New Beer Sunday (Week 710)

Greetings fellow NBSers! A cloudy, lightly rainy day here in the Fourth Corner, it's gotta be miserable for the folks running the Bellingham Bay Marathon here today. As it happens, I'm house sitting with Oly, the hound, and the marathon course goes nearby, and so we went and woofed at some of the runners on our morning walks.

You may have heard of NBS BIF #8 nearing its apex. Well, I got hit by a ninja box by my target @thebeers yesterday. So, my first post today is from that box; Tired Hands Bird With A Solar System Hole In Wing: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28383/371154/

 

Hi again, NBS.
I'm back, and I'm in the process of doing chores that require going outside. It's a nice, brisk fall fay, so a porter seems like just what "I" ordered. This is another one from the great state of Pennsylvania courtesy of my entirely excellent sender in the NBSIF. A Shoo-Fly Pie porter from Lancaster Brewing Co.

It looks nice. Pitch black with a big foam insulation head that sticks around for a while. The nose is more or less what I expected. Very nice layers of caramelized sugar, molasses, cinnamon, vanilla, weak coffee and I swear there is almost a suggestion of bready crust in there from the malt but I may be letting myself be influenced by the label. It is not as rich in the flavor department, but is still good at being firmly a porter whole also giving the impression of a pie. I would be curious to see if lactose would make the flavor meatier and sweeter in a good way. I really liked it, but I would've loved it is it was a touch chewier and as rich in taste as it is in smell.

I am ashamed to say that I've never tried said pie before. It seems like a big, dark, soft, sweet, sticky beast of a dessert. If this beer is any indicator, I'd like it and I would imagine that it very closely resembles how the beer smells. I'd say you should pick up a couple bottles if you ever come across it, @nc41.

Here's my review.

Cheers!

 

MacLellan Stout a 6.0 ABV Traditional Irish Stout from Trap Rock a local brew pub. Wow the brewer hit a home run with this beer. This stout is brewed with black malt, roasted barley and flaked barley. It pours jet black with a thick coffee colored head. The aroma is powerful and very strong of chocolate. This brew tastes like and has the mouthfeel of an Imperial Stout. The finish is dry and a bit creamy. Great stuff one of the best new beers I've had this year.

 

All around tasty brew. Glad you enjoyed!

 

I like that you had the appropriate glassware to match the theme with a beer that has that ridiculously specific of a name.

 

Up next is a beer I got from the very generous @FlintB from Speciation March of Progress. A foeder aged golden sour ale with rhubarb and vanilla. I am not sure how rhubarb should taste in a beer because from the ones I have had so far it has not been great. this is another level. This is very well done sour with such delicate aromas and but is very tart. I love this beer thanks Brian!!




Appearance - Pours gorgeous light cloudy yellow with a thin white bubbly head that dissipates to a thin ring. No lacing.

Aroma - Very mild fruit, oak, little but of vanilla. Not really getting much rhubarb getting hints of funk with a little lime.

Taste - Wow nice mild barrel notes, vanilla seems to take the edge off some of the sourness initially but it powers through at the end. I assume some of the tartness comes from the rhubarb based on what I have read but that vanilla just adds another level to the flavors.

Feel - Very complex feel, initially I think the vanilla gives it a smoothness but the tartness quickly provides a nice dry finish.

Overall - Super impressed with this beer, very mild delicate aromas but great powerful flavors.

 

Crooked Run Brewing - Heart and Soul

4.11/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Murky orange but not quite like a NEIPA, can’t say exactly why though. Maybe this appears more translucent, dunno. Not a ton of head, but what was there was stark white and fizzy. Nose seems a little muted, but what I get is sorta like apricot. Taste pops real well, as apricot does come through just before a musky grapefruit appears. Very easy drinking, good body, well balanced and clean finish with very little aftertaste.

 

My NBS friends, I posted last week from Allagash. Writing from home now, I just got back from my trip to Maine a few hours ago. What an amazing state and awesome week, the most rewarding day was summiting Katahdin. A very close second was realizing Maine Beer Company was having a Dinner party just as I was passing by!!



A mere two days old, my review below is copied and pasted. The smell got a 5 which is very rare for me, 4.5 across the rest of the board. An amazing beer.

500mL bottle dated 9/28/18 poured into a tulip
A: Hazy orange with at 1.5 finger head
S: A mixed basket of tropical fruit, dank/earthy, mixed citrus rind, dried flowers, grass and a bit of pine. Just every hop aroma that exists is being thrown out on this nose. Amaxingly complex
T: Dry, not quite as complex as the aromas but still awesome... dried citrus rind first and foremost followed by earth/herbs with dry tropical fruit and florals rounding it out. I can't place specific fruits/flowers/herbs as it's honestly a mix of many
M: Medium-bodied, dry, bitter
O: A fantastic DIPA. Not as juicy as the many in the popular "New England" style but that's not a bad thing. Complex, delicious and one of if not the best nose I've had the pleasure smelling

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. A nice sunny fall day here on the island although its starting to get rather cool. Looking at another nice long week of vacation and shipping my ass down to Bermuda on Tuesday which should be a nice get away. Another lazy Sunday here watching mindless football all day with some grilling lined up for later. Currently watching the Jets get killed.

I have had numerous dogs/cats over the years, mostly cats, including some farm animals when growing up. I'm currently pet-less for really the first time in my life. My high was three cats at one time and I moved two in with the fiancé. She is not much of a pet person but I've gotten the green light to get more. I just want to get the basement fixed up/finished a bit before I do.

My new beer today is Post Ride Snack, a session ipa, from Maine Beer co. The brew checks in at 4.9% abv and has an 8/28/18 bottle date.

A light orange color on the pour with murky clarity and a moderate head of white bubbles. The nose is rather floral with lots of soft citrus notes. The drinking hits pretty light on the first initial sips to the point of being a tad watery. A smooth flow that finishes a bit bitter which is pretty nice. The hops/citrus fruit notes build the more I consume. Good notes of soft citrus fruit with melon, orange, lime, lemon and grapefruit. Additional notes of slight pine, resin, and grass with the bitter finish. Rather tangy and semi-sweet. The mouthfeel is light with that crisp/refreshing feel going on.

Overall, I'm mostly in the not bad, but not great category here players. I really like the citrus notes, the subtle bitter finish, and the hop profile but the overall beer is just a bit too light/watery for me. I'm in the 3.5/.3.8 range at best here.

 

New beer #6. Thanks @Blackop555 !

Upper Hand IPA
IPA - 7% abv
Canned 9/18/18 (12 days ago)
Score: 4.16 (+3% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/37433/274935/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
Superbly well balanced, with no off flavors. Zero booze. This is the new exemplar for pre-NE IPAs. I’d already have this gone if I wasn’t stopping myself.

 

After a slow morning start, I spent a little while debating on either reviewing some new IPAs and maybe a stout in my fridge, or sticking to my recent haul. I've opted for the latter, and to do a three can tasting of one breweries offerings. So let's get into it.

Tasting: Kirin's Tanrei (Japanese Happoshu).



I'll be going left to right, but first, a little blurb on the style copied from Beer Advocate: "Happoshu is a sparkling low-malt beverage produced by Japanese beer companies. To be classified as Happoshu, the malt ratio must be less than 67 percent, or include an ingredient other than malt, hops, rice, corn, sorghum, potato, starch, or sugar. In Japan, the tax for Happoshu is much less than the tax for beer due to its lower malt content, making it cheaper than beer."

First up!



Kirin's Tanrei Platnium Double.

Pours an orange-yellow with a finger of fizzy head. Head dissipates quickly. Aroma is pilsner, bread malts and sweet potato and caramel behind. It has a semi-spicy, dry finish. Flavor profile is more of the same, hitting notes of spicy and herbal hops, caramel, bread, and pilsner malts. There is a slight black pepper grind to it as well. Mouth feel is fizzy, but becomes still quite quickly. It has a medium-thick consistency. Overall, notable malts with spicy, dry hops. It's refreshing.

Score: 2.5 | 3.25 | 3.25 | 3.75 | 3.25 | BA Score: 3.26 | rDev: +37.6% (two ratings)

Second up!



Kirin's Tanrei.

Pours yellow with a finger of foamy head. Head retains fairly well, with a thin veil of foam remaining for a long while. Aroma is very dry and condense, hitting notes of pilsner, bread, sweet potato and light cleaner vibe. Flavor profile is pilsner, bread, and caramel malts through and through. It lightly sweetens at the finish, landing more in caramel and yeast ester territory. It has a finish similar to a standard lager. Mouth feel is slightly fuzzy, giving it a light velvety texture that combines well with the light effervescence. It has a medium thickness. Overall, a refreshing take on the style. It drinks like a pretty standard lager.

Score: 3.25 | 3.5 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 3.75 | BA Score: 3.66 | rDev: +34.6%

Third up!



Kirin's Tanrei Green Label.

Pours a pale yellow with a finger of white foam. Head retention is below average. Aroma is pilsner and bread malts. Comes across very light in the aromatic category. Flavor profile is pilsner, bread, and biscuit malts. It has a big skunky, lemony, yeast ester note come on thick at the height of the flavor profile and then subsides back to a malty finish. Lemon is left on the tongue for a while. Mouth feel is medium-thin with an effervescent, bubbly texture. It's crisp. It has a medium thickness. Overall, despite a pretty tame aroma, the flavor profile lays on a good bit of flavor, just not all in the best direction. It's the most refreshing option of the Kirin Tanrei's though.

Score: 3 | 3 | 3.5 | 3.75 | 3.5 | BA Score: 3.38 | rDev: +50.9%

Overall: Platinum Double is a miss. Tanrei and Green Label come off fairly standard as far as adjunct lagers go, with Tanrei standard having more flavor and Green Label having a more refreshing texture. I'm thinking I should have bought these all in 33cl cans and not wasted bag space and weight on the larger cans.

Reasoning for three can tasting: I wanted to check off the Happoshu style as a 'had', but I wanted to fairly review them. Since I don't have any experience with the style aside from some light reading (it's tough to read about a traditional Japanese government-designated style in English), I figured I could compare the three beers as I drank.

By right back, going to dump out Platinum Double.

By the way, I've now had more Happoshu than I have had English bitters and dark milds.

 

Only 1 beer today, better make it a New Beer this Sunday. Received a killer box, well 2 actually, from @Roguer for the latest NBS BIF. Most bottles were big boys and work later prohibits opening one of those.

Ended up with this one

12 ounce bottle. Dated best by 10/3/18 (I think, already recycled the bottle).
Pours a dull chestnut brown, 1/4” head.
No lacing. The nose is Baker’s chocolate, a little bit of coffee, just a smidge of vanilla.
Cocoa powder dusted truffles, malted milk, vanilla, coffee, a bit of umami. Balanced bitterness. Smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Thin profile makes for easy drinking.
3.81 0% rDev
Turns out to be a great drinking beer for box packing, 2 more coming at ya @Dragginballs76

 

Next up from @thebeers is Weyerbacher Sunday Morning Stout: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/392/89345/

Oly and his octopus approve!

 

I am making room in the fridge now!!

 

Good afternoon BAs and happy New Birthdayfest Sunday. This weekend was an extra special one for my family and I, as we hosted our daughters annual birthday bash, Audtoberfest. A play on her name and the obvious Oktoberfest. Beer, pretzels, beer, games, music, and beer! And that was just the kids! Kidding…









Oh yeah, and the obligatory pics from the hike on Friday:







And now time for another new beer with the same theme. A big shout out to @PatrickCT for not only graciously and unexpectedly providing me with this beer along with many others of the style, but also giving me the opportunity to to finally have a beer from von Trapp! Thanks again Patrick.

von Trapp
Oktoberfest Lager





von Trapp's interpretation of style pours pumpkin orange with an incredibly creamy looking off white head. It keep a froth around the perimeter with a decent smooth surface coverage. The bright amber body isn't entirely clear, but it looks very inviting, warm, and festive.

Sweet bread lingers over the surface with a wonderfully subtle blend of fall spices below. Toasted grain and a dab of light caramel says it's time to celebrate.

The flavors follow in the same footsteps. Each element noticeable with none of them being intense. The bread crusts comes and goes very quickly as the spices take over. Caramel is slight and more burnt than expected. And just when you thought it was finished, a mild flowery hop finishes it off.

It has a great body and is superbly balanced. The carbonation is a bit high and even tingly which makes it seem a little less full than it really is. The sweet start and minimally bittered bite on the end make this dangerously drinkable, which is irritating as I only have one of these and hate to see it disappear so quickly.

von Trapp doesn't disappoint. This is a good fest beer that I would easily kill a six pack day in and day out no problem. Thank you very much Patrick. You're a good guy no matter what any boozebagger might say about you.

After my official review, I gave von Trapp Oktoberfest a rating of 3.92, with an rDev of +2.1%.

Prost everyone, and I will see you all soon.

 

Bolero Snort's One Hoof in Front of the Other IPA (7.5% abv)...

Brewed with Azacca, Citra, Denali, and Galaxy hops... Medium gold with a juice-like opacity and orange hues... Bursts with tropical fruit notes - papaya seemingly at the fore - followed by impressions of orange, mango, passion fruit... Murky undertones add some dankness to the mix... Mildly bitter, moderately sweet; full-feeling, with a soft body... Leaves a little bit of tacky fruit shellac behind on the finish... Fruits were a little bit "thick" for my tastes, but a good IPA overall...

Brewed and canned at Wyndridge Farms; 8/21/18 canning...

 

I'm going to have to try that one again with that review in mind. I don't remember mine tasting like meat. They just celebrated their one year anniversary yesterday so I'm hoping for good things to come.

 

I rarely taste meat in a beer, but if I do it always involves Citra. Also I love meat so I’m not at all complaining

 

This next one also comes courtesy of @MacMalt . 077XX from Carton


Classic west coast style look with super sticky lacing. Nose is very tropical. Pineapple, mango. There is a distinct bitterness, slight white pepper, and dank hops here. So juicy with peach, mango, and citrus fruits. Slight lingering hop and mild alcohol presence. Just what the doctor ordered!

 

Home from work so it's beverage time. NBS beer #1



Who’s On First?

Clown Shoes
Fruit and Field Beer / 4.80% ABV

3.67/5 rDev +1.4% | Score: 3.62
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

canned 07/06/18

L-The beer pours a just slightly hazy yellow with a 2 plus finger white head. The head receds to a thin film leaving specks of lacing here and there.
S-The nose is sweet with pineapple. There is some malt with a few faint floral hops. When swirled the beer releases more of the sweet pineapple. If there is passionfruit there it is covered and melded with the pineapple.
T-On the palate the beer is less sweet than the nose. The can gives a non descript summer ale, but it feels like a witbier base. There is some yeastiness to it. Pineapple is mostly noticeable at the end of the sip as it lingers a little longer than the yeasts contribution. Not overly complicated, but pleasant.
F-Mouthfeel overall is on the lighter side. Carbonation is restrained which helps out.
O- As a light hot weather summer ale, the beer does what it's supposed to. The fruit addition is very mild with the exception of the pineapple in the nose. Pleasant enough to drink, but not something you need to seek out.