New Beer Sunday (Week 643)

Stumbled across this want a few days ago. Don't care that it's one of those "cellar it" beers, think I'll drink it hot, fresh and live as hell.

Firestone Walker Stickee Monkee



Basically black body with a little red hue happening around the edges. Mildly forced head nets for the most part, a creamy beige head.

Nose is a very clean sweet caramel, vanilla and maybe cherry, resulting in what I can best explain as that sweet pipe tobacco - Cavendish maybe?

Taste immediately sweet. Like huge sweet. Flavor profile follows the nose, but ironically after the pipe tobacco comparison, I now actually get a tobacco taste amongst the cherry and vanilla. In no way, shape or form is there an overwhelming heat on this. In fact, I'd bet I did myself a favor in not cellaring this, as it is smooth right now. Finish is only slightly bitter while sweet still rules the day.

 

Rarely (if ever) do I participate in NBS but today I was feeling inspired to not only try a new beer but compose a review as well:

Brewery: Two Roads
Beer: Two Juicy

Poured from a 16oz can (canned on date: 08 June 2017 - 10 Days Fresh!) into a 16oz (Two Roads branded) Sahm Belgian Tulip/Balloon glass
A - Pours a straw yellow color with medium haze (far from turbid) and capped by a full 1-fingers worth of a creamy, white head. Great eye candy that is on mark with Focal Bangar. (5.0)
S - Soft, yet impactful consisting of sweet orange, grapefruit, tangerine and pineapple. As it warms, hints of coconut peek through the fruity melange. Far in the background, some spicy and resinous hops can be perceived. (5.0)
T - Aroma carries through onto the palate with the orange and (white) grapefruit flavors being the dominant players. Two Juicy finishes bone dry with a citrus rind pith lingering bitterness. (5.0)
M - Really, really soft and creamy with a relatively thin mouthfeel. This drinks well below its advertised ABV making this supremely "crushable." (5.0)
O - This is a very, very well made "The Alchemist -or- Lawson's Finest Liquids-style" DIPA from Two Roads and can find no fault...hence my score. They do well with Sip Of Sunshine and have entered the fray with their own interpretation of those classics and this one does not disappoint. If you don't have access to beers from either of those OG Vermont breweries, this is a fine example. (5.0)


Well done, Two Roads!

 

Did things in an odd order today. After talking to my Dad and posting my first beer (I forgot to mention I drank it yesterday afternoon), I put together a Horseradish Meatloaf which will cure in the fridge until tomorrow, then go into a slow cooker. Then I had waffles and finished my coffee, watched an episode of a British series from about 30 years ago called Fortunes Of War with very young versions of Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson, and then tackled my first New Beer of this Sunday- a Wee Heavy brewed with maple syrup in Quebec:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1141/9659/?ba=woemad#review
I was very excited to find a beer from Brasserie Dieu du Ciel! but I'm a little underwhelmed. There's an odd juxtaposition of sweet and bitter roastiness at the beginning that doesn't really gel. It's not a huge flaw but it sort of gets things off on the wrong foot.

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! A cloudy, drizzly, cool (55 degrees) Juneuary day here in the Fourth Corner. Summer starts July 5th round these parts. Haven't been joining in much lately, but hopefully that changes. A couple weeks ago I moved in with a co-worker, so now I have internet at home! Plus, he's a chef, likes a drink, and tends to cook late at night while making too much food. Problems, problems

I'm starting off with a brew courtesy of @Grizzarky in the most recent NBS BIF. It got kinda shuffled around and lost in the flood of beer I received, but, better late than never! https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27835/106171/

 

Happy Father's Day NBS!
I haven't had time to catch up on what is going on today but will do so later.I did however want to check in to thank @cjgiant for a thoughtful opening to a special day.

I have been poolside with my Dad and Father in law today at my brother's place on Maryland's eastern shore. Good times!

My 13 year old daughter with some help from my wife gave me four bottles of this for Father's Day. She knows her Daddy loves craft beer and Iron Maiden!

I think the Duvel D and the Iron Maiden/ Trooper logo were meant to be together!

As a 30 plus year fan of 'Maiden this is the coolest bottle cap I have ever seen and to me worth the cost of the bottle alone, but priceless coming from my little girl!

No official review for this yet, no time and my palate has been all over the place today.

I will say that I love an ESB. This one has a decent malty aroma and the deep amber pour has lots of life in the glass, raising a foamy white head with every swirl. The word on his one is it is too thin for the style. Maybe, but right now it is damn perfect for the humid heat that we have here today. Refreshingly light but still plenty bitter.

Cheers NBS, I hope you are sharing today with loved ones!

 

Happy Father's Day to all the BA dads and dads of BA's! I hope you're all having a glorious day and enjoying you new beers. Today, I'm reviewing Troon Brewing's A More Perfect Union, a 7.8% ale conditioned on Palo Santo wood and hopped with Huell Melon. It celebrates Troon's 6-month anniversary. It's supposed to simulate a beach resort drink and it really is unique and delicious. It has a melon colada feel but the Palo Santo wood gives it a unique taste. I'm trying to think of a beer with which to compare but I'm at a loss. Dogfish's Pennsylvania Tuxedo comes closest. Anyway, it's really good. Here's my review:

4.43/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Poured from fresh growler into Troon pint glass. It pours a hazy honey color with two fingers of fluffy, egg-white head and thick lacing. The Palo Santo wood gives it a nice spicy aroma along with the sweet melon and a hint of lemon peel. The flavor is really unique: it opens with sweet melon but with what I can best describe as an earthy, spicy wood taste. The is a hint of bitterness at the finish but it really doesn't drink like an IPA It's tangy and really pleasing. It is medium-bodied with lively carbonation and the 7.8% ABV is well hidden. As advertised, it has the feel of a tropical punch or an umbrella drink. It's quite refreshing and a great beer for drinking outside on a hot, humid day. I can't say enough; this is just great!

Cheers, NBS dads!

 

B-Side Pilsner from Indeed. It's a good, very easy-going take on the style.

 

Really appreciate your comments. My Dad made the commute to NYC every day. When he came home, he and my Mom had a martini or a blended scotch (Dewers). Then, after dinner, he had a Miller High Life Nip. I think I introduced him to Heineken when I was still in high school. After he retired, he started drinking Sam Adams Boston Lager and even tried some home brewing. He died in 1998. I wish he could have joined me in drinking some of the amazing local craft brews I now drink all the time. I would have enjoyed trying new beers with him. I'm glad my son and daughter are into craft beer. Whenever we're together, we have a blast.

 

Happy Father's Day and New Beer Sunday Everyone. Yesterday myself and two son's complete our tball season. I was the coach, my youngest son's first year, and my oldest son's second year. It was my first time ever coaching. I was nervous at first, it did not go too well the first few practices, but after that it was fantastic.

The beer is Strawberry Whale Cake by Burlington Beer Company. 5.5% ABV and is a cream ale with Strawberries. It was brewed on 5/31/17.

The beer pours the color of pink lemonade, but is much cloudier. The head hangs around for a while and the beer leaves plenty of lacing. The initial aroma is strawberries, but it also has light malty bready aromas as well. The taste pretty much follows the nose. It starts mildly sweet and ends with a mild dry bitterness and an almost soapy/cleaner flavor type finish, which is not very enjoyable. It is an extremely mild flavored beverage. It has a creamy mouthfeel and is very drinkable. Overall it is refreshing with some mild flavors, but I would not seek out again.
Look: 3,Aroma 4,Taste: 3,Feel: 4,Overall: 3.5

Happy NBS everyone. I have enjoyed reading the posts so far and look forward to reading some more.

 

Turns out I have enough time to dive into another brew today. Hitting the big ones today, since this morning was my last race for the next few weeks. After that, it'll be a couple months before I toe the line again (the way I like it, make those starts special).



Odd Side's Colossal Oversight.

Pours a murky, dark burgundy-brown with a finger of khaki foam sitting on top. Good head retention, with massive lacing left behind. Aroma is toffee, cherry, oak, molasses, bourbon, and toasted malts. Flavor profile is huge, but scattered, muddling notes together. Bourbon, oak, cherry, molasses, caramel, and peat with toasted, nutty malts. A bit of a burn in the back of the throat from the bourbon. Mouth feel is medium-thick, with a sort of funny, fizzy grain to it. Overall, it's robust and big, but the muddling of notes keep it from being a pleasant sipper. The 12% ABV shows up each sip as well.

Score: 4.25 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 3.5 | BA Score: 3.73 | rDev: -3.9%

 

My two kids are 4 and 6 and I love the time I spend with them, but am also super excited for when they get older so I can enjoy a beer with them when they are older.

I have some beers from their birthday years in my fridge (BCBS, 120 minute, and Fullers Vintage Ale).

Its great when family members enjoy craft beer. it means the conversations never get old. My sister in laws boyfriend, my brother in law, and my father are all into craft beer. We usually share some great beers when we get together.

 

That just could be the definition of a great morning!

 

Already posted this on WBAYDN, so please forgive me for that. However, I think I've managed to squeeze a couple of minutes to give a review on this fresh as eff gem. So here goes...

Pizza Port
Fish- IPA with Pacific Jade, Centennial, and Citra





As soon as I typed Centennial, I could imagine @jzeilinger 's ears perk up!

A: Pours perfectly clear golden yellow with a big foamy white head with superb lacing.

A: Smells of orange juice, onion, and pine. Ohhhhh yes, here we go! A touch of sweet biscuit too.

T: Yes! Sweet onion, mango, kiwi, pine, pineapple, grapefruit and again that clean sweet biscuity balance.

F: Crisp and clean, bitter but not intense, and dry as a bone. My kind of IPA for sure.

O: Just as I said, my kind of IPA. I could drink this stuff year round, unfortunately it's a limited one time release. Unless on tap at my beloved Pizza Port.

After my official review, I gave Fish a rating of 4.52 with an rDev of +5.9%.
Cheers everyone, and I will see you all soon!

 

Up next, courtesy of @2beerdogs, and the National Champion North Carolina Tarheels (there was a bracket challenge during the last BIF, and Phil Ford and the Four Corner offense won me some beer) is Cart. Which I am putting before the Horse, which is in the On-Deck circle): https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/48782/281208/

 

Happy Sunday nbs players. Visiting my folks summer rental house in the north fork for fday. A warm, sunny, and breezy day here on the island. My pops was a pbr guy when I was growing up and now he's just bud/bud light. Doesn't really understand my "weird beer" but he's pretty use to it by now.

My new beer today is Greenroom, apa, from barrier brewing. Its dry-hopped w/ centennial, cascade& comet. The brew checks in at 5.4% with no bottle date.

A murky yellowish color on the pour with a big white head. Subtle hops and malt on the nose. An herbal and citrus mix of hops hit on the first few sips. Soft and smooth on the flow with an easy finish. City's notes come on with lemon, grapefruit & orange. An herbal bitterness/spicy notes realty seems to dominate the flavors. Mouth feel is on the lighter side. A pretty dry feel with full flavor.

Overall, it's well done and I love barrier but it's just not my really doing anything great for me. The dry hopping comes off a bit weak and the herbal tones are just a bit too much for me. I'm in the 3.5 range here,

 

Good afternoon and Happy Fathers day to the Dads. Not really doing anything special today. Had to do some work. And a fine fathers day for me is just hanging out by the pool, drinking some brews, grabbing my guitar and grilling some Bison burgers. Thanks to @cjgiant for the welcoming words. Loved the "dont half ass it" part. I agree if youre just throwing a pic up stick with WBAYDN thread. That being said I plead guilty to posting a pic without a full review last Sunday evening. I did post a real review intitially and then came back with a second beer and thought I was on WBAYDN. Hell, anyway enough of that crap. The suns shining I'm outside and I am drinking:
Wicked Weed Southern Ambrosia
Ale - barrel aged with molasses, blackberries, cherries and serrano peppers.
Pours a rusty red with and rose tinted head that stands for a few and settles to a thin ring. Minimal lacing is left behind......
Aroma is awesome!

 

New NE IPA Sunday (Week 643)
Greetings fellow NBSers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY. Beauty day here for the most part, but a cranking storm made a quick entrance and exit in between abundant sunshine and pleasant temp.'s that rule.

Visited The Burger Loft, a really nice restaurant that is next to District 96 brewery, and is the outlet for their beers. Freshly on site ground beef and fresh cut potatoes for their fries make the food almost as good as the beer. Even the five guest taps were incredible, and included Hill Farmstead Abner and one of the Equilibrium Fractals. The brewery itself is next door, and from the rear lot you can see in between the papered windows and notice it looks to be a three barrel system. My prediction is that they will be moving into new digs or taking over the realty office which fronts it very soon. Three barrels won't nearly be enough once folks find out about this quality of beer. There is a nearly completed tap room you can see from the front and it looks to be about ready to open. This is me drinking a Father Of All Bombs, taken by my son (since my camera died). Best new beer I have tried in a while, and I have had some really good ones lately. Needless to say took home crowlers.

Pours a cloudy orange straw color with a big topper of dense off white foam that relaxes to a lasting skim and ring.

Full strength aroma that is chock full of mango, melon, sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit pith, crisp grainy sweet and lightest floral hints. Stupid complex, stupid alluring, just amazing bouquet.

Full flavored and then some, with all the flavors of the aroma making appearances in a supremely balanced and delicious presentation. It finishes with the sweet citrus joining some righteous pineapple that is the tiniest bit dry, super clean, and heavenly.

Soft on palate, but not in the way of many other NE IPA that can be so soft they clear out quickly. This baby is low carb, highly viscous, thick but not clingy, and a dynamite finish that lasts in the best way..

Highest recommendation for a beer that is as close to perfect as imaginable. Trying desperately to find something to ding but there is nothing. Hopefully you try this soon. i can't imagine it will last more than a few more days, and the ease of acquiring District 96 beers likely will also be a thing of the past in the near future.

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

 

Howdy NBSers! Just got back from a solid dinner with my family in celebration of Father's Day, so now I'm cracking open a new cold one... the newest in Narragansett's Lovecraft Series, as a matter of fact... it's time to enter...

THE TEMPLE!



This here is a 7% "sticke altbier," a sub-style of malty German "altbier." Alts are typically maltier, copper colored ales which receive a longer conditioning ("lagering") period than typical ales, mostly because the yeast strain can remain active at cooler temperatures than most other top-fermenting yeasts can. The "sticke" means "secret" and historically denotes altbier that is kept only for regular/special customers of altbier "Brauhäuser." It's usually stronger, hoppier and overall more "elite." Let's see if good ol' 'Gansett can pull such a thing off, shall we?

My experiences with this series have ranged from "not sure what you guys were thinking here" to "that was much better than expected despite still having some faults," but nevertheless, I have enjoyed seeking them all out and trying them, mostly because the concepts of both the overarching series and the individual beers themselves have been cool. There's been a honey ale, an old ale, a white IPA, a strong schwarzbier, a red ale and a Helles lager, and I've at least had fun drinking each of them and reading the enjoyable, campy flavor text on the back of each.

The pour on this is surprisingly strong, giving off a solid first impression for sure. A tight and voluptuous head of slightly-off-white foam bubbles and froths atop a clear copper colored beer. Lace makes its presence pretty well known, with some sticky rings appearing over time.

Nose is heavy on the treacle and caramel elements, with some pumpernickel bread and slight floral hop impressions playfully kicking around. Obviously, this is malt-focused but I do get some nice hop aspects here and there. Kind of herbal with more toasted bread crust/brown bread notes as it warms.

Flavor is rich and chewy despite being totally filtered. Really fruity and estery, so I know the altbier yeast has done a nice job chewing on the Munich malt here. I get some stone fruit flavors combined with the brown bread, caramel and toffee. Round carbonation and a full-bodied feel contribute to the overall solid character of this effort. Surprisingly firm bitterness coalesces toward the finish, bringing out some herbal notes that mingle with slight flavors of honey, apricot and red berries. Finishes a little bit slick and smooth; not too dry, but not too heavy either. I really dig this; glad I got a six pack... and that's not something I can say about many of the Lovecraft beers!

---

Update on the homebrewed NE-style double IPA I have been keeping this thread up to date on for a few weeks. We double dry-hopped this guy with Nelson and Summer hops and just finally bottled it yesterday. This picture is of a sample from the very bottom of the bottling bucket, so it's darker than the rest of the batch by far, but we're really happy with how it came out and can't wait for it to condition!





Cheers guys! Might be back with one more in a while.

 

New Beer Sunday: A flowery IPA

Afternoon NBSers, with special thanks to @cjgiant for his start today and to @lordofthewiens for his brief history lesson.

Well the weather folks here tell us the "feels like" temperature is well over 90 and the combination of heat and humidity is considered "Oppressive." Given a few brief excursions out of the house I totally agree with them. Lots of both clouds and patches of sun as we get ready for tomorrow when those same weather folks tell us that the weather late tomorrow and tomorrow evening will give us lots of rain (and I do mean lots of it from what they currently are saying ). The rough weather will include some Thunderstorms and even some downpours and heavy winds gusts.

Father's day activities are now over for this year and my wife has informed me that we're going out for dinner tonight as it's too warm to cook, even with the air conditioning. Naturally I agreed with her.

This afternoon's new beer is the Crimson Pistil IPA from Troegs. It is new this year and replaces Cultivator in their spring-summer line up. (Boooo... Hisss.... )

My review, subject to change until we leave for dinner, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/user/beers/?ba=drtth

I'd say this is an interesting beer that I’ll be having a few more of to continue to sort out the flavors and aromas. Not surprisingly there’s some floral character, along with some tart berry-like flavor, some citric bitterness and a light dose of sweetness to take the edge of the citric hop bitterness. The interplay of aromas and flavors from the beginning of the sip to the dry finish is also interestingly complex and worth exploring again. (But I'll not really be looking for more next year.)

Cheers, all!

 

Good afternoon and Happy Fathers day to the Dads. Not really doing anything special today. Had to do some work. And a fine fathers day for me is just hanging out by the pool, drinking some brews, grabbing my guitar and grilling some Bison burgers. Thanks to @cjgiant for the welcoming words. Loved the "dont half ass it" part. I agree if youre just throwing a pic up stick with WBAYDN thread. That being said I plead guilty to posting a pic without a full review last Sunday evening. I did post a real review intitially and then came back with a second beer and thought I was on WBAYDN. Hell, anyway enough of that crap. The suns shining I'm outside and I am drinking:
Wicked Weed Southern Ambrosia
Ale - barrel aged with molasses, blackberries, cherries and serrano peppers.
Pours a rusty red with and rose tinted head that stands for a few and settles to a thin ring. Minimal lacing is left behind......
Aroma is awesome! Hints of dark chocolate, black cherries, red vinous notes, some tannins from wood, and the the spice of the peppers sneaks in in a perfect way- not killing the rest but enhancing the complexity.
Flavor - well this beer is very complex.
Cherry pie enrobed in the dark notes of molasses (chocolate) with just a tad of sweetness to enhance the berries, red wine notes, tartness from blackberries, tannins from oak, then just a bit of spice that rounds out everything. I know serranos- they can be quite spicey. No such diversion here, just a slight burn as it goes down. The flavor fills the mouth- and lasts. Dyn-o-mite.
Body is medium it drinks quite nicely for such a bold beer. Carb is good and it finishes on the dry side- surprisingly.
Peppers chime in but dont overpower.
WW is really one of the top with barrel aged beers and originality. I realize there are haters due to the AB/Inbev
And im not a fan. I was hesitant to buy this honestly. But im glad I did. Going to be tough not purchase if they keep this up. If I see this again I'm buying it.
Fantastic brew!
Haveba great Fathers Day evening and again thanks for taking the time to listen!