New Beer Sunday (Week 711)

NBS beer #2 is also from the generous @jhavs and is a long time, big time want:



Maine Brewing Company's Dinner, bottled 9/28. It pours a slightly orangish tan, with a huge foamy head. The nose (oh God, the nose!) Is pine, pineapple, tangerine, just a hint of red berry and cracker. I almost don't want to drink it because them I won't be able to nose it any longer. I got over that. Wow. This is maybe the quintessential balanced DIPA. Mouthfeel is neither too soft nor too sharp. I'm getting loads of citrus and tropical fruits, and a wonderful hop bitterness late. Long finish. Super clean, like everything I've ever had from MBC. Really just a wonderful beer. Thank you Jon!

 

Glad you enjoyed that one! It was a recent release that I have yet to review or add to the database in hopes that it would remain a mystery. Atlanta Brewing Company was one of the first craft breweries in GA, they operated under Red Brick for quite awhile but as part of their 25th anniversary rebranding they changed back to their original name. I'll gladly bring some up for the share.

 

If it were available this summer I definitely would have. It seemed that they released their typical summer beers a bit late this year. Maybe it was due to the new brewhouse being opened, not really sure.

 

Surprised you want it. I wouldn’t say it’s worth putting much effort into. The most interesting thing about it is that it doesn’t have many equivalents.

 

And on to another beer I received via NBS BIF, this one from last round from the truly generous (maybe a bit crazy), but always amazing @FFFjunkie

Argues For Sport from Three Floyds.

Pours with just the faintest of big bubbled head. Coppery brown and a bit cloudy.

The aroma smells like I’m gonna get heartburn. Acidic, faint murky funk and some sweet tart candy. A bit of woody barrel.

The flavor is unexpected, actually extremely balanced and nowhere near as sour as I was expecting. Shared amongst some friends and we all were surprised. Tart up front with a bit of fruit candy, hint of apple and a moderate level of earthy funk. A big woody barrel presence seems to balance everything out making this a smooth and tasty brew.

Just over medium body, funky, a hint under moderate carbonation.

A nice brew, everything comes together and is cohesive. I’m not sure why it smells so tart, but I’m happy with the overall experience.

Thanks Dan!

 

You’re welcome! Still my favorite, I am super excited by this release because it’s popping up on tap around, including my favorite local spot.

 

Here's the main BIF forum.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/forums/beer-it-forward.26/
This is my first BIF I've been in, and just totally blown away by it. It's a lot of fun. I do plan on participating in the next NBS BIF, because I had such a blast here. Hopefully, by then, I've gotten through the backlog of beers that I've gotten the honor of getting in this one.

And speaking of a blast, time for the next new beer, and new state for me. Again thanks to the generosity of @jdell15 .


Adjective Animal from Wiseacre Brewing out of Memphis, Tennessee.

I'm probably crazy for doing a DIPA after a BA stout, but whatever.

So far I'm quite impressed with this beer. Great flavor, and I do like how it feels. Damn good. Rating a bit above the average, but I think it's earned it.

4.25/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a murky, darker golden color. The head is white, frothy, 2 finger. The head retention is damn good. Decent lacing on the glass.
The aroma is a nice pineapple aroma. Deep and rich.
Taste - I like this. Nice pineapple flavor up front that turns more to grapefruit on the backside.
Body is full. The hops do linger in my mouth. Some crispness to it.
Solid DIPA. Really hits all the notes right.

Probably it, but, who knows. If not, see you later, or in WBAYDN, and, of course the next New Beer Sunday, where I'll likely be reporting in from Boarder View Lodge on Lake of the Woods.

 

This is something that I also used to struggle with since too many posts in the same thread can amount to white noise. I try to have one initial entry, take a break & build up another worthwhile post and if time permits, a third entry before the thread closes. It isn't so much stealing the limelight from others as much as dimming your own spotlight. In the meantime, the piano has been drinking, the carpet needs a haircut, the manager is a mental midget & the spotlight looks like a prison break!

 

Enjoying another from the bountiful @CanConPhilly box!

My first from SixPoint
Pours a hazy golden yellow with a finger of white head that becomes nonexistent.
Smells of pineapple, also a tart orange reminiscent of Tang.
The tart bite hits me first, I wasn't expecting a sour IPA but after reading the can again I realized that I should have been. Orange, pineapple, hints of mango.
Medium to full body with a dry finish.
Overall a beer that has me wanting to try others from SixPoint. I'm really becoming a fan of these sour IPAs.

 

Great thanks. I have been in a couple of bifs now and some of the guys pointed me towards this thread which is great appreciate the response

 

Mystery Beer #2 from @spersichilli


Pretty much the same appearance color wise. This one produced a better head. Thicker snd frothier.

A lot of tropical fruit in the aroma, but much more grainy and what I describe as unfinished with a lot of this style.

Mango, grapefruit, orange, and guava. Slight bitterness but mostly fruity. More like a smoothie. Closes with a pithy dryness and a lot of yeast and rough grain. There is a bit of aspirin like lingering bitterness.

Body is slightly fluffy with a dry, chalky, resinous finish.

Going to keep at it, but the first one was easily better

 

Haha same got lucky found singles of the red lager before this one but I'm pretty sure someone busted a six dropped it maybe

 

You are more than welcome! I can tell you that is the most balanced sour I’ve had yet from FFF....

Cheers!

 

Definitely a nice brew. Lots of layers of flavor. Thanks!

 

It's been a busy day that began with a 4am wake up to get myself together to head down to Denver for the Hot Chocolate 5k. I came home after a good breakfast at Snooze and put up some Halloween decorations. Needless to say I'm tired and still can't shake the chill from being outside much of today. Time to park it on the couch and open a crowler I purchased last Sunday but didn't feel like reviewing. That's becoming more common as I'd rather drink than think about beer. Enough whining from me, let's drink!

Something Brewery down the road in Brighton has been my go to place since moving to Colorado two months ago. The people are friendly, the atmosphere is relaxed, food trucks make regular appearances and the beer is good. I love me some hazebro's in the beer rotation and they make some great ones that don't get any attention around here. Let's try this one called Galaxy that's double dry hopped with galaxy hops of course. Poured in a 14oz. Something Brewery snulip for the occasion.

It pours a rather flat looking hazy dark yellow bringing a couple centimeters of soapy white lacing that quickly disappears. A minuscule amount of lacing is present. The smell is heavy mango, pineapple, fresh orange slices, some malt and yeast poke through. Taste is succulent pineapple, mango, passion/stone fruits, fresh squeezed orange juice and subtle floral in the finish. The feel is very soft and easy drinking, but a tad on the flat side which seems to be common with many of these hazies.



I hope they continue to ramp up their haze game and save me a few trips to Frisco or Greeley. This beer is as good or better than many I've had here and obtaining them is a breeze. Yeah I'm a fan and my score is 4.37/5.00. Once again I got to add the beer and do the first review.

Back to the Cowboys-Texans game while I finish my beer. Have yourselves a great week. I leave you with the official scorecard.....

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47354/374574/?ba=Prager62#review

 

Last new one for today-



Singlecut Whammy

This is an ugly beer- murky golden brown liquid with big white particles that settle very slowly. Decent head and lacing though

Aroma and taste feature dank weed, sweet candied citrus and pine

Feel is full bodied and very soft. Finishes sweet with just a hint of bitterness

Overall- for the most part, a run-of-the-mill NEIPA, but the pine notes make it stand out a bit.

Cheers all. Hope to be back next week.

 

So here is the beer behind the curtain

Interesting, but not surprising. I feel like Trillium, unlike Alchemist, Lawsons, Maine Beer, and Grey Sail, have not stuck to their guns and made the same beer they did in the beginning. If the goal behind @spersichilli ’s blind beers was a comparison/ contest, I say the Canoe wins easily. That being said, it’s because it drinks more like what I consider a traditional NE IPA than the current Hazy NE IPA iteration. Here is my official review for the Summer St.

3.67/5 rDev -17%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

16 oz can 8/1/18

Described as a “sunflower gold” I am guessing that they changed their recipe somewhere along the lines like Bissell Brothers did with Swish because it looks nothing like the picture (which looks like Maine Beer Co. Dinner) and instead is a murky, turbid pale orange to pineapple juice yellow.

A lot of tropical fruit in the aroma, but much more grainy and what I describe as unfinished with a lot of this style.

Mango, grapefruit, orange/tangerine, and guava. Slight bitterness, with a little “green” flavor, but mostly fruity. More like a smoothie. Closes with a pithy dryness and a lot of yeast and rough grain. There is a bit of aspirin like lingering bitterness.

Body is slightly fluffy with a dry, chalky, resinous finish.

Not terrible, but nothing I would make an effort to drink again

822 charac

 

Alright, here's my last(?!) beer for NBS... a new wheat IPA from Winter Hill Brewing out of Somerville, MA.



I've generally liked the beer these guys have put out, so I grabbed a single can of this one... a new wheat IPA. I can't find the recipe or the hops used in here anywhere online, so I'm going to go into it pretty blind.

The pour is pretty boring; much less effervescent than I assumed it would be given the usage of wheat made clear by the label. It's a nearly-opaque golden beer with just about zero head. I was always under the impression that wheat helped with head formation and retention, but this is single-handedly wrecking that idea. Huh... not a big fan of what's going on here, I gotta say.

The nose is pretty nice, however. Citra seems likely... it has a bright tangerine/grapefruit element with some pineapple hanging around. Awesome stuff, actually. Very juicy and evocative without any actual fruit present. Did not expect this to be so great smelling from that weak pour, that's for sure!

Palate seems to follow the nose, with a little more wheat throwing out some heftiness. Still, though, there are some awesome elements of passion fruit, guava and tangerine from the hops on the tongue, with a heavier-than-usual feel and solidly bitter finish. For a beer clocking in at 5.8%, this has a really nicely-built body. The wheat definitely carries the flavors on the tongue, sort of giving off a slick aspect while the finish seems pretty bitter yet clean. Overall, though, I'm kind of "meh" on this beer... it's not great and it's not bad, it just kind of exists. Definitely drinkable and enjoyable, but I don't know what the point of it is. Wheat-based IPAs are a bit out of the ordinary right now, and this plays it weirdly safe on its own. It's definitely a good drink, but it doesn't blow my mind.

 

One more from me, no work tomorrow!

This is also from @jhavs , and one that I was curious about as soon as I saw it. Exchange student from Trillium, a collaboration with Cloudwater Brewing Co, a brewery that I am completely unfamiliar with. What is maybe most interesting here is that it is labeled a Double IPA / Hefeweizen. I'm struggling to piece together how that could be a thing. I'm picturing maybe a DIPA with a sizable wheat bill and maybe a bit of hefe yeast when I head to Trillium's website:

"Exchange Student is a hybrid beer created by brewing both a traditional German-style hefeweizen and a double IPA, then blending them post-fermentation"

Well then. Best to not over think things, I guess.



It looks like orange juice, with a thin but frothy head that quickly takes its leave leaving behind no evidence that it ever existed. The nose is straight juicy IPA. Oranges, at the risk of being redundant. The DIPA really dominates here, for me. I'm searching for the hefe esters and classic markers but having a hard time locating much of anything. On the plus side, it's a damn fine IPA. Hazy and tropical, with some balancing bitterness late. Very tasty.

 

And now it's time for a little dessert.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24300/316995/



4.02/5 rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Batch #004.
16 oz. can.

Moderate pour yields a dark tan head over a very dark brown, near black, body with fairly thick and sticky lacing. Nose of molasses and pecan with roasted malt and booze. Taste of pecan, molasses, and milk chocolate. Finish of bitter chocolate, toasted caramel, and booze. Nice feel and overall, a good dessert beer, but may be a bit too sweet for a lot of folks. Cheers.