New Beer Sunday (Week 682)

I just found the Boon Gueze Discovery Box at my local store. I was completely ignorant about this box, until I saw it. So, even at the $60 dollar price tag ($15 per bottle) I was really excited.

This first bottle I opened today is the Var 108, and I absolutely love it. A sinus clearing grapefruit acidity up front, cheesy funk, and beautiful carbonation. Full review below:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47/298514/?ba=champ103#review



I am really looking forward to the rest...maybe more reviews to come tonight

 

Ok, so I lied. One more before I get back to work. Besides, I wanted to watch a little bit of the race. I have close to zero interest in the NCAA tourney, because not only did my Irish not make it, but they lost in the NIT. ON ST. PATTYS DAY!!!

Anyway, I was sent this new brew, along with a ton of others, from @Graham19840 in a booming box of brews.



Pale yellow in color, with zero visible penetration through the glass. Faded melon and clementine on the nose. As usual, my nose has failed me. Super hop “pop” hits as if this were straight from the tank. Nice and easy drinking, with a ton of juicy flavor and a sharp hop bite. Clean finish. Slightly under-carbed, but this is still really good!

 

Following up on @woemad s lead, I also popped open an E9 brew, one I've had around for over a year. It's very good, so the time didn't hurt it, and may have given the brett some time to develop a bit more: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/4980/333750/

 

This is one that has been added to my list to try. Besides the evident appeal from the color, it really sounds like something right up my alley. Cheers!

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @lordofthewiens for getting us started off this morning. Last week was pretty boring and not that busy, hopefully this week is more interesting. Did the usual bottle returns and grocery run today. Picked up some packing supplies and boxed up 45 lbs of beer to ship out tomorrow. I have a trade coming in tomorrow as well, 40 lbs. Made another beer haul yesterday, I will be busy for a while. I ended up buying some true macro beers to review, so it'll be interesting tasting some of the "classics". Getting to the point where finding new stuff is impossible again. Review 6500 will be on Wednesday. Not sure what it will be yet, there might be some gems in my trade box tomorrow. Look forward to it. My friend has some Tree House stuff for me later in the week as well.

New Beers:

Excellent German Pils! Awesome head retention/soapy lacing on the glass; crystal clarity. Aromas and flavors of big cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit, light nutty malts; with moderate herbal, grassy, peppery noble hops. Light-moderate herbal, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body and moderately crisp/clean finishing. Balanced bready/grainy malts and sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Very flavorful/refreshing, 4.8%. Perfectly clean lagering, never yeasty. Outstanding example of the style. Clean and nicely rich malts, balanced noble hops. Getting a bit of Munich malt character(should be all pilsner), but this was delicious and very spot on style overall. Very fresh bottling. 4.08


Delicious APA. Great head retention/lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of lemon, lime, peach, pear, red apple, white grape/wine, melon, citrus zest, and light pepper/pine hops; with moderate wheat, cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit malt balance; herbal, floral, grassy hops and yeasty earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, grassy, spicy, citrus peel bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body and fairly crisp finishing. Balanced bready/grainy malts and some sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Very flavorful/refreshing, 5.3%. Spot on APA all the way through. Great Nelson hop showcase. Balanced fruity/earthy hop complexity and pale/wheat malt backbone. Look forward to the next hop variety. 3.9


This has been in the cellar for a bit. This was excellent. Poor head retention/zero lacing as expected of peanuts. Aromas and flavors of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, peanuts, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, molasses, licorice, raisin, prune, and smoke. Touch of booze on the nose as it warms, but not overwhelming. Mild roast/char bitterness and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Light carbonation and very full body; with a very creamy/silky/slick mouthfeel. Light syrup, chalky roast, and oak tannins. Touch of lingering bitter/tannin dryness, no cloying. Lightly increasing lingering warmth of 15.2%, minimal barrel booze. Dangerously smooth sipping. Was expecting more out of it; but the overall balance of rich malts, peanuts, and bourbon barrels is pretty much perfect. 3.97


Cheers, be back a bit later NBS.

 

Happy New Doppelbock Sunday!

Cloudy, snowing, windy, 37 at the trailhead today. Had this brew last year, but put the review in the wrong place, so now it's a new brew since @Bitterbill sent me another , thanks Bill. Always a joy drinking something from GT. Watching some Voyager reruns, just started season 5. Will be back with another from GT.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/413/254530/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Yes, you nailed it. There's a bit of peppery astringency at the finish. It reminds me of some of Magnify's IPA's. I'm not a home brewer but I assumed it's caused by the yeast. However, don't let it dissuade you. These are both really good IPA's.

 

I really enjoy your multiple beer posts along with the metal. Always looking to diversify my musical portfolio.

 

I just finished the bottle, and I'll be damned if there isn't actually brett in this beer. I was getting a bit of barnyard as I continued to drink it. On the Kent Falls website it just says that they used their "farmhouse blend" of yeast, so no confirmation there. But whatevs, let's bump it up to an A (4.5) for this beguiling multifaceted aspect. Now I want more , so that deserves an A, right?

 

Always wanted to try it (I heard it was better than Surly!) so here it goes:



A-Pours a clean golden color
A-Aroma has heartland hints
T-The taste follows the nose with an abundant heartland flavor
M-A light bodied very well carbonated beer
O-A perfect pre-gaming beer

 

One more while I finish up chores before dinner. This one is definitely interesting. Also sent to me from @warrendietrich2001
IPA with grape must, dragon fruit and hibiscus.

Pour appears like a raspberry iced tea. Faint big bubble head on pink hued clear brew.

Aroma is floral, grape skin, hint of sweetness and a bit of alcohol.

Lightly tart flavor and sweet fruit. Grape must comes out more as it warms. Not sure what dragon fruit tastes like, this has a hint of floral dish soap. The hibiscus is earthy, herbal, sweet and I assume is what gives it the hint of tartness.

Moderate carbonation and just under medium body. Crisp.

Interesting and different, don’t get a ton of IPA characteristics, but an enjoyable brew.

 

Good evening NBS and thanks @lordofthewiens for the reminder as to why I do not golf. I hope your strategy for this coming season takes 10 strokes off the game. The goal setting is a big part of our house and we have found that most helpful over the years. Just home from a day trip to the Peabody Essex museum in Salem Ma. If you are in the area it is a special place, and Notch brewing has a tap room 5 minute walk from the museum.
Today's offering is from Worcester Ma, Flying Dream Brewing's Imperial Stout
The Nightmare after Christmas. Whats in a name right? Well this stout is very true to style. Excellent in structure, no tricks just a delight to drink.
Cheers All


The Nightmare After Christmas

Flying Dreams Brewing Co.
Russian Imperial Stout / 8.00% ABV

4.16/5 rDev -1.4% | Score: 4.22
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 22 oz bottle into the test glass
A - Deep cocoa color, wonderful off white cap stays in action for the entire experience. Carbonation rolls up the sides of the glass
S - Dark roast malt, some chocolate, a bit of herbal hops , black pepper as well as a hint of mint leave.
T - Bakers chocolate, a bit of toffee, the slightest hints of dried dark fruit, fig, in particular.
M - Medium in body, excellent carbonation, this is a dry offering, starts dry, finishes dry, a bitterness is present but not overbearing.
O - A very good traditional Imperial Stout, no gimmicks, lots of roasty notes, dry and just bitter enough. Excellent balance and, the 8% is hidden quite well

 

What is up all the you NBS'ers,
Today I am drinking some beers that were sent to me in the current NBS BIF round:





Both of these bombs come courtesy of a very generous BA @akatz821!

Today's new beer comes courtesy of these boxes and is my first ever Other Half tick:

Double Dry-Hopped Forever Simcoe

Look: Not a ton of head retention or lacing but this beer looks super hazy and cloudy.

Smell: The smell on this bad boy is amazing, tropical fruits, mango and pineapple.

Taste: Small hop bite from the simcoe of the front but all tropical fruit flavor on the back end. I have discovered that I really like IPA's that shoot for that tropical fruit flavor.

Feel: This has a nice soft feel, maybe closes I have had to the treehouse beers, not on that level, but close.

Overall: Really enjoyable beer and since @akatz821 sent more from Other Half, definitely looking forward to the others.

 

New from Wunderkammer Bier, Greensboro Bend, VT. Delivered yesterday by the brewer.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47666/322054/

His words as follows:
This beer has a very simple malt profile with some earthy home grown Newport hops in the whirlpool. The beer was then fermented on the lees (re:mixed culture yeast) from Bufo (vol 9), in oak. The goal was to bring forward some of the earthy-ness from the Bufo and hops into a simple and elegant wild ale. The result is a delicate mushroomy beer with herbal accents.

Ghost Pipe, Monotropa Uniflora, (aka Indian Pipe, Corpse Plant) is a type of herbaceous perennial plant found in the forests around us. It produces no chlorophyll, instead is a parasite, living on mostly fungus that grow symbiotically with trees. No Ghost Pipes were used in making this beer. it is instead a appreciation of the beauty and rarity of coming across these plants in the forest, as well as a reference to the method used to create this beer. It literally grew on a substrate of a beer made with fungi, extracting that flavor into it.



My words:
Moderate to vigorous pour yields a one and a half inch white head over a slightly hazy golden body with some lacing. Nose of citrus, hay, and a bit of mushroom earthiness from the previous inhabitant (Bufo Americanus) of the barrel. Taste of citrus with the earthy flavor coming along as well. So very refreshing, finishing dry with a nice feel. Overall, yet another winner from Greensboro Bend, VT. Cheers!

4.34/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

Thank you, @lordofthewiens for the start. I am in NBS BIF 007 mode, so I will make this brief and to the point: if @Buck89 hits you with a Ninja box, cancel all your plans, revise your will, and hunker down for a journey into the Realm Of World-Class Beers.

He blessed me with a glorious box I’m working my way through, and this magnificent DIPA juice bomb from Southern Grist Brewing Company is yet another example of his largesse.



4.38/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Looks like a glass of grapefruit juice - grapefruit color, not a scintilla of daylight visible when looking through the glass, and creamy light tan head. The aromas are straight off the USS Hop Bomb - dank grapefruit, mango, sweet pineapple, passion fruit. A hop smorgasbord.

The taste and mouthfeel are the best parts of this beer - the grapefruit taste is really prominent (think grapefruit rind), but the mango shines, too, so you’re not in “bitter beer face” mode, and there’s also the slightest bit of alcohol present, which actually helps balance the preponderance of citrus flavors.

The mouthfeel has bite - that is a common component I’ve noticed in my recent forays into the hazier DIPA’s, and I welcome it. I know I’m drinking a beer, not a glass of juice.

Exceptionally well-executed by Southern Grist, IMHO.

 

Glad you're enjoying it! I'm traveling/working today, so sadly, this is the closest to NBS that I'll get this week.

 

Hello men, women, children, and such. It has been a long time since I participated in NBS. As a matter of fact, the last time was also a beer sent my way courtesy of @Lingenbrau . Good people, that guy. Anyway, I've been a huge Hair of the Dog fan since I got into craft beer years ago. They've always been an interesting, intense, old school type of joint as far as I'm concerned. Knowing such, Lingenhole sent me this one for Chinese New Year. Did I mention He's good people?

Hair of the Dog - Bourbon Fred From The Wood



4.25/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 3 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12oz Bottle

2017 Bottling

Huge thanks to Phil for the bottle! Bourbon Fred from the Wood isn't the prettiest of beers. It's a muddied rusty red with some orange highlights, opaque. It looks a lot like unfiltered apple cider. It's also still, which is a little concerning. Not a bubble to be found.

Whew. That's some rich, potent smelling, complex smellin' beer. Let's start with the bourbon aspect. It's well integrated. Plush notes of caramel, marshmallow, oak, and a whisper of coconut. Golden raisins, toffee, butterscotch, and brown suger make up the nearly neverending malt profile. This stuff smells like a rich dessert.

Holy shit, this beer is good. Complex and delicious. Toffee and golden raisins get it movin'. They got an incredible amount of expression from the bourbon barrels; huge caramel, damp oak, toasted coconut, cotton candy, and a healthy dose of pecan. Brandy macerated cherries pop up here, butterscotch pops up there along with a rich sugar quality, sorghum. This beer almost borders on liquid stollen. There's sweetness present but the tannic barrel and booziness cleans it up.

If ever there was a beer that possibly does better still than not, it's Bourbon Fred from the Wood. As a matter of fact, it fits so well that I forgot it was still until I got to this here mouthfeel portion. The weight sits between full and moderate. A little sweetness hits upfront before being sucked dry by barrel tannins and a clean booziness. A barely noticeable numbness gathers on the tongue after a few drinks, I can't tell if it's alcohol related or hop related, probably alcohol. This beer is a sipper for sure, based on the size and ample barrel presence.

Hair of the Dog makes some great beer. This one is no exception. I'm assuming they failed on the carbonation aspect but it's not a noticeable flaw, actually it works. This beer is hugely complex and hugely delicious. What a great combination of flavors. Bourbon Fred from the Wood is a perfect example of why Hair of the Dog has always so fascinated me. It's unique, but old school. Powerful, yet nuanced. Really great stuff. Thanks again, Phil!