New Beer Sunday (Week 708)

@CanConPhilly, I can spare a bottle, send addy

 

Happy NBS, all- I arrived home from south NJ not too long ago. We spent the day down there yesterday bringing my son the remainder of his stuff and mostly just visiting- beautiful weather, festivals, yard sales, farm stands, all the niceties of this time of year. It was a beautiful trip home on the turnpike, too, which a rarity- but overall the trip was bookended by a few unusual events. First, right outside my son's apartment complex we got caught at a traffic light for at least 8 minutes as a motorcycle gathering passed through town; you literally couldn't even see the end of that column of bikes for the first 7 minutes, it was pretty amazing to see. And then at the end of the trip, a flock of geese decided to saunter across the street at a major traffic light, and it was kinda the same- just sit there and watch these endless geese take their time, doin' their thing. Just one of those times where you gotta laugh and wonder if the universe is trying to send you a message .

My new beer today comes by way of @bret717 , who sent it along with a bunch of Sly Fox Oktoberfest cans that he surprised me with a few days ago-

Penn Brewery Oktoberfest

I'm really digging it- it's a very pleasant beer, easy drinking with enough character for the long haul. It stars a lot of toasty breadcrust-like malt, that somehow stays nicely rounded thanks to the mild layer of caramel underneath. Some spicy hops make an appearance, along with a touch of DMS (creamed corn) that is faint enough to lend complexity and not much else. On the palate it starts moderately sweet, but finishes dry with just the right snap of bitterness from the hops.

It's definitely hitting a lot of the right notes, and mainly in the right way, but ultimately it's lacking the depth of flavor you'd get in the finest examples of the style. For a beer I'd enjoy drinking all afternoon, this one would definitely fit the bill, but if I had to put my evaluating cap on I'd have to give it a 'nice try' B+ (3.8). But now I'l going to take that cap off and just enjoy the remainder of the glass. Thanks again, Bret, I'm really glad to have tried it!

 

I may need a few today to deal with the Lions! Received this from @jdell15 Thanks man
F5 IPA, COOP brewing, 7.1 ABV, pours very clear orange, small head difficult to generate with aggressive pour, light aroma, huge pine and west coast hops which I dig, very bitter, overall solid IPA that is double range.

 

One more new beer. Thanks @thisischuck01 !

Aevum - Dancing Gnome
APA - 4.2% abv
Canned 8/5/18 (42 days ago)
Score: 4.04 (1.8% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47223/251319/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
This reminds me so much of Hop Hands. Light, crisp, but full of flavor. Lots of pineapple and grapefruit flavor, with an incredibly smooth middle.

 

That was one of my favorite beers of the summer! I can't exactly explain it, because it wasn't the first time I had that one, but it never hit me quite like that before. Was it my mood, or the freshness, or a tweak, etc? Ultimately I just decided to stop asking the questions and enjoy the damn beer. Your can was from that same shopping trip, so it may have cast its spell over you as well . Glad to see you enjoyed it as much!

 

I'm only aware of three sold around here in the style. Two are Mikkeller options that sell for $25+ (one you had and a dry-hopped version) in a 22oz and then DeuS that sells for $30 for a 750mL. I haven't had an occasion to buy the DeuS just yet, so I'm thinking I'll have to make an occasion. Maybe I'll buy it instead of champagne for NYE, or for after I check off another life goal.

 

Budweiser Reserve Copper Lager (Aged on Jim Beam Bourbon Barrel Staves), 6.2% ABV. Pours deep red with a one finger white head. Nose is bread and sweetness. Taste is sweet, grainy, with a faint bourbon burn, and a slight bitterness. Decent mouthfeel though low carbonation, overall very good - much better than normal Bud. I wonder if this would have a higher average score if it had a Goose Island label? I would have to say this is my favorite BMC. I could drink a few of these, but wish I could make out the Beam I like.

This is the style-appropriate glassware I recall from college...

 

Both our kids live in the Triangle and it hasn't been bad for them. Unfortunately, I also have a lot of extended family in Down East North Carolina and they are having a rough time of it especially as the rivers reach flood stage. It's catastrophic for so many!

 

Good afternoon fellow NBSrs !

I hope all is well especially for those of you in the Carolinas.

So I saw a new to me cam today and decided to buy and review for NBS. So, without further ado here is

The beer



And my mediocre review



Hope your NBS has started better than mine.....

 

I love camping in Arkansas. For one, the nature is just beautiful with lots of fun winding roads and sharp elevation change. The other benefit? They get Sixpoint and Yuengling. I've lucked into some of Sixpoint's latest barrel aged offerings on short camping trips down south, and also washed down my dinners with many Yuenglings. Here's the one can of this I happened across.



Sixpoint's Bourbon Barrel Righteous Ale.

Pours a deep and dark burgundy-brown with a finger of khaki foam that retains well. Aroma is rye spice with a sharp dryness and palpable spice. Bourbon, char, and caramel with toasted, and breaded malts and herbal hops contribute to the depth. It smells complex, twisting hops, with malts, and bourbon. Flavor profile is much smoother, inducing notes of caramel, toffee and toast with toasted, breaded malts and herbal hops. Bourbon is present throughout, but becomes more apparent at the finish of the beer. Bourbon carries a little charring bitterness and boozy heat, although the charring bitterness is more evident than the heat. Its base rye beer is a little sweet, but interacts with the bourbon well, landing at a slightly more balanced finish line. Mouth feel is smooth, and while it borders on creamy, it's really more still. It has a medium-thick consistency. Overall, a splendid beer that mingles a hearty rye beer with bourbon. Good rye spice meshed and mashed with bourbon.

Score: 4 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4 | 4.25 | BA Score: 4.11 | rDev: -1.2%

 

Hello, happy NBS!

Trying to enjoy football game, but not going too well for my team in the first half.

Drinking this


Pours with a slight cloudiness, light orange straw. Fine bubbles ring the glass.

Can smell a hint of sweet tart candy, light pumpkin spiciness. Earthy barrel notes.

Light and smooth tartness level balanced out by the French oak barrels. The pumpkin and walnuts are very subtle.

Moderate carbonation and just under medium body.

A tasty brew, great level of sour and rich and layered flavors.

 

Really pleased to hear you've been spared the worst and that your family is OK. Also hoping that your daughter and her family will be able to salvage some things and move on.

 

Disappointed with the end of the Eagles-Bucs game, to Bucs fans congratulations to the victory, feel that there were some questionable flags, but the two huge plays set up the win and are the real reason the Bucs won. Can’t wait for Wentz to be behind center. Time for another beer and hope the Eagles have a bettter game next week. Now up Free Will C.O.B., almost a year old and still good.

4.08/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

16 oz can, dated 11/8/17, poured into a pint glass

A- A lighter clear brown with a two finger off white head.

S- Coffee, nutty, some toffee, caramel, some graham crackers.

T- Coffee, caramel/toffee, hints of graham crackers, slightly earthy.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty brown ale with coffee. Held up pretty good for almost a year old.

Cheers!

 

You're awesome then. Most NBSers are, because for whatever our IQs may be (I'm lucky to be in double-digits), we've taken the time to see that lagers come in many different styles, not just one. Those are the people who really need a friendly tap on the nose, the so-called beer drinkers who refer to "lager" as one style. Have these people not had a schwarz? Or a dunkel? Or compared/contrasted a good Helles with a pils? But I digress ...

@TongoRad recently sent me a new American IPA to get me back on task:


Weather-event appropriate name I guess ... sorry for any of you folks taking it in the shorts from Florence!

Catskill Brewery's Floodwatch IPA, 5.7% ABV

The review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/36467/135764/?ba=Premo88#review
3.9 (+0.5% rDev)

Floodwatch is the kind of IPA I put in my rotation for when I need a hop fix but only buy if its the freshest available to me at the time. Does that make sense? A classic grapefruit-forward American IPA that hits all the right notes, some biscuity malt sweetness, a little earthy bitterness and plenty of flavor all around to make it worth trying. Two things stand out most from this one: 1.) It has an early grain/coriander-like note that's a little different from the norm; it dies off and hides about 1/3 into the glass, but it was cool while it lasted; and 2.) It's 5.7% ABV would win out for me on most ties with other beers in its style, because I prefer lower.

I think this beer makes Catskill Brewery my favorite brewery outside my distribution area. Michael's sent me their pils, schwarz, a Flanders red plus this IPA, and that's a strong 4 for 4 with three homers and a double.

Cheers!

 

AAAlterrr Ego from Tree House. Pours a cloudy orange brown with a one inch white head that was poorly retained but left a lot of lacing. Smells of amazing tropical fruits with a bit of citrus. Tastes of mango, peach, apricot, tangerine, a bit of orange pith and wheat.Medium bodied, light carbonation, creamy mouth feel and minimal bitterness. Another excellent IPA from Tree House.

 

Games getting worse, may as well crack another one open.

Huge passion fruit aroma blasts out of the can.
Slightly pink tint to this hazy straw/orange brew. Thin bubbly later settles to slight collar.
Not crazy tart, fruit flavors come through smooth and lightly sweet. Floral passion fruit and tropical pineapple. Hint of mineral and grain.
Light body and moderate carbonation.
Nice fruit, approachable level of tartness. Nice brew out of their Portland location.

 

Where did you camp?

 

Another sunny hot day along the front range. The forecast calls for more seasonal weather later this week. I'm a fan of the heat, but we desperately need rain in many areas, especially where there are still wildfires burning. I recently got a glimpse of the Silver Creek fire near Kremmling CO that was ignited by lightning. It's grown in size to almost 11k acres now. My heart goes out to all who suffer the forces of nature, namely those that were in Flo's path last week.

Warm weather usually has me craving something light and refreshing and as luck would have it I found something in my travels yesterday. A stop in Frisco CO produced this 750ml bottle of The Cut Grape from Casey Brewing & Blending from Glenwood Springs CO. This batch uses Viognier grapes, has a bottle date of 12/20/17 and is 6% alcohol by volume. Pouring the contents in a Duvel glass for the occasion. Here we go......

A rather flat looking light yellow pour that brings a small amount of soapy white foam that instantaneously vanishes. Some tiny bubbles surface from the nucleation etching on the bottom of the glass. The smell is smashed white grapes, mild perfume, green melon, wet straw, cheese, mild Band Aid and musty oak. Taste is slightly sweet white grapes, anise, citric acid and musty oak. The feel begins slick and light, quickly turning tart and very dry.

A very light and refreshing slightly fruited sour that's money on this 95 degree afternoon. The slightly sweet grapes play nicely with the tart funk. My score is 4.34 / rDev+3.4%. I've had a few from The Cut series from Casey and this is another winner.

Back to the second half of the Broncos-Raiders and perhaps a dip in the community pool before it closes later today. Enjoy your day for new beer adventures, I leave you with the official scorecard for mine and a photo of the Silver Creek fire.



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35633/347030/?ba=Prager62#review

 

It's this high plateau, at the headwaters of the Cape Fear. Still, that's some crazy ass rain out there right now. It has been a very wet late summer and the weather is like nothing I remember in 50+ years of being a serious observer. I remember when Camille showed her face here in 1969, and we canoed through the trees. She came in on the Mississippi coast and showed up here many days later. The water is now approaching those levels. I went to The University of Richmond as a freshman in the fall of 1969 and they were still cleaning up all of the mess from upstream, including cows and cars that had flooded Richmond like never before. Some of these storms are truly epic.

 

Well, I set out today to do some chores and review more beers than usual and so far I've done well. I've held out long enough. I'm gonna have to have a IIPA while I cook dinner. This one is The Bug Man from Veil. This is the first time I've had one of Veil's beers and I'm excited to try something from them. Cheers, @vabeerguy!

Mmmm. This is very good. Quite a beast.

It pours a glowing, hazy orange with a big, white meringue head that sticks around at about a half-finger. Good retention, puffy cloud lacing. There are apricots, pears and a blend of ripe tropical fruits in the nose. The flavor follows suit but has some perfumey citrus-essence booze warmth and earthy bitterness at the end. It is soft-feeling beer and has a complimentary and noticeable alcohol presence, but still manages to be drinkable despite how big it is.

My review.

The picture is a Halle Beery clue?? Say what!?!

Cheers!