New Beer Sunday (Week 641)

An in person trade with an Aussie today. He came into the store with this can and another from his neck of the woods. He is in the US for a very short while having stopped in Brooklyn, Montreal, Stowe, and back to NYC to fly to the west coast and then home.There was a slight accent barrier so I may have gotten that last part wrong.




Moderate pour yields a one inch white head over a hazy, cloudy, murky body akin to a milky pineapple juice. Some sticky lacing at first and guess what? Pineapple on the nose! Also citrus and some tropical fruit. Taste mirrors nose with a dry, bitter finish. Feel is very strange like most super cloudy offerings these days. Carbonation is there at first and then this thing that a friend in the industry calls "hop detritus" rears its ugly "head" (as in no head) and the carbonation is replaced by a different feel which is not to my liking. Overall, I really am being turned off by these aberrations being produced today. Cheers?

3.78/5 rDev -9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

 

Nice! I had a very similar experience. Good brtew for the summer but him anxious to see What the new garde can come up with onnthe style that brought them back to the spotlight..
Cheers brother!

 

Those aircraft are awesome! =) Cheers!

 

This was a weekend packed full of new beers for me -- five total, and not a single one of them little sample glasses! First I split this one (picked up during a recent trip up to the DC area) with my sister Friday night...


Now I Am Death, Destroyer of Worlds from Adroit Theory. Stumbled across this one at Norm's Beer and Wine in Vienna, VA on the way back. My sister had wanted me to go visit Adroit Theory and bring back a bottle to share, but after experiencing the big-city traffic up there I was like "nah, don't really want to do that much driving" and settled on just checking out a nearby beer store that was recommended to me rather than making any longer trips out to breweries. Wasn't expecting to stumble across a beer from one of the breweries I'd planned to visit, but of course I wasn't going to pass up the opportunity to grab one while I was there.

This was pretty good. Very different than most IPAs I've had, but definitely still good. Actually reminded me a good bit of the fresher bottles of Bigfoot I've had, both in some of the flavors (hops and malt alike) and the way the alcohol warmth was definitely present, especially on the first couple sips. Even the color wasn't far off. I've seen it mentioned before that some of the "triple IPAs" lean heavily into hoppy-barleywine territory and I can definitely see the resemblance here. Not as heavy on the malt as Bigfoot despite the slightly higher ABV -- I guess that factor is where the line between "very malt-balanced triple IPA" and "very hoppy barleywine" is drawn, barleywines would generally have heavier malt flavors than even the biggest double/triple IPAs. I suspect this may be one of the few IPAs that wouldn't be hurt too badly by age, thanks to the ABV and almost "light barleywine"-like characteristics.

Later that night my sister let me have one of her last two bottles of Tropical Torpedo which was also nice -- actually didn't remind me as much of regular Torpedo as I was expecting, seemed lighter on the malt and with a completely different mixture of hops (more "tropical," as the name implies -- I would guess that Galaxy hops are in the mixture somewhere just based on some of the flavors I was getting.) Not sure if it was the different hops, different amount of bitterness, or what but it came across as lighter/more drinkable than regular Torpedo -- definitely did not come across as an "on the line between single and double" IPA the way Torpedo is. I'm always suspicious of beers that advertise "tropical" flavors since those hops sometimes don't cooperate with my taste buds, but this one was very nice -- may have to pick up a six-pack of my own once the fridge empties out a bit more.

Yesterday of course was the AAL tasting, and I had three new beers for that:


Already wrote up our full thoughts on these, so here's just the brief summary -- Narragansett was the clear winner with the only downside being an aftertaste that came across a little metallic at times, High Life was also acceptable (the "liquid tortilla chip" corn flavor was fairly pleasant actually) but not great, and Modelo was surprisingly awful, tasting of little more than vague sweetness and much more alcohol than you'd expect to taste in a beer like this.

...and finally Sunday's new beers, which I tried at Jack Mason's Tavern in Clifton Forge, VA (they're actually going to open up their own little brewery next door sometime this year, by the way! kinda neat that the town where I lived during my high school years is going to have its own brewery now... I'm looking forward to checking that out once it opens up.)


First was Revolution amber ale, I believe from Heritage Brewing in Manassas, VA. Nice hoppy American amber ale -- malt was toasty, a little caramel-y but the hops stood out more, very noticeably bitter on the end with some citrus-pith/rind sorts of flavors to them. My sister described it as "dank with hops," after which my dad decided he'd take a sip too (he agreed with the description.) Pretty nice beer, and seemed to go very well with the nachos, salad, and beer-battered fish and chips so I'm guessing this is one that tends to play well with all different kinds of food rather than clashing with some things.


After the meal I had a pint of Parkway Brewing's Get Bent Mountain IPA, which I had somehow not gotten around to trying yet despite seeing it everywhere and one of my friends mentioning it as the only IPA so far that she'd actually liked. This was also pretty good, definitely noticeable citrusy-fruity and rind/pith flavors going on along with some others (more of a leafy bitter sort of thing?) mixed in here and there. A bit of malt but not a major flavor from what I remember, just there to balance the hops somewhat. Definitely more of a hoppy beer, though the bitterness initially didn't seem as noticeable as the amber ale before it (this changed toward the end of the glass where the bitterness started to stand out a bit more, but it never got too strong, just enough to let you know it was there.)

 

Today's new brew comes from Foundations barrel room. Tangent, starts with Zuurzing's base, is kettle soured then ages with different bugs in wine barrels.



Pours a hazy golden straw color with a one finger head that has great retention.

Aromas of lemon, hay, biscuits, light oak, white grape, unripe berry, slight funk.

Tastes of tart lemons, green apple, biscuit, oak, white wine, notes of hayfield, pie spice, white grape, and flower. Light sweetness after the sour, then a dry slightly bitter finish.

Medium bodied, soft and smooth carbonation, dry.

With beers like this Foundation is rapidly approaching Allagash quality sours. This is easily on the level of Coolship, striking a lot of great notes and perfect tartness, a little less funky. I see a side by side in the near future for better comparison.

Cheers!

 

Happy Sunday night, said no one that has to work Monday said ever


First time with this Oatmeal Porter with Cold Brewed Coffee beer from the great folks at Trillium
7.5 ABV
Smells of earthy roasted chocolate and coffee beans
Poured dark brown and thin no head to speak of
I'd call it medium body medium carbonation
Mouth feel is a bit prickly and definite chocolate notes.
Smooth and very easy drinking
Chocolate and coffee notes then a kind of earthy type finish.
I would seek this out again.

 

My first Other Half beer courtesy of @Gench. Thanks again! DDH All Citra Everything
Look: murky light orange color similar to pinapple juice. About a fingers worth of white head that fades quickly but leaves nice lacing. 4.5
Smell: pineapple, tangeries, mango, and maybe a little resin/weed smell. 5
Taste: Heavy in the mango and tangerine. Creamy mouthful with subtle bitterness on the finish. 5
Feel: Smooth frothy mouthfeel that lingers. Medium carbonation 4.75
Overall: An amazing beer that really shows off citra. Has everything I want in an IPA now. 4.9

 

That's one of my favorites from them! Cheers

Ah, to have it for the first fine again....
It is hands down my favorite IPA. It combines everything I like about every take on the style, all in balance and feels like drinking velvet.

That beer is a dream of mine.I don't often lust after beers I've never had, but every time I see it or read reviews for it it just makes it seem even more delicious in my head.

 

Another excellent beer from @jzeilinger. Poured into a 13 oz Weyerbacher tulip glass canned on 4/27/17. Pours a very attractive slightly hazy dark yellow with a very attractive 2 finger sticky white head that leaves behind plenty wispy lace. 4.25

Smell is guava, papaya, passion fruit, mango, pine resin, and grapefruit rind. 4.5

Taste follows tropical fruits guava, papaya, passion fruit, and piney grapefruit in balanced yet slightly bitter finish. 4.5

Mouthfeel in a solid medium, plenty of life, maybe a little sticky and slightly dry from all the fresh hops, and I have no clue what the ABV is. 4.25

Overall this is a very nice and amazingly balanced brew, that I would love to drink often. This thing is so tasty and crushable. 4.5

 

Here's that Aussie beer received today via IP trade from an Aussie named Derek. The 8.8% abv is pretty well hidden on this one.




Moderate pour yields a one inch white head over a bright medium to deep amber body with some sticky lacing. Nose of pine, citrus, and some tropical fruit. Taste mirrors nose with a clean bitter finish. Very nice feel and overall a great DIPA from downunder with a very well hidden 8.8% abv ! On the side of the can there is something I've never seen before; "3.5 standard drinks!" Also, on the top of the side of the can there is the recipe for this beer!
Thanks Derek!

4.35/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

As promised



(I dont have 2 Allagash Glasses? Or a single Foundation glass? I need to update my glasses. So Tangent is in the Allagash Glass and Coolship is in the Oxbow glass)

Appearance: only major difference is that Coolship is a little more ambery/orange.

Aroma: Tangent is a little sweeter and more biscuity on the nose while Coolship is a little more funky and a smidge more oaky.

Taste: Coolship is obiviously more funky but the tartness and character of the tartness are similar. Tangent has a sweeter middle with more biscuity malt while Coolship has a funky oak and fruity character. Tangent has a light belgian/saison like flavor on the finish while Coolship has a wonderful lingering hayfield funk.

Mouthfeel: Coolship is a little more dry and has a sharper, higher carbonation.

Overall: Both great, biggest difference is that Coolship is funkier and has higher carbonation. As far as depth of flavor and complexity they are easily comparable. Tangent is supreme if you like less funk and a little sweetness and Coolship is supreme if you prefer funk and a solid dryness.

Cheers!

Edit: I have Coolship as 4.41 and Tangent as 4.51 in my ratings.

 

I HAVE ESCAPED THE DUVEL!!!!! PRAISE THE LAAAAWWWWDDD!!! I shall submit to you, my NBS brothers and sisters, a sampling of beers from that "brewery that dances with the Duvel," Sierra Nevada. First up, this exquisite DIPA.



4.35/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

The pour yields a rich golden-colored beer with a couple of fingers of bone-white head, and just the slightest bit of hop haze. Beautiful beer.

The aromas are huuuuuuge citrus - orange, grapefruit, pineapple. A delight to the schnoz-ola. The taste ..... sublime. Dank hops, very dry, which masks the 8.0% ABV. If you look up "West Coast DIPA" in the dictionary, there's a picture of this beer.

An excellent representation of the style by one of my favorite breweries.

 

I have not participated much in NBS as of late but here is my latest attempt...
Back from recent trip to Vermont which included a brief trip to The Alchemist in Stowe, VT...I was lucky to source some of this:

Poured from a 16oz (pounder) can into a signature The Alchemist IPA glass while analyzing the solo from '245' from the legendary Eric Dolphy:

Congruent with the founder, I cannot find any more descriptors to add. However, I do find a floral and honeysuckle sweetness in the aroma that is not found in most of The Alchemist's beers. What I love about this beer is the balance...the orange shines (courtesy of the orange peel adjunct) but the overall profile is that of hops...a signature of this brewery
A - 4.5, S - 4.5, T - 4.5, M - 4.5, O - 4.5

For those interested in Jazz, do yourself a favor and check out the works of the masterful Eric Dolphy...sadly lost too early.

 

Hello New Beer Sunday.

Today was the first day in a while I wasn't crabby and disgruntled at work in the past few days. At least that was the case till a customer came in and bitched that we raised our prices. Well, sorry, we aren't a non profit org. We're a restaurant. We're in this damn business to make money. BTW the price hike is in line with the hike over the last year of our cost. F U!

So, yeah, I'm crabby, and disgruntled now.

So, to deal with it, it's time for New Beer Sunday.

Since I'm disgruntled, Damn Good from Disgruntled Brewing is in order.

So this is the NE IPA everyone is raving about? Well, now I understand, and worship the juicy goodness of this style of beer, and, in my (getting drunker) opinion, it is a separate style from an DIPA. This is damn good, and I rate it as so.

Review:

4.58/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer pours a very murky, dank, orange color. Not clear at all. Minimal head. Looks like orange juice.
The nose is - Holy Cow! Did my friends punk me and get me some kind of citrus juice when they picked this up for me? Pineapple, grapefruit, orange smelling. Am I getting into a NE inspired IPA?
Taste - Dank tasting. Pine, citrus, pineapple, all rolled into one.
Feel - moderate, to lighter feeling, though you feel the citrus all the way down.
Overall - Damn good is, well, damn good. Glad I'm getting the chance to try it. So this is a NE IPA everyone is raving about. Now I know why.

Now, tomorrow, I've decided to take up a new vice: smoking. Yes, I'm almost 44 years old, and I'm going to start smoking. I know it's an expensive hobby, but hell, you only live once. I'm getting off cheap - the smoker I bought only set me back $60, it's a charcoal one, not one of those E-smokers. Yes, the ribs were expensive, but on sale, for a damn good price at the grocery store. So I smoke tomorrow, and drink radlers while doing so.

See you all next week for the net New Beer Sunday!

 

#2, how about a raspberry sundae?



3.68/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5

This is an interesting beer. The pour looks like the ubiquitous amber ale - dark copper color, tan head.

The nose is HUUUUUGE raspberry - if you don't like raspberry, avoid this beer. There's also a vegetal aroma, and that lingers on the taste - big raspberry, vegetal flavor, a slight vanilla flavor, no cocoa that I can discern (and I am finely attuned to cocoa).

This is not terrible, and I'm sure it will have an audience, which is in line with The Bruery's modus operandi. They push boundaries, and so does this beer.

 

Good Evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @cjgiant for getting us started off this week. Not much going on here, just another normal Sunday. Got my laundry done, and got some more new beers at my usual bottle return stop today. Did a bit of catch up work for tomorrow as usual. Not been too crazy busy lately, which is nice for a change. My new beer stock continues to be very low, but I keep finding more stuff every week to keep going.

New Beers:

A Brazilian brewery called Way Beer, collaboration with Jester King. This was pretty nice! Aromas and flavors of lightly tart watermelon, cucumber, berry, wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, and herbal/grassy/peppery hops. Some yeasty earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/grassy/spicy bitterness on the finish. Light-medium body and high carbonation. Very crisp/clean and moderately dry. Never astringent. Balanced bready/grainy malt and sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Very flavorful and refreshing for 4.7%. Pleasant, well balanced, and enjoyable. I have a Gose from this brewery as well to try soon. Watermelon beers have always felt a bit weird to me with the cucumber thing going on; but I was satisfied with this one. The Odd Sides Wheatermelon remains my favorite, as it has more of a classic creamy/yeasty wheat beer vibe to go along with the fruit. 3.68


New MI brewery bottling! They bottle date too, which is always nice to see. This is excellent! Fantastic head retention, clarity, and thick lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big tangerine, grapefruit, peach, pear, apricot, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, berry, lemon zest, orange peel, light pepper, and pine hops; with some white bread, light honeyed malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light-moderate pine, grassy, citrus peel, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium bodied; balanced bready/grainy malts and hop stickiness in the mouthfeel. Light resins and increasing bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Crisp and super drinkable. No damn clue what the hops may be, but they are very unique. Probably some AU/NZ stuff. Very fruity, earthy, and tropical at the same time. Vibrant, juicy, and dank. Really big fan of this one. 4.03


This was delicious! Nice head retention and lacing for the style. Aromas and flavors of big lightly tart lemon, lime peel, sea salt, cracker, bread dough, and herbal/floral/grassy/light peppery hops. Light herbal/grassy/spicy bitterness and slight citrus tartness on the finish. Light-medium bodied; bready/grainy malts and slight hop stickiness in the mouthfeel. Moderately crisp and increasingly drying. Perfectly clean lagering, never yeasty. Very flavorful and never watery feeling. Perfectly balanced lime/pale lager notes. With all the Mexican lager stuff going on lately, this nails it! This is super refreshing. I absolutely love it. 4


How many fruited things can I drink in an evening? Here is a new Bruery Gose. This was a mild gusher. Awesome stuff! Aromas and flavors of lightly tart lemon, lime, green apple, pear, red grape, coriander, sea salt, wheat, cracker, peppercorn, oak, hay, grass, and light lacto funk. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness and yeast/coriander spiciness on the finish. Light-medium bodied and medium-high carbonation. Balanced grainy malt, acidity, and light salinity in the mouthfeel. Very crisp, moderately drying finish. Super refreshing and never puckering. This might be the least sour Bruery wild ale I've ever had. Really spot on balanced Gose example with the coriander and salty flavors, without being overwhelming. Nice presence of the grapes too. Love it. 4.1


Cheers, have a good night NBS!

 

I usually just give a number, so excuse the "review" it's probably not very good




poured into a snifter

nose is definitely chocolate, cinnamon, coffee is there but subdued

looks black as motor oil

mouthfeel is thick and chewy what you would expect for a big AbV stout

Taste is heavy heavy cinnamon and chocolate. Not picking up the coffee too much but it lingers on the back of the tongue. What's surprising is the lack of alcohol taste, you could literally chug this thing down pretty quick.

Reminds me of Oro Negro but I think it's honestly a bit better. I would love to get Abraxas or something like that for comparison.

 

Wow I was scrolling through today and I think I saw a Keystone Ice posting. So speaking of this comes from @Lingenbrau and this thing is the real deal. Poured near room temperature into a 16 oz Magnify Snulip glass not sure when it was bottled. Pours near pitch black with a massive 3 finger sticky tan head that leaves plenty of spotty lace behind as it slowly settles into a thin layer of tan bubbles. 4.5

Smell is roasty expresso beans, vanilla bean, dark chocolate, pipe tobacco, hints of alcohol, and some back strap molasses. 4.5

Taste follows nicely huge dry coffee beans, oaked vanilla, deep dark chocolate, pipe tobacco, molasses, and a little warming alcohol in the easy drinking finish. 4.5

Mouthfeel is a big medium, moderate carbonation, slightly dry as you would expect, and drinks very easy for 9.3% ABV.

Overall this is a very tasty, slightly one dimensional in a great way imperial coffee porter, thanks for this treat @Lingenbrau. 4.5