New Beer Sunday (Week 713)

New Beer Sunday: German Kellerbier/Zwicklebier

Mornin’ NBSers, with an alert for fans of Kellerbiers and noble hops. Also a special thanks to @cjgiant for his start up this morning. (I won't go into my thoughts about this year's performance by the Phillies.)

The weather here today is expected to be unseasonably chilly with a high near 50. While there’s not supposed to be any precipitation it will occasionally be cloudy (e.g., right now) and frequently breezy throughout the day (also right now).

This morning’s new beer is from Foreign Objects and is a Kellerbier called Eine Nachtliche Halluzination (in German the name means “A nightly hallucination").

As usual my review, subject to revision until the beer is finished or breakfast has started, which ever comes first, can be found here.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50313/371644/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors include some floral and slightly herbal character backed up by some crackery malt. The light sweetness from the malt complements the more noticeable herbal, earthy bitterness that lingers on the back of the palate for a fairly long time before disappearing. This kellerbier is about what the hops are bringing to the table, but they do so in a controlled, subtle way.

Cheers, all!

 

Happy New Southern Tier Beer Sunday (Week 713)!

Most of my sports teams were off yesterday & I refuse to truck with the NFL until they get their s**t together so it made for a day to run errands and go to the movies. I went to see the "Matanga/Maya/M.I.A." documentary in an application of "the male gaze", a cinematography term, because she is hawt!

I was fascinated by her rise to stardom & it rekindled my memory of her SB flap when she flipped the bird during the halftime show. Naturally, the No Fun League was shocked & outraged. Hmm. Why do corporate interests think that by including edgy celebrities in ads, et al will make them seem edgy by extension? It only seems to backfire & leave them backpedaling. See Neil Young's "Coke, This Finger's for You" & Stone Brewing's recent debacle with NoFX proving that no matter how edgy Greg Koch & company pose to be, they remain poseurs. That said, I am absolutely ready to be someone/something's spokesperson! I mean, what can possibly go wrong?

I am also ready to share my first beer of the day before I am interrupted by my 1st shift at Columbia Kettle Works' 2nd Gear taproom:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3818/264611/?ba=woodychandler#review

I have an eclectic mix of Bottles & CANs lined up for the day, but I may not be able to run through all of them. I promise to do my best & to tell yinz all about it.

 

I could see how what I'm picking up as "floral" could be described differently. But for me that's part of the background with the herbal and earthy being more central to the aromas/flavors. Given that FO has done three Kellerbiers I'm going to look for another one in the series to check out whether my suspicion is correct that the series is all about different flavor profiles from noble hops. Given what I've seen of their IPAs I'd bet that for this Kellerbier series the malt bill is exactly the same in all three cases and they are playing with hops here as they seem to do in their IPAs.

Edit: Hmmm, the sun just showed up for a bit so maybe that partly cloudy forecast will pan out.

 

Branch And Blade Puppy Love Imperial Peanut Butter and chocolate stout 9.2. Poured into a 16 oz Flying Goose Brewing Snulip, not sure when it was canned. Pours a slick very attractive near black, with a half finger khaki head that leaves thin lines of lace behind. 4

Smell is what you would expect peanut butter, dark chocolate, and some vanilla one dimensional isn’t a bad thing sometimes. This is exactly what I signed up for. 4.25

Taste follows peanut butter cup, dark chocolate, some vanilla, and maybe a little toffee, I am liking this. 4.25

Mouthfeel is a little bigger than medium, gentle carbonation, maybe a whisker dry, and at 9.2% goes down very easy. 4

Overall first things first, will be grabbing more next time I hit the store. A little thinner than I prefer, wanted it to be a tad darker with the head and leave thicker rings of lace, but is a very tasty stout for sure. 4

 

So I picked up some Pseudo Sue for the first time last night. Problem is it's 3 months old. Serves me right for buying at Jewel Osco and not binnys? Thinking of driving over to FFF today and grabbing some zombie dust to see how much Freshness matters and compare the 2 citra hopped apas

 

Are you saying that you'd see how much freshness matters (on a month to month basis) by comparing beers from different brewers? If so, I think you need to minimize your variables instead.

 

I bet it'll be easy to tell which is which, IMO Citra is very time sensitive. I like both Sue is very very dry, ZD a bit more balanced. Great beers though.

 

Yes I should go to three Floyd's then jump on the expressway to Iowa. Or just buy the zombie dust and hide 1 in back of fridge 3 months. Just hope the Pseudo Sue is still good got pretty hyped then I saw the canning date. Looks like you can throw a dart and find it though.

 

Oh, when the Saints, go marching in!

St. GeorgenBräu that is!

A few weeks ago in NBS I discussed TipoPils which is a beer that was canned by the importer: B. United. This week I will be discussing another beer that is imported by B. United and canned by them in Connecticut: GeorgenBräu Kellerbier.

Below is how this beer is discussed on the B. United website:

St. Georgenbraeu Buttenheim,

"An outstanding example (of Keller Bier) is made by St. GeorgenBräuof Buttenheim." Michael Jackson **** World Classic

Nothing has changed since 1624. Around 1624 brewmasters boiled the original wort with an especially large amount of hops over an open fire. After cooling down, the wort flowed into the wooden fermentation vessels where bottom-fermenting yeast was added. After primary fermentation, Keller Bier was then taken to cellars carved deeply into the Bavarian rocks outside the village of Buttenheim using their natural coldness to mature Keller Bier. It then lagered in solid oak barrels "ungespundet" (unbunged) to let the carbon dioxide that develops during this maturation process escape.

The Brewing process, the lagering cellars carved into the rocks near the village of Buttenheim and the beer garden on top of the lagering cellars are still the same as they were in 1624.”

On the can label there are details of:

“Unfiltered, unbunged, naturally cloudy

Brewed in Buttenheim, Germany and canned fresh in Connecticut”

I am a BIG fan of Kellerbiers so I am very excited to drink this beer.

Served in my Spiegelau Lager glass:

Appearance:

Amber colored with a pretty orange-ish hue; there is a slight haze. An off-white head.

Aroma:

There is a notable bready aroma to this beer.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with a bready flavor dominating the flavor profile. There is a low/moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with an off-dry finish.

Overall:

I very much enjoyed drinking this beer; I think it is very good!

This beer definitely has the quality that Germans would describe using the word süffig (drinkable).

@rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @Crusader @Ranbot @Streaky @Peter_Wolfe

 

Cheers you all and thank to @cjgiant Craig fro getting us started today. I cannot join as I have a few things to d but I will be drinking flower power and reading you all! Have a great New Beer Sunday.

 

Got the chance to sleep in today. I purposefully left the black-out curtains opened so I'd be awoken by the sunrise and not my simulated light sunrise. Laundry has started and I'm about to prepare a couple cups of coffee, but first, I wanted to visit something coffee and beer related. Stumbled into this one at a local bottle shop and figured I'd give it a whirl.



Meantime Brewing Company's Coffee Porter.

Pours black with brown hues showing around the lighted edges. Head formation is low, hitting just under a finger in height. It's khaki in color and does not retain well. Aroma flies low and slow, hitting notes of coffee, chocolate, and toasted and earthen malts. The earthiness in this beer is a little surprising. Flavor profile is very similar, hitting notes of coffee, chocolate, and toasted and earthen malts with a dry finish. Coffee mingles with milk notes to tone and smooth it out, which is generally the sign of an over bitter roast. Mouth feel is a touch fizzy at the onset and then smooths out on the palate. It has a medium-thin consistency. Overall, an okay coffee porter. It seems to be a British classic due to being around for so long (first added here at the end of 2004), but lacks the coffee cleanness to be top of its class.

Score: 3.5 | 3.75 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | BA Score: 3.76 | rDev: -0.5%

 

My contribution foe NBS is Drago from The Wild Onion Brewery in NW suburbs of Chicago.
This pours a nice thick oily black with a small brown head that leaves a nicely laced, and filmy looking glass. Nose gets heavily roasted malt, vanilla, cocoa and obviously some booze.
Taste buds get some molasses, chocolate and a hint of booze.
This is smooth 'n creamy and very drinkable.
IMHO this is one of the very best BA Russian Imperial Stouts available.

 

Happy Sunday, NBS crew! @cjgiant I will indeed be drinking through several NBS BIF beers today, as I was again hit by @FlintB with a 5th (?!?) box yesterday. And @r0rschach hit me too. I am buried in new beer right now. Starting with this one from @Bum4ever .

Palapa of your Dreams - Alvarado Street
DIPA - 8% abv
Canned 10/2/18 (19 days ago)
Score: 4.2 (+2.7% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35259/348150/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
This one starts off as a world beater. Looks amazing, smells like a tropical beach untouched by storms. The taste follows, at first, but then a sweet and sour melon candy taste takes over, which I wish wasn’t there, since it masks the lovely pineapple, mango, and papaya flavors from the smell. I assume this is why it has mixed reviews. Still, this is one tasty mother. Easily my favorite from Alvarado Street. Thanks again Josh!

 

Good morning NBS
I'm really happy Revolution started distribution to Indiana last year. Reasonably priced, well made beers are my everyday drinkers and these guys do it right.

The review:
12oz canned 9/21/18 poured into a perfect pint glass at fridge temp 6.8% ABV. The beer pours dark brown with ruby highlights and light brown head. The head recedes to a few bubbles and a pencil thin ring leaving a few spots of lacing. The aroma is mild and evenly split between coffee and dark roasted malt. The taste is barely tangy robust porter with a hint of coffee. There is some nutty flavor and firm but subtle finishing bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium to thin bodied with less than medium carbonation. The finish is dry with a subtle aftertaste of cold brew coffee. Overall, excellent. Most coffee beers try to slam you over the head with coffee. The use of coffee to enhance the base porter here is perfectly done. Recommended to fans of robust porter.

Reading other reviews, some folks bashed this beer for lack of coffee. I can buy a can of Starbucks cold brew and spike it with vodka if I'm only it for the coffee. For me, balance is key. I've got another Illinois beer in the fridge for later, but need to get some things done today. Cheers all and enjoy the new beer in your glass!

 

Thanks to @cjgiant for the great start to NBS this week. Will be back with a new brew.

Cheers!

 

Agreed. To me Citra is the most time-sensitive hop. In a fresh can, all I get is citrus. 4-6 weeks later, it often turns to sweat/meat. Not always though. I think the age of the hops themselves is a contributing factor.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass not sure when it was canned. Pours very dark near black, with a 2 plus finger dark tan head that leaves wisps of webby lace with nice retention. 4.25

Smell is grainy biscuit, toffee, vanilla, tobacco, and dark chocolate. 4

Taste follows biscuit, vanilla, toffee, tobacco, and deep dark chocolate. 4

Mouthfeel is a solid medium, kind of creamy, gentle carbonation, a tad dry, and definetly drinks bigger than 6.4% ABV. 4.25

Overall this is a nice Milk Stout, not one dimensional, a very complex stout that you will pick up a new flavor almost after each sip. 4

 

I can assure you a 3 month old Sue is no match for a fresh ZD... but the comparison would be fun!