New Beer Sunday (Week 681)

Beer 2 of the night.

I had been holding onto this one to share with a friend at a work conference this past week. Held onto it about two months later than I'd like and then us sharing fell through. We made plans for a different share, so figured I'd give this one a try.

Westbrook 6th Anniversary




4.06/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours very thick and black. There's a slight, chocolatey brown head that leaves no foam on the glass.

Aroma is of light chocolate and vanilla. It's a somewhat muted smell, but I'm not going to knock that as I'm having this about a month later than what was recommended/when I wanted to have it.

Very chocolatey. Again the vanilla is muted, but I taste it in the aftertaste. It's a very nice beer.

When pouring, I expected this to be a very thick beer, but it's definitely not. It's not milk stout thin, but it's much smoother and easier to drink than I expected.

Overall a nice beer that I wish I had about a month or two earlier as I couldn't taste much of the hazelnut at all.

 

Nope, it is not "corn smell". I homebrew with corn so I am familiar with what corn 'brings to the party'.

Cheers!

 

Happy Sunday all!

Tonight I'm having Jester King 2017 SPON - Syrah & Sangiovese, which was ninja'd to me by the great @LloydDobler and served in proper glassware sent by the Uber generous @CheChe . I love this community.



Pours with a thick white head that quickly dissipates. Color is not unlike Ruby red grapefruit juice. Nose is sour funk.

Grapes are the star here, over a beautiful funky lambic. Finish dries out quickly, leaving me with a mouthful of wood and wanting more.

This hype was real. Thank you Chris!

 

On to my night-night beer, sharing this with the wife.

Dark dark brown, fairly opaque. Thin mocha head settles into a ring around my glass with a central floating island.

Aroma is black coffee, sweet vanilla bean, boozy bourbon barrel.

Bitter dark coffee, sweet vanilla bourbon barrel, roasted dark malt. Bittersweet baking cocoa.

A bit lighter body than I expected, boozy heat, lighter carbonation suitable to the style.

Big brew, booze stuck around. Rich barrel and coffee.

 

Back with another new beer, apparently a hazy, "couvey" IPA from Matchless. I have no idea what couvey means, but it is used as a descriptor on the can label:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47868/330200/?ba=woemad#review

 

Good evening, NBS. Back after missing another couple of weeks, including the anniversary and the music related Sunday. Both of which I am sorry about. Music is a huge part of Rose family life and our NBS anniversary...well...water under the bridge now as they say.

We survived the last storm with minimal disruption for which we are thankful A half hour without electricity is certainly trivial compared to so many others. See what happens this week... And turning to this week...we do love our sports. Bruins, Red Sox, Celtics, Pats. UW Badgers. Less of a fan of NASCAR than I used to be, but watch from time to time. Local short track racing does it for me. (Guilty pleasure soap opera/pseudo-sport...WWE..). We follow our teams, but I wouldnt say we are rabid fans. We watch the games, follow the teams, but at the end of the day it is entertainment.

Contrary to what I usually do, this beer went from store shelf to glass. It was bottled in mid-December 2017.



Allagash Pastiche pours more red than the picture shows with a tight head that lasts a long while. I was worried about this one a bit since it appears to be a complex blend and that blend is based on somebody else's taste buds. Shouldnt have worried.

The aroma struck me as sweet with notes of some of the barrels used in evidence. Definitely get the gin as a juniper-like hit, the sweetness I will give to the rum, then there is vanilla, and more wine-like notes emege as the beer warms. There is a light fruit note that seems like apple to me that floats through all the other smells. It is not a jumbled mess by any means. The aroma is actually pretty restrained in intensity, melded well, and is quite pleasant.

The taste is another of the mighly morphing flavor beers I have come to enjoy from Allagash. It opens fruity and fairly sweet, but eventually the other flavors are coaxed out of hiding. Easily detectable are gin and bourbon. I think the rum is there, but I have never enjoyed rum very much so I cant say for sure. There is a caramel sweetness. Vanilla comes and goes, then wine and brandy tastes follow. I am getting more of a liquor/wine sense here with the base beer pretty deeply hidden. Apple and wine grapes play back and forth, a bit of plum, as do the liquor flavors in kind of a shimmery effect. Very slightly acidic. The vinous flavor seems to win out a bit, maybe reinforced by port, wine, AND brandy barrels.

Medium bodied and kinda bubbly yet not overly carbonated. It is slightly astringent and moderately drying. Certainly a sipper and one to ponder.

Overall I find this enjoyable. It is a madhouse of smells and flavors that are not exactly playing smoothly in the sandbox, but do come to a reasonable truce. Nothing jagged or jarring, yet the individual components stand out at different times. It wont knock Curieux off the throne, but it will land in the low 4's on the scoresheet. Glad I tried it fresh. Aging may not be a good to this one...it might make the individual notes more jagged.

 

One more, Lost Coconuts - Beer Tree Brew Co. , a porter with coconut.
It smells essentially like sun tan lotion, & cocoa powder. (In a good way) It's a little more complex than that, given some time to analyze. The flavor is in reverse proportions to the aroma. Chocolate liqueur(sweet), dark chocolate(bitter), toasted coconut. Lingering bitterness. It manages to be not too sweet, a little sweeter than a dry Irish stout. (& I won't be drinking the whole crowler tonight. I want to, but know I shouldn't.)

4.25/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/51814/332627/

& ...the brewery photo, because it is more enticing than my crowler photo.

 

Moving on to #2 new beer for me. Playing catch up, I’ve never seen Breaking Bad. I’m in the last season.



16 ounce can dated 2/2/18 poured into tulip.
Somewhat aggressive pour leads to 1/2” finger of head which sits on top of a dark black body. Thin fingers of lace left on the glass. The nose is Turkish coffee and roast. Holy cow, so many layers of amazing. Starts out with bitter roast coffee, then smooth chocolate and vanilla, very smooth bourbon with little heat, finishes as chocolate cake and more smooth espresso. The body leaves a lot to be desired but at 8% that part is understandable. Smooth and creamy body, easy drinker.

 

Happy CANtinued New CANned Beer Sunday (Week 681)!

Wow, this week really knocked me for a loop! I was in for a prostate biopsy on Wednesday & between the anesthesia & the antibiotics coupled with the start of DST 2018, I have been totally out of sync. I was up late last evening, got an early start today, laid down & now I'm back, energized & ready to rock & roll.

I picked up with a CANned RIS (!) from DuBois, PA:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/43361/302549/?ba=woodychandler#review

but then I realized that I needed to give props to @Mothergoose03 who not only sent me a buncha Short's crown caps FFT to a local artist, but included some CANs for me. He's getting hooked up, believe me!
I beCAN my MichiCAN journey with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25045/187436/?ba=woodychandler#review

which was nice, but hardly satiating. Next, he sent me a:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34314/143339/?ba=woodychandler#review

I am running out of steam, so I will close here. See yinz next week!

 

Wiseacre Rockets in the Complex, an Imperial Brown with cocoa nibs, 7.3% ABV, 3.88 Overall

Pours an effervescent and slightly ever so hazed brown/hazel with a thumb of tan head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Toastyness, nuttyness, brown bread

T: Follows the nose, cocoa as well, dryness as well up front, a little mocha as well. Toastyness, dryness, a touch of vanilla, cocoa & hazelnut as this warms. Finishes dry & nutty, some woody hops too

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation

Solid Brown, well worth a try

 

This is a new gose from Anderson Valley, and they know a thing or two about making goses.



It comes in a clear pink color with a small off white fizzy head. The head retention is very short as is expected, but it doesn't die a way completely. A thin bit of foam lingers.

The nose is a moderate amount of fresh tart raspberry, not cooked or jammy. There is a ton bit of crackery wheat, and a note of hibiscus.

The palate is fresh tart raspberry upfront, which pushes all the way through to the finish. Thin wheat malt is crackery and ghost-like. The carbonation is pretty active and fizzy and moves the beer quickly across the palate; the beer is a bit thin and watery, but it's very refreshing/thirst-quenching and comes across almost like raspberry-flavored sparkling water. It's just mildly tart with low acidity, only a faint salinity, crisp on the finish and ending with a note of hibiscus, and slight lingering raspberry.

Overall, a solid raspberry gose. It's not as pungently raspberry-forward as I would prefer--in fact, it seems more restrained that their other goses--but it's certainly not a bad beer and is still quite enjoyable. It would be perfect in warm weather.

 

Beer three tonight and second from Vanished Valley. I work at a university and Spring Break starts tonight, so while I still have to work this week, it's going to be a nice break. It's also my unofficial start of spring, so having Daylight Savings also come into play today has definitely lit the end of the tunnel of this academic year.

Vanished Valley Eleven Under



4.17/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours an opaque orange. About three fingers of white head after an aggressive pour.

Very fruity on the nose. Citrus is what stands out.

Taste has lemon and cantaloupe. Not sour by any means, but the lemon stands out to me.

Very smooth and light. Easy to drink and a beer that could be the start of a nice session.

 

This was my favorite beer I had while I was down there a couple weeks ago. Like I said before, that was only to keep the magazine from getting damaged.

 

Next up is Upstate ZA (South African) IPA. I did try a sample of this at the brewery and it was great, but I need a proper pour and review.



Comes in an opaque golden yellow color like orange juice, slightly milky-looking, with a small white head. After a few minutes, the head dies down into a thin splochy film that leaves rings of lacing.
The aroma is fruity but hard to describe, as per the South African hops I've never had before. I'm getting some white peach, lemon, and white wine; slightly musky with hints of cantaloupe/honeydew melon, something slightly chalky, and raw dough malt. Hints of bubblegum, too, maybe.
The taste is closer to straight OJ, fresh squeezed orange juice upfront with pineapple, hints of lemon zest and white peach flesh. There is some pink bubblegum and passion fruit in there. It's also earthy with a surprisingly bitter, grapefruit pith finish. There is a slightly off chalky/metallic flavor, imo, but it's not offensive.
The mouthfeel is thick and creamy, damn near chewy, and lightly carbonated. It really sticks in my mouth.
Overall, a really solid NEIPA. I wouldn't say it's perfect or world-class yet, but it's still really good.

 

Greetings late night New Beer Celebrants! I drove four hours both ways to celebrate my nephew's first birthday today and now I'm ready for a beer.

The review:
22oz undated bottle poured into a Duvel glass at fridge temp 10% ABV. The beer pours dense black with light brown head. The head recedes to a medium ring and leaves a little lacing. The aroma is roasty malts and baker's chocolate. The taste follows the nose with more smooth dark cocoa and roasted malts. There is a subtle smokiness in the taste that is drying and adds a hint of complexity. No alcohol presence in the aroma or taste. Mouthfeel is medium bodied, adequately carbonated and dry in the finish. The bitterness is very subdued without allowing the taste to tilt to sweet. Overall, excellent. I do wish I knew the beer's age as I suspect it sat for a while before I purchased it. Whatever the age or condition, it was delicious in my glass.

Cheers all!

 

4.34/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Beer pours an almost peach looking color. Likely somewhat dark orange with a slight red tint. Solid one finger worth of head but quickly gave way leaving behind almost no head or lacing.

S: Beer has a nice mix of strawberry freshness and some tart notes. Some aromas have a yogurt like smell. The beer's fragance is mostly a strawberry sweetness with a mild tart smell.

T: The main flavor of the beer is of fresh strawberries. Lots of sweetness here. Fairly simple example of a sour. Only a slight amount of tart flavors. Not as complex as other similar beers. However, the simplicity of the sour allows the fruit taste to stand out.

M: Light bodied beer with a large amount of sweetness on the mouthfeel. Very minimal amount of tartness here, but I feel it improves the overall level of the beer.

O: Fruit flavors stand out here. Very minimal amount of tartness allows the strawberries to be out front. Slight tanginess lingers in the mouth after drinking. Would be a good example for someone who typically doesn't like sours.

 

My final beer of the night, like two of the last three is courtesy of @colby600. He was very generous with me a couple years back and quite the noob and has continued to be the same.

Vanished Valley Equivalent



3.94/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured an opaque tangerine color with a slight white head that left foam on the glass.

Smell is nearly nonexistent, but is neutral, not bad at all.

The taste is very juicy. The overwhelming taste is citrus, but I also get a taste of mango. The one thing I don't taste is tangerine or any sort of orange juice.

The taste is full but smooth. There is a little bit of an aftertaste, but it's easy to drink.

 

I was wondering about that, knowing 3Magnets is in Olympia (several visits to my brother's place I've tried to talk him into going there, so far with no success). Some day you'll have to come visit Spokane, where you can gaze upon one of Bing's hairpieces, housed on the Gonzaga campus.

 

Better late than never

4.06/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours hazy orange. Foamy, medium, white head that fades slowly. Good lace.

Smells Tropical, citrus peel, grapefruit and malt.

Tastes grapefruit, citrus peel, tropical, pineapple, bready malt, light grassy and pine hints. Finish is dry with citrus peel linger. Medium body and creamy medium carbonation.