New Beer Sunday (Week 659)

Keweenaw - Point Trail Ale

Another one from @Blackop555 , this time
A Rye IPA.

A: clear copper with 1 finger of dense off white head

S: spicy earthy hops, and toasted malts

T: spicy earthy hops, pine, toasted cracker like malts, caramel like sweetness

M: medium to high carbonation, medium body

O: Nice change of pace from a typical hop bomb, hops are plentiful, but still allows the toasted malts and the to really come through.

 

Hey @cavedave , believe it or not I do keep thinking about finding a time to get together. Unfortunately, whenever I'm driving by those places it's always on my way to a family engagement of some sort, and there just ain't no time to hang out at a brewery for a few rounds. The other weekends always seem to be booked for one reason or another. Maybe I'll just have to ask my wife for a little 'time off for bad behavior'. And then, when she kicks my ass out...

I'm usually better off meeting someone for a few drinks after work- commuting by bus does have its benefits in that regard. @zid and I have done it a few times when our schedules allow, and it's been a real pleasure as well as a great way to end the workday.

My first beer tonight is the mystery brew, sent to me by @richj1970 as part of the NBS BIF. He sent the label in a separate envelope, so what better place to take a few notes (apologies for the handwriting ):



And then, finally, the reveal:


Good People Mumbai Rye

Rye- I shoulda freakin' known! This beer definitely reminded me of something I've had, but couldn't exactly place. I initially thought Arrogant Bastard, but immediately rejected that as being not quite right- this beer is much drier, for one. And then when I saw the label it hit me immediately: Founders Red's Rye! Only this one has a real mean streak .

Thanks for the interesting brew, Rich. This was fun, and I really enjoyed the beer!

 

Pale yellow with a ton of head. Slightly murky. Soooo freakin foamy. Nose is lemon, poppy, coriander, sourdough. Taste is sour and funky but dry. Tomato??? Sour lemon michelada is my guess. My mind must be playing tricks on me, or something. I had a margarita gose this weekend so the tartness took me right back to there. Gotta take a second pour before ripping off the label. Very salty, so it's a gose for sure. Maybe a kettle soured salted tomato. I really don't fucking know. Will post again with final results.



Sorry for the late post. Was out of town to see Garth Brooks and hit the Colts game.

 

Well this makes more sense with the smell. However, I didn't get any distinct hops on the taste. One thing I have learn about myself, having done a bunch of blind tastes with the newbies, is that I am terrible at distinguishing between hops.

 

Glad you enjoyed! That one caught me by surprise! Cheers!

 

What!

The!

Fuuuuuuck!

Didn't see this one coming, but maybe that's where my mind told me that I was drinking tomato juice(Clamato). Actually pretty enjoyable. The second pour was really chalky and almost milky. Definitely a disturbing beer. Glad I got a chance to try it.

Thanks @beertunes !

 

G

Howdy NBS ers
Great opening words words as usual.
Too bad we can’t have some sort of BA 1st ever reunion, I can think of more then a bunch of advocates I’d love to meet. Does @ ipahunter really wash his hair with ipa’s , is @vabeerguy really old or is it a clever ruse and does @ ivorycannon really run around Central Park with a baseball bat. I could go on forever.
My 45th high school reunion is next week, we have to miss it though we will be traveling, sad part is our numbers are shrinking but I digress...
Having this juice bomb for the first time. It’s from a local brewery called Castle Island in Norwood, Ma. They are making some nice beers and are a super friendly crew.
This one pours thick and cloudy like grapefruit juice, thin head medium lacing
The smell is fruit fruit fruit, mango papaya grapefruit and tangerine
The hop profile is Citra, Mosaic and Idaho 7
There is a sweetness and the can lists honey malt
Pretty smooth mouth feel, low carbonation and a slight bite and a sticky finish
It’s fairly smooth and balanced, drinks really easy but at 8.4 abv it sneaks up on you
It isn’t what I look for in a DIPA but if you are into fruity DIPAs this one is for you. I think it’s a fine representation of the style

 

Southern Tier's Sapsquatch American barleywine...

One third of the beer is aged in bourbon barrels, one third in bourbon barrels that once held maple syrup, and one third aged on "hand-charred" oak staves that "spent time" in whiskey... Brewed with maple syrup, too... Boozy fruit and caramel-like molasses and maple and vanilla on the nose, followed by a big sweet booze and maple-fruit character on the sip... Medium-bodied, smooth, and slick, but not too sweet as to be cloying - a delectable treat... You can taste the bourbon and whiskey on this one, which is totally what I want from a beer like this... A little sticky on the tongue, but quickly disappears on the finish... Delivers what you'd expect based on the label and coming from Southern Tier...

Alright, no more new beers for me today...

Gonna watch the night game and finish this bomber off in WBAYDN...

Cheers, NBS...

 

Preach, brotha! I'm pretty much the same way. I always know if I like it or not though. Post tasting box headed out next week. Might just have to send something else blind again.

 

Thanks, @cjgiant for the rousing start. I’ve not met anyone from BA.com (that I’m aware of), but I’ve traded beer with many, and I’ve hung around long enough to be able to identify posters by the first line or two of their posts in WBAYDN and NBS. That either means I am too fluent in minutiae, or spend too much time here. I prefer the latter conclusion.

My first beer tonight is my first from an iconic brewery in our little universe, and #’s 2 and 3 (it’s been a LOOOOOOONG day) are beers I’d guess 99.99995% of the posters that participate in this thread tried long ago, but I’m just getting around to.

First, a big, juicy DIPA.



4.51/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

The pour is a grapefruit milkshake, pale orange, murky, thick, and a light tan head. Aromas are all citrus - oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, pineapple. I am bouncing in my chair.

The taste is dank, citrusy, pungent hops. Just a delight - and a bigger delight is the mouthfeel, which has some bite. I appreciate that much more than the pillowy (i.e., watery) feel so often associated with the style.

World-class beer, IMHO.

 

First time with this one......I like it and at $17.99 a case I will be buying more.

 

If @cavedave and @TongoRad ever get together, a little piece of me will become Yankee blooded forever I feel. And that's saying something for someone born south of the Red River.

 

Hello New Beer Sunday!!!

Another week gone, and another time to really enjoy a new beer. This beer is amazing, and I really don't want to beat around the bush with it, so, here it is.

It's a barleywine! A barrel aged barleywine!
From Pitchfork Brewing in Hudson, Wisconsin we've got Demeter's Choice.

It wasn't in the system, so I added it. It is a limited release, and I so wish I would have bought one to age. I can just imagine how it would be aged!

Review

4.62/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a beautiful amber color. Thick pouring beer. 1 finger frothy white head. The bubbles are so creamy looking and tiny. Really nice lacing on the glass.
The nose is caramel, also a hint of the barrel ageing.
Taste - wow! Caramel. Toffee. Slightest bitterness, but so slight. The burn from the high ABV kicks in on the backside.
Feel - smooth, with the burn on the backside. The burn isn't too strong feeling, but there, and you feel it all the way down.
Overall, it is an amazing barleywine! I just wish I would have bought another to age, because I can imagine that this ages well, and would just be killer in a couple of years. Props to Pitchfork!

655 characters

This is such an amazing beer, and I don't know if there will be another beer after this - it is so good, and something else might be a letdown. If this is it, we'll see you all next Sunday!

 

NBS! A late entry for me but I'm finally getting the opportunity to try the beer highest on the list of most-reviewed American Pale Ales I haven't yet had, also my first from Half Acre.

Overall I liked this yet my score was below average. It's a very well-made IPA with a nice balance of citrus, floral notes and herbs. A nice hop/malt balance indicative of an honest Pale Ale without the letter I involved. As I said in the review "nothing jumps out yet everything is there". Overall definitely recommended. Cheers!
:
Edit: I just read the first post and realized I've never met anyone from BA/NBS in person. I want to fix that! DM me if you're local in Cleveland or Cbus. I'll also try to find folks local to areas I travel so we can meet up and share a brew.

 

How's it going, NBS?! Long time since I've posted on here, as I've found myself imbibing less on Sundays. But a day off from work tomorrow and playoff baseball means I'm all in tonight!

A friend of mine gifted me this bottle. He had it at a tasting and really liked it and bought a few bottles. I've never had it before so I'm excited to dive in.

Timothy Taylor's Landlord Pale Ale

Deep amber color and slightly hazy. A pillowy white head sits on top and leaves patchy lacing on the glass.

Very mild aroma initially, but I think I might have poured it too cold. Both the aroma and flavor really open up as the beer warms. Toasted malt and caramel, balanced by a subtle fruitiness that has an orange and almost berry-like quality to it.

Smooth finish. Light bitterness that gives it a dry feel. Medium-light bodied.

Really nice pale ale, and a nice change of pace from the more hop-forward American versions. If this were on-tap, or better yet, on cask, I could see myself drinking pint after pint of this.

Cheers, BA!

4.11/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

Doing my blind tasting from @Bum4ever



Pours a dark brown color that is not quite black. Small foamy head that dissipated quickly.


I notice some chocolate on the nose, appears to be some sort of a barleywine maybe?


First taste is actually much sweeter than I was expecting. It’s smooth with a boozy yet tasty finish.


I’m tasting a little bit of chocolate or something to make it nice and sweet. It’s drinking very easy for something I’m expecting to be quite high in alcohol content.


The more I drink, the less I’m getting barleywine. At the very least it’d be the sweetest barleywine I’ve ever had. Let's unwrap this...



And...yep, definitely sweet. Been wanting to try this for a while. This was my first Stickee Monkee and it was delicious.

 

Holy crap. Today is legendary for me, because I was able to get my hands on none other than Focal Banger! What a perfect addition to NBS.




I absolutely love it. The beer reviewers are right in that The Alchemist aren't really representative of the modern New England IPA anymore. This ain't no juice bomb. Fortunately for me, I have no problem with that, as this is like the best West Coast IPA you could imagine. It's super dank, resinous, and hoppy as hell. The malt backbone is so crisp, light, and dry that it reminds me of a pilsner, and I'm okay with that. That's what I prefer for a West Coast style IPA, to be honest.
The citrus flavor is immense. It tastes like you're biting into a whole grapefruit. The amount of sheer citrus flavor that sits on your palate is insane. There are hints of blueberry, mango, and pineapple, but they are subtle. There is some pine on the finish, and then that grapefruit, orange, lemon peel bitterness lingers forever and your palate is scraped dry. I freaking love this. This one is for the hardcore hopheads!

 

#2, I really like Victory (Prima Pils may be my favorite pilsner - yep, I typed that), so how have I not had this yet???!!!???



4.14/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pour is black-ish, looks almost like a big porter, plenty of light leaking around the edges, with a tan head.

Aromas are HEAVY hops, some sharp coffee, and chocolate. The taste is very hop forward - more so than I’ve experienced in any big stout, ever - with a lot of bitterness from the coffe flavors, and subtle chocolate notes.

And it works. It’s a bit thin for a 9.1% ABV beer, and it’s sorta like a black DIPA, but it works. Glad I finally got to try it.

 

I would love to have one of those just now! That is a fine beer.