New Beer Sunday (Week 652)

Founders doom
4.02/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours golden orange. Short, bubbly, white head that Fades fast.

Smell Citrus, tropical, bourbon, Oaky vanilla and caramel malt.

Citrus peel, orange, tropical and light Pine. Followed by bourbon, Oak, caramel malt. Finish is dry with a Pioneer and light bourbon linger. Medium body and fizzy medium carbonation.

Side note i spent almost two hours last night hunting this planetary nebula ngc 6790 down. At only 4 arc seconds you could call it stellar in all but the largest consumer telescopes as i am color blind i fail to see the green of planetary nebula.

 

@Blackop555 That's very cool that you were able to find that nebula,I have two telescopes and rarely find anything

 

Thanks for reminding me!! Had their Golden ale last week (I think), but didn't get to the Pale. Have to try to get to it later and compare notes.

 

So, after kicking off at 16+ %, where does one go next? To an example of ones favorite styles, from one of ones favorite breweries of course! Sent to me from that outstanding NBSer @woemad , this is the first brew from this brewery that has been a bit of a let-down. But, I'm a bit picky about Tripels: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28798/261450/

 

New American IPA Sunday!

Hello from Tucson! I know it's been a few weeks since I posted on NBS. I was hoping that this brew would "wow" me, but it didn't. It's from Uncle Bear's in Phoenix - Ocean Beach West Coast IPA. (Interesting name for a beer brewed in Arizona). I had never heard of the brewery but saw it on the shelves at Fry's and decided to give it a shot. It's just a standard American IPA. Grapefruit stands out in the aroma. Balanced for the style, though enough bitterness lingers to fit the style well enough.

Scoring SUPPORTIVELY - A: 3.5, S: 4.0, T: 3.5, MF: 3.5 O: 3.5, landing it +10 about average. I was only the 6th person to rate/review it.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33277/138600/

Like I said in the review, Nice but nothing special.

Cheers!

 

Hello fellow NBSers! Finally finished mowing the lawn so I can enjoy today's new beers, neither of which are light enough for me to classify as lawn beer.
First up a pic of the dogs watching me pour, hoping for some spillage or maybe a treat from the counter behind me.

Bandy is the Great Pyrenees, he suits my laid back lifestyle perfectly. I started giving him a nightly bellyrub in my lap when he was a puppy and continue to do so now he's 115 pounds. The other is Trouble, a rescue that lives up to his name but has settled in quite well and is now enjoying a good life.
On to the beer, this came courtesy of @FFFjunkie in a very generous LIF box.
It's also one I've been wanting to try for awhile now.

BCBS, it's been reviewed umpteen times on here but here's my take.
Pours a thick black with minimal head that leaves a thin ring around the edge.
Smells of bourbon barrel and oak, typical smelling BA stout to me.
Taste is similar, bourbon, oak, and roasted malt. Alcohol tingles briefly on the end.
Full bodied, thick, syrupy stout which I enjoy. I can see why this is considered a benchmark by which other BA stouts are measured, forget the line at Best Buy, I'll be in line waiting on my local bottle shop to open Black Friday!

 

Lookit those faces!!!!!!! Who are good doggos? Bandy and Trouble are good doggos!

 

New Beer Currency Sunday

Long time no see NBS compadres. I can't remember the last time I did a review here, but I also can't remember the last Sunday I was home, so that checks out.

Today's new brew is one that I will be going back for more of as I found it to be as good as, or better than a few Hill Farmstead beers. This one is a Saison, and a "Grisette" version. My first to my knowledge.

Here is an interesting article about the sub style.
https://www.google.com/amp/www.lati...h/la-dd-grisette-20160912-snap-story,amp.html

The name grisette literally means “little gray” and refers to either the gray stone that the miners dug through, or the gray-clad worker women who served the eponymous ales to the workers




4.49/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A 2017 16.9oz bottle

It is a foggy straw yellow with a good sized, dense, creamy/frothy white head. It receeds for the most part fairly quickly into the beer, but the remaining foam on top sticks clings to the glass on the way down.

It smells outstanding. Some distinct straw and green lemongrass along with some pear/apple, pineapple, lime, apricot, some white vinegar like acidicness, musty wood, sour green grapes, and a hint of a light berry to almost candy.

The flavors fall right in line with the aromas for me. A lot of fruit. Mostly lemon, pear, pineapple, and green grapes. Not sure if it is just the musty/wet oak flavor combination with everything else, but it still seems like it has apricot too. The light berry note is also more noticeable. Kind of like a pink gum, but not as strong as a Hefeweizen.

It has a very light tartness and yeast bite with a ripe fruit sourness and a lot of lingering grain and earthy flavor. The body is very soft and almost creamy feeling and insanely easy to drink.

This beer has a ton of flavor that is not only impressive for a 4.5% beer, but it holds up with a lot of world class saisons in general in my opinion. I wish it came in 750s

 

Is it time to break out the Lederhosen? It may be a bit too soon, but I'll enjoy downing a few Marzens.

First up is Pearl St. Lederhosen Lager. As it pours it certainly looks like a Marzen with clear copper color and 2 finger foamy white head. Fades into a collar and leaves webbed lacing on my glass. Aroma is lighter Vienna malts with some nuttiness, hints of toffee, and a bit of spicy hops. Flavor is similar to Vienna Lager, which keeps this on the lighter side. A nice clean flavor of malts and hops with a crisp pleasant finish. Decent beer that isn't too sweet.




Next up is SNs 2017 take on a Marzen. It pours a transparent copper color with a 2.5 head of cream-colored foam with solid retention. Slowly fads into a thick cap with blobs of lacing left on my glass. Mild aroma smells of toffee, caramel, nuts, and a very pleasant light hops. The taste is very clean, crisp and bright, featuring biscuity malt, grain husk, hints of caramel, and finishes with a touch of spicy hops. Very smooth and the flavors meld beautifully. Medium-light body and soft carbonation lend a creamy mouthfeel and a dry finish. Very well made and is one of SN's best Marzens.

 

Hahahahahahaha! Seriously!

There's officially too many good puppy dogs and good puppy dog owners in here now with their pics, stories and memories to acknowledge all of you. If my happiness looking/reading at all of it were a beer, it'd be a massive goblet of Westy 12 topped with a case of Heady Topper.

To celebrate (Hah!), let's have a little New Gifted Macro-Beer Sunday:

A beer left on my doorstep the other night by my super sweet, super friendly neighbor in a gesture of neighborliness.

The review:
This sucks.



OK, for reals:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/user/beers/?ba=Premo88
1.61 (-33.5% rDev)

I'd rather drink water. Not hating and not hating to hate ... this beer fits in that category of awful, awful atrocities which will only cross my lips for the purposes of scientific research. And neighborliness. It's SRM *has* to be below 1. It smells like lime or lemon-lime soda, and the first few sips taste like lime water. Not lime soda. Lime water. And really, really weak lime water.

However, that lime flavor builds, so in the end, it manages NOT to be my lowest rated beer of all time. Here's my bottom two:

Michelob Ultra 1.55
Michaelob Ultra Lime Cactus 1.61

Those numbers were generated honestly and organically. Do with them as you wish.

Cheers, NBSers!

 

My second NBS beer for the day is this interesting Berliner Weisse....



Sun Made Cucumber Berliner Weisse

Oakshire Brewing
Berliner Weissbier / 4.00% ABV

4.16/5 rDev +3.2% | Avg: 4.03
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

L- The beer pours a clear pale gold. The head is a modest one finger of bone white foam. The head quickly recedes to nothing leaving no lacing.
S- The nose is primarily the smell of freshly skinned cucumber. Behind that is a bit of lacto sourness.
T- The cucumber is perfectly represented here with that natural flavor you get when you bite into a fresh cucumber. The lacto sourness picks up mid palate and the beer finishes almost Gose like with a bit of saltiness.
F- Mouthfeel is light and dry. Carbonation is light.
O- Super easy drinking beer. Perfect for hot summer days. Best Berliner I've had in a while.

 

I would guess that 5 weeks is sufficient time to 'mellow out' the rough edges but....

Cheers!

 

But, but, but... you state you like the contemporary Spaten Oktoberfest. Why do you think it would be absolutely 'better' if it was brewed in a different manner? Isn't a beer that you enjoy drinking 'good' enough?

Cheers!

 

Craig, I would be OK with a Kolsch that was mostly Pilsner with a bit of Wheat Malt but the utilization of Munich Malt would likely be bothersome to me if the beer was branded as being a Kolsch. Just a guess since I did not taste the beer in question.

Cheers!

 

Greetings all and thanks to LotW for setting us up for a dogtastic thread!

I live fairly close to Trillium but don't get there very often simply because I'm kind of a cheapskate and their beer is pretty pricey. I happened to be right in their neighborhood recently though so I grabbed the Galaxy dry hopped version of their flagship Fort Point Pale Ale. I haven't had regular FP in quite a while so I can't offer much of a comparison, but here's how it stands on its own:



I'm someone who thinks a hazy IPA is generally a beautiful thing, but I have to say this one pours perhaps a little murky rather than hazy? Instead of an attractive honey like haze it has more of a raw fruit puree murkiness (I think those less inclined towards NE IPAs refer to this as the "dirty dishwater look"). It's actually somewhere in between those two poles but bottom line is that I wouldn't describe it as particularly attractive to look at.

Huge peach on the nose with a bit of a wheaty, almost flour-y note. There's also the common "tropical" notes that I usually refer to as mango but that might be because I don't eat passionfruit or papaya often enough for them to be easy comparison points. There's also some ruby red graperfruit present as well, which I assume is from the Galaxy.

Mouthfeel is smooth and soft but well carbonated - you can feel a bit of tingle on your tongue. There's less peach and more tropical in the taste as well as more of the grapefruit which delivers a mild but welcome note of bitterness on the tail end. Really not much malt presence but maybe a touch of floury breadiness.

A tasty beer but for the price and "hassle" of generally having to go to the brewery to get it it will continue to be something I only grab now and again.

Lastly, here's our year and a half old, 65 pound, yellow lab/shepherd/anyone's guess mix staring intently at some ducks in Knickerson State Park on Cape Cod. Given that he won't go in the water past his hips, I assure you those ducks are quite safe. Cheers all!

 

Great beginning. I couldn't agree more wholeheartedly. Dogs make life better. We were sans canines for over a year, and our home felt like it was missing something. We remedied this a month ago. And boy howdy, we have had an adventure. We thought the dogs were fixed. They were not. We've dealt with more varieties of intestinal parasites than I have ever battled before with dogs. But alas, we are happy. And the little rescue dogs really seem to love having a new home.

As for beer, I will not be partaking today. Sadly, after my first 4 days back with students I caught somebody's stomach bug. So, I hope y'all write 'em up really good cuz that's the only way I can get me some.

 

Happy NBS. Avery Pumpkin for me. Full disclosure...I am crazy for Avery big beers and this is no exception. Cheers!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30/135078/?ba=cindyjeffsmith#review

And for some Doggie pics! Here's my boys enjoying the pool:

 

No pics of the puppers?

 

Good evening NBS. And thanks to @lordofthewiens for the kickoff and dog stories. Myself I am just an animal lover all around. Love dogs also and have had quite a few- all rescues except for the ones we had when I was growing up. Just doesnt make sense to buy a dog when there are so many looking for homes. And breeding is so suspect to horrible practices. Currently I do not have a dog for 2 reasons: I have 2 cats around 17 years old and my last dog, a golden retriever died in a sudden, strange and unexpected way which kind of hit me hard. I had taken Maia out for her nightly walk in the yard and I turned to see her running towards me and she collapsed mid stride and died instantly. Not sure of the cause but probably aneurysm or heart failure. Really weird. But my consolation was she died happy- running towards her "Dad" better that then cancer or other things which Ive been through and you just hate to see your best friends go through that. She was a great dog- so intelligent and loyal. She would sit in the living room at night "talk" to me as if to say "Im happy". Hell Im way off track.
Kent Falls Gratitude dry hopped lager.
Pours a slightly hazy straw color with a nice bleached white head that leaves nice world map lacing.
Aroma is really nice: cantaloupe, lemon, fresh grass/hay, gooseberry, white grape. I get just a tiny bit of corn. I seem to get this from many pilsners/pilsner. Maybe its just me but I like it and dont find it offensive. Nice background of doughy malts.
Taste is all that. Doughy malts, citrus, white berries/grapes, melon. Not alot in the way of sweetness here. Liking it.
Finished dry, light bodied, well carbonated. I have one and I want 3 more.
They brew with unusual ingredients and styles in general keeping it interesting Ive tried a few and have liked them all. When they decide to fo "mainstream" its been enjoyable for me also.
Next time I will really try to keep the stories shorter and the beer review longer.....(yeah right) anyway thanks for taking the time. Have a great evening and week.

 

And, another from @woemad . This brewery used to be known as Northern Lights, and the things from from them I liked, I liked a lot. The brews I didn't.........

Anywhoo, here's an enjoyable IPA, from the home of Bing Crosby's hairpiece: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/936/211310/