New Beer Sunday (Week 687)

I filed my taxes ten days ago and immediately left town to do a bike tour in north Florida near Lake City. It was great. We had good riding weather, with only one bad storm, which blew through leaving cooler temperatures.
I drove home by way of Charleston and spent two days catching up on their brewery scene.
There are so many breweries!
I had planned to visit three or four, but after visiting Edmunds Oast Exchange, I settled in at Edmunds Oast Brewing and that was all she wrote for that afternoon.

I was staying close enough to Charles Towne Fermentory to bike, so I spent my evenings there.

I picked up my NBS beer at a can release Saturday, Double Dry Hopped Pineapple Pallet Rider.

4.3/5 rDev 0% | Score: 4.3
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Brewery only 16 oz. Can release.

Opaque orange copper hue. A normal pour yields two fingers' head which quickly dissapates. Spotty lacing, leaving a partial ring and light surface bubbles.
Prominent pineapple aroma, tropical fruits, tangelo, light yeast.
Tons of hop flavors, sour pineapple, grapefruit pith, a little pine, tropical notes.
Dry finish, refreshingly bitter but not astringent, no alcohol burn, medium mouthfeel.

Great beer to have now that our warm weather is returning. With some crowlers of Sun Gazer and a growler of a sour from Edmunds Oast, I'm set for a few weeks.

 

Happy Sunday NBSers! It looks like we may finally have spring in Michigan, so time to fire up the grill and crack open a Pilsner that @larryi86 sent me:

Trendler Pilsner from Tired Hands:



Pours straw colored and slightly cloudy with a fluffy white head that retains well. Nose is honeysuckle and a bit of hay. Perfect weight. The initial sweetness is balanced on the palate by fairly prominent biscuit. Nice crisp, though slightly dirty, finish.

I don't tend to go to pilsners often, but this is a great beer for here and now and a quality representation of the style.

Thanks Larry!

 

A-Pours a very nice amber color with a very nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has malt and toffee hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a nice malty and sweetness flavor
M-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A well made beer

 

I hope you found some Wet Gravity too. Isn’t it amazing that we’re both getting distro from one of the best IPA producers on the coast in 2018? I find it hard to believe, but not complaining.

 

Blue moon Belgium white
..color is cloudy orange yellow
..body is about medium,just below average carbonation,a little thin feeling for the style.
.. aroma is grain,cracker,orange peel, and yeast.
..taste is similar, a little sweet but not overboard. Peel definitely shows up but it still has the grain smell and taste that it should
..overall it's a decent attempt at the style and fairly drinkable. Wouldn't look for it but was okay to order out when the choices are limited

 

Ritterguts Bärentöter

Look @cavedave , can you believe I'm here today?

This beer is the brewer's fall seasonal. They call this Starkbier a "Gose Bock"... and it was inspired by the historical Marzen-Gose... so in other words, at 6.6% ABV, this is stronger than their regular Gose. Besides that, in addition to the regular salt and coriander, this beer also has orange peel... and cinnamon ().

The beer is a perfectly clear copper/chestnut. It's pretty much a still beer. I can't remember ever having a German beer with so little carbonation. A quick glance at other reviews here indicate that my carbonation isn't what others have experienced. The label instructs the drinker to shake the bottle in order to mix in the yeast sediment. I decided to pour the first glass without a shake, and then the second glass with a good swirl. The second glass lost all of the clarity.

As a spiced beer AND and a sour beer, this one is European through and through (thankfully). This is especially the case in the spice department. The spicing here is very subtle and completely integrated. If one didn't know what was in it beforehand, one wouldn't be able to really identify the list of spices once drinking the beer. My tastes totally align with that school of brewing thought.

The beer surprising tastes more fruity than anything else. Slightly sour cherry mixed with strawberry and tart citrus lime. Hops never become a character in the play.

If I was handed this beer blind, I'd guess that it was a still saison.

A note on the origin of the name. Karl May was an incredibly successful German writer in the late 1800s / early 1900s. He specialized in fictional stories set in the American "Wild West" (which the Germans were very romantic about if I remember correctly). Bärentöter translates to "bear slayer." It was the name of a rifle owned by the Karl May character Old Shatterhand. The Shelton Brothers give the impression that the name is a result of their suggestion to use "a cool name with umlauts." An interesting example of how beer importers can help shape a brand through the distant perspective of a foreign eye... which sorta reminds me of how German artists can imagine their own version of a Western.



Here's a picture of Karl May dressed up as Old Shatterhand with his "bear slayer."



Cheers.

 

Short pause from re-imagining my settlements in Fallout 4 to visit this new-to-me brew.



Great Lake's Edmund Fitzgerald.

Pours black with a finger of khaki foam that fades fairly quickly leaving behind a few strands of lacing. Aroma is toasted, nutted, biscuit, earthy malts. Herbal, and pine hops give it a little hoppy zing, but nothing that tips the scales out of favor of the malts. Flavor profile is smooth notes of toasted, nutted, biscuit, earth, and caramel malts that blend together to form a splendid porter. Hints of herbal and pine hops further deepen the flavor profile. Mouth feel is medium in thickness with a crisp, liveliness that rewards every sip. Overall, a lovely porter with a diverse array of malts. The diversity of malts along with a small addition of hops keeps this beer drinking splendidly smooth and well-balanced.

Score: 4 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.25 | 4.5 | BA Score: 4.39 | rDev: +3.5%

Shout out to @ONUMello for this one. Even though I didn't get the mystery aspect of this beer when unwrapping my box, I'm so glad you sent it. It's a delight!

 

Poured into a 13 oz Weyerbacher tulip glass canned on 3/15/18. Pours a very attractive slightly cloudy yellow orange with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves loads of thin lace all over the place. 4.25

Smell is honey dew mellon, guava, tangerine, pine resin, and grapefruit rind. Kind of a East /West combination. 4.25

Taste follows this is very nice, mellon, tangerine, pineapple, pine, and moderate grapefruit and maybe a hint of onion/garlic but crazy balance. 4.25

Mouthfeel is bigger than average, plenty of life, maybe a tad sticky or dry, and goes down so easy at 8% ABV. 4.5

Overall this is another great DIPA sent from @jzeilinger . Old schoolish DIPA, with a east coast flare. Excellent brew, if I had access I would crush this stuff often! 4.25

 

Happy Sunday, New Beer Samplers and commentators. And thanks for the intro, Craig. Let's see: Marriage last week . . . taxes this week . . . I'm not sure what's next! At least there's always good beer. Today, I'm reviewing another Midwest treat from @swenny916, Off the Record, a witbier brewed with Mosaic hops, orange peel, and coriander by Mikerphone Brewing in Illinois. I find most witbiers to be rather bland but not this one; the fruit, Belgian spicing, and Mosaic hops bring a unique taste to a crisp, dry wit. Here's my full review:

4.06/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I received this from @swenny916 in a BIF box. Poured from undated 12 oz. bottle into pint. glass. It pours a cloudy, golden yellow with a half finger of bright white head and a thin coating of soapy lacing. For a wit it's quite floral and fruity in its nose. Lots of orange peel and Belgian spice with a distinct smell of Mosaic hops. When first sipped the first thing I notice is the orange peel and coriander; it starts with a distinctly Belgian taste. At mid sip there's a lot of wheat cracker but it ends with Mosaic, one of my favorite hops, which is more flavorful than bitter and really adds to the witbier. The mouth feel is crisp, dry, and light, with pleasant carbonation, and at only 5% ABV (per the bottle) it's a super easy drinker. Mikerphone Brewing has done a very nice job with this witbier. Thanks again, Jay!

I hope everyone's enjoying his/her new beer today. And here's wishing speedy healing, Maria!

 

I find it amazing, to be honest. Very glad about it too. Sorry to say it's light fare and no beer for this old hippy today.

 

Today I did comparison of 3 helles. Sixpoint Alpenflo, Sly Fox Helles, and Firestone Walker Lager. Alpenflo is the "new" beer. I decided to compare it to a regular in my house, Sly Fox Helles, and a recent new helles, Firestone Walker Lager, that I had about a month ago and enjoyed, so decided to by again for this comparison. One thing to note is I poured these, and took the Aplenflo photo first and it has a night fluffy head, but I didn't get to taking the Sly Fox and Firestone photos until a little later, so the head died down before I took their photos. They both had a nice white head initially too. I don't typically do the NBS, so chock that oversight up to my inexperience. I switched between beers periodically as I wrote the review with a couple breaks to try to clean my palate with some water. Let's go...
Sixpoint Alpenflo

Canned 3/818, Best by 9/4/18
4.9% ABV
23 IBU
Aroma - mild grain, earthy, hay and grass. Imagine laying in a field just after the midday sun baked off the morning dew.
Taste - There's an initial burst of grassy noble hops that quickly fades into moderate to strong bread and grain malt with a just slight touch of apple/pear yeasty esters. After a few seconds the malt dries out and fades away while a rising tide of earthy and grassy noble hops returns and lingers. This second wave of hop bitterness lasts a long time and make this an interesting and versatile helles. Versatile because the drying malt could push you drink this beer relatively fast and ride the waves of hops and malts, but you could also sip this slowly and savor the long lasting flavors. There's a mild toastiness that comes out as the beer warms up. I started to detect some mild oxidation in the last couple ounces (just from being in the glass for a while), which actually complemented the malt and hops well. Again, it shows Aplenflo's versatility as beer you can drink quickly or sip slowly, savor, and enjoy the changes.

Sly Fox Helles

Best By 7/19/18, (no canned on date... I'm not going to try to decipher the batch code)
4.9% ABV
18 IBU
Aroma - Very bready with a touch of hay-like hop aroma.
Taste - Like the aroma, lots of fresh bready malt with some mild apple esters. There are some initial mildly grassy noble hops that barely touch the bready malts, but as you drink more and the beer warms the bitterness of the hops grows considerably. This beer definitely changes a lot as you work through the glass.
The mouthfeel is surprisingly full, coating the tongue in a velvety soft bready liquid. I didn't even notice that the mouthfeel of Alpenflo and Firestone Lager were on the thinner side until having the sly fox.

Firestone Walker Lager

Canned on 3/2/2018
4.5% ABV
17 IBU
Aroma - Dominated by by grassy and slightly piney noble hops, there's a touch of bread around the edges. I imagine the smell of walking along the edge a fresh cut lawn bordering a row of pine trees.
Taste - There's some initial bread and grain sweetness with about an equal amount of hay and grass. The malt dries out relatively quickly and allows the grass and pine hops to play on the tongue for a long time. The mouthfeel is light. If you like helles that leans towards pilsner or American pale lager this will treat you well.

If you couldn't tell Firestone is definitely the most most hop-forward of the three, despite having the lowest IBU count. That was the biggest surprise I had from the tasting. Firestone Lager is slightly lower 4.5% ABV, which might explain that difference in perceived bitterness. The slightly lower ABV also makes this Firestone the most session-able of the three.

The other surprise for me was the really full feeling mouthfeel of Sly Fox Helles.

All of these helles are very good IMO, each in their own way. I want to highlight again that I think Sixpoint's is the most versatile, lending itself either drinking one after or another, or long slow savoring. I know this was a one-time brew for Sixpoint, but I hope this one comes back.

This isn't related to taste, but Firestone Lager was by far the most expensive of the 3. In this helles style that lends itself to drinking multiple in a session it's really hard for me to ignore prices. If Firestone put this in a "budget" size 12-pack, 15-pack, etc. I think they would sell a ton of this.

@Sixpoint @JackHorzempa @ecpho

 

5 4.3-4.4 beers mark a great tasting week - April 21, 2018

07740 - Simcoe | Carton
4.4/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Long Branch 07740. Where my son was born, and when growing up, a boardwalk half way to Asbury Park, with games, rides, carnival, italian hogies. Congressman Frank Pallone's home town. 07740 is perfect with sausage and peppers and Italian food, they got it right. As good as all the odubs.
Proud to be among the first reviewer of Simcoe 07740 (Long Branch - my son's birthplace). This one is near the top of the dubvariants along with 07750 Nelson. Carton tripling in size soon, well-deserved. Get to know this brewer. It's the water (and in my home town).
Watch the brewer Augie talk food and beer play at http://tedxnavesink.com/project/augie-carton/
Mineral notes due to the hard artesian well water they use. A must try and a great place to visit.
A) Hazed blonde body sports a pure white finger pillowy head, that ascends an inched above the tulip glass rim, and laces clouds and dots while it rings the glass.
S) Super fresh, juicy, citrus hops, tropical fruits, along with round orchard fruits of apple and grape, then more fruity malts, orange peels, and pine.
T) Taste follows the smell. Zests your palate with orange citrus hops, lemon, apple, white wine, fruit malts, and tropical fruits. More pine resin, more oils.
F) Long, lean, peppery, zingy finish. Chewy, creamy, medium bodied DIPA w moderate carbonation. Light bitterness, long finish, and pretty easy to drink. Cleansing, great with Italian boardwalk/carnival food... cleansing, long, and fresh.
O) Try 24 if you can get it.

Pocket Trick | Forgotten Boardwalk
4.4/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
One of the best DIPAs in NJ, along with Carton.
a) Pours viscous reminding me of hazed apple sauce on the simmer, dots lacey like apple sauce too.
s) Apple juice, orchard fruit, and citrus. Peach, and fall wet grass between the peach trees.
t) Tastes follow aroma, but it's a winner. I get pear candy first, on caramel malt sweetness, then pear, peach, apple puree, with floral and pine aromatics, cleaning up in a tight, bitter, cleansing finish.
f) Delicate carbonation, smooth, sticky oils provide weight and mouth feel.
o) I agree with BAer who said this is seductive brew. Try 24. Best of NJ/ east coast.

So Anyway... | Springdale
4.3/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Loved this even more than BA-eras. Rattle N Hum NYC.
A: Medium orange body, opaque, small wispy head and bits of lace.
S: Lots of orange juice, big, bright citrus, marmalade that is tempered by a pine finish.
T: As with the smell. More citrus fruit salad but it works, lands in a dry, powdery pile of pine laden snow.
F: Medium body, smooth, finishes clean, crisp, bracing, spices.
O: Just what you need after work to wake u up.

Framinghammer - Cordon Rouge | Jack's Abby
4.3/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I'm going up a limb on this baltic porter, which is crazily original and soothing, tho strong.
Sum greater than the parts. On tap rattle n hum 33 St NYC.
a) opaque black-brown, with scant rosy-brown head that rings but neither laces nor lasts, still because of the ruby highlights it wins on color and depth.
s) Light cocoa, lots of medicine and bar cabinet, with churchwood oak, Brandy, and incense. Too faint.
t) Explodes in flavor following the nose to a higher place, one of the most interesting flavor profiles ever, as rich as any trappist or rare vos. Lots of medicine, bourbon, brandy, wood, incense. If you wish a short strong brew or a bed time brew before your sweetie, this ties the ribbon on it. 4.75!
f) full bodied, kissy, wet kiss, slick and sticky on the lips.
o) better as she warms (like your sweetie.)

The Six - 51631 | Barrier
4.3/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pleased to be the sixth review of the 6 - 51631. A nice play on area codes (Zip codes having been conquered by Carton).
A) Beautiful beer. Orange amber, rich white head, lots of sea foamy lace - as fitting for Barrier.
S) Bright blaring citrus orchard and flower shop, with one odd component that’s a bit powdered tang or medicine cabinet.
T) Lots of successive citrus fruit flavors, with that chalky, dusty feeling of a Smartie. leans into pleasant clean bitter finish. Juicy and chalky at once.
F) Interesting. Clean bright finish, good food beer, almost too much except with salty oysters and clams. Juicy, tangy.
o) Despite being light and playful this is serious beer. Try 24.

 

Happy Earth Day
This NBS BIF #007 has been ridiculous out of control, and if you hear about a dearth of beverages to be found in Michigan, it's because @FlintB shipped them all to Washington.

No Rules by Perrin Brewing is one that I think I first heard about here on NBS sometime back and it piqued my interest and instantly became one of my top wants. Well, Brian was kind enough to send one along (and hell, it sounds like he's hit half the country with No Rules, if the pictures and posts in the BIF thread are any indication!).

It's a 2017, so Orange Bowling Ball (side note: I really like that as a means to distinguish between vintages... same picture, same everything just one small component that changes colour from year to year. Dig it.)



Beautiful pour that is that inky almost-black of black coffee with a solid finger of wet mocha brown foam. The fullness of the head dissipated pretty quickly (wasn't hugely surprising considering how wet the bubbles were), but it didn't go far, just to a comfortable layer with clumps and drifts towards the edges.

The nose was a let down, if I'm being honest. When I very first popped open the bottle, there was an initial hint of almost yeasty dark rye bread dough, but that went away pretty quickly so I might have imagined it. But digging into the actual glass, it just smelled like sugar and coconut husk, with a burnt note to it all. The husk was the only coconut I really got and gave it a woody/nutty character. There was a fleeting hint of licorice, and then an incursion of cinnamon candy (think red hots). Not even really the porter notes that I would have figured if the barrel and coconut meat weren't going to jump out. Hmm.

Luckily, the flavour on the tongue did not follow directly behind the lead laid out by the nose.
The first things I noticed when I sipped this (and for real, sip it. This is a big beast.) were how sweet it was and how I could immediately tell that it was 15%. Not HOT per se, but definitely alcoholic.
Getting into more specifics, the sweet sugars bring forth candied coconut (think mounds bar, not raw coconut) and a rich creamy cocoa. Barrel plays off these notes with some vanilla and caramel bourbon hits with just a faint bit of that alcohol bitter/sourness.
Finish mostly ditches the coconut to focus back on the sugary sweetness and chocolate of the porter underneath. Finally get some coffee-like bitterness lurking in the shadows at this stage, and the last tip of the tail brings back that bourbon alcohol kiss.

For a more medium bodied brew this is silky smoothe and coats the mouth with sticky chocolate. The alcohol is never HOT, but it is definitely present while being folded in with the rest of the flavours.
I like it. It's good. Perhaps even very good. I just don't feel like it's great. It doesn't really live up to the heights of expectations I had built up for it, but that's as much my fault as anything. I am enjoying it, and am glad to have gotten a chance to try it for myself.

As I said, this was a big want for me and I am immensely grateful to Brian for giving me the opportunity to try it. Thanks!


Speaking of no rules...
I had to take a picture of it with some of the rulebooks for a couple of the games I'm trying to teach myself/relearn to be able to teach others...

 

Finally some good weather and got 30 miles in this weekend. Time for beer. After @JackHorzempa review this am, had to find this beer. Pours a thing of beauty, huge frothy head that sustains to the end, nice clove,banana aromas with taste following, the hops do their part at keeping the sweetness at bay and a nice creamy mouthfeel. Very well brewed beer.

 

thanks for the insights @Ranbot - one thing to note though, the Alpenflo will not be a one-time brew, we intend to make this one year-round!

cheers

 

We made it to Las Cruces and had a wonderful breakfast at Café de Mesilla. We spent the rest of the morning out and about, then had some lunch at Pecan Grill and Brewery. I took the bartender's suggestion and had a pint of the house specialty, Pecan Amber Ale. It is an amber ale infused with pecan syrup, and has an ABV of 5.2%.
In my glass the beer was a dark amber color. There was a modest light tan head with a good deal of lace.
Nutty aroma, maple syrup.
Pecan taste, syrupy.
Very sweet. I'd even say it was cloyingly sweet.
I drank the pint and rather enjoyed it. When the bartender asked me if I wanted another, I begged off.

 

Mind if i join in?







Hop butcher for the world
MEGA BITE

Very murky straw
Fluffy white head
Head reduces but doesn't diminish
3.75

Floral, fresh citrus, tropical fruits
Lemon. Some melon
4.0

Some sweetness, malt body.
Melon, some tang, lemon or lime.
A bit of grapefruit, alcohol hidden.
Not too carbonated.some peach.
Not really bitter
4.0

Medium body, creamy, oily
Good texture
3.75

Nice ABV level for a DIPA at 7.5
Easy drinker, could easily enjoy 2 in one sitting
4.0

Cheers and have a great Sunday!

 

Trying this very nice Sweetwater Sinner's Son. Happy NBS and cheers!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/273/302484/?ba=cindyjeffsmith#review

 

If you make it up North to Santa Fe, plan on doing another breakfast at Tia Sophia's.

 

Onto an EvilTwin Lost Soul's. Cheers!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24300/272857/?ba=cindyjeffsmith#review