New Beer Sunday (Week 721)

Greetings, fellow NBSers and thanks to @cjgiant for getting us underway

Last week I skipped on NBS as my breakfasting adventures did not end well.
Today there is no suchcomplaint, so I'll be happy to pull up a stool at the NBS bar.

Right now it is a gray, rainy and generally unspectacularly nasty day in eastern Washington. Twice during the last week there was some snowfall, but now and in the near future, the weather is resembling an early, crappy spring! Right now it's 40°, with a high of 43° expected.

Today's NBS beer is my first from heavily hyped (at least in the PNW) Great Notion:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/41869/300694/?ba=woemad#review
While I'll probably never be 100% onboard with NE hazebombs as compared with traditional old school , westcoast style IPAs, this is pretty damn tasty stuff, and excuses the Great Notion hype I've read over the past couple years on the PNW forum. Great stuff.

 

I'm working 3 days this week then taking off until January 2nd. Happy holidays, BA! Today, I'm drinking an Allagash Coolship Resurgam (2017), a 6.4% gueuze.



On the nose, I get green apple, dry white wine, subtle oak, and zippy funk.

The taste opens with green apple, peach, and pear and finishes with pilsner malt, generic hops, and firm lemon rind. The mouthfeel is dry, with some fleshy/juicy impressions layered on top.

Overall, 4.25/5. The pilsner malt and generic hoppy character kind of drag down the stone fruit flavors, but it's ultimately a very well-crafted beer.

 

Foam Brewers The Shining NEDIPA 8%. Poured into a 16 IPA glass canned recent. Pours a beautiful hazy yellow orange with a half finger sticky white head that leaves some thin wisps of lace behind. 4.25

Smell is guava, tangerine, pineapple, and grapefruit rind so nicely balanced. 4.5

Taste tropical front to back, guava, pineapple, tangerine, and a nice balanced shot of grapefruit. 4.5

Mouthfeel is a big medium, soft gentle carbonation, not dry but sticky, and at 8% goes down so easy. 4.5

Overall his another awesome beer from Foam and I always expect a lot because they are masters of NEIPA and this another great. 4.5

 

New beer #6. Thanks @FlintB !

A Few Too Many Shillings - Kuhnhenn
Wee Heavy - 11% abv
Score: 4.09 (+1.2% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2097/17038/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
Basically a raisin bread smoothie. Not even a hint of booze despite the 11% abv. Goes down way too easily. Thanks again Brian!

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. Day of the Dark is one of my favorite BA theme events given my fondness for Imperial Stouts. I thought about opening this one yesterday but opted for NBS instead. Cape May Brewing's Boughs of Barley aged in Scotch Whisky barrels. This is a limited release for the holiday season. Cape May also brewed a cognac version but I generally prefer good Scotch whisky. This stout is incredibly smoky. It tastes like I've just smoked a cigar. There is a lot of earthy char and the whisky is very evident. For 11% ABV, it hits hard so I'll cap it for later. Although I generally prefer Russian Imperial Stouts, this is very good. The bomber format is more appropriate for a bottle share than individual drinking. Here's my full review:

4.08/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 750 ML bottle into a snifter glass. It pours an inky black with over a finger of fluffy, khaki-colored had and a thick sheen of like-colored lacing. Its fragrant nose features bakers chocolate, roasted malt, leather, tobacco smoke, earthy char, and a faint but noticeable scent of whiskey. The Scotch barrel is much more apparent in the taste; I noticed it from the first sip. It's very smoky with bitter char, burnt coffee grounds, and bakers chocolate. Only at the finish is there a very subtle caramel presence. There is virtually no sweetness. The after taste is like a cigar. There is no dark fruit notes. This stout has a rich, creamy mouth feel with low/moderate carbonation, and you can feel the 11% ABV right away. Overall, this variant of Boughs of Barley is well-crafted and I appreciate and have no complaints about it. It's a little too bitter and smoky for my taste but I'm sure that many will really enjoy it. Cape May is known for brewing big, barrel-aged beers and for the right drinker this one could be really special.

I hope you're all enjoying your new beer(s) today. As always, the reviews are informative and fun to read - a highlight of my week. I hope to be back with a new local IPA. Cheers!

 

Right along here NBS players.

Following up on the wolf-man, my second new beer today is also Drawn And Quartered, a quadruple dry hopped iipa, from Nightmare brewing, Long Island NY. As noted previously this is an upstart long island brewery that is currently contract brewing at Great South Bay which seems to be where every other upstart on the island is brewing. The brewer is the current lead brewer of Sand City. Can art features horror/medieval torture. The brew checks in at 10% abv, no canning date, and features nelson sauvin, galaxy, enigma, and citra hops.

The pour yields a hazy vanilla color with amber highlights. The nose is full of citrus fruit. The drinking starts with nice soft/plush hops upfront full of fruit tones. A very smooth flow that finishes with very little bitter. Notes of berry, melon, grape, orange, and lime. The mouth feel is super creamy, smooth and juicy. The dry hopping is really well done and I do not detect the abv at all. Very clean and defined flavors that really deliver.

Overall, just excellent/impressive stuff. I'm easily in the 4.5 range here players to possibly higher,

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! After a few stormy days, the last couple have been decent, but the clouds, rain, and wind are moving back in. as much as I hate snow, we definitely need a bunch of it up the mountains to rebuild the snowpack, so that we don't get repeats of the last couple of fire seasons. Here's some video taken on a Washington State ferry the other day, when winds out on the ope Sound hit 60+MPH: https://komonews.com/weather/scotts...ride-on-the-edmonds-ferry-as-winds-hit-60-mph

My first entry today is from a local brewery, Aslan. All their beers are certified organic, and they make a nice variety of styles. This beer, Hook's Stash, is an average Murky Pale:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31399/387305/

 

Alright third NBS entry... another Aeronaut beer. This is a NEIPA style w/ Columbus and Galaxy hops, clocking in at 6.8%.



Wow, this day is flying by... having a good time, though! This one pours a really dirty looking, opaque creamy-yellow/light amber color. It looks... uh.. gross? The head is solid, though. A thin ring of retentive eggshell-white foam that leaves some impressive tiered lace. Decent enough legs too. Kinda on the edge of awful and great by varying degrees... such is the NEIPA at times, eh?

So, my previous entry from Aeronaut also used Columbus hops, but this just smells like 100% Galaxy, honestly. Crazy pithy citrus and bright, sticky tropical fruit with a bit of dankness, too. I mean, Columbus is dank in a green way, but Galaxy just throws out so much passion fruit and grassy pineapple-like elements that it crowds out the good ol' American "C" hop here. Maybe it's just me, but damn. There's a prominent chive note here, too... kinda like Summit but it melds with the fruitiness a bit better. And that's about all there is in the nose. It's really "hyperfocused" on these aspects, let's say!

Light melon and white grapefruit on the tongue, right up front. The mid-palate has that chalky, oaty-ness I usually associate with Boston area NEIPAs, which transitions to grassy chive, green onion, earthy stone fruit and harsh acidic citrus fruits. Damn, this is bitter and green-tasting. It was only canned a week and a half ago, and I have to wonder if maybe I could've/should've waited until next week to let it all integrate a bit better. It's not bad by any means, but it just feels really young still. Luckily, it's not very yeasty, and has a rather nice pillowy feel with a quick zip of herbal and lightly-fruity hops in the finish. I wanted the Galaxy hops to play a more prominent role on the palate with this beer, but they seem to get a bit lost. Maybe that's the point, considering this is supposed to be an "antipodal" IPA... Galaxy in the nose with Columbus focus on the palate? Who knows... I just wish I had another to hang on to until next week to see if it gets better. This is likely gone from the store, now, though. Ah well. I'll still enjoy sipping and contemplating this can!

 

Greetings all and thanks as always to our host. It was indeed a fairly grey and damp day here but not quite so grey and damp as was forecast, so I guess we can call that some sort of win.

I've been meaning to try today's beer for a few years now but I always seem to drag my feet just long enough to miss my window of opportunity. I made sure not to repeat my mistake this year so I sit here today with a bottle of St. Bernardus Christmas Ale clocking in at 10% ABV. I'm a bit fussy about Belgian beers and generally like the darker ones while not caring so much for the lighter ones. St. Bernardus 12 is the beer that opened my eyes to what Belgian beers could be and I'm guessing/hoping this might be a version of that with some winter spices added? Let's see.





A mildly vigorous pour actually overflows the glass with a huge, tight, creamy and extremely long lasting light tan head. The nose bursts with what I think of as the "classic" Belgian yeast notes of clove and sweet spices. Some of that might be the addition of actual winter warmer style spices like clove, nutmeg and cinnamon but I'm not sure. I also get a fair bit of cola and raisins.

Taste pretty much follows the nose with even more of that cola flavor. This beer just has a ton of flavor and it intensifies as it warms. The ABV is definitely noticeable but in a very rounded and pleasant way. I don't mind some heat in my beers so others might find it stronger than my description. Mouthfeel is surprisingly crisp and very carbonated (as suggested by the head). Finish is relatively dry with just a tinge of bitterness that passes quickly.

This actually seems like quite a different beer than the 12, mostly due to the very high carbonation level and the abundance of those belgian estery flavors. Having finished it I'm still not sure if there are actual spices added or whether the yeast is doing all the work. It's a tasty beer and an interesting surprise with how carbonated it is, but it will not unseat the 12 for me.

In case I don't make it back for next Sunday, I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday! This thread is the best part of BA as far as I'm concerned and I am humbled that y'all tolerate my blatherings here. Cheers!!!

 

As for myself, I actually love winter time and it's attendant weather. Grey and drizzly is refreshing to my spirit and soul. It also helps that I work nights and this weather is easier to sleep during, but it's not just that. I genuinely enjoy the dreary weather on its own merits.

Today I'm making nanaimo bars for our early start/potluck at DnD night. I was at the middle layer, which is butter/powdered sugar/vanilla powder/milk. So why not accompany that with a big stout aged on vanilla beans! When I was down in California last month, @2beerdogs sent me home with a box of a bunch of stuff. Included in that box was this bottle from Bottle Logic.

Fundamental Observation is a BA imperial stout aged on madagascar vanilla beans (is there any other kind of vanilla beans??!?). This is the 2018 edition.



The pour yields dark espresso almost-black body with some soapy brown bubbles that quickly settle in to a ring with wisps across the middle.

Nose is immediately big and boozy and dark stout. I was expecting more vanilla here, but even as I've let it warm up, I have to search to find evidence of those beans. Instead there's roast and char from the big dark malts and spice from bourbon.

Starting to sip, I get incredibly rich chocolate with a sweeter note coming across the middle. It's not strictly vanilla, but I could believe that the beans influence this middle aspect. This sweetness bridges into the bourbon that starts off the final act. Some espresso bitterness and a decent amount of oakiness carry the finish. As it warms, the vanilla starts to peek in at the edges of the profile, but still remains much more restrained than I expected.

Body is so incredibly thick and rich and mmm..... I love that big bodied profile in a big stout like this, and this is silky velvet for sure.

This is big and boozy. Every bit of 13.2% listed on the bottle. I was expecting more of a vanilla bomb, but the vanilla is relatively subtle and restrained, more just bolstering a sweet middle and then creeping in at the edges. Thanks Derek for sending me home with this, and cheers all y'all!

 

Pours a very hazy yellow with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves some thin patches of lace as it slowly settles. 4.25

Smell is passionfruit, pine, orange rind, and some nice grapefruit rind. 4.25

Taste follows tropical front to back, some nice bitterness passionfruit, tangerine, pine, and grapefruit. 4.25

Mouthfeel is a solid medium, moderate life soft, a touch sticky but not dry, and at 8% easy drinking. 4.25

Overall once again Foam does it, this is a great beer and my expectations are alway though the roof with them. 4.25

 

I've been on boats during that kind of weather. Waves were crashing high enough onto the side of the boat that it broke THROUGH one of the UPSTAIRS windows. Cars were picked up and moved around on the deck below. Needless to say they asked everyone to find a seat and stay planted, and the normal deck crew were battened down in their hide aways.
We were a bunch of knucklehead 14/15 year olds so we thought it was great, but in retrospect... damn.

 

Long Sunday of cleaning and organizing. Our office(storage room with a desk/catch-all) is being transformed into a nursery and as of this morning it was full of crap. Now that I’ve “worked” most of the day I think I deserve a beer.

This one was gifted to me by @Vidblain in an all around great box.

Pipeworks Cinnamon Abduction
(2016 vintage)


I felt this beer was appropriate since my Chicago Bears just locked up their division today and this is the only Chicagoland beer I could find. This is my first venture into pipeworks stouts. I previously have only had an ipa or two and an Oktoberfest. I’m currently enjoying this while watching the Pats/Steelers game.

Pour is a heavily darkened brown with a cinnamon colored topping of whipped foam. Tiny bubbles cover the glass and slowly cascade down after every sip. Nose is really muted, but there is a feint bit of chocolate. Taste is also filled with muted flavors. Not too heavy, or roasty, or chocolate, and the cinnamon barely creeps in after it’s all washed down. Decent weight and nice carbonation just not much flavor to speak of. Thanks for the opportunity to try this, Chris!

I’ve been including comic books in my most recent boxes of beer and it resparked the interest for myself. Catching up on the Batman series that I put down a couple years ago. This will most likely be consumed after things settle down here for the evening.


Cheers!

I leave you with some tunes

 

Very nice witbier. Nice fluffy head retention/spotty lacing. Aromas and flavors of lemon, orange peel, peach, pear, melon, red apple, coriander, cardamom, rosemary, peppercorn, clove, and light banana yeast; with moderate wheat, cracker, white bread dough, light honey malts; herbal, floral, grassy hops and yeast earthiness. A bit muted aromas. Light-moderate herbal, floral, grassy bitterness; and yeast/coriander spiciness on the finish. Medium-plus carbonation, medium body, and fairly crisp finishing. Creamy/grainy malts and some sticky hops/spice in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing bitter/spicy dryness; no cloying/astringency. Very flavorful/refreshing, 5.6%. Nothing overwhelming. Great balance between Wit yeast, spices, and pale/wheat malts; with solid earthy hop presence. Textbook stuff, no flaws. 3.88


Cheers

 

Strong Arm IPA from Three Heads Brewing.

L: Pours a murky orange color with about a finger of white head. Some nice lacing remains around the glass.
S: Smells of mango, tangerine, papaya, pineapple.
T: Nice and juicy with tropical fruit flavors from the nose coming through with minimal bitterness. A nice creamy finish but the can doesn't say anything about lactose so it must be from some of the hops.
F: Medium bodied and carbonation with a nice creamy mouthfeel.
O: A nice drinkable low ABV NE style IPA. The hops work nicely together.