New Beer Sunday (Week 718)

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. It's the first quiet moment of the long holiday weekend. This was our first Thanksgiving in our "downsized" home and we were thrilled that our daughter and son could join us from North Carolina. It was a little weird for them - their first Thanksgiving with us that wasn't in the house in which they grew up. On Friday, my son and I visited Carton and Twin Elephant, and then we hosted our annual tasting party for their friends and ours. My son brewed a coffee porter that was really quite good. for a novice brewer! Yesterday, we were able to spend a fun afternoon touring the cemetery in Sleepy Hollow, NY, home of the Headless Horseman and the graves of many famous people. One bizarre aspect is that Andrew Carnegie and Samuel Gompers are buried only yards apart (no doubt they hated each other in life). It was like old times with the four of us going on an outing. We even had the new puppy with us. I think the kids will both be back for Christmas and I'm already looking forward to it.

On to beer. @jhavs sent me a ninja box with some great Vermont beers, including Hill Farmstead's Society & Solitude #4, a DIPA hopped with Citra and Galaxy. It's very rare that I get to drink a HF beer from a can; it's usually on draught at a restaurant in NYC. This is a spectacular NE DIPA with a great balance of tart and sweet citrus and some sweet vanilla/lactose that gave it a bit of a creamsicle taste as the glass warmed. The mouth feel is as good as it gets. Thanks so much, Jon! Here's my full review:

4.57/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

I received this from @jhavs. Canned on 10/22/2018. Poured into Spiegelau IPA glass. It has a classic NEIPA appearance: turbid, muddy-golden in color with a large foamy bright white cap and abundant, thick, lacing. The nose features lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, peach, a whiff of vanilla, and light floral hops. Wow, is this delicious! It opens rather tart with lots of lemon and grapefruit notes, balanced by sweet tangerine and other hints of tropical fruit. At the finish of the sip there is a subtle but noticeable appearance of vanilla that becomes more apparent as the glass warms and gives it a creamsicle quality. The bill of Citra and Galaxy hops is very flavorful and only slightly bitter. It finishes with a touch of pepper. The mouth feel is superb: rich and creamy with a perfect level of carbonation, and the 8% ABV provides lots of substance. Overall, I'm believing the hype. S&S #4 is sensational!

I'll be back soon with #2. I hope you're all enjoying your new beer(s) today. Cheers!

 

New beer #7. Thanks @FlintB !

Oil of Gladness - Dark Horse feat. 3 Floyds
Black Barleywine - 11% abv
2017 bottle
Score: 4.17 (+2.2% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1471/280223/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
Labeled as a BBA barleywine, but this shares a lot of characteristics with a smoked stout. Lovely smoky and caramel malt, minimal bitterness, with tons of chocolate. I didn’t know what to expect with this, but it’s a delight. Thanks again Brian!

 

Afternoon NBS having gas station coffee from untitled art / angry chair

Pours beautiful dark rich brown with dark tan head about finger and a half on easy pour
Smells roasty caramel toffee notes
Drinks lighter than it looks but not thin big roasty coffee taste with caramel cream back to it very smooth and easy drinking
4.6/5 rDev +8.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Thanks @beermanben

 

How much are those going for up there?

 

Galaxy Triangles was not my favorite IPA but I liked it enough that I would buy it again if brewed. Much like Veil, it seems their DIPAs are better than their IPAs but I guess that should be expected.

 

Sadly $30/bottle, but at the end of the day it’s worth it.

 

Breckenridge - Autumn Ale

Digging into my barley wine box for something new to me. I rarely have a beer from Breckenridge. The label and brewer's site call it a "brown ale" but this is listed as an "old ale" on pretty much EVERY review/menu site. This is too consistent to be a coincidence. I suspect that the brewer used to call this an "old ale" back in the day. American brown ale feels like a better fit to me anyway.

At a high volume, the beer is a near opaque dark brown bordering on black. On the edges or at low volume, it's a clear cola brown. 7% ABV. It's very thin. Hoppy in a bitter way. Tastes of watered down burnt molasses. The brewer's description says, "the malty goodness of a German lager with the clean crispness of an American ale." Hmmm. I sorta get it but I want to switch their words around. There is a clean, crisp, malty German lager quality here, but the product feels American rather than German. This doesn't fit well into my barley wine group, but I think it might be nice for volume drinking if you want to feel its effects.

 

Exactly. I've worked across the International Date Line a few times, and twice flew into tomorrow. I'm not sure what Time really is, but it ain't linear and it's relatively complicated.

 

I agree, Triple Crossing’s DIPAs are money, their single IPAs less so.

 

Good afternoon and happy New Bromance Sunday BAs. Got to do a quick and familiar little hike in Forest Park again this morning, but nothing like what my pal @cjgiant got to do this weekend in my favorite place on Earth while visiting here.







I'd like to put in my two cents on the start time of NBS. To comply with what seems to be the more popular opinion, sure… it's posted, it's “technically” Sunday, it's fair game. But... I personally hold a lot of value in this thread, it's history, and it being perhaps the only pure tradition left on BA. That said, I hold on to its roots. Full review, entered in the database, a beer I have actually never had, posted on Sunday. To each their own.

With that, it's on to my new beer.

Maine Beer Company
Lunch- IPA





I promised myself I wasn't going to do reviews of IPAs on NBS anymore, but sometimes you come across something special. Or in this case, gifted such from a certain @cjgiant . Thanks Craig!

Lunch looks impressive enough to merit its reputation alone. A soft vintage streetlight orange glow with tiny bubbles streaming upwards to support a meringue like eggshell white foam. The stubbornness is amazing, the plastered lace, epic.

The aroma, masterful. Restrained a bit perhaps, but perfect balance of citrus, sweetness, pine sap, and spice. Fresh orange zest and a splash of lemon over a foundation of sweet and lightly kilned malt. Sticky evergreen sap with a pinch of lemon pepper to finish things off.

Once again, balance is the focus. Hard orange rock candy as the base followed by tangerine and grapefruit rind. A soft and almost wheat like malty sweetness forms with the slightest hint of burnt sugar, and then the blow of damp pine needles in the finish. Lingering with that sap, an ever so slightly herbal and spicy touch.

Spot on feel. Lunch dances back and forth with it's sweet initial bite and long lasting bitter end. Sip after sip is like a set of waves, and the best part is the ride in between. A medium carbonation carries its contents perfectly, giving it a perceived lighter finish.

For an old school style IPA hound like myself, Lunch is absolutely phenomenal. It's hard to find flaws aside from minute preferences. Truly deserving of its high praise. Thanks again Craig.

After my official review, I gave Lunch a rating of 4.44, with an rDev of + 1.1%. Cheers!

 

New Beer #2. This Urban Roots Playground Tactics Double IPA is also a gift from @TheBrewsky. Urban Roots is a relatively new brewery out of Sacramento, CA, and this is the first beer that I'm trying from them. I've heard good things.



This was canned on 10.22, so it's a little old, but should go just fine.



The can claims that the beer is "Hella Unfiltered" and as you can see from the photo above, there is no false advertisement here. It pours with a bright murky yellow body and a finger of off-white frothy head. The head retention is standard, but there is A LOT of lacing left on the glass. The beer truly looks beautiful.

Great points on the smell too. This beer is very pungent, and the bright tropical and citrusy notes hit you as soon as you open the can. I think there is a tad bit of yeast smell to it as well, though maybe that is just my (beer-infused) imagination.

Taste follows the nose — extremely tropical and juicy, with notes of sweet orange, tangerine, and papaya. Hops are well balanced by a strong malt backbone. There is a bit of an ill-fitting yeasty taste element that doesn't match the rest of the taste presentation, but it is only a slight minus.

In terms of feel, this is pretty epic too. Again, this is a spot-on NEIPA with medium carbonation, creamy texture and no apparent alcohol.

What a fantastic beer, even at over a month old! I've heard good things about these guys ever since they first opened, and after trying Playground Tactics, I'm so ready to try more of their offerings.

4.75 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5
Final Rating: 4.52 (rDev +6.9%) aka other ratings are wrong lol

Cheers!

 

Very happy to help and you should totally hire me as a proofer/drinker. Was the issue that this beer was an evolution from Wintertide and therefore an ongoing recipe change?

 

Thanks to @lordofthewiens for the rousing start. Much to be thankful for here. Had the luxury of taking a week+ off to go visit my Sis in North Carolina. Was great to visit and catch up with her kids as well. Remember them all in diapers & now the baby is applying for colleges. Was also good to touch base with her ex ( we are still great friends & still is great dad to his 2 sons ) & her current long-time boyfriend who is a hoot as well. We also had the chance to visit the Sierra Nevada set up in Mills River, very nice! Also got a great hike in up near Old Fort ( Catawba Falls ). Now on to some beer

Hi-Wire Brewing's ( Asheville )Hazy& Juicy& Hoppy& Fresh Double Dry-Hopped New England Style IPA with Azzaca, Mosaic & Amarillo hops, 7.5% ABV. 4.17 overall

Pours an effervescent & hazed gold with a thumb of rocky head. Never completely clears, good head retention & better lacing

S: Tons of oranges, a little breadyness, fades as it warms

T: Mango, papaya, oranges and dryness up front. A touch of grapefruit pith, oranges and dryness as this warms, plus a little mango, Finishes with grapefruit, oranges & dryness

MF: Medium body, delicate carbonation, superb balance

Such an easy drinker, this beer delivers the citrus & tropical flavor

 

I guess I got off light, variants were $ 24 each here

 

Was your grist:

Pale two-row malt: 4 lb.
Pilsner malt: 4 lb.
Dextrin Malt: 1 lb.
Wheat Malt: 12 oz.
Flaked Wheat: 12 oz.
Dextrose: 6 oz.

With the 12 oz. of flaked oats ‘missing’?

Cheers!

 

$24 each is definitely a better price, wish they would go back to 12 oz bottles, I miss BCBS being only $20 for a 4-pack.

 

That was actually from the GF, and she didn’t really want to give it up. She also said you rated it too low and in a mocking tone of voice asked “WTF are ‘minute preferences’”

Don’t ask her about it when next we meet. She’ll just deny it and slap me and act like I made it all up.

 

Happy Sunday NBS, hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. Today I am cracking one from a ninja box sent to me during NBS BIF #7 by @Ozzylizard. Bob saw that I had my first ever Hoppin Frog stout and it had some definite off flavors. He decide to sent me a 6 shipper of them so I could get a second chance at them. Today's:

Pours black with a small amount of dark tan head that dissipates quickly.
Smell is huge roast and dark chocolate first, followed by some dark fruit and hops.
Taste is roast, bitter coffee and dark chocolate. Finish has a char taste to it.
Feel is very smooth and good body for an oatmeal stout. Creamy.
Overall I am definitely enjoying this one. Very well done oatmeal stout.

Thanks Bob!

 

Happy NBS and thanks to the vast majority of you beer geeks that celebrate with no need for petty jackassery. Today is a nice brew my generous niece from Chatanooga surprised me with at our family Thanksgiving. Sunken Cemetery from OddStory Brewing.
From the brewery:
"We are proud to announce the Barrel Aged Sunken Cemetery Bottle Release!
This Imperial Stout was brewed with cinnamon, nutmeg, cacao, coffee and vanilla; then finished on habanero peppers and aged in Chattanooga Whiskey Barrels as a part of their 2018 Native Project."

A 4.11 from me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/48194/382484/?ba=StraightNoChaser#review

 

Thanks for the great intro Doc. Lots to be thankful for this holiday season (and everyday quite frankly) - Mrs. Z is doing well and planning our next adventure, and Jr. Z is wrapping up another solid semester of college here at USF St. Pete.

I got 3 BCBS variants this Black Friday, my best showing yet, for which I’m thankful. I like Orange Chocolate candy at Christmas, and I’m looking forward to today’s new beer - BCBS Midnight Orange:

Poured at 56 degrees, the liquid is black with greyish ruby edges; an aggressive pour renders a small very fast fizzy tan cap that leaves no retention and a thin ring; spots of lace and medium legs on swirl. 4.0



Strong cocoa nibs and boozy orange candy nose. 4.5

Sweet chocolate covered candy orange slices; no bourbon or barrel flavors; boozy; fudgy finish. 4.5



Medium body, silky feel, alcohol bite on tip of tongue; slightly warming at 15.2%. 4.0

Overall, a bit thin and a bit boozy; otherwise the orange candy tastes vibrant and the chocolate compliments the orange flavors; not too sweet and dangerously light drinking for the ABV. 4.25

In my limited experience with orange flavored stouts, the orange fades, so drink up. If you like sweet, flavored stouts, that are not adjuncty or syrupy, I recommend. Cheers!