New Beer Sunday (week 631)

Greetings fellow NBSers!! A gray, cloudy, rainy day here in the Fourth Corner, but the plants are blooming, and temps are rising. so maybe winter is finally dead. This means that our busy time of year is starting at my main work, and we hosted a couple fund raisers over the weekend. The one yesterday was for the nephews of a co-worker who are suffering from Batten Disease, a truly horrible thing that makes cancer look like a whiney little bitch. https://mybrothersbattle.com/ We had over 80 items for the silent auction. With the help of several generous BA's (some of whom are active on this very thread) I put together a big selection of beers that ended up being valued over $500. It sold for $290, to my friend Lane, and helped put us at over $12,000 raised for the family. A most sincere Thank You to everyone who helped here.

In a not very surprising development, I'm hitting a beer from the awesome box I got from @Grizzarky in NBS BIF #5, We're Gonna Need a Bigger Porch; Tunnel Vision from Bearded Iris: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/39925/271562/?ba=beertunes#review .

 

Diving into something I sent one out for BIF NBS #5. The other person rather liked it. While I have had a sip or two of this on tap, it wasn't enough to review. When I found out they bottled it, I figured I had to take one home to review. Finally getting around to spending some time with this local beer.



Crane's Nostalgia.

Pours a golden honey color with just a little frost to it. Head foams up to just under two fingers and white in color. Not much retention or lacing. Aroma is berry, and grape with a sour punch to it. Flavor profile grapes, berries, oak, with a hint of grain malt. There is a sour quality to it, but subtly so, keeping it from being a liquid sour candy beer. Mouth feel is medium in thickness with a smooth feel that follows right down the middle of the road. Overall, a flavorful sour ale that provides wonderful little qualities of wine, and sour beer all wrapped up in an easy to drink package.

Score: 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | BA Score: 4 | rDev: 0.0%

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. Nice to see a peaceful changing of the guard so to speak and that all parties will remain active in the thread. A grey overcast day here on the island with rain in the morning that has faded away with temps in the 40's. Not doing to much at all today but after of week long staycation I am sadly going back to work tomorrow. I have to pay for beer somehow. Might be heading out to dinner tonight with the fiance and her friends. A toss up at this point between eating some really good food and dealing with her friends. Slight hair of the dog here for me as I spent yesterday at other half and really got into it with their wonderful ipa's.

My new beer today is another from my NBS bif # 5 box thanks of course to @foundersasap . The beer is This Guy, dipa brewed with oats and lactose, from Witches Hat brewing in south lyon MI. The brew checks in at 8% abv.

A murky hazed pour with a sort of muddy, grey, and amber color. Average carbonation with a lasting white head. Really just a flat out ugly beer but perhaps it was just a bad bottle or end of the batch? The nose is very nicely floral with hop and citrus fruit. Very hop forward with a dankish mix of hops and fruit upfront on the first few sips. A continued fruity flow with a slightly bitter and sweet finish. Big fruit notes of tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, and mango. Additional notes of pine and resin which really adds a sort of sticky feel to it. A moderate body that seems to drink a bit bigger than the 8%. I don't really detect any lactose at all and oats probably add to the sweetness but they are subtle at best. I'm guessing this is citra/mosaic hops?

Overall, ignoring the pour this is a very flavorful and satisfying ipa. I could drink this all day. I'm all over the place score wise. With a 3/3.5 on the pour to a solid 4.5 on the nose and taste. So far I think this is the best ipa of the box jeff. Although I really did enjoy the ellison beers.

 

3.87/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Pours brown. Short, thin, off white head fades fast.

Smells caramel malt, light toasted malt, bready. Light nutty, cocoa and a very light hint of cream. Finish is semi dry with a light lingering malt, cocoa and nutty. Medium to Fuller body. Very low carbonation. I think it was lost out of cap. 5 month old.

 

I work nights. I worked last night. On nights I work I usually don't drink any alcohol during the day. I made an exception today. I set an alarm so I could wake up early enough to have a NBS beer and try one of the beers @Wasatch sent in the BIF #5 package. Wish I could drink more but dammit, responsibilities are more "important". Phhht


Was looking forward to this all week.
Pour reveals a deep copper orange with a 1 fat finger off white head. Good lacing on the glass. Smell is dank, pine, citrus and lemon.
Taste is more of the same. Citrus, pine resin, dankness, little bitterness, more on the balanced side of IPAs.
Easy drinking, great medium bodied mouthfeel. I could see these going down easy in the summertime. Cheers!

 

@cavedave , sad to see you go as a host but glad you'll still join in the NBS fun. Welcome to @cjgiant and @lordofthewiens as our new hosts!

Been a few weeks since I've participated in NBS, but it's good to be back today! Before I get into today's first new beer, I want to mention that yesterday I had a spectacular time at Cambridge Brewing Co.'s Sour Fest with some of my best friends. Enjoyed many great puckering CBC offerings including Jack Straw (a sour golden ale, 4,5% ABV), Oakily Dokily (a blackcurrant Flanders red ale, 7% ABV) and, of course, the vaunted Cerise Cassée (Solera process imperial sour cherry ale, 9% ABV). I feel like Cerise Cassée isn't benefiting from Solera as much as I want it to, honestly; this newest batch is picking up some Balsamic vinegar notes that I'm not a big fan of. Still a rich, deep and intriguing sour, but it's not as crisp as I recall past batches being. Finished the day off with Benevolence, CBC's 13% BSDA aged in bourbon barrels... a perfect finish to an awesome fest day.

Starting today off with a new Castle Island IPA, Vern. This one is a Mosaic hopped, wheat-based IPA clocking in at 6.8%.



Pour is definitely decent with a rocky white head that settles down to a finger-tall cap in my glass. Color is a fairly hazy orange with lazy carbonation. Very solid curtain of lace appears right after I take my first sip.

Nose is dank, semi-tropical and fruity/berry-forward with a light grassy note and some flashes of ethanol. Definitely not much malt to be found here though. Seems like it's going to be a pretty dry and crisp affair for sure.

Flavor pops with surprising bitterness and the soft, smooth palate of white wheat. Guava, sticky pine resin and orange notes all come across on the tongue, giving this a modern IPA feel. Doesn't really feel like it has its own identity though, to be honest. I think this is a little less mouth-coating than I want as well, and the finish wraps up really quickly. Maybe a bit too dry/thin for me, but I like the flavors to some extent. Once again, however, Mosaic as a single hop is really not my favorite thing. Something about it feels unfocused and that comes across in this one. This is getting really good reviews, but it doesn't feel super special to me. Oh well.

Be back with another one soon...

 

Happy Sunday NBS! Was surprised to see our esteemed hosts retiring but I'm sure the new duo will do very well. I don't participate in here as much as I'd like to but I always make a point of going through this thread so a big thanks to all you regulars and hosts for all you do for New Beer Sunday.

Onto the beer!

Double Barrel Big Bad Baptist release #3 by Epic Brewing clocking in at 12.9% abv

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4.8/5 rDev +9.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Long time want here and it didn't dissapoint at all.

Pour is midnight black with a 1/2 inch mocha colored head. Head dissipates steadily and leaves a nice ring around the glass with some frothy bubbles.

The smell is out of this world! Rich fudge combined with a chocolatey bourbon aroma. Huge marshmallow on the nose and coffee in there. Some hazelnut, vanilla and roasted / charred oak is also detectable.

Taste is as close to perfect as you can get. A lovely fudge and bourbon is forefront then you get hit with the coffee and a balanced bitter chocolate flavor. Vanilla and hazelnut creeps in as the flavor lingers in your mouth. More marshmallow, dark fruit, roasted malt, and lactose in general.

Feel is awesome. Thick and chewy with not much carbonation to speak of.

Overall a superb beer. I haven't had regular Big Bad Baptist in close to a year but going off my memory I definitely think I prefer this version. I would love to do a side by side with the regular version and this one.

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Cheers all!

 

Good afternoon guys, the Sunday Spagetti sauce is simmering, tomato and cucumber salad is doing the same.

What I popped is my 2015 Regal Rye, I figured it might take a few years for the flavors to meld a bit.

A really nice pour , 1/2 inch of dense foam, nose is all BC. It simmers down a bit to a very dark zero light BA brew, a tinge of foam at the edges.

This is very subtle, the first hit is Bc all the way, but on the backside it comes alive a bit. Instead of dark fruit it's a lighter more carbonated hit of the blueberries and cherries. If I had to guess I'd never guess the fruit involved here, but it just finished a bit lighter and brighter with the fruit vs a standard BC brew. I have to say I like the way this finishes a lot more than the regular, the sweet is definately subdued. Bcbs is kinda heavy and brooding, this so much lighter at the finish. As much as I love Bcbs it's almost but not to the point of cloying, this one isn't. If given a choice I'd take this beer everyday, it's really that good. A big boy at 13.2 Abv but no heat at all, just a smooth silky easy drinking stout. If I smoked I'd guess a Cubano would be appropriate.

 

Happy New Bravo Sunday, BA's! Well, this was my first week back to work from my 3 weeks of bonding with the new little guy. It's been a hard week as I also turned down a job in Morro Bay on California's gorgeous Central Coast, but am confident in that decision. The dream will have to wait, and luckily I've got a good gig going on here.

OK, onto the beer. I've been (briefly) saving this for a celebratory occasion, and figured what more of a fitting way than to offer my standing ovation and "Bravo" to @cavedave and @utopiajane 's collective commitments to this outstanding thread (?). You guys are amazing, and I always have loved reading your stories, reviews, poetry, rants, raves and whatever else you want to throw in there. Cheers to you both, and to our great new stewards @cjgiant and @lordofthewiens . Bravo!!!

Firestone Walker
Bravo- Imperial Brown Ale





A: Pours a brilliantly clear deep mahogany with a thin off white head that disappears almost completely. Doesn't look very brown at all to be honest.

A: Smells of vanilla, bourbon, caramel, and oak mostly. Hints of chocolate and buttermilk biscuits follow. Again, not getting much of a brown ale characteristic at all just yet.

T: Sweet. Very, very sweet. Vanilla, caramel, figgy pudding, burnt sugar, a hint of oak, and some alcohol.

F: Smooth, yet sticky. Rich, a good amount of alcohol warmth and just a touch of bitterness. Minimal carbonation.

O: Hard to see why they call this a brown ale. To me, it borders an English Barleywine but a bit less bitter. Don't get me wrong, it's a very good beer! Just confusing I guess.

Cheers everyone, and I will see you all soon!

 

Another Singlecut, and another really great beer. Starting to feel like this brewery simply does not miss very often.

Weird & Gilly



This murky, pale yellow beer sports a tall, loose, fizzy head that stayed just as fizzy in the lacing. Brilliant nose, as hints of cedar and dandelion frame the lemony tangerine that really prevails. Taste starts out with a pungent green onion dankness that as it fades, draws in the dandelion and citrus that was in the nose. Finish is where cedar shows up, along with a peppery quality. Overall, the body was very sturdy and substantial for an IPA. Aftertaste mostly bitter with just barely a bit of sacharin sweetness. Very good beer with tremendous complexity and just enough depth to keep it interesting without becoming tedious.

 

Working on my BIF boxes, first up Big Lake Dark Star, thank you @Blackop555 for this coffee bomb!
4.16/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thank you Blackop555 for this
16 oz can poured into a snifter

A- Black with a three finger mocha head.

S- Roasted coffee, chocolate, some hints of vanilla, some caramel malts, some roasted malts.

T- Lots of roasted coffee, some chocolate, some roasted malts, some earthy hops.

M- Smooth, medium to full body.

O- A very coffee forward stout, worth trying if you are a coffee fan, just a little one dimensional

Cheers NBS!

 

I really enjoyed this beer as well. I loved how the coffee beans seemed to play into the flavor and nose. Wish I had bought a couple more or not given one away (well, almost... glad my friend got to enjoy it as well).

 

Did you copy this from my review?

Actually I think I said that Bravo was a brown like Palo Santo and Founder's Sumatra - which is to say in labeling only.

 

Cheers! I thought you would like that one!

 

Well Hello NBS Friends and Faithful!!!
Beautiful spring day is bursting forth with warms sun, cool breezes, glorious billowy cumulus clouds that just make the light radiant.
I will lift a few glasses today, and I will do so toasting @cavedave and @utopiajane . I understand their desire to pass the baton, and I will respect that. But, as I stated earlier, their contributions to the culture of NBS, our little corner of BA, have been irreplaceable and so greatly appreciated.
Maximum Respect to both of you.

I started with this today. (I start a tad earlier when the NCAA Tourney is on ).
It was from the beauty that was the havoc wreaked my our noob-extraordinaire...
@JBowenGeorgia .

Hillbrook by the Alchemist

Pours amber, somewhat hazy, and capped with off-white dense foam that rises 2 plus fingers high. Not the prettiest elixir.
Aroma carries forth a blend of bitey grapefruit, some pine, and some malt notes akin to brown bread.
Flavor follows with much of the same but the hop flavors don't quite blend well together. They seem to wanna play by themselves. The malt backbone is nice and firm though, again brown bread with a roast grain note.
Mouthfeel is quite solid and the moderate carbonation level smooths it out a bit.
Overall, a pretty good hoppy amber but I may like it a tad better if the hop flavors were a bit more cohesive in their work.

 

I received a Ninja Box from @y2kawakami earlier this week, so I dipped into it for my second NBS entry: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3225/46968/ .

A solid Porter from the Big Island.

 

Hi Dave,

Thanks for your killer contributions to the community over the years. Looking forward to keeping the dialogue going in other forums!

For my NBS, I finally was able to track down this "zwickel" lager from Green Flash. I have not been to the new facility yet, but I was able to vicariously do this via their "Sea to Sea" lager.

The beer was mostly clear, with a rocky and uneven head. There was a faint whiff of herbal/grassy hops, and some corn/malt undertones. I quaffed this sucker pretty quickly, but it did not have much potency in the hop flavor or aroma department, despite having that "fresh" taste. Perhaps I was looking for more, but I could not taste much more than 20-23 IBU in this beer. But from everything I read about it, that was by design...

cheers

 

As several have alluded to a Changing of the Guard. Kind of a noob to NBS, so I will just say Cheers to @cavedave & @utopiajane for their efforts. They are Stalwarts for this community!

Up first, a 4 Hands Kriek, very faithful to the style:

Pours a chablis-hued orange with rapidly falling cream colored head. Murks up as the bottle is drained, zero head retention & lacing

S: Mustyness & wet hay, sour cherry, a little raspberry

T: Follows the nose, tartness as well up front, slight acidity as well. Some leafy hops leak through as this warms some sweet cherry juice to go along with the tart. Finishes with a little cherry sweetness, tartness, a touch of almond & dryness

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation

Drinks easy, nails the style, rivals anything from Belgium except maybe the very upper crust offerings. Nice drinkability as well

Overall 4.16 rDev +1.7%

 

DB BBB was great, but honestly, my favorite version is Big Bad Baptista. The spices they used in that were absolutely on-point. Hope you get to try that one at some point if you're a fan of these Mexican hot chocolate-esque stouts that are all the rage these days... it's probably the best example of the sub-style.

Back with a new collaborative effort between MA lager darlings Jack's Abby and Sole Artisan Ales, a gypsy brewing outfit based primarily out of Pennsylvania. I know next to nothing about SAA but they seem well respected overall. This is supposed to be a New England-style IPL with a "seriously intense tropical hop aroma." Kind of a strange idea because NE-style hoppy beers tend to be hazy and juicy with a lot of yeast presence and lagers are usually clean. Let's see if they can pull this one off!



Well it's kind of hazy... not to the extent that, say, a Trillium pale ale is but it does have some density to it. The head develops pretty well into a few fingers of bone-white foam and retains solidly. Lace and legs both live up to my expectations, with swaths of bubbly lace forming as I sip.

Nose is not at all what I expected. It doesn't feel specifically "tropical" but it has some elements of passion fruit and papaya crossed with a really nice, seemingly-well-balanced nutty malt character. I can definitely detect the 7% ABV here, but it comes across with a spiciness that I really like. Slightly grassy and soapy as well with some light botanical elements. Does this smell like what the can promises? Not exactly. Does it smell good, though? Yep, definitely!

Flavor is really well-balanced with nutty and crackery malt upfront blending in with some nice tropical and rindlike citrusy notes towards the mid-palate. Engaging and crisp, with a medium body and solid, detailed carbonation pushing flavors of papaya, pineapple and tangerine. Clean and bright palate. Finishes bitter but really open-ended with some leading pine resin and even woody elements. Super unique, honestly.

So, this is one of those weird cases where the beer is awesome but I'm not sure it's really what the brewery promised on the label. If you go into this thinking you're going to get a really creamy, smoothie-like lager take on a NE IPA, you're not going to feel satisfied in my opinion. What they actually pulled off here is a superbly well-put-together IPL that stands out from the crowd. Jack's Abby pretty much pioneered the IPL formula, and it's good to see them still pushing the envelope with things like this. That said, the yeast is just too clean to really bring out the "New England"-style juicy and chewy elements that it seems they wanted to show off. I wish it were a little oat-y or something to simulate the thicker palate feel I get from Trillium and Tree House. I kind of prefer what I got here to something like those beers, though, and I was pleasantly surprised by this one in a sense. I'll try to pick up a few more before it disappears from shelves.