What beer are you drinking now? #1821

Heading hiking and apple picking this am, but coffee first. Cheers and see you later.

 

Back from the market/baazar down at the port. After some shopping we sat at one of the many cafes to people watch, and had coffee/beer:



Now getting in the pool and soaking up some sun, with a cold one:



Happy Sunday from Estepona!

 

Good morning BA, have a great Sunday! Looking to be another rainy day today. Another normal day for me. Got some work to catch up on for tomorrow morning. Bottle returns, laundry, and need to pack up a heavy trade box to ship out tomorrow.

Beer this morning:

Always world class for me. Glad we got 4 packs again this year, last year there were none in MI. Aromas and flavors of huge pumpkin, seeds, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, gingerbread, toasted pie crust, caramel, brown sugar, and light herbal hops. Light-moderate herbal hop/spice bitterness on the finish. Medium-plus bodied; balanced bready/grainy creaminess and hop/spice stickiness in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing bitter/spicy dryness, never astringent. Super drinkable. This feels more balanced fresh than I remember a couple years ago. I used prefer it with some age to balance out the spices; but it seems to be good to go right now. Already bought 3 packs.


Incredible DIPA! Aromas and flavors of huge grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, passion fruit, lemon zest, orange peel, citrus rind, pepper, and piney hops; with some honey, light caramel, bready malts; and dank herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Nice sized pine, citrus rind, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; very sticky/resinous mouthfeel with some balancing bready malt creaminess. Moderate increasing bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Minimal warming 10%. Awesome mix of vibrant and dank hop flavors across the board. Aggressive yet smooth. Just as amazing as I remember when I reviewed it, 2 years ago. Glad I got a full pack as expected. Might get another, we'll see how fast I finish these off. Definitely a top favorite of their whole portfolio.


This is delicious! I haven't touched a bottle since I reviewed it in July. Flavors of big apricot, plum, pear, apple, honey, brown sugar, cracker, corn, biscuit, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, and coconut; with lighter notes of caramel, toffee, herbal/floral/peppery hops, and yeasty earthiness. Increasing booze in the aromas, but not overwhelming; and somewhat muted on aroma complexity. Light-moderate herbal/piney hop bitterness and bourbon/oak tannin spice on the finish. Medium-plus bodied; balanced bready/grainy malt, sticky hops, and oak tannins in the mouthfeel. Touch of slick/silky notes from the barrel. Lightly increasing bitter/tannic dryness. Never astringent. Mildly increasing warmth of 14.2%, minimal barrel booziness. This is dangerously easy drinking. Really great showcase of the barrel with some nice malt complexities. Not too hoppy, and the yeast wasn't too fruity either; but added nice balanced fruity notes, vaguely similar to an English barleywine. Very unique, but really enjoyable. Starting to smooth out on the barrel after 3 months now.


Finally get to revisit my highest rated beer ever. Got in the NBS BIF as a gift, thanks @jdell15 for the opportunity. Same vintage and everything, just passed 2 years old. Still living up to expectations! Aromas and flavors of huge milk chocolate, vanilla, cream, marshmallow, cocoa, caramel, toffee, molasses, coconut, toasted oak, whiskey, and light dark fruits. Light roast bitterness and whiskey/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and full body; with a heavenly creamy, silky, velvety, and rich mouthfeel. Minimal chalky roast, oak tannins, or dryness. No cloying sweetness. Zero barrel booziness and not much warming alcohol. The balance between the barrel, vanilla, and roasty malt flavors is just absolutely perfect. Still blowing my mind. Definitely need to seek this out again. Should be released soon.


Cheers

 

A Kold Schauer with leftover Cajun tofu/potato salad.

 

Good Morning everybody. So glad it is almost halloween! my favorite holiday of the year. Cheers!

 

One good drink deserves another. Cheers friends!

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Check out the floaties.

 

Everybody is still sleeping, so I'm visiting with a newborn. So damn good fresh.

 

Morning BA. Starting off with this one.

 

Strapping this one on . . .





Taste on entry is a restrained tartness that refreshes rather than puckers and serves as a launching pad for the complex flavors that follow. Mostly what I get is a complex array of toffee malt and a lot of dark fruit sensations that don't disclose what variety of fruit (figs, black plums and dates come to mind) because everything is so seamlessly melded together. An overriding taste though is dark ripe cherries. A tart sort of dark cherry but cherry none the less. These flavors start together, stay together and last into the aftertaste.

 

It is time to start tailgating for Packers vs. Vikings. For such an occasion, breakfast will involve lutefisk covered with Wisconsin cheese.

 

The mrs. is getting ready to make eggs and sausages. My breakfast drink is ready.



Cheers!

 

"Disorder", an Imperial Amber Chilli Ale, aged in whiskey barrels, from La Calavera Brewing Coop, Gerona, Spain:



Working on notes for Xpost on NBS...cheers!

 

5 Alpine Beers align in descending order of greatness. 15 October 2017

Pure Hoppiness | Alpine
4.36/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Lucky find as a single at WFM in NJ. Worth it. My first Alpine. Try 24.
A. The beer is a cloudy, sediment laden orange body with a 1 finger dense-white head that fades slowly and leaves a trickley lace on the glass. Poured into Duvel Tulip - my fave glass.
S: The aroma bursts with piney, grassy hops with compliment of citrus sweetness.
T: Follows smell. The taste is dominated by abundant, nuanced piney, grassy, and bitter flavors of hops, but the hops are complimented by citrus sweetness and a malt backbone. Above all is the fresh juiciness, and abundance of the hops and then how it's well-balanced blend of hops bitterness, pepper, with citric sweetness.
M: Juicy, fresh, smooth and crisp, medium body, medium carbonation, clean finish.
O: This gets better as it warms and the further you go down the glass.
Hard to follow. World Class. I bought one, you go buy 24!

Duet | Alpine
4.34/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I found this to be a favorite west coast IPA. Up there with Stone, Green Flash, etc. Try 24.
A: Pours with a fluffy 1 finger head with ample, ciderish sediment along with a brassy, honey colored body, and lasting lace.
S: Abundant hops to start, then pine, mixed lots of citrus and must. Earthy, vivid.
T: Starts with fresh wet hop and follows into pine hop resins. Complex juicy citric, tangerine fruits, and dancing into peppery bitterness and more Juicy and grassy hops. A veggie blend. Not much malt.
F: Good feel, light syrup, with decent carbonation.
O: Feels bright and tingly. Finishes clean as well. Try 24.

Hoppy Birthday | Alpine
4.15/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
ALPINE can do no wrong in my beer book.

A) Not much of a looker. Clear mid amber with mid carbonation and a short white head, leaving only a little lace.
S) Moderate and complex ,varied aromas of tropical fruits on the nose—mangos, grapefruit, maybe apricot.
T) The taste follows nose, continues with complex flavors of grapefruit, mangos, stone fruit, grasses, and dank pine, the latter being most prominent as it warms. A Caramel malt base also ripens in the finish balanced by the right level of bitterness.
F) Medium-bodied with moderate carbonation. Feels more like a stronger IPA, making it one of the most flavorsome Session IPAs.
O) Complex, rich, multi-flavored. Try 6.

Truck Trail | Alpine
3.9/5 rDev +8.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Love this brewer and wonder what they can do in a basic apa. Hoppy to see in cans.
A) Pours crystal clear, dark golden amber body with white, one finger head that films and dots lace.
S) - Aroma & taste like Sierra Nevada PA with suitable pine notes and citrus, flowers, and malty sweetness.
T) - Piney with sharp citrus notes on top of a sweet and bready malt base. Finishes with a spice bite and more pine. Fresh and sharp, better as it warms.
F) Light-to medium body, creamy in mid flight, and nice bitey, dry finish. Good appetizer or food beer. Upgraded as I contemplated. As good as any APA.
O) As another BA wrote, it's a SNPA clone, but more expensive.

Willy | Alpine
3.59/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Emphasis on light. Light colored, light flavored, gentle wheat ale.
A) Pours a translucent light yellow gold. Head is loose and small with only a few dots of lace and no retention.
S) Lemony citrus and wheat malt, Classic but thin.
T) White beer, wheat and lemon on base of nuts and mild sweetness. Hop character light and noble. But clean, better as it warms.
F) Crisp, refreshing, dry finish, light bodied - sauvignon blond like.
O) Clean, light AWA that meets the brewer's goals, but not mine.

 

Good morning, WBAYDNers... the usual. Time to wake up...

 

Holy Mountain • The Ox

 

Cheers!

 

Happy Sunday BA's

Need some java.....yum



Had a nice Hobie cat sail yesterday - mid October and 80 degrees, crazy weather! And a new beer - local / Platform in CLE, much better IMO than the Sam Adams iteration from a few years ago

 

Skol Packers, let's win this game.

 

Another cold Lager on the west side of the house, in the patio/garden between pool and carport:



At 4:30pm the sun is still bright and hot, but the strong breeze coming in from the sea keeps the humidity low, and the late afternoon is enjoyable and relaxing. Cheers!