New Beer Sunday (Week 675)

He was tremendous in Jekyll & Hyde. No fancy make up or effects, but you believed in the transformation to an evil entity just by body language and what he did vocally.

He was very good tonight, but not sure it is really his thing, you know? Good break from Broadway, I suppose.

 

Ah, heck, another new beer. I probably shouldn't, but I have a rare day off tomorrow.


Summit Unchained #25 Vienna Lager.

It's easy drinking, which is good at this point.

3.71/5 rDev -6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This beer pours a darker amber color. The head is 2 finger, white, and frothy. The retention is average.
The nose is fairly weak. Slight sweetness to the nose.
Taste - hmmmmm. Well, I do get an interesting flavor profile. I get a sweetness up front. There's a slight bitterness on the back.
Moderate mouthfeel. There is a lingering carbonation feel.
I do like it, it is a good beer.
This is really all for tonight. See you all next Sunday for the best day of the week - New Beer Sunday!!!

 

Well Hello Late Night (East Coast and Central Time Zone peeps) NBS.
Thanks to Mr @cjgiant for the start.
As for anniversaries, mainly my marriage is the one that counts big. But another one stands out for me. August 9th 1995, Jerry Garcia died. But, this is not some pining Deadhead claiming that Jerry's departure changed my life forever.
I am not a Deadhead. I did go to about 30 shows starting around 1990 through about 94. Really enjoyed them. But never traveled too far. Las Vegas and Shoreline in the Bay area were the furthest afield. Dug on the scene, loved the music, and well... the vibe.
But again, I never considered myself a head.
In May of 1995 I started a walkabout in Central America. I did the total immersion thing for 3 weeks in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala, trying to jumpstart my basic Spanish. Well, I fell in love with this oft maligned country. But I only had a 30 day visa so I had to at least leave the country for a day. I decided to keep going south. Many adventures ensued as I wandered purposefully south to Costa Rica. But Guatemala was beckoning again. So 'though Costa Rica is Heaven on Earth, I found my way back to Guatemala in August. Through a new friend I had met in the highlands of Guatemala, I met a friend of hers. His name is Sigi. We were both told by this mutual friend that we would definitely hit it off. We met in the town of Coban. An interesting regional center thats about as central as you can get in Guatemala. It's a major coffee producing area, and ironically has a notable history involving German immigrants. And it was here that I met my Bavarian brother.
Now Sigi is definitely Bavarian, but I'd say he's more deadhead, than German. And as my friend predicted, we hit it off right away. We camped and explored the area for about 5 days, all got sick, and parted ways. My travels were winding down, and I had some final goodbyes to attend to in Xela (Quetzaltenango) and Lake Atitlan. I was in a village on Atitlan when I bumped into a Brittish gal that Sigi and I were hanging out with for a few days. She was a live wire. She told me that Sigi was at Tikal when some guy mentioned, very matter of factly, that Jerry had died. He was devastated. There had been false reports in the past, but in his gut he knew it was true this time. As for me, I finished my trip and got home in September.
Sigi and I got into contact near 'bout October. He then told me, and I confirmed from my journals, that we met on that day, August 9th. He told me that something good had been taken from him that day, but something was given to him too. We have been close, aside from the geographic distance, ever since. We have visited each other, met new wives, welcomed children into this world. And although we don't speak often enough, we both know we have a brother on the other side of the pond. And so we meet Jerry's passing each year with a few beers, and share stories to those close to us about how we met.
Sorry, I took up half of a page on NBS, but I was inspired.

As for beer...
Color Block by Prairie Artisan Ales
4.41/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to my brother-in-law for bringing this back from a business trip to OKC. I act as beer consultant, he pays me with beer. I'm ok with that.
Poured from a growler marked 1/25.
Pours a hazy, turbid, early sunset orange. Frothy white clouds rise from the roil. Fluffy head amasses 2 solid fingers, then retreats to a consistent half inch of milky foam.
Smell is radiant. Bright citrus, lactose, going in an orange julius direction. Wow, it really has that creamy sweet milkshake IPA nose.
Flavor follows gloriously. It's citrusy. But full ripe oranges, with a kiss of lemon zest, and cream- like an orange forward fruit salad (don't go lite on the cream). A stunning and unique flavor.
Mouthfeel is downright pillowy. Creamy, active, decadent.
Overall, one of the best "milkshake" IPA's I've ever had.

 

Squeezing in a quick one tonight after a busy day while finishing up some laundry and emptying the dishwasher.

Terrapin High 5 IPA
Didn't pour it in a glass but from what I could tell the bit resting on the rim of the can was a clear orange gold.
Smells primarily of citrus hops (grapefruit and orange), some piney notes as well. Terrapin bills this as a California Style IPA, and from the nose it's all hops.
Taste follows, grapefruit and orange dominate. No malts to speak of initially, a little on the backend.
Medium bodied, good carb level, pretty dry finish.
Overall a solid old school IPA, not extraordinary by any means but solid.

 

Happy Birthday! =)

 

Be of good cheer! Remember, next weekend will soon be here!