New Beer Sunday (Week 713)

Discussion in 'The Bar' started by cjgiant, Oct 21, 2018.

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  1. Roguer

    Roguer Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,811) Mar 25, 2013 Connecticut
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Before I shift to something darker, I'm going with a light, early afternoon brew I saw the other night: Victory's Limey Gose, a gose made with Key limes.

    [​IMG]

    First off, if you're going to advertise Key limes, any South Floridian is going to call you on it if the flavor doesn't live up to it. And this beer (Bier)? It delivers!

    Impressively tart, and just mildly sweet, on the palate. The normal Gose sourness, and saltiness, are mostly overshadowed by the strong Key lime element. Drinks bigger than the 4.7% ABV suggests, but very drinkable and enjoyable.

    https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/345/238580/?ba=Roguer#review
    3.93 / -0.8%

    I really liked this one. Cheers!
     
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  2. Harrison8

    Harrison8 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,285) Dec 6, 2015 Missouri
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    At a new to me brewery. It's a brewery I've been intending to visit for a while. Notes are being compiled for some reviews later this week.

    [​IMG]

    Strange Days Brewing.

    I'll have to revisit when their coffee beer comes back on tap. It's in the fermentation tank now.
     
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  3. cjgiant

    cjgiant Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,584) Jul 13, 2013 District of Columbia
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Time for a beer that is named after what I have feared this post-season every time the Boston closer enters the game. Well, I doubt Sixpoint named their beer Meltdown after my flashbacks to late last century memories of my favorite baseball team, but I don't have any information to the contrary, either.

    <<reads label, dated 10/11>>
    So, we're heating things up and changing states of things in ways that will melt my face. Sounds like my experience back in '86 - so it's still up in the air.
    [​IMG]

    Absent the origin of the name, the beer wasn't so thick as to "ooze" from the can, but the mostly opaque stream didn't hide its NE IPA design (I will note here, Boston is in New England... just sayin'). A pale burnt yellow-orange cloud fills up my vessel of choice. The head does not betray the cloud theme, with a fluffy grandness that settles in slowly. Tufts of white foam hang around until about a quarter of the beer is gone, leaving its mark along the glass wall in this time.

    The nose has a mildly strong tropical fruit drink impression to it. There's the sweet-tart over-ripe fruit notes along with a bit of spice and burnt rubber, the latter gives the impression of the booze in a way. I am getting pineapple, mainly - with a bit of fermenting grapefruit-orange juice, and maybe some mango. I'm not digging the rubber band aspect, as I don't usually notice it in the nose as much as the taste (and don't like it to be too prevalent there).

    Taste actually hits somewhere between crackery and biscuity as a clean malt opening. It is quite fleeting, as a somewhat bitter tropical fruit skin flavor keeps this beer from being juicy. That sensation, however, is similarly not long for this world as the mango-pineapple juice squeezes in from the sides. Brought along is that rubber-band flavor and feel, keeping the beer on the bitter side overall. As these all clean up, there's a return of the malt with a little unsweetened banana chip-like note to it (so maybe wheat in the malt bill?).

    A medium thick feel but not as much heft as some NE IPAs, as this isn't syrupy or sweet - it's actually somewhat dry to me. That rubber-band feel isn't too strong and thankfully doesn't bring with it the friction to become a burnt flavor.

    My first sip came before any analysis and I was thinking this was too hot and rubbery overall to be to my liking. As I got into it, it was more the nose that wasn't hitting me right (and it lost some of its punch as I got into the beer). I ended up finding this to have a refreshing bitter side that many NE IPAs miss - skin and rind involved versus pure flesh. That said, I might grab one more from the six pack, but will leave the other four for the GF, assuming she enjoys it as I expect she will.

    Edit: uh-oh! I'm the lowest of 7 reviews... this is becoming a trend.
     
    #63 cjgiant, Oct 21, 2018
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2018
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  4. larryi86

    larryi86 Grand Pooh-Bah (5,118) Apr 4, 2010 Delaware
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Starting with Central State Hot Yoga watching the Eagles, thanks @bstyle for sendin this my way.

    4.06/5 rDev 0%
    look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

    Thank you bstyle for this
    16 oz can poured into a tulip

    A- A hazy orange with a two finger white head.

    S- Citrus, limes, piney, a little floral, an interesting mildly funky yeast character along with some wet grass.

    T- Citrus, limes, tart lemons, some wheat, piney, touch of wet grass, touch of peppercorns.

    M- Smooth, medium body

    O- A very interesting IPA, yeast makes this pretty unique.
    [​IMG]
     
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  5. NotAlcoholicJustAHobby

    NotAlcoholicJustAHobby Initiate (0) Jun 13, 2015 Vermont

    NBS beer #2

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    The Event Horizon

    Olde Hickory Brewery
    American Imperial Stout / 8.50% ABV

    4.31/5 rDev -1.1% | Score: 4.36
    look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

    bottled 11/22/17

    L-The beer pours dark brown to black. The head is one finger of mocha colored bubbles. The head recedes to a thin film with sparse lacing.
    S- The nose is primarily dark chocolate mixed with moderately strong bourbon presence. As the dark chocolate mixes with the sweeter vanilla bourbon presence I get more of a impression of milk chocolate.
    T-The strongest presence on the palate is chocolate. It starts out dark like the nose, but sweetens as the flavors transition to the bourbon. Roast presence is very mild.
    F- Mouthfeel is medium, a touch light for the style. There is a touch of slickness. Carbonation is on the lighter side of medium.
    O-A really tasty stout. More chocolaty than roasty. Mouthfeel is a touch light, but a really solid barrel aged stout. Recommended.
     
  6. kemoarps

    kemoarps Grand Pooh-Bah (3,256) Apr 30, 2008 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    This sentiment is one of my favourite aspects of the NBS BIFs that I've been a part of (aside from all the other awesome aspects). I've ended up sampling not just breweries and locales that I wouldn't otherwise have had the opportunity, but I've also been allowed to dip my toes into styles that I wouldn't have picked up at the store myself which is always fun to kind of push the boundaries of familiarity and understanding, and even if not every one is right up your alley/repeat-likely, it's still cool to get that glimpse into what people can do with beer and I find it helps to shape and better understand my own preferences as well.
     
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  7. Snowcrash000

    Snowcrash000 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,041) Oct 4, 2017 Germany
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    [​IMG]

    Hunahpu's Imperial Stout, an Imperial Stout brewed with cacao nibs, madagascar vanilla beans, ancho chilis, pasilla chilis and cinnamon by Cigar City.

    Pours a thick, oily pitch black coloration with a small, dark brown, creamy head. Smell is a little faint and has an oddly floral chili aroma to it, as well as lots of chocolate, a hint of cinnamon and a somewhat earthy, musty aroma.

    Taste is dominated by dark, bitter chocolate and a slight roastiness, with only subtle hints of vanilla and cinnamon, the cinnamon standing out a little more. The chili has the same oddly floral character as in the aroma and is not all that pleasant. There are also hints of dark fruit: fig, raisins, and of a certain earthy hoppiness to this. Hardly any boozyness there at all. Finishes quite bitter, with the floral chili coming out even more in the aftertaste. Thick, creamy mouthfeel with a rich body and low carbonation.

    I really dislike the chili pepper note in this because it has more of a floral than spicy character that seems a little odd. The balance also seems a little off, because even though the chocolate, roastiness and high bitterness complement each other quite well, that rich, roasted bitter chocolate character does not quite leave enough room for the spices to come out. Mouthfeel and body really are fantastic though, very rich, creamy, almost viscous.


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    Hunahpu's Imperial Stout Bourbon Barrel-Aged, an Imperial Stout brewed with cacao nibs, madagascar vanilla beans, ancho chilis, pasilla chilis and cinnamon and aged in White Oak Bourbon barrels by Cigar City.

    Pours a pitch black coloration with a medium, creamy, dark brown head. Smells of rich, dark chocolate, cinnamon and chili peppers, with a hint of vanilla, oak and quite a hot bourbon note.

    Taste follows the nose, being dominated by rich, bitter chocolate, roasted malts and spicy chili peppers, with a good amount of vanilla and lighter notes of cinnamon, dark fruits: fig, raisins, some oak and a light earthiness. There's also quite a hot, boozy bourbon note to this. It starts out a little sweet, with the chocolate and vanilla standing out the most, but turns a lot more bitter and warming in the aftertaste. Finishes with a medium bitterness, vanilla notes, and some heat, both from the chili and booze, lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a rich body and low carbonation.

    I actually think that the heat from the chilies and the booze work together quite well to create quite an aggressive character that works well with the bitterness and is balanced out nicely by a certain sweetness from the vanilla. The bourbon barrels really have done wonders for the quite overrated Hunahpu here, adding a lot of depth and somehow smoothing out the rough edges and balance.

    This thankfully doesn't have that odd, floral chili note that normal Huna has, the chilies feeling a lot more sharp and spicy. A little less earthy and bitter though, with more vanilla sweetness and a lot more booziness. slightly richer dark fruit notes as well. Mouthfeel is actually quite a bit worse though, not having quite that thick, almost viscous quality to it that normal Huna has. Still quite smooth though.
     
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  8. CanConPhilly

    CanConPhilly Grand Pooh-Bah (4,421) May 17, 2012 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    New beer #5. Moving on to @FlintB ’s hi-octane mystery beer.

    Looks like a 16 oz bottle.
    Assuming this is a stout or barleywine.

    [​IMG]

    L - 2-finger hazelnut head recedes rapidly, leaving behind a cola body. 4.25

    S - damn. Alcohol, nuts, raisins, grapes, chocolate? A very unusual nose. Guessing this is a belgian stout of some sort. 4

    T - dark fruits, raisins, grapes, wine musk. Definitely belgian. Now I’m thinking dubbel or quad. Booze is very apparent. Can’t wait to see what the abv is on this. 4.5

    F - medium body with low carb. 4.25

    O - I have no idea what this is. Maybe a Brewery Vivant Quad? It tastes great but a bit off the beaten path. 4.25

    The reveal:

    [​IMG]

    Well shit Brian, you had me totally confused. A BBA trippel weizenbock? Pretty sure that’s my first beer in that style. Bottle 101 of 110??? Wow. I am honored to be drinking this. Tastes awesome, and is quickly getting me buzzed. Still unsure of the abv but definitely on the high end.
     
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  9. HoppingMadMonk

    HoppingMadMonk Grand Pooh-Bah (5,208) Mar 3, 2017 New Jersey
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Elysian dark o moon pumpkin stout
    ..solid black color
    ..slick,oily, creamy feel with light carbonation
    ..aroma is black coffee, chocolate, roasted malt
    ..taste is coffee, bitter cocoa, very dry,not much sweetness at all. There's smoke and char that is surprising as it didn't show up in the aroma. The aftertaste hints slightly at some spice and pumpkin[​IMG]
    ..I was surprised by how good this was although the pumpkin element was almost non existant . This was a very good stout without any need for extra gimmicks
     
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  10. CanConPhilly

    CanConPhilly Grand Pooh-Bah (4,421) May 17, 2012 Pennsylvania
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Looked up the abv. 17%. Now my buzz makes sense @FlintB .
     
  11. dennis3951

    dennis3951 Initiate (0) Mar 6, 2008 New Jersey

    Bell's Expedition Stout. Imperial Stout is one of my favorite styles and will try one blind if I see one I haven't had before. I've known about this beer for a long time but Bells wasn't sold in NJ until this Summer Saw this on a shelf this week and picked up a 6 pack. Glad I did excellent brew. Pours jet black with a thick tan head. The aroma is of roasted malts and dried dark fruit. The taste is powerful but balanced Chocolate, vanilla, raisins, figs and coffee are all there with none standing out. The mouthfeel is full very full. The finish is dry and lasting. Great beer hands down. Can't wait to do a side by side with Expedition Stout and Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout
     
  12. TongoRad

    TongoRad Grand Pooh-Bah (3,884) Jun 3, 2004 New Jersey
    Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Happy NBS, everybody! I'm having a relaxing Sunday, and the weather's finally brisk enough to merit the first fire of the season. At the moment I'm enjoying a Brut IPA sent by @Victory_Sabre1973 as part of the recent BIF:
    [​IMG]
    This is The Brut Squad by the Fair State Brewing Cooperative

    It took me a few sips to get on board with this one. It's only the second Brut IPA I've had, and the first one (by Industrial Arts) was much more along the lines of what I'd pictured them to be like- a more refined take on the style while not sacrificing anything in the way of character.

    This one seems like its polar opposite, and the only thing in common is the bone dryness. The nose is incredibly powerful and saturated- very tropical and floral. The palate starts out the same way- mango, passionfruit, kiwi, melon, tangerine, even a touch of carnations. Very smooth and saturated too, at first. Then there's a very crisp dry finish, followed immediately by a huuuuge slam of grapefruit peel bitterness. Like I said, at first it didn't seem like these two aspects would go well together, but after a few more sips I started to notice that some of the fruitiness was also carrying over to the finish and it started to take on a more cohesive feel- so even on its own terms it's working for me. And then I take another look at the name...aah, yes, the Brute Squad...and I get where they're coming from. Nothing dainty or delicate here, just a big punch of everything they got in your face. And by the end of the glass I kinda dig the Campari-level of bitterness and dryness that's happening. This was a great ride, and I could happily go for another right now :sunglasses:. Thanks again, James! A very solid A- (4.35).
     
  13. nc41

    nc41 Initiate (0) Sep 25, 2008 North Carolina
    Trader

    I definately agree, my BIF box took me from framiliar to new. I appreciate the mix. New and different is good for sticks in the mud like me. Now I'll seek out Thai IPAs, and I'll be looking for locals to compare with Bare Hands.
     
  14. Roguer

    Roguer Grand High Pooh-Bah (7,811) Mar 25, 2013 Connecticut
    Mod Team Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    This next entry is a BIF two-fer: glassware from Dan, beer from Matt.

    [​IMG]
    Manayunk Coconut Crunch chocolate coconut porter

    I've literally never heard of this brewery in Pennsylvania. From the website, it appears they've been brewing for over 20 years.

    This beer is about spot-on for a chocolate coconut porter weighing in at 6.0% ABV. There's plenty of coconut, really emerging mid-palate and lasting through the finish. It's toasty and vegetal, not overly sweet. The chocolate tends to mostly blend with the roasted malt base, with overall tones of burnt toast, black coffee, chocolate, char, and cream.

    https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/695/222381/?ba=Roguer#review
    3.65 / -3.4%

    Cheers!
     
  15. Harrison8

    Harrison8 Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,285) Dec 6, 2015 Missouri
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Poking around my home city solo today. I have done a poor job of attending new breweries and testing out the public transport, so I decided to Lyft to the upper edge of the city and use public transport and my feet to get back south. This stop is Border Brewery and right in the heart of the beer in Kansas City. Sitting on this patio, I could quite literally hit another brewery and a top notch beer bar with a soft toss. Before I get there, let's visit the beer in my glass.

    [​IMG]

    Border Brewing's 2018 Wet Hopped IPA.

    Pours a hazy orange with a finger of white foam. Head retention is okay. Aroma is like sticking your nose into the brew room of a brewery, mingling pine, dank, floral and herbal hops with biscuit and pale malts. Very good beer smell. Flavor profile is pine, dank, herbal, tropical fruit hops layered over biscuit, earthen, and pale malts. Splendid beer taste, blending hops and malts in a yin-yan display. Mouth feel is medium in thickness with a light crispness. Overall, good balance between the hops and malts. Reminds me of my first brewery tours visits with my dad, when all I could do was smell and not taste.

    Score: 4 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4 | 4.25 | BA Score: 4.37 | rDev: N/A (this is an annual release, and this is the one and only rating of this years. There is one of last year's, but BA needs to meld the two beer profiles first)

    This post is via my phone, so I apologize for any typos or grammatic errors.
     
  16. Dragginballs76

    Dragginballs76 Initiate (0) Nov 13, 2015 South Carolina
    Trader

    Good Afternoon fellow BAs getting started on something light and easy drinking I got from @strohme2 in NBS BIF #8. Upper hand Brewery Laughing Fish, clocking in at 4.8% it is the light refreshing start I need after making the mistake of switching to bourbon last night. Thanks Justin!!

    [​IMG]


    Appearance 3.75 - Pours clear golden color with a thin tight white head that dissipates to a thin ring. Very little lacing

    Aroma 3.5 - Grain, sweet malt, honey, light orange, grassy, bread.

    Taste 4 - taste is similar to the nose might have a little more citrus. Grain, honey, fairly heavy on the bread flavor. Sweet with a light floral taste.

    Feel 4 - Light bodied nice carbonation really clean finish.

    Overall 3.82 - Really nice flavors clean and super easy drinking. Perfect boat beer or lawnmower beer.
     
  17. cjgiant

    cjgiant Grand High Pooh-Bah (6,584) Jul 13, 2013 District of Columbia
    Society Pooh-Bah

    Ok, the GF's friend gave her a bunch of beers after a recent trip to Canada. I saw them and said, "I am going to use these beers for New Beer Sunday." And since I'm the man of the house, what I say is...

    ...taken into consideration. And with that, she graciously said it was okay for me to do what I had intended.

    I have here two beers from Hop City Brewing Co. This is not meant to be a throwdown, as one is a session IPA (Commuter) and one is a DIPA (HopBot), but I figured I'd review them together. They are stamped, but the code eludes me: there is a value that could be a day-of-year, but nothing about the code seems to indicate the year (a la Julian dating). I'll go in presuming these are a couple months old.
    [​IMG]

    First off, the session IPA, Commuter, was a bit gushing. Secondly, the picture is a little deceiving on the difference in color in these beers, as they are pretty close in color, actually, with the DIPA being just a tad darker and a little more clear. Both are amber, with heads that last and provide some lacing.

    Commuter is pretty much a grainy-smelling beer with a light pine wood influence. The wood balances out as the beer warms, but the nose doesn't seem to ever promise more than a balanced pale ale. HopBot has a more caramelly sweet malt profile with a similar pine wood bitterness, but it never gains equal footing with the malts. It has near an American Barleywine nose to it overall.

    HopBot isn't as sweet as the nose predicts, but it's not bitter, either. There is a caramel malt aspect, but it's not too sweet or syrupy. In fact, the beer is on the medium light side. The hops some across as pine needle with maybe a spruce-like spiciness and lead to the balanced nature from the get go. The malt cleans up to allow the bitterness to alight on the tongue briefly before the end of the taste.

    Commuter ends up being a little watery - which is not an uncommon complaint of session IPAs. However, where decent sessions can have a nice punch of hops, this one is a near perfect balance of grain and neutral bitterness.

    Both beers were fairly clean, with a nice dryness on top of their fairly neutral flavors that made them easy to drink. Commuter was only added to the DB here this year, so as long as it wasn't a one-off, it's quite possible it wasn't too old. but I seem to mostly agree with the only other in depth review on it. I think its current rating is about where I'd have it - around a 3.4-3.5. HopBot gained a little more subtle bitterness as I drank it down, with a little numbing tingle that was either spicy hops or a hint of the alcohol. I'd have it a bit lower than its current rating, around a 3.6.
     
  18. jkblr

    jkblr Grand Pooh-Bah (5,132) Nov 22, 2014 Indiana
    BA4LYFE Society Pooh-Bah Trader

    Round #2
    Here's some obscure Illinois beer that showed up in southern Indiana this week.
    [​IMG]
    The review:
    16oz canned 8/16/18 (65 days ago) poured into a willibecher glass at fridge temp 5.2% ABV. The beer pours slightly hazy orange amber in color with off white head. The head recedes to a thick ring and leaves a little lacing. The aroma is earthy mixed fruit. The taste is more earthy, herbal citrus. There is a hint of pale malt at the beginning, then the bitterness hits and persists after the swallow. Mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied, adequately carbonated and dry in the finish. Overall, very good. Not my favorite flavor profile, but well made and enjoyable.

    In truth, I tried this beer once on a hockey trip to Chicago years ago before I actively participated or reviewed on BA. I remember seeing it posted on WBAYDN daily. I remember being let down on that encounter, but can appreciate what this beer is now.

    @cjgiant, I graduated from Purdue and casually follow their teams. It seems that the only thing they do with consistency is ruin other teams seasons. I'd wager that they will have to beat IU in Bloomington on the last day of the season be bowl eligible this year. Cheers all!
     
  19. Jimmy_Kneecaps

    Jimmy_Kneecaps Savant (1,007) Sep 19, 2017 Tennessee
    Trader

    You didn’t get any of the goat ass @Dragginballs76 was talking about?
     
  20. woemad

    woemad Grand Pooh-Bah (5,601) Jun 8, 2003 Washington
    Pooh-Bah Trader

    Greetings, fellow NBSers, and thanks to @cjgiant for getting this ship out of harbor and onto the high seas.

    60° and clear today. This might well be the last decent weekend until spring, weather-wise. Yesterday I watched college football and recovered from a Friday night spent drinking at several places around town. Highlights were the Raspberry Sherbet from Whistlepunk and Ommegang 's Rosetta. My Huskies beat a pretty good Colorado team, while my decimated Eastern Eagles had a desperately needed bye. Not a Wazzu fan but DAMN, they sure rose to the occasion against Oregon. This might be their year.

    Today I'm going with a tallboy can of a "dry-hopped lager" brewed in the Seattle suburb that is home to a little ma and pop company y'all may have heard of, called, um, Microsoft.
    [​IMG]
    https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38100/376964/?ba=woemad#review
    A little long in the tooth but extremely drinkable stuff. PNW hops, with a crisp, clean finish like in a good pils. If I lived within a short drive of this brewery, as a friend of mine does, I'd have pounded quite a few of these this past summer.
     
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