New Beer Sunday (Week 657)

Good afternoon and happy New Brewery and beer to me Sunday! Been a while since I've posted here. Have had way more than my fair share of new beers this last month, but the weekends have been extraordinarily busy getting the house dialed in and adventuring and what not. But hey, I saw this and another from the same brewery at the store today, and have been wanting to try them for some time now, and figured these should be perfect NBSers. Horseshoe pits backboard installed, so here goes:

Marble Brewery
Pilsner



One thing I can already tell you that I love about this brewery is this:



The more info the better. I love seeing everything that goes into my beer.

A: Brilliantly clear yellow, foamy white head, excellent retention and lacing. Bubbles slowly dance to the surface the entire time.

A: Smells of freshly cut grass, hay, lemon, and sweet bread.

T: Wow. All of those aromas wrapped together with a little twist of lime and even hints of blueberry.

F: Wonderfully light, crisp, and clean just as a pilsner should be. Well balanced but just flirting on the bitter side of the spectrum.

O: Well worth the wait. This is a fine pilsner and decorated appropriately. Familiar and respectful to the traditions with a wonderful American modern signature. Will definitely be buying again.
Cheers everyone, and I will see you all soon!

 

New What Gose Round Comes Around Sunday

Fresh off a head cold that now holds the record for the earliest I have been sick in the "cold season" (which hasn't even started yet) by a month, I am ready to get into some more of my imported singles collection. I had only tried a couple German made Goses, so I have been sampling a few of them recently trying to get a better take on the original style. Figure you can't get any more authentic than one made in Leipzig. Speaking of the origins, here is an older article that is pretty interesting

https://www.eater.com/drinks/2015/10/30/9643780/gose-beer-germany

Not to beat a dead horse, but just like with Marzens/Festbiers, I am always amazed at how much lower the German/European examples are rated/scored compared to ours. Anyway, I came in high.



4.18/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

From an 11.2oz bottle with no date.

It pours a cloudy dark straw color initially with a large white sudsy cap. It disappeared fairly quick into nothing but beer. I noticed a lot of sediment on the bottom of the bottle and remembered one of the other German brewed ones recommendeding gently shaking it before pouring. After swirling around and dumping what was left, it became a much cloudier, and darker gold that almost matches the color in the label.

It smells very strongly of wheat and coriander, with the later being most prominent. There is also an earthy mineral water aroma along with a touch of an herb and a very subtle sourness.

It tastes much like it smells, only with a little more depth probably. A lot of wheat grain, especially in the aftertaste, coriander spice, a bit of sourness that is on the level of an average lemonade, and what tastes like a small dash of basil or rosemary, but is probably cilantro since I read of that being a traditional ingredient.

The label did describe the salt level being just below what humans can taste. That is interesting because you want to swear you can, but I think it is just because you know its there. Even if nobody told you the style, the softness gives it away. I could see this being described as flat, but it seems to be consistent with traditional German version too from my experience.

They claim that it is easy drinking. I wouldn't disagree. Hard to review it before it's gone. Once again, (good or bad) Jammer is the only American verison I would compare to this. It is in no way intensely sour, and the flavors are very balanced.

 

I know that this is a hell of a NBS beer, but alas, in my 8 years of being legally able to drink it just never happened.



I looooove the brett funk in the nose, green apples all day, it's a bit jarring that it's not in the actual taste though. Leathery, a bit dry. Love it. I need to grab some more bottles to age. (This bottle was about a year old.)

 

My first Cigar City beer today - Guayabera Citra Pale Ale.
Impressive -- big tropical aroma and a full mouthfeel.
Crushable for sure.

 

Happy New Dubbel Sunday!

Pretty nice day here on the Western Slope, 56 at the trailhead, sunny, some big clouds. Having something from a brewery that I've had 2 other's from since moving to CO. I've only seen 750 mls around, and not that many. Their pretty interesting, and this one is as well. A nice little different take on style. Picked up some Polo Asado tacos. Watching some Rockies baseball.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30450/194264/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

New Oktoberfest Sunday entry #2



Oktoberfest

Stone Corral Brewery
Märzen / Oktoberfest / 5.60% ABV

3.92/5 rDev +4% | Avg: 3.77
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

L-The beer pours a clear amber with a one and a half finger off white head. No lacing is evident as the head recedes to a thin ring.
S-A hint of sweetness behind bready overtones.
T- Loads of toasted bread. Sweetness from nose is no where to be found on the palate. The beer leans to the hoppy side of the equation although well within the style guidelines.
F- Carbonation is higher in this beer than in others of the style I've had. Mouthfeel is medium overall. The beer finishes prickly and slightly dry.
O- Overall a good version of an oktoberfest. Carb is a little higher than I would want but this will still appeal to those who dislike their Marzen's sweet.

 

Good to see you back!

 

3.85/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 16oz can with a date that may say August, (kind of an inkjet skew issue).
Pretty yellow, but maybe I am biased from the name. decent head, minimal carbonation shortly after pour.
Sweet malty, lager-like smell. But the taste is ale, almost balanced, but a little on the malt side.
Decent beer. No real bad notes.
On the nitpicking front- Can says "Brewed in Hartford CT" but I know the brewery is in Rocky Hill CT (I've been there). Then on the side of the can it says "Brewed by Stony Creek Brewing, Branford, CT". WTF?

 

No picture showing.

 

Next up a dry hopped saison from Bearded Iris called Entangled.



Poured from 16 oz can dated 9/11/2017

A: Slightly hazy straw yellow with one finger white head. Short retention and almost no lacing.

S: Pear, pineapple, green papaya, and apples. Subtle notes of clove, star anise, and pepper.

T: Lemon custard with pink peppercorns mixed with some tropical fruits and lingering hop bitterness.

M: Medium body that is maybe a touch thick for the style. Average carbonation and missing that crisp and dry finish.

O: Nice departure from Bearded Iris’s normal style. Blurring the lines between IPA and saison.

 

After a short break, I'm back with my fourth and final new brew of the day...

Greenport Harbor's Hopnami DIPA... No hops identified but this 8.7% abv beauty has a plush and lush blast of soft ripe fruit right off the bat - suggestions of pale orchard, citrus, and exotic tropical fruits are underscored by sweet pine edges and a graceful caramel maltiness... Smooth and softly carbonated, this drinks fast and easy. And I didn't even score a "fresh" one - this old soul came to me with a 7/6/17 canning date... Musta been a real jaw-dropped with just 2-3 weeks on it... I'd gladly scoop up a four or six of these if I spotted 'em!

Alright, any and all further frivolities of mine are relegated to WBAYDN from this point on, so I hope your new beers are good to ya - cheers, NBS...

 

I've only had a handful of sour/tart/wild beers before this one, and this is the first gueuze. While I've found the others (Rodenbach Grand Cru, Hanssen's Scarenbecca Kriek, SN Otra Vez, Evil Twin Tropical 'Itch) interesting, and could appreciate them, I couldn't really say I enjoyed them. Maybe my palate's turned a corner, or maybe it's just this beer, but I did enjoy this. I was expecting it to be exponentially more sour than anything I've had before, but while sour, it was smoothly so, if that makes sense. I doubt I'll become a devotee of such beers (mainly due to $), but will gladly take advantage of any opportunities that come along.

 

Third 750 of this NBS! I'm crazy, but I know you guys love it...



Also got this baby at the same store I got the previous two from. Had no idea that any Burial beer made it up to New England, so I grabbed this automatically. Terrestrial Paradise is a Brett pale ale dry-hopped with Azacca and Mosaic. It is also my first beer by the brewery!

Pours a moderate golden yellow color with a nice helping of white, foamy head. Lace here is pretty great, coming out in sticky plumes as the head fades away. Retention is solid, however, with about a finger-and-a-half still sticking around lazily after several minutes in my glass. Lots of sediment in my glass from this beer, so if you're not a fan of floaties this may not be the brew for you.

Nose is very hoppy with tropical, berry and piney aspects coming out upfront. Right when I popped the cap of this one, I knew this was going to be heavily aromatic, as it pretty much filled the room with pineapple, mango and Brett yeast instantaneously upon opening. The Mosaic hops combined with the Brett lend some bubble gum-like notes to the proceedings along with bright blueberry and dank resinous undertones. Azacca is a moderately difficult hop to use, but I think it works wonderfully with the wild yeast here, giving off big tropical scents, a "West Coast"-ish pine-like balance, and some peach and apple as well.

Flavor is very spice-forward with moderately-heavy tropical fruit notes, simple maltiness and a hefty dose of Brett yeast. Farmhouse-y rustic funk and complex pineapple/guava/apple flavors come across on the tongue. This is superbly drinkable, honestly. I love the complex interplay of hops and yeast... reminds me of one of my very favorite beers, Enlightenment Ales' Transcendence (which, in turn, reminds me of Boulevard's Saison-Brett in some senses), but with lower ABV. Feel is on the moderate-to-fine carbonation end of things with some chalky lingering on the palate. I wish it were a touch lighter-bodied, but this is really very solid when all's said and done. An excellent introduction to a brewery I wish I could enjoy more from!

 

Tired Hands Refreshing from Today's release. In a tulip glass, 1 finger head, dull yellow color, hops taste throughout, very enjoyable.

 

Evil Twin/Two Roads Pachamama Porter. Weird & dissapointing 3.16

overallhttps://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24300/250943/?ba=russpowell#review

 

Happy Sunday, everybody!

I am fresh off work, out of the blazing sun, and back in Montreal after a really quick trip this weekend to Ottawa. I had not been outside of Quebec since moving here and so it was cool to be able to see other parts of Canuckistan.

The other, obvious, upside was access to new and exotic (to me) beers. I nabbed quite a few, including today's NBS beer.

My beer today comes from a little baby growler (growlette?) of Hop on Your Face from Beyond the Pale, an IPA. And I used it to christen my first teku. I have had a couple beers from this place before and they were pretty solid. It was nice to be able to see their brewery/tasting room while in Ontario. I sure wish places like that were more common (read: existed) here in Quebec, but oh well. We have more, better beer here so I guess it evens out



Best by today. It was meant to be.



It pours nice and orange with a little off-white head. The aroma and flavor are both not quite as loud as I had expected but they were nice. It is earthy, a touch citrusy, with a dry bite and some caramel malt balanced in there. It is pretty drinkable and the alcohol is well placed. I enjoyed it but it was not the end-all-be-all.

I hope that you all have a great week. Here's my review if you care (or even if you don't).

Cheers!

 

Michael, that same thought crossed my mind.

I was tempted to discuss this in my post but I was concerned that it was already very 'busy' so I opted to not make my post too long.

Cheers!

@zid

 

Those green chile cheeseburgers sound perfect. Chiles in New Mexico are different, smoky, and fleshy. Xeriscapes I did a double take on. Makes sense to me, we cultivate local weeds into a beautiful small front lawn. We love to favor things like violets, late-blooming clematis, ground ivy, and a huge cohort of local flora. It has been a great growing year!

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @cjgiant for getting us started off this morning. Another relaxing weekend with nice weather this time around. Record breaking temperatures all weekend. Another normal Sunday otherwise, just finished up the laundry for the week. A nice amount of new beers showed up this week, and I got a lot of big wants as well. (I had a Utopian prior to tonight's reviews. If you know what that is, I can tell you it was mind blowing. Absolutely crazy. See my untappd for further information)

New Beers:

Citralush NEIPA. Excellent stuff! Fantastic head retention and thick lasting lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big tangerine, grapefruit, peach, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, lemon/orange zest, and light pepper/pine hops; with honey, wheat, cracker, biscuit, light caramel malt balance; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Very mild pine, citrus peel, herbal, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body. Nice bready/grainy wheat creaminess and a fair amount of hop stickiness in the mouthfeel. Slightly increasing bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Refreshingly drinkable. Super juicy Citra hops with perfectly balanced malts. Never overly sweet/heavy feeling. They did a spot on job for the style, though not as hazy as I anticipated. Was more impressed with Blizzard Conditions(it also lacked much haze). Would buy again.Side note: after finishing the review, I discovered there was some yeast cemented in the bottom when I rinsed out the can. Wasn't a huge amount. I added that note in the review as well. 4.03


Stillwater Shoegaze. Excellent hoppy saison! Aromas and flavors of big lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, red apple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berry, citrus zest, and peppercorn yeast/hops; with moderate wheat, cracker, white bread dough malts; herbal, floral, grassy hops; and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast spiciness and mild herbal/grassy/citrus peel bitterness on the finish. Medium-high carbonation, medium body, and fairly crisp/clean finishing. Nice bready/grainy wheat and fairly sticky hops/yeast in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing bitter/spicy dryness. No hop astringency. Super refreshing. Awesome mix of hop/yeast complexity going on here. Seamless integration. Nice pale/wheat backing malts, no residual sweetness. Perfectly balanced all around flavors. No complaints! Will definitely buy again. Love it. 4


Review 5800. We just got a ton of Cantillon 2 weeks ago. I finally got a Kriek to revisit, after nearly 6 years of wanting to do so. Also got the Saint Gilloise. Nov 2016 bottling of this one. Listed at 7% on the label. Cork was wet under the cap, and a bit difficult to remove. Almost fell apart. Anyways, this was excellent! Solid head retention, light spotty lacing. Aromas and flavors of big tart plum, apricot, cherry, raspberry, strawberry, cranberry, red grape, fruit skin, lemon, lime, green apple, grapefruit, hay, straw, grass, cork, and wood; with moderate wheat/crackery malts; and lighter notes of leathery/musty funk, oaken vanilla, and red wine vinegar. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness; light fruit tang and yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body. Bready/grainy wheat and fairly acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing lactic/tangy/tannic dryness. Fairly crisp. No puckering sourness. Refreshingly drinkable with the modest acidity. Spot on balance between grapes, oak, and malts. Well rounded Brett complexity, solid Lacto presence. Was expecting way more out of this, but it's a great lambic. Not as much depth in funky complexity and not as jammy on fruit character as I wanted; if I had to give a reason. 4


Cheers, have a good evening NBS!