New Beer Sunday (Week 724)

Rogue hazelnut chocolate ale,stout blend split this with my nephew in an attempt to get him to try better quality beer
..dark,almost solid brown
..slightly thin,around medium carbonation
.. aroma was pretty strong, peanut butter, hazelnuts, milk chocolate followed by malt and a little coffee.
.. taste was not butter first, a little oily then chocolate and malt and a bit of coffee.
. Its advertised as candy bar in a bottle but it wasnt very sweet, borderlining being dry. That's what made it interesting, all the flavors were there but not masked by too much of a sugary taste and quality. I would try this again.

@meefmoff I do remember those banana candies and that's exactly what that beer smelled like

 

@AyatollahGold. Good question..he was overwhelmed by it. Too intense and the alcohol was present so he finished it but no convert yet

 

Dipping into a quick session ale before heading back to stouts to close out the night.



Carton's Boat.

Pours an orange hazy that nears turbid. That nearing turbid transparency becomes an opaque sunburst when the final ounces are poured into the glass. Head is a finger and a half in height and white in color. Head retention is good. Aroma is pilsner, pale, German malts forming a dry, biscuity base. Light spicy, rye, herbal hops round out the aroma, adding some delightful dimension to the beer. Flavor profile is expressive for being so light. German, pilsner, rye, and pale malts give it a little extra spice and zest, with herbal, floral, spicy, and light citrus hops swooping over the top. It's dynamic, especially when considering the 4.2% ABV. A very enjoyable aroma and flavor quality here. Mouth feel is lighty crisp, like a soft, thin breading on flash fried fish fillet. A touch of crunch combines with the medium thickness, and in all honesty, feels larger than the ABV would imply. Overall, big notes and texture additions here keep this dynamic beer both refreshing and crisp.

Score: 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4 | 4.5 | BA Score: 4.28 | rDev: +4.9%

Cheers to @TheGent for this one.

 

I dont think I'll be participating today but I will be checking all the posts!
Cheers!

 

So what was it like? Aromas? Flavors?

 

New beer #6. Thanks @thisischuck01 !

Triple Simcoe Daydream - Other Half
Triple IPA - 10.5% abv
Canned 12/6/18 (31 days ago)
Score: 3.98 (-9.8% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33510/385168/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
I love how the simcoe hops taste here, but that taste is almost ruined by the treacle-level sweetness. This is basically a milkshake beer. The abv is completely hidden, but honestly I’d rather taste a little booze and not have a tooth ache after each sip. I likely won’t finish this one. Yet again proves that Triple IPAs aren’t my thing.

 

Greetings all! Thanks to our host for kicking us off and for articulating my general thoughts on New Year's resolutions. I started going to a local gym last year and on my visit a few days ago it was fuller than I had ever seen it in my 9 months or so of going. I wondered whether this might have been due to a "resolution bump" and the person at the desk confirmed that they always see a big uptick in January. I wonder if liquor stores see a downturn in January for similar reasons?

As for myself, I'm battling a long term resolution to drink a bit less in service of my waistline and let's just say that my resolve comes and goes. One thing I have definitely been resolved to do for the past couple of months though is to drink some Sierra Nevada Resilience IPA and sure enough it showed up in my zip code right after the New Year! I got to try a local brewery's version of it a couple weeks back and it was a decent beer that lacked a bit in body. I felt quite sure that SN would put out a more impressive version, so how about I stop blathering and move on to that fresh, 6.7% ABV brew.



It pours a beautiful and clear amber that trends closer to brown than red. The modest off white head recedes fairly quickly to a ring that then lasts. Smell is very earthy with some pine and citrus pith. The taste bursts with both hops and malt. I'm not as big of a fan of Celebration as many are because for me it's a bit too heavy on the caramel flavor, but this stays on the right side of that malt divide. If I didn't know better I might guess there was Rye in here as well. Hops provide more of what the nose suggested - earthiness, some resiny pine, and pith. There is a very solid, but not overdone, bitterness from the moment it hits your mouth to the end of the swallow. Mouthfeel is full and crisp with a bit more carbonation than I expected (in a pleasant way).

If you are a fan of beers like Celebration, or are looking for something trending more old school in the IPA realm, you should run, not walk, to pick some of this up. And that's before even adding in the fact that it's all for a great cause ta boot.

Happy New Year and cheers all!

 

YES!!! THIS x 100,000,000,000!!!!

 

Alright, time for my second entry. This is the one I'm most excited for today, I must admit, but only because the idea behind it reminds me of one of my favorite weird IPAs ever, Smooth Beats Miami by Finback/J. Wakefield. This is also a coconut IPA, triple dry-hopped w/ Citra, Mosaic and Simcoe. Hell yeah!



Pours a bright golden yellow color with a nice thick ring of foam sticking haphazardly to my glass. Excellent lace with pretty nice legs as well. Very hazy body with almost no light penetration whatsoever. If I hold it up to light, I suppose I can pick up a little bit of translucence, with some sunrise-looking highlights poking out when I do so, but... yeah, this is dense looking.

The nose is very coconut-forward upfront with some light notes of passion fruit, pine resin and darker berries coming together to create a very nice, aromatic IPA. It's not as tropical smelling as Smooth Beats Miami is, to be honest, but it also has a more citrusy note if I inhale deeply. Almost mimosa-like with strong hints of orange zest. Some light grapefruit here as well. Nice stuff!

My first sip is shockingly coconut-forward, but it quickly turns to a more deftly-balanced affair that actually has a lot less in the way of distinct hop elements than I figured it would, what with being 3xDH with some of the world's most infamous hop varietals and all. It's almost malt-forward, with the mid-palate displaying some cool oat-laden elements that work surprisingly well with the milky coconut. I get some light grapefruit and orange with tangerine/tangelo zest as well. Citrusy and bright, but definitely dank as well. Finishes pretty dry and refreshing. Not as good as Smooth Beats Miami, I don't think, but it's a fun drink anyway. Maybe a little bit disappointing, as not everything really comes together as well as I figured it would, but I'd still definitely drink it again.



Checking out this cool album my buddy linked me to. Symphonic funeral doom/death metal with truly epic use of orchestral instrumentation. One more beer coming up soon!

 

Second game, second new beer...

Luchini, an Interboro/Barrier DDH DIPA (8% abv) collab based on their Mad Fat! Money collab recipe; hopped with Mosaic, Columbus, and Chinook hops, double dry hopped with Mosaic; from their 12/21/18 can release...

Hazy medium-dark gold, close to opaque, under coupla fingers of white foam; head showed good retention and left lace sheets down the glass... Ample pine on the nose, underscored with herbal and citric notes suggesting grapefruit pith... Lots of tight citrus on the sip, with grapefruit, lemon, and lime gripping the tongue while pine-like elements lay a shellac faint across the palate... Bitter with zesty bright points, and a subdued sweetness... Medium-light body is soft but tangy... Nice, clean, sharp brew...

--> "Luchini" is slang for money, as used by hip-hop duo, Camp Lo, in their song, Luchini AKA This Is It...

Cheers...

 

New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Imperial Black IPA



I’m thoroughly smitten with this one. Haven’t had a Cascadian made this masterfully in quite some time.

4.29/5 rDev +8.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Nothing to write home about on the appearance of this pitch black beer but that’s the only mundane thing about it. Nose carries a straight forward roasty malt with maybe a hint of an earthy olive with a gentle sweetness throughout. Taste starts out sweet with a dry bitterness best described barely tropical before a near perfect amount of roast malt coffee hint before sweet turnip closes it out. Just a perfect amount of heat and body make this one of the best Cascadians I’ve had in a great while. Everything is in perfect balance as this one doesn’t tow the line of American Imperial Stout like so many others.

 

Happy first NBS of 2019, fellow New Beer Samplers and commentators. And thank you, @lordofthewiens for a typically thoughtful introduction. I no longer make New Year's resolutions as they typically end in a feeling of disappointment and failure. I do try to make plans for things I'd like to accomplish in the coming year. I feel like 2018 was a year of distractions for me with the sale of our old home, the purchase and renovation (still not completed) of another, foreign travel, and an unsettled business environment. I'm going to make a concerted effort in 2019 to simplify our life and to concentrate on my profession.

Apropos to this "back to basics" approach, my new beer this Sunday is an old school, quintessential West Coast IPA courtesy of @Bum4ever. His NBS BIF 8.5 box included several beers from Russian River Brewing Company, including a fresh bottle of Blind Pig. It's a wonderful, straight-forward, bitter ale: crisp, lite, and super drinkable. Thanks, Josh! Here's my full review:

4.43/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I received this from @Bum4ever in the NBS BIF 8.5 Secret Santa. Bottled on 11/30/2018 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass. It pours a crystal-clear bright gold with more than two fingers of fluffy, snow white head and thick lacing. The tiny bubbles ascending the glass testify to its effervescence. The nose features lemon and grapefruit, along with heavy pine needles and floral hops. When sipped, the first thing I notice is how dry and bitter it is. Only as the glass warmed did I taste any malt and even then it was deep in the bitter, resinous background. The citrus is dry and bitter but it opened up with some subtle sweetness as the glass warmed. The rather complex hop bill adds intense bitterness. It's hard to believe it's only 62 IBU. This ale is crisp and lite with lively carbonation, and at 6.1% ABV you can easily down a second pour. Overall, this is a quintessential West Coast IPA that is superbly crafted, delicious, and fun to drink.

I have a fridge full of old favorites so this will be my only new beer of the day so I'm glad it's a memorable one. I hope you're all enjoying your new beers as much as I am. As always, your reviews are informative and fun. Cheers!

 

Hello All!
Great start @lordofthewiens .
I'm trying thread some poetry everyday...already dropped the ball. Oh well. It's the long term goal that counts.
As for beer, I want to shout out to @akatz821 for the beer, drank yesterday, but wanted to let you fine folks know about it, particularly you folks in the greater NY area. This is a MUST TRY for Impy Stout fans.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/54783/386201/?ba=2beerdogs#review

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @lordofthewiens for today's introduction. My 2019 goal is to get to 9000 beers. I had 1640+ in 2018 so it's a possibility. 7800 is today, and I got some nice hauls last couple weekends to keep me busy for a few weeks. Still working out clearing out overstock stuff to get all of my stash confined to just one closet. Need to manage a stricter budget this year.

Beer:

Great AAL. Great fluffy head retention/spotty lacing. Aromas and flavors of cracker, corn, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit malts; with some herbal, floral, lemon citrusy, light peppery hops. A bit of muted/fruity corn aromas, but not overwhelming. Light-moderate herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium-plus carbonation, light-medium body, and moderately crisp/clean finishing. Bready/grainy malts and some sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing bitter/carbonated dryness, no cloying/astringency. Perfectly clean lager flavors, no yeasty notes. Very flavorful/refreshing, 5%. Not watery at all. Very clean and nicely rich pils malt/grain showcase, with nice earthy Sterling hop presence/balance. Not overdone on adjuncts. Will be an awesome summer beer, nice for the year round availability. 3.98


Cheers

 

Pours a very dark murky brown
No head at all, just some lacing along the edge of the glass
Smells of big oak, vanilla, bourbon, cinnamon, and faint spice
I'm tasting everything at once. Waves of vanilla and oak, followed by spices of cinnamon and chili, than coffee and dark chocolate. Than waves of bourbon and chili linger at the end. Not one overpowers the other
Full mouth feel, but not as large as BCBS
Awesome brew. Glad my brother out in Santa Monica grabbed me a bottle at Whole Foods.

 

Just like in past years, I did not make any New Years resolutions this year because I really don’t want to limit my possibilities. I did coincidentally start a new diet and it’s going great!

I have a New Beer courtesy of the generous @thebeers. Thank you!

Tree House Brewing
Hurricane ~ Double IPA
7.70% ABV



It is a special treat to have the opportunity to drink a beer from this brewery. As far as I know their beer is still only available at the brewery.

Outside my wife smelled it from five feet away as I poured. “What is that?” Pungent and earthy. That would be the beer. Anyway, tastes follow aroma and all the fruit varieties are difficult for me to decipher ala SuperSpak but the combination is amazing. Not pulpy. A nice traditional hop bitterness blends with the fruits to make this an easy drinking balanced beer. Offers a creamy mouthfeel with a welcoming sweetness you expect from a DIPA. A real punch in the taste buds!

We took a morning walk in the woods. Apparently we will be doing this on a regular basis, though I wouldn’t call it a resolution.



Cheers NBS’ers!

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! a semi-sunny day here in the Fourth Corner, after yet another wind storm last night. More branches down (the trees are really stressed from the summer droughts the last few years), but the power stayed on.

My first NBS brew is a perfectly average IPA, it's what I get for buying a beer just because it had a dog on the label: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/429/261194/?ba=beertunes#review