New Beer Sunday (Week 637)

That's tomorrow.
(Only 1-3" forecast, but last time they said that (Nov) it was 27.8" )

 

Good afternoon, NBS types. I've been trying to move through my "I need to drink these now" beers. They include a couple bottles from NBS BIF 4, some trades, and few beers given to me by some generous BAs. I had planned to make it through three more last night, but when my wife wanted to stop at the bottle shop (a place I've been avoiding) I saw a lonely six pack of Bell's Mars. I ended up drinking three last night. If you like an old school, malty DIPA, you need to grab some Mars. It's a really great beer.

But that's not the beer I can here to talk about today. I'm going to start with a beer from our host, @cjgiant. This is described as a milk stout with coffee and coconut. While I really like milk stout and love coffee, I HATE coconut. My benefactor had no way of knowing that when he so generously gifted me this beer. I'm going in with an open mind though. I've rated five beers a perfect 5.0. One of them is Perrin No Rules, a sweet coconut porter. So with that in my (open) mind, let's check this out.

Aslin Beer Company
How Now Brown Cow



The beer pours a very deep brown with a small head that disappated almost immediately leaving no lacing.

The smell is quite incredible. There's tons of coffee and sweetness up front with some coconut buried underneath. The combination seems to make a mocha smell.

The taste is coffee forward but coconut comes on quickly. There's no hint of the chocolate/mocha flavor I got on the nose. Is fairly sweet but not overpowering. The coconut seems to compliment rather than overwhelm the beer.

The mouthfeel is fairly thin, but as expected for a 6% milk stout. There is low carbonation and a smooth feel.

Overall this is a decent beer. It's a little less sweet than I expected, especially from the nose. The coconut is done well and I can tolerate it, even as a serious coconut hater.

 

Hi NBS folks!
It's a cloudy, surprisingly brisk day here on the island of Montreal and I'm doing some chores in preparation for once it starts being nice full time.
I am a big fan of the emphasis being put on reviewing lesser known/reviewed beers around here lately. The impact of reviews is especially noticeable up here in Quebec (and the rest of Canada for that matter) due to how few people there are reviewing. This was really noticeable this past week when the new weight system moved the top 250 beers around pretty drastically. Even though it was promptly fixed, for a few hours it was glaringly obvious how few people take the time to reflect on their Canadian beers. More than that, it was obvious how the few beers that get distribution can be well-regarded enough to push a lot of great beers that are almost completely unknown (in the context of reviews on here) under the rug.
Anyway, I don't really know where I was going with that, but seeing the mention of the older threads made me really appreciate everybody here taking their time to review normal, strange, local and exotic beers.
Contrary to what one would expect based on that rambling rant, I am drinking an American beer today that has had quite a few reviews. "Unfortunately" I "have to" drink my fridge down before these hoppy beers too old. God I'm quite the hypocrite! Or at the very least a traitor to my host country...

My beer is Hair Raiser IIPA from Exhibit 'A' Brewing out of Framingham. I had one other beer from them from this same trade (you da man, man!!) and it was very good. I'm looking forward to this one



This is a pretty enjoyable beer all told. It is nice looking for starters, with a rich gold color and good head retention/lacing. The aroma and flavor are both a mix of resinous and tropical hop flavors on the back of sweet, relatively neutral malt. It is drinkable, soft and leaves you with a hop-resin/Werther's Original finish. This is a tasty beer and I'm glad to have tried it. Thanks KC!

Here is my full review for the curious.

I hope you all have a nice week, I'll enjoy looking through all your delicious beers.

Santé!!

 

Howdy, NBSers!

My battles with early onset summeritis will only worsen after this work week, for most of our in-town high school diamond sports teams went down in the playoffs. I think we've got three left, and only one of those is going to get past next week. Sitting in the newsroom last night, I could close my eyes and hear all that quiet coming, the noiseless solitude we get to enjoy for about two months every year.

I only have one new beer this Sunday, my third offering from Austin's sour-mash specialists:


Blue Owl's Van Dayum!

Labelled a sour red on the can, Van Dayum! is inspired by the Flemish red style, listed here on BA.com as an American amber and comes off much like a Belgian IPA.

It's sour, loads of lemon tartness, and it's super earthy. The tart flavor helps squelch the earthiness' bitter flavor, but there's very, very little sweetness — way more in the nose than the flavor. The Belgian IPA aspect comes from what seems like a large hop presence ... I always hesitate to say where some of these notes come from because I'm not a brewer, and with a sour-mash beer, that process along with the yeast and grain bill could account for who knows what notes? But Van Dayum! has a lot of citrus peel in it and a steady herbal/floral presence that's sometimes cilantro, sometimes green grass and sometimes bitter (but aromatic) flower petals. Combined with the sour flavor, it reminds me a lot of Prairie Hop.

Though I must say, this Blue Owl offering also is the most Jolly Pumpkin-like brew I've come across that isn't from Jolly Pumpkin. It doesn't quite have that fingernail polish/remover thing JP beers have, but it's heading down the same vinegary path.

The review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35964/153662/?ba=Premo88#review
3.84 (+4.3% rDev)

We've had a steady run of highs in the 80s for most of the last three weeks, and my three plant buddies are loving it.

Surprise bougainvillea

my yellow
... and this dude ...

... who looked like this:

... about two weeks ago.

Hope your babies (plant, fur, human or other) are growing and your glass has a beer in it!

Cheers!

 

Yeah, it's not very blond, for a blonde, but it smells & tastes like one. : )
Aroma is yeast, light spice, slightly fruity, with a touch of sweetness. Nothing distinctive, or strong, just a pleasant,fresh, sample of what should be there.

Taste pretty much follows nose,with maybe a bit more of estery/yeasty elements. A light touch of pleasant bitterness and fine carbonation on the tip of the tongue and at the back of the throat, on the finish.

Overall, not a knock-your-socks-off brew, but a pleasant experience, that I would have again.Probably better with food, &/or a warmer day. I could see drinking multiples over a long afternoon/evening. If I had a choice, I'd much rather have Ommegang Gnommegang , but this is pretty good.

Btw, if you need a weapon, this bottle is a good candidate. There is a bomber from a few days ago sitting right next to it. The Maredsous bottle weighs significantly more.

3.86/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

 

I would say I'm appreciating the beer. It's probably good I reviewed it during the first half of the can. The second half was harder to overcome my aversions. I probably wouldn't drink it again, but I can appreciate it for what it is. The smell is incredible and the flavors are really well balanced.

 

Those are beautiful! =)

 

Barrier's Tanto is a juice-forward IPA, but with a substantial malt back and some spruce-pine bite too. -1.5 cm foam cap over a cloudy, pale yellow can pour. The aroma is densely tropical and bright. The flavors are rich with grapefruit and lemon. A resinous bite and a formidable malt body differentiates this from many softer IPA's. I hope to find this again!

 

Still working on NBS BIF #5 beers, now up Goodcity Brewing Motto, thanks @Ri0!
4.17/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thank you Ri0 for this
12 oz can pour d into a tulip

A- A slightly hazy orange copper with a three finger white head.

S- Resin, some tropical fruits, hints of mangos, some oranges, grapefruit zest, some pale malts.

T- Tropical fruits, some mango, oranges, citrus zest, some sweet malts, some herbal notes, finish is resiny.

M- Smooth, light to medium body.

O- A solid pale ale, great use of mosaic hops without over doing it.

Cheers!

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. Well it was nice and sunny earlier but it's turned into a rather cool and overcast spring day here on the island. A pretty ugly day for the Mets not only on the field but as an organization. Spent most of the day watching that circus and I'm about to mow the lawn for the first time this season concluding this here. Also, plan to fire up the grille too.

My first new beer today is DJ Night, an ipa, from Moustache brewing. The brew checks in at 7.1% abv, 49 IBU, and is brewed with Azacca and Idaho 7 hops. A 5/4/17 canning date.

A golden amber pour with hazed clarity and white head. The nose is hops, fruit, and sugars. A pretty tangy and bitter hop start on the drinking with a rather smooth and creamy flow. The finish returns with another wave of bitter hops and slight alcohol burn. Getting a bunch of subtle fruit notes with peach, mango, lemon, and orange. The mouth feel is light/moderate with a slight creamy texture to it.

Overall, another pretty solid ipa from these guys. It's pretty full flavored but still easy to drink. These guys never seem to skimp on the bittering aspect of the style. Right around a 4 here.

 

It's been a couple of cool days and evenings in South Carolina, and our new coffee shops in the neighborhood are very welcome. Also it's a good opportunity to finish off some stouts and DIPA's before it gets ungodly hot.


Westbrook Hazelnut Chocolate Imperial Stout
3.98/5 rDev -1.5% | Avg: 4.04
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I've had a couple of these in my pantry for about six months. Finally pulled one out to try while catching up on Belgian cycling videos.

My first pour was much too timid resulting in too little head and not much aroma. I cut loose with pour 2 and much better results

The combination of chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut is harmonious. The more I drink the more I feel I may have underrated the beer in my rating. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24134/258121/
Not what I consider spectacular, but very pleasing, in line with my expectations for the Westbrook anniversary beers. I love Flanders, but am thankful I don't have to go that far to get great beer.

 

This breweries sours are great and this is no exception.
Pours straw with a quickly dissipating head.
The aroma is acidic with notes of citrus fruits, it's floral and minerally as well.
Way way saltier than I thought it be. The salt hits immediately giving way to a bright tartness and a slight funkiness. The finish comes back to a minerally flavor mostly salty.
It's mouthfeel is light and refreshing with heavy carbonation.
Overall, this is the first gose I've enjoyed. It's growing on me more and more with each sip.
4.28/5

 

My favorite cousin lives in Austin. I have two in Austin, but Bobby is my favorite. He's a native, went to Austin High, UT, and has done well in his hometown. I can just hear him saying Van Dayum. That is made for his multi-extra-syllabic Austin drawl! Great name

 

Been a really busy day here on the hill in NH and well at this point dinner has been started some homemade pasta and my duck ragu! I still need a shower after about 8 hours cleaning and clearing out the garage as I need more room for my new truck with the crew cab. I have one beer left from my NBS BIF#5 box and will try to crack it open a little later and get back with a review. Cheers to all on this great day!

 

Hey gang. It's a cool and damp Sunday in North Jersey with intermittent drizzle. It's great for the grass and appropriate for a BA Stout, thanks to @superspak's generous BIF box. This is Unfinished Business from Perrin Brewing Company in Comstock Park, Michigan. I'm not familiar with "Japanese Emporor Stout" as a style but this one is really well crafted and you don't miss the bourbon! A sipper for sure. Here's my review:

4.07/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Undated 22 oz. bottle. Poured into stout glass. It pours nearly black with some dark cola hues when held to the light, with a thick, khaki-colored head and lacing that dissipated slowly. It smells of roasted malt, dark chocolate, burnt coffee, oak, nuts, and hints of caramel and black cherry. The bourbon is well hidden in the aroma. The first thing I taste is coffee and char. But there's also some nice cocoa, molasses, tobacco, and dark fruit. The bourbon hits at the back end and it's pretty hot. You can feel this is 13+% ABV. It's almost like drinking two distinct stouts. It is medium in body and moderate in carbonation. It's fairly creamy but not as viscous as, say Ten Fidy or FIS. Overall, this stout is definitely a sipper and it's not for the fainthearted. I like high gravity, high ABV stouts and enjoyed this one. My one constructive criticism is that the bourbon isn't as well blended in the overall taste as in some of Unfinished Business's more famous competitors. It pops up hot at the end.

I hope you're all enjoying your new beers this afternoon.

By the end of the work week, I feel like O-Ren Ishii!

 

New Amer. IPA Sunday (Week 637)
Greetings fellow NBSers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY. Got soaked and beaten up again out picking again today, and to make it worse I ran into a man and a woman with their young son picking the same 20 acres of trees So thick I never heard or saw them until they were within feet of me on their way out with a decent bag full. Lucky to get what I got, many of em ones overlooked by the family. Been a good season so far, but I do kinda wish I had hit this spot yesterday haha.

This beer in my glass is Hawkwind IPA, by Burial. Really enjoying its clean flavors and refreshingness. Lotta lemon and grapefruit in smell and taste, but I don't smell or taste the rye malt it has. Really soft mouthfeel. Read the whole story here
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31722/215938/?ba=cavedave#review


Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!