New Beer Sunday (Week 659)

Thanks @cjgiant for opening the doors today. Alright you guys. I have been counting sheep, nay counting beers in my fridge, I'm cookin ' and I want to say how long have I waited to try the beer I have today. I'll be back with my Dragon's Milk. Cheers!

 

A-An inviting darkness color with a little head and lacing.
S-A subtle hazelnut, vanilla and bourbon scent.
T-The taste follows the smell, with hints of hazelnut, vanilla and a very nice subtle bourbon touch.
M-A medium bodied stout that is easy drinking, albeit with a gentle kick that is unnoticeable while drinking.
O-A wonderful beer, with a great balance and a robust character.

 

Thank you, @cjgiant, for the great start.
Over the years I have met several BAs in person and I would say, without exception, they have all gone very well. I have met up with @SomethingClever many times over the past few years when he makes his journeys east. We play some golf, drink some beer, and just enjoy each other's company. And, like you, I suspect my better half has some influence on us getting together (although her attempts at matchmaking have been abject failures).

My new beer for today is LAG Lagunator Lager. It is a bock beer brewed by Lagunitas and has an ABV of 7.9%.
In my pint glass it is a dark amber color. There is a modest size off-white head and a smattering of lace.
Malty aroma: molasses and brown sugar. There are some faint piney hops in the aroma.
Taste follows the nose. Molasses and brown sugar, with a hint of pine at the end.
Medium-bodied and sweet.

 

Great start @cjgiant definitely got my thirst up for a new beer.

Have been drinking down the cellar, but there isn't a new beer down there that isn't promised for a share or still waiting to mature more before opening, so I guess my lazy ass is gonna hafta make the rainy trip to town for beer. Sorta in the mood for something hoppy, or not hoppy, or light, or dark, or sour, or sweet, or bitter, or sessionable, or high ABV, or barrel aged, or old school, or new wave. Hope they have one

See ya inna bit. Save me a seat.

 

Happy New Beer Sunday everyone! I have not met anyone from Beer Advocate but have met other people who I first was in contact with online before. I can agree with you where the first time you meet up, both people are a bit skeptical/unsure what to expect but usually after a few minutes things seem to feel more "normal". Things have always seemed to go well and I have met some good friends that way. Anyways, on to the beer now...

Today I am drinking a Helles Lagerbier from Benediktiner:



The apperance is a bright, clear, golden/yellow color. The head is bright white and is made up of many small bubbles.

The aroma was evident as soon as I opened the bottle. Mainly herbaceous hop notes with some malt sweetness, it smells like a standard Helles but the aroma is quite strong.

The taste is well balanced. Hop flavors are noticeable at first, with a bit of spice/herbs and then the sweet malts balance everything out. It is extremely easy to drink and each drink makes me want to take another one.

The mouth feel is like most other Helles beers.

Overall it's one of the better Helles beers that I have had. Although it's not necessarily complex, it is perfectly refreshing and super drinkable. Benediktiner makes one of my favorite Weiss beers so I was excited to try out their version of a Helles and I'm glad I had the opportunity to try it out. Hopefully everyone else is enjoying their Sunday and is able to try a new beer today!

 

Poured near room temperature into my Magnify snulip not sure when it was bottled and a healthy 9.2% ABV. Pours a beautiful slick black with a dark tan head that leaves behind thin wisps of lace as it slowly settles into a thin layer of khaki bubbles. 4.5

Smell is maple syrup, French toast, bacon, a little smoke, and dark chocolate covered coffee beans. Interesting and very pleasant. 4.25

Taste follows but much more potent, maple syrup and bacon hit first, cocoa, French toast, and dry coffee linger on your palate as you beg and plead for the next sip. 4.5

Mouthfeel is a slightly creamy above medium, gentle carbonation that works very well, as most breakfast beers brewed like this a tad sticky and dry on the palate, and extremely drinkable for its heft. 4.25

Overall this a very nice and slightly different twist on a coffee beer and I liked it a lot. Thanks @Ocalafox for lugging this all the way up from Florida for me, you are a true BA to travel with beer on a plane like that and you have an awesome wife who excepts your passion for beer. 4.25

 

I haven't seen @MUTINY on the WBAYDN thread in a looooong time! Not that I'm on there as much as I used to, but it's been a while.

I thank BA for being the reason why I met one of my best friends, after many failed attempts at meeting up, even though our sons both played baseball in the same league! I now consider @jzeilinger to be a brother.

 

Just getting up and about, and my favorite thread of the week. I'm cooking today as well I'm thinking some home made onion soup to start, and perhaps ham/ red beans and rice. It's football day so I have to time manage too.

Today is also a BIF mystery beer rate that beer day, might be an interisting day at that.

No clue what it is, but it's a 16 oz can of something wrapped in duct tape.

 

Happy New Beer Sunday!

Ok you guys. I have been cooking with tomato leaves. In japan someone has been doing it yadda yadda. I have made chili with mine so far and I have to say my indoor tomato plant is doing quite well.



Today I have Dragon's Milk.

Pours opaque and black with a scant head on the first pour but on the last it is creamy brilliance. Nose is roasty and silken with hints of sweet chocolate . It's gentle, creamy a little sweetness. Just the sweet scent of bourbon a fume from the alcohol. The barrel gives an airy woody lightness to the nose if it;s not overpowering. Sweetly earthy. No coffee or anything too bitter. Just a little roasty with a light fruity backnote. So complex. Creamy some how light even for eleven percent. The smooth silky sensation of chocolate sweetened by something. The vanilla is just permeated the beer. The earthiness does not give way to coffee or anything too bitter but has a sweet note you're not expecting. The nose is gentle I was expecting something in my face with a name like dragons milk. The bourbon barrel is like the perfume of this beer. its so smooth . I am not feeling anything more than a light warmth in my chest not heavy not thick. This has been a whale for me. The first time i have had it. Happy New Beer Sunday!

I have been cooking the potato chip both with radish and potato too with the october beers. Pretzels can't be far.



Double concertos Cheers!

 

Got a chance to meet @tobgorad a couple of years ago, and if my work trip goes well, maybe again this week.

Since today is the official share date for the NBS BIF and I’m having to travel, I hope you will forgive me prepping a couple of entries in advance.

I was a fortunate recipient of two fantastic boxes from @Roguer. One primarily stouts, and the other hop forward beers.

My first entry is Beer’d Hobbit Juice. When I was unpacking the box, my wife asked does that really say Hobbit Juice? She is a big Lord of the Rings fan. Yep, it does.

Notes below, but this is an awesome DIPA showcasing Nelson hops.





Poured from 16 oz can dated 9/8/2017.

A: Slightly hazy golden yellow with 1-2 finger white head. Decent retention and moderate lacing.

S: Pineapple, mango, peach, and apricot. Very pleasant fruit aromas.

T: Ripe peaches, pineapple. mango, white grapes, and apricots. A touch of piney bitterness.

M: Medium body with soft carbonation that leaves a silky mouthfeel. Finishes a little dry.

O: Excellent DIPA that brings the Nelson hops up front and center. Very well done!

 

Next up from @roguer’s box is also from Beer’d is the Next Experiment #10

Another excellent IPA although I might prefer the Hobbit Juice a bit more.

These guys are officially on my radar now.





Poured from 16 oz can dated 8/25/2017

A: Hazy light orange tinted yellow with 1-2 finger white head lasting a good while. Moderate lacing.

S: Cracker malts, grapefruit, orange zest and fresh pine cones. Gets a little more tropical fruits as it warms.

T: Grapefruit rind, orange zest mixed with an herbal and pine component. Hints of mango and papaya.

M: Medium to light body with average carbonation. Finish is fairly bitter.

O: Excellent IPA. So far I’ve had two beers from these guys and they have both been winners.

 

Last entry from @roguer’s BIF box today is a big stout from Prairie called Pe-Kan.

I’ve always been a fan of Bomb! even though it’s pricey. This is equally outstanding. Lots of rich chocolate, bourbon, and pecans. This is a stout right up my alley.



Poured from 12 oz bottle. I didn’t see a bottle date.

A: Very dark brown almost black with smallish one finger mocha head even with a fairly aggressive pour. Settles to a thin cap and leaving some light lacing.

S: Bourbon, cocoa powder, pecans, and vanilla.

T: Bitter chocolate, roasted pecans, vanilla

M: Full bodied but not overly thick with fairly light carbonation. Finishes with some alcohol heat.

O: Excellent beer. Reminds me in some respects to Stone’s Wootstout.

 

Good morning New BSers! Multitudinous thanks to @cjgiant for starting this thread today. I, too, have met a couple of BAs face to face and experienced a bit of trepidation prior. @WesMantooth and @SomethingClever turned out to be people I could definitely bend a few elbows with. Based on my extremely limited experience, it looks like people on BA may actually be very similar to their on-line personas.

Today's New Breakfast Beer is:



On NBS BIF #6 we were to send a mystery beer, one with its label and other data obscured, to our target who was then to blindly review it, post the review here, and then reveal the identity of their beer. @Dragginballs76 sent me a good one.


Received from @Dragginballs76 in NBS BIF #6 – mystery beer.
750 mL cork and cage bottle. Stored at 42 degrees. Served at 42 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Aroma – Weak malt. As it warms, the maltiness fades and some woody notes emerge.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.5 cm, aggressive pour), light brown, average density, average retention, diminishing to an irregular four to eight mm ring fed by effervescence and a thin layer with some thicker islands.
Lacing – Fair. Pieces of very lacy curtains.
Body – Very deep amber, opaque, some effervescence.
Flavor – Begins slightly sweet with just a hint of wood. Allowing it to warm in my mouth frees a bit of fruitiness and alcohol. No hops, no diacetyl.
Palate – medium, nearly creamy, soft carbonation.

Impression: Drinking this blind, I would assume from the texture, sweetness, smell, and flavor that it’s a wood-aged barleywine but I don’t detect any specific woody or vinous notes that would allow me to guess the type of barrel used. There are also no distinguishing spiciness or fruity flavors that would allow further differentiation. Overall, this is a decent beer with few distinguishing characteristics, at least at the temperature range used. At $5 a bottle, I’d buy it. At $10/bottle, I’d consider about buying it. At $ 15/bottle, I’d definitely walk by.

Appearance 3.75, Aroma 3.5, Flavor3.75, Palate 4, Overall 3.75.

The reveal:



I was wrong - this isn't a barleywine but a sticke! I never would have guessed this to be an altbier (DUH!). So, not only did Michael send me a beer I'd never had before, he sent me a variation I didn't even know existed! Thanks man - you are truly a great BA, a gentleman, and a scholar!

 

Can you speak Bavarian?

If so then maybe you can pronounce the word Oachkatzlshwoaf.

Today’s beer is a beer gifted to me by a good friend: Urban Chestnut O-Katz (Oachkatzlshwoaf) – which is an Oktoberfest beer. On the can it states:

“This malty yet well balanced Märzen-style Lager is easy to drink but difficult to pronounce. That’s why Oachkatzlshwoaf (“owah-kaatzl-sch-woaff”) is lovingly referred to as “O-Katz” by our staff since because only our Bavarian born Brewmaster can pronounce its name correctly. We all agree that Bavarian humor can be… interesting. Prost!”

The Bavarian born brewmaster mentioned above is Florian Kuplent.

A number of years ago I had a chance to try Urban Chestnut Zwickel at a local beer bar. I just happened to be there when a wholesale distributor was promoting the Urban Chestnut brewery. I also had a chance to speak to the brewer, Florian Kuplent for quite some time. Florian is very personable guy and he has a very interesting story. He was born and beer trained in Germany. He has brewed at various European and US craft breweries but he spent a significant part of his brewing career at Anheuser-Busch (in Newark, NJ and St. Louis, MO) prior to starting up Urban Chestnut in St. Louis.

Below is how this beer is described on BA:

“This “export” style lager, brewed for our annual Oktoberfest celebration, is malty yet well balanced like the bier traditionally served at Oktoberfest in Munich. However, our Festbier has a tale/tail of its own–Oachkatzlschwoaf (pronounced “o-cat-zel-schwof”) translated is “tail of a squirrel”…just a little Bavarian humor.”

So, how does a “tail of a squirrel” beer taste?

Served in my Spiegelau Lager glass:

Appearance:

Amber colored with a BIG fluffy off-white head.

Aroma:

A substantial aroma of toasty bready malt accompanied by a subtle spicy hop aroma.

Taste:

Flavor follows the nose with a notable toasty bready malt flavor. There is a low-medium bitterness.

Mouthfeel

Medium bodied with a smooth mouthfeel. It has a dry-ish finish.

Overall

I enjoyed drinking this beer. As is detailed on the can it is malty.


One interesting feature of the can is its 360 degree lid. The only other beers that I have seen this with are Sly Fox beers (e.g., Helles Golden Lager, 360 IPA). This permit you completely remove the top and drink from the can as though it was a glass. Needless to say but I prefer to actually pour this beer into a glass.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @zid @Seacoastbrewer

 

Nothing Earth shaking today, indeed in Geek World this one might be considered rather ordinary, but it's new to me . . .





Score 3.83
look: 3.5 | aroma: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Color of light hazy gold with white cap and lacing.

Aroma of sweet malt tinged with orange and flowery hops. Not a heavy scent, rather mild actually, yet very clean.

This is not, I repeat not, a tart white wheat ale. Far from it, the flavor is rich and smooth with rounded depth. A spicy orange flavor is prominent but carries a dryness all the way to the finish. The malt is almost caramely but the sweet sensation may be partly due to the orange which remains a constant throughout. Simple flavors well interwoven, in short a class act.

Texture is medium with balancing carbonation.

Viewed as what it is I can't fault this one. An enjoyable musical play rather than an intense drama, it's entertaining and uplifting.