New Beer Sunday (week 629)

Way to go Maria!

I just added and am drinking a German Barleywine from Grimm Brothers.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23076/271954/?ba=Bitterbill#review

Stubborn as hell cork, had to use a corkscrew, but the extra effort was worth it.

In no way, other than the barrel aging, does it resemble an American BWSA so I entered it as an English style. Cuz the bitterness level is so low.

Prost!

 

Ever heard of Virgil Donati?

Cheers!

 

New Barleywine Sunday



Clown Shoes Bluegrass Billionaire

Afternoon, BAs. Having fun with the NBS BIF "Hints and Hauls," and looking forward to some early reviews today.

Bluegrass Billionaire is a bourbon barrel-aged English Barleywine. It pours a hazed, but still partially clear, ruddy amber-brown color with a thin, soupy tan head that's quick to dissipate, leaving bubbly suds around the edges. It's much lighter-colored than the picture here suggests.

It has bourbony vanilla, caramel, raisin and earthy hops in the nose.

Strongly sweet vanilla flavors stand out up front in the taste, like a bourbon and vanilla bread pudding or some other dessert. There's also some dark fruit mid-palate, some faint rye-like spiciness and an odd bitterness-and-alcohol mix in the finish. The bitter aftertaste seems disjointed from the overall sweetness of the beer at first, but unsurprisingly, integrates a little better as the high-ABV bomber progresses. Still, it's my least favorite part of the experience.

It's got a medium-bodied, somewhat creamy mouthfeel.

This is perfectly enjoyable, but not all that much above average for a BBA barleywine these days. It was one I'd wanted to try for a while, and the frigid temperatures outside and pending nor'easter made today seem like the day.

Stay warm, y'all.

 

Thanks for that Maria! Some really good reading and you should be proud. My PA is a great name for a beer! I would love to call my beer in homage to my Dad "My PA", but it would have to be a Bavarian recipe (hopefully like my beloved Lowenbrau). Maybe a BPL (Bavarian Pale Lager) My son makes good beer, so maybe for now he'll help me out. Your brewing venture is an inspiration!

 

Greetings NBS friends! I'm easing back into reality after a couple of days in Grand Rapids for the KBS release. That, the time change and unseasonably cold weather has me in slow motion. I slept in a bit and went for a mid morning run which seems to have helped. It's time for a beer now!

I'm starting with another hoppy gem that @jhavs recently sent in a much appreciated surprise box. What's better than a Trillium Brewing double dry hopped Summer Street on a sunny but cold day? The canning date is 01/30/17 and the abv. is 7.2%. Let's pour this mystery in a 13oz. tulip for the occasion.

Pours a pale hazy orange like fresh squeezed orange juice with a baby finger of off white foam. It rapidly settles leaving some sparse lacing behind. Smell is like whiffing freshly squeezed grapefruit juice with a little pineapple, orange zest and floral thrown in. The taste is bitter grapefruit flesh, orange zest, pineapple and some guava. There's a slight hint of floral and grass in the finish. The feel is thin and slightly creamy with a bitter mildly acidic finish.



This tastes like fresh squeezed grapefruit juice with a splash of pineapple juice and may be the farthest thing from 'beer' I ever tasted. Yeah, it's that juicy! My score is 4.56 / rDev +4.3%. Thanks Jon for sharing another world class beer with me!

Chilling on the couch, finishing my beer and watching the Hawks-Wild hockey game while contemplating my next one. Have yourselves a great Sunday of new beer. Here's the official scorecard......

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30654/157787/?ba=Prager62#review

 

Hey what's going on?!?

Winter that just wont kick! That's what! Seems we are all getting spoiled down here (unless you live in Arizona or Florida) as things were downright Spring like (which they shouldn't have been).

A kick in the pants is around the corner for some of us, just to remind us that Spring really isn't here exactly.

However, I can still bide my time. I got my heirloom tomatoes already in seedlings as well as some peppers so we are ready to rock this joint when the temps kick in.

Congrats Maria on your fist homebrew! It's a great feeling. Might I also suggest that if you are going to go down this rabbit hole, that you look into joining a local homebrew club in your area to share recipes, ideas... and of course... BEER!! I did the same and have a blast with our monthly meetings and local club.

Well.. Spring is far from sprung, and I think some people on Monday in the NE are "allegedly" going to get walloped... so without further ado, I am going to take advantage of Spring vibes to come with of course.. another Cherry Blossom themed beer.

Cherry trees in the Washiginton DC area are a big deal, and the beers come... so let's see how this chap is...

What's new for our hero today?

Oliver's Cherry Blossom Ale | Pratt Street Ale House

Oliver's Brewing Company - Cherry Blossom Ale by imbibehour, on Flickr

Poured from the can into a wheat ale glass.

Talk and lanky body that comes off almost like a light marzen/doppelbock in color. Deep reddish brown, but leans towards more of a clay like red, with some orange highlights. Fine carbonation but mostly opaque, and a good sized reaching three fingers off pink to khaki like colored head. Swiss cheese retention and clingy lace round out the top with a good cap, making for one neat looking wheat ale. Very nice and unique looking brew.

Very spicy nose surprisingly along with the expected fruit. Slightly wet sensing, but a peppery and almost clove like phenol mixing in with a touch of warm cherry. No hinting sweetness of sugars or syrup rush is present which makes for a more pleasant character. Hints almost tangy acidic actually.

Palate is quite unexpected. There's a bit of richness to the body here, that is full and almost thick malted, with a good chewy density. Mid palate is fruity but the big tone isn't so much cherry as the hop content. Spiced herb and bitter hop help to cut through a thick cherry body for nice warming flavor. Aftertaste really exposes a black pepper and cherry like finish and very lingering bitterness.

Very unexpected fruit ale, as this is far more hoppy than one is to believe. It masks a bit too much of the cherry flavors, making for an interesting brew, but will probably leave many fruit beer fans a bit disappointed.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5 | BA Generated Score: 3.74

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Smell Ya Later a colab between Magnify Brewing and Finback. This beer is a 9.5 ABV DIPA and was served in a large Tulip. As one would from a beer named Smell Ya Later this brew has a powerful and complex aroma of tropical fruit and honey. My wife could smell it across the table. The color was a pale orange. It looked OJ from concentrate with too much water added. There is honey added and is comes through in the taste honey and hops are strong flavors the fruit is less so. There is sweet honey finish and aftertaste. It was a nice beer and I enjoyed it.
I had this beer on tap in a expensive restaurant not a beer bar. That seemed a bit odd to me. I don't see Magnify beer on tap often these days. When it is seen it's just the year round beers not the new IPA's and DIPA's they have been brewing.

 

This is a beer i received from a beer club i joined two months ago. Club44 37 dollars a month shipped for 144 oz of beer. Usually 10 to 12 cans. This last month was 12 cans from Louisiana. Any questions about this club send me a message. They deserve a turn like anyone else.

3.8/5 rDev -1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours hazy golden orange. Foamy, short white head that Fades quickly with light lacing.

Smells Citrus, malt, lightly grassy and lemon.

Tastes Bready malt and citrus. Hints of grassiness. Finishes dry with a bitter Citrus linger and light breadiness. Lower medium body and medium fizzy carbonation.

 

Staying cold out here in Nassau, with a blizzard watch in effect for the week - I'm hoping for a snow day or two myself, though I'd imagine not everyone shares my enthusiasm...

Meanwhile, more juice from the frozen island...

Barrier Brewing out in Oceanside crafted this double dry-hopped dreamsicle...

7.2% IPA featuring Mosaic, Dr Rudi, ID007, Waimea, and Nugget hops...

Fruit juicy aromas and flavors really pop - big citrus orchard action, mild hop bitterness, edges of earthy, herbal pine... Soft feel, very plush and smooth... Superior brew...

You can check out the song that inspired the name here...

Here's to new beer in your glass - cheers...

 

I too have passed...that is too "dear" a price in my drinking world...cheers!

 

75 bucks is crazy.

 

Here's my review for Avery's Tweak... I'm lovin' it.

Bottled "Jan. 25, 2016"
Enjoyed March 12, 2017
L. Total blackness, impressive head for 17.5% leaving a film and bigger patches in it's wake.
S. Fruity dark roast coffee, deeply roasted malt, rich dark chocolate fudge, aromatic wood, sweet toffee. Warming up brings more whiskey aromas.
T. Rich sweet coffee, rich fudge with booze, chocolaty malt, dark fruits with nice whiskey flavors in the middle, hot on the finish with caramel, chocolate, and coffee.
F. Full mouthfeel, plenty of carbonation, pretty smooth. Warm in the middle, hot by the finish.
O. This beer is an experience. You expect the heat so it's not disappointing but adds nice flavor and feel components. Worth trying, even if only just once given the price. Cheers!! 4.54 rDev +3.2%

 

Greetings, NBS people. I've been out of NBS for awhile because travel soccer has taken over my Sundays. Luckily, I have a few weeks off before it starts up again. Anyway, new beer from Kane. Christian Patrick, an imperial stout. This thing was beautiful. Poured black with a fluffy brown head. I got some oatmeal and roasty malt aroma, which was backed up with the taste. Just a hint of licorice (probably my imagination) but overall oatmeal and malt. Great thick mouthfeel. I'd put this a notch below Carton's Unjunct. This would do better in cans than a 750 mL bottle, in my opinion. Enjoy this cold NBS everyone!

 

I'll use Maria as my home brew ispirerer........In about 3-5 years. No, I haven't been imprisoned (knocketh on wood) just figure my time and money will go back to my flights of fancy v. kid stuff by then. Indeed, golf, home brewing and fronting bands will be in order. Maybe even quitting high pressure management jobs and going back to auto sales. That's some fun stuff, for realz, yo.

Until then, beers like this reminds me that I ain't exactly living too shabby. I'd also love to give a shout-out for this one, but I honestly cannot remember who sent this. I'm guessing it was either @woemad or @kemoarps but can't recall. Feel free to chime in and claim credit!

Deschutes Black Butte 26th Anniversary



Shiny pitch black with a foamy beige head and a full curtain of sticky lacing. Nose has some heat straight away, but just past it is a heavy dose of kind of a light smelling molasses that morphs into fig. Beyond that is a smidgen of prune.

Taste has some tartness at first that makes more sense on the exit, since there is a bitter cranberry taste as it finishes. In the middle is a throat warning yet not overwhelming heat that brings with it that molasses thing that the nose spoke of.

Overall, the complexity of this drink coupled with its drinkability make it a really nice beer!

 

That's what my wallet said.

 

Good day NBS!

Congrats Maria on the homebrew! Looks great!

Sundays are rapidly becoming my day for having a big stout. I think it's because I'll excuse myself to relax and spend an afternoon slowly sipping away at the stout instead of the usual weeknights where I just want something to relax with.

This week's NBS is no stranger to many folk here, Oskar Blue's Barrel Aged Ten Fidy. Found this particular can sitting on a low level shelf at one of my favorite bottle shops, along with 4 packs of Narwhal. Not sure why so low and out of sight but win for me. They also apparently had BCBS hidden somewhere, the manager mentioned it when he saw I'd found the Ten Fidy and Narwhal. So I have a bottle of 2016 BCBS awaiting another Sunday, though I think I'll be trying the Narwhal when this snow storm hits.

Anyways, digressing much, I'll just blame this awesome beer.

Poured a motor oil thickness with the dark black of well-used oil. Thick, dark brown head that took its time to dissipate. Smelled of bourbon as soon as the can opened, as it warmed the scents included vanilla, coffee, dark chocolate, and brown sugar. The tastes were similar, bourbon is prominent, vanilla, some coffee, and a dark chocolate finish. Thick, heavy beer. The only strike I'd say is a prominent note of alcohol throughout, something that other BA beers seem better at hiding away. I'm a bourbon fan so the flavor of bourbon along with the burn are welcome to me, but for others it may be a turn off.

 

ISO utopiajane's My PA

Are you sure you're not being a bit hard on yourself. From the pics, I'd say look is more in the 3.5 range IMHO.

Cheers Maria.

 

New American IPA Sunday!

Hello all! Just moved to Tucson Arizona last week! Beautiful weather here - 70's and sunny!

Today's brew is from a local brewery - It's a new beer (new this year). I added it to the system - Barrio Citrazona IPA. I scored it a 4.31 - 4.5 for aroma and 4.25 for all other categories. Very citric. Very refreshing! Looking to try out more from this (and other local) breweries!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16813/272002/?ba=jwc215#review

Cheers!!

 

What's up, BA. Woke up to temps in the low 30's today. Combine the with the time change, and we were almost late for church. I haven't been lurking much on the NBS BIF page, but I'm excited to see some great reviews and hauls.

I've probably received five boxes in the mail in the last six weeks. I'm exploding with get beer to get through, and I still have a couple left from the NBS BIF 4. With the kids spring break coming up in a week, I'll be making a real dent in that stash.

To start today I'm going with an appropriate beer from @jzeilinger. I'm a huge fan of mole` sauce on my Mexican food, so we'll see if I'm a huge fan of this beer



Poured from a bottle dated 9/8/16 provided by jzeilinger. The beer pours pitch black with no head, no ring, and no lacing.

The smell smacks you in the nostrils with peppers the minute the bottle is open. The cinnamon and coffee are next. The chocolate is hidden on the nose by the peppers and cinnamon.

This is clearly a beer that needs to warm up a bit before drinking. The taste is very forward with the peppers and some roasted malt/char. As it warms the flavors meld and develop a bit more. The coffee comes through nicely.

The mouthfeel is medium/thick with very low carbonation.

Overall this is an interesting beer. I expected more sweetness with mole` in the name and the chocolate gets lost in the strength of the peppers and coffee. The alcohol is especially well hidden. This is a very nice pepper, coffee stout I really enjoyed, even if not what I expected.