New Beer Sunday (Week 692)

NBS beer #1



Petit Mutant

The Alchemist Brewery and Visitors Center
American Wild Ale / 6.00% ABV

3.91/5 rDev -4.2% | Score: 4.08
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Bottled 08-18-2017

L- The beer pours a hazy plum color with almost no head formation. What little there is reduces to a thin ring. There is no lacing
S- The nose is a strong sour cherry component over the top of a musty funk from the Brett.
T- Like the nose the sour cherries are the dominant component. The brett funk makes it's appearance at the tail end of the palate and helps the beer to finish somewhat dry.
M- Overall mouthfeel is medium. There is very little carbonation left in the beer. I suspect that isn't typical and a problem of this bottle.
O- With proper carbonation this beer would be a joy to drink for those into brett or sour cherries. This bottle was lacking in that department and suffered some. I'll revisit in the future to see if I can get a properly carbed bottle.

 

Moving right along here NBS players.

My second new beer today is Llama Drama, nes ipa, from Fifth Hammer brewing. A rather newer brewer here on the island/nyc borrows. The brew checks in at 7.2% abv, it features mosaic/palisade hops, and has a 5/9/18 canning date.

A murky pour with a straw yellow color. The nose is mostly fruit. Tangy/fruity hops hit upfront with a smooth flow and finish. Minimal bitter with lots of white wine notes. Fruit notes I get grape, tangerine, and melon. A rather light/moderate body-fruity feel but also rather dry and not very sweet.

Overall, I’m finding it to be rather average, at best, for the style. The listing on here also notes it as being dd hopped. The can doesn’t give any indication as such and I don’t think it is. I would rank it pretty poor if it is. I’m in the 3.5 range here players.

 

Dewey Beer Co. Send Lawyers, Guns & Money IPA

More than half a lifetime ago, I had a roommate who had a picture of Ernesto "Che" Guevara on the wall. My mom noticed it when she was visiting with her friend, and tore into me for smoking a cigar. "That's not Atha," her friend said, "That's Cha."

My next new brew has a tiny picture of Che on it, and comes from a dude with perhaps more of a Fidel-like beard -- @larryi86.

It pours a pale peach tea-color with a grayish hue and a fat finger of foamy white head that leave thin sheets of lacing.

Strawberry-flavored gummy bears, ripe honeydew and cream mix in the nose. Maybe even some lime and artificial banana. Is this evocative of some type of Cuban rum-based cocktail? I wouldn't know, so -- why not? -- yes, it is!

The nose continues up front in the taste, and then runs into a fairly strong earthy and tea-like bitterness. As the flavors begin to merge as the beer warms, they become more congruent.

It's medium bodied, a tad slick, with strong carbonation.

This is a great hot-weather beer. Sort of wish it drank it yesterday when it was hot as all hell. Still tasting great now. Thanks, Larry!

 

Nickel brook cafe del bastardo
..solid black color
..low carbonation, just above average body,slightly slick oily feel
..Aroma was bourbon forward,takes a while to notice espresso beans,dark and milk chocolate.
..Taste is similar, alcohol was surprisingly well hidden. Bourbon really dominates the taste which I found a little dissapoiinting
..overall it was really very good, would have preferred if the bourbon was dialed back to allow what I suspect was a great stout to come through more

 

Before the @thebeers reviewed some Broccoli I was leaning towards that being my next can and his review gave me the final push. Thanks you @CanConPhilly for the hook up!
4.22/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thank you CanConPhilly for this
16 oz can, dated 5/9/18, poured into a teku

A- A hazy golden copper with a two finger white head

S- Citrus, some tropical fruits, some light fruits, earthy spice, slightly dank.

T- Citrus, some mango/tropical fruits, citrus zest, some light fruits, earthy/piney bitter finish.

M- Smooth, medium body, a little creamy.

O- A very nice IPA, easy to drink and nicely balanced.

Cheers!

 

New beer #3. Thanks @thebeers ! I’d choose this over that All Royal sugar-weed juice any day of the week.

TacoHands - Tired Hands feat. Cellarmaker
Culinary IPA - 7.2% abv
Canned 5/3/18 (24 days ago)
Score: 4.02 (-3.3% rDev)



L - 3-finger dense bright white head atop a pale peach body.

S - cilantro, lime, pine. Very unusual nose.

T - sweet lime to start. Spicy middle. Getting cilantro and black pepper the most, followed by anise, salt, a little hot pepper, mild chili powder. A lot going on here! Low bitterness, medium sweetness, low booziness.

F - medium-light body with moderate carbonation.

O - a good choice for a humid afternoon. Very weird though.

 

New Russian Imperial Stout Sunday

Happy NBS everyone! For my first new brew today I had some Flat 12 Terry's Chocolate Orange Pinko! RIS aged in bourbon barrels: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24412/348269/?ba=bluejacket74#review

To keep it short without posting the whole review, it really reminded me of eating a bittersweet/dark chocolate Terry's Chocolate Orange with some bourbon added. I liked it!





I'll be back on here in a little while with another new beer review or 2. Cheers!

 

Just a quick NBS entry today. It’s a hot one here in The Great Beer State. Work
tonight limits me to one New Beer today.



Pours a bright lemon yellow huge fluffy, bone white head with small amount of lacing. The nose is lemon, dough and cracker. Taste starts out citrusy but some skunkiness comes into play. Crackers/bread and finishes lightly hopped. Very light but crisp. Probably crushable on a day like today but overall his missed the mark for me. 3.48

 

Sunday Morning Stout, new to me but certainly well reviewed here. Pours pitch black with a thin beige ring of head that left almost no lacing. Smells of bourbon, coffee, dark chocolate and a hint of vanilla. Taste is bourbon right up front, dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, caramel, roasted malts and a hint of char. Heavy bodied, minimal carbonation, silky and creamy mouth feel with a mildly dry finish. Just an awesome beer.

 

Hey what's going on?!

VERY busy of later, but luckily VERY productive too, getting much done.

It's a typical DC Memorial weekend. MUGGY as heck, dripping humidity. More motorcycles on the road as many from out of town descend to participate in group rides, and of course Rolling Thunder on the mall.

Still getting through some of the new beers from my last excursion at OBX, which was quite fun and a good change of scenery.

Right now, I need a seriously cold drink after much outside work.

What's new for our hero today?



Poured from the can into a kölsch stange.

Very nice shiny brass body color, nearly clear with perhaps a touch of haze and minimal fine rising carbonation. Excellent merringue rich forming head. Fine bubbled then later giving to large swiss chesse like appearances. Thick and lathery rich four controlled fingers and nearly creamy. Some lace but good amounts of staying power, good looking kolsch.

Solid aroma, almost clean lager smelling but gives to a faint touch of fruit ester character. Good chewy malt sense and baked bread. Touches of almost crips white toast and very faint herbal hop character as well. Sticking to basics and done very well.

Very impressive palate. Simple bodied, but with excellent flavors. Real good touches of chewy malt and wheat bakery bread. Slight fruity tang in the middle cut with a soft herbal spicy hop bitterness. Finishes with an almost floral touch, with an excellent mix of honey sweetness and more toast. Honey lip smacking with almost perfume like aromas on each sip. Contrasting green herb bitterness with a light spice for excellent balance as well.

This is one of the more enjoyable domestic made kolsches (is that a word?) I've had in a long time. I love a good kolsch and I would love to have more of this on a regular basis.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25 | BA Generated Score: 4.17

 

A-Pours a hazy muddy amber color with a generous head and lacing
A-Aroma has resounding wheat notes
T-The taste follows the nose with a generous wheat flavor
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A good collaboration

 

Well I guess it is Sunday already. It's a nice day in Southern Cali. Just went grocery shopping and was looking for a cold beer. Something as a change of pace from dank, hoppy, bitterness. I found this very friendly priced and very cold Weissbier on sale imported from Germany. So glad I went for something out of my norm. This is pretty much exactly what I was looking for. I'm liking the unfiltered look with creamy head. Has a little smell of banana bread. Bready taste with hint of banana. It has a light zing to it (whatever that is supposed to mean).
Tastes really fresh but I think the date code says 03 18. Surprisingly It has a nice crisp carbonation to but it also feels smooth and creamy. This is working nicely for me right now. Glad I got a few more. I'll have one for the Celtics-Cavs game later. This is good beer.

 

Good afternoon, NBSers. Been a slow-to-get-started day for me. Slept in a little, hit the gricery store for some brunch items, and then just plain laziness watching some TV, currently watching the Sox's ace getting knocked around and out of the game. Oh well, at least the Washington Capitals have made their way back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time in 30 years. Here's hoping this trip ends up better than the previous (we'll be three games in next NBS, I'm sure I'll post an update ).

Ok, so onto beer. I only have two in the house, and I'm not sure if I'll dig into the second one. This one was bought specifically for NBS, as it's from a brewery I've posted in this recurring thread a couple times. Port City is a seven-year old brewery out of Alexandria, VA. On the six-pack of this beer, they still had a little symbol touting their Small Brewing Company of the Year award from the 2015 GABF (it's actually still a lead on their home page). They tend to produce fairly classic examples of beers to style.

This is the first Belgian Tripel I have seen from them, although they do produce another Belgain beer as their lead flagship beer - a Belgian White called Optimal Wit. This beer is called Ideaal Tripel. The website gives a little insight into the name:

Well, it's definitely been hot this weekend, and quite humid as the rain-soaked ground gives up it's bounty in the form of humidity. Does this beer refresh? Let me see...

Well, I can't argue with the brewer's description on looks - "honey gold with a thick cap of mousse-like foam." My pours weren't too, too thick, but close enough, and that foam cap is just begging me to break through it. The body doesn't appear perfectly clear, but it's fairly close, medium lacing comes in ghostly streams.

The nose is a lightly sweet, fruity bouquet. I'm getting golden delicious apples, honey, a little dry grain and grass, and perhaps just a little citrus zest (orange/lemon). Warmth starts to bring a just little banana and clove.

The taste opens with a distinctively classic Belgian yeast providing a fruity and phenolic yeast note. The scents are represented in the taste, with the malts coming across a bit stronger in the form of a barely toasted crusty bread, giving this beer a "classic beer flavor" at its base. There is a little burn here, perhaps a combination of spicy notes and the 8.5% ABV. More distinct spice notes seem to take over for the end taste: clove and pepper, while the hard pear/apple cider note provides an undercurrent. A slight grass bitterness barely puts up some resistance.

Re-reading the description of a Tripel for the first time today, I have to say this beer fairly well exemplifies it. I think there is a little bit too much of an astringent nature to the burn in the beer, but the fruity/spicy aspects are nice tasting. I might have to grab some La Fin Du Monde (which I feel is smoother, though I have only rated it ) and Tripel Karmeliet to compare to (since I haven't had either in a while). I might think this is somewhat like Golden Monkey based on memory - but we all know how accurate those things are, and I haven't had that in longer time than the other two.

 

NBS beer #2



Mass Rising

Jack's Abby Brewing
American Double / Imperial Pilsner / 8.00% ABV

4.03/5 rDev -5% | Score: 4.24
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

canned 03/19/18

L-The beer pours a hazy orange with a full 2 finger white head. The head recedes to a thin film leaving thick clumps of lacing in its wake.
S- The nose is sweet citrus up front finishing with a bit of dankness.
T- On the palate the sweetness noted on the nose is much more muted. While there is still an abundance of citrus, it is more grapefruit than orange. Bitterness is moderate in the finish and the beer finishes dry.
F- Overall the mouthfeel is medium. There is a subtle slickness beneath the accompanying dry finish.
O- Another excellent IPL from the JA guys. Well worth a shot for hop heads.

 

A new Maine offering today for me. I didn't ride today, but I did almost finish the vegetable garden, cleared brush from the driveway and split some wood. Oh, and I have a snack.

4.34/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Powered from a bottle dated 5/15/18 to a nonic glass.
Hazy but not cloudy gold body with three finger head that fades to a thin topper fairly quickly.
Most prominent aroma is pine, background of fruit.
A taste keeps pine and fruit on equal footing. I would say the fruitiness is most reminiscent of apples and oranges (not trying to be funny here about a comparison). Its quite a wallop for a "session" beer. You can even detect some alcohol in this despite the 4.9% assignment, and thats' not a bad thing IMO.
The body is pretty nice for session also. Creamy with the right amount of carbonation.

 

A-Pours a hazy golden color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has resounding fruity notes
T-The taste follows the nose with a generous fruity flavor
M-A light bodied well carbonated beer
O-A very nice easy summer drinking beer