New Beer Sunday (Week 666)

A : Dark brown. More reddish if held up to light.
S: Bourbon mostly
T: Unfortunately I'm not much familiar with the base style of beer, brown ale. My impression of this is that the base beer is malty, dry, a little medicinal and a bit of a metallic finish that lingers. Not at all hoppy. Hint of chocolate and coffee. Add to this the bourbon flavor, which is pretty forward in the taste profile. Hint of smokiness in the bourbon but not really that charcoal flavor of bourbon. It's pretty good but not amazing or anything.
F: medium body. Nice mouthfeel.

Overall I like it but don't love it. It's a. If bottle and I could stick to this all night and still have leftover tomorrow. But I think after I finish this glass I'd rather switch to something else for a change of pace.

 

Hello friends, old and new. Hell of a nice day here in Michigan, so I've got the grill fired up to cook some steaks, burgers, and brined Greek chicken. Mmmmm...

Keeping me company is a North Loop Duo DIPA from Minnesota:



Excellent balance. Big pine nose, solid malt backbone, and bitter bite late. Fairly long, bitter finish. Perfect mouthfeel. Nice aggressively hopped DIPA.

Cheers!

 

Thanks Jeff! I just don't feel that I taste what others describe when drinking the same beer. It may have something to do with growing up in south Florida in the early 70's.........

 

Alright, never posted in the NBS forum before (at least I don't think so). So, given our theme (and since SATAN is the reason for the season, right? Hee)... here we go. One 2017 Revolution Deth's Tar bourbon barrel aged imperial stout, to order. Straight from the can, since this is essentially complex, tasty, but boozy motor oil for the devil. Overall, a 4.45 for my taste. I like the variants better (Cafe, Cherries, Plum). Cheers!

 

Me: hey, while you're at the store if you want to grab something for me to grill for dinner I'd be happy to do that.
Her, upon returning: since you offered, I thought I'd get enough food for us to eat all week.

I'm going to be out here a while.

My new friend is Happy Little Trees from Transient, who I currently have a massive beer crush on.



Grapefruit and pineapple nose. Juice bomb, very light malt and almost no bitterness. Got dang that's tasty. Must have been dry hopping here, though not advertised. Great mouthfeel.

 

A very nice homage to Edgar Allen Poe in his Baltimore incarnation.

 

Been wanting to try this one for a while. Took a chance despite it likely being past its prime (couldn't find a date code) because it was on clearance. Minus my returns, the 6-pack cost <$5. Still drinking quite nicely so worth double the purchase price.



P.S. If I'd known today's NBS was #666 I'd have purchased Duvel or some other devil-related beer.

 

Onto a Oddstory Saison D'Historie, a very nice Saison from Nashville courtesy of my Niece. Cheers!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/48194/309843/?ba=cindyjeffsmith#review

 

Switching gears to some Trillwater thanks to @smanson56!
4.38/5 rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thank you smanson56 for this
750 ml bottle, dated 5/17/17, poured into a teku

A- A slightly hazy golden copper with a two finger white head

S- Lemons, some herbal tea, touch of sea salt, touch of white wine, hints of tropical hops, some wheat, touch of musty funk.

T- Sour lemons, some musty funk, touch of sea salt, hints of wine grapes, some herbal tea:

M- Smooth, light body, dry.

O- A solid sour, reminds me of Gose Gone Wild. Worth seeking out if you can find it.

Cheers!

 

Happy Sunday NBS 666 players. Hope everyone had a nice turkey day as well. Rather cold here on the island with the feel of an oncoming winter in the air. Gave up on fighting the leaves and have the pros scheduled for a fall cleanup and thus I did absolutely nothing but watch football all day. Jets keep getting screwed on calls even thou they really beat themselves today.

I don't have any beast themed beers for today so I figured I would go with a beer that I'm actually a bit afraid of trying. My new beer today is Gammy's special recipe, some sort of strong ale brewed with sweet potato and marshmallows, from Bellport Brewing here on the island. It's also my first beer from this brewery. While I'm not a very picky eater I am not a big fan of sweet potatoes. Anyway, the brew checks in at 9% abv with no bottle date.

The pour is a murky off-brown/tea color. Moderate carbonation with a fast white head. Holiday spices on the nose with cinnamon dominating. The drinking carries right over from the nose with that big holiday spice flavor hitting right upfront. A smooth flow with a sweet finish. Have I mentioned cinnamon yet? It's really strong with additional notes of vanilla, caramel, and sugars. The mouth feel is light/moderate and even a bit watery at times. The sweet potatoes is really non-existent and I'm assuming the marshmallow is the sweet sugary finish but it's not easily identified as advertised.

Overall, just not very good. It really just lacks depth and all those flavors just don't show up. It's really just a cinnamon holiday strong ale. I'm gonna go with a 3 on this one players,

 

On this particular NBS, a rare second offering, maybe influenced by the theme, I offer
Confluence from Allagash, a delightful Brett influenced beer. Thanks as always NBS and cheers.

Allagash Confluence Ale

Allagash Brewing Company
Belgian Strong Pale Ale / 7.50% ABV

4.1/5 rDev +1.5% | Score: 4.04
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured the 2017 version into the test glass.
A - Excellent clarity, steady marauding carbonation rises to support a pillow of a white cap
S - Dusty Brett, semi sweet grain, apricot, warm sourdough rising, honey and Wow what a nose.
T - As complex as the aromatics let on. Warm toast smeared with orange blossom honey, some white pepper, cheese rime,
a bit of brett dustiness. Great apricot, orange reduction, and the slightest bit of pineapple.
M - Dances across the palate, medium to light in body, start is a bit sweet then the brett takes over. Deftly applied so the funk is in check. Palate response is sweet then tart then back the the middle.
O - A real delight, Allagash has the touch when it comes to mixed cultures, flavorful, bright, and worth seeking out

 

@LeperJim , you might wanna look away. Apparently, by putting up Christmas lights I have offended the Duvel, and his ability to keep sacred his number this day, so he has smitten me.

 

The Duvel is probably going to want...a sacrifice...or two.

 

A local brewery has been hosting some sporadic soft openings, and I have missed all of them - until a release they did this past week. I made it a point to get down there and pick up one of each of their beers in favor of reviewing them and seeing how they were doing. Today, I have one to share with you all, although it's actually one I had on tap at the brewery that same day (just realized this one has coffee, as I thought this one was coffee/cocoa added free) so please forgive me. So without further ado, let's get into the first Beer Advocate review of Holstein, and the first Beer Advocate review of BKS Artisan Ales.



BKS Artisan Ale's Holstein with Coffee.

Pours pitch black with two fingers of dark tan head foaming on top. Nice head retention with minimal lacing left behind. Aroma is powered by malts - roasted, toasted, and nutted malts to be specific. There is a tinge of lactose before coffee and cocoa become more present. Coffee is kept at a low volume, with a medium roast. Flavor profile is bold, with notes of roasted, toasted, nutted, and bread malt. The nutted and breaded malts become much more apparent at the finish of the beer. Medium-roast coffee, with buttery milk chocolate in the finish. Coffee is much more present in the draft version vs. the can. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a velvety, creamy texture that keeps this thicker beer drinking slick and smooth. Overall, a solid, filling milk stout that packs some presence and body, with a finish coffee and chocolate finish.

Score: 4.25 | 4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.25 | BA Score: 4.32 | rDev: N/A

Personal notes: Straight from the tap, this beer was an absolute delight revoking memories of Tree House's Double Shot. In the can it loses a bit of the coffee luster, but is otherwise still incredible. The real key to the strength of this brew is the large, velvety presence in the feel, without drinking like a four course meal. For those seeking low ABV beers with a full-figure body, this is right up your alley.

Lovely brew from the new folks at BKS. I look forward to seeing what they crank out in the future, and to sample some more of their beers. Based on what I've tasted, and their turn out at the release, I think they'll do just fine. Of course steady open hours would help, thankfully those are coming next month.

 

For the love of beer, man, what unholy forces have you unleashed???

 

Nooooooooo

 

This is exactly why, in the past, I have never decorated before December 1st.

 

You need to think of something QUICK! Btw I can't help you.