New Beer Sunday (Week 684)

Managed to get in a new beer today...

Evil Twin's Evil More Pecan Pie Jesus...

Imperial stout (12% abv) featuring molasses and pecan extract... Pitch black and viscous pour kicked up a finger of dark foam and enticing aromas of pecans, molasses, and chocolate... Tastes and feel aligned appropriately: rich chocolate molasses suffused with sweet pecan, hints of espresso and licorice in the background; full-bodied and smooth, rich but with a bit of drying char on the finish as the bitterness reigns the sugars in...
Superior stout action...

Here's to new beer in your glass, cheers...

 

New Meow Mix Sunday

So, I received the second box of my BIF shipment yesterday from @kemoarps. A 50lb behemoth containing as many bombers as most people have purchased in their life span.

Had a couple really good ones last night, but this one seemed like it was made for NBS.

I have to admit, first of all, I was disappointed. This is because when I unwrapped it, I initially thought this was a Kit Kat bar beer. After I realized my mistake, I was still intrigued, but also was skeptical about this one. They managed to make it work though. I really enjoyed it.

3.98/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Bottled 2/20/18 in a 22oz format

It’s a really dark gold, and clear. Very nice frothy, off-white head. Good retention with a film and some lacing left behind.

Smells like blueberry muffins. Obviously there is some bready/doughy malts to get this result, but I get all blueberry with some sweetness.

It tastes pretty much the same. A lot of blueberry initially along with a slight grassy hop note. There is some noticeable vanilla before it ends on a grainy, toasted bread flavor.

The body is a little prickly/carbonated feel up front, but it is balanced out by some creaminess. It is a bit drying overall, which is surprising considering it doesn’t come across real hoppy. Overall I think it is really drinkable.

I was not sure what to expect from the catnip front, but I suspect they used it in lieu of hops. I think the whole thing works pretty well with a nice balance of flavors.

 

#2, a coffee porter with cocoa nibs.

#MySweetSpot



4.35/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

The pour is a dark milk chocolate color, edging toward black, with a voluminous tan head. Aromas of char, coffee, and cocoa. I am now salivating.

The taste is a big porter chocolate milkshake - subtle char, a bit more coffee, and a heaping helping of cocoa, with a mouthfeel that is the slightest bit spritzy, as a porter should be. Just a fantastic representation of the style, IMHO.

 

So glad to hear that you enjoyed it, man!

Also, best wishes during your Passover week - hope you're enjoying your travel, and sorry to hear about the phone troubles! Can't help with that, but let me know when you'll be home and ready for a second box of beer - I can, in fact, help with that! Minnesota is supposed to get buried in snow again this week, but I'll be dropping another box for you when it's 1) not freezing, 2) when you're home, and 3) when you're prepared to drink some heavy duty dark beers! Cheers, sir!

 

You are close Vampirella!! I will share it for sure.

 

Did you let this one warm up a bit @ovaltine ? I had to drastically change my mind after it warmed a bit - upon final review, Cellarman's took on a lot of vanilla, and the bitterness went away entirely. It was just a rich, juicy, fruit and vanilla bomb. Tremendously good - I think I may have to go back and update my rating!

 

Hi everyone and happy easter! Nice day out here, really feels like spring. Lots of mud and a bit of sun.
Here is a new brew to me and a new brewery. Got this via NBS BIF, my sender was the splendid @FFFjunkie (aka sparkles) who coerced the all powerful @Dragginballs76 into sending a fantastic box my way (including this one!)

Fresh can poured into one of my favorite glass, a medium sized fluted snifter.

The brew is hazy straw yellow with a nice foamy head. Slightly off white head, settles into a thin cap with a nice collar which leaves some clingy lacing to the side of my glass.

The aroma is not explosive, but it is a persistent citrus and fruit. Sweet tangerine and mandarin with a bit of ripe pineapple.

The flavor has a good level of sweetness and a surprising about of malt and grain (only surprising because this is a "New England IPA" all day. Very balanced flavors. The hops are a mix of citrus layers including zest and juice. The juice is the more sweet citrus, like tangerine but the zest is more grapefruit. The grapefruit gives the brew the slightest hint of bitterness, but overall this beer is a balance of hops and malt.

Soft mouthfeel, moderate carbonation. A hint syrupy but pleasant on the palate.

Really good brew. A great first taste of Heist Brewery. I have been looking to try some of their brews after hearing good things and this is far from a disappointment. Thanks!

 

Picked this up at WholeFoods in Columbus

Very smooth tasting beer

 

Time for another new beer! Staying local with this one:

V. Latte, Bearded Iris Brewing Co., Nashville, TN

According to their website, this one is an "oated Imperial Stout with cocoa nibs, vanilla bean, lactose & Blue Heron, a fruity, bright espresso blend courtesy of our friends at Crema Coffee Roasters here in Nashville." They use lots of oats in their hazy IPAs and use them well IMO.

As you can see from the pic, there is either a head retention issue or I had a soapy/dirty glass. Not sure and will give them the benefit of the doubt until I open another one. Anyway, the beer had a nice opaque dark brown color with a medium-sized tan head that dissipated quickly. The first whiff brought big milk chocolate. Closer inspection revealed a nice mix of roasted coffee and vanilla. The coffee was more prominent on the taste. There was indeed a fruitiness to it (just like they described) that played well with the vanilla and chocolate. All of these flavors were well-balanced and I loved the taste of this one. The beer was full bodied and silky, with a sweet finish thanks to the lactose. Not cloying though. The 9.4% ABV was well hidden and revealed only with a slight warming on the finish. Well done.

 

Yes, I probably started at 42 def or so, and let it warm from there. Loved it.

 

New beer #2, taking it back to Ohio from the Cali brews I've been drinking. I can't recall I've seen a stated New England IPA from an Ohio brewer before. I've heard Masthead here in town are doing some nice ones but based on what I've read about the style this one doesn't quite fit, and even on the DIPA scale sadly falls a bit short

3.62/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz can poured into an ipa glass
A: Orange with a thin head that settles quickly
S: Lots of citrus, a hint of pine
T: Matches the nose, a bit of alcohol
M: Fairly full bodied, fairly hot
O: A slightly below-average DIPA. Nothing particularly NE about this that I can tell, fresh but not balanced

 

New Beer Sunday: A New Belgian Strong Dark Ale

Evenin’ NBSers with a delayed heads up for fans of BSDAs for the Christmas and New Year’s Holiday season.

This evening’s new beer is the Mad Elf Grand Cru from Troeg’s Brewing over in Hershey, PA. I originally missed out on this one when it was released last November as a special brewing of the Troeg’s Mad Elf BSDA Christmas Ale. For the Grand Cru they used a variety of Cherries that they had not included before in brewing Mad Elf. When I saw this bottle in a shop near here (that I don’t visit regularly) it was in a cool, poorly lit place so I gambled and grabbed it. Seemed like a reasonable choice for a few small digestif pours for guests on Easter Sunday. So after today’s mid-afternoon pouring of digestif servings, the bottle, with a full pour remaining, was tightly re-corked for a full portion and discussion of the beer this evening.

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

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/694/309422/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors are full of Cherry, a bit of clove and cinnamon, and a touch of chocolate. The flavors also include some tartness and some sweetness that are in a very nice balance with each other. I think I might be liking this Mad Elf Grand Cru a bit more than the regular Mad Elf, a long time favorite Christmas beer, so I may just go back and grab another bottle to have on hand for next December’s Holiday season.

This evening's American Musical is A Chorus Line with Priscilla Lopez as part of the original cast.

What I Did for Love

Cheers, all!

 

Last one, I think this may be their flagship. It is exquisite, IMHO.

PS: glassware for beers #1 and #3 were from @beerloserLI in BIF #4, and #2 was from @beertunes in BIF #5 - because glassware matters, too.



4.42/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pour is a golden yellow, significant hop haze, and a pillowy off-white head. The nose has oranges, pineapples, and passion fruit in equal amounts.

The taste is an exceptionally well-balanced tropical fruit IPA, with slightly dank notes elevating this significantly. This is quickly becoming a favorite brewery of mine.

 

Thanks to Floyd F. for this one!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25811/332065/



Moderate pour yields a one inch white head over a hazy golden body with some lacing. Nose of tropical fruit, citrus, and a bit of floral aspects wafting in and out as well. Taste of citrus and slight tropical fruit with a dry citrus pith finish. Good feel and overall, a nice little session APA from Fawn Grove, PA. Cheers!

4.04/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

 

That beer was damn tasty for sure...

 

Howdy again- my next one for today came by way of a ninja box sent by @foundersasap , some Michigan goodness from North Peak Brewing:

Bolt Imperial Amber Ale

Oh, man, just look at that stubby little bottle; I freakin' love it! It's almost a shame to pour this one into a glass because it just feels so good in the hand. The sacrifices I make sometimes...

The aroma is pretty rich, sweet and candy-like. Hops and malt are playing pretty equal and supporting roles, too. It's mainly candied orange peel and dark caramelized sugar, though there is also some nectarine and ginger snaps lurking underneath. It's pretty much the same on the palate, although any dried ginger-like spiciness comes out a whole lot more; and that aspect seems to be driven by a massive hit of bitterness that also keeps any fears of a cloying finish at bay.

The mouthfeel is also moderately full, let's say like half-n-half, and that's right in the sweet spot (no pun intended) because this beer is right on the cusp of being overly syrupy. It does stay in fair territory thanks to the big resiny grapefruit peel bitterness, as well as just the right amount of restraint with the caramel malts.

Overall, it's an interesting beer. It's pretty big, at 8.1% abv, but not too big. It flirts with the danger zone, but I think that alcohol range is working in its favor as well- push it up a few notches and it would all fall apart. In the end it's essentially a junior American barleywine, and quite content to be one, at that. The flavors here aren't all that novel, but the construction is really where it's at. I'm digging it. A- (4.0). Thanks again, Jeff!

 

Are there BIF report cards? Not sure how you’d do on “attention to detail” and “ability to follow instructions.”

That aside, I’m intrigued by catnip in a beer. Did you feel an uncontrolled desire to be in the next room immediately after drinking?

 

Boulevard Grand Cru, weighing in at 13.7 % ABV, very nice, 4.27 overall

Pours an effervescent chestnut with a thumb of tan head. Some lacing & head retention

S: Bourbon & plum

T: Cakeyness, a little boozey raisin, vanilla & oaky dryness up front. More cakeyness, dryness, figs, plenty of bracing booze. Finishes with plenty of barrel, both dryness & booze, a little fig, plus a little raisin

MF: Fairly thick body, pretty firm carbonation, body thins out a touch as it warms

Very good take on the style, will try to age some to see how this progresses, better days may be ahead, believe it or not

 

I feel like an asshole, but that’s normal

 

Thank you to @lordofthewiens for starting us out this Easter Sunday. I hope everyone had a very nice day and got to relax some. Today's new beer is from Samuel Adams and it is their New England IPA. I think they did a very good job at making a very good IPA, but missed the mark on being a NEIPA. Flavors were great and appearance was well done, but I did not get any of that chewy bite I love in a NEIPA. So for that they missed the style mark but the beer in general was very clean and refreshing to drink, so with that I will be buying more but viewing it as a hazy IPA. Cheers!

4.19/5 rDev +7.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A: Very hazy gold/orange with a robust head and very sticky lacing.
N: Hops, pine, citrus, and some floral notes.
T: Full hops flavors hit ya with a mellow bite followed by a splash of citrus/floral and dry on the finish.
M: Medium
O: This is a very well done IPA, I enjoyed it a lot. The missing item was that chewiness you get from a NEIPA. This felt like a more traditional IPA to me so it sort of missed the style mark. But as a whole a really good beer but more traditional to me outside the appearance.