New Beer Sunday (Week 673)

A-Pours a nice clear golden color with a generous head and nice lacing.
A-Aroma has delicate hop and pine hints.
T-The taste follows the nose with subtle hints of hops and pines. M-The beer is light bodied with generous amounts of carbonation.
O-A solid DIPA with a nice kick.

 

Good afternoon and happy New Brewmance Sunday! The brewmance is courtesy of two amazing establishments that I have been fortunate enough to have dabbled into both of their portfolios... just a tad. But before I go on about the beer, I'm sure you're all wondering about this weekend's hike, right? Haha. Well, the family and I traveled across The Gorge over to the Washington side of the Columbia River for a spectacular day on the Hamilton Mountain Trail. In all honesty, one of the top 5 hikes I've ever made. Thanks to a perfectly clear 54° day, we made it up to the Pool Of The Winds, where the waterfall plummets into a small pool and blasts air and water sprays right in your face seeming like hurricane winds. The views were simply gorgeous…











Afterwards, we (of course) made our way to may favorite brewery location to date, Thunder Island Brewing in Cascade Locks, Oregon. A fantastic Old Ale, and a not so fantastic CDA, but the views cannot be beat on such days:



And now onto today's new beer. A collaboration from some fine breweries out of Jackson, Wyoming and Cincinnati, Ohio.

Melvin Brewing and Rhinegeist Brewing
Experimental J-Hole- Red IPA



*First things first, I entered this into the archives under Melvin's page, even though it was already listed under Rhinegeist simply due to the fact that this can says (and clearly is) from Melvin in Jackson, Wyoming. Brewed at both places? Perhaps. Either way…





Experimental J-Hole pours a perfectly beautiful shade of burnt orange. It is absolutely clear and even looks crisp. The slightest off white head is foamy, and it settles into a complete but splotchy coverage, and coats the glass with ease.

An intense burst of orange and grapefruit fills the air. It reminds me of orange hard candies as there is a sweet and sugary presence. Damp pine needles linger in the background, and balance the aroma perfectly.

Orange and grapefruit juice follow as the dominant flavor profiles. The sweetness is like a citric marmalade, but the tingly pine bitterness cuts through swiftly and persistently. A burnt pizza crust flavor cones in strong, and light traces of caramel show up from time to time in the after taste.

This is my kind of texture. Crisp, clean, bitter, and dry. Perhaps a tad too dry as it seems to foam up in the mouth a bit, but overall it is superbly drinkable. Though there is an initial sweetness, I'd put this in the bitter end of the balance spectrum, and it is well carbonated.

I don't have a go-to red IPA, but if this was readily available, this might be it. A beer that's easy to drink without a ton of frills. Simple enough to not over think, and complex enough to thoroughly enjoy with the occasional, "Shit! This is damn good!", outburst.

After my official review, I gave Experimental J-Hole a rating of 4.13 with an rDev of +11.3%.

Oh, and to answer the initial question @cjgiant , no. I don't do resolutions. I just pack up my entire life and move away to start a new one . Cheers everyone, and I will see you all soon.

 

Sorry, I just saw this now.

Again sorry, but I only drink the coffee beers in the morning, as I can't sleep at night if I drink them in the afternoon (I picked the variety pack this morning when Total Wine opened). That's life, but I am not complaining. It was a solid offering. Hope you enjoy when you get to it.

 

Modern Times City of the Dead Nitro 7.5%
Stout with cocoa nibs, almonds, and sea salt. The coffee beans were aged in bourbon barrels. Im glad I don't get much bourbon flavor. I don't really taste the Sea Salt. Has a good smokey wood flavor. Toasted marshmallow, dark and milk chocolate. A good chocolatey stout with good fresh ground coffee flavor. Complex but still mellow.

 

Hello NBS afficianados! A sunny and cold day here that saw another below zero morning low. I waited until it warmed to zero before setting out for a morning run. I've never been a resolution guy, but I do set goals and one I made five years ago was to get back in shape and keep the excess pounds off. It involves a lot of work, but I'm surrounded by some like minded people who share my passion for running and make it fun. I'm ready for today's new beer after my work this morning!

A 12oz. bottle of Prairie Vanilla Noir that I purchased before Christmas. The date code is difficult to read, but looks like 12/17 And the abv. is 11%. I gave it a pour in my Prairie snifter for the occasion.

It pours a dark brown leaving behind a generous finger of tan foam that won't go away. I'm amazed at the amount and duration for a barrel aged beer! There is no lacing present. The smell is vanilla forward, along with whiskey, brown sugar and char. Taste is once again dominated by vanilla, followed by whiskey, oak and even more vanilla. The feel starts creamy slick and quickly turns hot.

While not an overly complex barrel aged beer, this beast delivers as advertised on the label with plenty of vanilla, booze and oak. I can see how some may score this lower because of it's rather straightforward nature. I came in at 4.48 / rDev+7.7%. It's exactly as stated and drinks hotter than the 11% on the label. Another solid big beer from Prairie.

A lazy afternoon of football and beer is the game plan for today. I don't have a dog in the fight, but I'm hoping the Steelers make it a game in the second half after closing the gap a bit. Cheers to your new beer adventures today! I leave you with this....

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30356/107834/?ba=Prager62#review

 

Tree House's DIPA, Bright, with Simcoe and Amarillo...


Lots of crisp, clean citrusy fruit... Suggestions of grapefruit, melon, and orange... More bitter than a lot of those smoothie-type NEIPAs, with a sticky pine backbone... Sweetness is mild, feel is soft and smooth, with ample carbonation...

1/4/18 canning...

Cheers...

 

Remedy Isle Of Stephen Irish Red Ale, 5.5% IBU, 21 IBU. Pours reddish brown with a one finger tan head which left decent lacing. Nose is moleasses and slightly roasted malt. Taste follows, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, slightly smokey. Excellent mouthfeel, overall outstanding. Sessionable.

 

Poured ice cold, canned on 1/5/18. Leaves behind plenty of lace. Classic NEIPA look, pineapple orange juice. 4.5

Smell pineapple, guava, passion fruit, and ripe red grapefruit. 4.25

Taste follows a classic NEDIPA, only 7.7% ABV but plenty of juicy tropical flavors, pineapple, passion fruit, guava, and a nice healthy dose of grapefruit. 4.5

Mouthfeel is a solid medium, gentle carbonation, not dry but sticky from all the fresh hops, and goes down very easy at its ABV and loaded with flavor. 4.25

Overall this is an excellent beer, would say it stacks up with most of the 100 of other beers in the style,but I would love to crush more of these babies. A new beer buddy gave it to me and I am loving it. 4.25

 

I always try to make a few resolutions each year. Some of them are rather easy and some are things I actually try to work on throughout the year. An easy one for me is get married (June 24th) and a beer related goal is 100 reviews. Along with improving picking up small things while drinking the reviews have improved my vocabulary as well. On to the review.

4.28/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A: Beer pours a very dark black body with a creamy tan, almost coco powder like, head. Head fades rather quickly leaving behind a small ring and some lacing while drinking.

S: Main smells are of oak and bourbon. The barrel age is obvious here but not over-powering. There is also some slight roasty malts smells going on too.

T: The tastes are very similar to the smells of the beer. The largest flavors are of oak and bourbon. As the beer warms coffee flavors become more noticeable. The barrel aging is obvious but not overpowering.

M: Very soft mouthfeel for the ABV; very easy drinker. There is a small bourbon kick while drinking but only faint. Likely the best part of the beer, in my opinion.

O: Solid but not outstanding beer. The smooth drinking nature of the beer was a personal highlight. Worth drinking if someone hasn't had one but many better options.

 

New Imperial Stout Sunday

Happy NBS everyone! Figured I'd start off with an in-state brew, Dayton Ohio's Warped Wing's Whiskey Rebellion bourbon barrel aged imperial stout: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33939/145933/?ba=bluejacket74#review





I thought it was pretty good overall, lots of barrel character and on the sweeter side for imperial stouts. I'll be back on here in a little while with another new brew, cheers everyone!

 

NBS entry #2....Uhh what did that beer label say it was edition.



I purchased this at the brewery at the end of my vacation. I was warned beforehand by the beertender that it wasn't an Oktoberfest, and that it was really a Doppelbock. I'm not sure why they label it as an Oktoberfest then, but whatever. I like Doppelbocks, so onto business.

Erie Oktoberfest

Erie Brewing Co.
Märzen / Oktoberfest / 7.80% ABV

3.65/5 rDev +0.3% | Score: 3.64
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

L-The beer pours a dark cola brown with a 1/2 finger of fine white bubbles. The head recedes quickly leaving no lacing or ring.
S- The nose on the beer is deep, malty, and sweet. The sweetness takes the dark sweet route of raisins and figs.
T- The palate and nose are the same. Dark fruit sweetness dominates.
F- Mouthfeel is medium overall and the carbonation is light making the beer seem heavier than it really is.
O- If I hadn't been warned by the beertender, and I'd bought this expecting a traditional Oktoberfest, I'd have been pissed. It's completely miscategorized as an Okto. Fortunately I had been warned what to expect and this is at least a passable Doppelbock. The beer is drinkable if you can tolerate the sweetness. Many will find it too sweet for their tastes.

 

Not being a dick, but that beer is outstanding. I see what you are saying, but that beer is world class in my opinion. Please tell me your better options per ounce?

 

Happy NBS!

Untitled Art / Pulpit Rock Mango Milkshake. Looks like a glass of pulp-less OJ with a 2.5 white head. Fades into a thin cap with thick webs of lacing on my glass. Aroma is very mango with some grapefruit and citrus notes. The flavor is almost ripe mango and some grapefruit and orange juice. It is a bit distracting on the finish with very green bitter hops and tart grapefruit rind. Feel is medium with good carbonation and a dry finish. Tasty and I would have enjoyed it even more if it was sweeter and less bitter.

 

A-Pours a nice clear yellow color with a generous head and nice lacing.
A-Aroma has subtle hop hints.
T-The taste follows the nose with subtle hop hints.
M-The beer is light bodied with a decent amount of carbonation.
O-A well balanced beer.

 

How beautiful!

 

Pic out of the way, G'day NBS BAs!

A Wyoming take on a New England Style IPA you may ask. Yes. I reckon that Snake River did a good job with it. I missed getting it on draught at Frontier Brewing Company and Taproom, so cans will suffice.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/179/308042/?ba=Bitterbill#review

Prost!

 

G' afternoon fellow NBS-ers!
Today's offering is from Funky Buddha, which can do no wrong with their Little Buddha Small Batch Series, imho. Since I'm a sucker for anything with peanuts and chocolate, this one should be delicious!



Poured from a 22 oz bottle into a Brew Hub Belgian-style snifter. Bottled on date is smudged.

Appearance: Dark brown body in the glass, looks like cola during the pour. Decent amount of khaki tan head that leaves some small islands of chunky lacing.

Aroma: Tons of roasted peanuts and cacao nibs. Some vanilla is there but there also seems to be some coffee like aroma as well.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Dark chocolate and salty peanuts, vanilla sweetness is there too, but plenty of bitter chocolate too. Lingering salty peanut taste sits in the tongue. Medium to full Mouthfeel with that higher abv hidden well.

Overall: Another tasty winner from FB. Follows through on the promise of a pb cup, but slightly more bitter than the candy.

Cheers!

 

Happy New Sour/Sierra/Sara Nevada Nac Sunday (Week 673) Con/CANtinued!

I got my sour in, on & out of the way & then I turned to Saranac to get theirs in before I immersed myself in Sierra Nevada:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/99/307405/?ba=woodychandler#review


I had mixed opinions about that one, so I CAN only hope that things improve as I visit Sierra Nevada-land:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/140/317146/?ba=woodychandler#review


but I was again underwhelmed. No worries, though, as I have several SN bottles on-deck.

Next up:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/140/274214/?ba=woodychandler#review

I have a winner! I Know Good when I taste it & this was good!

A friend is coming in from neighboring Chester Co. & I am going to take a hiatus at this (appropriate) point. I REALLY want to return, though, if for no other reason than to be a part of the No Middle Ground party. Let's hope for the best. ​

 

Looks like we are both members of the Sierra Nevada January appreciation club. I beat you on Celebration again this year btw.

 

Hi everybody. Hope you're all having a great NBS so far!
It's a gorgeous, crisp, clear, cold day here and looking like a good one for chilling inside with a beer now that groceries are got and laundry's did.



I am not really one for resolutions, but I have (inadvertently) been drinking less for the past couple weeks due to being busy, burnt out on rich food and drink from the holidays and just sick enough to make me barely have a beer this past week. All told, I think it is for the best. I am chomping at the bit for a new beer and absence makes the heart grow fonder. Also, I've been reading the copy of "Tasting Beer" that I got for Christmas and it has me damn excited to get back at it. So here we go.



This is a mighty good beer. Rich and decadent as could be.



It pours thick and black with a tight head that pretty much disappears. The aroma is sweet and chocolatey, but otherwise a little stifled. The flavor follows suit with more going on. Layers of malty sweetness with lots of coffee and milk chocolate coming through. The feel is what really nails it though. One of the best booze warmth-body balances I've ever had. The texture of cream, the beer feels like it evaporates into vanilla bourbon steam in your mouth.

I've been pretty excited to try this one. I never have gotten ahold of regular 5 beans but one day I will. Sixpoint makes great beers and their packaging is awesome to boot. This one is no exception.

Here's my review if'n you care.

Cheers!