New Beer Sunday (Week 676)

I agree with this, in general. After having other attempts at the substyle by various new brewers, I still think theirs stand out in a certain way, though. But the nuances between many their various beers isn’t always so great.

Then again, it certain ways, Ocelot’s IPAs (which I generally prefer by a little bit) are often somewhat similar to each other as well.

 

Good morning New BSers! So today is the Overhyped Bowl, huh? Thanks for the warning - I used to watch for the half-time commercials but those have become (mostly) so predictable that it isn't worth my effort. I have a collection of Oscar Wilde that I I may finish reading today instead. For beer, well, I picked up a case of Hop Devil yesterday, a good drinking beer when you're tired of trying new brews and just want a dependable good beer to throw back. I remember when the "Super" bowl was young - I had an army buddy from Miami who, oddly enough, was pro-Miami. That was before the days the Stillers arose. So today's game is somebody playing the New England Referees? Enjoy.

More to the point, @utopiajane - hope you weather your "cold" OK - try some astragalus tea - that stuff is so nasty it scares the rhinoviruses away. I had a friend a few years back - we lost contact - that was into "herbal remedies" - that was the only one that actually seemed to work.

Today's NBS entry:



Note the lack of head in the photo.

$ 12.56 (including shipping)/waxed capped bomber ($ 0.571/oz) from Tavour, Seattle, WA.
Undated bottle stored at 42 degrees and served at 57 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Wax is easily removed.
Appearance – 3.
Body – When held to the light, it appears a muddy amber around the edges. Otherwise, dark brown/black, opaque. No obvious effervescence.
Head – None. Some tan fizz appears as I pour, but that disappears as I finish. But for a high alcohol (13% ABV) brew that has spent two years in bourbon barrels, that’s expected.
Lacing – None, as expected.
Pour – Medium brown, clear.
Aroma – 3.5 – Caramel and malt, followed by bourbon. The nose feels viscous.
Flavor – 4.5 – Wow! This is the best tasting beer I’ve had in a while! It begins with a moderately sweet toffee and caramel that urges you to gulp it down. That gulp is followed by a VERY mild alcohol gastric warming. When I force myself to drink slowly and savor, some roasted malt bitterness comes through. At the very end hangs some oak tartness.
Palate – 3.5 – Full bodied, almost syrupy, very soft carbonation.

Impression and summation – 4.25 – This beer is dangerous! I could easily pound a bomber or two of this then fall flat on my lap top. The flavors are great, the alcohol is totally hidden, and it practically surges from my throat to my stomach, like a warm, tasty amoeba. The palate and aroma are above average and support the viscosity of this brew. The appearance is very deceptive – it looks like a flat, boring, stale doppelbock that’s been sitting in the glass in the sink. “These gems have life in them: their colors speak, say what words fail of”. George Eliot.

Rating 4.02, rDev +5.5%.

 

Craig, no I didn't. I poured the entire contents of the can into the two small tulip glasses.

I have in the past poured half a can of Heady Topper into a glass and then consumed the remaining half from the can. I enjoyed both drinking experiences.

Cheers!

 

Maria, me too!!

What are the chances that I would give Marilyn my Focal Point IPA and she would have a can in hand of Focal Banger.

I have a good friend Scott who says that the word 'unbelievable" is an overused word but IMO that term is applicable here.

Cheers!

 

I completely agree!

 

Thanks to the great start @lordofthewiens for this weeks NBS. I do have a new brew today.

Cheers!

 

Plow United a 5.9% ABV hazy APA from Twin Elephant. Had this brew Friday at the brewery and have a growler of it for the Super Bowl party later today. This brew is right in This brewery's wheelhouse. An APA or IPA around 6/7 % brewed with some oats.This one is hoped with Cirta .Emigma and Galaxy Hops. Easy drinker it won't last long at that party.

 

iIRC, you physicians have a long standing joke about colds?

“Untreated a cold lasts about 7 days. If you treat it, it lasts about a week.”

 

Good morning NBS and thanks to our travelling Doctor for the outstanding start to this week.
A bit of history is always a good way to begin the day. Safe travels and have a better golf game before you leave, A side shout to our under the weather @utopiajane, hope you feel better soon, I will be travelling over the next 2 Sundays so hopefully there will be NBS remote reports from Kyoto Japan.
Today's offering is from the talented brewers at TO-Ol this beer is at the end of its best by date and that has an impact for certain, A sour mashed DIPA with Nelson, the offering and I had a rough start, with a bit of warmth though I really appreciated the complexity. Now being born and raised in WMass I don't have to weigh in on the Patriots victory
Cheers all

Nelson Survin

To Øl
American Wild Ale / 9.00% ABV

3.82/5 rDev -1.8% | Score: 3.89
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 11.2 oz bottle dated 2/6/18 into the test glass.
A - Red cedar, reddish tan colored, murky backdrop hides a refined carbonation. The initial cap is loose knit and off white. Residual froth clings to the glass wall in topographic forms.
S - Candied tropical fruits, apricot marmalade, apple cider vinegar, persimmon. With a temperature increase the alcohol does waltz in.
T - That sour cider vinegar element is strong with this one. Concentrated fruit oils include some guava, pineapple, and lots of orange. The sour side of the offering enhances some of these, A bit of phenol, is in there but not offensive.
M - Thick and coating, the offering is a bit slick, Palate response is like a pendulum sweet, then sour, the oily then dry.
The finish has a surprising bitter edge.
Interesting ride. The body is medium to heavy, which I find compelling considering this is listed as a sour mash method.
O - Complex offering that one needs time with, Initially I was put off, with that requisite time spent I have grown to appreciate the offering, The Nelson adds quite a bit of fruit, the base beer is a strong, heavy lift. I hope to find one that is not at the end of its "best by" date to compare.

 

Thirsty Dog BBA Imperial Stout

Super Bowl Sunday, BAs! I've never been this excited about a game I wasn't playing in. Fly Eagles Fly!

I thought about going to Tired Hands for a can release this morning to prevent me from drinking too much. I lazed out on that, and managed to hold off until 11:00 to crack one, so hopefully I'll still be clear headed at kickoff.

This will be my last non-PA beer of the day. I didn't have a homegrown one I haven't tried yet. Serendipitously, this one has a green and white cap under the foil, so I'm taking that as a good omen. Apparently, I picked the Iggles to go 13-3 and win the Super Bowl in a LIF earlier this fall, so I need all the luck I can get to overcome the jinx I probably put on them.

Enough of that noise though... the beer. Siberian Nights pours plum-tinted black with a thin finger of soupy mocha head that leaves messy lacing.

It has a surprisingly light aroma, with creamy chocolate and a hint of vanilla about all that's in there.

It's smooth tasting: vanilla, chocolate, a touch of almond, toffee and cherry. Not at all hot. Medium bodied with a lightly creamy feel and modest carbonation.

For something called Siberian Nights, I was expecting a bit more alcohol heat to warm me up. Still a quality beer, perfect for someone who prefers a light touch on the barrel aging.

Is it 6:30 yet?

 

Cheers all. Cold and rainy Sunday and a good day for a dark warming ale...
Haw River Farmhouse Ales Snow Hands (Belgian-style dark strong ale with Maine maple syrup and foraged spicebush berries) Whew!
This great little brewery tucked away in quaint Saxapahaw, N.C., overlooking the Haw River is a genuine treasure. If ever in the area, please stop by!
Snow Hands is a deep dark ruddy brown, with an ample white/light brown cap that recedes to a lasting white rim.
A noticeable yeasty nose carries along some fruit. I've never had spicebush, but seems a bit like cinammon. The roast is very evident, like cooked chocolate and it is alluring. For a 10% dark ale, Snow Hands is very light on its feet, following aromatics in flavor very closely- the Belgian yeastiness, the broad full roast, and an interesting sweet fruitiness buried within. The fruit flavors appear with only a hint of the maple syrup at the edges. This is a fine tasting, well integrated brew.
This is not a huge, super rich stoutish ale. It is snappy crisp, with a continuous revitalizing bead. An easy drinking 10% dark ale. As the beer warms from an original 48 degrees, the spiceberry notes become stronger, with the yeastiness dissipating.This is quite a good American take on the Belgian syle and I'd buy it again.

I've always had a soft spot for all things Eric Burdon. Truly an under-rated long time great artist.

 

Happy NBS #676. Got a pot of chili on the stove, some John Hiatt on the music machine and enjoying a Pink Elephant from Sherwood Brewing in Michigan. Surprise surprise, it's not listed here on BA. Untappd calls it an American Strong Ale, that works for me.
Poured from a 750ml bottle with pink wax on it. It's a cloudy caramel color with a minimal head that fades quickly to a ring, just a hint of lacing on the glass.
Aroma starts off boozy, label says Dickel Whiskey barrels, toffee and or caramel smells.
Taste matches the aroma. Nice body, lotsa heat from the booze.
Overall, pretty solid, a bit rough around the edges. Bottle is not dated, it may be smoother in a year. If I was gonna rate this, I'd give it 3.99.
FYI, if I was a bettin man, my money would be on the Eagles, I was impressed with their beating of the Vikings, my heart us with the Pats, gotta respect a great organization.
Enjoy the day everyone!

 

I always wondered. Thanks for clearing that up. Sounds more appetizing flavor-wise than what I think of every time I see it (the ex-mayor of Washington DC).

 

What’s up BA? Hope you are settling in and getting ready for the big game. I need to get a few things done around the house, but first a new beer!

I made a quick up and back trip to Nashville this week for business and that means a mandatory Bearded Iris run. Today’s new beer is Red Handed - one of their DIPAs.

Classic Bearded Iris bringing lots of nice soft citrus aroma and flavor.

Very well done!





Poured from 16 oz can dated 1/16/2018. I’m Mary Poppins y’all inscribed on the bottom.

A: Cloudy golden yellow with one finger white head. Nice retention and moderate lacing.

S: Soft tropical citrus mixed with dank resinous hops. Mango, passion fruit, and tangerine.

T: Mango, passion fruit, grapefruit, and resinous pine. Tons of hop flavor without being overly bitter.

M: Medium body with average carbonation. Slight lingering hop bite.

O: Another outstanding beer from BI.