New Beer Sunday (Week 664)

Good Morning fellow BAs and thank you @lordofthewiens for starting yet another NBS.

Another early Sunday morning work day for me. Back home now and getting ready for some action. Starting with something local-ish. I remember the first time I saw a beer from Vault Brewing (it was a coffee stout) I mistakenly thought I was looking at a beer from Veil and got super excited. The beer was good but I felt silly when I realized what was going on.

Vault - CCCCC

The awesomeness of this beer starts (but also ends) with the cool label art. I have to say, this is one of the coolest can designs I've seen in some time. The beer itself though was not as complex as I expected, and despite being around 4 weeks old it tasted a bit older than that. It pours burnt orange with only a slight haze but with a monster head that sticks around and leaves awesome lacing behind. The aroma is mostly piney with some soapy notes and some slight fruitiness. The taste is bitter from the start but it intensifies towards the end with some more pine-ness coming through, as well as some quinine-like aftertaste. Chalky mouthfeel.

 

Hiya Doc and New Beer Sunday. Cook you say? Ok then.

Spicier dishes favor black patent malts. So it does not have to have chocolate in it to appreciate roasted barley notes. From the notes - black patent malts give a sharp somewhat tart flavor and are smoother and less dry than roasted barley. Roasted more quickly and at a higher temperature than chocolate malts, you find it in sweet stouts and robust porters. My tomatoes are on the vine. I grew Aerogarden tomatoes and I made a nice whole wheat naan. New Beer Sunday. A tradition to me after all these years and I have promised a month of dark beer. I am going to try Guinness 200th Anniversary Export Stout. The word export in beer refers to the starting gravity and also that the beer could be expressly for export.



Food and beer pairing is not just about reciting styles or the reading a menu. It's about heart and passion. It's like looking out into a crowd and saying "Who do you love?" Then pointing at the beer. A love for style will also teach you a love for how flavors marry. Even the language is love. Your palate is the canvas and the food should go hand in hand with the beer or wine you will choose. Who likes pudding!



I was born in the country but with the city in my veins. I am making boeuf with thyme today to go with my beer. The dried tomato leaves are a bit of herbal sweetness. If you would rather keep a sauce brown then use them instead of tomato paste in a stew or soup. Cook the beef with the celery. Then take the celery out. You not gonna eat the celery?!


There it is. The edge of which I often speak. Happy Edge of Night Sunday. Nothing too fruity, a firm bit of caramel. Opens up lightly to the scent of tart cherry. You have to wait as the head flourishes and then falls .

I've poured the beer. It's black but you can see just the ruby edges if you play with it a little. Creamy chocolate colored head of foam. It's sumptuous to look at , it's very black but you can tell that it's clear. The nose is roasty elegance. This has just a harmonious sweetness over the top, good deep roasty notes, and the silken whisper of bitter or bakers chocolate on it. That's one of my favorite elements of this style of malt. If you were to be talking about beer you would be talking about style and also about malts. This beer uses black malt.

No real hop scents just a sweet breath like wet earth. Isn't it bold! Not too bitter. It's not heavy for all it's depth and any mention that you could even make of chocolate is all about the mouthfeel and not the flavor. In fact this beer deviates from the nose to the palate. There are more flavors on the nose. That moment of silk. It's just strong at 6% and look at the impression that they have made. Sensational! Smooth, a longer finish not 100% dry, just a little something that softens the finish at the end and shows you a moment of bitterness both from malt and from hops. It's the only place really where you see the hop bitterness is on your tongue. Even though this lasts just a tempting little bit long, the flavors are clean and well defined. Happy New Beer Sunday!

Cheers to Guinness and to BA. Shake that Boogie.

 

Up and at 'em early today, I see! I will be back this morning to tell you about the truth. But I wanted to take a second for a PSA:


It's just like any other NBS, we swear (allegiance to the dark...) - wait, where was I?

Oh yeah, it's just another NBS but we won't stop you from (and might even slightly nudge you into) considering an interesting post and/or beer for this historic occasion. Otherwise, it''ll have the same decree of you having a new beer and then taking a willing effort to describe it to us, like it always has been... for eternity (which is apparently about 13 years).

 

Nice opening, @lordofthewiens - I wonder if one day we might consider a beer/food pairing thread on WBAYDN, since it'd be harder to pair a beer you haven't had before for this thread.

Funny, but it just so happens that we were watching the Project Extreme Brewing videos last night while the games became less competitive. One of the episodes was centered around beer and food pairings. The host is DFH's Sam Caligione and the collaborator in the episode was Port Brewing's Bryan Selders:

(Note: there's a foreshadowing segment in this video)

While I do most of any cooking that happens in the house, I rarely do anything too fancy. I've definitely never really tried to build the menu to any beer we have - though I have selected the beer for the meal on occasion.

 

Breckenridge Chocolate Orange Stout Nitro
6% ABV

3.75/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured into a shaker pint glass.

Look: Solid dark chocolate black with a ruby hue on the edges when held up to the light. The head it a nitrogenated tight frothy layer of tan foam that doesn’t recede.

Aroma: Immediately I smell the chocolate orange ball you buy wrapped in foil for Christmas stocking stuffers. There’s a nice orange zest that appears first followed by a too-subtle chocolate note.

Taste: The Immediate impact of the aroma, the chocolate orange ball is not present. I do taste some orange peel zest, followed by a watery nitro stout flavor. There’s a tanginess to the finish and orange notes are present the whole way through.

Mouthfeel: Perfectly creamy and slightly watery although nitrogenated.

Overall: I love the idea of this beer, it’s a very unique flavor that works well with a stout, maybe just not a nitro stout. The chocolate is the big downfall, or should I say lack of chocolate. The orange is almost perfect throughout but I taste more nitro metallic notes than chocolate.


On a side note, I don’t know if I’ll be back on NBS today or not, I have two more new beers but I might save one of them for
NBS #666. The other beer is a bomber that I’m so excited to try that I don’t want to open it.

 

That’s a great looking can, I’d buy it on looks alone.

 

Good morning all !! I was just enjoying my first cup of Peets when I got called into work. As a an old ER Nurse I am used to it and I can't complain about what I get paid for dropping everything and going in for 4 hours but..... Oh my. I have a 12 ounce barrel aged bottle of stout from Norway that is going to have to wait until this afternoon. Enjoy your Sunday. Review to follow.

 

I'm gonna have to update this review at a later time because it's too dark outside to get what I consider my best read on the color (even holding the glass up to the window) and my pollen stuffed nose isn't quite getting all the scents in there. Anyway, here goes . . .

Score 3.79
look: 3.75 | aroma: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Attractive very dark color with tan cap and lacing.

Aroma of clean coffee with a touch of sweetness and something slightly floral in the background.

Taste on entry is clearly coffee forward that is dry rather than sweet and rather nice. This is a lighter type of coffee with bright acidity and a clean flavor that has some depth without being heavy. Roasted caramel malt is subdued and seems to serve primarily as a carrier for the coffee.

Texture is medium and a good deal lighter than I was expecting though that may be by design to complement the style of coffee used.

Overall it's an interesting though relatively unremarkable brew.

 

Happy New Beer Sunday everyone! In regards to cooking, usually I keep things simple and tend to cook the same few meals over and over. Recently I have been trying to venture out to cooking new (but still simple) dishes. I'm currently trying to make various German dishes and today I made Weißwurst with Sauerkraut, which pairs well with the beer I have for this Sunday: a Weißbier called "Heimat" from the Bier Fabrik.



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

The aroma is citrus fruits, sweet malt, herbal/hoppy,a bit creamy and a bit alcoholic.

The taste is quite sweet and malty at first that slowly gives way to a more citrus-y, hoppy, herbal flavor that eventually ends with a creamy finish. There is also a slight taste of soap that maybe comes from the hops? It's not unpleasent, just a bit different.

The mouthfeel is quite full thanks to all the yeast in the glass.

Overall this is an interesting Weißbier. It's one of the heavier Weißbiers that I have had and has made me quite full. It's easy to drink and has lots of interesting flavors that seem to balance each other out nicely. The only thing that I don't love about this beer is the mysterious soapy taste that it has, although it is quite subtle. Hopefully everyone else is enjoying a new beer and eating some tasty food on this fine Sunday!

 

Happy New Atwater Brewery Beer Sunday (Week 664)!

My hobbies, as delineated on my business card (when I have them), read: "Pittsburgh Sports Fan, Movie Buff, Beer Pest". I find that my hobbies interact pretty well since beer & sports is a natural; I love when I either sneak beer into or buy it at the movies; the only weak link is movies about sports. When they are good, they are fantastic & memorable, but it just does not happen often enough. I also like to read, especially mystery/detective/crime/police procedurals/noir fiction & Film Noir is my favorite genre of movie. My late Pops referred to the fellow in the upper L of my avatar as "pseudo-Great Uncle Raymond". My degree in English Literature from Pitt came with a Film Studies Certificate!

Today, I will be indulging my love of beer by delving into a buncha beers from Atwater Brewery of Detroit, MI. I am very familiar with them & they are akin to movies about sports - hit or miss, but the hits are quite good while the misses hover just out of drain pour territory (I NEVER do that, no matter how putrid, unless it is clearly gone).

Gotta start somewhere, so it might as well be in support of The CANQuest (tm):
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/15280/170829/?ba=woodychandler#review


Okay, kids, I've had my Wheaties this morning so now it is off to indulge one of my hobbies & report back later on my progress! TTFN.

 

Good morning New BSers! Thank you, @lordofthewiens, for starting today's thread! Funny you should mention cooking - yesterday on the drive back from SAT, I told Mrs. Lizard that this week I was going to make the hot and sour soup I've been planning, since I found the white pepper I needed at the HEB off 281 and Blanco. Mrs.Lizard is an excellent cook, particularly if you like to eat dead cows. I, however, prefer to get my protein from dinosaurian descendants, beans, or tofu, with an occasional lamb or goat in the rotation. Generally speaking, the smell of cooking beef makes me nauseous: while, I must admit, about four time a year I like a good filet mignon.
I came back form this trip resolved to force Mrs. Lizard to eat healthier AND to get her started exercising - good luck to me!

Anyway, today's New Breakfast Beer is:




$ 19.07 (Including tax)/bomber ($ 0.867/oz) – I can’t locate the sales slip so I have to guess at the tax rate – between 6% and 7%.
Stored on shelf in store, at 42 degrees in my reefer. Served at 58 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Aroma – Maple, bourbon, and oak.
Head – None. While the brew is aggressively poured, a five mm fizzy tan head is formed but entirely disappears by the end of the pour, leaving neither ring nor layer. Effervescence produces a slowly growing ring. The lack of head is visually disappointing but is not unexpected for the style.
Lacing – None.
Body – While pouring, the brew is a dirty brown. In the glass it is dark brown/black and opaque. Effervescence is continually present. Chill haze is present.
Flavor – Begins sweet and sticky with a definite maple taste. Neither hop bitterness nor flavors are detected. There is a mild aftertaste of bourbon, but the alcohol sneaks in through toward the end. There is a definite gastric burn followed by maple flavored belches. There is also neither distinct malt taste nor any fruitiness found.
Palate – Full, syrupy, soft carbonation.
\
Impression: I’m a sucker for brews made with maple or rye. This is definitely loaded with maple goodness. The bourbon seems somewhat of an afterthought. When half-way through the first snifter, an amber hue is evident as the chill haze has dissipated. I kind of think this was brewed to compete with Founder’s CBS. If so, it succeeds.

Appearance 4.25, Aroma 5, Flavor 4.5, Palate 4.5, Overall 4.5. Rating 4.61, rDev +8.5%.

I must admit, this is the best non-IPA brew Southern Tier has come up with since Plum Noir.

 

IMHO, nurses are overworked and under paid.

 

Nice opening Doc and I agree @utopiajane and Mr. @Greywulfken sometimes make me salivate, as well as many others. I also do 90% of dinners, but what I love most is cooking breakfast. Actually I may like the smell and the warming feeling of walking into the house on a cold day with a nice chilli or pot roast in the crockpot. Makes that beer taste even better. Sorry back to beer.

Poured near room temperature, not sure when it was canned. Pours a very dark brown with a solid finger and a half sticky light brown head, that leaves some thin wisps of lace as it settles fairly quickly into just some random bubbles. 4

Smell is dry coffee grounds, vanilla bean, cocoa nibs, and toffee. 4

Taste follows coffee, milk chocolate, vanilla, and Heath bar. 4

Mouthfeel is about medium, gentle carbonation, actually not overly dry for this type of beer, and drinks very easy at 9.3% ABV. 4.25

Overall this is a very nice coffee beer, maybe a tad one dimensional, but still very tasty. I will be trying to get more of this. Only a 35 minute ride to the brewery.

 

How odd - I usually eat whatever's available with the drink!

 

(Note: would like to give sincere thanks to @LeperJim for the graphic in my previous post)

Ok, we will get to one new beer this AM, and then we have a day planned with the family, including a play and dinner. After we return, we'll see if we have a night cap in us.

But in the now, we are having a DFH IPA, one that used to be called Post Boil IPA, but they have re-named/re-branded it Liquid Truth Serum. As you can guess or learn from clicking the links, this beer has its hops (Calypso, Warrior, and Simcoe are billed - but there might be others) post boil. This beer still clocks in with 65 IBUs, however.

The GF ordered this at the brewpub on Friday, and I got a couple sips, but I knew I was saving it for NBS - so I stuck with some other DFH beers I enjoy. Our friends also ordered this beer, and all ordered a second pour. I found it to be a citrusy beer with decent effervescence in those coupe sips. Let's see how the bottle, dated 10/6, does at replicating my impressions.


The beer pours into my glass just a little darker that it seemed in the brewpub - maybe just a half shade more amber. It's still a light golden overall, with a moderate haze. The head is mildly soapy and does leave some swaths of lace.

The nose is citrus-heavy but does remind me of a good old-fashioned west-coast IPA. There's a fresh green pine lingering in the pith and flesh of white grapefruit, with a bit of lemon zest to increase the fruitiness. There might be the slightest bit of dankness in some whiffs, as well.

This beer has a slightly prickly carbonation on a somewhat clean feel, at least initially. There's still a decent bitterness that seems to cling to my palate and hold on so that it feels a little weighed down by the back end of the taste. Overall, it's still no worse that medium in body.

The flavors seem more heavily weighted towards grapefruit - especially in the beginning of the taste. It's not juicy, but the flesh and pith of grapefruit combine - as if someone just threw a whole grapefruit in the juicer instead of peeling it first. I'm going to go with a slightly grassy note - like green reed grass that hasn't started browning but hasn't seen rain in a few weeks - gets mixed in by mid taste.

The bitterness has caught on now, and this decidely does not fit a more gentle low IBU beer profile to me. The back end is where the hop pine comes out - but not in an overpowering way. The citrus seems to clear out to allow this to come through, and it seems to combine with a thick, flaky cracker malt profile to lead you out of the main taste. The lingering note is that grapefruit and pith, which apparently only stepped aside, but are still hanging out.

Overall, I really am digging this beer. Like I said on Friday, it does still remind me a little of an Ocelot beer, though the carbonation is more aggressive/sharp. The bitterness is probably also a little stronger and lingers a little longer (in fact, the bottle seems more bitter - but I only had a couple sips Friday). I wouldn't go into it thinking this is DFH doing a NE IPA, at least.

 

Obviously I don't know what German food sources are available to you in CA, but, after eating "authentic" German cooking in various cities around the country, I've found that the German foods available from the Deutsche Kuche brand at Aldi's (A Germany-based chain in the US) is the closest to what you'll get in Deutschland.

 

Yeah thank you for the tips, I'm not sure where to get German food in California either. I'm actually living in Germany at the moment but from California, and that's why my location on beer advocate is California. I'll have to check out Aldi when I'm back in California, when I left there weren't any open there but now there are. It'll be interesting to see.