New Beer Sunday (Week 695)

Yeah, in some ways it seems a lot longer ago. That was a good day. I'm glad you found that one interesting. I too, am very wary of "spiced" beers. Also, I'm not much of a cocktail guy. But still, I found this unique, and pretty tasty.

 

After a long hot day at work, then work #3, this : Farm Beer , from Plan Bee really hit the spot.
Tart, crisp , lots of flavor, but light & easy-drinking. I'd gladly drink more , but one was satisfying.






4.43/5 rDev +6% [<Guessing that given the day , any beer might have a +rDev, though I'm right there with most of those that bothered to review it.]

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33607/220109/?ba=mikeinportc#navigation

 

Since @Prager62 posted, I can't let this beer from @mschrei go without posting here. I had a great Father's Day with the family, although we overslept for church, @jzeilinger. I'm currently watching Clear and Present Danger while sipping this beer. In a few minutes I'll pick up the book I'm currently reading - The Fellowship of the Ring. I haven't read the trilogy in a lot of years.



Pours a deep black with very little tan head and no lacing.

The smell is sweet chocolate, dark malt, char, and red wine.

The taste is red wine, bitter chocolate, char, with a long, bitter finish

The mouthfeel is very thick and low carbonation. It coats the mouth.

Overall a very nice BA stout, as expected from GI. It's very thick and strong, so it took a while to get through.

 

Evening, NBS fam!

I'm joining you all a bit late this evening due to some poor time management - I've bounced around the house just about all weekend, but somehow did not get to beer today until late this evening. Well - sort of.

I received a last-minute birthday invitation and ended up joining a few friends at a local casino (Running Aces) and played black jack for a few hours. A little bit about my history with gambling... I don't gamble really, unless you count my participation in charity raffles and beer razzles. I have tremendously bad luck, and I despise throwing my money away (I do quite enough of that on beer, thank you very much). You might argue that my luck isn't so bad, given how many times I've won recently - but, let me reassure you, it's as nothing compared to the money and things that I've thrown away on losses.

So, today wasn't much of a surprise! I was up $15 when we stepped away for lunch (little bit of advice - don't trust the pho soup at a casino... I spent more time reading on the toilet than playing black jack for the next couple of hours!), but left $25 down. My friends were very apologetic (everyone but me left with winnings, particularly my buddy who was celebrating his birthday)... but, honestly? How many things can you do for four hours for just $25? I wasn't bothered by it. I am a little disgusted by how much fun I had though - I'm looking forward to going again sometime. And this is exactly why I've avoided casinos until now...

Anyway. I did have a beer at the casino, before I met up with my friends - just to ease that social anxiety a bit - but it wasn't a new beer. So! my NBS beers!

We've had a lot of storms here this weekend, as well as an awful lot of hot, muggy, miserable weather. I've been craving IPAs and sours - but didn't seem to have any that were cold, for some stupid reason (I tend to hoard my sours for a local sour share group that I hang with/occasionally host). Again - poor planning, etc. So I cracked open a little something that my good buddy Mike (@Dragginballs76 ) gifted me not long ago:



Now, I know this will not sit well with some, but I remain a devout fan of Wicked Weed. In fact, I didn't have a single drop of their beer prior to the buyout... so, I have nothing to compare the quality to after the fact. That being said - I'm a fan.

Dark Age is a non-adjuncted stout with excellent bourbon notes to the nose and taste. The barrel presence is a bit lacking and somewhat disappointing, but it has good mouthfeel and taste and it's not a bit hot. I like it, but think that it pales a bit in comparison to Wicked Weed's sours (where they really shine, in my opinion). That is to say, thanks, Mike! I liked this one (rated a 4.25), but wanted a bit more from it - a little bit of added complexity, or a richer taste and mouthfeel, would not go unappreciated.

My second beer, also not a sour or IPA, comes to me courtesy of Josh M (@Bum4ever ) - and honestly, I was a bit floored by this one...



Who the fuck expects a religious experience from a brown ale? I'll tell you - this was a first for me; this is that once in a lifetime where the ugly girl wins best in show, seriously. There was once a time when brown ales and porters were my everyday jam... but those days are long past, and I was definitely sleeping on this beer. The nose didn't do much to dispel my indifference, but fuuuuuuuuuuucking hell - that first taste! I literally set my glass down and said, "What the fuck!" There is no one else in the house - I have no idea who I was talking to, but it had to be said. There is an overwhelmingly rich vanilla taste to this beer that I just hadn't expected. I had thought, "alright, maybe a bit of vanilla but more maple than anything"... and I should probably have suspected, based on the nose... anyway. Good Conduct is fantastic: rich, well-balanced, light on carb, and delicious both when cool and when warmed. My only bone of contention with the beer might be just how sweet and rich it is (particularly when warm - cloying, you might say) - I sort of wish I had shared this one (but am sure I would have wished the opposite if I had shared it!).

I suspect that Josh gave me this can and has not even enjoyed one himself. I want to thank him for his generosity and selflessness - this was a gesture that I hope to reciprocate one of these days soon.

Note: glassware from both of these beers was also provided by the sender. Cheers to the PGW, guys, and thank you both again!


Happy NBS, everyone - and cheers to all of you fathers. I wish you all a great week to come!

 

Stone Fear. Movie.Lions DIPA, pretty tasty 4.15

Pours a slightly hazed amber with 2 fingers of pearl colored head. Pretty good head retention & great lacing

S: Grapefruit, a little mango

T: Grapefruit & breadyness, along a little dryness with a touch of pomelo up front. More dryness & pomelo once warm, a touch of orange juice as well. Finishes pretty juicy, some leafy hops & bready dryness as well

MF: Medium body, pretty firm carbonation, nice balance

Drinks really easy, a good offering from Stone

 

I know why you thought I sent it, I sent you a bunch of Fieldwork. But, I’m fairly sure I didn’t send that one.

 

Well crap. Now I need to look through the seven bazillion beer pictures on my phone.

Sorry about that, Josh! To be rectified shortly...

 

Had a couple more with my neighbor while our little ones played a bit.

Illegal Business from Spike Brewing
Poured a hazy orange with two fingers white head.
Smell is mango, pineapple, some citrus notes.
Taste follows with the mango, pineapple, a little bitter grapefruit keeps it in balance.
Medium body, soft and smooth feel.
Overall another solid offering from Spike.

 

This is lazy of me, and maybe part of it is this fantastic four pack of "the incident" Brett dipa from Burlington I'm working through, but I love how you write.

Makes me want to bury you in more beer just to see how it inspires your figurative pen.

 

Good evening LNNBSers and happy New Blend Sunday. Old blend actually, but more on the beer later. When it comes to Father's Day, I am fortunate to have an amazing wife and children that go out of their way to make me feel special. I never got to share this annual event with my own father which always makes me a bit sad and angry, but being on the other side of it truly is a blessing. And for my reward for some hard laboring for a Father's-Day-gift-to-my-wife-from-me,:

(From this...)


(to this.)


I was the ecstatic recipient of this complete set up,:



and currently get to enjoy this:

Firestone Walker
XX Anniversary Ale.





XX has to be the deepest shade of brown imaginable. It looks clean, and a bit thin as it descends from bottle to glass, and she shimmers with hazelnut highlights. A very thin khaki ring makes itself comfortable around the perimeter, and little effort is put into leaving it's signature on the glass.

As expected with Parabola making up 40% of the blend, this bursts with the stouts goods. Marshmallow, bourbon, and licorice carry the torch for the dark ales contribution, while fig and candi sugar sweetness vouch for the Barley Wines. The oak happily represents the entire cast to these rediculously intoxicating aromas.

First sip, and it all seems to happen so fast! Going back for more and it seems that the barley wines take first wave, as caramel coated dark fruits attack. Molasses comes in next and then a clear shot of straight booze. A touch of black licorice, then sweet pipe tobacco and oak. This thing is layer after layer of flavors. Plain white sugar and a little burnt toast scrapings finish it off, and the masterpiece has made its mark.

In a general sense, one might argue this is a bit thin, but to me it's just right. It has a good amount of heft to it all the while being easy to sip. It's smooth, sweet, and robust. The dry oakiness is the perfect host to the sweet complexion, and it parallels the alcohol warmth long in the finish.

I usually grab two of FW Anniversary ales. One to have right away, and one to save til the following year. For XX, I only bought one. This one. That is my only regret. This is a truly amazing beer, and well deserves to bear the two X's.

After my official review, I gave XX a rating of 4.7 with an rDev of+6.6%.

Cheers everyone, and I will see you all soon.

 

Sticking with Spike for now, having their Open To Suggestions.
Hazy golden orange pour with a thick frothy white head.
Smell is mango, pineapple, peach, sweet malts.
Taste is dominated by the sweet malts, the fruity hop flavors are there too but the malts lead the way on this one.
Medium to full bodied smooth.
Switching it up a bit but staying with Spike.

Pours a dark brown with thin tan head.
Smell on this one is all dark roast on this one. Smells like espresso.
Taste is roasted malts, coffee, hints of vanilla on the back end.
Medium bodied with ample carbonation.
Overall a good beer.
Spike seems to be putting out some solid beers, if I ever make it to Gothenburg I will definitely stop in there.

 

Almost forgot to post this one. Had to have atleast one from states today. I was excited to see these cans as it's a brewery I really wanted to try while I was in the area last year. The day I was in White River Junction the brewery was closed and the Big Fatty's BBQ had kicked their keg so I was out of luck. This was the first time River Roost has canned as best as I can tell.

Pours a hazy orange with minimal head.
Smell is ripe tropical fruits and resinous pine.
Taste follows, ripe pineapple and mango. Resinous, oily pine lingers on the finish. Quite tasty!
On the lighter side of medium bodied with good carb levels.
Overall a great beer that can hang with the big boys in Vermont!

 

I'm sure your boy Reggie Noble could hook you up... he's officially Wu affiliated right??!?

Ha thanks. I think it stems from the fact that I'm not very good at specifics and don't know enough to be able to pick out and identify hops/malts/etc so all I'm left with is trying to convey the impression I get and what else has given me a similar feeling. I'm not one to say no to more beer, but you've certainly given me plenty of ammo already!!

 

Love HF Turbo Shandy, and have been fortunate to try Grepefruit and Tequila BA variants. Other than this delicious sounding Lemon-Lime, what others am I missing out on? TIA

Nice, glad you got a chance to sample one of FW's brown ales! For my palate and preferences their brown ales crush it.