New Beer Sunday (Week 710)

Happy Sunday everyone.

Finback Latte - brewed with coffee/coconut/cardamom 7%ABV

This is one of those beers that gets better with every sip. The dark roast coffee is the star of the show, with coconut lingering in the background. It contains lactose, giving it some sweetness but it is not overpowering at all.

Finback is one of the more creative breweries out there. They have some misses for sure, but this one is top tier, best stout I've had from them.

Later today, I'm cracking open a 2017 Black Note to hopefully celebrate a much needed Pats win!

 

Thank you for the intro @lordofthewiens ! I think this has been one of my favourite prompts thusfar, and that's saying something!

I've always been a dog person. Of course this was shaped by my experiences growing up, when we always had a dog around (even likewise fostering between after Shiloh died and before we got Abbey [oh Porch. You were a... unique. Dog]). We had chickens and ducks and tortoises and geckos and goldfish and hamsters (sorry mom) as well, but the dogs were the ones that always seemed like real parts of the family and not just animals that we liked to keep around. I'm actually going to visit the folks in about a week and I'm excited to see Abbey, as she is... 17? 18? Somewhere in there anyway, and this might be the last opportunity I have to see her. She's mostly blind and deaf, but my mom says she's been feeling much better the last few months and seems to have some of her puppy spring in her step again. She's always been a puppy at heart.

(Abbey and Porter up on the island four years ago when Porter was just a pup)
As for myself, Porter is my partner in most things. She was the result of someone's back yard accident, a real Romeo and Juliet story. Minus all the tragedy and family feuding. Neighbours dog jumped the fence. She was my reward and promise to myself for finishing nursing school and she's been indispensable in keeping me in some semblance of sanity over the last four plus years. She likes to sniff at what I'm drinking and has occasionally taken an exploratory taste if I'm not paying attention, but never more than a single lick. She's always very curious about everything. When we go to the dog park, she doesn't really care about playing with the other dogs or even running around, she just likes to go and smell every smell she can find.

Oh yeah, beer.

Well with the incipient deluge of Carolinian goodness headed my way courtesy of @Dragginballs76 for NBS BIF #8, I should try and polish off some of the remaining stragglers from @FlintB 's incredible generosity during NBS BIF #007. Using one of the glasses @Roguer sent me all the way back in NBS BIF #1! Cross Fertilization indeed.

Oh yeah, that's what I'm drinking. Cross Fertilization from Speciation. I've sung their praises on these pages before, but they've firmly entrenched themselves in the running for my favourite Michigan brewery.



The pour is a perfectly clean crisp golden bauble adorned with a tight fuzz of white which rears and fades to a nothing more than a slight ring with a couple of lazy shadows of an archipelago resting atop the surface.

Full clear tart nose of green apple, lemon, and an earthy funk that all play together so nicely.

Upon first sip, There is a puckering build up like the skins of granny smith apples. This seems to build but never really crescendos, instead speeding through a middle act of light lemon before kind of disappearing for the final act, leaving just ghosts of ascent for the downslope. Lemon and green apples are the defining notes here, with some of that funk filling in the edges and that back end hole (ermm...) becoming less pronounced as I work my way through. Finish marries these same tart notes with a dry and acidic mouthfeel that is initially buried under enthusiastically spritzy carbonation.



This is another winner from these guys as far as I'm concerned. They kind of remind me of Holy Mountain in some ways, and that is absolutely intended as a compliment.

Thanks Brian for sending this along! Hope y'all have something tasty to sample today as well

 

I'm so glad I was able to get that for you- to me it's one of those beers where you're drinking it and saying to yourself "why would I ever get anything else?" Thankfully I'm actually seeing it in my neighborhood within the past month or so, so I may just start considering that question for real now . Cheers!

 

Reuben’s Crikey IPA

Greetings, BAs! Just got back from NY in time for a beer and the Iggles kickoff.

Today’s new beer comes to me courtesy of @beertunes in the NBS BIF.

It pours a relatively clear gold with a light haze and a finger of white head that leaves modest lacing.

Flashes of pine, weed, orange, pepper, honey and tea show in the nose.

Peppery pine and some orange and honey sweetness present up front in the taste followed by a really clean finish that only allows some dull, light, earthy, tea-like bitterness to carry through.

It’s medium bodied with great, prickly carbonation.

If you’re looking for a clean, earthy, almost English-style IPA from before the days of “xtreme” beer, this one’s for you. Thanks, Terry!

 

That Sweetwater went down pretty easy, next up is a collaboration between Charlestown Fermentory and Civil Society Brewing Gator Golf an 8.1 % DIPA that initially scared me with a rotted fruit aroma. It says it is dry hopped with Wai-iti hops not sure I have ever than these before and from what I read provide a strong hop aroma and flavor which seems to make sense in the taste. The off aroma I picked up went away within the first few minutes but still impacted my feeling for the aroma. Overall a really tasty pretty hoppy beer. I forgot to even mention there was no sign of the alcohol well I guess because I forgot about it!!!





Appearance 4.5 - Pours murky grapefruit juice color with thick white head that settles to a 1/8" dense head. lots of sticky lacing.

Aroma 3.5 - It has a rotted cantaloupe aroma that is pretty strong initially that seems to go away. Still there is just not coming out other than some very light fruit. As it warms there is a much stronger hope aroma.

Taste 4.25 - Mostly orange and mango no off flavors. big oat/wheat presence bitter citrus rind. Really nice hop finish pretty strong.

Feel 4.5 - Full creamy mouthfeel, really dry finish.

Overall 4.11 - Was initially worried when I too the first whiff but this beer settled in and has some great strong hops flavors accompanied by some light tropical fruit.

 

Continuing NBS share with my daughter. Precision Neurosis from Foreign Objects. Described as an ale with hops on the can but really drinks as an IPA. Pours a hazy golden with orange hues, a half inch white head that left blotchy lacing all the way down the glass. Smells of citrus and tropical fruits along with some pine. Tastes of grapefruit, grapefruit pith, overripe pineapple and mango, peppery element, pine and a bit earthy. Medium bodied, medium to high carbonation, creamy mouth feel with a sticky resinous finish and mild bitterness.

 

Yeah you will need some room, not sure if I mentioned it before and surely you know by now there is never just ONE box!!

 

Aw dude, so sorry about Theodore's diagnosis - hang in there, Mike!

 

Abita pecan ale
..clear orange amber color
..medium light body with just below average carbonation
...aroma isn't overpowering but some malt,yeast, mildly floral and a bit of toasted nut
..taste is similar to aroma, not sweet, malt is there and a bitter sour taste which I think is coming from the pecans. The pecans leave a lingering taste which isn't that great.
..Overall it's ok, but not something I would ever want to drink again. Pecans as most nut can get an acidic or just an off taste sometimes after roasting and that's what I think I was getting

 

Good Morning NBS'ers: I'll be back later with some new beers and maybe some pics of my dogs!

Wanted to post this beer that came to me by way of a trade with @jhavs. That trade was a result of NBS BIF #8, which is under way and getting crazy.



This was consumed late last night (technically it was Sunday) and is new to me:

Look: Very dark black color with a small amount of dark tan head. Decent lacing.

Smell: Getting a ton of chocolate malts and coffee, followed by the slight hint of vanilla and some dark fruit notes.

Taste: Coffee is big and dominant when cold. As it warms the more chocolate taste there is and a decent amount of vanilla flavors.

Feel: This has a thick and creamy mouthfeel, with a very nice dry finish

Overall: This is just an excellent porter and I am loving this beer. Thanks for the hook-up @jhavs

 

New Beer Sunday: A German Marzen/Oktoberfest

Afternoon NBSers, with an alert for fans of Oktoberfest beers.

This afternoon’s new beer is an Oktoberfest from Cigar City. (When I realized last week how few new ones I’d sampled this year I thought I’d change that a bit.)

As usual, my review, subject to revision until I finish the beer, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17981/73066/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors of this Oktoberfest have the expected crackery, lightly toasted malt and some slightly spicy, earthy hops, The malt sweetness is nicely balanced by the hop bitterness. On the whole a solid workman like Oktoberfest but that said I’ll not be bumping Sly Fox from my shopping list for this one.

Cheers, all!

 

New beer #4 @thisischuck01 .

Prescient Dreams - Other Half
Sour IPA - 6% abv
Canned 9/13/18 (17 days ago)
Score: 3.88 (-2.3% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33510/370148/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
Tastes like orange hard candy. Very sweet, with very little sour and no tartness. Was hoping for more from this one. As-is I’d classify this as a fruit beer rather than a sour.

 

Moved on to a dessert beer. That's my dog zeek enjoying being allowed on the table
...lindemans cassis, black currant iambic
..appearance is thick, very dark blackberry color
.. Body is just above medium with plenty of almost champagne like carbonation. Overall a nice feel to it
..aroma is black grape juice, currant juice, and a small amount of sour funk
..taste is very similar, a little dry, definitely sweet and a bit sugary. Comes off like grape jui e yet I can still just pick up enough -beerness-to make it enjoyable
..Overall I thought it was excellent,went well with dessert after a late breakfast

 

Oh man... Poor little guy. He looks really sweet. It's good that you are able to do what you can to keep him comfortable and loved.

 

Thanks man we are enjoying the time we have.

 

he has gotten a little ornery in the last year but they said that was to be expected. I am going to miss coming home everyday and having him meet meet me at the door. We have 2 cats as well but they are pretty self sufficient.

 

Continuing NBS share with my daughter. Tornado from Tree House. Pours a cloudy yellow-orange with a quarter inch white head that left lots of lacing. Smells of tropical and citrus fruits with some pine. Tastes of blood orange, grapefruit, bitter apricots, underripe pineapple and pine. Medium to heavy bodied for the style, highly carbonated, mild bitterness, mildly dry finish.

 

When I saw that in the box, I actually yelped.

 

New beer #5. Thanks @2beerdogs !

Rock n Roll Lifestyle - Chapman Craft
IPA - 6.5% abv
Score: 4.09 (+5.4% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45678/372836/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
Neither west coast nor east coast in style. This is just a classic, well balanced ipa. Reminds me of a slightly hoppier DFH 90. Surprised by the low ratings on this one. I think if more people tried it, it would average in the low 4’s.