New Beer Sunday (Week 701)

Happy NBS. My new brew is a very nice Decadent Double Toasted Marshmallow. Cheers!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46611/280042/?ba=cindyjeffsmith#review

 

Hello NBS 40 oz party patrol. The theme @cjgiant chose for his excellent opener is particularly compelling for me - when we moved from Minnesota to Texas in March 2017, my beverage inventory was ..... overt. I stuffed beer into every nook and cranny of our Dodge Journey, and I still ended up gifting Little O probably 3 cases+ of beer.

I vowed then to not reach that point again, and when we moved to Indiana this past March, I fit everything into two coolers, and while I’ve rebuilt a bit, I’ve received no withering stares from Mrs O when I purchase or receive beer. #MissionAccomplished

Today, I have a couple of California beers for your perusal. First up, a session IPA from one of beer nerdery’s iconic breweries.



3.94/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pour is a slightly hazy golden sunshine color with a slightly off-white head that tracks down the glass as you enjoy the beer. Bright citrus notes on the nose, and no discernible malt, something that I wish was not a fact of life with this style.

The taste, though, has more heft than I’d expect with a 4.6% ABV beer - there’s all the requisite citrus flavors, with passion fruit and grapefruit rind and oranges, and there’s some body to this, too. Very nicely done by Sierra Nevada, both with this beer, and throughout the entire variety pack.

 

This will certainly be my last sour of the day. My enamel will be hanging on by the skin of its teeth after finishing this!



This has been in my fridge for almost 3 years. Hmm, cap came off without a sound. There are signs of possible leakage with two stains running down the label. Oh well, here goes:

Vigorous pour yields a 3/4 inch off white head over a medium amber body with a bit of sticky lacing. Nose of grapefruit, funk, and oak. Taste mirrors nose somewhat with high acidity. Nice feel for a questionable bottle. Overall, I'm very surprised there was any head or mouthfeel after the way it opened. Not bad, but I'm thinking it could have been better. Cheers!

4.13/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

When I was at IU (back in the olden days), we had a beer bong that could accommodate 60 oz, give or take. Lives were altered with that weapon of mass destruction.

The last time it was seen was at my grad party, when my Mom tried to beer bong champagne from it on our front porch.

That is not a typo. If there was video of that, I would be a trillionaire.

 

Another beer from my bro-in-law: Dragon's Milk with Cherry Chocolate. I assumed this would be cloying and gimmicky but it's not. The cherry is tart and the chocolate really shines as the glass warms. Best of all, you can taste the bourbon but it's really subtle and adds to the taste without distracting. Here's my review:

4.23/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bottled 4/11/2018 and poured into snifter glass. It pours ink black with a finger of fluffy, khaki-colored head and a sheen of creamy lacing. It's a very attractive pour. The nose features black cherry, cocoa, freshly-brewed coffee, and just a whiff of bourbon. This may well be the best cherry-flavored beer I've had (not surprising coming from Michigan). The cherry is bold and tart. While I can taste the chocolate it's subdued. The bourbon is even more delicate; you know it's there but it doesn't distract from the other flavors. The feel is somewhat thin for a "big" stout but the 11% ABV is surprisingly well masked. Overall, this is a fine variant of the original Dragon's Milk, which I've always enjoyed. I was concerned that the cherry would be cloying but it isn't. This is most definitely an after dinner sipper. It would pair very well with vanilla ice cream.

It appears I have the same rating as @superspak so I can't be too far off. Thanks to my non-BA brother-in-law Tom from Kalamazoo!

 

Late to the party. My wife and I drove from Columbus, OH to St Louis, MO today. Not a bad drive, but it poured buckets for the last two hours of the trip. When we got to the hotel, the lobby was filled with Cubs and Cardinals fans. They have the Sunday night game on ESPN. We had to wait for a room, so we sat in the bar and had a beer and a vodka/grapefruit juice.
When in Rome, as they say, so I had a Schlafly Pale Ale. Not a whole lot to say about this beer.
Once I poured it, the beer was copper-colored with a small tan head that dissipated quickly.
A sweet, caramel aroma. Faint floral hops.
Caramel taste with a small hoppy finish.
A nice enough session beer.



@cjgiant: Allagash is my favorite brewery. I haven't had Two Lights yet, and have no idea if I'll get to try it.

 

I had a bottle of that with about a year on it a while ago. I loved it and regretted not buying more. I think I liked it better with a little age than I did when fresh.

 

I would love to know Gaelic/Irish/Welsh. I have a good friend from Cardiff that was kind and patient about teaching me the language then (70s) still very common. The music lives on and is beyond beautiful!

 

How do, everybody! I'm coming to the end of another busy week, heading into yet another busy week- at work and around the house. Thankfully I have a few relaxing weekends coming up in August, but the work still has to get done beforehand.

I just put a project to bed and sent out the requisite emails, so having met another deadline I think I've earned a nice treat. I felt like something with a bit of zip, and this here craziness sent to me by @imbibehour not too long ago seems like it will fit the bill quite nicely:

Bruery Terreux Black and Blue BBLs: 30% sour stout blended with an imperial stout and aged in bourbon barrels with blackberries and blueberries. Got all that?

It all works beautifully, and the zippiness I was hoping for is present as well. Berries and stout tends to work well so long as the stout favors the dark chocolate realm, which this one does; not too much with the roast/coffee flavors. And I really am enjoying what the acidity is doing for the overall feel- it's definitely a stout, but it's also pretty nimble and light on its feet. Mouthfeel is kind of at half-n-half level, not too heavy and not too light, and that's just about right for what they're going for here.

There's just enough berry character to stand up to the chocolate, but not so much that you're wishing for a lighter beer. In fact, I'm really impressed at how everything here is so complementary. What particularly works well is how the fruit, acidity and barrels go hand in hand in hand, giving it an almost 'blackberry port' kind of feel; but that's also only half of the tale. The other half, naturally, is how the toffee, dark chocolate, bourbon and touches of vanilla stake out their own territory. How this doesn't turn into a fight or clash is a testament to how well knit everything really is here. Sometimes the execution is way more important than the underlying premise, and I feel like this is one of those times.

And here's something interesting: I look at the side of the label and notice that it's 16.3% AbV?!!! There's barely any alcohol present besides a gentle warming feeling, and overall I'd be surprised if it was even over 8.5%. Some weird alchemy is definitely going on with this stuff, no doubt about it.

Ethan, my man, thank you so much for such a quality brew, and I hope you're back on your feet before too long. This one definitely clocks in at a highly recommended A (4.4), and I'll slowly be enjoying it for the remainder of my Sunday evening. Cheers!

 

Delicious flavored American porter. Fantastic lasting head retention/dense lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, nutty butter pecans, vanilla, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, biscuit, and toasted brown bread; with lighter notes of coffee, smoke, char, dark fruit, herbal/peppery hops, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate herbal/spicy hop and roast/char bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and light-medium body. Creamy/bready/grainy malt; some sticky hops, and chalky roast in the mouthfeel. A bit thin, but not watery. Light-moderate increasing bitter dryness, no acrid/astringent flavors. Very flavorful and smooth for 5%. Great balance of classic American porter malt complexity, and butter pecan/vanilla flavors. Not overly roasty or bitter. Really big fan. 3.88


Awesome NEDIPA as expected. Opaquely murky green color. Nice head retention/lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, gooseberry, citrus peel/zest, and light pepper/pine hops; with moderate wheat, honey, biscuit dough, light nutty/toasted malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body; creamy/bready/grainy malts and some sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Slight resins/rinds. Lightly increasing lingering bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Very smooth, not overly aggressive, minimal warming 8%. 3 month old can. Great Citra/Galaxy showcase. Super juicy and fairly dank/earthy hop complexity; nice bready wheat/oat malt backbone, minimal residual sweetness from lingering dryness. I've had 3 Veil NE DIPAs so far. None blowing me away at all, but definitely well made. 4.1


Cheers, be back again soon

 

I understand completely. I drank the grenades a lot when I was much younger. Now, I enjoy the nostalgia of it. Although Mickeys used to seem very potent, it's not like the stouts and DIPAs I typically drink. While I wouldn't drink the Mean Green regularly, my (then college girl friend) wife will still join me in a swig for auld lang syne!

 

Not as complex as Rhinegeist's Truth IPA, Streaker is still refreshing and enjoyable. Tastes more like an APA to me, and a good one at that.

 

Doc, I'm glad your move is progressing as smoothly as possible. I look forward to following your progress. Hopefully, there will be some new beers along the way! Your trip now reminds me of the song, "Route 66." Cheers to you both!

 

Poured on draft into 22 oz pint glass. Pours a cloudy yellow with plenty of thick lace left behind. 4

Smell is sour apple, lemon drop, hints of must, and biscuity grain. 3.75

Taste follows in actually isn’t bad, apple, lemon, must, basil, and pear. 3.75

Mouthfeel is maybe medium, plenty of life, not dry, and drinks fairly easy. 3.75

Overall this isn’t my cup of tea, but really I can kind of see the appeal. Nice for a tic anyway. 3.75

 

#2, this bruiser of an imperial stout.



4.21/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pour is black, with a decent amount of leakage to brown on the edges and a dark tan head that never reaches critical mass (and I poured this like I was told there was a $1 million bill at the bottom of the can).

The nose has rich dark chocolate notes, the slightest bit of coffee, and a ginormous barrel component. The barrel is prominent on the taste as well, and the dark chocolate is phenomenal, but I’m not getting any coffee.

The mouthfeel is a bit thin, which is surprising for a 14.2% ABV beer. This is very good, but my rating falls significantly short of the other reviews - and I am “The Notorious BIG” of overraters, as my NBS friends are aware.

 

My best friend's dad decided to celebrate a bit with us as we just received great Viet Nam draft lottery numbers-301 and 337. We were on our way to Byron, Georgia for the second annual Atlanta Pop Festival (the year after Woodstock). Steve's mom was out of town and H.J. learned to like some Hawaiian herbal refreshment. It was really very funny and he later always thanked me.....

 

NBS beer #2



Hellbrook

The Alchemist Brewery and Visitors Center
American Amber / Red Ale / 7.00% ABV

3.92/5 rDev -4.6% | Score: 4.11
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L- The beer pours a very dark reddish brown with a 3 finger off white head. The head recedes slowly to a thick film leaving tons of lacing behind.
S-The nose is spicy, almost herbal hops. I want to call it weedy, but that isn't quite right either. Malt presence is dark and bready like rye or maybe pumpernickel.
T- The first sip is a little jarring to my palate. Moderately pithy bitterness with that dark bready presence being foremost.
F- Mouthfeel is medium overall and slick. Finish is the slightest bit dry.
O- Well crafted and to style with exception of the abv. If you enjoy red ale/ red IPA's you'll enjoy it.

 

I may change my handle to “HerbalRefreshment.”

 

Central Waters Vanilla Bean Stout, easily one of the stars of my Wisconsin Haul..., 4.41 Overall,9.5% ABV

Pours an effervescent hazel-hued mahogany with one finger of tan head. A modicum of head retention & less lacing

S: Dark fruit, a little vanilla & chocolate, a kiss of Bourbon

T: Dark fruit ( figs & raisins ) , a little woody hop, some booze, Dark chocolate, barrel, vanilla & little bit of coffee as this warms, along with booze. Finishes with vanilla, barrel dryness. dark fruit & whisper of coffee

MF: Firm carbonation, medium body, smooths out as it warms

This badboy delivers flavor, not much to find fault with, does take some sipping, not an easy drinker by any means, but very worth-while