New Beer Sunday (Week 709)

Well this'll be the last one for me today. The "other" VA beer I had that was in need of drinking is this one from The Veil.

These guys make some excellent NEIPAs, that's for sure.

It pours a milky orange juice color with a half-inch of juice froth head that completely evaporates leaving barely any lacing.

The aroma is big juicy citrus and papaya with grass behind. Taking a drink, resinous, sappy (but not sticky) bitterness gently slaps your tongue accompanied by a chewy woodsy, citrus-oil-bitterness-laden flavor that drones on through the finish. All of this on the back of bready malt and a light alcohol warmth.

This is a nice beer and is not what I expected. In fact, like the name suggests I was enticed by the sweetness of the smell and surprised by the earthy bitterness in the flavor. I really like the combo, as I feel that oftentimes beers like this benefit from more bitterness than what they have. Anyway, a nice beer.

In terms of beer, I've been three times as productive as a normal Sunday this week! In terms of non-beer things I have been marginally more productive than normal.

My review.

Cheers and have a good week everybody!

 

Happy Anniversary !

 

My Dad was stationed there about the same time. I have his 1499th Support Group Stein, a great thing to to remind me of him. I was born in Wiesbaden as well.

 

'Afternoon, NBS friends -

I'm currently enjoying a beer courtesy of @akatz821 - a giant crowler from Hudson Valley Brewing (a new brewery to me) in the eccentric sour IPA style. I must say, I was a bit surprised by this one.



I've had a few sour IPAs before, and the balance always seems to be a bit towards the sour, or towards the hops - dry-hopped sours haven't been a particular favorite of mine, and sour IPAs always make me think of sour milk. Go figure, who knows why - random associations.

But, this one has somehow managed to buck the trend. Tangerine Silhouette is quite distinguishable as a tangerine-forward beer (rather than just a heavily citrus'd beer, balancing that line of grapefruit, orange, etc.). I'm impressed that Hudson was able to make that so recognizable to the palate. I like it.

The beer is listed as a "breakfast IPA", which is a bit mystifying... until you realize that this beer reminds you a bit of your morning orange juice. I can easily see substituting the one for the other, and vice versa. I don't think it would be an unpleasant experience.

A very tasty beer - nice mouth feel, light acidity, clean tangerine. Some dryness and bitterness. Pleasant levels of sour and tartness. Thank you again @akatz821 !

My thank you/LIF box from the NBS BIF will be on your doorstep this week... expect some sour retribution.

Hope everyone is having a great week, and a great week to come - nothing much special going on here, so I'll sign off on that note. Cheers, all!

P.S. - to my NBS target - you may expect a similar beer to this one in your first box... it should be arriving on Wednesday or Thursday with glassware and a whole bunch of hops. The beers may not measure up in quality to Other Half or Kane, but I hope you'll manage!

 

Good afternoon and happy Neu Bier Sunday, BAs. It's no secret that I'm a sucker for the Oktoberfest season, so it's probably no shocker where this review is going either. Sure Stein Club Sundays might be a thing of the past (or at least my parts on recognition and participation), but that doesn't make it any less important to me.

Anyhoo, kicked the weekend off with a quick hike where the colors are going to be changing quickly here, followed by some good times at Occidental's Oktoberfest party:




Mushrooms (for @cavedave ).

Occidental Oktoberfest, with one of the best views in Portland. And no, I don't mean those delinquents heads.


And now it's time to continue the celebration with...

Reuben's Brews
Festbier



From the first tilt of the can, it's obvious that this is a blonde Oktoberfest Bier. Shimmering gold with clear brilliance, capped by a very thin white foam. Unfortunately, this leaves zero surface coverage, hence no lacing either.

A simple one two punch from the aroma. Starts off with a good helping of freshly baked biscuits before being walloped by an overabundance of dried floral spiciness. But wait, a third back alley kind of pissiness comes through as it warms. Someone has had one too many maßkrugs und couldn't find zie badezimmer in time, yah?

The flavor follows with biscuits being front and center. A touch of honey, a barrage of flowery hops and spice, and a bit of soap to finish it off.

Reuben's O'fest offering is remarkably dry, light, and crisp, along with being well balanced, perhaps just a tad on the bitter side. A very easy bier to consume in mass quantities... perfect for the occasions implications.

A decent blonde Oktoberfest from Reuben's crew. It's high drinkability and beautiful color and clarity are it's stand outs, but it falls just bit short where it truly counts.

After my official review, I gave Festbier a rating of 3.71 with an rDev of -4.9%.

Prost everyone, and I will see you all soon.

 

Time for a double, this time in the form of Interboro Battle Cats collaboration with KCBC out of Brooklyn NY.

Canned 9/13/18

Dank, fruity and topical with lovely malt sweetness and healthy ABV of 7.8%

Cheers!

 

Hope everyone had a good weekend so far. Normal stuff for me, got a nice new beer haul yesterday as usual. Will be 7400th next week.

First review for an import. Not that surprising. Very nice dry hopped pale lager. Fantastic lasting head retention and thick soapy lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of lemon, orange, peach, melon, citrus zest, and light peppery hops; with balanced cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Very slight skunk hints in the aromas, that go away through the glass. Light-moderate herbal, floral, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body, and fairly crisp/clean finishing. Bready/grainy malts and some sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing lingering bitter dryness. No hop astringency. Very flavorful/refreshing, 5%. Perfectly clean lager flavors, no yeasty notes. Very clean and rich pils malt showcase, with balanced citrusy/noble hops. The noble hop character is predominant in the finish, so it still hits all style marks really well. Was expecting more US hop character from Amarillo/Simcoe/Cascade, but it had a solid amount. 3.81


Wow, this was fantastic. Great head retention/lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big tart lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, citrus peel/zest, peach, pear, apricot, pineapple, melon, red/green apple, white wine, passion fruit, papaya, guava, berries, peppercorn, oak, hay, straw, and grass; with moderate wheat, cracker, white bready malts; lighter noted of leathery/musty funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate peppery yeast/oak tannin spiciness, lactic tartness, and wine tang on the finish. Medium-plus carbonation/body, and fairly crisp finishing. Balanced creamy/bready/grainy malts, lactic acid, sticky hops, and wine tang/tannins in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing acidic/tangy/tannic dryness, no pucker/astringency. Pretty refreshing, not overly lactic, 6.3%. Wonderfully well developed Brett/Bacteria/Saison yeast complexity, with a balanced pale/wheat malt backbone, and great oak foeder presence. They got this one dialed in. 4.2


Cheers

 

Spending the weekend in the north eastern woods of Michigan, far away from any Oktoberfests. I’d love to go to GABF though.

First off is this beaut. Distributed only in the Upper Peninsula of MI and parts of Wisconsin. None of it makes it below the bridge.
It has a cool label and appeals to the masses that come up for the tradition.

12 oz can with printed on date of 9/7/18. Poured into Lexan tulip. Pours a
crystal clear, beautiful copper of a penny, white head of about half inch. The nose is toffee and grains.
Caramel, lightly toasted bread, balanced hop profile of earthy hops.
Another solid beer from Upper Hand. Good flavored, well made. 3.77 first review

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. A big drop in temps and humidity here on the island as fall has begun to take its grip. A rather cool and grey day with the feel of rain to come. Been watching mindless football all afternoon and that's probably about all I'm going to do. Back to the grind with work, this week, but I've got another week of vacation lined up for the following.

My new beer today is Curmudgeon's Better Half, old ale w/molasses & aged in maple syrup bourbon barrels, from Founders brewing. The brew checks in at 12.7% abv and has an 8/22/18 bottle date.

A deep amber/light brown pour with good clarity and a foamy off-white head. The nose is big and sweet with sugar and bourbon. The drinking starts rather subtle, clean, and soft upfront. Super smooth on the flow with a slightly bitter finish. The more I drink the bolder the flavors become. Big notes of tannin, sweet caramel, brown sugar, toasted bread, vanilla, and dried candied fruits. The barrel is prominent just enough with nice flavor of dry and charred oak, and booze bourbon. While prominent it really doesn't overpower and instead it seems to just blend everything together. The mouth feel is full bodied with a dry, creamy, and slightly sticky feel. The flavors really linger and the abv is pretty sneaky.

Overall, this is pretty nice stuff and the barrel integration is impressive. I'm in the low 4's here players,


@zid @EMH73 Greenport is one of my favorite breweries too. Their brewery only stuff tends to be better quality than their shelf beers. The shelf beers do have a basic Julian code on the bottles. I have not been very impressed with any of the local to locals.

 

My goodness does that Octoberfest look amazing!

 

Trillium tiny chicken American pale ale
Pours and looks like what I can only describe as cheap orange juice lol
Little to no head and what was dissipated quickly
Drinks lighter than it looks but has an overcarb thing that tingles the tongue and throat
Has a spicy kind of garlicky not but finishes clean
3.5ish if not trillium I think overall rating would be lower

 

Evening NBS. Thanks again @cjgiant for the super kickoff. And speaking of kickoffs- How about those G-Men! Finally we put together a total game. And with that in mind I guess this is like the playoffs of BIF #8. The players are all revved up and waiting for the Superbowl- arrival of your box.
Tried a couple of these Brut IPAs and have been on the fence, but when I see Banded Brewing, brewers of one of my favorite beers, I have to pull the trigger.
Champagne Papi vin Rouge
Extra Brut IPA with Syrah grape must.
Pours a rose color with just the slightest hint of golden brown. The head is quite large, about 3/4" that hangs surprisingly long for the style. It does have a slight tinge of rose and is leaving quite a nice draft of lacing.
Aroma is grape but of the more white variety, then the citrus kicks in- tangerine and grapefruit and finishes with some herbal/ floral notes: rose petal and fresh thyme.
Taste is well delicious. More red grapefruit with pith and orange juice. "Rose" grape again, but in no way does this overpower. Then IPA characteristics - resins of pine and some "soapy" (good) hops. I understand the use of the pilsner malt, flaked corn in combo with 3 of my favorite hops ( what hop dont I like?) It keeps this down to a nice combo between IPA, Champagne. Very small hint of sweetness rounds out a mouthful of flavor. Its a tasty brew.
Feel is well, champagne like in the mouth with tiny bubble carb lasting throughout with a super dry and nicely bitter finish.
So glad I grabbed this! Stands out among any Brut IPAs Ive had. They really went out of the box but brewed a beer that was well thought out with the malt/hop/must ratio.
Dare to try it! Good brew.
One may go to my target.
PS: If my target posts on NBS today I am willing to forgive and forget. He/She will get the full load of my porch bender. Post dammit. I really want to send this fkn thing!

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. It's a bit of a late NBS start for me as we had company today. I've done my duty as a host and can now carry out my regular responsibilities. My first new beer today is courtesy of @swenny916. In NBS BIF 007 he sent me some excellent beers from Narrow Gauge Brewing Co. in Florissant, Missouri, along with the cool glass pictured above. One of the beers was Cloud City. This is the Double Dry Hopped version and it's simply outstanding. There is abundant citrus and sweet tropical fruit, along with creamy lactose/vanilla and a surprisingly delicate hop bill described in my review. At only 55 IBU and 7% ABV, it went down way too fast. Thank you, Jay, for the opportunity to drink this terrific NE IPA! Here's my full review:

4.4/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Received in a trade with @swenny916. Poured into Narrow Gauge pint glass. It has a classic NE IPA appearance: nearly opaque dirty tangerine in color with a full finger of fluffy, bright white head and lots of soapy lacing inside the glass. It's highly fragrant with notes of tangerine, pineapple, grapefruit, vanilla, onion, and delicate floral hops. This is a fruit lovers delight, opening with fairly tart lemon and grapefruit, followed by sweeter tropical favors of pineapple, tangerine, and a hint of melon. There is also subtle lactose/vanilla that adds both sweetness and creaminess. The hop bill of Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy, and El Dorado provides a lot of flavor but only moderate bitterness (55 IBU) and the hops are soft and plush. This ale has a smooth, creamy mouth feel with pleasant carbonation and with an ABV of 7% a second pour is no problem. Overall, DDH Cloud City is outstanding! If anything, it's better than the original Cloud City, which is really saying something!

I hope everyone is enjoying this autumn Sunday and your new beer. As always, the reviews are informative and fun to read. Cheers!

 

New Harvest Lager Sunday (Week 709)
Greetings fellow NBSers from on the Ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY. Beauty day here, slight hint of fall in the air. Spent a wonderful few hours with a great friend who's soon to be leaving the area. Had beers together at Sloop Brewing's new, huge, production facility and brewpub. Really nice place, much larger than I imagined. The other Sloop brewery, in Elizaville, is still open, this will be facility 2. I still remember back in the day hanging with Adam Watson (co owner/brewer) next to the table he had at the Beacon Farmers Market, talking beer, waiting for someone else to buy a bottle of beer he and Justin Taylor had brewed in their tiny garage setup. Was a big fan of theirs then, and still am, and wish them continued success.

I always appreciate a good mushroom pic, so thanks to @Lingenbrau for tagging me to see that shot of a really cool mushroom I cannot identify. Funny, I found a really strange, similar one recently that so far no one has ID'ed on any sites I belong to. Here, though, is a picture of the most delicious stump on Hemlock Ridge.

Someone else I have long wished continued success is Chief, Jeff O'Neil, both back in the day at Ithaca when he made Flower Power, Brute, and LeBleu, and a host of other great beers, then at Peekskill Brewery where he was given freedom to really spread his wings, and now finally at his own brewery, Industrial Arts, where he is soon to take over the area with his amazing, reasonably priced, easy to get beers. The idea that Sloop will soon be competing with Industrial Arts on local shelves is such a good thing.

Today's beer is a delicious... well, it's listed here as a Marzen, but the can calls it a Harvest Lager. Industrial Arts Autumn Landscape

Mmm, nice, brown sugar, caramel, and a spice aroma similar to cinnamon are the main players in this med./full strength aroma. A grainy sweet underlays it and some rooty, herbal aspects also are there.

Lightly toasted grainy sweet and well balanced spicy notes lead the taste parade that includes all the flavors of the bouquet. Very complex, there are more roasty notes here too, layers of spice, a nutmeg-like flavor, even some earthy pepper notes. The sweet is done with a deft hand, it is just enough to power the sip but never to the point the sip seems to be sweet. As it warms some slight tart notes, maybe from the yeast, or rye, make this into something beyond a marzen. It all comes together in a sip that ends with every aspect asserting influence. Delicious.

Very full bodied, yet super soft on palate, very well carb.'ed that borders on being over carb.ed, refreshing, clean flavors, killer finish.

Not your father's festbier, mein freund. Absolutely stellar version that is bold, complex, interesting, delicious, and refreshing. Highly recommended.

Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

 

Happy New German Hefe Sunday!

Pretty nice day on the Western Slope, 80 at the trailhead, big clouds with some sun. Having a pretty tasty brew, but can tell the SN contribution, without, would have been a much tastier brew. Having some chicken tacos. Watching some NYPD Blues reruns. Most likely will have another new brew, later on.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/252/326172/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

I am largely in agreeance with @Ozzylizard @lordofthewiens and @woodchipper... fests are neat and all, but I'm not really into being around that many people. Though I have had fun volunteering for them and helping to pour etc in the past.

We've had a bit of an indian summer here, while the weather folks keep predicting rain and it keeps staying sunny and warm... This afternoon will probably feature a new hammock location up by the canal as well as some more shopping for NBS BIF #8.

A couple weeks ago I sampled an oatmeal pilsener that I really enjoyed. This week it's an oatmeal pale.

Three Magnets Oatmeal Pale Ale with Citra, Simcoe & Amarillo (no oxford comma on the can!)



So anyone who's read my stuff knows I'm not really into the whole bog-water-IPA trend that's swept the nation. I think @beertunes has my favourite descriptor of the style, referring to them as 'murkbombs.' This one has that appearance. Pale orange. Minimal head. No lacing. No retention.

The nose is massively oatmeal to lead in. Like the malt dust in the air when pouring. I love it. Subtle citrus and mango and pineapple in there in bits as well.

Flavour is much more boxed in. There's a lot of citrus, but not nearly as much nuance or depth as the nose. It's also got that same ghost-hop character that I get on a lot of the hazies that I've tried. Eh. It's ok.

Smoothe smoothe body. Thick. Chewy. Oatmeal yo.
Overall... it's fine. I'm like halfway between exactly the target audience, and not the target audience at all. The parts that are aimed at me were really well executed. The parts that aren't for me... well I'm not the right one to objectively analyze them now am I?


(had to give my newest avocado tree a little cameo!)



Cheers, hope you've got a good beverage accompanying your afternoon!

 

Great German Pils! Solid head retention/minimal lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big ruby red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, lime, peach, pineapple, citrus peel/rind, light peppercorn, and pine hops; with moderate cracker, white bread, lightly toasted biscuit malt; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation, light-medium body, and fairly crisp/clean finishing. Balanced bready/grainy malts and sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Light resins/rinds near the end of the glass. Light-moderate increasing lingering bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Very flavorful/refreshing, 5.4%. Perfectly clean lagering, no yeast notes. Really nailed it. Amazingly vibrant, dank, and earthy Centennial hop showcase; with a clean pils malt backbone, and no residual sweetness from lingering dryness. Hope they make more. 3.97


My first Brut IPA. Time to learn what these are about. This was outstanding, Great fluffy head retention and foamy lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big tangerine, grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berries, citrus zest, and light pepper/pine hops; with some wheat, cracker, white bread, light honeyed malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light-moderate pine, zesty, herbal, floral, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation, light body, and moderately crisp/clean finishing. Balanced creamy/grainy malts and sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing lingering bitter dryness. No hop astringency. Very flavorful/refreshing, 7%. Not overly aggressive. Loved the Citra/Amarillo showcase as usual. Not as harsh as I was expecting on bitterness, but that crisp/light body is all there. Very juicy and lightly dank hops; with a solid bready/grainy malt backbone, and mild lingering sweetness. Going to buy a full pack now. Got a Stillwater one in the fridge as well. 4.15


Cheers

 

Good afternoon, NBS. It's been a few weeks since I participated. Two weeks ago I went on a long-planned camping weekend. Brought along a special beer to drink Sunday morning, but then I got sick Saturday night. So my beer for today has found itself in a Final Destination scenario. It should've been gone weeks ago. Instead I'm having it now.



Founders' Canadian Breakfast Stout pours black with a half finger of khaki head which lasts as a ring and leaves spots of lace behind.

Smells of chocolate, molasses, dark roast coffee.

Taste is very chocolatey with wonderfully integrated sweet maple and some roastiness. Not much bourbon flavor, and not much woodiness, but there is a hint of vanilla. Has a bit of a cola flavor cold out of the fridge, but that disappears as it warms up. Not at all boozy. Smooth and full with low carbonation.

Overall, it's flavors compliment one another, and nothing overpowers.

A very fine stout, but I wouldn't pay the price again.

 

Another fan of Black Duck Porter. We've even had it up here a few times.