New Beer Sunday (Week 673)

Yup I will be loading up this page today. Most likely will be getting a package from @jzeilinger for next Sunday, so let's review some beers. This is poured ice cold from a cooler I brought to my bro's last night for the Pat's game and never got too, because we had better options. Best before May 20th2018. Leaves some thin wisps of lace, pretty straight forward look. 3.75

Smell is exactly what I signed up for, blood orange, something I can't Point a finger at and as a former recovering tequila drinker that must be the agave, tangerine, and some grapefruit rind. 3.5

Taste follows very bland and one dimensional, says the beer snob. Blood orange, agave, tangerine, and grapefruit. 3.5

Mouthfeel is about medium, moderate life, not really dry, and drinks easy enough at 7% ABV. 3.75

Overall it is a head scratcher that this beer exists, because I personally wouldn't have let this thing see the light of day. Not bad, but so one dimensional and average that I wouldn't have put my name on it if I was Victory. Glad I gave 2 of the bottles to coworkers. 3.25

 

New American IPA Beer Sunday!

Hey NBS Crew, I’m here to present a new beer that I seen yesterday that Piqued my Interest. Enough of my jibber jabber... here is the new brew!



Burley Oaks’ Passionate Hypothesis Vol 2
(It feels good when you add a new beer to the existing beer portfolio)

Here is from my Review..

Crowler into a Whisk(e)y Snifter.

So this is the beginning of my journey back into Burley Oak. I’m gonna keep it Short and to the Point. This is an American IPA that seems to be going into the direction of the unfiltered Hazy side of the Spectrum. This brew pours gorgeous! Nice Californian Sunset Body (Medium Honey Amber), with a Head of soft pillow white. This is a very appealing visual.

The Aroma should get things underway. Dense Orange Citrus hits first..in a Tropicana vibe. Underneath is a deep over ripe Peach Aroma that has my full attention! Also notes of Weed Stem And a Honeygrham maltiness that holds a very sweet appeal.

Da Flavah? First hits with a Peach and Citrus vibe. Slight Pineapple acidity hits in mid palate that brings a very subtle complexity. There is an Herbal softness in the beer before it closes, like day old Tea. The malts are light and slightly on the toasted side. This brew finishes with a nice clean Resinous bitterness that I think is pretty damn phenomenal. The aftertaste has notes of Citrus (oranges and grapefruit) and herbal tea with some Weedstems. The feel of this brew is playfully light with very decent carbonation.

Overall: I haven’t tried Passonate Hypothesis Vol 1 to do a comparison, but the Vol 2 is pretty Impressive. The flavors are on point and grabs your attention. This is a Hop Assault and one I’ll grab again. The clean Resinous finish is one thing I grab the most from this brew. The Aroma alone is worth the try (trust me!). The Mouthfeel could be a bit “fuller” but that is just my personal preference...still feels pretty Outstanding though. I’m not a homer but I will say this IPA is Recommended!

Grade: Easy A

Cheers my New Beer Sunday Crew!

 

From Flying Fish Brewing in Somerdale NJ Exit 17 a Russian Imperial Stout aged in Rye barrels. The barrels come from Dad's Hat in Pennsylvania. Exit 17 clocks in at 10% ABV.It pours Black from a bomber and has a thick light brown head. The aroma is mostly malt with hints of Rye Whisky. The taste is roasted malts a bit of coffee and Rye. The Rye is the strongest flavor but it does not overpower ever thing else like the Bourbon does in many BBA Stouts. The mouth feel is full and creamy. Overall an excellent brew on a cold day.
This is the 17th beer Flying Fish in a series of beer named for exits on the NJ Turnpike. This maybe the last one since they have ran out of exits. Most of these beers were very good. There were a few clunkers. There also were a few outstanding brews. One Exit 16 a wild rice IPA is one of the very best beers ever brewed in NJ.

 

Finally able to sit down and relax after spending a combined 28 hours at work in the last two days as we hosted a wrestling tournament. Following @CanConPhilly’s lead today with Tired Hands Burden of Gratitude. Reminds me over a more bitter version of Trillium DDH Congress Street!

4.51/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

16 oz can, dated 1/10/18, poured into a teku

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

S- Lime zest, citrus, some hints of tropical fruits, dank, fresh abrasive hops, hints of some sweet malts.

T- Citrus, lime zest, melons, some tropical fruits, dank/piney finish.

M- Smooth, creamy, medium body.

O- One of Tired Hands best DIPAs, easy to drink. Big bright citrus hops balanced out with more a West Coast bitter finish.

Cheers!

 

Good afternoon NBS and thanks as always to @cjgiant for the thoughtful start.
This year for the "beer" category of annual goals is simply drink down the cellar stock.
So today's offering is from that space. 2015 Barrel aged Narwhal. The offering is delightful on every level. I do think this version is a bit less in body than normal Narwhal. The flavors blend very well together, not to weighted in any one way.
Cheers all
Narwhal Imperial Stout - Barrel Aged

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.
Russian Imperial Stout / 12.90% ABV

4.1/5 rDev -5.3% | Score: 4.33
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 2015 bottle into the test glass.
A - Color of a block of bakers chocolate, refined carbonation feeds a fine cap of tiny mocha spheres, lacing is formed then traces fall to liquid level.
S - Fig, cocoa, hint of mint, likely from the alcohol rising, nice touch. A very refined thread of chocolate malts , blends well with a delightful earthy element, The barrel ads the usual suspects but in fine balanced fashion, a bit of vanilla, and kiss of toffee.
M - A hefty body, with a slick initial coating, then a nice bitterness runs through changing it all. Lingering flavors include a bit of smokey bourbon and barrel char.
O - 2015 was a good year indeed, the resting seems to have smoothed this out. The bitterness level is a touch high, not off putting. The offering is a treasure and a great way to sip the afternoon away.

 

Hey what's going on!?!

Hey everyone! Hope you are all doing well. I am sure lots of people are enjoying their football playoffs and so forth this weekend in America, but as some of us may not be paying attention, at least all of us here are doing the one thing the same and that's drinking some brew!

Ah..I've slowed down a bit these days, but it's worked out well. Every day is almost a new beer, and you can sure believe every Sunday is a new one as well!

Felt like a good time to dip into this guy, she might be nestled all evening. We shall see.

what is new for our super hero TODAY?!



Poured from the bottle into a teku glass.

Slightly fizzy sounding head out of the bottle, with a mix of fine and creamy bubbles. Settles to a fairly big bubbled collar top with a tan and purple like color. Body color seems to be going that vein as wel (no pun intended!). Deep purple dark body color with maybe some lighter dark pomengranate red to it as well. These puple brews from these guys man… got to admit they are something else!

Real nice fruity nose. Very subtle hints of blue berries and dark berried fruit. Wine like sensing heat on the nose but not burning alcohol. There's a bit of icing sugar that brings out some interesting sweetness on the fruit angle, almost cake and pastry like. Does not come off on the nose as anything sour is coming. Quite neat.

Very impressive palate and unique. Tangy but rich dark chocoloate flavors, mixing in with an excellent berry quality. Bursting juicy berries with a tangy sourness, more akin to a thick rich wine, but has no booze like flavor. Light acidity with touches of cab sauv flavors and dark chocolate. Excellent fruit finish with wonderful pops of juiced mixed berries, currant, black and blue indeed. Faint touches of roast and dark chocolate make a nice rounding out as well. Wonderfuly rounded and oaky body.

Very unique brew, with very impressive wine like character, and matching stout and wine fruited quality. Definitely one style blur and unique tasty brew. Memorable, hope they bring this back again someday.

look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 | BA Generated: 4.22

Cheers all!

EDIT --- Oh... my resolution... simple... I don't make resolutions. Done.

 

New beer #2. My all-time most wanted beer. Thank you so much @larryi86 for hooking me up!

CBS - Founders
Imperial Stout - 11.7% abv
Score: 4.54 (-2.4% rDev)



L - 3-finger hazelnut head atop a pitch black body.

S - bourbon, maple, coffee, chocolate, molasses, oak, booze. Wow there’s so much going on here!

T - I get a lot of bourbon at first. A little maple syrup but it’s subtle. Coffee and chocolate in equal measure. Booze is quite apparent at this young age. Not too sweet. Low bitterness.

F - medium-full creamy body.

O - I wish the maple was a little more forward, but still this is one amazing brew.

 

Looks like someone else is a basil fan as well

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. A sunny but bone cold winter day here on the island. At least most of the snow is gone. Gonna spend the day inside watching mindless football and drinking some brews. Nice to have the three day weekend and that will allow me to imbibe in a more than a few beers. I've probably got a good 2/3 reviews in me.

I'm not big into resolutions. My beer goals are usually just to keep drinking as many quality brews as I can. This year I will be turning the big 40. So I'm halfway dead right? I would like to start lifting again but we'll see how that goes.

My first new beer today is Mosaic Dream, a single hop ipa, from Other Half brewing. Scored a 4 pack yesterday on my trip to the brewery. The brew checks in at 6% abv and has a 1/11/18 canning.

A hazy pour with a straw yellow/tangerine color and a fluffy white head. The nose is on the tamer side with hops and citrus fruit. A big punch of the hops on the start of the drinking with a mellow and smooth flow and a slightly bitter finish with a subtle touch of spices. Nice soft and plush fruit notes. I'm getting sweet berries, melon, mango, grape, orange, and lemon. Additional notes of pine, grass, and herbal tones that hit that slight spice note on the finish. The mouth feel is moderate with a juicy feel to it.

Overall, just excellent. For me, these guys just make the best hazy ipa's on the planet. The scary part is that this isn't even my favorite beer from them. I'm right around a 4.2 range here players,

 

I... must find this... and slay it.

 

Burley Oak is officially on my radar after JREAMS flavors have made it to the EQ tasting table. Loved all I have tried. Passionate Hypothesis sounds fully in my wheelhouse.

 

Good Afternoon NBS
My resolution this year was to not buy beer in January due to the beer volume in my basement (6 gallons of bottled homebrew and around two mixed cases of dark beers). Then I passed by the 4 way IPA pack from SN for $12.50 yesterday and crumbled. Here we go...

My review:
12oz bottled 12/26/17 poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass at fridge temp 6.9% ABV. The beer pours bright dark honey in color with plenty of off white head.
The head recedes to a thin cap and leaves plenty of lacing. The aroma is coffee first, but there is an underlying hoppy citrus and pine presence. The taste is a mishmash of caramel, coffee, fruit and citrus. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, adequately carbonated and mostly dry in the finish. The bitterness is mild. Overall, good, but not something I would seek out.

I have avoided coffee IPAs in the past because they didn't sound like something I would enjoy and most are $3 plus for a single. Love coffee stouts and appreciate the occasion coffee blonde or cream ale, but this didn't work for me. The other two of these will be popping up on a LNBA session when I'm not in a position to be picky. Cheers and enjoy the new beer in your glass today!

 

New IIPA Sunday (Week 673)
Greetings fellow NBSers from on the ridge in a frigid Mid Hud Val, NY.

I have to laugh because since I started attending Sat. releases at Equilibrium I basically have New Beer Weekend, lol. One highlight of yesterday's tasting table was a beer from Hardywood called Christmas Morning, which is a full of flavors, beautiful Imperial sweet stout that is just so delicious you keep drinking it to your doom. Prob. had twenty other beers for the first time also.

Today's new beer is dHop7 from Equilibrium. This brewery, open just about a year, makes me think of that song lyric, "...the future's so bright, I gotta wear shades."

Orange, peach, mango, hints of doughy sweet, light citrus pith, even floral hints shine as I make my way through the glass. Enticing aroma!

What a wonderful, full flavor. Not much to add to the list of flavors in the aroma, they are bright and shiny in the taste, perfectly balanced to the point of making a blend while being individually apparent. Sip ends with sweet slowly diminishing. Orange and citrus pith dominate a juicy end of sip to give it just the right bitter to balance.

EQ has this soft mouthfeel perfected. There are those who disparage small/craft breweries as unable to keep consistency, EQ nails this perfect carb., perfect viscosity, just juicy enough, just dry enough finish mouthfeel across their range of hoppy beers, and this one is no exception. Perfect frame to showcase beautiful flavors.

It is a pleasure to be able to enjoy and recommend such a great beer made by a great local brewery. Get some if you can, you will be happy for sure.

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

 

Actually, watching the NFL playoffs today. Good thing I'm not a Steelers fan, whoah, what's going on! I'm left scratching my beard.



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/44112/322104/?ba=Lone_Freighter#review

Summary:
Aromas of sweet grapefruit pulp and orange rind flow into each other nicely to bring in a little bit of white pepper and grassy hop tones. Flavor moderately leaned towards a juicy coalition of the grapefruit, orange rind and grassiness. This medium bodied New England styled IPA kept it's cool with the normal low level of carbonation and cleanly provided a nice juicy orange to grapefruit-like finish. Do you think I'd want this again? Better question is: does a baby like milk? Damn right, I'd love to have this again!

 

Bottle Logic Titan of Tokyo!

I love the can art on this interesting brew sent to me by the generous @2beerdogs in the last NBS BIF. It features the Kaiju by game makers Campy Creatures. A kaiju is any in a line of Japanese mega-monsters seen attacking cities and fighting other monsters and the military.

This particular beer is a Berliner Weisse brewed with jasmine rice, dragon fruit and loquat.

It pours a pink-tinted, pale straw color with a massive, slow-forming, airy, pink-hued head. Leaves a crown but zero lacing.

I pick up the rice white away upon pouring. It has a dry, tart aroma that also has some strange fruit that leaves an impression of vomit with a hint of faux movie theater popcorn butter beneath. It's one of the more off-putting aromas I've smelled in a beer.

The taste, thankfully, loses the vomity note altogether. It's very sweet and fruity up front. I haven't had dragon fruit and loquat before, but the taste here reminds me of watermelon candy. There's also a slightly tart, dry, puckering finish that's actually quite refreshing.

It's on the light side of medium bodied, with just little syrup quality and nice carbonation.

This is another super-fruity Berliner from these guys that strays into novelty beer / wine cooler territory. As these type of sweet beers go, I liked the fruit flavor of their "Stealth Mode" blueberry Berliner Weisse a lot better, but the finish in this one is actually quite nice. Just don't sniff it too much.

Enjoy the games today and have a happy King Day, BAs.

 

Southern Magnolia Southern Belle Wild Ale 7.3% ABV 5 IBUs. Honestly, thought I already tried this. Apparently no one has registered a review. Been sitting on this one for several weeks, oh well. Thought is wasn't bad, the nose & apperance are the only real detractors. 3.53 overall, pretty much what most Lazty Magnolia beers are for me


Pours aneffervescent orange/copper with a rapidly dissapearing head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Faint pear & leafy hops, not much else

T: Raspeberry, a little blueberry, a touch dryness & tartness up front. Dryness & raspberry as this warms, slight acidity as well, some sweet & tart cherry notes as well along with muted woody hop presence & even a little Chardonay. Finishes with a little Chardonay, & dryness

MF: Light body, slight carbonation

Kind of an introduction wild ale that drinks easy enough, This will not appease a sour/wild beer fanantic, but it also won't scare off the uninitiated, so there is that

 

Thanks to @cjgiant for another great start. I know many people roll their eyes at New Year's resolutions, but I like the fact that so many of us have a natural tendency to at least try to improve in some area every January. I'm typical I suppose: trying to eat better, read more, and combat a few chronic injuries at the gym.
After a night with some big stouts, I'm fridge cleaning and came across this pale ale, which is perfect as I do some chores and check out the playoffs.

I normally don't like session ales, but someone (wife or son?) must have bought this one. Nice looking golden color with a two-finger off-white head. Sturdy lacing in the glass. Decent aroma with grapefruit pith and some earthiness. A little pine also. The taste was primarily bitter citrus, rounded out with a little pine and grass. Dry, bready malt that stayed out of the way. Light bodied but did not seem watery, which is my biggest gripe with session IPAs. Crisp finish. I enjoyed this one and would buy it again. Cheers!

 

yeah, it was not the Kentucky variant. Few folks were hitting it at first, but the looks on the faces of those of us who did told the story, and put an end to the bottle a moment later. It was so cool watching that same face of enjoyment on all of us at the table as we savored, such a great beer.

 

Moving right along here NBS players. Jaguars starting to run away with this one. Hopefully Pitt can get back into it and make it a good game.

My second new beer today is Brewer's Reserve bba Cherry stout, from Central Waters brewing. We've been getting pretty good distro on cw for the past few years but I've yet to see this hit here in the NY market. Thanks to @GreenBayBA I no longer need to wait and see. The brew checks in at 10% abv and has a 2017 vintage mark.

A slick black pour with burgundy tones and a thin and fast off-white head. On the nose I get a big tart sweetness, with a mix of barrel tones. A rather dry start on the drinking with lots of the flavor and barrel upfront. A smooth flow and finish follows nicely. The sweet and tart cherry flavor is there and it carries throughout the drinking process but it doesn't seem to completly overpower the brew either. Additional tones of the barrel come on stronger the more the brew warms. Notes of dry and charred oak, vanilla, caramel, and brown sugar. The mouth feel if full bodied. It really drinks on the dry side and offers subtle stick that seems to linger the flavors well.

Overall, this is decent and nice stuff. Not nearly as impressive as their scotch ale and stout but I'm probably a bit biased because I really love cherries. I get that some cherry stouts are way to forward, with the flavor, but I'm finding this one to be more on the balanced level. I'm right around a 4 here players,