New Beer Sunday (Week 635)

Imperial Mild.. er Uber ESB, whatever it is, it's delicious.

 

Yet another gift; this however, was a different customer from Quebec. He and I have traded a few times over the last couple years. After the previous IPA from Au Val I figured it was time to crack this sour from them as well.
Thanks Sven!
Salut!



Bottled on the 14th of October, 2016.
Best by date of the 14th of October, 2017.
Moderate pour yields a 1/2 inch light pink head over a reddish pink body with some nice lacing. Wow, nose of funk (blue cheese!) and citrus. Very nice currant flavor with a nice, tart finish. Feel is adequate for the style and overall, yet another eye opener from the guys way up north on the Gaspe peninsula!

4.29/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

Just as I was moving some beers into the cellar/beer fridge area and deciding what to open next, I had a bit of a mishap. You could even say that this particular beer cho-cho-chose me . It tipped over onto the floor and hit the cap in such a way as to dislodge it just enough so that I had to open it right away. Strange things are afoot with the American Kolsch Story, another beer by River Rat and courtesy of @Dragginballs76 -



First off, I really wish I had a chance to chill this one down first, so my bad on that part.

As it is, any flaws that this one has seem to be magnified at this temperature- there is too much of a sulfury component, the malt is more toasty and biscuity than crackery, the hoppiness is coming across as very lemony, the finish is more broad than crisp, and what white wine esters are here are way too subdued. However, even with all of that being said it's not that bad of a drink at all, and would undoubtedly be better out of the fridge. Being generous, I'd put it in the B to B+ range (3.7).

 

Greetings from the Great Northwest.

Bit of a late NBS here with a full day of spring mowing behind me.

Sidecar Pale Ale from Sierra Nevada.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/140/259486/

I like it better than the regular Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Seasonal here, with a mix of sun and clouds today. Cherry and apricot trees are in bloom.

Until next time,

Happy Trails!

 

Can you tell us a bit more about the flavors and aromas, etc? I've seen it on the shelf around here but would like to know a bit more about what it is like beyond "delicious."

 

Hello New Beer Sunday.

I'm starting with a beer that didn't turn out too well, but I hope the next one was better. I don't ike to drainpour, but if a beer is really not good to me, I will.


Central Waters Y2K Barleywine

3.08/5 rDev -16.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 2.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 2.75

This beer pours a nice dark amber color. The head was minimal, less than 1 finger, and dissipated quickly.
The nose has got an earth aroma. It's like being outdoors. There seems to be a slight hop presence also.
The taste of this beer is, well, earthy tasting. There's a hop bitterness on the backside. It seems like there's almost a sour flavor component as well.
This is a very full bodied beer. There is a big boozy component also.
I don't know if something went wrong with this beer, but I'm not a fan at all.

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See you next beer. It's going to be from DFH.

 

Sorry you did not like it, perhaps you had a bad bottle. What I have had has been very good.

 

NBS x2.

Another beer from my trip out west. Been into trying saisons recently and never had a brett so, first for a couple of things. This one is brewed with sage and lemongrass.

Fairly nice looking pour, hazy yellow-orange color with a thick, foamy, white, head. Highly noticeable smells of lemon out the bottle, some spice and malt smells that show up as it warms. Taste took a little bit to get used to. Tart up front that leads into lemon flavors, followed by sage, and a little bitterness. It took a little while to get used to this one, but once the beer got a chance to warm and my tastebuds adjusted to the bitterness, it's pretty solid. The flavors do balance out nicely and it drinks surprisingly easily for a 7% beer.

 

Aaaaaah, it is NBS once again!


Samuel Adams - Noble Pils

Best by June 2017

This beer has been on my to-try list for quite some time. I didn't to pony up the $14 for the SA season pack just to try one (even though it really is a good deal) but I finally found a store that broke one up for singles. The appearance is inviting with all of the streaming bubbles. The aroma is floral and dignified, as the label suggests. The taste is great; well-balanced with the noble hop spiciness and the light honey/cracker malt flavors. I really wish this were available in 6 or 12 packs.

4.19/5

Golden Road - Wolf Among Weeds

Pkgd on 02/14/2017

I think this beer is a great example as to why a beer shouldn't always be classified by the ABV. I know that 8% is in the DIPA range (which is how BA categorizes it) but to me this is much more like a an IPA. There is a sugary note that almost goes to the DIPA level, but the body and drinkability of this beer are not on par with a DIPA. It is very quaffable. I like the pineapple juice notes in this one. Despite it being brewed in LA, this isn't very "west coast," which isn't meant to be a knock. At ~$3/16ox can, it will be hard to reach for over some of my regular IPAs (Two Hearted @ ~$2 /16oz, and Centennial now at ~$16 for a 15pk of 12oz) but, I think it is solid beer and am quite glad I tried it. And hey, that is what NBS is for, right?

3.92/5

I'll be back with another, albeit darker, double installment later in the night.

Cheers, NBS!

 

Ok next one, and it's a big beer.

Time for the Dogfish Head World Wide Stout.
Yeah, this is a big improvment from the last beer. Very full bodied beer. Very delicious, and dangerious.
Obviously, this is the closer tonight. See you all for NBS next week.

4.19/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

This beer pours pitch black. The head was minimal, but white, and didn't last long.
The nose of this beer is very rich with chocolate notes. There's a boozy aroma also, and slight sweetness.
The taste is got the chocolate, then a booze component after. Slight sweetness to it also.
This is a very thick tasting beer. Very boozy. Very rich feeling. Very full bodied.
Damn good beer. Not for the faint of heart, but well worth trying.

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Better late than never? Worked a 12 hour shift today then came home and caught up with the family on today's happenings. Now a few minutes of beer related peace. I've been wanting to try this beer for a while and finally found a single although it's a bit older than I would have liked.

Country Boy Shotgun Wedding Brown Ale aged on vanilla beans. 12 oz canned 1/5/17 poured into a pint glass at fridge temp. The beer is brown as promised with about an inch of tan head that recedes to a cap but holds. The aroma is vanilla with some chocolate and roast mixed in. The taste is kind of "brown ale lite" with vanilla added. I get a little chocolate on the end but also a bit of tang that would be more suitable in a porter. Mouthfeel is thin with sharp carbonation that leaves a barely perceptible metallic feel on the tongue. Overall, OK. I'm not sure this could have been better fresh but I might try it on tap if I had a chance.

I'm off to put in a review on this one now but would give just about anything for steady access to Maduro here. I hear they are distributing as far north as Nashville. Might be a good time to visit my sister there.

 

Still Sunday, so here goes:

Boulevard American Kolsch



Pours a bright golden/straw color. A deeper gold than other Kolsch beers I've seen. Perfectly clear without a bit of haze. Starts with a single finger head of white that settles to a small but lasting cap. Leaves a bit of lacing as the glass empties.

There is plenty of carbonation (due in part to this dandy Sierra Nevada pub glass with aggressive etching on the bottom in the shape of a hop cone), but it is not prickly. You can see it dancing up like a cyclone in the photo.

Light to medium mouthfeel that shows off the light, biscuity malts. Also a slight tang from wheat malt I believe. Subdued but present malt sweetness plays well with the light fruity/floral hops. A bit of pear or maybe vinous grape hop flavor? Little to no bitterness, but a barely perceptible mineral-y bite that contributes to a moderate dry finish.

A really tasty/refreshing take on the Kolsch style. Much more floral/ambiguous fruit presence than most others I've had. While marketed as a Kolsch the can also describes this as a "golden ale". Could easily be mistaken for a blonde ale if the drinker didn't know better. It certainly plays more like an ale than many Kolsch's that feature more of their split-personalities' lager notes. I'll be drinking more of this in the coming summer.

 

Hey NBS! Feels good to post here again, as it's been quite a while. I haven't been very active on the site lately, but it was intentional. I started to feel myself getting stuck in a rut. Tasting, reviewing, even shopping for beer was becoming uninteresting to me. So I took a bit of a break. I recently homebrewed a Kölsch and that is basically all I have been drinking for the past few weeks. My hopes were that it would reset my palate in a way and rejuvenate my thirst for trying new beers. Beer should be exciting and fun, and when it felt like it wasn't I knew something had to change. I have to say, I feel recharged and ready to drink some new beers! Speaking of which...

Smuttynose Baltic Porter



This is a beer I've wanted to try for years. I love the brewery and the Baltic Porter style, so I'm not sure what took me so long. Too many beers too little time I guess. Full disclosure: I am a HUGE fan of Smuttynose Robust Porter, so if this is anything like that beer I will be ecstatic.

Pours very dark brown (almost black) and opaque with a very small tan head that shows poor retention. Fantastic aroma filled with raisin, caramel, chocolate and roasted malt. The raisin/fruitiness aspect of this beer is strong and really comes out in the flavor. There is a bit of a vinous quality to it as well. It has a lot in common with an Imperial Stout, but it's so smooth and there's no sign of hops. Medium-full bodied and beyond easy to drink for the 9% ABV.

Another winner from Smuttynose. The only thing I would change is to increase the carbonation, but it's a damn good beer regardless. Cheers, BAs!

look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Score: 4.17/5

 

Pipeworks Crimson Snapper

Living in central Illinois, we don't have a lot of great local breweries distributing here. Pipeworks just recently started so I had to celebrate with a new bomber I haven't had.

Color is a little darker, but still a light amber. It's a smooth beer with a lot of orange right from the top. Delicious and very drinkable.

 

So many new beers today that I don't even know where to start, by my tally I sampled 24 beers today 17 of which were new to me. All were Creature Comforts. I should have taken better notes but I'll review a couple. I'm usually an IPA guy that enjoys a stout or sour on occasion but today the highlights (and limited pours) were the stouts and wild ales.
My first brew was Existence

Pours a nearly black with minimal tan head that quickly turned into a thin ring around the edge. Definitely smell the bourbon barrel, some chocolaty malt but mainly bourbon. The bourbon was a little subdued in the taste but still there, this allowed to toasted malt, caramel, and chocolaty flavors to really shine. A swirl in the glass leaves a thin film that quickly rejoins the rest of the liquid so a little thick but not overly so. Also had See The Stars, very similar in appearance and taste but much thicker.
Really enjoyed the Curious series also, had #s 7,8, and 10 as well as Triangulation.
Triangulation

Poured a hazy reddish brown with a nice white fluffy head (before the photo). Aromas of berries and a little funky tartness. Taste was the same, mildly tart, berries, a little of the barrel. Medium body with a dry finish. Really wish they hadn't sold out of these yesterday.
The Mrs. holding one of the Curious series (Can't remember exactly which one)

Another couple of tasty wild ales.

Had a few others before eating a bit to cleanse the palate and not get too toasty.
Round two was highlighted by Southerly Love #1 and #2.

Both poured a slightly hazy golden yellow with a white foamy head that didn't last long. The 2017 version smelled a bit tropical hoppy with a touch of funk. Taste was the same, tropical, hoppy, some tartness there. Curious what some aging would do to this one. Oh yeah, had the 2014 version there for a side by side. This one definitely had more funk going on, the Brett has taken over but still a very balanced beer.
After these it was on to the IPAs but I've had most of those before.
Until next week(when I get back into my BIF #5 box) Cheers!

 

NBS Take 2

Another new beer from Moonraker, their Citra Double Crush. The 'Crush' series is their single-hop rotating offering. This is the first DIPA version I've had the pleasure to sample (not sure if this is their first iteration of a 'Double Crush'). Complete review link.



Pours a hazy orangish with several fingers of white head with mixed lacing. 3.75

Nose is great, picking up cantaloupe, nectarine, passion fruit, apricot, and maybe some guava. Very nice, but could've been more dynamic. 4.5

Taste follows the nose with added citrus undertones. Finishes with plenty of astringency. 4.5

Mouthfeel is nice, silky/velvety, but with some tingling of the lips and tongue due to astringency. 4.25

Rating = 4.43, rDev = -2.2%

A delicious beer! Will grab with enthusiasm whenever given the opportunity. Given that their Mosaic Crush is my favorite of their single-hop IPA series, if this double version is any indication, the Mosaic Double Crush may be my new favorite beer from them.

 

Weltenburger Kloster Barock Dunkel

This one goes out to @Lingenbrau Cheers.

Dark brown. Taste of cola with dark bread and a little milk chocolate... but wrapped up in a cohesive and drinkable lager package. Unfortunately, this one tastes a bit stale too... wishing I didn't have a six pack just because of that reason alone.

 

Much appreciated! Sorry it's not blowing your mind, but regardless, you must be aware of my love (more like obsession ) of Weltenburger. My wife and I are already planning our trip for their 1000th anniversary !

 

Happy Sunday NBS crew! Late submission here but this beer was calling to me all day. Was very impressed with this one. Only my second beer from Central Waters, the first being their BA Stout, and I actually preferred this one.


Onto the review!

22 oz bottle poured into a snifter. Motor oil black with an average sized head that is a light tan color. Pretty nice lacing on this one.

Smell is big on the chocolate. Some vanilla, hickory, rye spice, roasted coffee.

Taste is very similar to the smell. The chocolate is up front then a subtle but very noticeable whiskey flavor comes in afterwards. Vanilla bean, roasted malt, oak spice, and bitter cocoa bean also.

Feel is butter. No ABV listed on the bottle so was surprised to see it was only a 9.5% beer. Full bodied, chewy, and drinks like a typical BA Stout / Porter. Thick like a bowl of oatmeal. Has a better feel to it than a Vanilla Bean Stout for example.

Overall a really well done beer here. Haven't had many BA Porters but this is excellent. Very grateful to have been able to try this one.

4.53/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Cheers all!