New Beer Sunday (Week 659)

Yeah, one of my "diversions" was mentioning a "seasonal" beer. I was hoping you'd jump to the conclusion that it was pumpkin, and thus make the inference that I WAS NOT your sender. ... Anyway, you nailed it. It's not one of my favorites but I feel they pretty much hit what they were going for.
Cheers

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! A bright, sunny fall morning here in the Fourth Corner, with the bank time/temp clock reading 11:37/53. I poured at a local Octoberfest last night, then had a couple brews back at my work. Got home, had a couple cans of local stuff, and realized that all I had left in the fridge was either "fancy" beer or BIF brews. Time to get started on those BIFers!

First up, as a breakfast beer, is a very enjoyable beer listed as a Vienna Lager here on BA. I scanned through the other reviews, and somebody gave this a 1 and said it was undrinkable. What kinda methcrack was that dude smoking?

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30164/185898/

 

Glad you liked it. All of these beers are experimental beers that may never be relased past the i think 800 they brew for members. I wanted to send something unique.

 

Your cat is going to kill something.

 

Blind beer tasting from NBS BIF. Corked and caged 750, looks fancy!



Big immediate hop aroma, I'm thinking Amarillo. Smells like an IPA for sure.
Tastes like a saison. The hop flavor is much more subdued than I was expecting after the smell. Definitely dry hopped. Lemon, floral herbs, minerals, big funky barnyard brett. Really delicious, everyone agrees that this is a great beer.







So I wan't too far off with the assessment. Definitely wasn't a straightforward style. This was my first beer from Speciation. I'm impressed, looking forward to getting into the other one from my shipment! Thanks @strohme2, great pick!

 

Saranac FX Matts Haus Lager a 4.9% Helles. The packaging claim that this is an old beer that was for employee's only that they recently decided to release to the public.
Haus Lager is a down to Earth brewed to be enjoy and not fussed over.It pours a bright gold color with a full white head. The aroma is bready malt. The taste is malty and a bit sweet but turns to dry at the finish. The mouth feel is light. A very enjoyable brew. It's also inexpensive. A 6 pack of pints runs $8.99.

 

Good day NBS faithful! I shut down my posting last week while in Colorado after Imgur went the way of other photo hosting sites for me. I'm still not sure what's wrong, but it won't load any more photo's? On to another host and what is likely my last foray in dealing with them.

Before today's beer I'd like to acknowledge @cjgiant and his theme today of meeting fellow BA's. I've met five over the last few years. Some have been casual, a couple have involved sharing beer and conversation. I had the pleasure a little over a year ago of hanging with @2beerdogs and some of his family at Greenbush in Michigan. He's every bit as knowledgeable and chilled as he comes off here. I enjoyed meeting Derek and his crew and could have spent hours with them if time allowed. There's some genuinely good people here and I would gladly buy any of you a beer if you're ever visiting around the southern shore of the great Lake Michigan. Now about the beer....

A 12oz. can of Melvin Drunken Master DIPA from Melvin dated 09/02/17 that Matt at Rambo's Longhorn Liquors in Estes Park hooked me up with. I usually don't plug places, but he and his wife are passionate about beer. Give them a visit if you're out there! Let's pour this mystery in a 12oz. tulip to see what awaits?

It pours a dark orange revealing two creamy fingers of white foam that refuses to settle. Heavy lacing clings when it finally subsides. Looks a lot like a pumpkin beer. The smell is sticky sweet malt, grapefruit, floral and some pine. Taste is heavy in floral notes to start, followed by grapefruit, mild onion and slick malt. The feel is creamy, slick and dangerously drinkable for 9% abv. beer.

A very worthy DIPA that leans part west coast/old school and has similarities to The Oracle by Bells in my opinion which is a good thing. I rated it 4.23 / rDev +1.7%.

Fingers crossed that this post using another host goes without a hitch! I'm struggling enough with my switch to Android from iPhone! Watching the conclusion to the Colts-Niners and probably a walk to see my bro who I haven't seen in weeks. Enjoy your new beer adventures, I leave you with this......

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24056/173705/?ba=Prager62#review

 

Sam Adams Oktoberfest. Dark amber color. Malty,grain ,molasses aroma which is almost identical to taste. Some hip bitterness came through in the taste and lingered after finishing this beer yet I would still say it was dominated by the malt aspect

 

Definitely unique! Next batch of altbier I make, is definitely going to having some oak added!

 

New Schwarzbier Sunday (Week 659)
Greetings fellow NBSers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY. Rainy morning, still threatening, rained all last night too. More coming, they say. Good thing, though, we need it. Headed out for some shrooming y'day and gave it up quick when I noticed how dry the forest floor is. Or was haha.

I have met quite a few BA's over the years, especially as many BA's used to participate down in the city at the infamous Top Hops tastings, and also the Captain Lawrence releases of old were heavily BA attended. But I am kind of noticeable and it usually is someone comes up when I'm out and about and asks if I'm cavedave. I have run into a couple from this thread a few times at Rushing Duck, and still hoping to meet up with @TongoRad and grab some beers together, especially as I have a shit load of beer packing material that still needs a home, and @2beerdogs and @beertunes out west because I really want to buy both of em a few beers and enter the fine beer zone together. Fine beer zone is equivalent to the X factor of GD coinage.

Kinda sad to be home, even though I'm always glad to be here with y'all. Was planning on being away camping upstate with number two son, but car trouble of the expensive kind changed those plans. Gives me a chance to enjoy the blind tastings y'all are doing, though, and to share a beer, too Dark Hammer, from our local friends in Haverstraw, Industrial Arts


9/13 canning. Darkest brown pour has a couple fingers of light tan foam momentarily. A lasting skim hangs on for the ride.

Med. strength aroma, featuring light herbal and piney hops joining forces with malty chocolate, dark toast, some righteous oily coffee notes. As it warms the bouquet gets a rich bready character.

Full strength taste that takes the classic Schwarzbier and adds some/lots of American touches that take this to 11..Take all the flavors of the nose, sharpen the roasty notes, the coffee is expresso flavor, the chocolate is a dark tasting one. Wrap it all in a developing dark bread character with lightest molasses sweet. Make the sharper notes shine through and be delicious. End the sip dry, with both bitter hop and sharp roast contributing equally. American touches. Like I said.

Full bodied, incredibly soft moutfeel that keeps it light into an intense, resinous, lasting almost clean and smoky finish that begs for another sip.

Ain't a schwarzbier in my book, don't know what it is. Oh, wait, yes I do. A fucking delicious masterpiece is what it is. How is this not rated higher by others? SMH

Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

 

Had this on tap last Thursday and was pleasantly surprised. The malt definitely comes through. I don't know how hip the bitterness is, but I'd say this is a well-balanced take on a marzen/oktoberfest bier.

 

Good afternoon NBSers, It's a great day for football and a mystery beer courtesy of @Blackop555!

12oz can dated 8/29/17 poured into tulip.

A: poured a clear copper, with a fluffy 2 finger white head that settled down fairly quickly. A steady stream of bubbles was present for a long time.

S: lots of citrus, tangerines, grapefruit

T: following the nose here with citrus, grapefruit, tropical fruit. Not detecting any malt presence.

M: thin body, easy drinking. highly carbonated.

O: Easy drinking light body, hop forward with citrus hops. High carb seems to be an effort to offset the lack of body, due to it intentionally being a low abv beer.

This could fall into APA territory, but with it being so citrus forward I'm going to guess its marketed as a Session IPA. Great beer to kick off a Sunday afternoon, with all the Barrel Aged heavy hitters in the boxes, I think he there me a curve ball here. Big thanks to @Blackop555 for this treat, with it being a delabeled can we will have to patiently wait for the identity.

 

Okay here I go on my blind bottle from @y2kawakami.
It's a 750ml bottle the emblem on the cap is taped over.

Now on to the first pour.

Okay this pours a dark black color with a thin tan head.
Nose has some chocolate/cocoa nibs perhaps there is also a fruited smell perhaps cherries?
This may be barrel aged but not bourbon or not a strong bourbon.
Letting this warm as I write this thinking the flavors may change, I have had this stored in my walkin cooler in the garage since it arrived so it started at 45*. Tasting more cocoa as it warms and less of the fruit.
I'm trying to draw on memory as I drink and I know Boulevard did a tart cherry stout back about 2015.
As this has warmed the flavors have changed greatly. The nose is more towards coconut now and the fruited smell has disappeared. Still getting the cocoa a little in the taste. Okay on to the reveal. I'll say some sort of coconut cocoa stout.

Okay after enough time I at least had the coconut right and thats about as close as I can claim to being right.
The beer is Maui Brewing Co. Imperial Coconut Porter.
Thanks for this great beer @y2kawakami

 

Well, he only rated one other beer, Pliny the Younger, on the same day. Pliny might be a hard act to follow.

 

The Bruery Hoarders Cuvée 2017

Eagles seem to have things in hand, so time for another NBS BIF beer before I have to head out with the fam. Why not go big?

This one pours a murky-looking amber brown color with a fat finger of tan head. Dissipates to a thick crown with a wispy island in the center, but no lacing.

Sweet, barleywine-like aroma with bourbon, fig, vanilla, almond and light, cakey malt.

Sweet tasting as well, with maple and hints of pineapple, then a heavy hit of almond. A kiss of alcohol burn, a hint of bitter bakers chocolate and a dull, but surprisingly strong, hop bitterness in the background keep it from being cloying. There's some fig and other dark fruit -- almost like a mix of grape jelly and red wine -- that linger in the aftertaste.

Medium bodied, slightly sticky, slightly creamy feel.

This is supposed to be inspired by a pineapple upside down cake. Not sure I would have picked up on the pineapple in this if I didn't know to look for it. It's still a great, sticky-sweet multi-flavored barleywine mash up.

Thanks @2beerdogs!

 

Moving right onto NBS beer # 2 here players. Taking the abv way up as seeing how the Jets D can't even get a back-up qb off the god damn field.

Anyway, my second new beer today is Massacre, an imperial dark lager aged in bourbon barrels, from Wolverine state brewing. This beer comes all the way from Michigan thanks to the NBS BIF# 6 box courtesy of the great @superspak . The brew checks in at 13% abv and has a vintage year of 2016.

A rather dark burgundy color on the pour with a fast tan head. Very scottish ale looking. The nose is intense with thick bourbon and oak and the abv stings the nostrils a bit. A rather subtle start on the drinking with lots sweet malts upfront. A smooth but boozy flow that finishes slightly bitter with big alcohol warming. The barrel is very strong and really exudes a ton of flavor notes. I'm getting caramel, vanilla, charred oak, smoke, and even an almost sort of marshmallow flavor. Aside from the malt the lager aspects do tend to be drowned out a bit but that really seems to be the purpose of the brew no? Although, the mouth feel is the most interesting for me and it's clearly attributed to the lager base. It's big and boozy but not nearly as heavy as a bba scorth ale/imperial stout. Full bodied with a rather dry and oak feel to it. Slight stick to it but still very drinkable.

Overall, great stuff. It's a big beer but I feel like I could, or at least try, to drink this all day. Ian, maybe we can work out a trade for more? I'm in the 4.5 to maybe slightly lower range.

 

Another one from @2beerdogs from Offshoot brewing.

Today pours pale straw yellow with a 2 finger pillowy white head that leaves behind large webbed lacing on my glass. The aroma tells me this is no traditional Pils. Very lemon and citrus aroma with some grassy and light yeast notes. The cracker malt is there, but this showcases the dry hopping that was done. A very light cracker malt and plenty of citrus lemon hops. Body is light, crisp with good carbonation and finishes rather dry. A fun take on a classic style.

 

OK, here is my Blind beer, courtesy @RedhawkPoke :

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46299/297762/



The sourness really built up over time. Would have been a good one to share.

 

New NEIPA Sunday

This is my last new brew today, Lord Hobo's Boom Sauce:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/40249/170124/?ba=bluejacket74#review





I thought it was good. Just bought it last weekend but I hope i'll be able to try it fresher next time. I'll be back on here later today or tomorrow morning checking out everyone else's new brews. Cheers everyone!

 

Beer number from @Grizzarky is Prairie Paradise. I honestly thought something was off with this beer given the nose. Good stuff, feel like the Yazoo Sue from the mystery bottle more.

4.17/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thank you Grizzarky for this
12 oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- Black with a two finger mocha head.

S- Tons of caramel, coconut, black licorice, hints of vanilla, touch of acidic coffee, some chocolate, touch of booze. Some nice aromas but nose is lacking balance and is just a mess.

T- Far more balanced than the nose. Caramel malts, black licorice, touch of vanilla, some dark chocolate, nice coconut punch in the finish.

M- Smooth, full body.

O- I didn’t know what is going on with the nose, I thought I might have gotten a bad bottle and might end up drain pouring. Taste is much more in line with the quality of stuff like Bomb!, but not as good as Bomb!, worth seeking out

Cheers!