New Beer Sunday (Week 683)

It's a great coffee table read, I've never made it all the way through the 1001 either haha. I think your review of Ransack the universe is pretty on point. It honestly is my go to from ontario. Clean easy drinking, Tropical forward IPA.

As far as the art, They have 4 pieces of art sourced for each beer and actually showcase the artists on their website, they also change the art from time to time. I should have a photo around here of one of my favorite ones that was painted from a photo of a french gangster back in the 30's

 

I’m no expert (not even close), but I would think that brewers who are willing to invest in these are hoping for some character that would not come from stainless steel. Perhaps this comes from more oxygen exposure (compared to stainless) or even from what the foudre held previously (if applicable). Due to its large size compared to a barrel, I think a brewer would use a foudre instead of a barrel if they were were interested in a more subtle impact to the beer character... since size matters in this regard.

 

Beer headed my way?! Starting to feel better already, haha!

 

That last one went down pretty damn quick luckily I have several new beers for today. My next beer came from Edmund's Oast in Charleston, SC. They recently started distributing but I have had many of their beers from visits there. If you are ever in the area their food is great as well. This is an IPA clocking in at 7% the flavors are pretty solid the only complaint I have is the aroma, there is just nothing there. In today's world of beer we have lots of options so you better bring your A game.

Appearance 4 - Pours slightly cloudy straw color with big foamy white head and lots of lacing.

Aroma 3.5 - Light orange and mango with just a hint of pine. The aroma is not very strong hard to pick up much of anything.

Taste 4.25 - The taste is much different that the aroma. On the front end big hit of pine and grapefruit, citrus peel, very light mango. The taste is more bitter than sweet but both are there, the bitterness does not overpower it is just strong right up front and then flows into a light sweet citrus taste.

Feel 4.25 - Medium bodied, well carbonated pretty dry finish as the bitterness lingers

Overall 4.06 - The aroma was a big let down on this but the taste is really solid. Nice to have a solid hoppy IPA with a nice mouthfeel.

 

Well here's the first casualty from my box sent by the generous @Buck89 in our March Mayhem aka NBS BIF #7.

Hotline IPA from Bearded Iris

Turbid golden swirl. Fluffy white mound of head. Fairly abundant lacing.
Smell instantly leaps forth upon opening, slightly dank, some earthy tropical fruit, and a slight Belgiany yeast note.
Flavor follows the nose, but brings in a little bit of tangerine testiness to the flavor. It evolves into a warming hop bitterness toward the finish.
Mouthfeel is nice and fluffy. Really liked that part of this one.

3.8/5 rDev -11.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

More to follow! Yay, I'm on spring break.

 

New beer #3. Thanks @LloydDobler !

Cherry Gose - Sour Note
Gose - 4% abv
Score: 4.09 (+2.8% rDev)



L - 2-finger bubbly white head rapidly recedes to a translucent dark-yellow body.

S - cherry sweetness, salt, spices.

T - mildly salted cherries. This thing is very well balanced. Neither too sweet nor too salty.

F - light body, high carb.

O - I need to get my hands on more of these once it’s 90 degrees and sweltering outside.

 

Another variant of Peche Mortel up next, This is the Termopilas version brewed with the coffee of the same name giving a much mellower nutty taste and aroma. This is one heck of a pack.


4.06/5 rDev 0% | Score: 4.06
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Part of the Peche day 2018 4 pack. This is Peche Mortel brewed with Termopilas coffee which is supposed to give it a more mellow coffee flavour and be nutty.

Appearance - This beer pours The same deep black in color as the regular Peche again, The head on this was about 2 fingers and thick bubbly mocha that faded within 5-6 mins to a film over the top of the glass. of the 3 I've tried so far, this one has the least visible carbonation.

Aroma - This I really enjoy , The description was right on point its a nice smooth mellow coffee with some cashew nutty aromas on the back end. Simple to explain and smells delicious.

Taste - The nut flavors are really prominent up front and mesh with the coffee on the back end. The coffee is not nearly as bitter as it is in the original and this is nice and smooth.

Feel - Thick and creamy is the perfect way to describe this beer it is very similar to the latte in terms of feel. This box in general has had some very drinkable 9.5% beers. Damn. The bitterness is very much subduded by the nut flavors and the creamy character.

Overall - Of the 3 I've tried from this box this has to be my second favorite after the latte, This is only because I prefered the balance of the sweetness and bitterness over moderate bitterness with a nutty almost salty counterbalance. All the same they are very close in terms of ratings and if you like strong stouts and thick creamy beers this is for you.

 

Hoppiness Is A Warm Pun. Pours a very hazy orange yellow with a nice inch plus head that leaves plenty of thick foamy lace on the sides of the glass, with some very solid retention. 4.5

Smell is papaya, tangerine, passionfruit, pineapple, and just a hint of grapefruit. 4.5

Taste follows tropical front to back with papaya, pineapple, tangerine, and passionfruit dominating with a subtle hit of grapefruit in the amazingly balanced finish. 4.5

Mouthfeel is a little bigger than medium, just the right soft carbonation, juicy but slightly sticky from all the fresh hops, and at 8.2% ABV it is dangerously approachable. 4.75

Overall I just really loved this beer, just exactly what you want in a NEDIPA. A friend gave me this and I want more!

 

New Seattle Enlightenment Sunday

As you may have noticed, our latest NBS BIF is well underway, and the chaos is up to speed as usual. My sender was one of my former targets, and my current target just sent me beer. That’s how we roll.
I never did a BIF before the first one that we did, but I haven’t missed one since. It’s a great time. Thanks (I think) for organizing it @beertunes

On to one of my beers from @kemoarps that was accompanied by smoked salmon. Yup.

I think I have a glass for that

Funny enough, this beer shares some Bodhi qualities. It even had a similar appearance outside of head retention/lacing.

But back to the real west coast.


4.12/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

From a 3/6/18 stamped 12oz can

It is a darker, orangish-copper gold. Mostly clear. I would say about 80%. Just a slight fogginess. A moderate dirty white soapy head dissipated quickly.

It has a lot of pungent tropical fruit aroma. I would say this has either Simcoe or Mosaic hops for sure. Honeydew Melon, grapefruit, pickled mango, some body odor, pine, and onion. Fairly dank.

It tastes even more dank/earthy/pungent than it smells. A lot spicy mango and musty melon, and some pithy grapefruit and orange. A sweetness follows. A little too sweet initially, but the resiny, bitter pine and scallions and flowery like vegetable and herb take over. A bit too much that direction also. It weas down your palate.

The body is crisp and prickly up front, and a bit on the heavier side, with a slick, oily feel. I would guess it to be a little stronger ABV.

The name is appropriate because this beer actually shares a few attributes with Coulumbus Brewing Bodhi for me. Definitely more medicinal/dank and lacks the balance/drinkability, but many of the same flavors. Not a beer I could sit a work through a sixer of, but I would gladly drink it again.

 

Just let me know. Maybe we could hook up a small trade this summer, or it might just show up anyway...

 

You have really opened my eyes to the quality of Indiana beers. I have a couple more that you sent me on deck!

 

Three new beers today, NBS fellows! My first one is smaller than the next two, for sure, but I'm very excited to give it a shot. I've had pretty damn good experiences with Springdale's IPAs so far, and I'm hoping this new one is no different.



This is "But I Digress," a newly-canned IPA (born on 3/15/18) featuring Amarillo, Simcoe and Citra hops. It clocks in at a solid 6% ABV. I'm expecting this to be a lot less "NEIPA"-ish than "Amirite?!" and "Good n' You?" just from that pour alone. It's a downright deep amber color with orange-sunburst highlights. A pretty retentive but smallish head of eggshell white foam forms upon first pour.. Not much lacing going on here, and only small islands of foam hanging out on the surface. I'm actually not jazzed about this right off the bat. The color is strangely unappealing to me, especially when combined with the haze, and the way it pours and subsequently sits in my glass just seems drab. Hope the rest of this is good!

Nose is pretty heavy on tangy orange marmalade, ruby red grapefruit, slightly dank and pine-like (as Simcoe/Amarillo/Citra are wont to contribute) and tangerine on top of a light, crackery malt backbone. The sharp citric element here is quite striking; very "old-school West Coast" IPA... almost like a much more intense version of SN Torpedo. This must have a pretty intense hopping rate! The only thing that turns me off here is that, at times, it seems to smell like straight-up pelletized hops... that terpene-ish scent that most homebrewers here have no doubt experienced floating around the kitchen right after pitching kettle hops. It just seems a little over-the-top if you ask me, but I still really enjoy the specific and intense citrus elements going on.

Pretty shocking bitterness on the tongue, with strong orange, tangerine and more ruby red grapefruit. A little bit of guava and stone fruit in here as well, kinda overshadowed by the slightly-maltier-than-expected malty middle. It's not sweet or chewy by any means, despite what the color of the beer led me to believe, but it's definitely there. Tastes like crackers with a tangy marmalade slathered on top. The finish is very bitter; maybe a bit too green for my tastes? Feel is on the dry side of things, with a lingering bitterness and moderate carbonation. Less soft than most modern IPAs, but it's also decidedly not all-in on the "NEIPA" side of things, as I expected. Overall, this is... pretty good. I'm glad to drink more of it (got a four-pack earlier), but I probably wouldn't go back to it again unlike some of its cohorts in the "conversational" IPA series these guys have going.

 

Second beer of the day, and the 2nd beer from Maine.

Woods & Waters from the Maine Beer Company.

I have seen many of their beers posted on here over the years. When I saw this in the bottle shop in Durham, I had to get it.

So how is it?

Taking the picture, I got hints if lemon hitting my nose. Up close I got more of an orange aroma. The taste was citrus, but reverse. Lemon up front, orange on the backside. The beer is a sticky one, that clings all the way down. Creamy mouthfeel. Damn good, and so glad to try this on vacation. I was planning on taking it back to Minnesota to enjoy, but it was too tempting.

Review link
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20681/250469/

My friends think I am totally weird, but who cares. We're having a blast, and there will be more new beers. See you all later, and enjoy your new beers.

 

I pretty much drink what is available now, so I essentially drink seasonally. I put a couple under the stairs for varying amounts of time periodically and consume as I think of them. Some are stored for maturation, some for attenuation, others just end up there with poor memory. Thanks for asking @cjgiant

Today's New Beer is from 5 Rabbit, their Loteria series. El Sudor Del Santo a Wild Wit brewed with lime peel and aged in a tequila barrel. I am unaware of the bottling date, but I purchased this, and the wine barrel aged one almost two months ago. This is the fourth in the series the brewery describes as: "LOTERIA is what we call our crazy, wild, rare, teeny batch sometimes barrel-aged delicious test or maybe horrible mistake beers. Seriously hand-bottled (really a pain in the burro). We barely have any to sell, so consider yourself lucky to get to taste it"


From my review:
Strong yeasty fruity esters including tart apple, pear, guava, agave, and lime and vinous leaning.

Flavors match. Tart citrus lime, apple, kiwi, and a hint of agave I assume from tequila barrel aging. I also want to associate the rounded back end to the barrel, but I can't specifically identify any woody character. Very bright, sharp, and tart at the front which then rounds off at the end.
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
If this is the sweat of El Santo, he was as strong as fabled.

Cheers BA's

 

NBS entry #2- Out of my comfort zone edition



Aecht Schlenkerla Helles Lagerbier

Brauerei Heller-Trum / Schlenkerla
Munich Helles Lager / 4.30% ABV

4.12/5 rDev +4.3% | Score: 3.95
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L-The beer pours golden with a slight haze. The head is a full two fingers of fluffy whiteness. This recedes to a thin film leaving spotty lacing behind.
S- I'm reminded of a delicious smoked ham, which is appropriate with Easter a week away. That's all I'm getting though.
T- The nose had me prepared to be overwhelmed with smoke on the palate, but that isn't the case. I'm very nicely getting the malt flavor up front which is a pleasant surprise. There is a touch of smoke here, stronger on the first sip than subsequent ones, but it is in the backround for the most part.
F- Mouthfeel overall is on the lighter side. Carbonation is light. There is a bit of slickness which is enhanced by the lighter carbonation.
O- I only purchased a single of this for fear of the smoke factor. That appears was a mistake. This beer is a really pleasing helles with a light smoke element which gives it a bit of personality. Recommended.

 

Hey what's going on!?

Been a busy but great weekend! I've got quite a bit in study wise, very productive. Yesterday... got a sunburn.. standing around for about 3-4 hours on the mall... with about.... only 500,000+ people..

Right now I am settling in... waiting till Wednesday when traditional Spring temps hit to roll in... and eyeing my beer fridge for tasty goodies.

Lost of Bruery big stuff.. but I am going to go back to some classic standards, and boy was that a good choice.

What's new for our hero today?!?



Poured from the bottle into a Spiegelau IPA glass.

Beaming classic crystal clear body color, deep pale bronze to a dark gold 24karat color, with good simple pinehead streams of carbonation. Eggy and thick creamy topped bright white head. Soupy retention and fine bubbles, but good staying power, with a flat top appearance. This wont budge at all. Great classic looking IPA.

Nice hop aroma. Juicy fruited hops, and hints of chewing gum and tropical fruits. Hints a bit earthy thick as well, with rich sense of mango and papaya like qualities. Delicious and inviting, with mellow sweet tones of malt for a good balance.

Palate is one I adore. Juicy feeling with a little bit more fuller mouthfeel than average, giving to excellent sweet and bitter tropical fruits. Juiced mango, slight pineapple, and guava to papaya notes abound. Finishes with spicy pine and almost a red delicious apple quality on the finish, with excellent minty and herbal aftertastes. Bit of dryness and almost crispy like malt bill.

Classic Stone brew, and a good fun romp!

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5 | BA Generated Score: 4.42

Cheers!

 

5 New 4+ Big IPAs - Week of March 25 - 1st week Spring?

Wally | Wachusett (MA)
4.3/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
As big as they come, arrives Wally.
a) Love it. Pours a hazy golden body, white foam cap, fair lace and retention.
s) Aroma is big, and hop-forward. Dank, citrusy sweet hop, flowershop, honey, caramel malt, wet grass, earthy.
t) Big. Crisp, sweet malty bite, that becomes a wave of complex, interesting, and original fruity and floral hops along with a mysterious, bittering, drying, earthy finale.
f) Does all the right things in my mouth, kissy, crisp, juicy, clean, fresh, well-tone dry finale.
o) A find. Try 24.

Loral & Dr. Rudi's Inevitable Adventure | Stone (CA)
4.2/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I'm going higher than BAs with this seasonal Stone, as high perhaps as Ruination.
a) Clear mid golden with big head and lots of lace and last.
s) Strong, intense aromas of citrus, herbs, pine, resin, floral, and spicy hops over malt base. Powerful.
t) Continues big flavors that follow the smell, with more subtle, intense notes from the blaring, spicy, bitter hops that temper the abundant caramel malt core.
f) Mid weight, good feel, creamy, lingering bitter clean finish. Satisfying, sexy.
O: The spiciness in the hop profile makes this a top Stone offering.

Hop Ranch | Victory
4.2/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Bought a single, slightly past prime, but great DIPA all the same. Uniquely berry, pungent, oily, and peppery.
a) Pours bright amber-straw body with a splashing lacing, lasting head.
s) Big tropical, berry, and herbal hops. layered on raw honey and honey comb malt base.
t) Follows tropicals juicy, ripe fruit, with mango, passionfruit, pineapple, and gooseberry notes. Pie. glazed with honey. Levers into the peppery, earthy, scatting finale with as much cannabis as you can imagine.
f) Medium-bodied, oily, medicinal yet dry, bitter and cleansing. Astringent as in sassafras and spruce and orange peel.
o) A great DIPA deserves to be in any DIPA blind taste off.

Hop Shovel | Bear Republic (CA)
4.14/5 rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Glowing. Is the word for the look, smell and taste of Hop Shovel - a new one to me from great, favorite brewer - Bear.
scoops of Mosaic, Meridian and Denali.
a) The body pours crystal clear, "glowing", clean, filtered, and fresh minted, glowing copper. The white, soft head sheds scales of lace. 4.25 for color.
s) Tropical fruit (as in fresh, juicy glowing orange flesh) dominates. I get orange peel, mango, citrus peel, tangerine, grapefruit rind atop pale crystal malts. Marmalade. Big.
t) Follows the aroma. Glowing flavor bursts of tropical fruit on a bed of pale, marmalade like malts with light amount of prickly bitterness, and a post citrus/orange smoothie sip feel.
f) Juicy, wet, well-carbonated, refreshing, clean. And did i say "glowing"?
o) Must try for IPA fans as a novel, juicy, big expression of the featured hops.

Two Juicy | Two Roads (CT)
4.1/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Love this brewer, who's an east coast master, along with Carton, Bronx, 6 Points.
a) Totally opaque hazed golden body that raises a 1 finger dense head and write shards of lace like solar flares.
s) The Aroma is the winner mostly composed of orange juice & pith, tangerine, and pine aromatics that are more complex as you warm.
t) Taste catches up to aroma as it warms. Brings on more complex candy shop: sweet candy malt, orange marmalade, orange cupcake, Grand Marnier booze, tempered by a bit of pepper and grassy earth hops.
f) Mid, too less than expected in a double, juicy (of course!) with moderate carbonation. Sweet but clean finale.
o) Nothing NE about it, except that it would make it around the horn from Boston, Newport, or Mystic. You must like ORANGE to enjoy this, and I dont care for many IPAs greater than 7 ABV unless they can justify with body and flavor. But 4.25 for originality and true to being too juicy. In my case the added fruit, moves it too much to shandyland and flattens it as compared to beers without fruit added.

 

Good afternoon NBS and thanks to @cjgiant for the kick off this week, I admit to being a bit seasonal in my beer decisions. But only a bit. Today's offering is from our friends at Honest Weight in Orange MA. The range that these brewers cover is impressive. From Grisette to big stouts they do them well. Here is a mixed culture farmhouse ale aged on plums, and again done very well
Cheers all

A Pattern Language

Honest Weight Artisan Beer
Saison / Farmhouse Ale / 6.00% ABV

4.15/5 rDev +0.2% | Score: 4.14
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 500 ml bottle "brewed on 8/2/2017" Bottled on 11/28/17 into the test glass
A - Slightly hazy, muted gold color, Determined carbonation stacks up the nice white cap
S - Sweet grain, plums for sure, ripe fruit not the skin, notes of white peach and hint orange from hops maybe.
T - Wheat, a very fruity plum thread, some nice minerality , in the vein of Alsace wine. The mineral taste, and the mixed culture fermentation keep the fruit in excellent balance
M - Soft on the palate, an initial sweet start, the body is medium and the carbonation is gentle. With a bit of time the body is almost meringue like .
O - An excellent offering from talented brewers, The use of plum is not overplayed, the grain bill is light and complimentary. Mixed culture fermentation is deftly applied. Very well done by the folks at Honest Weight

 

New beer #4. Another courtesy @LloydDobler .

Villain - 18th Street Brewery
DIPA - 8.7% abv
Canned 2/18/18 (35 days ago)
Score: 4.04 (-1% rDev)



L - 2-finger dirty white head atop a muddy orange body.

S - faint citrus, pine, sweetness, a hint of herbal. Also this isn’t a smell, but this beer crackles like crazy! I thought I was hallucinating at first.

T - citrus and pine hops with considerable caramel malt backing. Super well balanced. Moderate sweetness, moderate booziness, moderate hoppiness.

F - medium body with low carb.

O - one might go on a crime spree after having too many of these. The abv sneaks up on you.