New Beer Sunday (Week 670)

Happy Sunday NBS players and merry christmas eve/happy holidays too. A pretty cold day here on the island and it looks like the winter is only going to deepen this week. I gots all the family/friend/busy stuff for the day done. I'm pretty sure that I'm free until tomorrow but those things seem to change on weekends like this so we shall see. Right now, I'm watching football, of course, and I've actually got a ton of new beers in the fridge today- mostly thanks to a good friend who brought me out a bunch of nice single offerings from the city.

My new beer today is Cooper Project No. 3, barrel aged porter, from Goose Island. It's aged for three months and it is my first offering from the new line. The brew checks in at 8.3% abv and has a bottle date of 9/11/17.

A black color on the pour with moderate carbonation and a foamy white head. The nose is rather muted and I really only get malt and slight oak. A rather mundane start to the drinking. Clean and subtle chocolate malts upfront, a smooth and somewhat creamy flow, and a sweet and smooth finish. The barrel is very light and I really only get subtle flavors of the charred oak and bourbon. Additional flavor tones of chocolate, vanilla, and caramel. Most of all I get a really sort of odd sweet cola flavor on the finish of every sip. It's not a horrible flavor but it's still a bit off putting. The mouth feel is about as light-moderate as you can get.

Overall, I'm not impressed with this at all and I'm a bit perplexed by it's ba scores. This is just a weak and rushed example of the style. There are far better bba porters- even on my local scene than this. Very thankful that I got to try a single instead of being stuck with a full 4 pack or however they are packing these. I'm in the 3- 3.5 range at best here players.

 

I had the 2014 an hour ago. I'm going to review the 2017, since BA (and Anchor) consider them different beers.

I started my morning with a bloody mary after ending last night with some Blanton's. I've got some Barrel Proof JD on tap for later tonight.

And now the review of:

Anchor Brewing
Our Special Christmas Ale 2017

Pours a deep reddish/tan with a two-finger, fluffy tan head that left tons of sticky lacing.

The smell is some dark malts, lots of brown sugar, and a little spice.

The taste has coffee, which I didn't get on the nose, dark malts, and some bitter chocolate. The coffee is a bit burnt and overpowering.

The mouthfeel has medium carbonation and slightly thin feel.

Overall this is decent and I'm enjoying it.

 

Make the most of your break from beer & such. We only have one body it deserves a break every once in a while for sure.

 

Stone Fyodor's Bourbon Barrel aged RIS. 4.17 over all. Still neeeds some aging

That was a bitch to open...

Pours an effervescent mahogany with a sliver of caramel colored head. Viscious, zero lacing & head retention

S: Bourbon , dark fruit, raw booze, some figs late

T: Follows the nose, woody dryness, some booze warmth up front, plus dark chocolate. A touch of raisin & dark cherry mixes with Bourbon & warming booze, plus more dryness as this warms. Finishes boozey, with oaky dryness &, figs

MF: Fairly chewy, slight carbonation, warming

Pretty good, the barrel aspect is still a little too strong for perfection; maybe give this a year + ???

 

A- A very dark brown hue with a slight head and minimum lacing.
A- A lots of fruit hints, slight tart and sourness.
T- The taste follows the nose with decent fruit flavors, nice tartness, and a light sourness.
M: A light bodied, nicely carbonated beer.
O: A good well balanced beer.

 

This sounds right up my alley, was this limited release or did it see significant distribution?

 

New New Jersey Beer Sunday courtesy of @TongoRad:

these are some slick-looking cans IMO:


Double Nickel Vienna Style Lager

Classic toasted malt flavors that included toasted grain and a fruity sweet something ... peach/apricot ... along with a nice earthy backbite and aftertaste that becomes like oak or pecan wood over time. The first sip was super sweet, buttery and bready, but the earthy hop flavor followed shortly after and continues to hang around as I get into this big glass. It's highlight for me is the way that woody flavor builds and builds in the aftertaste ... it's not a "dark" or burnt/charred wood flavor, and it's not overpowering. Very subtle but very tasty. I love good Vienna lagers, and I could drink a lot of this one.

Thanks, Michael!

The review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/42881/197422/?ba=Premo88#review
4.01 (+6.4% rDev)

Made it out with friends in Houston last night to the Mucky Duck to see my hero and leader:


James McMurtry sans full band but packing a tinny sounding 12-string guitar to go along with the 6-string

Hope you're surrounded by good friends, good food and great beer!

Cheers!

 

Good afternoon, all, and Happy New Pastry Stout Sunday! I'm having a wee dram of this Sam Adams Merry Maker Gingerbread Stout. This sample has a couple of years on it and it's really tasty - if you happen to like caramel, molasses, dark roast coffee, clove, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Which I do.



4.19/5 (rDev +12.9%)
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4.25
Review here.

 

It was released only at Boulevard. This bottle is from a friend, so I can't speak from personal experience. I do know he waited in line to buy it, but I'm not sure if there were tickets for it or not. Regardless, you had to pick it up on a certain date at Boulevard.

 

Pics out of the way, Merry Christmas Eve to all of the BAs on NBS! And to the rest as well.

Big shout out to @TongoRad for this splendid Winter Warmer offering!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27839/284580/?ba=Bitterbill#review

As I said in my review, the only thing strange was that the label says 33cl when the bottle imprint says 500ml. Oh well, I got to enjoy that extra 170ml, eh?

Have a great one whilst I check out the rest of the thread..

 

Last new one for today friends. It took a little looking to find the right place on BA for the review.

The review:
11.2oz bottled June 2017 (part of the 200 years of Guinness mix pack) poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 4.2% ABV. The beer pours very dark brown bordering on black with quickly fading khaki head. The aroma is faint of roasted malt. The taste is trademark Guinness with roasted malts at the forefront fading to a slightly tangy roasty bitter end. Mouthfeel is thin bodied, adequately carbonated and dry. Overall, very good. This works better for me that the nitro version. Very nice sessionable stout.
I'm off to work after a while. Have a glorious Christmas, if you celebrate, and enjoy the new beer in your glass tonight!

 

Just got a lamb shoulder on to roast for Christmas Eve dinner. Has the house smelling of rosemary and garlic. Now settling down to a beer I've been looking forwards to trying since the beginning of November, just never had the chance to.

Brothers Craft Brewing, Resolute German Chocolate Cake



Pours a dark black color with a light brown head that fades to a little ring around the glass. Smell is strongly chocolate, a little dark, hint of malts and coconut. Taste is chocolate, coconut, hint of malt, finishes with a little bit of bourbon and pecans. Creamy, medium-heavy body, with a little lingering after the finish. Very nice beer, certainly makes you think of a German chocolate cake.

 

Merry Christmas eve! The in-laws have arrived so I'm opening bottes... that aside I appreciate friends who haul beers not available in the local market. The first I bought in town, the second travelled



This is a solid triple IPA. Lots of stone fruit to start, herbs/earthy, everything a nice hop mix brings to the table. Solid caramel/malt notes add structure. Full-bodied and balanced though at $7/12oz twice the price of every other super solid Ohio D/TIPA



Another solid IPA. My review was a fair bit above average. Again a nice tropical fruit/stone fruit balance along with herbs. Nothing original here though absolutely nothing wrong with it. Medium-bodied and shows the hops it's brewed with nicely. Not sure why the average isn't higher.

Cheers to all this holiday weekend, especially all of the first responders and fellow healthcare workers who have to work tomorrow! This year luckily I'll be joining WBAYDN

 

St berardus eight...Cloudy brown color heavy thick feel with just above average carbonation. Aroma is all dried fruit,malt,and a bit of a floral scent. Taste is identical,not sweet with a pleasant dry slightly bitter finish

 

NBS #2 on the day. I couldn't go without a Holiday themed beer on Christmas Eve, but I'm happy to report that it's quite unique.

Captured By Porches
Yggdrasil Juleol- Scandinavian Holiday Ale





Not only does this indicate it is a strong and malty beer, but it looks to fit the bill as well. A syrupy dark amber beer fills the tankard like malt extract. It's dense and muddled reddish body is topped by the thinnest lightly tanned head and leaves just a ring around the glass.

No need to elaborate...spruce, caramel, and dirt. Yet somehow, this aroma is very inviting.

The flavor matches perfectly. It's raw and wonderful. The unique and simple blend of spruce, caramel, and earth scream this is a winter warmer.

Its rich and syrupy body is just right for a bitter cold winter day. It's smooth and balanced. The alcohol is blanketed by its fullness, yet easily warms the insides.

I appreciate this beer very much on this snowy day. I can't say I've had any Scandinavian Holiday Ales before, but I'd imagine this fits the criteria. It's easy to imagine this grog being heavily consumed in the great Viking Halls by a roaring fire. I'd definitely recommend this beer to those who are seeking out something truly unique, and something truly warming this holiday season. Skol!

After my official review, I gave this a rating of 3.99. No rDev due to my entering it into the database.

 

Sexy Motherpucker

Weyerbacher Brewing Co.
American Wild Ale / 7.50% ABV

4.05/5 rDev +10.4% | Score: 3.67
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

bottled 10/18/17

L- The beer pours a dark brown with a modest half finger head. The recedes quickly to a large central island.
S- The nose is lacto sourness up front with a fruitiness reminiscent of plums and blackberries.
T- On the palate the beer starts with an acidic sharpness. About midway, the flavor shifts coming across slightly sweet before once again giving way to the acidic sourness for the finish.
F- the mouthfeel is thin as expected with the fairly high acidity. Carbonation is prickly but not overwhelming.
O- This isn't something I could drink more than one of in a sitting. The beer does have some interesting interplay of flavors which gives it an advantage over other sours I've had that are one note. I'd recommend it for those who enjoy the style. It may be too intense for first timers.

 

Happy New American Impy Stout Sunday!

Merry Christmas! Pretty nice day here on the Western Slope, was sunny, around 38 at the trailhead, a few bikers on the new trails. Having a very tasty brew, nice to see it around here, do not get much of anything from Utah. Really enjoy this one, definitely one of the best, to me, from Uinta. Really, not much on the tube right now, watching some NFL, some Criminal Intent reruns on the DVR.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Revisted: 24 Dec 17
750ml Bottle
Caged/Corked
Bottled On: 09/18/14
Bottled Conditioned

Over 3 years on this bottle, awesome!

Poured into a Westy chalice a very nice deep black color, very nice carbonation, with a really nice thick/creamy one-finger plus tan head, which also leaves some nice oil slicks and creamy sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, with some really nice chocolate/toffee notes, slight roast/smoke note, licorice, vanilla, slight whiskey, and slight oak note. The taste is very nice, malty, nice sweetness, really nice touch of chocolate/toffee, nice licorice, with a nice slight hint of roastyness, slight oak/whiskey. Full Body, smooth/silky, goes down very nicely, ABV hidden very well, a really nice complex brew. Overall, this is one very tasty brew. To me, it's the best Uinta has put out to date.

Cheers!

 

Good evening NBS and thanks to @lordofthewiens for the wonderful start today, today's offering is fitting for the season. A Belgian Strong ale that has enough complexity, body and aromatics with out being out of contro
De Dolle Stille Nacht

Brouwerij De Dolle Brouwers
Belgian Strong Pale Ale / 12.00% ABV

4.06/5 rDev -2.9% | Score: 4.18
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 2016 vintage 11.6Ml bottle into the test glass.
A - Opaque, candy sugar color, gently carbonated offering has the slightest ring of a cap.
S - Caramel, clove, some peppery notes with a rise in temperature some banana, anise, and toffee add to the experience
T - Warm dark bread, light brown sugar, candied orange peer, a kiss of nutmeg, some sweet fruit estser's rise toward the finish
M - Slick, full palate coating of sweet malts act as the main component, the candied fruit is the next step, closing with a nice bit of spice. Paired with some Soppressata, the salts of the cured meat pairs quite well
O - A very fun holiday offering, The 12% is pretty well hidden, not to complex an offering but fits well with the need for a warmer on these cold nights

 

Happy New Beer Sunday and a merry Christmas to everyone! I've been saving this beer and looking forward to it for quite awhile. Today I am drinking the Fantôme de Noel:




The appearance is a hazy dark brown color with almost no carbonation. I'm always a bit hesitant when opening Fantôme beers but this one barely made a sound as the cork came out.

The aroma is malty, spice-y, herbaceous, a bit like cola and alcohol.

The taste is quite sweet and malty with a slightly funky and spice-y finish. No taste of alcohol in the beer.

The mouthfeel is quite full but a bit flat. There is barely any carbonation.

Overall it's an interesting beer. Excellent for the Christmas season but I prefer the regular Saison from Fantôme. I'm definitely thankful I had the chance to try this beer and I hope everyone else is enjoying a new beer and Christmas!

 

Hey what's going on!

Well circumstances have a way of making a good beer, and good times happen.

I was working on 4000 and with a long hiatus due to minor illness and busy Ness it comes to this.

Back up North and with Christmas Eve in the old town this seems fitting.

Welcome to personal brew review 4000 ish....


Half Pints Brewing - Burlywine 2017

Poured from the bottle into a snifter glass. Vintage 2017, 22oz. bomber.

Creamy khaki to off white colored head. Good pill lacing and a swiss cheese bubbly top, with some retention, settling to half a finger. Deep ruby orange, quite light in color almost looking more American in appearance, but hits somewhere in between with some mahogany like hues. Fairly clear as well, rich and good looking. Nice looker.

Aroma goes for a bit different. Slight touches of caramel, but a more hop forward and almost emphasis on booze quality. Strong ale character but with not much hop presence, or even malt sweet richness, but gives to a very clean simple brown sugar with a hint of chemical trace but at least small. Not bad on the nose.

Palate really keeps it simple. Lots of good solid toasty and powdered sugar flavors in the mid palate. A brown crust bread and sugar quality, but a very lacking light body for such a brew. Hop angle is pretty neutral and mellow, but some caramel makes and appearance. Hints a little wet, but there's some crackling of toast and almost toffee that just wants to creep out.

A good holiday brew, but doesn't quite get into real excellent quality. Potential is there though for sure.

Look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75 | FINAL 3.76

CHEERS!!