New Beer Sunday (Week 678)

Interesting and thought provoking @lordofthewiens which always sets the tempo for a review. In engineering (manufacturing based at that) we are generations behind as we are nowhere near beginning a shift away from a male dominated work force. I blame it on engineering schools not making the class "Girls Really Don't have Cooties" mandatory. Until then (and after) I will distract myself with new beers.

Tropical Torpedo was part of the IPA 4 Days sampler case from SN via Costco. At a little more than a buck a bottle it would be hard to be disappointing but also exceptional.

L - Strangely similar in color to the sunlit bottle it came from. Healthy white head with some lacing. Medium carbonation. 3.75
S - Nondescript hop aromas with a touch of the tropical fruit sweetness. 3.5
T - Follows the aromas with some citrus rind in the finish. 3.75
F - Medium body that is lightened by the carbonation. 3.75
O - Good but not outstanding in a saturated market. 3.75
Composite 3.69 not surprisingly putting me a bit under the curve.

 

Okay - the "near future" is relative, right? Turns out the GF motivated me to get to the gym before cracking my first beer, which is from Oregon, and is a BBA coffee stout. What it is not is 100% new.

On our last trip to Portland, we decided to head to the actual coast of the west. We headed the scenic route from Portland to Pacific City and Pelican Brewing. After lunch and a brief walk on the beach in the damp air, we rolled on down the coast the Newport, OR - home of Rogue Brewing. We went a quicker way home, but on a run through Corvallis, we stopped by Block 15 Brewing restaurant and tap room; home of the brewery from which we'd had a really good IPA gifted us by @Lingenbrau.

At all these stops, we mainly did samplers, including at Block 15. They had a few of their Nebula series on, and this one stood out. So I bought 2 bottles, one for a friend and one for this thread. The is Breakfast with Woodford:


Okay, so maple syrup, coffee, cocoa and bourbon - how does that not sound like a well balanced breakfast??

The beer has a clean black look initially coming out of the bottle but gets a little murkiness as I switch glasses. This is not noticeable in the glass. You can see the head is a nice light mocha, medium tan, and has some staying power. There's some clinging to the glass, but not too much lacing.

The nose isn't overly powerful, but does have a solid backbone of fresh dark roast coffee. There are hints of chocolate and coconut and maybe even just a little of the roasted malt. Warmth brings out some lovely sweeter notes - vanilla, chocolate, bourbon, and yes, even the maple syrup.



The backbone extends into the taste, where dark roast coffee is a backbone. Oddly, my initial sips showed a more mocha, creamy side with a touch of sweetness. Coconut and vanilla were in the mix. As it warmed, the bold, unsweetened coffee sorta comes forward - with perhaps a more raw bakers chocolate as an accent. There is still some vanilla/coconut from the barrel aging, but there's also some barrel tang that starts to come out. As this grows, the bourbon itself makes a brief appearance in the very back of the taste.

Feel is fairly thick and mostly creamy, without being too heavy. There's a nice little pop of carbonation that helps, as does the high note of the wood tang coming through. There's only the slightest tingle from that bourbon heat in the background.

I recalled this being a little heavier and sweeter at the brewpub - but we all know how memories are (though there's also the difference of bottle vs keg). Though it's not really as roasty, this somehow reminded me of Big Bad Baptist. Now keep in mind what I said about memories. If I wasn't setting them up for a vertical, I might pop one now to see how wrong I am. Though then again....

(stay tuned )

 

Not sure am particpating today,Illness has me pissing away a long weekend. @lordofthewiens my boyshave had female PAs & although it was a little weird to them, Mom & I just explained the necessity of the exam. Frankly I was happy have a legit physical, as I thought the school's sports exams were rubber stamps at best....

 

Good morning all . . .




Light gold color with white cap and lacing.

Aroma of bready malt with relatively light floral, spicy hops.

Taste on entry is malt rich with a hoppy firmness, all in a well balanced way. In fact all parts are introduced at the same time and remain integrated all the way to the finish. Aftertaste brings a little more hop assertiveness ending with a floral finish.

Medium texture with balancing carbonation.

This is a together beer that this Pilsner fan really appreciates.

 

New Beer #2
I've been looking forward to this one for weeks, but haven't been able to fit it in for NBS

12oz bottled December 2017 poured into a snifter at fridge temp, no ABV listed on bottle. The beer pours very dark brown, nearly black, with mocha colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and paper thin cap. The aroma is full of oak, bourbon and vanilla. The flavor follows with bourbon, oak, vanilla and roasted malt. The mouthfeel is full to medium bodied, adequately carbonated and finishes with a roasty, somewhat dry bitterness. Overall, very good. This is a well made stout with the bourbon barrel adding to the beer nicely instead of overwhelming it. Recommended.

I'm glad I have three more of these to drink in the future. Enjoy the new beer in your glass today friends!

 

Excellent review Maria for which I thank you. This beer has just arrived on our shelves and now I know exactly what to expect.

 

Interesting, while I did have some minor discontinuities with what I expected and got with this beer, I ended up enjoying it quite a bit. Also, totally agree with you on vdKB.

I am sure for a break in the action we don't mind a mead review once in a while (though I've seen cases of the powers that be [which ain't us] thinking otherwise).

They don't?!?? I've been on constant alert since the GF and I started dating as to preventing cootie transfer to yours truly. I've been very vigilant and always assumed that was why I never got them

 

Happy New German Beers Sunday

Zoller-Hof Donator Heller Doppelbock

This is the first beer in my theme today. Pour is a gorgeous clear gold with a great head. If you’re gonna rate this one poorly because it’s not to the style of a Doppelbock, then you’re “doing it wrong.”

Wow, this one is rich! It’s viscous and heavy... or at least considering the appearance. It’s sweet, bready, tastes of honey a little. Hops are very present too - bitter and spicy. This beer really packs a punch, but it’s drinkability is still very good considering. A pale hoppy lager for malt lovers!

 

I’ll be sure to never let it happen again another good thing about mead that I failed to mention is it is expensive. Almost certainly pricing me out of the hobby of collecting bottles.

Cheers Cjgiant

 

Isn't that a great label! I have not seen a new pilsner lately =(

 

Are you insinuating the wrong part is rating it poorly overall due to look or just poorly in the look category (a low-weighted attribute)?

I think you understand, but I am by no means discouraging the act altogether. I think our friend @superspak might have some insight, though.

 

A couple of shameless plugs ..... if you're a beer nerd that enjoys trying new beers, this thread is a tremendous resource for "new beer" ideas, and BIF is a tremendous resource for new beers, usually from a part of the country you wouldn't typically have access to. The two that I participated in (NBS BIF #4 and #5), I received 50 or so beers that were "new to me" - and they were all killer, no filler. Just an excellent event if you like trying - and sharing - great beer.

And the "Hints and Hauls" thread is ..... sublime.

 

My work life brings me into contact periodically with a few folks who teach at a couple of local University Engineering programs (some of whom are female). The problem goes back to even earlier schools. While the percentages are slowly changing, the entering Freshman classes are still male dominated.

 

Riedenburger Emmer Beer

German beer number 2. This one is brewed with a “historic ancient grain” - emmer malt, as well as: einkorn, spelt, barley and wheat. Here’s a quote about emmer:

The beer is a bit lighter and a lot hazier than it appears in my pic. This beer is listed here as a Kellerbier, and while I can see why, to me it feels more like a Dunkelweizen without a lot of carbonation. Considering both categories is a good way to manage one’s expectations when purchasing. It’s pretty tart at first (the way wheat beers can be). Surprisingly, there’s a little bit of a roasty quality too. An interesting beer, but not really a repeat purchase. I’m a sucker for beer with interesting and/or historic malts.

 

Yea I used to post mead reviews a couple years ago on WBAYDN, until I found out someone was reporting them and getting my posts deleted; even when there were beer reviews in the same post. I keep them on untappd now, same with the ciders. I make mead myself too. Definitely a different experience, much more wine related on tasting notes. Took me a while to dial in my palate and understand them. I can pick up honey varieties and such now. I've had over 250 meads, been really wanting to try superstition. Mostly MI meads here. We have a huge amount of meaderies, more than any other state I think. Schramms is world renowned.

 

Either one (if you’re judging based on style). Doppelbock is a strength class and isn’t about color, despite how people who use this site typically approach the term (or style in general). (as far as I know)

 

Imperial Stout from Trap Rock a local Brewery Restaurant. This is my 1ST "wow" beer in a long time. It's a Plain Jane Imperial Stout just dark malts, hops, yeast and water. That is how I prefer them. It looks the way most Imperial look ,black with a thick brown head. Served in a snifter the aroma is roasted malt and powerful enough to smell a yard away. The taste is also malt with hints of licorice, coffee and hides the 10% ABV very well, The mouth feel is full. The finish is off dry. This brew was aged in stainless steel for 6 months. This was is just outstanding one of the best Imperial stout I have ever drank.

 

Chimay grand reserve, pours a cloudy murky copper brown color. Body is at least medium with just above average carbonation. Aroma is malt,yeast,brown sugar,raisins and banana. Taste is similar with the dark fruit and banana up front. Definitely not overly sweet and overall it's a world class beer which odds are anyone reading this already knows

 

Did someone say they were reporting you or could it have been the Mods keeping an eye on the more active threads?

 

Doubt the mods had the time to search those long threads. Most of my posts with meads still exist, and a lot of other people post spirits and other drinks in the thread too and I've never seen them get deleted. There is just a select crowd of people who hate my elaborate posts. It's a fact.