New Beer Sunday (Week 648)

A little addition to NBS for me tonight. A beer Ive had before but have been aging now for 2 years.(2015 version) And lets just say this has mellowed into a real sipping beauty. Plenty of apple barrel vanilla/oak and booze buts its still holding its own. Not much in hops as it claims on the label but I never had much of a hop impression initially. What a warming alcoholic treat right now. Like eating a warm piece of apple pie while sipping a nice brandy.

 

I think maybe your "hard bitterness" came to me as a bit of not-exactly-necessary heat. You might be happy to hear the GF enjoyed hers quite a bit.

Onto a new offering for me. This one comes half from a brewer I think makes very good beers - high quality and tasty, AleSmith. The other half, I have little if any, experience with, Pizza Port. They are billing this beer as a Triple IPA - clocking in at 10%. I have become less infatuated with DIPAs as of late, so I wouldn't think I'd go for a TIPA. But given my appreciation for AleSmith and a few good posts on WBAYDN, I felt I'd go for this.



This can is exactly a month old. It is a very pretty beer, crystal clear amber with a head that lasts and is lace-producing.

Nose has a fairly classic tropical/grapefruit pith smell, on the sweeter side of these, which isn't unexpected. Unfortunately, there is a bit of a note I am not a fan of - onion. It comes out more after a swirl of the glass, and then fades to a light scent. There is a little dankness that comes along with the more powerful aromas emanating from the extra bubbles.

Taste starts with a barely hot (alcohol) sweet tropical note, one that has me thinking straight strong ale initially. The clean opening helps here, but as the sweetness fades, the fruit notes turn citrusy then pithy. A muted onion note comes with the pith. This beer's flavor has a long life, and slowly brings a resin-like film to coat my tongue.

Another big IPA that some might have had is RuinTen. I think this is a tad of a more tropical and a bit less resinous than that beer, with the onion note more tolerable. This does not work as well as Ocelot's Talking Backwards - one of the few TIPAs I have really enjoyed. This beer is unsurprisingly well made, it's just not succeeding in the difficult job of winning me over completely.

Oh well, we might not quite make 4, @Premo88 - but if we don't make it, I think we've given it a decent college try

 

Peace, this is my first beer beer review. Not gonna lie, I did read other reviews to understand how to describe what I taste, then associate it to my taste buds.

Look: Orange tint, not see-thru. If I only saw the color I'd think of orange creamsicle.

Smell:Citrus and hops, juicy smell if I'm reading it right.

Taste: Sweet juice taste, Nelson Sauvin hops, kinda malty.

Feel: Not sure I'm qualified to rate "feel". Not too carbonated, kinda hits me in the back of the throat. Born on date 30 June 2017.

Overall: I like it, maybe not as much as Second Fiddle or Sip of Sunshine but a very good beer! We'll definitely hit Trillium again when we're in Boston in October.

 

I probably wasn't as clear as I could have been. The sweetness is from the choice of malts used. The label mentions wheat and rolled oats. Also, the fruit addition is very restrained, as in barely perceptible. It's a saison with fruit much more than a fruit beer. I've never been much of a writer and my palate is not refined. With that said, I am working on creating reviews that are helpful and give a good sense of what's in the glass. I am very lucky to still have the opportunity to sample my 82 year old grandfather's homemade wine when I'm home to visit. He'll make it out of anything that grows on his place. Cheers all

 

Sunday is becoming my favorite day of the week.



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/39297/291666/?ba=Lone_Freighter#review

 

Russian River Damnation

I'm very impressed by this beer. It feels like it has the same motivation as Redemption (a beer I like a little more), and as such, it's a total stand out in American takes on Belgian beer. Whereas many others are strong or sweet, these beers go down a different road and emphasize Belgian characteristics that are frequently swept under the rug by American takes - dryness, earthiness, (and some bitterness). I love that these aspects are brought to the front in this beer. I'm just thrilled with the approach, especially when beers on the shelves are increasingly tasting like oranges. Why would beers like Damnation be such a rarity?

 

http://pestkill.org/rodents/skunks/how-to-get-rid-of/

 

I've lived almost my whole life in Morris County but spent a lot of time in Hoboken during my younger days.

 

I've missed the past few weeks of NBS due to work schedule changes and some traveling for the holidays but I'm glad to be back today.
Great intro and coincidentally my beers for today come from one of those true friends. When I was eight my parents moved the family and this was one of the first people I met at our new home, that was 34 years ago, he is now the brother I never had. Unlike Doug for lordoftheweins he tried to talk me out of marrying my first wife, to this day he still says,"I told you she was crazy". Being the friend he is he still stood beside me as my best man that day. He has a friend in Iowa that sent us some goodies.

I'm not sure my image will upload but first beer was DDH PseudoSue.
Poured a hazy, dark orange with a couple fingers of white frothy head that settled pretty quickly.
Smells very citrusy, I get lots of grapefruit and zesty orange.
Taste follows, grapefruit and orange zest really dominate for me. They definitely packed in the hop flavor. Bitter dry finish.
Feel to me seemed a bit thin, almost watery.
Overall a good beer that I would have again.
Had hoped to get to the King Sue today as well but ended up taking a short trip to the store with the wife that ended up being a Sunday drive into South Carolina with some pretty strong storms delaying our trip home.

 

NBS #4
#3 was an old,awful, drain-pour.
On to #4

3.96/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

2015 version
Pours hazy orange-amber, similar to cider, with never-ending white head, and moderate lacing.

Aroma is light, undefined fruit, plus some Brett funk. Despite the latter, it has a "fresh" smell to it, a la a stream filled with spring meltwater.

Flavor is herbal/floral/earthy/slightly-resinous hop (herbal tea syrup?) , plus a tannin-like element. Finishes with (old,composted manure) Brett funk, and a tiny touch of sweetness, before the hop bitterness settles on the tip of the tongue.

Smooth, creamy/oily feel, with very fine carbonation tingle present throughout.

Overall, good, and worth a try, though not something I would want often.

 

Hope you have a great time - but it won't be too hard to accomplish that over there. I drank such a crazy amount of beer the one time I was there. Would absolutely love to go back. So... what's on the top of your list then?

 

What a great post. When I got to the beer review part of it, I was like, "Oh yeah, I was so drawn into the story that I almost forgot I was here for the beer."

 

I was gonna say they looks like funky mini Roma's. Sound awesome!

 

Hey all, I've got a new beer today, and it's Blanche de Chambly from Unibroue. It seems whenever it comes time for NBS, the only new beers in the fridge tend to be styles I don't drink a lot of. I pick these up to expand my beer horizons, but usually when I want a beer I gravitate toward the more familiar. Anyway, thank you NBS for giving me a reason to open guys like these up because I usually end up thoroughly enjoying them, and this one is no exception. Here's the beer followed by my review. Cheers!



3.79/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Look- Golden, cloudy liquid with a fluffy white head that settles to about 1/2 finger. No lacing

Aroma- bready, with a little bubblegum and coriander. I pick up a little orange in the aroma , but only after I've tasted it.

Taste- Unlike the aroma, I get a lot of orange peel in the taste. There's also some malt sweetness, a little bubblegum and coriander.

Mouthfeel- medium bodied and very soft

Overall- great witbier, really well-executed and the flavors are subtle and blend together very nicely.

 

Russian River Temptation

Oh man, Russian River keeps hitting them out of the park. What a fantastically balanced beer. So far, each beer just defies my expectations. I was expecting "sour" but what I got was refined. The lemony sourness is just a component here - and everything is totally integrated. There's a good amount of earthy brett, and a touch of bitterness in the background. This beer manages to be incredibly drinkable. I really feel like other American producers of sour beers could learn a lot from the balance here.

 

Dogfish head red and white. Supposed to be a Belgian ale style in oak barrels with grape must. The grape really affects the flavor as makes it more complex. This needs to be sipped a while as it doesn't taste normal for lack of better description and takes a while to appreciate what they're trying to do with this. Spent the day with my two nephews and after years of family drama and some real problems I'm happy to regard them now as good friends of mine. So it's nice to enjoy a nice beer and reflect on how far we've come

 

Forgot image

 

Russian River Supplication

Continuing the theme, this is my last Russian River beer of today. It's probably my least favorite so far, but that doesn't mean that it's not great. In fact, I'm just incredibly impressed with the group. This beer is also very balanced - and that's what makes it exceptional.

These days, it feels like people are focused on the new and are quick to dismiss something that feels more like a static relic. Are Russian River beers a reflection of "craft beer" from another time? After today, I'm more inclined to think that they are timeless. For me, these are really on another level than much of the work that clutters up the regional forums here.

This brick-red beer is tangy, sharp, woody, and tastes of cherries. Carbonation isn't as great as the other Russian River bottles because it feels like it is staying in suspension a little more. Honestly, the balance in these aged beers is masterful.

I'm working in Napa California and fully taking advantage of the local beer here. I'm not a "when in Rome" fella. I like what I like. I'm sure that even people on BeerAdvocate would roll their eyes about me seeking out beer in wine country. No regrets here. I never knew that Russian River was situated in a wine region, so I never realized the connection between wine and their beer - until now. Temptation is aged in Chardonnay barrels and Supplication is aged in Pinot Noir barrels. Keep in mind that these beers weren't developed in the last few years. Vinnie Cilurzo has wine making in his background.

I'm enjoying these beers with room service... short rib tacos.




Before today, I had a bottle of Russian River Redemption. I loved this beer. Here's a pic for completeness sake:

 

Well Hello Late Night NBS!!!
Sadly, and surprisingly, I am not going to pop a new one today. I have had some very good ones in the last few days from Bottle Logic Brewing, but alas not today. The garage has been a BIG project, but i think I can see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel. Or at least the wife does...and that matters more than my opinion.
I have enjoyed reading so far though. Thanks again to @lordofthewiens for the thoughtful start. Friends are worth more than their weight in gold. And I have a few REALLY top notch friends. And, I have an uncle who has been like an older brother to me. He lives back in Indiana and I rarely see him anymore. (We lived together for a while here in CA. But thankfully, he's hauling a load this way, and I'll get to see him next weekend. Also, he doesn't know it but my brother will be in town too. So, next weekend (my last before before I need to start getting the classroom ready for the next batch of kids) should be a good one.

And I'm thinking about popping my most cellars beers...King Henry, and the OG...RARE. Maybe an '09 Black Tuesday as well. So hopefully I'll have something interesting to contribute to next weeks gathering.

Cheers NBS Friends.