New Beer Sunday (Week 719)

The closest I’ll get will be on my way to Six Flags over the summer! Maybe I’ll drive the few extra miles!

 

I don't know much about scotch, but I can pretty much agree that the beer was not super-smoked or peaty, just a touch. I liked the beer, but I think it will smooth out and get mellow with some bottle time.

 

Reviewing and rating per style is number #1 for me, and rating to intent is #2, with perhaps a handful of exceptions. As an example, if a brewery labels a beer as a particular style, I'll look at those characteristics first, and then at the intended additives. In other words, if someone releases an English Dark Mild with coffee and an American Stout with coffee, I'll look at those style notes for a majority of the review notes, and then if the coffee comes across really well (or poorly), it could get boosted or docked.

 

Waiting for my case of this. Initial shipment was damaged and returned to brewery,

Great beer !!

 

I liked it because the photo was cool, and maybe more important, I'm seeking that beer.

In all seriousness, cool photo!

 

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Bramble Rye Stout. 4.21 overall

Pours an effervescent ebony with a pinky of mocha colored head. Viscous, zero head retention & lacing

S: Plenty of berries, some cherry, prunes, figs & booze

T: Raspberries, dryness, slight peppery presence from they rye, slight chocolate notes as well. Raspberry & chocolate pick up intensity as this warms, dryness is quite pronounced, a little raisin & leafy hop as well. Finishes with black cherry, a little blackberry, woody dryness, just a kiss of Rye spicyness

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, builds a little once warm

Nice take on the style, ABV is well hidden, berries make a nice impact. I don't believe I could buy this again at this price point

 

I’m late to the party this week but better late than never with you fine folks! I’ve been trying to clear out the cellar a bit and stumbled across this brew which is officially listed as retired. No worries, it was barrel aged for a year before release and I’ve probably added another year to its life. Aged in rye barrels from a local distillery whose rye I quite enjoy.

Overall tasty just too sweet. I would have hoped time would have helped temper that but it did not. Aromas and flavors match with milk chocolate, caramel, vanilla and rye. The rye comes more as an afterthought, definitely there but not as much influence as I would have anticipated from a year of barrel aging. No flaws and holding up well, just sweeter than any other wee heavy I’ve had.
Cheers!

 

Fourth and final odd ball here. BeerAdvocate description says this is barrel aged, but the label doesn't mention that at all. Tastes like it could be partially or short term barrel aged. A mystery...

The review:
12oz bottled 10/5/18 (2 months ago) poured into a NH signature tulip glass at fridge temp 12% ABV. The beer pours dense amber with it's brightness and ruby highlights visible only in bright light. The head is mocha colored and recedes to a thin ring and leaves a little lacing. The aroma is strong sweet wheat malt that mimics rum barrel with toffee and brown sugar. The taste is more sweetness with toffee, coconut, brown sugar and booze (specifically rum). The finish features low bitterness and uses the alcohol to keep things mostly dry. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and adequately carbonated. Overall, excellent. This is a great style tick and a fantastic sipper in all. Beware if you don't like a little sweetness.

Full disclosure, I had one from this four pack a couple weeks ago, late at night. The more I let this warm, the more I get vanilla and oak. I really wish I would have put in an effort for the Bourbon County, but that single cost more than this four pack. Another new style ticked and two in one day. Cheers all, if I have another, it'll be an old fave.

 

My pleasure. It sure does seem like the gooseberries and base beer are very well dovetailed together- that's why I enjoyed it as much as I did. The beer, it's gotta be a mixed fermentation, right?- it sure doesn’t come off as a kettle sour. And maybe there are pits or seeds in the berries? I'm just guessing on that part. So it could be that sort of interplay that's lending the underlying complexity to the whole thing. So, yeah, it could come off as extreme at first, but it's also rewarding if you move past it. Good to know they captured the essence of the berry, too. Thanks again, Cheers!

 

You would like it for the photo!

Happy to send a bottle. Shoot me a PM if interested.

 

Picked up my first two on first day of release,Thursday. Damn, what a beautiful 15th Anniversary beer!


375 ml. bottle.
Bottled 26 July, 2018.
11.3% abv.
Moderate pour yields a one inch tan head over a very dark brown body with some sticky lacing. Nose of caramel, molasses, charred (slightly smokey) oak, and slight vanilla with even slighter bourbon. Taste of caramel, molasses, vanilla, chocolate, and slight bourbon. Mouthfeel is exquisite. The smokiness is a pleasant surprise, and overall a winner from John K. and his crew.
Cheers!!!

4.61/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

 

Thanks. The decorations are all done by my wife. I string lights and put up trees. She's makes it all look great.

 

So, like Corliss Williamson and Nolan Richardson?

 

Umm, yeah, ok.

 

Exactly.

 

I'm going to throw in my 2 cents here. @Harrison8 , please don't take this as a personal criticism... it's really not. Do things your way and my comments are just part of this discussion (and no more). I think that rating Double Sunshine low because it's listed here as a NEIPA as opposed to a DIPA is doing a disservice to the beer/brewer. The beer was added to this database in 2010 and NEIPA only became a category here a few months ago. If some people think that it belongs in the new category that's fine, but don't hold it against the beer. It wasn't conceived as such. The brewer calls it a DIPA. I would assume it was listed here as a DIPA for 8 years and as a NEIPA for a maximum of 3 months. Review it as such. There's obviously fluidity with how a beer can be categorized if we can change that categorization... so let's not think of these things with such rigidity when we think about the beer itself.

 

I've been staring at this beer in the store (and it's price tag) for weeks. I guess I'll have to finally pick one up (or four) up after reading your review.

 

I think you're very right. I hope this bring attention to mis-labeling a beer style. Double Sunshine was good, but was it good per the style labeling on the site (which, as you pointed out, was requested changed since the original posting)? No.

This bring me to a question though - how do we assign appropriate style listings? And further, if a beer is mis-labeled on the site from what the label says, how do we approach a rating? I say this with Double Sunshine in hindsight and another beer in foresight, which one other user has already called out as mis-labeled on this site. Double Sunshine is clearly labeled as a "Double IPA" at the bottom of the can, and yet was switched to a NE IPA sometime since the style was recently added to the website. Do I rate to the site listing or the can label? Since I'm typing this up for the website, I rated to the current style, and listed it.

Perhaps this warrants its own thread. After all, I want accuracy, and while I'm not keen on debating style discrepancies on the forum, I will write and rate to the style presented by the beers' profile at time of consumption.

At the end of the day, should Double Sunshine change style listings on the website and I'm able to get another can - I'll gladly sit down and review it again. Until then, it really wasn't notable with a sea of more flavorful, tight tolerance NE IPAs available.

Cheers.

 

As promised, a couple 50/50 blends with Luscious.
Dieu du Ciel!
Framboise vs. Cerise
(Raspberry versus Cherry.)
On a side note these two breweries have collaborated together before with an IPA called Moralite.



Solstice d'ete Framboise for the win.
Raspberry aroma and flavor was too much for Cerise's cherry. Due to the more subtle aromas and flavors of the Cerise, the aromas and flavors of Luscious all but completely hid that of the Cerise.



I love doing any and all types of comparisons; be it verticals, horizontals, or different blends such as these. Cheers!
Both were very good!