New Beer Sunday (Week 679)

Happy Sunday nbs players. Another grey and wet day here on the island. Pretty much been a damn monsoon with constant and heavy rain since last night. Nothing much going on as always on s rather lazy Sunday. Nice to see some spring training baseball heating up.

My first new beer today is the bba version of Patsy Rides Again, a milk stout w/ coconut aged in bourbon barrels, from Moustache brewing. The brew checks in at 7.3% abv and has a bottle number of 110/432. Picked this up a few weeks ago so probably a month on her or just shy.

A black color on the pour with moderate carbonation and a fast non-existent head. I mostly get chocolate malt on the nose. A rather dry start on the first few sips. The chocolate malt again hits upfront with a rather smooth flow and finish. The coconut flavor seems to be more pronounced than I remember in the base beer. It hits mostly on the finish of each sip with a sort of dry nutty feel to it. The barrel is definatly on the subtle side but it seems to offer good balance. Subtle tones of the bourbon, oak, and sugars also seem to hit more on the finish and offer a bit of a booze feel. The mouth feel is on the moderate side. Not very heavy but also not too light. The lactose of the base is a bit drowned out.

Overall, it’s good but I wouldn’t call it great. It seems to be well executed but it just doesn’t have the wow factor for me. I’m in the high 3’s here players,

 

Sounds like things are back towards normal for you. Welcome back!

 

I battled through 32 ounces of sketchy DIPA to find #2 NB - Catawba Brewing Hopness Monster



Yes, I had to include my Nessy pasta ladle....

4.02/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Very attractive beer, hazy gold with a very nice off white creamy head that leaves behind a confident bit of lacing. Bright, bitter and earthy nose is exactly what I think of when I enjoy an "NC" IPA. There's enough malt to give depth to the vibrancy of the bitter. Taste carries the same malt signature that the nose suggests as the nature of the bitterness comes across as earthy green olive and pine notes. Just prior to the end of the tasting experience, I'm getting a bit of honey. Finishes slightly dry and pretty light actually. I'd bet that on draught, this is even more satisfying.

 

Barrel aged Hibernation (2016 vintage) - Great Divide brewing company. Bottled February 16, 2016

It pours a clear caramel town color but as it settles in the glass it becomes opaque and a slightly darker shade. Light khaki head billows over the top of the glass but quickly settles to a thin ring with lacing present.

Aroma is dark fruits front center and dominating, then chocolate, and a hint of bourbon in the background. Taste is much of the same with a big malt backbone.

Mouthfeel is medium and slick and creamy, leaving a film covering the roof and sides of your mouth.

Overall a very good and well balanced beer at a little over 2 years old with still quite a bourbon kick at the end and a nice chocolate aftertaste.

 

New Beer Sunday: A New IPA (NE sub-style?)

Afternoon, NBSers,

Well the weather here this morning was quite rainy so after a visit to the Gym I hung around the house taking care of a few inside chores before lunch and a trip to the grocery store. Now it’s time to talk about the first of two beers from Foreign Objects brewing from up in there in New Paltz in the Hudson Valley (where one might just find @cavedave lurking about now that he’s a gentleman of leisure).

My first Foreign Objects new beer is called “What We All Want” and looks to be a version of that emerging and controversial sub-style called a NEIPA (at least by the polite folks on this site who don’t want to insult others by telling them they aren’t drinking real beer that doesn’t taste like beer ).

As usually my review, subject to revision until I finish this beer, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50313/322884/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas and flavors of this very hazy beer are almost completely filled with a nicely balanced mix of citric zest, resin, tropical fruits and what seems to be a bit of white grape. The almost crackery sweetness is just enough to take the rough edges off the moderate bitterness. It finishes nicely dry and bitter.

If I use the 4 points suggested by @JackHorzempa who earlier provided a well thought out try at identifying the sub-style attributes for this beer sub-style I’d say:

The appearance is definitely opaque with all the haze and a few floaties. The bitterness is moderate (but not “wimpily” so). The mouth feel is slightly prickly and so not as smooth and creamy as some. There’s lots of “juicy” flavors and all the “juiciness” definitely comes from the combination of hops which show a lot off a lot of citric and tropical fruits.

As far as music to listen to while relaxing with a beer I’d say my tastes tend to be a bit old fashioned in that I’m usually listening to Classical, Opera, Folk, Popular or Country.

For example I’ve always thought the Three Jolly Coachmen done by the Original Kingston Trio was a fine beer drinking song. (Especially when having a few pints with friends. )

Three Jolly Coachmen


Expecting to be back later with tonight’s NEIPA from Foreign Objects, In the Gold Dust Rush.

Cheers, all!

 

Happy Sunday, New Beer Sippers and Commentators. Thanks, Craig for a great intro. I confess that I largely missed out on yesterday's themed festivities but I really enjoyed reading the huge number of posts. I've been distracted by a lot of things lately but I'm looking forward to the next special WBAYDN. I always look forward to NBS and sharing with all of you. The comraderie on this thread is amazing and I really enjoy reading all of your posts.

It's been a miserable weather day here in North Jersey - but perfect for an Imperial Stout. I'm reviewing Atmospheric Black Metal brewed by Søle Artisan Ales in Easton, Penna. The label says it's an "Imperial Cocoa Stout" but it's more of a bakers chocolate and char Stout; very bitter! Here's my full review:

3.83/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from 22 oz. bottle into Søle teku glass. I let it warm nearly to room temperature before pouring. It pours ink black with a foamy, medium-mocha colored head that dissipated quickly leaving only faint soapy lacing. The nose features roasted malt, cocoa nibs, caramel, and nuts. The taste is decidedly bitter with burnt coffee grounds, char, bakers chocolate, and nuts. While there's a hint of caramel at mid-sip, the finish is very bitter. I was surprised by the high level of carbonation - while the body is fairly viscous it lacks the creaminess of many stouts. It drinks below its 10% ABV. Although I enjoyed Atmospheric Black Metal, I found it to be a bit one dimensional in its flavor. It could stand a little more of the advertised cocoa. Overall, while it's somewhat bitter for casual drinking, t would pair nicely with with a hearty meal like pot roast and mashed potatoes.

I'll be back with another review from Søle. I hope you're all enjoying your new beer today. Cheers!

 

I woudn't rule out the possibility of an IPA but I'd expect it have the brewer's unique twist to it. The brewer is and has been committed for years to spontaneous fermentation and/or using unusual yeast sources in his brewing.

 

Great to see you back!

 

Of course 5 new beers is the 'week (or the fortnight) in review'. Just now enjoying my pre-Berlin red-eye beers, with glasses of milk along side (my best sleeping pill), Carton Unjunct and Demented Red Ale with lots of milk on the side. Cheers! Cannot wait to try Berlin craft this week. Act25

 

Happy NBS. Trying this Weyerbacher 22 which I apparently liked more than most. Cheers all.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/392/288061/?ba=cindyjeffsmith#review

 

A-Pours a nice light tropical sun color with a decent head and lacing.
A-Aroma had nice pineapple hints.
T-The taste follows the nose with a nice pineapple flavor.
M-A light bodied slightly carbonated beer.
O-A decent beach beer.

 

Good afternoon, NBS. I enjoyed seeing everyone's vinyl yesterday. Beer and music is an absolute favorite combination for me. Some of my most-enjoyed glasses were drunk after concerts, when I'd gotten home and was winding down from that live music high, listening to music until the early hours.

On to what brings me here today.



Oscar Blues Death By Coconut, 6.5% abv, canned in October, "Extra nutty just for you".

Pours black with dark cola highlights. Thin khaki head doesn't last long and reduces to a half cap, leaving some spotty lacing behind.

Smells of sweet coconut. Not overwhelming or artificial. A little roastiness underneath.

Has a good coconut flavor, not artificial. I can take or leave coconut, and typically leave it, but this has a nice, not overwhelming, toasty sweet coconut flavor. But I'm certainly not being killed by the coconut, as the name suggests.

It's a touch thin for my liking, and the alcohol isn't particularly well integrated. Wish there was more of the base porter coming through, and I wish that porter had a little more roastiness for balance.

It got high marks in that recent Paste tasting, but it's just not doing much for me. Maybe I like coconut in beverages less than I thought.

 

Really, really trying to get through a backlog of IPAs, so that brings us to this one from Unknown Brewing - Gamble Everything



3.72/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This is billed as a hazy IPA, but after pouring it seems as if this statement was leveraged as a money grab gravy training the whole NEIPA thing. What we have in reality is an IPA of hazy nature, no doubt, but if you bill in this day and age as hazy, folks tend to expect OJ. It's ok looking, cloudy in an East coast DIPA way with a stark white head. Nose is candy orange with a ripe vegetable edge. Taste follows along, like identically. After taste is even the same. Guess consistency throughout the experience is nailed on this otherwise pedestrian beer.

 

I'm really glad to see you back and I'm glad you're enjoying your new beer. I'll look for this one. It sounds great!

 

Back at it here nbs players. Grabbed this on whim as a not to expensive single. I do not have high hopes here.

My second new beer today is Gluten Free IPA, from Green’s brewing. The site says it’s a uk brewery but the bottle says brewed/bottled in Belgium. You figure it out. The brew checks in at 6% abv and has a best by date of 5/7/20. Yeah.

A rather dirty amber/brown color on the pour. The nose is full of herbal hops. The drinking starts with a very assertive herbal toned flavor. It’s very tea like. A bitter flow and finish. Tones of grass, wheat, and a sort of citrus/pine flavor. The mouthfeel is moderate and rather dry.

Overall, this is just awful. I do not have a sensitivity to gluten but this is not worth it. Drinks like a sort of herbal/medicinal English bitter at best. I am right around a 1 here players.

 

Drip Drop Coffee Stout from Otter Creek Brewing

 

I would like this beer, maybe with spicy Thai or Vietnamese dishes.

 

Greetings all. Thanks to Cjgiant for the kickoff and for bringing in the topic of music. Without sounding too overly dramatic about it music has always loomed pretty large in my life. It was my first real hobby and it's how I bonded with friends as a teen. I have a drawer full of hundreds of concert stubs dating from 1986 to the present that I really need to organize some day, and I've played in garage type bands on and off since I was 16. For the past 5 years I've been playing with the same drummer who I played with in my first band back in 1985. When we were kids we used to say "do you think we'll still be jamming when we're like 50"? Well, we'll have a definitive answer to that in 3 years but the signs are pointing to yes. And for a more direct answer to the question of the day, right now I'm listening to some Luna.

This week I've got a a Brett Pale Ale from Transient Artisan Ales called Wayward that clocks in at 6% abv. What's funny is that I've never bought a beer from this brewery, but this is now the third time I've been given one of their beers as gift. I think it might have something to do with the labels looking sort of sophisticated and the styles sounding unusual and interesting. Their bottles are fairly available out here, but I feel like they don't really generate much attention. Are they a big deal in their homeland back in Michigan?

Anyway, I'm not a particularly big fan of Brett beers. I've learned that they're not always funky/barnyardy and can also contribute more spicey/fruity flavors, but in either case a little bit of those notes goes a long way with me. I'm generally glad to have drank them when I'm done, but am also generally not dying to go and buy myself more of them either.





This pours a very attractive hazy honey color that you can just barely see your fingers through. It pours with a huge, highly carbonated seeming head that absolutely refuses to ever get smaller than about 1/4 inch thick. The smell is very tart - almost like a berliner, with just a very slight hint of funk. There's also some peppery spice similar to what I'd expect from a Saison. Definitely apricot and peach notes as well as some pineapple. Taste is a bit different than the nose suggests. It only has a hint of tartness at best, though it definitely has more of that peppery/fruity flavor that I would guess is the work of the Brett. The spiceyness is hard to put my finger on, but it's not clove-y which I appreciate since that is not my favorite flavor in a beer. Can't say I'm picking up any meaningful funk in the taste.

The beer feels very carbonated with a mild bitterness that finishes clean and dry. It almost sort of disappears from your palate after you swallow except for a touch of cranberry juice like tartness in the back of the cheeks. I think the taste is improving as it warms with the fruit flavors becoming a bit more prominent and the spice taking more of a back seat.

I'm liking this more and more as I work through the glass which is probably a good thing in a beer I could see buying this again and it's maybe a good "starter" beer for people like me who aren't fully on board the Brett train. I can certainly see how the Brett might provide a lot of complexity to sift through as there's a fair amount going on here between the fruit, spice, funk, and tartness (even if some of those are very subdued).

Cheers all!

 

More fruit juice smoothie goodness from Other Half with this New England-style imperial IPA... Canned 2/15, featuring Citra, Amarillo, Mosaic, and Azacca hops and a double dry hopping of Citra, Mosaic, and Azacca...

Double Dry Hopped Always & Forever

Has a bright, fresh ripe citrus aroma... Suggestions from nose to palate include orange, pineapple, and mango, with danker notes of lime and pine... Smooth and soft, mildly bitter, moderately sweet, and amply carbonated, another exemplar of the style...

Cheers...

 

Didn't think I had it in me, but here's my final new beer for this week's NBS! This is a big one, but I should be okay... I think. Hopefully.

I picked this one up at the same time I picked up the other Evil Twin lactose IPA I reviewed about an hour ago. I figured it'd be interesting to see how they fare side-by-side. The differences between Breaking the Waves and Saus Baus have to do with adjuncts and ABV. Where SB was about 8%, this is 10%. The only adjunct in this beer is lactose, whereas Saus Baus featured yuzu, tangerine and vanilla plus lactose. The hops in this beer include Citra, Amarillo and Simcoe, according to this Twitter post by Evil Twin Brewing.



Translucent medium amber/golden orange color on this one. Retentive couple fingers of white head with intense, consistent lace as I sip at it. Some moderate carbonation activity is visible in the body as well. Pretty good looking beer.

Nose is pretty obvious about the Simcoe inclusion. Dank pine resin, grassy herbal notes and fruity, semi-acidic citrus pithiness. Light stone fruit with a stiff, almost "woody" undertone as well. Bright guava and mango with some honeyed tea biscuit-esque malt notes coming out as it approaches room temperature. Honestly, this smells really nice.

Wow, great flavor profile here too. Opens up a bit with time, but at first I get a lot of zippy, fresh, ripe citrus (grapefruit/tangelo/pomelo) with light pine and honeyed malt. More resin, light creaminess and slight berry/woody notes toward the finish. The ending note is thicker than most DIPAs, though this does pretty much touch the "triple IPA" side of things with a double digit ABV. I attribute the bigger feel to the lactose, but it doesn't feel overdone by any means. The hops here are so crisp and intense that the lactose almost feels like an afterthought; probably a good thing, honestly.

Feel is, as touched on above, kind of heavy... but since this is a really big pale ale with what I assume to be a huge hopping rate, I don't mind it as much by any means. I like drier TIPAs (Knee Deep is great at these), but this does solid work on its own merits. Now that I know this is good, I'll likely pick up more of the next batch I see, if it gets brewed again. Definitely worthy of having on hand!

The name of this beer reminded me of a long-forgotten power/melodic death metal album that I haven't heard in a long time. Reacquainting myself with Brimstone's Carving a Crimson Career now... solid stuff, kinda like a more aggressive Children of Bodom with less solos and more straight-up heavy metal influence. Some folky elements in there too.