New Beer Sunday (Week 673)

Highly recommended. The tragic part is that their brewery is the smallest in town, and is only open on Saturdays for 4-5 hours, depending on if they have a go-to release or not.

Small operation, but they're producing good beer. So if you can get in, and even take some home, it's a win. The release this weekend wasn't packed at all, but it was also close to single digits outside. Releases and openings in the past have seen the place hit capacity in a matter of minutes of opening, so just be willing to arrive early and possibly wait in line for a draft pour.

Should you come into town, let me know! I'll be glad to meet up for a brew. In fact, I'm thinking of doing a bit of camping in Arkansas next month.

 

That possibly the worst resolution I've ever heard. I'm going to find a reason to get to DC this year just to meet with you. Except I'm taking an Uber and equalizing the playing field.

 

Might do so. Still seems like Spring is long way away...

 

Up next is a Christmas Porter I received from @FFFjunkie 3Floyds Alpha Klaus a wildly hopped porter clocking in at 6% ABV and 39 IBUs the aroma was a little one sided to the bitter/floral hop side but it drank much more like a porter with nice dark chocolate and roasted malts. Great beer thanks Dan!!

Appearance 4.25 - Pour dark mahogany with a nice fluffy tan head that settles to a thick ring around the glass. Strings of lacing all around the glass as I am drinking it.

Aroma 3.75- It has a very unique aroma of pine, floral hops, roasted malts and some dark chocolate. The pine/floral aroma overpowers the roasted malt/chocolate just a little.

Taste 4.25 - The taste is similar to the aroma with bitter pine, floral hops the roasted malts and chocolate come out much better and more balanced in the flavor than the aroma.

Feel 4 - Medium bodied probably a little more carbonated than expected with a dry bitter finish.

Overall 4.09 - A really well done porter, the flavors are well balanced and it is a very easy sipper.

 

Agreed. I just need a couple days above 32*F and I'm there, haha. I have a new tent I need to test out. I'd like to be down there to get some photos when the trees start budding!

 

Resolutions? Nah, stopped doing those a few years back. Found if I wanted to make a life change, it was better to start when I was ready to do so instead of trying to force it on the new year. More success that way.

Chilly day here, and the forecast has the teacher wife doing the snow dance in hopes for the storm coming midweek. Personally I wouldn't mind getting to watch my daughter play in the snow again.

Anyways, something hearty to ward off the chill of the day and a little fruit to make one long for warmer Spring days. Blue Mountain Concealed Darkness variant #2 boysenberry.





Pours a deep black with about a half finger of chocolate brown head. Smells of chocolate, bourbon, vanilla, oak, and a hint of a sweet berry that I'll assume is the boysenberry. Taste is chocolate, roasted malts, bourbon, vanilla, oak, and a bit of the boysenberry. The boysenberry tends to show up towards the end of the mouthfull and is most notable at the finish, leaving a little bit of a sweet aftertaste. Certainly doesn't overwhelm and does blend fairly well with the base of Concealed Darkness. Tasty, adds a little depth to the base beer. I'm not familiar enough with boysenberry to say it specifically has a boysenberry flavor or a general berry syrup flavor.

 

New beer #4.

Funky Monks - Weyerbacher
Sour Belgian Ale - 9.3% abv
Purchased for $2.99 at Monde Market
Score: 3.67 (-1.9% rDev)



L - 1-finger head atop a vibrant yellow body.

S - floral. Bananas, cloves, booze.

T - sour bananas. Very tart at first. Dirty middle, with bananas and cloves. Boozy finish. Quite acidic.

F - medium-light body with high carb.

O - Very similar to the other Monks beers. This is a Tripel first and a sour second, which I suppose makes sense. I find the finished product rather schizophrenic and not well integrated.

 

My buddy had a Prairie glass from Fur Shop that I tried to get him to give me. He has since moved to KC, with glass. Last time I was at the bar they had the glasses for sell. One of my favorite places in Tulsa.

 

Hey , NBSers
Resolutions? No , at least not for the New Year. Why wait? Do as needed, & that includes not over-indulging (or indulging at all) during the holidays, so I don't feel bad afterward.
Today's first NBS beer is erotica (lower case is the name) , from The North . It is more like a Berliner , + some stone fruit flavor, rather than a typical funky wild ale.




4.08/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Moderately hazy orange-amber, with no noticeable head. Leaves a single-layer ring of white lacing.

Smells of brandy-soaked cherries, a little citrus , and "fresh" scent, reminiscent of a gose.

Flavor is slightly grapey, a touch of red currant, with moderate Berliner weisbier-type tartness. None of the funk that is normally associated with wild ales.

Finishes slightly drier, with light, fine carbonation. Light , oily feel.

Overall good, not "wow". Maybe on a hot summer day? Expect a fruity Berliner flavor , rather than a usual funky wild ale

 

This sounds like an episode of Seinfeld. I want the whole story!

 

New beer is an Omaha Brewing 7.62. Tasty Brown with toasted coconuts. Review linked below.
Loads of resolutions I won't bore you with. Just a way for me to improve 1 cycle over the last (year) and hold my lazy ass to some objective measurements.
Cheers!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/36674/267634/?ba=cindyjeffsmith#review

 

Happy NBS, fellow new beer samplers and commentators. Long ago, I stopped making New Year's resolutions because of the disappointment of failing to keep them. I've been drinking mostly IPA's and stouts lately and was craving a Belgian Strong Ale when lo and behold Kane released one this weekend called Simple Saints so I stopped on the way home from the Shore today to pick up a growler. This is like drinking a slice of delicious apple pie with raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg. I'm really liking it. Here's my full review:

4.24/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from fresh growler purchased the day after release into a Kane tulip glass. It pours a lovely ruby color with nearly a finger of foamy, light khaki-colored head and a thin sheen of lacing that lasted through the pour. The nose features lots of Belgian spices: clove, coriander, and cinnamon, along with raisin and green apple, and Belgian yeast. As the glass warmed, I noticed a faint whiff of tobacco smoke. It has a pleasing, fresh smell. The taste is very fruity: green apple, pear, raisin, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg; it's like drinking a really well-made apple pie. There is little pepper or bitterness at the finish. It has a surprisingly light, crisp mouth feel with lively carbonation, and the 8.2% ABV gives it a lot of substance but isn't overly potent. Overall, this is a delightfully fruity Belgian Ale. It would pair very well with cheeses before a fire or for drinking outside on a sunny, mild day while watching the world pass by.

I hope you're all enjoying your new beers today.

 

And you can pair it with The Wanton Song by Led Zeppelin.

 

I like the story and have been on both sides- or are there more than two? Sounds like a good night!

 

Firestone Walker's Helldorado.

Pours a foggy burnt-orange with no head formation. Pouren from a 32oz 2 day old growler, this may be a bit skewed. Aroma is a big dose of sweet and soft toffee and caramel. There is a shimmer of herbal, and citrus hops. Toasted, bread, nutted, and caramel malts round out a sweet, hearty aroma. Flavor profile is soft and pliable notes of toffee, caramel, and honey. Sugary sweet notes are balanced out by toasted, caramel, and bread malts. Hops are faint, but come by way of herbal, citrus, and floral. Mouth feel is medium in thickness, with a smooth, uneventful consistency that doesn't distract from the flavor. Overall, a hearty dose of flavorful sweet notes balanced out well by bitter and smooth malts and hops.

Score: 4 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4 | 4.25 | BA Score: 4.31 | rDev: +1.2%

 

Triple Barrel BBB pours a dark coffee brown color with a 1.5 finger tan head, with some lacing on the glass. It has a big coconut aroma with some chocolate notes. Smells like it could be a vanilla chocolate cake with coconut flakes soaked in rum. It is sweet, but in a good way. It has a medium and creamy body with a bit of alcohol that fades when it warms. Let it warm to about 55 for maximum enjoyment. Overall this is super tasty and you should buy it if you enjoy coconut or rum.

 

Greetings all! I'm not really one for New Year's resolutions myself simply because I can't manage to have any illusions about my abilities to stick to them. That said, I'm generally trying to cut down on my bourbon drinking a little to allow me to continue my beer drinking apace. Damned delicious alcohol and it's many forms!

This week I grabbed a bottle of Nostradamus, a Belgian Brown ale from Caracole Brewery in Belgium. I know nothing about this beer and in fact have never even heard of the brewery. It clocks in at 9% ABV.




It looks pretty much as expected with a deep, opaque amber brown crowned by a thin slightly dark head that recedes to a ring pretty quickly but continues to leave some lacing for a while. It smells very spicy with lots of cinnamon and clove, sweet malt, and almost a root beerish kind of aroma. Thankfully there's no bannana which is a character of Belgians that I don't enjoy.

Taste is initially surprisingly sweet. It's currently colder than the recommended serving temperature (55F) so I'm a little worried this is going to be too sweet once it warms a bit. Taste is sweet malt, molasses and raisins. I've taken a break now and let it come up to the recommended temperature and I'm getting some cherry now and more of that yummy root beer-ish flavor that I can't quite put my finger on. Thankfully, the sweetness has stayed in check as it warmed. Alcohol is very well hidden and the mouthfeel is a bit crisper than the beer otherwise sets you up to expect.

Very delicious beer. Cheers all!