New Beer Sunday (Week 677)

Hey NBS! I've got two new ones today. Both are beers I picked up yesterday at the OG Craft Beer Cellar location in Belmont, MA, and both were most likely only around due to EBF having also been around this area last weekend. Not sure how other states work with distro laws, but in MA we tend to see some limited distribution for breweries not normally available in our area due to their participation in locally-hosted festivals. Since BA began in the Boston area, we tend to get some interesting drops here and there. Allow me to share my thoughts on my first new beer today...

This beer is called Sliderule by a brewery I've never heard of called Urban Artifact. They're based out of Cincinnati, OH and had some pretty interesting sounding stuff available. Sliderule is marketed as a "chocolate raspberry gose." Clocking in at 4.9% ABV, it was brewed with raspberries, cacao nibs, coriander, vanilla and sea salt. That just sounds really damn weird to me. I'm not convinced this is going to be good, but I'll give anything a shot once... what do I really have to lose?



Pours a dark ruby-red color, though the can itself defines the hue as "garnet" which I guess I can agree with. A small, delicate head forms atop the deep, unfiltered beer, its wispy charm disappearing fairly quickly into near-nonexistence. This would probably be a lot better looking beer if it were filtered, but all the fruit and extra ingredients probably would render that process ineffectual. I will accept the odd appearance of this beer if and only if it follows through with its flavor promises...

The nose is... interesting. It smells rather like a raspberry-chocolate cheesecake, complete with an almost cream-cheese-esque note that I don't prefer but that I also can respect in this case. Seems like they nailed what they wanted to do if my first sensory impression is any indication. The vanilla is definitely there, alongside a slight herbal note that feels just slightly removed from the traditional earty/funky coriander hit of a traditional gose ale. Heavy raspberry, for sure... very jammy and sticky with an authentic, bold aspect that I appreciate.

Flavor is pretty intense as well, kind of reminding me of a raspberry tart or a jammy raspberry cookie with some slight chocolate-y notes. The fairly heavy-handed acidity gives off a puckering sensation on the mid-palate, while velvety chocolate and vanilla notes smooth out the proceedings toward the finish. Some mild salinity and light herbal notes close each sip. This is surprisingly balanced for such a weird and off-kilter idea. I would probably like it a bit more if the acidity were dialed back a bit, but otherwise it's pretty successful in a strange way. Just goes to show... don't judge a beer by its label, no matter how outlandish the idea sounds... you just may find yourself surprisingly satisfied!


(progressive/extreme sludge metal)


(interesting blend of beatdown-ish hardcore and industrial elements)

 

Ok next up is a NEIPA from @FFFjunkie from Marz Brewing called Cryoflayer. Canned on 1/22 and boasting an 8.8% ABV it drinks surprisingly easy and is a very sweet IPA. There is almost no sign of the alcohol and the sweet tropical fruit is dominant in it. Thanks Dan!!!

Appearance 4.25 - Pours dark muddy burnt orange color with big thick soapy white head. Sheets of lacing all over the glass.

Aroma 4.25 - Nice orange, pineapple, grapefruit with a light dose of pine and candied fruit. The nose is a well balanced combination of sweet and bitter aromas.

Taste 4.5 - Wow really sweet candied fruit mango, orange tangerine and pineapple. There is just the slightest hint of pine and bitterness somewhere about the middle but the sweet flavors really carry the flavor weight in this one. The alcohol lies far enough under the flavors you can tell its there but does not really impact anything.

Feel 4.25 - Medium bodied well carbonated slightly dry finish overall really smooth and easy drinking.

Overall 4.35 - If you like a sweet IPA this is it, I like the flavors it is also very easy drinking for 8.8%.

 

Happy NBS everyone
Firestorm velvet merkin,pours cola black. Medium light carbonation, slightly creamy feel to the body. Aroma is chocolate, bourbon candy, some coffee,malt and brown sugar. Taste is very much the same, somewhat sweet that makes it taste like bourbon/beer candy. the rest of the flavors were so subtle but far from waek, this was just so well made .It was incredibly smooth and very flavorful and I would definitely pick up more of this as soon as I see it again

 

That's a great one and easily believable, it's better than imported olive oils or baby toys and clothes for my grandkids that I use. Sometimes I even write messages to the " girls" on the box. But the FX never asks and I doubt they care.

 

Happy New Evil/Evo/Evil Beer Sunday (Week 677), Part Deux of a Menage a Trois!

One ****ling question that I always have on multiple beer days like today is whether people are looking at my reviews between posts. Does curiosity get the better of you or are you CANtent to simply await the eventual post that summarizes the amalgam of the day's damages? No matter, I will CANtinue to CANduct myself as I always have - like a directionless madman.

For @CanConPhilly: Happy to help!

The first leg of the Evil/Evo/Evil triumvirate was Evil Genius Beer Company who has finally opened their own brick & mortar brewery in Philly's Fishtown. I kinda foresaw today coming & so I stocked up accordingly with the first one, followed by:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29022/326861/?ba=woodychandler#review

& then, the last of this Evil phase:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29022/206329/?ba=woodychandler#review

I then really shifted gears to get to my next one, courtesy of Evolution (Evo) Craft Brewing Company. We just had a tasting on Friday at the Friendly Greek Bottle Shop (FGBS) with these guys, but of everything that they brought, this was the only one that qualified as "New" to me:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/19897/52233/?ba=woodychandler#review


I now leave you for a period of time at this juncture, but I promise you that things are going to get very Evil before I return. Stay tuned!

 

Turns out I was wrong, NBS... (*my wife is not surprised*)...

Got another new beer in the house...

Doppelganger, from Tree House...

"Doppel," technically means, "go for two," in German (lol - not true), and I'm actually onto my second - first one over in WBAYDN...

Good times courtesy of Tree House... Julius + lots of Mosaic and a "kiss" of Amarillo... basically the DIPA version of Alter Ego, kettle and dry hopped... Juice beer, featuring lots of citrus and a danker undertone... Smooth but with some tang and zest, amply carbonated, mildly sweet, moderately bitter... Presents impressions of grapefruit and pineapple, maybe some passion fruit and papaya and mango - has an almost creaminess to it... 1/31 canning...

Tree House, Trillium, and Other Half just be killing it...

Cheers...

 

The Bruery MASH BBA English-Style Barleywine

Happy Sunday, BAs. Rather than watching football, I spent a good chunk of today catching up on some long-neglected house cleaning. Can't wait until the preseason gets underway.

Today's new beer came my way from the generous @2beerdogs in the last NBS BIF. If you're thinking about getting in on some BIF action, now's the time to jump in. See @beertunes' post earlier in the thread.

This bottle of MASH has a 12/01/15 bottling day and opened with a mighty pffffft. It pours a clearish amber-brown color with a half-finger of light tan head. It has good effervescence, and leaves thin sheets of lacing.

Oh no. It has a strong vinegar odor, like a poor-quality Flanders. There are hints of vanilla and coconut below, as well as some floral, cherry sweetness, but they're definitely hidden. I'm nervous to taste it.

The taste has almost no vinegar though, so I re-pour from the small Bruery sample glass into a stemmed teku, thinking maybe some residual cleaning products on my skin are messing with my sniffer. Maybe they are, but I'm still getting vinegar first in the aroma.

The taste is mild for a barleywine. A little wood and dull, earthy hop bitterness stand out the most. There's some strong vanilla as well, along with a touch of cherry and bourbon sweetness, and a ghost of the vinegar, but those latter elements are on the light side.

It's medium bodied with just a hint of creaminess and pretty strong carbonation.

This beer is confusing the hell out of me, even after a second pour. I'm paranoid that my senses are all out of shot having used cleaning products earlier. Full of regret, I'm using the awesome stopper Derek gave me, sticking this back in the fridge and I'm gonna revisit it tomorrow.

I definitely can't wait until football's back.

 

After reading your review, I need to search out that Pics Or It Didn’t Happen. Love me some mosaic.

 

Happy Sunday nbs players. A rather warm day for feb. here on the island with temps in the high 40’s. But once again it is wet and grey abound. The good thing is that we are half done with this month and that means spring will be around soon.

I really have yet to try bring any kind of mass quantity of beer on a plane. I’m usually perfectly fine with just going and drinking my fill. Another problem is that I usually travel light. Even now, the fiancé and I only bring one big suitcase and a carry on. 80% of which is filled with her crap. I did broach the subject on our trip to Maine but that was quickly shot down. Her fears of leaking or exploding beer all over the clothes, etc. bringing a second bag is an option but I’m of course the one who will be lugging these damn things around.

My first new beer today is Powder Dreams, a dry hopped ipa w/ mosaic lupulin powder and citrus hops. The brew checks in at 7.5% abv and has a 1/30/18 canning date.

The pour yields a murky/hazy straw blonde color with a fast dissipating white head. Stringent hops and citrus on the nose. Upfront on the drinking the muted hops really stand out on the very first sips. It just doesn’t have that hoppy punch to it. A pretty smooth flow with a somewhat bitter finish for the style. The fruit flavors are not showing much depth and I really only get a big lemon taste. Perhaps some subtle lime, orange, and mellon but it’s rather difficult to make it out. The mouth feel is decent with a rather dry effect. I’m not getting any notion of the powder texture that I have found in some brews using lupulin. A decent amount of malt presence can be detected too.

Overall, just not that great for the style. The hops really don’t pop and that lack of depth on the fruit tones is really boring. Pretty disappointed that I bought a whole 4 pack. I’m in the 3.5/3.7 range here.

 

5 for 4+ week. 3 fresh at Carton 077-x
077-10990 (Chinook) | Carton
4.29/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thrilled to be the 1st review of this best of ODub: Chinook. 10990 being the pretty country north of NJ near New Milford & Warwick NY. I raise a glass to Suzanne Palmer Smiga tonight.
Another god nectar. Fresh on tap at the tasting room in 07716 on 2-3-18.
a_ Mostly clear but for wisp of chill haze, o-dub gold, with fervent head that laces well. 4.2
S_ Ample aroma of that nor'west, pine, chill salt air of Chinook. Along with ample fruit and malt and spice.. 3.7
T_ The sweetest, most nectar like of o-dubs. More, bigger juicier pine and spice over dank juicy, hempy hops. 4.5
F_ good nectar like body with low carbonation. 4.2
O_ could be my favorite Odub.
Money Mad Fat! | Barrier
4.24/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Haze hops fruit bomb...
Eukanot, Simcoe, Mosaic, Cascade and Mosaic Lupulin...
a) Pours opaque, cloudy yellow body with a foamy 2 finger off-white head that suds, lasts, laces.
s) Smells good, almost too much fruit, perfume, flowers, all those hops kick in right away. Pineapple dominates w grapefruit, lemon peel, hemp, orange rind, melon.
t) Flavor blast, follows smell: Pineapple dominates w grapefruit, lemon peel, hemp, orange rind, melon. more sugar, malt, crystalized orange rind, earthy side notes. Balanced by a white peppery landing.
f) Fine carbonation in a juicy, fresh, fresh-squeezed package. Spice and are scrubbing and cleansing in the finish.

Cafe Y Churro | Carton
4.2/5 rDev -5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Play on Carton’s Regular coffee game. I swear I smell wood fire along with the coffee and vanilla. On tap at the brewer.
a_ Mostly clear, wisp of chill haze. As with all additive beers the head falls sooner and laces less than I would like.

S_ Ample of wood smoke, vanilla, cinnamon, roast coffee beans, sweet churro, it’s all in there.
Carnival candy, peanut, coffee milk Cuban style, with Mexican cinnamon..
T_ Slightly too sweet? But builds on the roast, char, coffee, more than balancing the sweet vanilla cake churro. The spice not overwhelming the beer, as is the case with all Carton brews except when desired -as with black truffle.
F_ Less weight than a sweet flavor bomb might have, ample carbonation, tickly, and finished balance despite the calories.
O_ good with a cigar, or after dinner, not a first of the evening beer.

Surf Wax | Burial Beer
4.12/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Love this brewer. and would like to hang out here.
a) Completely hazed, very pale pour, that raises a modest off white head that laces a bit. Turpid and pale.
s) The winner: aromas of fall leaves, earth, citrus, orange, grapefruit pith, pine/resin, and herbal hops on a light malt base. Hop dominant.
t) Upfront nectar like hop fruit salad, with honeyed sweetness, followed by citrus, orange, grapefruit, pine resin, and earthy, herbal hops which bitter the finish nicely.
M: Medium body and carbonation. Crisp with dry finish.
o) A great east coast IPA.
Kaffee und Kuchen | Carton
4.05/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Nothing nihilistic about this Kuchen. Not for nut allergens.
a) Even more than with regular coffee, the clear brew rises not much head which fizzles under the acidic adds of cherries and almond. But nice color.
s) Mild notes of almond and cherry among the faint deli coffee brace. Would expect more espresso or strong coffee at a café .
t) I get the cake, but not ever being a fan of cake as compared with say mustard on white brots it tastes novel, sweet, and appropriate for small slice. That said, creative, tight, and well-executed. Just too sweet and alcoholic for more than a small glass at the end of an evening.
f) Mouth pleaser, in a mid-weight, creamy, liquore like treat. Never cloying, tho still too sweet for me.
o) Slow down and meditate over this, talk about it, savor and compare notes, and try the whole reg coffee series.

 

New Bell’s Sunday beer #2

Whiskey Barrel Aged Cherry Stout

I’m not a fan of the “base beer” and I’m not one to favor a barrel aged beer over the original... so odds were against this one.

I actually liked it. Perhaps the barrel treatment provided counterbalance to the cherry of the base. I’ll go with that.

This one tastes as it’s named... with the cherry aspect being tart, and the barrel aspect not as dominant as the cherry. Is there roasted barley in there too? Yeah, but it’s not the star of the show. Beer is black (cola on the edges) and opaque.

A must buy Valentine’s gift if your other half adores fruity-tart barrel-aged stouts in 12oz bottles and is a Capricorn between the ages of 25 and 35 living in Bell’s distribution area.

 

New beer #5.

Amra - Destihl
Mango IPA - 7% abv
Canned 12/27/17 (47 days ago)
Purchased for $2.69 at Monde Market
Score: 3.73 (-2.4% rDev)



L - 1 finger offwhite head atop a shimmering orange body.

S - Mango, grass, some booze.

T - All mango sweetness at first. Bitterness follows, but it’s mild. Noticeably sour with each sip. Grassy/dirty middle. Finishes sweet like candy.

F - medium-full syrupy body with low carb.

O - I wish they had carried through with the “West Coast IPA” on the label. There isn’t enough bitterness here to balance the sweetness of the fruit and malts. That being said, I’m enjoying each sip of this.

 

Happy snowy NBS, all!
I'm fresh off being sick all week (like everyone I know, it would seem) and am finally starting to smell and taste like normal again. I was okay Friday but today I feel just about normal again so I'm excited to try some new beer.
I am getting started today with a new "Dunkel" from Beau's. Since it looks clear in the bottle I am guessing it's a Munich Dunkel. Time to find out using my hopefully-newly-restored senses.

As per usual, a solidly made, drinkable, to-style later beer from the folks at Beau's. It pours pretty dark, ruby-brown with a niceish head. The aroma and smell are both of sweet dark bread with a little peppery bite balancing it out. Drinkable and nice. Nothing spectacular, but good.
Here is my official score.
Cheers!

 

Funny you mention Bell’s distro. I’ve been eyeing 4-packs of this for a month now. $29.99 (same as Black Note), so I haven’t pulled the trigger. Hmmmm...

 

Good afternoon, all, and thanks for the intro, @cjgiant. I always eagerly anticipate NBS, and I’m glad it’s finally here!
Regarding traveling to places with beer, I don’t normally do it if traveling by plane. It’s mainly because most of my friends, while appreciative of good beer, aren’t as into as I am. What I do instead is, upon arriving, get a bunch of beer from wherever I’m visiting and stock the fridge of my hosts. This introduces them (and me) to a bunch of new stuff. I do however, always bring and/or ship a bunch of stuff back. Just this past year I went to Austin, TX and Portland, OR and brought beer back from both in my suitcase and via FedEx shipment. I also made a trip to Montreal and VT and brought back a bunch of stuff from both in my car.
More recently, and bringing us to today’s beer, I found myself with a surprise day off while out of town for work, so I took an hour drive down to State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD and bought a ton of beer. The selection at this place is incredible, they sell singles of everything they have at reasonable prices, AND I just happened to go when they were having their weekly 20% off singles sale. So, I have plenty of new beers to pick from for NBS, starting with this one-



Pinkus Münster Alt

3.83/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Look- Pours pale golden and very slightly hazy with a dense, off-white head

Aroma- sweet biscuity malt and perfumy floral hops come together as one

Taste- the biscuity sweetness and floral hops are there, but there’s also an underlying mild tang that distracts from the former elements

Feel- light bodied with significant carbonation, dry finish

Overall- this was decent, but my high hopes created by the excellent nose on this one were ultimately dashed by the tang in the flavor.

I’ll be back later tonight with one or two more. Until then, cheers and enjoy your Sunday beers! Hey

 

Taking a break from a remodel job for a couple quick brews.

Bearded Iris - V. Fudge


16oz can poured into Transient grenade glass
-12/18/17 - “GIMME THAT DAMN DOG”

Pour is very dark brown with a dense cap of tan foam. Nose starts as burnt brownie edges and chocolate wafer. Taste is nutty with a deep, rich fudge base. Chocolate milk beer!? Nice smooth feel. I will be looking for more like this from these guys in the future.

 

Horny goat chocolate peanut butter porter. Color is solid black. About medium carbonation,nice thick,somewhat oily body.Aroma is full on chocolate, peanut butter,and roasted malt. Then it went down hill, there's an artificial chemical taste that accompanies the other flavors that really distracts and ruins this beer. I'm not kidding when I say everything about this beer is really good,except for the taste. One of my lowest rates beers,didn't even finish it

 

Good afternoon and happy New Biere Sunday. I apologise ahead of time... No hiking pictures this week. Nope, it's clean out the basement and garage weekend. And to make matters worse, no fun artsy beer pics either, as I'm enjoying this lively pint fresh off the tap. My new beer from another amazing Portland brewery.

Upright Brewing
Kopstootje- Biere de Garde



I love a good Biere de Garde, and you don't come across them very often. Kind of a broad category, but when done well, they are exceptionally unique, refreshing, and delicious. This one is just that.

Kopstootje pours a very inviting and lovely light copper amber. Very clean and refreshing looking even, with a wispy white head that puts little effort into establishing itself, but manages to leave some spotty lacing throughout.

A little caramel, a splash of lemon, some herbs, and a mild soapiness come through. Everything subtle, but each are mouth watering. There is even a suggestion of tartness, but undefined as to the source.

As expected, this is delicious. It has rustic plains written all over it. A lemony funk seems to be the driving force, which is supported by an unripened melon and touches of caramel and wildflowers. It's making me think of raw greens and freshly cut grass. But good Lord that little funky tartness is just perfection.

As I'd hoped, this is rediculously light, crisp and refreshing. A soft carbonation carries the flavors slowly, just enough to enjoy each element, before finishing very dry, demanding for more to quench the thirst.

I believe I've struck gold with Kopstootje. I will be itching to have this again. As a matter of fact, I'm ordering another pint of this right now. Rest of the tap menu be damned!

After my official review, I gave Kopstootje a rating of 4.3 with an rDev of +11.4%.

Cheers everyone and I will see you all soon.

 

Alright, here's my second and final new beer for this NBS: Half Acre's GoneAway. As I mentioned in my previous review an hour ago, this was picked up at Craft Beer Cellar Belmont and is likely part of a rare drop of beers not normally distributed in my area. Yay for stumbling upon cool new stuff! I don't know the story behind this brew, but I guess it's been through some name changes. The label is really, really cool looking, though... vibrant and almost video-gamey.



Pours a beautiful bright golden color with some slight body haze and a full, striking head of pure-white foam. Well composed and quite regal looking, this collar of suds sinks down to about a finger over five-to-ten minutes in my glass, leaving behind intense, complex lace in its wake. Beautiful looking IPA!

Nose is bright and complex, bursting with fresh fruit notes ranging from tropical (guava, passion fruit and mango are notable) along with some dank and grassy elements. I guess some reviewers pick up green onion here, but I actually find that this just manages to avoid that note, to be honest. Slight berry (strawberry/ripe raspberry) and sticky pine resin round out the interesting and satisfying smell of this beer. I would probably hazard a guess that Mosaic is involved here, but it also smacks of West Coast "C" hops or even Amarillo at times.

Flavor is crisp and fresh (4 week old can... seems reasonably fresh, to be honest) with blankets of pale malt interwoven with intense pine, orange, tangerine and guava flavors. A little bit of seedy passion fruit in there as well. Less Mosaic-like on the palate. A bit more earthy and citrusy with classic pine resin toward the finish. Clean overall with a dry and effervescent finish buoyed by mildly-prickling carbonation. Well built and lean. No wonder this is well-liked. Look forward to drinking some moderately-fresh Daisy Cutter and Navaja next weekend (left those at my brewing buddy's house so I wouldn't be tempted to over-extend on NBS )... until next time!

 

Poured strait from the fridge into a 13 oz teku glass canned on 1/04/18. Got a solid finger plus dark tan head that leaves some attractive thin webs of lace as it slowly settles into near pitch black, with no bubbles at all. 4

Smell is coffee, vanilla, toffee, and cocoa nibs. 4

Taste follows very roasty coffee, vanilla, toffee, biscuit, and cocoa nibs. 4

Mouthfeel is maybe medium, gentle carbonation, maybe a tad dry, and drinks very easy at 7.3% ABV. 4

Overall this is a nice beer, one dimensional and that isn't a bad thing, but would prefer a little more body and a tad more carbonation. Nice beer, if I had access I would pick up a 4 pack once a month. 4