New Beer Sunday (Week 696)

Cheers you all and thanks @lordofthewiens for getting us started this morning. Happy retirement Doc! Being a good parent means teaching morality and showing your flawed human side while maintaining some kind of authority. Years after I had declared my parents the most oppressive and large pains the keester, I began to realize their not so subtle wisdom. My parents did not follow the trends and were what you might call "squares." The one thing they never did was talk down to me and I remember the grave look of concern on my mother's face one day after a bad day with peers at school as she said "If only you were a better liar." They supported everything I did and while I got the distinct impression they were waiting for me to commit some act of brilliance that made all their effort worthwhile, they were slow to criticize. When they did, they were honest and when we argued we yelled at one another. We spent lots of time laughing too. So much time that I can still hear that laughter even though both my parents are dead. I still uphold all the traditions that they held dear like cooking for a crowd on Sunday!




Happy Managia It's Maduro Sunday!




Today I have Maduro from Cigar City Brewing. Cigar City is making a nice showing in my local Wegman's lately. I am happy to say that I finally got a chance to try this beer. Maduro pours an elegant dark brown with ruby highlights. Tan frothy head that falls luxuriously. Nose is sumptuous with roasty malt. Nothing too burnt and a delicious stripe of caramel. The light presence of just sweet cocoa and a sweet breath from hop herbal. The beer is very fresh as it was canned on 5/21 and those delicate hop scents really make the nose for me. It does not have too much dark fruit aromas from malt and I like it because that allows a nice moment of mild coffee to come through. The malt is just bitter raost but does not show any char . Perfectly done toast. Drinks just like the nose with a crisp bubble to keep it light. This beer has a lovely moment of silk in the moderately dry finish and a light hop bitter that stays on the tongue to show you all that malty fullness. it stoips just short of chewy. The fact that it is just sweet made it the perfect companion to the meal I planned for it. Chipoltle Chocolate Babyback Ribs and Spanish Rice. At 5.5 percent this one would be considered a Northern English Brown. The flavors are a bit like the stout but the body of the beer is light enough so that it tantalizes but remains in the brown ale category. The caramel does not take over the palate and as the beer warms it becomes more sensual witha bit of nutty flavor. So easy to drink I had four of them before I realized it and came back for more today.

 

Congratulations on your retirement!!! Enjoy every second of it.

 

New Beer Sunday: A Gose

Mornin’ NBSers with a summer morning selection well suited for Gose fans. Also, a special thanks to today’s host, @lordofthewiens, with best wishes for your next round of golf in New Mexico.

Fatherhood? So far I like to think my score is good. When you are new to it you are bound to make a mistake or two (or three, or four,....) that you later regret. But as long as you continue to score a few wins along the way.... What eventually counts I suppose is the long run when one can look back and say, as our host is able to say, "They are good, decent people who respect others and treat others as they themselves would like to be treated." (An idea that seems to me to be a basic part of simple humanity and not something unique to any particular religion.)

Today’s weather is expected to be partly cloudy and humid with a high near 85 (with a "feels like" of 90) and a possible occasional thunderstorm. (Seems like a good day to start off with a bright, crisp and refreshing beer.)

This morning's new beer is the Citrus Jammer from Sixpoint.

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

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10607/321163/?ba=drtth#review


Not surprisingly, given the name, it’s the citrus in this beer that’s the star of the show here. In addition to the definite lemon-lime and a bit of tartness, there’s salt and some grainy sweetness. There’s also a touch of spicy bitterness in the dry ending. While I haven’t tried them side-by-side, my current bottom line on this beer is that I think I like it better than the regular Jammer and will be having this one again fairly soon.

As a final thought I've got to say here that I might have been biased in reviewing this beer as I expected up front that I'd enjoy it. My first Sixpoint beer was called Bengali Tiger and something I had on tap before it was available in cans (and before it was reformulated to become simply Bengali). Since then I've had 15 or so Sixpoint beers and enjoyed all of them enough that Sixpoint is on my list of trusted breweries and I'll now buy and try a new one without any second thoughts.

So here's also a special thanks to @Sixpoint and his "Mad Scientists" for their record of and commitment to quality!

Cheers, all!

 

Happy New Catch-Up Beer Sunday (Week 696)!

No children that I know of, but plenty of beer to drink, review & rate this Sunday! I recently realized that I have entirely too much beer (yes, that is a real thing) & too much stuff & so I am working to winnow as much of it down as possible.

I was at a friend's house near KofP last Saturday for his monthly bottle & CAN share & I brought along both a Yards Brawler & a Great Divide Titan IPA tacker that now adorn his patio wall. I have found a PA Fish & Game Commission tacker that will go up next month + he put me onto Flanigan's Boat House & Below Decks Bottle Shop in Conshohocken that will be getting some of my Navy memorabilia for display. Being a bit of a hoarder, it feels nice to see some of this stuff go to new homes.

I am beginning the day with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47860/353624/?ba=woodychandler#review

dedicated to @utopiajane as I play Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" but I really wanted to have ended the day yesterday with it as a part of my color-coded drinking. I had some recent difficulties getting pics approved, so I bought a light, light stand & white camera umbrella (no boostin' yo!) & I am getting some quality results. I awaited the pic's approval before Crack!ing open the CAN.

Well, that starts the day! I'll keep yinz updated as it progresses.

 

Woody! I have started to say "yinz" and it's all because of you.

 

Thanks for the kickoff Doc, and congrats on the upcoming retirement...you’re going to love it!

My new beer I saved from my meet up with @SawDog505 a couple of weeks ago - Breakaway Beerworks at Great Northern Aleworks, Manchester, NH - “RISE” a DIPA:

The pour at 58 degrees renders a voluminous rocky white head atop a deep gold (6+) liquid exhibiting excellent clarity; moderately heavy lacing; long lasting cap reduces to solid ring with clingy lace; some specs of suspended particles on the second pour when the 16oz can is emptied. 4.75





Grapefruit, lemon nose; green grassy hops right behind. 4.25

Bitter grapefruit rind, Meyers lemon bitter hops with a touch of white pepper; clean malt base provides the platform for the juicy hop flavors. 4.25

Moderate carbonation; medium lite feel; crisp and clean; no astringency. 4.25

Overall, really enjoyable! Tasty citrus peel bitter linger is long lasting; liquid is lite and no hint of the 8% - a totally poundable DIPA. I would happily drink again, and heartily recommend to those who like light feeling citrus leaning flavorful IPAs - Thanks for another winner, Tim, I liked this beer a lot. Cheers y’all!

 

It's a Pixburgh thing! I worked long & hard, 'n' 'at, to develop my accent. It marks me, (& others) as "a Yinzer". Pixburgh sports fan since 1974 (9 y/o) & Pitt alumnus (B.A. EngLit '02 & MAT (English) '03)! Pixburgh may be becoming Silicon Valley (East), but for those of us who still remember th' still mills, 'n' 'at, a Pixburghese accent is the only way to go! Our next Lt.Gov. is the current mayor of Braddock. I only go to PHL for their beer.

 

Thanks to @lordofthewiens for the great start to NBS this week. Hopefully I can find something new at the shop today.

Cheers!

 

Amen. Golden statement, that is.

 

Starting early for me today. NBS beer #1 is this BBA imperial stout.



Dark Apparition - Bourbon Barrel Aged

Jackie O's Pub & Brewery
Russian Imperial Stout / 11.50% ABV

4.21/5 rDev -3% | Score: 4.34
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

L- The beer pours black with a thin half centimeter mocha head. The head recedes quickly to a thin ring leaving no lacing.
S- The nose is dark chocolate with bourbon washing over and receding to reveal the chocolate once again.
T- Like the nose the chocolate is first out to the box. Mid palate the bourbon arrives in full force. As the bourbon recedes you are left with a touch of lingering brown sugar sweetness and vanilla from the oak.
F- The mouthfeel is on the lighter side for a stout, but it still posseses a slickness which coats the tongue. Carbonation is quite light which helps mask the thinness.
O- Not perfect example of the style, but the flavors and complexity really elevate this brew to must try. Recommended.

 

Family all together for a bridal shower

Treehouse In Perpetuity
4.56/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

“Standing on the moon but I’d rather be with you”

Canned 6.19.18 poured on 6.20.18

Soft hazy orange liquid , two finger white foam cap , sticky , sticky lacings

Fragrant pour of citrus, tropical fruits and a whiff of pine

Citrus hop taste , hop nibble

Good sudsing , smooth mouthfeel, hop taste lingers

Good beer

 

Cheers you all and Happy Two Beer Sunday. I had two parents so today I am doing two beers. I could say that my parents drove me to drink but then I would be half a liar as it really was my son that did that. OK! In food and beer pairing I aspire to be able to pair multiple beers with the same meal. Today I am going with the same type of flavors but form a lower abv to a higher abv. That higher abv should expand on the flavors. For instance upon seating I would ply my guests with appetizers and the Maduro and then mid meal I would serve the higher abv beer that I would like to tell you about now. This is Crooked Stave's Coffee Baltic Porter. These two beers are perfect compliments to each other in my opinion. For desert I served chocolate covered strawberries. "Siddown. Yinz are gonna love this!" @woodychandler



Pours an opaque and burnt walnut brown with a creamy head of mocha foam that stands a long time but pops and fizzes as it falls. Nose is sensational with coffee and berry like fruit. A roasty burnt edge comes to the forefront slowly to reveal smooth cocoa. Char but not ashes sweetened by caramel. Bold unsweetened espresso coffee. Bubbly creamy and smooth. Moderate carbonation. finishes with just a light sensation of warmth form the abv. Shimmering sheets of lace that fall away to spots captivate for the entire glass as the beer refreshes on each tip. Rich bread as it warms and dark fruit flavors from malt.

There is an old expression . Where there's one, there's two. My parents used it to explain quite a bit.

 

Grimbetgen double ambree
..pours a very dark ruby color
..about a medium body with above average fuzzy sort of carbonation
...aroma is malt,plums,dried fruit, and a candy sweet smell
..taste is very similarvery sweet but with a lingering bitterness that shows up in the finish
...Overall it's a bit sweet and malty but the plum flavor made it very enjoyable

 

Hmm, time to find a can....

 

A-Pours a very nice dark color with a nice tan head and lacing
A-Aroma has abundant coffee, chocolate and roast notes
T-The taste follows the nose with nicely balanced coffee, chocolate and roast flavors
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A very well balanced beer

 

Happy Sunday, NBS crew! I made my monthly pilgrimadge up to Other Half on Thursday. Not only did I get to pick up their latest cans, but I’ve established a strong trading connection with a guy that goes to all of the releases. He saves me one can of each Other Half release, and I save him one of each Tired Hands release. The can below is one of the cans I received from him. To avoid a stern look from @cjgiant , I will avoid hyperbole and just say I really, really like this brew. A whole lot. Like, crushing on it a lot. Ok I’ll stop. Sorry Craig!

DDH Space Dream - Other Half
IPA - 6% abv
Canned 6/6/18 (18 days ago)
Score: 4.5 (+5.6% rDev)



L - 1.5 finger low-density offwhite head atop an incredibly sludgy yellow body.

S - you smell this thing from a mile away. Pineapple, papaya, melon, grapefruit, sour lemon, pine.

T - intense fruit flavors. Getting lots of grapefruit and melon. Slightly sour middle, but it comes off pleasantly, like a splash of lemon-lime mixer. Mild bitterness. No sweetness. No booziness.

F - super thick, luxuriously creamy body. I’ve never given a 5 for body before, but this is a 5.

O - I’m up to about 50 Other Half brews. This is in the top 5. It’s not just another OH IPA. The uniquely full, creamy body and gloriously pungent nose make this one stand out.

 

First off congrats to @lordofthewiens. Secondly my apologies for the recycled photo, I have a nasty habit of leaving my cell phone in my car and then one of the kids takes it. Off to a wedding in about an hour so it's one and done for me here today. Revisiting Samuel Smith Organic Chocolate Stout after probably 10 years, so a new review on BA. Pours black with a thin tan head that leaves little lacing. Smells of chocolate and malts. Tastes of semi-sweet, chocolate, sweet roasted malts, vanilla, cream and a hint of coffee. Full bodied, lightly carbonated, creamy mouth feel with a slightly bitter after taste. Another excellent beer from Samuel Smiths. Have a great day all, cheers!

 

I’ve got the Jammer barrel-aged variants lined up for later today, but I have my doubts that they will top the original. Citrus Jammer is so solid, and I agree with you that it’s (slightly) superior to the original Jammer.