!

 

Another new one, from FL this time!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32908/241896/



Moderate pour yields a 1 and a 1/2 inch light pinkish tan head over a dark mahogany body with minimal lacing as the head subsides to a ring in a few minutes. All throughout, the head comes back with a swirl or two. Nose of funk (cellar floor) and dark fruit. Taste follows with tartness taking over with a faint cherry-like sweetness in the finish. Feel is a bit thin, but overall, a nice offering from St. Petersburg, FL!

4.14/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

 

Good evening NBS, Aromas hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @utopiajane for getting us started off this week. Been really busy and stressed out with work and life right now. Did some overtime this weekend to finish up what needs to be presented tomorrow. Hope things cool down a little bit soon. I made a nice big new beer haul yesterday as I was getting low again. Should be all set for a few more weeks. Keeps getting harder to find new stuff, but the stores I go to always seem to impress me when I go to Livonia; usually can only make a trip down there every other month lately. So for now I am overloaded with new beer, but it will taper off again eventually. Other than that did my usual laundry and bottle returns this morning.

Today's reviews:

5100 beers and yet never reviewed this. Have had most of their other US distroed beers, and just got the Irish Wheat yesterday. This was decent. Fantastic head retention and thick lacing as expected. Aromas and flavors of dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, and toasted dark bread; with light nuttiness, smoke, dark fruit, and herbal hops; with some yeasty earthiness. Light herbal/roast bitterness on the finish. Very thin body with some chalky grains and slight sticky hops. Zero creaminess. Moderate increasing bitter roasted dryness; no astringency. Very drinkable and pretty flavorful. Overall enjoyable, but I was shocked how thin/watered down this tasted compared to other dry stouts I've had at similar ABV. The style character was on point, though. 3.41

This was awesome! Aromas and flavors of big vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, maple syrup, caramel, milk chocolate, fudge, cream, brown sugar, and toasted brown bread; with light coffee and herbal hops. Light herbal/roast bitterness on the finish. Medium bodied with nice lactose creaminess, and slight spice stickiness. A bit silky. Minimal dryness. Really well balanced and dessert-like for a porter. Never overly sweet nor roasty. This is delicious! 4.1


Very good pale ale. Aromas and flavors of tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pineapple, pear, mango, melon, and light pine hops; with some lightly toasted biscuit and light honey malt balance; and floral/grassy hop earthiness. Light-moderate pine/grassy bitterness on the finish. Light-medium bodied with balanced bready/grainy malt and hop stickiness in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing bitter dryness. Really drinkable and refreshing for 6.5%, fairly crisp. Pretty juicy/vibrant feeling hops with balancing malts; without being too sweet/heavy. Very enjoyable, spot on style example. We just started getting this brewery recently. Out of Carmel, IN. Got a few others to review yesterday from them. 3.78


This is a red wine BA Brett Tripel. This was great! Aromas and flavors of big lightly tart lemon, lime, apricot, peach, pear, green apple, white grape, red wine, oak, and peppery yeast; with some moderate honey/bready malt sweetness; with underlying notes of vanilla, hay, grass, herbal, and musty/leathery Brett funk. Nice peppery yeast and tannic wine/oak spice on the finish. Medium-plus bodied with balanced bready/grainy creaminess and tannins in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing tannic dryness, slight touch of acidity. The wine barrel is really well represented in this, but not overdone. The oak vanilla and wine tannins have nice presence as it warms. Nice level of brett funk, with classic spicy yeast character balancing the malt. A little heavier than I expected, but it's not sweet either. No complaints. 4


Cheers, have a good night NBS