New Beer Sunday (Week 665)

Another 12 oz can and another beer for the NBS BIF #6, this one is from the box I won in @Dragginballs76’s LIF, thanks man! Now up Burial Hawkbill, one of the better non Black IPAs I’ve had with El Dorado hops.

4.11/5 rDev -1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thank you Dragginballs76 for this
12 oz can poured into a teku

A- A slightly hazy golden straw color with a two finger white head.

S- Citrus, mango, some stone fruits, tropical fruits, hints of pale malts, touch of floral hops.

T- Citrus, some mango, stone fruits, floral, touch of rye, hints of wet grass.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A solid IPA and one of the more enjoyable IPAs I’ve had with El Dorado hops

Cheers!

 

This will be an odd Thanksgiving for me, Mom says she isn't cooking this year, her and Dad will be eating a casino buffet somewhere. My sister will be taking her family to Hilton Head, my sons are with their mom this year, my wife is in Tampa with her daughter and mom. Mom said she'd rather spend the time in front of a slot machine than cooking a big meal when everyone is out of town anyway, I believe I'll take the drive to Tampa and join my wife for a few days if I can get one of the neighbors to tend the dogs while I go. Otherwise I'll just stay home and be thankful I have good beer to keep me company!
I haven't converted any family yet but Dad has atleast had a few of the weird beers I enjoy and even took a couple home with him awhile back. I have created a monster in my best friend of 35 years though as he now enjoys craft, now just to get him away from serving in frosted glasses.....
Anyway on to today's first beer.

Pours a dark brown/mahogany bordering black with a finger of tan head, no light coming through this one.
Smells of dark chocolate, coffee, dark fruits, tobacco.
Taste follows for me, dark roasted coffee, chocolate, roasted malt, tobacco, mild pepper. Getting a smoky/oaky taste in there too.
Feels pretty full bodied but not quite chewy. Good carb level. The taste lingers nicely.

 

Over the years I have converted one friend and my wife into beer geeks. I raised our two kids to be beer nerds. My friend got even with me and got me hooked on single malt scotch so he cost me a small fortune. On the flip side all too many family members, most of whom will descend upon my house for Thanksgiving, drink and serve Bud and Coors at their homes. However, when they come to my home they want to try all the craft beer that I have. So being the petty fuck that I am my fridge contains nothing special when they come over. Mind you I do not stock up on AAL's, just readily available beer. That being said onto DFH Oak Aged Vanilla World Wide Stout.

Pours pitch black with a well retained thin ring of tan head that leaves spots of lacing. Smells of oak, bourbon, vanilla and roasted malts. Tastes of vanilla, dark chocolate, molasses, oak, bourbon, roasted malts, pepper and a very slight metallic taste on the finish. Medium bodied, actually thinner than I anticipated, lightly carbonated and a slightly dry finish.

 

New "beer" #2. Quotes are intentional. You'll see.

Hornswoggler with Peanut Butter Cups - The Veil
Chocolate Milk Stout - 7% abv
Canned 10/31/17 (19 days ago)
Score: 4.16 (-1% rDev)



L - freaking weird. Looks like no beer I've ever seen. The beer pours with almost no head, then erupts like a volcano with giant brown bubbles a few seconds later. A muddy brown diarrhea-like trickle continues to seep from the can for several minutes. Settles into a sludgy brown layer above a pitch black body.



S - peanut butter and milk chocolate - check. Also getting a little booze.

T - very sweet. Tastes like an adult milkshake that's been allowed to warm up and melt. Chocolate comes out more than the peanut butter.

F - again, weird. When your lips breach the muddy brown top layer, it doesn't even feel like a beer...more like a pudding. Then you reach the actual liquid, which is incredibly high carb. It continues to fizz in your mouth like Pop Rocks for several seconds. I don't know what to make of it.

O - I really don't know how to score this. It's so strange in every category. I actually like it though, as it reminds me of the experience someone might have after drinking a new type of alcohol for the first time. Maybe I should track down some Absinthe

 

With me, I usually keep any "beer thoughts" to myself, so people really have to directly ask me a question in order for me to even talk about it. I more-or-less don't like being labeled "the beer guy." My in-laws have been really nice to me - occasionally buying things like 750s of St Bernardus 12 to open when I'm eating at their place. They both are genuinely interested in trying these things... even if it's just a momentary diversion from red wine.

Regarding my wife's comment. She was basically being dramatic when she said it. She's primarily a Bud drinker, but she likes some (but definitely not all) of the stuff that I buy. She's never even been the type to finish her beer. Always drinks about half a can and leaves the rest to sit for the night. She's does that with every beverage though. If I ever take that last swig from her drink that's been sitting there for hours, she will inevitably come back to me annoyed asking why I finished her drink... but if I don't take that swig, I just end up throwing it out in the morning.

The reason why I "ruined beer for her" is due to relationships with the beverage. Beer is obviously important to me, and she's somewhat annoyed by this importance. Truth is, she has every right to think that. In not caring about beer (as long it's cold enough), she has a healthier relationship to it than I do, but I'm the type of person that obsesses about things. I gotta get to work on my garage, but before I do that, I need to make a beer post here so I can tell other people my thoughts on a beverage I'm drinking.

 

Welp, my 2nd day of 9 day vacation.
Staycation at first as I leave for points south on Tuesday.
You know, llamas, turkey, family and such.

Now onto the business at hand.
A customer's gift from last weekend.
Thanks Floyd!
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28383/309208/




10/25/17 canning.
Moderate pour yields a one inch creamy white head over a cloudy opaque body with sticky lacing. Head is down to a ring in a few minutes. Nose of candied tropical fruit, pineapple, tangerine. Taste mirrors nose with a slight citrus pith bitter finish. Feel is carb deficient as per normal with these juice bombs. Overall, Is it too much to ask for a properly carbed NEIPA?

3.96/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

 

You know I've been gearing up for such a grand occasion.

 

Budweiser 1933 Repeal Reserve Amber Lager a very long name for a pretty good beer. It looks just about how one expects an Amber Lager to look and has a thick white head, There is a toasty aroma. The taste is malty and a bit sweet. There is a small hop bite in the finish. Overall a nice beer and literally a better Budweiser. This beer sells for $7.99 a 6 pack. At that price I can also buy Yuengling Traditional Lager and Saranac Adirondack Amber Lager. The Budweiser 1933 and the Yuengling are a toss up. The Saranac is a better beer than either one by a good margin.

 

I agree with you 100%. I took it last year. In fact it wasn't just the best brewery tour but the best factory tour of any kind I've ever taken. The 2ond best was Sierra Nevada in Chico about 5 years ago.

 

Is it seriously mid November already? Sad that the year has disappeared, but happy for one of my favorite holidays coming up this week. Also glad to see #NBS666 draw near.

So I think I am back in picture business....let's see..



Yep, looking good now with this Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break

4.19/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Sassy copper foamy head masks for just a moment what eventually unfolds as a massively lactose leaning sweet coffee nose, capped off by more of a cream influence. Taste begins with that same sweetness, leans slightly to coffee before something reminiscent of flaky, dry Mexican pastries takes over. I think the spice plays out much more in the throat than the taste, but aside from that sneaky hint of heat, the body and finish is for the most part, pretty creamy.

 

Stony Creek Ruffled Feathers IPA from Connecticut. It is 6.2% ABV and is their variation on the so-called New England IPA. This beer was just released in mid-October so it is a new beer on the market.

It has the murkiness and juicy tone of a New England IPA as well as the citrus, tropical fruit, and pine aromas. Also a kind of burnt peat moss character. Decent enough.

 

My family is pretty strongly against drinking, in general. Since my girlfriend and I bought a home this fall my beer habits are a little more up front with the family. However, I still don't drink in front of them. My girlfriend is not a beer geek either, but she is very supportive of my habit. Her family sees my beers as either dark or light. I highly doubt I drink around my family this week, and if I drink around her family it will be very little. Being around family outweighs drinking this week easily.

With that said onto a new beer.



3.7/5 rDev -14.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

A: Beer poured a dark black body with a nice mocha colored head. A small ring of head and lacing lingered while drinking.

S: Smelled of coffee at first pour. Also picked up chocolate in the beginning. As the beer warmed the pepper aroma became more pronouced.

T: The spice kick was too much for my personal preference. I wish the chocolate and coffee that I first smelled had a stronger taste.

M: A bit thin compared to other stouts. However, the beer kept a nice carbonation while drinking.

O: Not usually a spicy beer fan. The beer had to much pepper feel to it. If the pepper was dialed back some the beer would have been better, in my opinion.

 

New beer #3. Thanks @larryi86 !

Torrent 4.2 - 2SP
IPA - 4.2% abv
Canned 10/25/17 (25 days ago)
Score: 3.58 (-6.8% rDev)



L - massive 4-finger head erupts atop a translucent orange body.

S - green onion, dirt, cauliflower. Vegetal AF.

T - dirt-forward. Getting that cauliflower on the taste too. A tinge of butter. Semi-sweet middle. Low bitterness.

F - Highly carbed. Medium-light body.

O - For 4% abv this has a ton of flavor in it. Not necessarily my favorite flavors, but still, impressive.

 

The 'bonus' of the Sierra Nevada Mills River facility is that it is absolutely gorgeous! They obviously did not spare any expense in putting that place together. Last Thursday it was a little chilly but my wife and I walked around the outdoor bar area and it was very well put together. There was a stage for a band. Very nicely done landscaping and even a sand 'pit' area for the kids to amuse themselves while mom and dad drink a beer or two. We also went for a short walk in the wooded area and saw some wild turkeys (which got me thinking about the upcoming Thanksgiving). I ate two meals in the tap room (a dinner and a lunch) and both meals were very, very good!! Even a person who was not really into craft beer would enjoy a visit to the Sierra Nevada Tap Room/Restaurant/Outdoor Bar.

Cheers!

@sierranevadabill

 

Thank you. I don't mean to make anyone else sound like they are fake, thats not what I meant. I do love the beer advocate community. I don't do "social media" I don't even have Facebook, but I know how message boards work and BA has less vitriol than most as proved daily here.