New Beer Sunday (week 628)

I thought @gopens44 's joke deserved far more likes.

 

Gotta be my last beer of the night, right? lol

Something new, fresh, and local...

Double Dry Hopped Broccoli IIPA from Other Half Brewing in Brooklyn...

Ok, I guess the double dry hopping thing and the lupulin powder thing really work for me, because I've been quite pleased with beers featuring those things. This is no exception. Cascade, Hallertau Blanc, Mosaic, and Simcoe hops; Simcoe and Mosaic lupulin powder.

Medium-pale gold beer, opaque with haze, couple of fingers of bubbly foam that trailed some lace arms down the glass. Aromas of citrus, wheat, and white wine on the nose were followed with tangy citric fruits, something almost tartly yeast-like and a little funky/dank, subdued sweetness of mild fruit and damp wood... Medium-ish feel, with lots of tingle; brisk and crisp, some taut bitterness, and a drying finish. Very nice beer. 2/10/17 canning.

Cheers, NBS - here's to new beer in your glass...

 

Perfect! XDDD

 

Evening NBS folks, thanks to @cavedave for getin' us going again, lots of nice posts and beers today! It was uncharacteristically warm for an MN early March so the bike shop I work at was swamped today, I'm just now working up the urge to make some dinner while me and my gf get some cleaning done around the place.

I have an interview tomorrow for a my first full-time job, which will start two weeks after my graduation date, and I really hope I'll be able to land it. The job will be working at Metro Transit, the mpls area transit provider, doing data and tracking work for their Transit Control Center, which will be a great starting gig for me as I hope to end up as a transit planner. Here's hoping that works out!

My new beer comes to me c/o @oline73 who sent me some kick-ass east coast beers! I drank all the hops way too quick so I'm settling down with a stout from Peabody Heights Brewery out of Maryland. Thanks Steve!


Peabody Heights Brewery - Sleeping with the Fishies
Imperial stout with cocoa, cold brew coffee, and fish peppers - 9%abv

4.39/5 rDev +8.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nice jet black with a solid brown head that dissipates to a ring after a few minutes. Nose is HUGE cocoa and coffee, holy hell does it pack a punch there! Taste follows with even more coffee and cocoa, but where this really shines is the fish peppers. DO NOT drink this one cold, as those were completely absent my first few sips, and they are a crucial part of this beer. The peppers are hot, but the sweetness from the cocoa balances with them so well I just can't stop drinking it! Mouthfeel is great too, nice and heavy but not syrupy or sticky. Excellent beer from a new brewery that's now on my radar!

Listening to this record while making dinner, god damn do I love this band!


Cheers everyone, if I get some more work done I'll stop back with another later.

 

Might be coming it late this week but got three new entries for today.

First up was Tired Hands MimosaHands, simply put it is HopHands with orange juice and it tastes just like you would think. Nice bitterness with the finish with a great bright orange juice flavor. Would rate it right around a 4.25.

Second up was Tired Hands Rust & Decay II, technically the third time I've had it, but the first time I wrote any notes. Quick notes, sour, cherries, plums, red wine, leather, oak, some spirit I can't quite put my finger on, hints of caramel malts. A very well done sour, really hope they bottle it, would rate it between a 4.5 and 4.75.

Beer number three is Spiteful Big Fat Corporate Party, thank you @bstyle for this!
4.33/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thank you bstyle for this
22 oz bottle, batch 512, poured into a tulip

A- Black with a two finger mocha head.

S- Dark coffee, roasted malts and coffee, hints of dark fruits, some piney hops.

T- Chocolate, touch of sweetness, some figs and raisins, roasted coffee, piney finish, some caramel malts.

M- Smooth, medium to full body.

O- A great example of a Russian Imperial Stout with no extras added. Worth seeking out

Cheers NBS!

 

I've had this several times as my second beer of the night, and I seem to really like it more when I drank something else first. Not sure why. The first sip is shocking but it smooths out quickly. I'm really glad I got two four packs.

 

Good evening NBS, tonight's new brew was supposed to be my third Barleywine yesterday but that delicious Sebago BBA knocked me out. So now adjunct Barleywine time. Lawsons/Otter Creek Double or Nothing maple wood aged with maple syrup.



Pours a dark red brown with a one finger tan head, very large bubbles. Reduces to a halo after a minute. Minimal lacing, some alcohol legs.

Smells of fresh pressed apple cider, maple, cranberry juice, caramel, raisins. Definitely a strange nose, but it does smell inviting.

Taste is sticky sweet maple, green apple, toffee, raisin, prune, plum, molasses, caramel, tobacco, some charcoal flavor in the background. Coffee like bitterness.

Medium bodied, quite smooth, very low carbonation.

The lack of carbonation and the sweetness and the fruity character make this come across like a glass of Cabernet Sauvingnon. The tobacco notes also add to this likeness. It's more sweet than wine, and the maple is different but it seriously reminds me of a ridiculously expensive glass of Cabernet that I had at a business dinner with my Dad. It's not a bad taste, but as a beer lover and stylistically I don't think I'll buy it again.

Cheers!
Marc

Edit: should also add that this is almost 2 years old, aged in my friends cellar.

 

New Beer Sunday

My new beers today are from two of the more maligned breweries in the "craft" game. Both are beer that are trying to get sales by playing of the IPA craze, but without labeling themselves as IPAs. First up is

Samuel Adams Hopscape


This is an wheat ale with west coast hops. The appearance is golden with an anticipated haze from the wheat. The aroma reminds me of a session IPA with its mild hop aroma, which is followed by a bit of the wheaty spice. The flavor is reminiscent of many American pale wheat ales, but with a liittle mote citrus notes. It is crisp and refreshing. Well done for what it is. It is hoppy, but not awheat IPA, which is a good thing in my book.

New Belgium Whizbang


The appearance on this one is quite clear and golden. The aroma is dominated by a sugary sweet presence. The hops brong a little lit of a resinous piney smell, but I wouldn't call it a "hoppy golden" based on this nose. The flavor is much yhe same. The golden ale predominates, with the sugary and mildly bready malt notes leading the way. The hops come in at the end, but again, nothing worthy of the hybrid name. I found this beer to be one dimensional. Not bad, but not something I will likely revisit.

Cheers, NBS!

 

I bought my first six pack of this and sent it out in several boxes recently because it gets decent ratings for a cream stout and is made by the brewery that makes BDCS. I have to admit, it's not really my thing. The tobacco/leather taste just doesn't do it for me. Oh well, I'm hoping the people I sent it to enjoy it.



Pours a deep black with almost no head and no lacing. The smell is roasted malts, a little cocoa, and some leather. The taste is strong char, roasted malts, and more of that light leather flavor. The mouthfeel is thin and highly carbonated. Overall this is an easy to drink cream stout and not too bad. I have to say I expected a little more from the (sort of) base for BDCS.

 

Actually getting a second beer in and it is New Style Sunday thanks to our fearless leader @cavedave

Captain Lawrence has showed up here in the area, but not the full line. I was stoked to find this here beer in the trade box. I have managed to leave it for a few months, but today is the day.



Captain Lawrence Brewing Company Rosso E Marrone, an Oud Bruin.

It looks like maple syrup in a glass. Clear as can be, slightly reddish tints through the amber color. No head, but a steady stream of bubbles up the center. The smell...oh, can I just skip all the descriptive nonsense and say yummy? Slight malt sweetness. A blend of cherry and berry fruits. A whiff of spice that I will say nutmeg? Red wine in the way of grape must. There is some barnyard funky goodness. Vinegar sour.

The opening is soft. A mild spiciness and a tingle from the carbonation, but then the gloves come off and the flavor delivers assertively, yet it isnt overwhelming. Tart fruitiness with just a touch of vinegar, and a little sweetness - pickled cherries make any sense? Red wine and oakiness. Earthiness adds depth. As it warms, a bit of caramel comes in and there is a more floral note over the top. Estery fruit notes fly over the base. Peppery spice on the finish and the taste lingers gloriously and unwraps itself. There is a lot going on, yet it isnt super-intense. The sour level is fairly mild. Medium bodied, the flavor lingers nicely, and as it backs down I swear I am getting a little Begian bubblegum/banana note and more bright, fruity esters. I can clearly smell the more fragrant fruitiness unless I stick my nose in the glass...where malt and sour dominate.

Diggin' this beer and I am sure I havent decoded the half of it yet. I think this is well-conceived and nicely executed. Gonna be around 4.5 or thereabouts. For now, enough thinking and trying to dissect. Going to enjoy the second half of the bottle.

 

Drinking number 005 of the Luponic Distortion

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2210/269305/?ba=Chickenhawk9932#review

 

New brew 2 tonight moving back into the land of massively dry hopped IPA's. Other Half DDH Broccoli.



Pours a very hazy gold, maybe a tinge of orange, two finger frothy white head reducing to a halo and thin film of bubbles. Ample lacing.

The aroma is tough to decipher here, it's got such a battering ram of hops that it almost come across monotone as "hops". It's a very pungent dank pine with mango and melon and orange rind. Maybe there's a little earthy grass hiding in there too.

Taste is also very hoppy, like taking a Mosaic hop pellet and just munching on it. (Previous Barleywine may be playing some tongue tricks here). I'm getting some very spicy herbal taste, black pepper, hint of onion, citrusy orange, cantaloupe, mango, dank pine and moss, some more peppery notes, thyme. Herbal bitterness though subdued.

Medium bodied, fairly smooth, crisp carbonation.

If this is hopped exclusively with Mosaic it may be my favorite mosaic single hop IPA. Taste is just excellent coercion of every variety of flavor that can be squeezed from hops. Nicely carbonated, already want to open the other can.

Cheers!
Marc

 

Thanks for the heads up. I've just been doing a low tech copy/paste from an image that I email to myself from my phone. I was actually sort of surprised it worked at all, so not surprising it has issues. I'll try and do a more "proper" import going forward.

They're called Notch Brewing. The entire brewery was built around sessionable beers and that's all they make (I don't think there's anything above 5% and most are low 4's). They can a czech pils, a session IPA, a hoppy wheat, and a black lager but they make a bunch of traditional European focused stuff at the brewery. The dark mild was called Vincent and it was one of the best things I drank last year.

Given some of the complaints that come up on the main board I feel like we're pretty lucky to have them around and, gladly, they seem to be super successful.

 

So, in honor of the 5th Anniversary of the last Kate the Great Day, here's a little 11% RIS poured into the glass I purchased 5 years go today at The Portsmouth Brewery. What a day (and night!)



4.46/5 rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Moderate pour yields a one inch dark tan/light brown head over dark brown/ almost black body with nice lacing. Nose of dark chocolate, bitter chocolate, milk chocolate. mocha, caramel, molasses, espresso, hazelnut, and vanilla. Whew! Taste picks up on all the aromas as it warms. Very nice, smooth feel. Overall, damn this is good!



Here's a picture taken of Tod Mott and me on that day.



We had more than a few requests for pics and finally I asked one guy to send me his shot of us.

Here's a link to the Boston Globe article that includes my avatar:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifesty...AetyDPZdqgLeL/picture.html?p1=Article_Gallery

 

New American-made brew for me:


Prairie Artisan Pirate BOMB!

I think I bought this bottle in November 2016. Feels like I've been sitting on it for about three years, and the No. 1 thing that strikes me about it is I could've sat on it for another 12 months (of real life time) and it might still be hot. Whew! BOMB! is always a big, big quaff, but this Pirate version is ... well ... I've been avoiding breathing on any open flames.

The aroma is perfect. German chocolate, vanilla, extra coconut and maybe some rum ... something full of alcohol.

The flavor is close to the aroma but way, way, way more alcohol burn ... vodka ... chocolate whiskey ... rubbing alcohol ... it's hot. Gives it an earthy aftertaste.

The review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30356/102340/?ba=Premo88#review
4.2 (-6.5% rDev)

My BOMB! ratings leaderboard, just for fun:

Birthday 4.44
Regular 4.31
Pirate 4.2
Christmas 4.25

Cheers!

 

Hi to all the NBSer's out there, from the west coast. Was out shopping most of the day and now finally winding down with a new brew. Tonight's beer is Velvet Merkin, which I am super excite to try because I love oatmeal stouts and stuff that's been aged in bourbon barrels.

L: It pours pretty much pitch black, with a small tan head that dissipates quickly.
S: Bourbon and vanilla hit the noise almost at once and together. After that there is coffee and chocolate and maybe some cinnamon and oak.
T: Mix of a lot of flavors all at once, nothing stands out too much or too little. The bourbon and vanilla are there but less powerful than the noise would suggest. Chocolate and coffee too. Wonderful mix of stuff I like, but nothing stands out from the rest.
F: Thinner than I would have thought from the look, but very creamy and easy to drink.
O: This one is tough for me to get a handle on. Everything about it is right up my ally: Love oatmeal stouts, love BBA stuff, love Firestone beers in general and maybe because of all this I was expecting too much. This is a really good beer, but not a great beer.

 

The closet temp is between 68 and 70 always. I was afraid that I used too much sugar because I put all 4 oz in but I left a good gallon behind with the trub. The beer tasted fine and would have been good if some bubbles had made it in. =( One week to go.

 

Hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful New Beer Sunday.

Just finishing off my first new beer today. This one is from Kane. It is an imperial stout named after Michael Kane's son Christian Patrick.

If a brewer named a beer after his son you expect it to be top notch. This one certainly is.

4.56/5 rDev 0%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a week old bottle. Starting temperature is about 50 degrees.

A: Pours a dark mahogany brown with a thick creamy mocha head
S: Roasty malts, slight hint of smoke. Hints of coffee and prune
T: Plenty of Roasty malts, bitter sweet chocolate, bitter coffee, hints of molasses and burnt wood
MF: Thick and creamy. Coats the taste buds and lingers. No alcohol burn at all.
O: A straight forward imperial stout. An excellent example of what a great brewer can do without relying on tricks. Kane gets held to a high standard and this beer certainly meets those expectations.

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I've decided music wise to go all cover tunes tonight.

 

Looks like =) It was way up on the top shelf I almost did not see it.

 

It definitely Is, They've been selling product in New York State for over a year now and recently Expanded sales to every Canadian province. Pretty amazing for a brewery started 11 years ago come july 1st by a father and son in the fathers old textile plant!