New Beer Sunday (Week 663)

Yes, I held off on this one . . .





Score 3.77
look: 4 | aroma: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A really beautiful deep amber rose gold color with off white cap and lacing.

Rich caramely malt aroma with a definite piney hop hit.

Taste is puzzling. It's as if the committee had a tie vote on whether to go with a rich marzen style or a West Coast hop forward brew. What they came up with is a juxtaposition of the two that doesn't really come together. I think it would work better as a Pale Ale rather than an amber. On entry it's richly caramely malty with a hard, bitter hop layer on top. The two flavors are distinctly separate as if you could run a knife through it and slice the hops off the top. They don't combine, don't meld, rather run side by side as if competing to see who can get to the finish line first. A heavy, overweight, clumsy brew similar to a large right guard that gets knocked tits over sunday by a smaller but more agile opposing tackle. That's it, the two flavors from start to finish. I do get a surprising nuttiness in the aftertaste.

Full texture with balancing carbonation.

A screw off cap really doesn't announce craft but I will say it's a good try and hope it succeeds because that might encourage Bud to come out with more along this line.

 

Great start there, Mr. Giant.

For me one new beer a week is plenty, I do always enjoy to try them but I am not a collector type of ticker. I guess I try new beers hoping to find new tastes and examples that I like as well or better than those I already enjoy. For instance, y'day at a bottle share I tasted a crowler from The Answer brewpub that was a new taste for me that was my favorite part of the share, a fruited gose with habanero.that was amazing. The other kind of ticker was there too, taking pics of every can and bottle.

Will be back with a new beer a bit later to join y'all.

 

It was quite thick, bright fruit flavors, also some righteous tart to go with them, not overly thick, not overly sweet, nor salty, and a slow to crest wave of habanero that never goes over the top. I wish it had been one of the beers I was queueing up to purchase.

 

As always, a great beginning to NBS @cjgiant.
In my house, there's no such thing as an extra hour of sleep The dogs wake at their usual time and I get up to feed and walk them.
I hope people are starting to think about NBS #666. I am having a beast of a time coming up with ideas, but I promise you there will be some revelations. Looking forward to the challenge.

My new beer for today is Monstrosus, from Southern Tier's Barrel House Series. It is a beast at 14.7% ABV.
It is pitch black with just a thin film of a head.
Nice aroma. A lot of booze, some sweet chocolate, and some vanilla.
Bourbon taste up front, followed by sweet chocolate and vanilla.
Very smooth and easy to drink. The alcohol is complimentary and not dominating.
A great beer! For you bourbon barrel aged RIS aficionados, this is the beer for you.

 

I've enjoyed meeting two of the brewers and drinking a few of their beers the last couple of days, so something new to me - "Sultana", a 7.2% stout (Negra Premium) from Cervezas Califa, one of the local breweries here in Cordoba, Spain:



Pours black with ruby see through on the edges; fairly quick tan cap that leaves behind loose bubbles of foam, a solid ring, and moderate lacing; good clarity. 3.75

A whiff of chocolate and roast malt. 4.0

Roasted malt and coffee beans; bittersweet dark chocolate; lite earthy hop presence as it warms; slightly lactic finish. 4.25

Medium lite feel; thin texture; moderate carbonation. 3.75

Overall it drinks and looks more like a porter; I like the subtle chocolate and coffee notes, and the bitter roast linger; an enjoyable middle of the alcohol road "Stout". 4.0 Cheers!

 

Good morning you all and Happy New Beer Sunday! Me trying to get up steam this week has been like trying to push jello up a hill. Today i have Genesee Coffee Stout

Opaque and almost completely black except for faint edges of color. Creamy chocolate colored head falls well and clings in sheets, spots and streaks. The nose is the the light scent of cocoa and dark roasted coffee. A hint of caramel at first that becomes sumptuously nutty as it warms. No real hop scents except for a sweet touch of earth. Drinks smooth and dry with moderate bubble. It's a touch soft int eh middle and does linger a bit long and creamy. I would call it full. The hops finish it well with a clean bitterness. The malt has a touch of roasty flavor but nothing to burnt or smoky. No fruit flavors. It reminds me of guinness except for that ribbon fo caramel and a soft peppery spice.



Cheers BA and Happy New Month of Dark Beer Sundays!

 

Happy New Beer Sunday everyone! I have indeed waited for Sunday to enjoy a beer that I picked up during the week because of this thread. Personally I enjoy how it is a once a week thing, it's just another reason to look forward to Sunday. Now on to the beer.... Today I am drinking a Spezial-Weißbier from Brauerei Karg. I'm not necessarily sure what makes it a special Weißbier but it may have to do with special types of hops they are using. In any case it came recommended to me from the owner of a bottle shop that I frequent so I'm excited to try it:



The apperance is a very hazy, dark orange/light brown color with an off-white, cola colored head.

The aroma was noticeable as soon as I opened the bottle. It has an intense aroma of citrus fruits, bananas, cloves, yeast and some hops.

The taste is citrus-y up front with some slight sourness that is balanced about by tastes of bananas and a cream flavor from the yeast. There is also a slight bitterness to the beer.

The mouthfeel is quite thick and there is a lot of yeast in the glass.

Overall it's one of the most intense Weißbiers that I have had in terms of flavor and aroma. Everything that is usually in a Weißbier is in this beer, just amplified. There is also a noticeable hop presence that is missing from some Weißbiers and it's quite enjoyable. I'm glad to have been able to try this beer today and hope everyone else is able to try a new beer on this fine Sunday!

 

Mornin' all.

While I'll not be back until later with a new beer to talk about, I couldn't resist sipping some coffee and replying to the question posed by @cjgiant (AKA to some as "The Gentle Giant").

I enjoy NBS simply because of two factors. First is that I motivate my self to try at least one new beer a week and read some things others have said about their new beers .

But just as important, if not more so, people in this thread are always more interested in sharing with us information about the beers they are trying than they are in scoring debate points, expressing "hate" of something or displaying beer snobbery about what other people enjoy and choose to drink.

See you this evening with some thoughts about what looks like it might be an interesting spiced beer.

Cheers, all!

 

Pours a very attractive near pitch black with a 3 finger absolutely gorgeous mocha head that has incredible retention as it slowly settles into a thin ring of bubbles that hugs the sides of the glass and leaves behind some spotty lace. 4.75 Smell is roasty expresso, vanilla, Ameretto, truffle, cocoa nibs, and a hint and mean a hint of warming alcohol. 4.75

Taste follows the nose sting roasty coffee just grabs your tongue, vanilla, hazelnut, truffles, rich dark chocolate, and just a little hint of alcohol. 5

Mouthfeel is almost large, gentle carbonation as you would expect, not really dry and that is surprising for this style, and the drinkability is staggering considering this beast clocks in at 12% ABV. 5

Overall this is without a question one of the most amazingly satisfying Imperial Stouts I have ever had. Really I am actually nearly speechless and I am already almost done and I have been trying to nurse it, but every taste nearly curles my toes. If you see this break the bank and get it. 4.75

 

Good morning NBS
In answer to @cjgiant's question, I always make sure to have a new beer in the fridge for Sunday. There are no carry out sales in Indiana on Sunday so it's important to plan ahead.
Tried one from the Winter Classics box early this morning.

The review:
12oz bottle bb April 2018 poured into a perfect pint glass at fridge temp 5.5% ABV 25 IBU. The beer pours dense black with mocha brown head. Retention and lacing are above average. Aroma is almost nothing at fridge temp. It starts to give a little roast malt smell as it warms. The taste is roasty yet smooth. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, adequately carbonated and undry in the finish. Overall, a good oatmeal stout, but nothing to go crazy for. This might be the most absolutely average beer to style I've ever had.

It's been too long since I've had a Samuel Smith oatmeal stout to compare, but this SA version was really uninspired. Enjoy the new beer in your glass today BA!

 

Good morning New BSers! Well, it's a damp 70 degrees here in the New Braunfels, TX, area yet again! @cjgiant, thanks once again for an excellent start to NBS. Assuming the WBAYDN thread has started when I have my daily New Breakfast Beer, then I usually post it as such, without posting the review in the thread. This trip, however, ennui has prevented me from posting in WBAYDN at all - just doing the reviews. I like to try new local brews when I travel - you'd be surprised how many servers in restaurants think Sam Adams seasonal is a local brew! However, today's NBS offering:



(This photo is of the fourth bottle from the four-pack, never hit the reefer after making it to the house - the only one with ANY head!)


$ 12.79 (Including tax)/four pack of 12 oz bottles ($ 0.266/oz) at Spec’s, DeZavala Road, San Antonio, TX.
Best by 09/20/18 (I think). Stored in cooler in store, in 42 degree reefer at house. Poured at 42 degrees into a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter and consumed at 55 – 60 degrees, per bottle instructions.
Aroma – Roasted malt, generic dark fruit.
Head – None. An aggressive pour produces no head per se but does produce a three to four mm light brown ring fed by effervescence and a puny partial layer resembling a coral atoll.
Lacing – None.
Body – Dark brown/black, opaque, effervescent.
Flavor – Begins bitter with some harsh alcohol taste. The advertised dark fruit ghosts by, leaving an oily stain on my taste buds. No licorice noted. No hops, no diacetyl. Ends with an oily aftertaste with an unfortunately long hang time.
Palate – Medium, almost creamy, very soft carbonation.
Impression: This is the third bottle from the four-pack and I have yet to see a nitro head or any head at all. To read the date on the shoulder you need to get just the right angle of reflected light and then it’s so small it’s barely legible. This is not a very good RIS, IMHO, but at least it’s cheap. I bought it because another customer searching the beer aisles recommended it. Maybe his four pack was better than mine. Four and done.

Appearance 3.5, Aroma 4, Flavor 3.5, Palate 4.25, Overall 3.5. Rating 3.7, rDev -8.6%.

In general, Left Hand has been rather hit or miss for me; consequently, I don't buy their beer, but since this came highly recommended by a total stranger ...

 

Happy New Coup de Boule(vard) Beer Sunday (Week 663)!

I have to cop to being a bit of a collector ticker, hence the Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody, but I would still prefer to keep things to once a week. Just my $0.02. Plus, I like taking pictures of my beers since it creates even more of a memory.

As to memory, my title this week is a pun. Who'da guessed! In French, a Coup de Boule is a headbutt and while I had four years of high school French & got a LOT more fluent as a plankowner aboard the USS Normandy (CG-60), making many port calls in France, I had not heard the term before 2006. I was in St. Louis, MO, at the downtown Schlafly brewpub, watching the World Cup Finals with a group of regulars when Zinedine Zidane of France lets loose with one & the announcer forgot his English & used that term! Ha.

I was also present at a Press fete in PHL a few (?) years ago when Boulevard BC of KC, MO made their distro debut. I was SO excited & my excitement has not waned, but I have a number of their bottles chilled & ready to go for today. So many, in fact, that I may feel like someone has done a coup de Boule(vard) on me!

It began with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/423/183991/?ba=woodychandler#review


& as such, I am off & running! I'll be back later to update you with my progress.

 

A: Pours a clear light yellowish with a nice head, a good amount of lacing.

A: Hints of citrus and hops.

T: A pleasant taste of citrus and hops.

M: A light bodied session with a good amount of carbonation.

O: A nice solid session IPA.

 

A: Pours a hazy yellow-orange color with no nice head and no lacing.

A: Fruity and spicy hints.

T: A nice pleasant fruity and spicy taste.

M: Light bodied with little carbonation but a pleasant character..

O: A nice decent lager.