New Beer Sunday (Week 657)

Very nice start to NBS!
I'll be back soon with a new Oktoberfest.

 

The colors of Autumn in my glass . . .





Score 3.89
look: 3.5 | aroma: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Hazy orange brown color with cream color cap and lacing.

Aroma of bread yeast with a slightly sharp agricultural hint that actually complements rather well. There is something richly spicy about it that's present yet restrained.

Taste on entry is yeasty bready combined with a spiciness that doesn't really jump out like a lot of other Belgians. Mid palate has a tingly richness that I suppose is due to a hop/carbonation combination. This one is more low key than I usually find in 8% Belgian Pales, its as if the brewer is trying to showcase the hops instead of the spices. "Belgian yeast driven flavors combined with an American assertive hoppiness" are words on the label and yes, that pretty well covers it.

Medium texture with balancing carbonation.

Is an assertively hopped Belgian what I really want? Well, if I did this one would do, but for my tastes there are just a wee too many flavors at play here. Reminds me of the au courant chef who decided to send out my steak glazed with a raspberry-balsamic vinegar sauce that wasn't disclosed on the menu nor was I informed by the waiter. It was just a spur of the moment thing while the chef was experiencing a burst of inspiration. Just because a thing can be done doesn't mean it should be and not all ideas are good ones. Which is a long way of saying I think this assertively American hopped Belgian brew is a good effort but headed in the wrong direction.

 

Perhaps, but since you scored it above a 3.75 that now means that you "liked" it.

 

Did you send the steak back?

 

Cheers you all and thank you Craig for getting us going today! I am in love with you too. NBS is celebrating the oktoberfest and so am I. I have been cooking my heart out and today I have a nice pairing. Everyone raves about Bell's and I think it's good too.



Pours sumptuous amber that just gives way to toasty orange. It's burnished with gold and a little fiery. Thinner fast falling head. Pristine and clear.

Nose is rich crusty bread with a malty hint at sweetness. Generous earthy hop. They show you only softness and their earthy spice is a bit reserved. Rich dark crust on bread. Finishes crisp and elegant with no sharpness from floral and no sharp bitterness. Light gentle bite from bubble and smooth.

Happy New Oktoberfest Sunday

I am pairing today's okotberfest with my Peanut Stew with Coffee and Celery.

 

Happy new beer Sunday everyone! Today I am drinking an imperial IPA from To Øl, their "!!C & G" or also known as the !!PA Citra & Galaxy from their Shock Series.



The beer pours a hazy dark orange, light brown color. The head is quite foamy and off-white, with a light brown hue. I can see some yeast floating around the glass.

The aroma is quite herbal. Dominated by hop aromas with some sweetness and citrus fruits. There is also a bit of alcohol in the aroma and maybe some mint but it mainly smells like hops.

The taste is an interesting mix of hops, sweetness, citrus fruits, mint and a bit of alcohol. Unfortunately it is quite tough for me to properly explain it. The hop flavor tastes really concentrated and that could be what I am considering to be the "mint" flavor. It's quite subtle but something I haven't experienced much before. The bitterness is definitely there and the fruity flavors help to balance it out.

The mouthfeel is quite thick and matches the strong flavors of the beer.

Overall it is an enjoyable imperial IPA. The alcohol taste is very subtle and mainly hidden. I wish I could describe the mint/concentrated hop flavor better but it's difficult to put into words. Maybe that comes from the Galaxy hops? I haven't had many beers with Galaxy hops before so that could be why.

In any case I'm glad to have been able to try this new beer on New Beer Sunday and I hope everyone else is able to enjoy a new beer on this fine day!

 

A Bushwick Pilsner: Woo-Hoo!

As a number of you folks know, I am a BIG fan of the Pale Lagers they brewed in America before Prohibition. We homebrewers refer to this style as a Classic American Pilsner. I recently discussed my homebrewed CAP in a thread that @TongoRad started a few months ago:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...als-on-june-3-2017.512344/page-3#post-5476452

I brewed my first CAP about 20 years ago and I formulated my recipe on the writings of Jeff Renner and George Fix but there was one other article that was useful: The Bushwick Pilsners: A Look at Hoppier Days by Ben Jankowski.

https://www.morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue2.1/jankowski.html

A short extract from that article:

“One of the brewing centers that produced notable pre-Prohibition-style beers during the first half of the twentieth century was the Bushwick section of Brooklyn, New York. These post-Prohibition Bushwick breweries included Trommer's, F&M Schaefer, Piels, Liebman, Ehrets, Goldenrod, Old Dutch, Charles Schafer, and Schlitz.”

As it turns out my father’s preferred beer for much of my formative life (infant to college age) was Piels Real Draft. He would let me take ‘swigs’ from his bottles of beer when my mother was out of sight. To very large measure I became a fan of beer by drinking a Bushwick Pilsner (Piels) from ‘back in the day’. Thanks Dad!!

To get back to the present day my beer today is Braven Bushwick Pilsner which was gifted to me from a good friend.

There is an article on Braven Brewing Company in Paste Magazine: https://www.pastemagazine.com/artic...wing-company-puts-corn-in-their-beer-and.html

A short extract from that article:

“Bushwick Pilsner: 5.5% ABV, 35 IBU. Fizzy and light, this beer has an acidic hop character with a bready body and a dry, starch finish due to the corn inclusion. A rounded malt base and categorical everyday beer.”

On the bottle they provide the following information: “Brewed and bottled by Releta Brewing Company, Saratoga Springs, NY for Braven Brewing Company, Brooklyn, NY”. So, this is a contract brewed beer.

All of this writing is getting me thirsty so in the parlance of Mr. T I will quit my jibber jabber and get down to drinking.

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Gold colored with a one finger white head which dissipates very quickly.


Aroma:

A sweet, toasty bready aroma.

Taste:

Flavor follows the nose with flavors of sweet, toasty bread. There is a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel

Medium bodied with a dry-ish finish.

Overall

I enjoyed drinking this beer. If I had to choose a single word to describe this beer it would be malty.

The flavor profile of this beer is more reminiscent to me of a Vienna Lager vs. a Classic American Pilsner

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @zid @Sixpoint @ecpho

 

Good morning New BSers! Well, we're scheduled for another fantastic fall day, with about 10% chance of rain and expected highs in the 80s. I'm totally loving this weather - most of my outside projects will be completed by Wednesday and I can start working inside with the AC working. Mrs. Lizard and I have PM doctors' visits tomorrow morning - filling out forms and answering questions - no biggies. Well, both our tour to Scotland and my return to Bamberg got cancelled, so it looks like our next trip is another beer run to Texas. For those of you recoiling in horror at my beer runs, they're more of vacations for the boss and me - she spends hours in quilt stores while I sleep or read in the car and we hit restaurants, museums, zoos, etc. If I get to visit more than one beer store or brewpub daily, it's a minor miracle. My "beer runs" tend to run to self delusion.

Anyway, today's New Breakfast Beer is:



$ 10.00 (Including tax)/bomber ($ 0.454/oz) at Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA.
Undated bottle (2016 vintage) stored and served at 42 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Aroma – fruity, weak.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.7 cm, aggressive pour), off white, high density, average retention time, diminishing to a dense four mm ring fed by effervescence and a complete layer, mostly high density.
Lacing – fair. Partial rings of high density froth.
Body – light amber, hazy, effervescent.
Flavor – unremarkable. A little biscuit malt and no caramel. No hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl. An odd, slightly fruity taste, probably from the grains of paradise. An odd chemical taste with a long hang time remains.
Palate – medium, creamy, soft carbonation.

The palate is the best thing about this brew. Otherwise it is a mediocre brew at best.

Appearance 3.5, Aroma 3.25, Flavor 3, Palate 3.75, Overall 3.25. Rating 3.2, rDev -5.9%.


This is produced using "grains of paradise" and I didn't know what they are. Oddly enough, wikipedia does:

"Aframomum melegueta is a species in the ginger family, Zingiberaceae. This spice, commonly known as ossame, grains of paradise, Melegueta pepper, alligator pepper, Guinea grains, fom wisa, or Guinea pepper, is obtained from the ground seeds; it imparts a pungent, peppery flavour with hints of citrus.

Although it is native to West Africa, it is also an important cash crop in the Basketo district (Basketo special woreda) of southern Ethiopia.[1] The Pepper Coast (or Grain Coast) is a historical coastal region named after this commodity."

and so on. Maybe when It was fresher it imparted the "pungent, peppery flavour with hints of citrus" but it certainly isn't imparting any in this bottle. Of course, if they'd called it "alligator pepper" maybe the psychological hit would have allowed me to rate it higher. Or not.

 

Lone Tree Cucumber Wheat
5.2% ABV

In a shaker pint glass, this beer looks exactly like I expected it to which is strange considering I have never drank a cucumber beer in my life. The color is hard to describe -maybe a hazy opaque light straw yellow with a green hue? I wish I could narrow that down to two words and offer it to Crayola. The head is fluffy and white, the whitest head I've seen on a beer. Lacing is thick and soapy, amazing amount of fluff also.

The aroma is clean and somewhat spicy? There's a hint of mint and pepper in it, it really does smell very refreshing.

It tastes like a very clean wheat beer with cucumber notes being subtle yet carrying most of the flavor with those strange peppery and minty vibes. It's delicious and unique. Wheat beers continue to prove to me to be excellent bases for unique flavors.

The mouthfeel is light to medium and very smooth.

Overall, I'm impressed. This is an excellent summer beer, as it turns out this is the last hot day here for many months. I hope. I also need to point out that I don't care for raw cucumbers so much, but this beer does not taste like liquid cucumber. The idea is there but other nuances and flavors come through for a unique beer.

 

Great start as always, and today thanks to @Ozzylizard I have a new beer. Founder Red Rye fresh out of a Crowler. I deceided to save it for the Eagles game. I'm partial to Rye beers can't wait to pop it, probably right at kickoff, if I drink now I'll sleep all day. I'm still a bit fuzzy from the Psu game last night.

 

Yes, which offended the chef who came out to confront me. Apparently his goal was to build up a clientele of select loyal customers who would be charmed by his elegant creations and not question his judgment. In a polite but firm tone I advised him we would not be unwilling subjects of his experiments and were taking our trade elsewhere, as did a couple of other customers who overheard the conversation and were equally dissatisfied with this jerk, his prices and his attitude.

That place closed after two months but I'm still dining out.

 

A- A very dark color with little head and lacing.

S- A sweet berries vanilla bourbon scent.

T- The taste follows the smell, with hints of berries, a sweet vanilla hint and a subtle bourbon hint.

M- A light sweet bodied stout makes for easy drinking, but it does have a nice kick, albeit not noticeable while drinking.

O- I enjoyed drinking this beer, especially considering "OH is not know for their stouts", so I am glad I picked this up at the source.

 

Thanks to @cjgiant for the great start to NBS this week.

Cheers!

 

My favorite style: 6 favored APAs in descending order of greatness.

Dale's Pale Ale | Oskar Blues
4.4
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

My favorite every day beer. (Also my first BA review in 2012).

1st, I love the can movement.
a) It's better aeration, better light protection,
b) better for environment. (Cans being infinitely and 100% recyclable and lower energy to recycle than glass, and cheaper by far to transport and store.).
c) Better for outdoors whether kayaking or gardening or walking.
What's a beer without the outdoors?
2nd - This is a beer that makes no apologies for being an original APA. Close to an IPA, but more amber, citric, piney, and more beautifully copper colored and tasty like a new penny.

Appearance - One of the most beautiful colors and laced heads.
Smell - Everything I expect from the outdoors in a can.
taste - Original cross between IPA and pale ale, distinctly american and unapologetic, I feel like I respect the makers like I respect Steve Jobs.
Feel - rich, full, right for the afternoon and the outdoors. After cutting the lawn, after kayaking 2 hours.
Overall - a 5 for me because it's my go-to beer.
Whole foods NJ offers a 10% discount when you buy a mixed case.

Stone Pale Ale

4.3
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5


Finally getting around to this. Stone trumps every brewer currently for my palate, and this basic bread-winner is amazing.


A: 5 for starters it's as perfect a look on a pale ale as you could imagine. If one in 1000 pale ales gets a 5, this is it. Mousse-like ivory head, a pillow that lasts and laces. Cherry copper body. Great weight.

S: I could just sniff this one. It's laid back compared to IPAs, but as it should be. Better as she warms.

T: Great tingling balance of malt and hops, creamy and satisfying. many tight facets of flavor: Citrus, bread, cracker, pepper, pine, Perfect finish

MF: Already said: Creamy, long, tingly, long finish. As good a finish on any beer in the Pale Ale Class.

A wonder. Must try. A favorite.


HopPun | Carton
4.2
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I've enjoyed this 3x at the Brewery. In dress beta in late July, on 8/1/14 cold draft *thank you Brian!, and on 8/2/14 on cask, thank you Kelsie! Wow!
Augie Carton said he would wait to experiment with his talented team before brewing Carton's own APA, and wait until their anniversary they did. The team has nailed a national best beer. You must try it.

As the brewer wrote: "We push around experimental hops 06300 and HBC342 with Super Galena and Mosaic, soften the edges with a traditional pale malt bill and then tie it all together with the fruity esters of British yeast." and recorded:

My go-to beers are hoppy APAs (e.g. Dales, Stone, Sierra Nevada).
A: Darker than expected, a brooding apricot, dense looking, with ample retention and lacing.
S: A big nose packed full of complex berry, grass, hay, summer, and piney hops. Nuanced and wine-like.
The blueberry is easy to pick out.
T: Amply hoppy but well balanced, and this regard it maybe beats an IPA. Wine like long finish. Plenty of malt and sweet yeast make this almost a Euro-influenced beer. Complex like a Belgian.
MF: light to med bodied, fresh, and a long finish in the good way carton knows how to do it.
Overall. An APA ready for national stage.

Muskoka Harvest Ale
4.1

look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25


Why so good? Borders on Stone Bastard, but easier, and more every day. Awesome brew. Could be my beer all winter.


A) Pours clear reddish amber with fine bubbles and tiny particles, nice one finger DENSE & CREAMY tan head retains well and laces manifold thick rings.


S) Abundance of herbal, leafy hops with melon, cedar, wood, grass.


T) Follows smell but AMPLE, and adds the nutty caramel and earthy notes that amplify the cedar and grassy long flavors.


F) Feels thick with good weight and matched carbonation, leaves a sticky but long finish that is pleasant kiss.


O) One of the best. Try 24.


Tumbleweed | Funk Brewing
4.1
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Compares well with beers from Carton (my hometown brewer) or Oskar Blues. Very special, fresh, big pine & citrus, and flowery.
a) Hazed opaque pale apricot color, bright white, dense, sticky lacing head.
s) Big bright tropical and citrus abounds in the nose. Grinds of rinds of grapefruit, oranges, and then some pine. Very fruity.
t) Begins big. Citrus rind, marmalade then sliding into peppery, spicy, lingering pine drying finish.
f) Medium body, low carbonation, and a pleasing dry finish.
o) Great local example.

Daisy Cutter Pale Ale | Half Acre
4.0

look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4


Good looking, great tasting Pale Ale. APA and Dales are my favorite every day style / beer so I'm liking this.

A) It's a hazy amber/copper body, with a dense, lasting and lacing white head. Not Dales, penny copper and sticky head, but nice looking.

S) Aromas are mostly of citrus: grapefruit and orange zest - with attendant grassy elements of herb and yerba buena.

T) Theres a toasty, buttery graham cracker crust base, which is lathered with intense hops of citrus, pine, grasses, herbs, onion grass. A bit of pungent catty hops and a drying finish. Flavor gets better and more see-saw as it warms.

F) The feel, Ifound a bit filling, sticky, and cloudy and wished for a cleaner finish.

Up there with great APAs.

 

Happy New New Hampshire CANned Beer Sunday (Week 657)!

I love the Fall! Football is really starting to kick in & I am going off-script this week as my beloved Stillers are playing at my favorite NFC team, Da Bears. I don't have any Chicagoland beers in my backlog nor do I wish Da Bears any malicious bad juju, just a win for Th' Stillers. I am also anxious for hockey to begin anew so that the 2016-'17 Stanley Cup champions CAN raise their banner.

What I have in mind for this week is a number of CANs (yay!) from two different New Hampshire breweries, beginning with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1285/3697/?ba=woodychandler#review

And with that, I am off and running! Loads to get through today, if possible + football. Did I mention that I LOVE this time of year?

 

Just going from my poor memory here, but I can relate to your reaction to this beer regarding the malt character. I also think I was suspicious of the age of the bottle when I last had that beer - I don't recall seeing any date on the bottle.

 

It might still feel like summer, but it is officially fall. My wife and I are going to take our new (for us, anyway) bikes out for a spin. Our son is home from college for a visit, and the dogs (as well as us) are happy to see him.

Today's new beer is Oktoberfest from a relatively new brewery, Marsh Island Brewing, in Orono, ME. I've had one other beer from them, an IPA.
This beer was copper colored. It had a one inch off-white head that disappeared quickly.
The aroma was caramel and some grassy hops.
Lots of caramel in the taste, with a tiny hint of hops in the aftertaste.
A smooth, easy-drinking Oktoberfest. On the sweet side.

 

Sunny and warm - and getting warmer... Is summer back now that it's fall?

Has my ritual failed??? Where are my dragons???

Anywho... It's time for a new beer...

Other Half's Nelson IPA, 6.5% abv, 9/6 canning...

Featuring the beloved Nelson hop, the beer brings a juicy fruit bouquet down to earth with a wine-like refinement... Suggestions of unripe mango and hints of black pepper... sharp and crisp, medium-light feel, ample carbonation, and moderate bitterness... Nothing too crazy here, but a well-executed vehicle for the hop...

More new brews on tap, plus my usual dose of nonsense and bullshit!

Here's to new beer in your glass, cheers...