New Beer Sunday (Week 678)

Thanks! I'm guessing the label is a different caricature of Buckley the brewery dog who has his own label and a beer named after him. Not sure what mix the friendly mutt is? Here's one of their Instagram posts of him.

 

You could hold elections for a NBS BIF "City Council" and said council could render judgement on new candidates, kinda like this guy .....



In all seriousness, though, it would be difficult to develop a list of criterion that "newbies" to the NBS BIF pool would have to fulfill without pushing said newbies away. The simplest way, if weeding out the "tickers" is the path the group wants to pursue, would be to require participation in this thread for a specified length of time (maybe 3 months, since the BIF's occur roughly every 6 months) before the prospective candidate would be allowed to participate in a BIF. That would require a level of commitment that I've not seen from the "tickers" (not that I've necessarily been looking that carefully).

Just my 14.82 cents worth (adjusted for inflation).

 

The call to pay tribute to @mattcrill when he turned over the reigns got me started.

 

When assigned a target in a NBS BIF, I go through my target's Wants and beers reviewed/rated to get a feel for what they drink, what brewers they have had, and what styles they haven't had yet. I try to give them new examples of all three, if possible. If they don't have many (And I'm sure most of us have had many more beers than appear in our data), then it becomes pretty much a crap shoot. So, yeah, I think we should have some requirements on who can participate but if people choose to not evaluate beers, then caveat emptor.

 

Victory home grown lager. Color- clear yellow gold
- aroma is citrus, mild amount of pine and some malt sweetness
- taste is identical, not a very complex amount of flavor to sort through. Just a bit bitter but mellowed out by malt. It does have a lingering bitterness that seems to last on the tongue awhile.
-overall it is a very good beer , not great or exciting but one I could have again. I think this would work great to give to friends who haven't been exposed to craft beer as it doesn't go to any extreme but is still fairly flavorful

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone had a good day so far. Made my usual bottle return trip and mini beer haul earlier this afternoon. Got a lot of new things I was looking for, big Upland sour haul going on. Finished up the laundry as usual for the week.

New beers:

Delicious NEIPA. Great head retention and thick soapy lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of tangerine, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, guava, passion fruit, citrus peel/zest, and light pepper/pine hops; with balanced wheat, white bread dough, light honeyed malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Very mild pine, zesty, herbal, grassy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body; creamy/bready wheat/oats, and some sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Refreshingly drinkable, 6.7%. Really spot on stuff all around. Great soft mouthfeel with stone fruity/tropical hop juiciness, and balanced wheat/bready malts. Mild dankness. Really well done for a nationally available NEIPA. Feels like the El Dorado has the most presence with this. 3.9


Awesome American amber! Aromas and flavors of big caramel, honey, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, and light nutty/roasted malts; with some herbal, floral, grassy, citrusy, peppery hops. Light herbal/grassy/spicy hop and roast bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body; great bready/grainy Munich malt creaminess; light sticky hops and chalky roast in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing hop/roast bitter dryness. Super drinkable, 5.7%. Absolutely pristine stuff here. Rich Crystal/Honey/Munich malt complexity with balancing earthy hops. Ellison still batting 1000 on everything I've tried, one of the best true to-style ambers I've had. Definitely buying this again, as with everything else. 4.1


Fantastic! Great head retention/lacing for the style. Aromas and flavors of big juicy/tart/tangy peaches, fruit skin/pits, almond, apricot, lemon, lime, green apple, melon, white grape/wine, hay, straw, grass, vanilla, yogurt, and oak; with moderate wheat, cracker, white bready malt balance; and light leather, musty, and lacto funk. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, fruit tang, and light yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Medium-high carbonation, medium body, and moderately crisp finishing. Balanced bready/grainy wheat, lactic acid, and fruit tang in the mouthfeel; light tannins. Light-moderate increasing lactic/tangy fruit dryness, no pucker. Refreshingly drinkable for a sour, not overly lactic. This is literally the first time I have had a sour where yogurt actually fits the description. Super jammy peaches with balanced Brett/Lacto complexity; great oak barrel presence and malt balance. Another winner as usual. 4.25


Cheers, be back a bit later NBS

 

oh nuts! I missed you! Sorry 'bout that, man. Thank you too!

But I will do my best to continue on this thread when I can.

 

Thank me for what? I'm just a useful idiot around here! Besides that, I always look forward to your reviews.

 

Thanks for getting it started, Doc.
As for the new hire, I'd guess you'll be OK either way. Back when I was 17 , I had to get a physical, in the process of applying to the Coast Guard Academy. Had to go to Scranton, to get it, being the closest on their list (VA facility?) . Well... doctor was a woman . A relatively young attractive woman. (30-ish? - older but not enough to think "old") After a minute or two to get used to the idea, no big deal , just another doctor's appointment *shrug*. And that was .....awhile ago. Might be even less of a thing now.


On to the beer. Phil's Pils, from Galaxy Brewing. I've had a small sample, at a couple of different events, but not enough to really experience it, by itself. Too many different foods,beer, and wine, to really say I know what it tastes like.

The brewery describes it as "A classic German pilsener". Pretty close, but maybe a little less carbonated. My photo doesn't show it, as I didn't realize the background would show so much, but it has that wonderful gold color that is expected from a pils. It's also exceptionally clear. Maybe the clearest beer I've ever seen. Nice white head and lacing. Aroma is typical . Flavor is also, with just the carbonation being a little different than the usual . All in all , a well-made beer, that I would like to revisit, especially on warm summer days.
They just started canning this 2 weeks ago, so fresh. I hope to see it on a regular basis.

4.23/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Only the 2nd rating, but I expect I'll be on the +rDev side permanently, as pilseners across the board don't get the love of IPAs & BA stouts.
Full review : https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32700/320675/

 

Thanks for that compliment.

Oh, maybe I misunderstood that. I thought you were saying you were an MC for this thread. My bad. You never were one?

Lol, well, that makes 2 of us 'useful idiots.'

My ex wife called me an idiot the other day, so....eh, I just turned the other cheek. I seem to be getting tired of arguing in general with anyone anymore - it's no use. In turn, I just keep "rowing that boat" I'm in, lol. The hell if I know where I'm going, but at least there's beer along the way.

 

Last time I had this, it was an aged bottle and found it much, much too boozy. So much so that most of the 750mL bottle ended up down the drain. I'm revisiting it, as Boulevard just re-released it. Let's see how a fresh bottle of Rye-on-Rye is, which I'll count as a "new" beer since I haven't so much as even rated it before.



Boulevard's Rye-on-Rye.

Pours a murky burgundy-brown with a finger of khaki foam on top. Head retention is good with a few strands of lacing left behind. Aroma is rye whiskey, rye malt, alcohol esters, and clove. It has a sterile aroma with alcohol washing away any lingering notes. Light notes of herbal, and resin hops twinkle in the background. Flavor profile is rye malt, rye whiskey, charred barrel, and alcohol cleaning esters. There is a twinge of herbal, floral, and resin hops in the background. Glass was washed in the typical fashion, and allowed to air dry, as is typical so no lingering cleaning notes from washing the glass. 12% ABV is hidden relatively well. Mouth feel is a touchy fizzy and effervescent which is a bit shocking when compared with ABV. It has a medium-thin thickness. Overall, a fair rye beer aged on rye. It certainly has the spicy characteristics of rye, both available in rye beers and whiskey, but this particular concoction comes off a bit hotter than imagined even with its 12% ABV.

Score: 4.25 | 4 | 4.25 | 4 | 4.25 | BA Score: 4.17 | rDev: -1.2%

Personal notes: This new bottle is much more mild than the '15 I sipped on last time, but it still comes off a bit hot. For those seeking rye flavors, I'd skip this beer entirely and go for rye-on-rye-on-rye. Despite being 2% ABV, it sips much, much smoother. A few non-beer advocates have even agreed that the 14% ABV in rye-on-rye-on-rye is smooooooth, and dangerously so.

 

A blind reach into the beer fridge retrieved this one.

Pours an amber orange slightly hazy with a finger of soapy white foam.
Smells floral, citrus, sweet tropical notes, and malt.
Taste is predominantly ruby red grapefruit, a little sweet yet still has a tangy bitterness. Getting some floral and pineapple notes too. Sweet malt and honey are definitely there, reminds me a bit of Hopslam in that regard.
Light to medium body, slightly dry finish.
Overall a prety tasty brew, seems to be more classic than most new ones I've tried.

 

Greetings NBS friends. When I read the first sentence of @lordofthewiens initial post today, I thought he was looking for his replacement HERE, and nearly fell off my chair. Then I read on and realized he was talking about his “other” job.

#Phew

My first beer is a #DrinkLocal beer from our friend @Prager62 neck of the nape that I am really enjoying.



4.25/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Slightly hazy golden straw color under a tightly woven white head, this beer is the picture I have in my mind of what an IPA should look like. Gorgeous beer, IMHO.

Aromas are slightly dank citrusy hops, with a subtle sweetness that reminds me of fresh blueberries. The taste is moderately bitter, with the dank citrus notes up front, but the sweetness is still present, and welcome, because it precludes this from falling into “bitter bomb” territory.

The finish is dry and clean, as I expected from the taste. An excellent representation of the style, IMHO.

 

Good afternoon, all, and thanks to @lordofthewiens for getting things started. To your question: Do you know anyone whom you'd recommend to take over your practice? Maybe you could steer a candidate in that direction. FWIW, I think you have some valid concerns - but, then, I'm old.

My beer journey has brought me full circle, and now I'm back to where it all began. A few years ago, I visited World of Beer in the Columbus Brewery District. I'd never seen such a bewildering array of beers, and of course I had no idea where to start. Fortunately, they had an abbreviated newbie menu for folks like me. It consisted of several pages of beers of all types, with detailed descriptions of each. The two that stood out for me were GL Edmund Fitzgerald Porter and this: Young's Double Chocolate Stout. This has a very nice roasty character, with lots of chocolate flavor as expected. There's also a note of tart fruit coming through as the beer warms toward room temperature. Surprisingly dry finish, with a little roasted coffee bean bitterness. Medium light in body, fairly low ABV, not too sweet. IOW, very drinkable.



The apocalypse is upon us. Some idiot yelled "Dilly dilly!" as Bubba Watson struck his second shot on the 18th at the Genesis LA Open. (Edit: He won anyway.)

 

Shmaltz Messiah but brown ale.
-color is cola brown
- aroma is raisins, malt, licorice, and a mild nut smell.
-taste is very identical, raisins and malt are forward but as it warms the but flavors come through. Again as it warms it gets a bit more complex.
- overall it was a very nice surprise how much I enjoyed it, more complex and flavorful than i first thought after the first sip.

 

That nice creature looks to be part Carolina Dog, German Shepherd, and then everything else. The Carolina Dog is basically a wild dog that thrives in the big scrub lands in southeastern N.C., the Low Country of South Carolina, and I've seen some near Morrow Mountain up in the Uwharries, in the oldest mountains around here. Very ancient dogs for sure.....

 

For my 1200th rating (838th review), you'd think I'd go with something spectacular. What is more spectacular than royalty? Another beer from @joe1510 that just seemed right. It even has part of my last name right there in the title...

Hudepohl-Schoenling
Little Kings- Original Cream Ale

For perspective, I thought I'd show you how adorable the bottle is:



I can only imagine what it would look like in the hand of the vertically challenged @PatrickCT .

And such a dainty little thing demands and equally, yet prestigious glass:



Like a match made in heaven, when the two meet, it's quite angelic:



Little Kings pours as I'd expect. A polished golden royal crown, perfectly clear and shiny. That wispy white head you see disappeared a moment after this shot was taken, yet champagne bubbles climb desperately to resurface without a glimmer of hope.

It smells just right... Sweet honey, loads of flowery hops, and a quintessential green bottle skunkiness that is absolutely welcomed.

The flavor is what you would expect, but then not. It has that Amsterdam simple sweetness and light struck and dried wildflower bitter balance, but an interesting white pepper and fish sauce (like you'd find in Vietnamese or Thai restaurants typically used for dipping appetizers in) finish it off. Sounds weird, but it works and is actually quite tasty.

It feels ultra crisp, well carbonated, and finishes very dry. It still has the lightest of oily feel as it makes its way across the tongue, and is remarkably balanced.

Little Kings, fit for those of royal decent with tiny appendages, is a beer. It's unpretentious. It's simple. You could drink 30 of them in one sitting. I'm an easy man to please when it comes to beer. I wouldn't buy this regularly, but I sure as hell wouldn't turn it down.

Let's have a couple hundred of these together Joe. Thanks again!

After my official review, I gave Little Kings a rating of 3.13 with an rDev of 3.0.

Cheers everyone, and I will see you all soon.

 

Howdy NBSers
I’m trying a new beer for me from another nice local brewery. Pressure Drop from Lamplighter Brewing Co. out of Cambridge, Ma.
Pale ale 5.2 abv the prevailing hop is Citra
Poured cloudy yellow with a fluffy head that disappeared fairly quickly
The aroma was melon,citrus and apricot
It was very fruit forward, not overwhelming though
Medium to low carbonation, smooth mouth feel to a slightly bitter citrus type finish. It was on the thin ish side but in a good way, not a heavy juice bomb type of beer.
Overall it was very refreshing and nicely balanced and easy drinking to boot. I would definitely have it again.

 

Well, he's not a Beagle but he's a fine-looking, and seemingly content, dog. Who wouldn't be, working as he does, at a brewery! We're looking forward to being dog owners again soon!

 

#2, I am a notorious bottle reader, so when you give me a box to read, I’m in beer nerd heaven. And reading the box for this beer .....



..... reveals that it was actually brewed by Boulevard .....



Why was I not consulted about this? Anyway, here’s the review .....

4.6/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pour is black, leaking to milk chocolate brown on the edges, with a tan head. The barrel is immediately noticeable on the nose, and then immediately followed by rich chocolate and caramel notes.

The taste is sublime. The barrel comes across first, but the chocolate notes mute the booze factor, and then an absolutely decadent caramel flavor carries this home to a rich and creamy finish.

Truly a world-class Beer, IMHO.