New Beer Sunday (Week 644)

Discussion in 'The Bar' started by lordofthewiens, Jun 25, 2017.

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  1. cjgiant

    cjgiant Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,560) Jul 13, 2013 District of Columbia
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I think this summary is pretty much on point with what I thought - a very nicely made, balanced but still with a nice hop profile, solid beer. I was at the high end of your rating range, myself (3.9).
     
    beerloserLI likes this.
  2. mikeinportc

    mikeinportc Grand Pooh-Bah (3,331) Nov 4, 2015 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society

    Two words : Chuck Knoblauch. Four more words : Steve Sax & Rick Ankiel. :rolling_eyes:
    Maybe go Happy Gilmore, & just put 'er down & whack it, without thinking? Good luck with that infernal game. :wink:
     
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  3. Victory_Sabre1973

    Victory_Sabre1973 Grand Pooh-Bah (4,561) Sep 15, 2015 Minnesota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader



    Hello New Beer Sunday. I am at Northwest Angle right now after a fun, but rainy, morning/afternoon fishing. Just ate some of the fish we got, and, of course, enjoying a new beer

    Espresso Porter from Bemidji Brewing is a delicious take on the style. Just damn refreshing and delicious with the fresh fish. Nice espresso flavor. Maybe a bit watery, but overall good.

    Well, got to get ready to go back out. We will see you layer with another new beer.

    Party on!
     
    Roguer, aoampm, LeRose and 24 others like this.
  4. mikeinportc

    mikeinportc Grand Pooh-Bah (3,331) Nov 4, 2015 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society

    I didn't steal this, my brother in MA gave it to me.:wink:
    Pretty good. Maybe not the top of my list, but still a damned fine beer. When I allude to "onion" in the review, it's similar to most of the Enjoy By iterations I've had . A not quite fruity, not quite piney, vegetal element .
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    4.01/5 rDev +5.8%
    look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

    Moderately hazy orange-gold, with quickly-dissipating off-white head, leaving light lacing.

    Smells of tangerine,grass,grapefruit, and (oniony) booze.

    Favor is grass,pine,tangerine,grapefruit juice, grapefruit pith, and (very slight) onion powder, with a pleasant touch of pine/grapefruit bitterness on the finish .

    Moderately fine carbonation , with a touch prickle on the finish.

    Overall , pretty good, and would have it again.
     
    Roguer, aoampm, LeRose and 28 others like this.
  5. Buck89

    Buck89 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,718) Feb 7, 2015 Tennessee
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Greetings from middle TN on a picture-perfect day. We had a soupy, humid, rainy back half of the week, but we have been rewarded with two beautiful dry weekend days in the low 80s. I always appreciate the great NBS openers, and this weeks by @lordofthewiens hit home for me too. My wife and I both swam in college. Fast forward 25-30 years, and she has maintained her form, kicking ass in national competitions, while I have....not. We did a few laps at the local pool this morning and it was comical. Oh well, onto the beer:

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    Their latest IPA offering, hopped with Galaxy and Simcoe, is a looker: bright, golden with a generous and smooth white head. The foam slowly settled and left splotches of lacing on the glass. Loved the nose on this one - a bright mix of tropical fruit, pineapple, and piney, earthy notes. The taste followed the nose. The tropical notes from the Galaxy seemed magnified with the supporting piney and earthy notes from the Simcoe. A dry, bready backbone. The feel was soft as expected. Overall a winner. Cheers BAs!
     
    Roguer, aoampm, LeRose and 27 others like this.
  6. thebeers

    thebeers Grand Pooh-Bah (5,393) Sep 10, 2014 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Mother's MILF Aged in Brandy Barrels

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    This awesome MILF variant comes courtesy of @jdell15 and the NBS BIF that keeps on giving.

    After about ten minutes of gushing in the sink, it eventually poured near black with a thin, soupy tan head. It leaves minimal lacing.

    There's big chocolate and brandy in the aroma, with hints of cherry, raisin and vanilla.

    It has a brandy-forward taste, with some cocoa, nuts, raisin, apple and marshmallow, and a hot alcohol bite on the back end.

    Medium bodied, with a slightly creamy and highly carbonated feel.

    Despite the gushing, this was a real treat. I like regular MILF better, but this is delicious nonetheless. Thanks, Jake.
     
    Roguer, aoampm, jdell15 and 28 others like this.
  7. mikeinportc

    mikeinportc Grand Pooh-Bah (3,331) Nov 4, 2015 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society

    It took a bit to adjust the mind to the beer, but once that was done, I liked it. If you take the (unsweetened) chocolate as just another hop ( it's mostly presents the bitter elements), it falls into place. :wink:
     
  8. CanConPhilly

    CanConPhilly Initiate (0) May 17, 2012 Pennsylvania
    Trader

    Second new beer today. And keeping with the Modern Times theme.
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    Modern Times - Fortunate Islands
    5% abv - 5/22/17 - 33 days old
    Purchased for $3.49 at Monde Market

    A - lovely medium-orange body. Off-white head recedes rapidly. Definitely looks like a Weiss.

    S - Heavy citrus, with some flowery notes that I can't put my finger on. Mostly I get orange and grapefruit though.

    T - More mellow citrus, with a suprising hoppy kick.

    M - light-medium.

    O - Hard to pinpoint the intended style on this one. It comes off as a cross between an APA and a standard wheat beer. I very much enjoy the combination, especially with temps in the mid-80s today. Nice to be able to taste Citra in a 5% brew. I would say crushable, but I only have 1 so that's moot.
     
    Roguer, aoampm, LeRose and 29 others like this.
  9. Samlover55

    Samlover55 Pooh-Bah (1,661) Oct 8, 2015 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Good afternoon NBS,
    @lordofthewiens back in my high school days I was great at softball. I was an outfielder batting in middle of the order, boy do I miss those days.
    Today's beer is a new to me style inspired by @bbtkd who is on a quest to try all recognized styles by BeerAdvocate.
    New Sunday Doppelbock
    Paulaner Salvator Double Bock
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    16.9oz bottle into Nonic Pint
    a bit old BB 3/16
    L- pours a bright brown, with a neat tan head
    S- super sweet, tons of a caramel, figs as well
    T- this is great all date & figs up front, sweet caramel on the follow, with a beautiful crisp finish
    F- medium-bodied, a bit heavy w/ the sweetness but balanced out by the crispness of the lager yeast
    Overall I can't be more thrilled with this one, full and flavor like a quad with the great drinkability & crispness of a lager

    Cheers!
     
    Roguer, aoampm, LeRose and 27 others like this.
  10. Roguer

    Roguer Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,757) Mar 25, 2013 Connecticut
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    As a result of drinking down my "cellar" (currently a few cases in my kitchen - I've gone from 10 down to 3), I've stumbled upon many older gems - quite a few accidentally aged. This brew is one such, stamped "Enjoy by March 2014." :flushed:

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    It might be strange to review a beer so clearly past its prime, but it's a porter, so it should age fairly well. The smoke and peppers might fade, but otherwise it should be intact - right?

    Well, while I don't know what this tasted like fresh, I can say it seems to have aged quite gracefully. There's plenty of smoke and peppers on the palate, accompanied by char and roast, implying notes of burnt coffee and baker's chocolate. It drinks a touch thin, but otherwise is quite enjoyable.

    https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/36707/?ba=Roguer#review
    3.74/-2.6%

    Cheers!
     
    aoampm, LeRose, Prager62 and 28 others like this.
  11. GRPunk

    GRPunk Pooh-Bah (1,767) Apr 5, 2007 Michigan
    Pooh-Bah Society

    On to round two.


    I've been sitting on this one for a while. I can't thank my "hook-up" enough for this awesome brew.


    https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/287/37265/?ba=GRPunk#review


    Bell's Black Note

    12oz. Bottle (freebie) dated 07/01/16 poured into a Stone snifter.


    A- A normal our makes for 1-finger of dark brown head. The body is as near Black as possible, with the darkest brown edges. The head settles to a light film and leaves awesome, sticky rings on the glass.


    S- My first take is on the sweet side, like stewed raisins. There's definitely bourbon and woody/vanilla tones. Complex and quite robust. Just a hint of aged rum boozieness as it warms.


    T- Oh, that's good. Raisins, semi-sweet and dark chocolate, dark roast coffee with a couple packets of raw sugar. With warmth a magnified flavor of bourbon and aged rum comes through. Some vanilla and scorched woody flavors too. Incredibly smooth for 10.8%.


    M- So creamy and viscous. Slightest alcohol warmth. While the finish is quite clean, there's a sticky/sweet linger that's rather pleasant considering the big grain bill.


    O- A superb sipper. Complex and smooth. Too bad beers like this have such limited access. I count myself fortunate to have procured this one.


    A- 4.5 S-4.75 T-4.75 M-4.5 O-4.75


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  12. mikeinportc

    mikeinportc Grand Pooh-Bah (3,331) Nov 4, 2015 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society

    :grimacing:
    (I now have flower buds. :grinning:)
     
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  13. StraightNoChaser

    StraightNoChaser Pooh-Bah (2,917) Oct 21, 2007 Georgia
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

  14. beerloserLI

    beerloserLI Grand Pooh-Bah (3,144) Apr 2, 2011 New York
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Done with yard work for the day and I'm settling my ass down on the deck for a nice evening of doing nothing here NBS. Watching/listening to the mets play a team that is actually worse then they are. The only nice thing about a down year is that ticket prices plummet and I will be able to score plenty of sweet field level seats over the next few months.

    My second new beer today is Secret Stairs, a "boston stout", from Trillium brewing. Picked this up from their Congress Street location on Saturday. A 6.5% abv and a 6/6/17 canning date.

    A black oily pour with a fast off-white head. The nose is full of roasted malt which carries right over to the very first sip with the addition of chocolate, and smoke. Semi-smooth flow with a slightly bitter and rather dry finish. Additional subtle notes come on the more it warms with nuts, oats, and vanilla, and burnt toast. The mouth feel is light with a good amount of carbonation. Good rich flavors but it still really walks that line of being perhaps a bit too thin. A rather dry malt flavor really seems to linger after each sip.

    Overall, a pretty good beer but for me this just isn't that great either. It's got good flavor and the notes are interesting but it just seems to run into all the same problems, of a low abv stout, that the rest do. Which for me, is not enough body. I always put my opinion down before I look at a beers actual score (or at least try to most of the time). I'm not close to the bros 99 score. I'm sure it gets a bit inflated because it's Trillium, and don't get me wrong, I'm very much a homer when it comes to really good breweries in my area too. I'm really right around a 4 at best. (Apologies for the low pour pic in the glass. I actually drank most of it before realizing that I had not taken any pictures.)
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    foundersasap, Roguer, aoampm and 27 others like this.
  15. ichorNet

    ichorNet Initiate (0) Mar 16, 2010 Massachusetts

    Number 4, and the first beer post-transition to fruit beers. This and the next beer are peach-infused, though they are both quite different from each other. This first one is Victory's new Blackboard Series Peach Belgian Blonde w/ Coriander. I have had extreeemely hit-or-miss reactions to the Blackboard stuff I've had (and, honestly, to Victory's oeuvre overall). For instance, I found the Agave Grapefruit IPA to be awful and the Elderflower Berliner to be fantastic (I even saved one to drink aged cuz I was curious about its potential for cellaring :grinning:). This is the first I'm having from their 2017 rotation of the series. Bought a single for testing purposes.

    As the name makes plenty clear, this is a Belgian yeast-fermented ale with peach and coriander added, clocking in at 7.5% ABV. That makes it categorically stronger than most Belgian Pale Ales, but weaker than most Belgian-style Tripels... hmm. Victory, what the hell are you going for here?

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    Pours with a generous dollop of bone-white head atop a really nicely-colored golden-amber body. Somewhat "dirty" blonde, but I'll afford them a pass :stuck_out_tongue:. Carbonation is incredibly active on this one, which makes sense for the... style... erm, yeah. Both BPAs and Tripels tend to have pretty nice carbonation and head retention, so it's all good here. Lace is kind of all-over-the-place; strong, consistent webs of foam stuck to the top of my glass, but more-ephemeral wisps as the head slowly fades and as I sip slowly. Mostly clear beer here. Loving this appearance, overall. The retention is out of control! Good job, Victory.

    Nose is heavily yeasty and estery... reminds me instantly of the first time I had Unibroue's La Fin du Monde about six-and-a-half years ago(!?). Same exact profile of dusty, expressive yeast. Smells a little bit like peach cobbler now that I have the fruit addition in my head, and I can definitely pick up some funky, earthy coriander. I get some rye and spice notes, as well. Huh, this is pretty interesting. Not much ethanol given the moderately-high strength, either.

    Strong clove spice upfront layered with honeyed malt, dusty yeast, some remnants of the peach and the coriander addition. This would likely be a little better without the coriander, though... something about this feels lost and wandering between styles. Is it a "double witbier," a Belgian pale or a Tripel? I don't honestly know. If I had to compare this to anything, I would say it's like something which is currently nonexistent :astonished:... it's exactly what I imagine a 50/50 combination of Unibroue's Éphémère (w/ peach added) and La Fin du Monde would taste like. Like the middle point between a yeasty Tripel and fruited witbier... hmm. Very thought-provoking beer. I'm not really sure it's a great Summer beer, considering I would find it quite tough to drink more than one of these in a session, but the flavors are superb and everything comes together well. This gets an especially high recommendation if you like Unibroue, as the yeast strain is an absolute dead ringer for their trademark super-estery/fruity/expressive yeast.

    Feel is on the higher end of medium, with some residual sweetness after each sip. Some spritzy carbonation, as evidenced by the excellent, consistently-rising bubbles from the initial pour. Going back to the lace, I must rescind my comment from above which claimed it became ephemeral after a while; I'm close to the end of my glass of this now, and the lace has been insanely consistent... see below:

    [​IMG]

    DANG!

    Just finishing up listening to the new Dying Fetus album... what a whirlwind goddamn tour-de-force of brutal technical death metal. Their first album in five goddamn years. AND they reverted back to their old logo! AND it's called Wrong One To Fuck With. Now that's some shit. Tasty brutality here.

     
  16. bbtkd

    bbtkd Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,326) Sep 20, 2015 South Dakota
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    You've got 60 of 104! Keep it up!
     
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  17. Wasatch

    Wasatch Grand Pooh-Bah (5,406) Jun 8, 2005 Colorado
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Happy New American Impy Stout Sunday!

    Really nice sunny day here on the Western Slope, usual hike, around 90, slight breeze. Having a pretty tasty brew, I like it, nice take on the style. Picked up a couple of tacos, actually you get 3,:slight_smile: not bad at all for $4. Watching right now the Rockies/Dodgers game, bottom 4th 5-4 Rockies. Might be back later with another.

    https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/168831/?ba=Wasatch#review

    Cheers!
    [​IMG]
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    Roguer, aoampm, LeRose and 22 others like this.
  18. Roguer

    Roguer Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,757) Mar 25, 2013 Connecticut
    Super Mod Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Maria,

    I enjoyed Citrus Limbo, but not nearly so much as the standard issue Limbo, as it were. Do you agree with that, or does the citrus addition take this very good beer to the next level for you?
     
  19. TheDoctor

    TheDoctor Grand Pooh-Bah (3,422) Mar 7, 2013 Canada (QC)
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    Howdy NBS people!
    Another Sunday, another new beer to accompany chores, cooking and some work. Yesterday was Quebec's national holiday so everything is pretty quiet today. I'm back from a quick Sunday shift and ready to chill on the balcony and indulge in the windy weather.

    For my beer today I am hitting two milestones at once. I have a crowler full of beer from Grimm. Both a format and a brewery that I have been dying to try. I would love to try an IPA from them at one point but a stout is intriguing as well and will do my taste buds good since I got way too many hops on my trip. By the by, you NYers in that general area (@cavedave and @utopiajane among many others) get some great beers and have a beautiful state. I'd never been before but I hope to go back. It's really close too!

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    My introduction to growlers was in the early 2000s with non-purged, haphazardly filled screw-tops from the handful of random local breweries in Wyoming at the time. Before that I seem to even remember Odell having clear growlers at one point but I could be mistaken. Some people sure did. How far we've come in the past couple decades...
    Since then, I hardly ever get growlers. Quebec only recently made them legal and they did such a piss-poor job of it that I can't decide whether to not buy them on principle or to buy them in hopes of showing the powers that be that they should loosen up a little. Suffice it to say I don't buy them either way.

    So this last week I was near a gas station that specializes in beer in upstate N.Y. and decided to finally try some crowlers. I was like a kid in a candy store. I am anxious to crack it but also nervous that it is gonna be flat, oxidized swill. Let's see.

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    A big, sweet stout. This one pours a super thick black with an upside down waterfall of nitro-looking head that ends up as a nice cap. Really something else pouring it. I wonder but what it comes from the extra CO2 or if it is always like that. Who knows...

    [​IMG]

    The aroma and flavor are pretty similar. Lots of coffee and toffee mixed with the sweetness definitely coming out on top. As it warms the flavors mellow a little bit but it is definitely super sweet throughout. Once It really warms the orange starts to come through and is good, the vanilla is always noticeable. It drinks pretty well but verges on flying which definitely cost it a little for me. Otherwise, though, a great beer. I'd have it again, just maybe a slightly smaller format.

    I have read a lot of good reports on crowler longevity and even the naysayers (there are always a couple, and they're often the same ones in most threads) mainly pointed to purging and the movement of the beer being poured in as downsides. The upside is that the people actually citing their experiences with crowlers seemed to almost all give good reports. I obviously didn't see this one filled. But the other one I had filled was amply purged and was poured very delicately. Anyway, enough rambling, here's hoping that the other survives through this week to be given to a buddy. If not, it's proof that being a guinea pig is the price you pay for my sharing beers with you!

    I hope you all have a great week.:slight_smile::sunglasses::grinning::slight_smile::sunglasses::grimacing:

    Cheers!

    Here is my review.
     
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  20. Buck89

    Buck89 Grand Pooh-Bah (3,718) Feb 7, 2015 Tennessee
    Pooh-Bah Society Trader

    I enjoyed reading your review, but then laughed as I read the polarizing reviews just below yours! This beer elicits strong opinions!
     
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