New Beer Sunday (week 630)

Then join us next round! I have no problems driving to Quebec if you're worried aboot shipping!

 

Happy NBS BIF day! I've opened a couple beers from @strohme2 so far.

Grand Rabbits - This one was nice and clean, easy to drink. There was a mild bitterness in the finish. I think I expected more hops due to the fact that they said it was dry hopped in the description, but this was a good beer to sip on while watching some college basketball.



Lil' Griz - This is sub 7% BA brown ale. The barrel presence wasn't huge, but definitely added to the flavor. Another easy drinker. Falls a bit flat in the finish, but pleasant overall.

 

Yup. I might die for that brew.

 

Ahhh, finally time to kick up my my feet and relax a bit. I was able to enjoy a couple of new ones today courtesy of @ovaltine. Couldn't commit myself to one of the monsters he sent(too many errands and my kiddos running around) but was able to enjoy a couple while outside manning the grill.
First up, a want of mine since joining BA, Todd the Axe Man. I'm a huge fan of the Citra/Mosaic combo and this one didn't disappoint. Pour was a golden orange with a finger of loosely woven head. Smell is citrusy, fruity hops. Taste follows bitter citrus pith followed with tropical slightly piney hops, a little sweet malt to balance things out. My first Surly beer, can't wait to get into the bigger ones!

Next up Batch 300 from Fulton, one of the things I love about this NBS BIF is trying breweries that to me aren't very well known. Pour is similar to my first one but a bit clearer with the head more tightly woven and slower to recede. Smell is citrusy, fruity as well. Taste is definitely the fruitier Mosaic and I do get the Pilsner aspect. Overall another tasty MN beer!
A couple great brews that remind me not to down two tall boys on an empty stomach and one of the reasons I fell in love with IPAs to begin with, these go straight to the head!

 

Almost back to LA to fly back to Minnesota early tomorrow morning after watching Federer win in 324-degree heat, decided to stop on the way to eat, drink, and watch hoops. This is Stone Tangerine Express IPA.



3.87/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

If you like tangerines, this is your beer. Golden copper color, hop haze, aroma is heavy on tangerines and the taste is OVERWHELMING tangerines - I couldn't taste a hop, though I'm sure they're present.

This is good, if more than a little one-noted. I love tangerines, but pulling the tangerines back a bit would've helped this beer, IMHO.

 

Hello LNNBS. Why not have a nitecap, says me...

My next to last beer from the box o' goodies trade with our fearless leader @cavedave .



I think with the selections today I am trying to pretend it is at least spring. Captain Lawrence Barrel Select Gold graces the glass and I do mean graces. It us a lightly hazy gold color, pure white head that looks like is going to live a while. Nothing like a beer foam supplement to the moustache! A visual beauty this is. The aroma is delectable - earthy, peppery, just a hint of farm fresh funkiness, a little bit of citrus leaning toward lime, floral top notes and the faintest whiff of wood, a little sweetness. It drinks more gently than I would expect from the smell. It is kinda soft with a sweet malt cushion underneath everything. It is not a tooth-peeling level of tartness. It is a well-rounded fruity tartness that comes in after an initial kiss from a 7-Up lemon-lime and a bit of a peppery bite. Then to add to the fun, some mild earthy funk comes to play, and there is a mild bitterness to clean it all up and round this beer out nicely. Just a gentle oakiness to remind you of the barrel, maybe a tiny hint of vanilla.

So...a bunch of assertive flavors all playing nice in the sandbox. It isnt quite crisp...there is an aftertaste that just lingers without accumulating much, so it still manages to feel refreshing. Just enough of a persistent reminder to look forward to the next sip, Mildly carbonated despite the look.

Everything you would expect to find in a wild ale is in here, but it takes a little effort to unlayer the onion, so to speak. Really finding these subtly complex brews are a lot of fun to drink, and I could drink a lot of this one. The landing zone will be between 4.25 and 4.50. Restrained, refined, even a little elegant. Pinkies up on this one - a worthy brew, indeed.

 

I wasn't particularly fond of this one either, being a GA boy and only 20 miles or so from the brewery (lots of fun there, one leg is usually a little shorter than the other when I leave) I had hoped for a more enjoyable experience.
I am looking forward to whatever that colab between Creature Comforts and Jackie Os will be, definitely something going on but they wouldn't tell me what.

 

"Accidentally" opened my 3rd new beer today. Wasn't planning on it but it happened. The 13.3% surprised me so i'll nurse it for the night.



Aggressive pour on a rich, just about black, oily looking beer. Small 1/4" head that fades fast. The nose is molasses, licorice, caraway seed and raisins. Taste is roast, molasses, some spice, dark fruits and rum without the heat. I guess that is spice, sugar cane, etc. Big chewy mouthfeel, Slightly cloying finish.

Another solid beer from @Wasatch

 

Ok once I finally got home from Idaho, I was able to open my BIF box from @RoyMunson and I assure you that what I found was ridiculous.



Lets just say that I have beers for NBS for awhile, I have never tried any of these.

My first offering from the box for NBS is this bad boy



This is my first ever trillium and boy is it good.

Trillium Stillings Street

L: Super Hazy yellowish-orange with a good amount of white head that goes away pretty quick.
S: First I get citrus and lemon and then some good old hop smell.
T: Very smooth citrusy hop taste. Some lemon and resin follow.
F: Thick for a single IPA, but in a good way. I have only had a couple hazy IPA's but this feels like a really good one.
O: This is not my typical style of IPA, as I usually stick with west coast ones, but if they all taste like this I am going to be trying a lot more of them. This was super easy to drink and had a great mix of flavors that go together well.

 

I loveTodd! @Josholson666 shipped me some last NBS BIF and it's about my favorite beer. if only I can schedule my next trip to MN to collide with its release!

 

And the nightcap, the kiddos are tucked in, puppies resting peacefully about time for me to do the same. Thought I'd try a smaller bottle now that my belly is full and I've sobered up a bit from earlier, shifting gears from the IPAs to try another new one. Founders Backwoods Bastard, I'm an old country boy so anything Backwoods sounds right up my alley. The bottle art reminds me of many old timers from my youth, Backwoods moonshiner types that didn't know anything about barrel aging but turned out some pretty tasty brews of their own.
I'm still developing my taste for the darker ales and working on discerning the tastes and aromas that make these brews great. This one to me was great! Pours a reddish brown with an tan head, seems a bit more carbonated than others I've tried which is a good thing in my book. Smells of oak, toffee, dark chocolate, and roasted grain, fantastic really! Taste is very similar, a good balance, smooth, tasty. Tried to let it warm to compare but it didn't quite get there, too darn good to let it sit. Thanks @ovaltine for another great beer!

 

Getting into another one here from @WesMantooth, who nailed me with a bunch of clown shoes wants. Huge fan of that brewery and love collecting all of their bottles!



4.04/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Beautiful black pour, nice dark creme head, thick and about an inch, recedes after a few minutes to a nice brown ring, great lacing on the glass.
Smell is chocolate for sure, a little fudge and vanilla, big roasted malts.
Taste has some cinnamon presence to it, nice and a but of subtle heat from the peppers. Cocoa and chocolate are heavy and present, not overpowering. No ingredient really takes the stage here, lots of nice cohesion between them all.
Mouthfeel is medium, a little bit sticky, and right on point for a 9 percent brew.

Overall another great offering from Clown Shoes.

Cheers late night NBS!

 

Todd is year round now!!

 

In honor of NBS BIF #5, I'm going to open one of my few remaining beers from #4, courtesy of @WesMantooth. The dude destroyed my porch a few months ago. It should be rebuilt on time for #6. Now I'm going to enjoy this beer while watching the 1995 classic Judge Dread!



I'm reviewing a 2016 version provided by wesmantooth.

The beer pours a deep black with very little, quickly disappating head on a vigorous pour. The pour leaves a small tan ring with a small amount of lacing.

The smell knocks you back with chocolate and bourbon. There is a light roasted malt presence also.

The taste follows the smell with roasted malts, milk chocolate, and bourbon, but it adds a nuttiness from the walnuts the really comes through in the aftertaste. The chocolate also comes through strongly.

The mouthfeel is nicely thick and mildly carbonated.

Overall, this is an excellent beer. It has a great mouthfeel with a nice, balanced taste. The reputation of this brewery is well deserved.

 

New Boulevard Sunday

American Kolsch


Appearance is clear as expected. Aroma is mild, with only a slight sweetness coming through. The sweetness doesn't have the typical honey notes I like in the style, but is does smell good nonetheless. Thr taste is also rather mild, but very in linenwith the style. It is crisp and refreshing. Solid brew, and the cans are a plus.

Tropical Pale Ale


Appearance with the golden-amber I've come to expect from an APA, but it had a ruby tinge to it that just seemed like red grapefruit, but it could be the placebo effect. The arima seems very muted, with o ly a slight sugary citrus note getting to me. The feel is spot it, with a good balance of body and drinkability. Decent, but doesn't seem very tropical to me. But again, cans are a plus.

Scotch on Scotch


I love me a good scotch ale, and I think they lend themselves to barrel agimg rather well. Founders, Central Waters, and Thirsty Dog all have good examples. So, naturally I was excites to taste Boulevard's take on ths style. The look is dark ruby and enticing. The aroma, however, seems odd. There is a smokey peaty presence, and some fruity esters. Those are both quite welcomed by me. But there is something odd hanging out here that I just can't place. Not necessarily bad, but odd. The flavor flows the nose, with many positive notes, but that odd flavor (funky barrel/oak maybe?) is kind of distracting me. The feel is (relatively) light and crisp for 9.6%, but the style seems to favor that. At over $4 a bottle, I can't justify buying this again (I'd say "regular" scotch ales such as Dirty Bastard and Old Chub are preferable to me). But, glad I tried as I love scotch and scotch ales.

Cheers, NBS!

 

Happy New Beer Sunday and Happy St. Joseph's Day. St Joseph is my favorite saint and obviously the most important because he is the only saint with his own pastry

So today is share day in the NBS BIF.
Thank you to @richj1970 For this IPA
Cheatin' Heart by Yellowhammer



3.86/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

A: Pours a light amber with a thick white head.
S: Soft resiney pine and some lemon rind
T: Lemony rind is more forward in the taste. Followed up with some dank redone pine. Some sweet fruits on finish
MF: very clean. No alcohol burn.
O: This is a very good IPA. Well constructed and easily drinkable. If it were local I would keep this one in the rotation.

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Hello New Beer Sunday. It's good to see you all once again.

I'm at my, well, mom's house now, tonight, enjoying NBS. Today we had a celebration of my dad's life party, and it was amazing. The outpouring of love and the amazing amount of people just blew all of us away. The biggest surprise was my cousin, and his wife, from Bismarck North Dakota showed up. It's a 6+ hour drive! We were setting up from the party when they came into the Senior Center, and our jaws dropped! They did leave yesterday, and stayed part way, but, still we were amazed! The 2 hour event seemed like, maybe, 5 minutes passed. So amazing! So much fun.

Well, on to the main show.

After the party, and i dropped my mom off at the house, I decided to head over to Wisconsin for a beer run. After a 2 hour stop at Oliphant Brewing, which was a blast, I headed over to Hudson, and picked up this brew.


Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA

I've had the 90 and the 120, but this is the first time having this beer. It's a good IPA, and very solid. Maybe I'm comparing it to the other 2 too much, and maybe that's why I'm rating it a decent amount lower than average, but it is a solid IPA. I'm glad I got it, and glad to be trying it.

3.65/5 rDev -10.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This beer pours a clear amber color. The head is frothy, and one finger, and nice carbonation bubbles rising in the glass. The nose is somewhat hoppy, but not extremely so. The taste is got a slight hop kick. Got the pine, and citrus from the hops. Not very overpowering. I get the bitter feeling all the way down and it lasts for a while. Not extremely watery feeling. It's ok, but the 90 and 120 are better, but a decent IPA.

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So, that is my review that I typed out, sitting at my dad's desk, 3 weeks to the day, and time we lost him. It is getting easier, but the hurt will never fully go away. I thank all my fellow BAs for all the kind words over these past few weeks. It means a lot to me.

See you all next week for the next NBS.

 

Sorry to hear about your loss. Tough times.

 

Finally, finally getting around to drinking one of these that I picked up a while back...



Yep, it's one I've seen a lot of in the "what beer are you drinking now" threads this past month or so -- Weyerbacher's Sunday Morning Stout.

As expected of a 14% ABV imperial stout, the beer is pitch-black. My little LED flashlight cannot penetrate it at all; I don't even see little red dots on the other side of the glass with this one. There was a thin layer of foam at first, but now it's shrunk to a little ring around the outside and a few little lingering floaty bits on top. The smell is jam packed full of coffee -- so much that I'm actually having some difficulty picking up much of anything else! There is some sweetness, maybe something vanilla-y hanging out in the background, but mostly coffee. I imagine that more might come out in the smell as it warms up a bit, though.

Definitely more going on in the flavor, though the coffee is still very present. There's that vanilla-ish thing again, some almost chocolatey bits mixed in, some of a more standard really-dark-charred roasted malt flavor, and a noticeable alcohol warmth. Huge amount of flavor for just a tiny little sip. Nice smooth thick-ish mouthfeel, too. That plus the sweet-ish, vanilla-y flavor seem to be consistent with other bourbon-barrel-aged beers I've had in the past, so I'm guessing some of those are traits of the bourbon contributing to the beer.

I'm noticing that the alcohol is much less noticeable after that first sip -- so much so that I would never guess the alcohol percentage was nearly three times that of a standard beer! It's just crazy to think that I've already probably drank a whole "light/lite" beer's worth of alcohol just from a few sips, and it doesn't even seem that "alcohol-y" aside from the warmth on that first sip. The almost vanilla-like (bourbon-y?) characteristics are starting to come out more in the smell now, I'm noticing, and they are definitely prominent in the flavor as well, though the coffee is still the part that stands out the most.

This is definitely a great beer. I was a bit worried at first that the coffee would overwhelm the other features of the beer, but that really only happens in the smell and mostly just when it's closer to fridge-temperature. I'm glad I picked up two bottles while I had the chance -- might go back and grab some more sometime, if there's still any left!

 

Yes!!! All of that and more. A glorious beer.