New Beer Sunday (Week 685)

It is dang cold out there, fellas - bundled up and took my dogs out for a nice long walk before we're housebound again. Yes - because it's snowing, once more. Insert expletives here. I'd really like to fire up the grill and spend some time outside. Maybe in another month.

Lacking much to do, I'm working on my second blind beer from @JBowenGeorgia now. I believe we have another stout here. Ya think?



Poured in to a Jester King Snorkel snifter - our mystery beer has barely a trace of head. Just a nice, light ring of brown. The first thing I smelled after removing the cap was whiskey, so we definitely have something barrel-aged here. I'm really impressed by how thick and fudgy this beer tastes! The smell is full of all kinds of whiskey notes, but it doesn't taste a bit hot - it's monstrously chocolatey, with some other lovely, sweet adjunct that I'm not immediately placing. For what it's worth - my palate is garbage. No excuses. It just sucks.

I'm trying to figure out what this might be based on wishlist items and John's local distro and breweries, but I'm drawing a bit of a blank. I will say that I do feel like this beer has a slight bit of bite to the whiskey that I generally associate with rye barrels - so I'm going to guess it's some kind of rye barrel-aged stout. It doesn't bring to mind anything that I've previously had, so I think that this is a new tick. Awfully curious.

The reveal:



Scofflaw! Barrel-aged Coconut Absentium! This hadn't even crossed my mind as a possibility because I don't think it was even on my radar. Have I even heard of it? Really not sure! I happen to LOVE coconut as an adjunct, so this is a real treat for me - it's quite a lot more chocolate forward than coconut, but damn is it delicious, regardless.

I opened a Cycle Brewing Joyous Almond with friends the other day - and while I feel like that has its own merits, this is better. Damn, John - thank you for this. It's a fantastic beer, and I really appreciate your generosity!

Enjoying some tunes and some curry for dinner now. Apparently all those "trve metal" guys are saying that Harakiri for the Sky are "hipster" metal - fuck 'em.

Cheers, all!

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @cjgiant for getting us started off this morning. Another normal week after the holiday last weekend. Busy at work with projects and stuff. Still holding up 2 new vehicle programs somehow, we should be getting a couple new people soon though thankfully. I should be only doing 1. Made another new beer haul yesterday of a lot of things I was seeking out. Will be busy for a while. Review 6600 will be mid week.

New beer:

Daily lager review. Nice stuff! Fantastic head retention and lasting soapy lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of lemon, cracker, corn, white bread dough, biscuit, and herbal/grassy hop earthiness. A bit fruity on aromas, but not overwhelming. Light herbal, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium-high carbonation, medium body, and moderately crisp/clean finishing. Bready/grainy malts and some sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing bitter/carbonated dryness. Very flavorful/refreshing, 4.7%. Never watery. Perfectly clean lagering. This was really delicious. Clean pale malt/grains and solid earthy hop presence for the style. Not overdone on adjuncts. Quite impressed vs expectations. Great style example. I'd put it right alongside PBR on my macro AAL list. One of the best I've had. Got plenty more to try soon. 3.71


Moving onto @MacMalt NBS BIF beer. 1 month old can dating. Another amazing NEIPA! Aromas and flavors of huge tangerine, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, white grape, berry, citrus peel/zest, and light pepper/pine hops; with balanced honey, bread dough, toasted biscuit, light nutty malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light pine, citrus peel, herbal, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; very creamy/bready/grainy malts and some sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Slight resins/rinds, lightly increasing bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Super smooth, minimal warming 7.4%. A little too heavy on the biscuity Golden Promise malt character, but it's not overly sweet. Intensely juicy, vibrant, and lightly dank hop complexity; balanced bready malts. Great soft mouthfeel. The Citra/Galaxy/Waimea showcase is an easy winner. 4.32


RIS from MacMalt. This was very nice. Great head retention/lacing for the ABV. Flavors of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, molasses, toffee, nuttiness, and toasted dark bread; with lighter notes of smoke, charcoal, licorice, raisin, prune, cherry, fig, leather, tobacco, and herbal hops. Similar/muted aromas, increasing booze intensity as it warmed. More fruit. Light herbal/roast/char bitterness and spicy alcohol on the finish. Light carbonation and full body; very creamy/silky/bready malt mouthfeel; light sticky hops and chalky char/roast. Lightly increasing bitter/roasted dryness; never acrid/astringent. Light-moderate increasing warmth of 11.2%, touch of booze after the finish. Definitely a slow sipper, but I liked more as I moved through the glass. Not quite as bitter as I expected for the style; but it has a very wide array of complexity from malts and yeast. Very enjoyable, but could definitely use a couple years of age IMO. Quite hot on the fusels. 3.88


Cheers, be back a bit later NBS.

 

Happy New American Amber Ale Sunday!

Turning out to be a pretty nice day on the Western Slope, at the trailhead, rain, windy, around 48, sunny, cloudy. Having a tasty local brew, might visit someday soon. Picked up some chicken tacos. Reruns of Voyager as well.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32479/104780/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! A warm, overcast day here in the Fourth Corner. I had to be to work at 6am at the theater this morning (a matinee of the touring version of Cabaret!), and have to be back at 5:30 so no beers until about 10. I will post my mystery beer from NBS BIF #007: The Spy Who Beered Me later.

Until then, here's the reviews of some of the brews I received from @bl00:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29377/119277/?ba=beertunes#review

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/694/4109/?ba=beertunes#review

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/41410/333858/?ba=beertunes#review

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/997/336849/?ba=beertunes#review

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18316/85273/?ba=beertunes#review

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25811/265566/?ba=beertunes#review

 

Bouncing around the house getting ready for a short work week plus a couple days of work travel (a first for me). With large bits of snow falling, but not sticking to the ground, I figured it was appropriate to switch to some dark beer. Again, a NBS bottle.



Columbus's Sohio.

Pours black with nearly two fingers of dense, caramel-colored foam on top. Head retention is good with thick lacing left behind. Aroma is roasted and toasted malts, with the roasty notes poking through at the foreground. A little bit of toffee, and caramel add a little to the aroma depth. Flavor profile is smooth, and well-balanced notes of caramel, toffee, molasses, and roasted and toasted malts. It has a roasty, almost smoky finish. It tastes straightforward and simple, providing a well refined stout for enjoyment. Mouth feel is a touchy fizzy and grainy, but is otherwise velvety smooth. It has a medium thickness. Overall, this is a great, plain stout. Don't mistake the wording of "plain" to mean boring, as it has plenty going on, rewarding sipping and savoring, or gulping.

Score: 4.5 | 4 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.25 | BA Score: 4.23 | rDev: -0.9%

 

Nice job, and really glad you enjoyed it!

 

OK so here goes. Have the back nine of the Masters recorded and just starting that so no posts about that, please.

I am not a connoisseur of the NEIPAs but recognize great beers when they come my way. Our Resident Culture in Charlotte has been pumping them out left and right and this is a four pack that I went and picked up "Whatever You Feel Just Dance It. a 7% double dry hopped IPA.



Smell: Pungent, bright with an astringency (positive note). Not sure what is in it but suspect prominent Mosaic and has a bit of character (although I doubt it is in there) of Nelson Sauvin.

Appearance: Murky but not turbid. Small head.

Taste: OK @cavedave, I get it here. Dry bitterness, slight sweetness. Does not have that "creamy mouthfeel" so talked about that I have had (although not the extent so talked about) from some of the Mass beers but I prefer the dry, sharp crisp bitterness. Not juicy. 7% alcohol is SO completely hidden. Pungent hop character that bursts on the front/mid of tongue that reminds me of my favorite all time Nelson.

Overall: Well made and well done. They are the real deal.

A great addition to the Charlotte brewery scene.

 

At last ..... the “Mystery Beer” (and Non-Mystery Glassware) from NBS BIF #007 and @Ozzylizard.



Pop the top and take an immediate big whiff ..... all malt. Big, big malt. Then, the slightest bit of sweet, fruity hops.

The pour reveals a beer that is a burnt orange color, very hazy, and a substantial, soapy tan head. This is the picture in my head of a “beautiful beer” that isn’t a stout or a porter. 4.25

The hops are a bit more prominent on the nose after a pour into the glass, but there’s still more malt on the nose, including a spicy component. Rye maybe? A barleywine or DIPA with rye? Please let it be so. 4.25

The taste ..... I’m 15 minutes into this process now, on the taste immediately after getting the aromas, all malt. But as this warms and opens up, this settles squarely into “DIPA-ville,” with the hops getting a bit more bitter, but mixing well with the substantial malt base, and the spicy note that is now to me definitely rye (which guarantees it ISN’T rye), as well as subtle alcohol burn. This beer has gravitas. 4.25

The mouthfeel reflects that gravitas - a slightly oily feel from the hops, well-carbonated, and the slightest bit of a creamy texture. This is a “2-pints-and-an-Uber” beer. 4.50

My guess is this is a DIPA, and I believe there’s rye, too, but I have zero idea which beer this is, so let’s see .....



No rye to be found, but the Huell Melon would explain the sweetness and spiciness I picked up. This was a pleasure to drink, and a LOT of fun to dissect. It’s amazing what your palate will tell you when you have no preconceived notion of what a beer is or is not. Well done, @Ozzylizard.

 

This was given to me by the Smuttynose rep two years ago and I figured today would be as good a day as ever to crack it. Thanks Josh!



Bottled January, 2016.
Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 3/4 inch white head over a light copper body with no lacing and head dissipates down to a small ring after ten minutes. Nose of funk, grapefruit, and oak. Taste mirrors nose very, very nicely. As it warms the funk comes forward a bit more on the nose and palate. Feel is very good for the style and overall, another fine example of brettanomyces yeast usage from Smuttlabs. Cheers!

4.33/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

Happy NBS, all!
At the beginning of the winter I bought enough ingredients to make two or three beers with the goal of staving off cabin fever while learning how to brew a beer that wasn't god-awful. I already brewed a few of those last summer and fall and figured some practice would be just what I ordered (har har). During the winter I made one that was mediocre and one that was decent. I'm hoping this one is another step in the direction of "good." This is my sixth batch. A SNPA clone scrapped together from a few recipes that I found online made with Centennial, as the store was out of Cascade. I brewed a gallon using brew-in-a-bag on my stovetop.

It pours fairly clear (my clearest so far) and copperish with a big beige head (a little too big even). The aroma is fairly lemony with some spicy-minty-pineyness. The flavor follows with some pinesol. The caramel malt comes through a little molassesy or something. I'm not a big fan but it isn't terrible.

It is dry and drinkable with some nice malt coming through. The hops could pop more, the carbonation could be a little tamer and the malt could be cleaner. Next time hopefully...

This was the first batch where I adjusted for efficiency, the first where I hit my projected gravities and the first where I used whirlfloc. I would say it made a noticeable difference! My problem now is that my technique has improved enough that in my latest attempt (a porter sitting in my closet as we speak) I ended up more efficient than I planned on being. Oh well, there are worse problems to have.
Cheers!

 

Here is a brew from @FFFjunkie received in NBS BIF

DDH DIPA with added Passion fruit and Passion flower.

Pours hazy yellow straw, thin head with sticky lacing. Floating islands last throughout the pour.

Aroma is floral and fruity. Tropical hops and citrus with the underlying earthy and floral passion fruit.

The flavor is a nice tropical DIPA with thick tropical hops. The passion fruit is not as strong as in the aroma but adds a nice background layer. Overall the brew has a sweet flavor profile and is smooth and easy to drink at this ABV.

Mouthfeel is soft and smooth, a bit syrupy. A bit under moderate carbonation.

Thanks Dan! An interesting brew with just the right amount of added fruit.

 

New Beer Sunday: A New American Imperial Stout

Evenin’ NBSers with a suggestion for seekers of Bourbon barrel aged coffee stouts.

The weather around here was pretty much as expected, so after a trip to the gym I spent some time repairing lawn damage done by a humungous falling tree branch during the most windy of the Nor-easters that hit here this year.

This evening’s new beer, given its name, should probably have been this morning’s new beer, but I’m not a fan of doing high ABV beers early in the day. Tonight’s new beer is the Sunday Morning Stout from Weyerbacher, one of the highly regarded local breweries here in Eastern PA and a brewery that has a fairly long history of producing Bourbon barrel aged big beers that are both full of intense flavors and well brewed (a target some brewers have trouble hitting).

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

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/392/89345/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas and flavors of this beer are mostly about the dark roasted coffee and the Bourbon barrel aging. In addition there’s some dark chocolate and some vanilla all against a background of well balanced light sweetness and light dark roasted bitterness. The Bourbon is definitely there but doesn’t overwhelm the roasted coffee and other flavors and aromas. The alcohol is noticeable but not unpleasant. I think it would be safe to age this one, but personally I wouldn’t age it for more than about a year and then mostly to be able to a side by side with a fresh bottle.

On the player this evening is a recording of an American musical called Annie with Andrea McArdle as part of the original cast.

Tomorrow

Cheers, all!

 

After two outstanding "old-school" IPAs from the PNW today, it's occurred to me that I haven't had much of the classic "C" hops lately, given the rise locally of hazy hoppy beers with Citra/Galaxy/Mosaic/etc, and I'm fired up that, thanks to @beertunes, I can revisit these old favorites. With Cascade and Centennial, this one is right up my alley:

Bastard Kat, Kulshan Brewing Co., Bellingham, WA


A slightly hazy golden-amber color with a medium sized white head. The foam settled into a robust cap that persisted. The aroma was oranges and grapefruit mixed with earthy notes and bready malt. The taste reminded me of how much I love Cascade and Centennial hops. Bitter citrus pith, some pine, and a candied orange sensation on the finish. Bready malt with a little more character, likely due to the Munich. Medium bodied and crisp. An outstanding old-school American IPA. Really enjoyed this one. Thanks, Terry!

 

Heist has really been amazing here in Charlotte the last 2 years--across the board which as you noted is diverse.

 

This beer came from the generous @jhavs, a ninja box as part of NBS BIF, Jon sent six Vermont beers all new to me and I thank him for this opportunity!
Foley Brothers Skeleton Crew IIPA, pours a hazy orange with a nice two finger thick foamy head that sustains very well, nice appearance, Aromas of pine, zesty fruit, hops! Taste follows dank fruits, circus, orange, bitter tangerine, a medium body slightly oily mouthfeel. A serious IIPA that is well brewed and very enjoyable, Thanks Jon.

 

Sixpoint Righteous Ale, a Barrel Aged Rye Ale, weighs in at 10.5% ABV. Pretty nice, 3.97 overall

Pours a ruddy. slightly hazed chestnut with 2+ fingers of cream colored head. Above average lacing & average head retention

S: Some barrel, a little leafy & peppery hop, boozey figs once warm

T: Barrel, boozey caramel, a touch of dry peppery Rye up front, a little vanilla too. More barrel dryness, plus cakeyness as this warms. Finishes with boozey Rye, figs & cakeyness

MF: Medium body to chewy, subtle carbonation

A very nice barrel aged offering that requires sipping & contemplation

 

Enjoy!

 

Since I had so much fun with the blind review, one more. This is Appreciate You, a sour ale with lemon and tea, from Southern Grist Brewing, courtesy of @Buck89 (glassware courtesy of @beertunes in NBS BIF #5).



4.19/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

The pour is a hazy yellow, with a subtle light brown note (tea!!!) and a rapidly dissipating foamy white head. The sour notes dominate the nose, and the lemon is also present.

The lemon and tea are prominent on the taste, combining in a most excellent way with the base beer to create a very refreshing wild ale.

 

BSDA was a solid choice especially since Bro Jo is only loosely a Dubbel.

That’s one of my local guilty pleasures. Readily available, tasty, and fairly affordable.

Cheers!

 

Caught up with chores around the house, and back from dinner so time for another new beer from @superspak ‘s BIF box.

This is Cat’s Pajamas from Shorts Brewing.

We have four cats and the idea of one of them hanging in the recliner wearing pajamas (and maybe enjoying a brew) cracks me up.

Billed as a DIPA with blood orange and guava, and delivers on that front.

Notes below, very enjoyable!



Poured from 12 oz bottle dated 2/22/2018. Cool artwork on the bottle.

A: Clear golden orange with two finger frothy white head. Lasting retention and chunky lacing.

S: Nice lunch of citrus as I popped the top. Candied oranges, red grapefruit, mango, and passion fruit. Dank hops.

T: Blood orange, red grapefruit, and guava providing a juicy citrus component. Piney resinous hops offering a healthy bitterness.

M: Medium body with average carbonation.

O: Very nice fruited DIPA.