New Beer Sunday (Week 666)

Nice start, @lordofthewiens and welcome all! Of course you can just do a regular NBS post, or you can liven it up, because...


I had a devil of a time finding something for this day, but as luck would have it, I have a beer for the theme after all...

(Thanks, @LeperJim)

 

And here would have been a perfect chance to pop open Avery's Mephistopheles but that happily isn't a new beer to me, since last Christmas. Instead, I think I'll fight back against the Numbered Beast after work tonight with my first dose of Even More Jesus...

 

Cheers you all! In all these years I have found a terrific way to focus my attention on the jovial, to bust a convivial move, to extol and and to satisfy a basic primal urge to taste beer. It's my Month of Dark Beers Sunday. And this week is number 666 for the thread. Count up the years and that's a quite a few and a good many years.

Today I have Mocha Merlin from Firestone Walker.



Pours the darkest brown with ruby, rust and honey gold hues. creamy head of milk chocolate colored foam that dwindles as it lasts forever and clings all the way down. Nose is mellow, medium roast coffee. A touch of milk creamy chocolate. Hops are peppery and tickle the nose. Mellow earth. Drinks so smooth and creamy. The peppery breath from hops finishes the rustic taste of the oats with all that smooth coffee flavor. Doesn't really taste like chocolate though and I am glad because I like the taste of the oats. No caramel and nothing too burnt or bitter for the oatmeal stout. Even the coffee is not too dark or too robust. In fact, the coffee stands out as much as it does because it's a very good oatmeal stout. You can even taste the hop pepper it's so light. The coffee accents the finish instead of hop bitterness. Excellent, soft velvety finish with no astringency.

Cheers you all and Happy New Beer Sunday!

 

Mornin’ NBSers with special heads up to folks who like beers that drink a lot like a sparkling white wine. Also a thanks to @lordofthewiens for his start for Thread 666.

The weather here today is expected to be slightly cloudy and breezy with the high temp in the forties and so a bit cooler than the last few days. Errands and chores today will keep me fairly well occupied from breakfast until the Eagles game begins this afternoon, but I do expect to peek in once and a while to see how the thread is developing and expect to be back this evening with a beer that will bring a touch of joviality to this NBS #666.

This morning’s new beer is the Ommegang Pale Sour which I started while prepping the ingredients for a nice, filling breakfast using a new recipe I’ve not tried before for a Mediterranean style Frittata. What’s mostly new to me with this Frittata is the use of some pitted olives, some olive oil for cooking, along with some feta cheese and chopped basil (from one of those “fresh” packets at the local grocery store). There’s also lots of diced red pepper and chopped onion.

As usual my review of the beer, subject to revision until the beer is finished, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/42/276886/?ba=drtth#review

Poured into my Devil () tulip glass, the 2” snow white head and the aromas and flavors make it clear that this is a nicely balanced beer with with nothing to fear from the acidic lemony tartness that is well controlled by the sweetness contributed by some crackery malt. It drinks quite easily and I’d be happy to have another, especially since I expect it to pair very will with the rich fattiness of the Frittata when that is fully browned and ready to eat. Indeed I’m looking forward to the changes in flavor profiles that both the Frittata and this Pale Sour will have on each other. (Especially since it seems to be passing the test of quality created by using the Devil glass. )

Cheers, all!

 

Well, I had a Devil of a time finding an apt subject but there's an absence of demonic influences around here. So I grabbed blindly from the front of the fridge . . .





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

Very attractive deep gold color with white cap and lace.

Aroma of of floral, piney hops with a touch of citrus on a base of rich, slightly bready malt.

Taste on entry is is a goodly measure of malt with hops following so quickly they almost seem to arrive together. Almost, but not quite with malt by a nose. Brewer describes a "less than aggressive hop flavor provided by All American Cascade hops". I'll go along with that, the hop flavor is fully present without being assertive with malt carrying everything along into the aftertaste. Simple enough flavors yet woven together with complexity. Based on aroma, color and flavor I suspect some Pilsner malt is being used but that hasn't been confirmed.

Solid medium texture with balancing carbonation.

Brewer describes this an an entry level Pale Ale specifically designed to accompany food without overcoming any dish. This is a comparatively simple, flavorful brew that will complement food and won't strip enamel from your teeth.

 

New Strong Ale Sunday (Week 666)
The Devil sits down by The Abyss with snifter in his hand,
He takes a sip, observing how things haven't gone as planned,
Prohibition was his work, a nation's thirst his curse,
But we fought back and finally won to have his law reversed.
And then old Satan plagued us with AAL's like Miller Lite,
Flawless fizzy wastes of yeast, thin taste, and body slight.
And yet again we triumphed with a blessing called Craft Beer,
A movement that makes Beelzebub react with mortal fear.
We share our love of finest brewing, that's no Devil's Tricks.
Welcome once again, it's New Beer Sunday 666

Insofar as Satan is at least a Double Bastard, and that Hell is supposed to be filled with acrid smoke, as is this beer, I figured this one would be perfect. Add to that I received it from our own @Wasatch Double Bastard Bigger, Longer, Uncut. DB aged in Islay Whisky barrels.

Dark and burnt caramel lead a roasty parade of extreme aromas, followed closely by deep peaty smoke and cherry pipe tobacco, grapefruit pith, and herbal bitter.

Bitter smoke is the star in this full flavored+ blast of Hellish intensity. Dark and burnt caramel try to rescue things from fire and brimstone, but cannot. All the roasty goodness dark malt is capable of throwing are here, and even though the peaty smoke notes dominate, all other flavors participate. Even a honey note comes to the fore as it warms from cellar to room temp. Sip ends with a monstrous citrus bitter roast herbal crest of flavors.

Low/med. carb., highly viscous, full bodied+, and finish that is extreme lingering smoke.

Love me the most full flavored food and drink possible to experience, so this is something I enjoy. YMMV.

Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

 

Good morning, all, and Happy NBS 666! Thanks, gents, for the great opening to today's festivities. I've been wracking my brain trying to come up with a few suitable puns for the occasion, but I seem to be coming up empty. In that vein, I She'ol continue without any unnecessary frivolity. I came upon my new beer for today quite by accident. I had dismissed out of hand the idea of reviewing Surly Pentagram, a no-brainer except for the un-Godly expense. However, I chanced upon the perfect candidate while browsing the singles cooler at Savor Growl in Columbus last month: Diabolical, from North Peak Brewing, Traverse City, TSUN. This unfiltered and dry-hopped (with Chinook and Cascade) American IPA boasts 6.66% ABV and 66.6 IBU. What could possibly go wrong? It's kind of like the horses I used to bet on. It puts up a good race, but lags at the finish. The heavy malt sweetness tends to be overpowering, and there is a very unpleasant tongue-coating resiny and oily aftertaste that hangs on forever. On the plus side, it's a hell of a lot cheaper than Pentagram.



3.57/5 (rDev -3%)
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5
Review here.

 

None so devilish as those who cling to God's coattails to sanctify evil acts.

 

Good morning New BSers! Blessings upon @lordofthewiens for today's start and to @cjgiant for today's pitchfork prodding.



$ 2.19 (Including tax)/12 oz bottle ($ 0.177/oz) at Meijers, Wyoming, MI.
08/09/2017 bottle stored in store cooler then in my 42 degree reefer. Served at 42 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Aroma – Smells fresh and floral-hoppy.
Head – Large (Maximum five cm, aggressive pour), off white, low density froth, average retention time, diminishing to an irregular nine to fourteen mm ring fed by extremely tiny bubbles of effervescence and a heap partial layer.
Lacing – Excellent. Wide bands of tiny to small bubbles.
Body – Dark orange, chill haze, very tiny-bubbled effervescence.
Flavor – Bitter with a hint of citrus but mostly just bitter. No malt, no alcohol, no diacetyl. Bitterness has a devilishly long hang time.
Palate – Medium, watery tending toward oily, soft carbonation.
Impression: At three months old it’s got nothing going for it but appearance and aroma, otherwise a pretty average brew.

Appearance 4, Aroma 4, Flavor 3, Palate 3.5, Overall 3.5. Rating 3.45, rDev - 6.3%.

@dcotom beat me at posting this, what with the 66.6 IBUs and the 6.66% ABV, but just how diabolical is this beer? Well, as I was saving my review, I found I had reviewed it back on 7/10/15. Talk about deja vu. Or maybe there was a doppelganger involved. Either way, I hope to never experience this beer again!

Oh, the review from 7/10/15:

Bottled on 5/11/15 at 40 degrees into shaker
Aroma of pine and some citrus
Head average (four cm, aggressive pour), off white, frothy, diminishes to eight mm frothy head
Lacing fair – partial curtains and some islands of tiny to medium bubbles
Body orange, clear
Flavor slightly piney, slightly bitter; no malt, no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate medium, watery, soft carbonation

Appearance 3.5, Aroma 3.25, Flavor 4, Palate 4, Overall 3.5. Rating 3.69, rDev +0.3%.

So I guess I'll be back later with a TRUE NBS offering, hopefully not burnt.

 

You wearing this:


Yes, yes it does!!

I may get to Arabicadabra later today myself, I'll have to compare notes like you did with The Implication, which as I recall was one of the more recent Aslin beers that stood out from the rest of the releases I piled up in the past months. I need to get to some releases here soon, as I've finally dwindled my stock.

I'll also throw in an extra "like" of @cavedave's poem - like old times

 

Hop skewer, Barn Town brewing

Pours opaque hazy orange with a quickly dissipating white head.
The aroma is very juicy,I'm getting orange grapefruit and more fruit notes.
This is a juice bomb IPA, the malt is crackery, but plays more in the background with the amazing juicy hoppiness. It starts off very sweet with tons of orange, pineapple, and grapefruit. The malt is very faint, but present. Then it finishes with a pulpy finish.
The mouthfeel is thick and coating. I honestly expect a 6% IPA to be quite a bit lighter, but it really works well here.
Overall, this is just a phenomenal beer. I'm just hoping barntown starts distributing, I'm getting sick of draft and growler prices.
4.5/5
This brewery has been really killing it lately. I need to get in here more.

 

A-A very dark black with a decent head and a nice distinctive lacing.
A-Subtle bourbon coconut, vanilla, and chocolate hints.
T-Very boozy with a mix of bourbon, coconut and vanilla.
M-A light stout with a smooth feel but a big kick.
O-A decent beer but slightly off balance with the ingredients.

 

Here’s your legendary Bourbon County Pentagram from Day of the Dark 2015...I had it in my DotD family album. It’ll be bouncing around cyber space for eternity...

 

Poured near room temperature into a Magnify Snulip glass and got a spectacular 2 plus finger head that has excellent retention and leaves very nice thin layers of lace. 4.5

Smell is chocolate cake, cinnamon, vanilla bean, dry coffee grounds, cayenne peppers, and toffee. 4.5

Taste follows dark fudge, cinnamon, coffee, toffee, vanilla, and just little heat from the spicy peppers in the slightly warming finish. 4.5

Mouthfeel is definitely larger than medium, very gentle carbonation, maybe a little dry, and dangerously approachable for 10.5 % ABV. 4.5

Overall I always despise the price of Evil Twin, but they brew some of the tastiest stouts on the planet, so I won't stop purchasing! World class again. 4.5

 

Let’s Party!!

Today’s beer is one that was gifted to me from a friend. It is from a brewery called LIC Beer Project (LIC = Long Island City which is a neighborhood of Queens - NYC) and the brand is Party Crasher.

I have never heard about LIC Beer Project so I went to their website to learn more:

http://licbeerproject.com/

From that website: “LIC Beer Project is a collaborative journey of insight, experience, travel, education, and the goal to achieve a beer we have yet to discover. Here at LIC Beer Project we will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the slaves of the ordinary. Join the odyssey……”

Well, I guess that this is an interesting mission statement?

The best that I could learn about Party Crasher is from the BA description on this beer: “Double dry hopped IPA featuring Citra & Mosaic.” I just got done brewing a beer that features Citra and Mosaic so this beer looks exciting to me.

Let’s drink!

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

Pours a hazy straw color with a BIG fluffy white head.

Aroma:

This first thing I pick up is tropical fruits aromas but there is some citrus there as well.

Taste:

The flavors sort of follow the nose: there is indeed tropical fruit flavors and some citrus but there is also an aspect of dank as well. A complex flavor profile.

Mouthfeel:

Light/medium bodied with a dry-ish finish.

Overall:

This is a very good IPA! I found it to be a very tasty and refreshing beer.

Cheers to LIC Beer Project!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH @TongoRad

 

Good morning NBS and thanks to the team for this 666 get together. @lordofthewiens the intro as always thought provoking and fun. Raised Roman Catholic, and born 1/2 French Canadian the twist and turns of belief and faith are always an interesting roller coaster.
Today our offering for this week is from those masters of Nordic alchemy Haandbryggeriet, Dark force, a big yet delicate Imperial Stout, dances across the palate, excellent flavors and mostly wheat which has its own textural quality.
Cheers


Dark Force

HaandBryggeriet
Russian Imperial Stout / 9.00% ABV

3.92/5 rDev -1% | Score: 3.96
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle marked batch number 572 into the test glass, served at cellar temp of 54 deg.
A - Dark all light is lost in there, a rapid almost effervescent carbonation feeds the cap. Quick to dissipate the carbonation continues to feed upward in a champagne fashion.
S - Roast grains, but delicate. Elements include burnt sugar, alcohol driven by a bit of mint. (really like that part) Raspberry, a bit of bakers chocolate, and some anise.
T - More cocoa than the aromatics let on, that hint of anise and mint blend well with a bit of tobacco, ripe blackberry, and surprisingly a thin band of smoked meat.
M - Not a hefty offering, body is medium, the carbonation is prickly and quite effective moving that hint of oily texture through. The linger is forever, sweet flavors accentuated by alcohol evaporation feeling.
O - A double Wheat Stout, easy on the palate and quite flavorful. The body is deceiving, comes across as thin but incredibly rich, dances across the palate and leaves traces for what feels like weeks. Worth the effort

 

My first ever go-round with Sagefight. Pretty classic example of the style.