New Beer Sunday (Week 724)

Happy new year and season's greetings, NBS! Don't know about you, but life has been hectic for me. Sometimes life throws a lot at you, all at the same time.



Today I'm trying out Sierra Nevada's new Brut IPA. Bottled 12/18, 6.2% abv. This is my first Brut IPA, and first Brut beer altogether, if I'm remembering correctly.

Pours clear and pale gold. Finger of head withdraws slowly to a cap. Leaves behind chunky lace.

Smells floral and citrusy, lemony, and a little tart. A bit of white bread.

Tastes of lemons, crackers, some grapefruit. Long-lasting bitterness. Clean and refreshing, but not particularly IPA-like. Also not all that dry.

Lots of spritzy carbonation, mouthfeel reminds me a bit of mineral water.

Overall an interesting and refreshing brew, but it isn't very dry or hoppy, so it fails to live up to the name.

 

Outstanding milk stout. Great rocky head retention/soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel candy, toffee, vanilla, cream, brown sugar, sea salt, nuts, and toasted dark/brown bread; with light notes of molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, herbal hops, and yeast earthiness. Mild herbal hops and roasted bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; very creamy, silky, velvety, bready malts/lactose; light sticky hops and chalky roast in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering bitter dryness, no cloying/acrid flavors. Super smooth/soft, minimal warming 7.1%. Pretty much perfectly balanced between rich malts, Malleys caramel candies, and lactose flavors; with just enough earthy hops to balance lingering sweetness. Really nailed this one. 4.15


Cheers

 

Happy New American Impy Stout Sunday!

Pretty nice day on the Western Slope, snowing, upper 20s. Not new to me, but it's been over 11 years since last. Still a fuckn' awesome brew, glad to see it around here now. Watching The Sopranos reruns. Should be back with another brew, and it should be new.

4.88/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Revisit: 6 Jan 19
12 oz. Bottle
2018 Release
Bottled On: 03.13.18
ABV: 12.31%

Over 11 years since last!

Poured into a Tree House glass a very nice dark brown/black color, with some really nice carbonation, with a really nice thick/creamy one-finger plus tan head, which also leaves a pretty nice medium size creamy island, and some pretty nice sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, hoppy, with some really nice chocolate/toffee, some coffee, with a nice touch of vanilla, licorice, bourbon, oaky. The taste is still pretty awesome, malty, hoppy, with some really nice chocolate/toffee notes, some coffee, nice vanilla sweetness, licorice, with a really nice bourbon/oak note. Full Body, ABV is hidden very nicely, a pretty complex brew, with a nice dry/bitter finish. Overall, a very nice brew! Glad to see it around here.

Thanks goes out to flybison and ThomasHardy for this brew.

All I can say is WOW! What an awesome brew.

Poured into a chalice a deep thick black color, nice carbonation, nice little fizzy tan head, some little oil slicks and sticky lacing around the edges. The nose is malty, oaked, slightly roasted, vanilla, bourbon, and some coffee/caramel. The taste is awesome, hit you in the face malts/oak/coffee/bourbon. There's the sweetness of the vanilla that comes through, then a nice little bitterness finish. The alcohol is almost non-existent. Medium body, very well rounded brew. Very drinkable, definitely highly recommended.

Cheers!

 

As posted in WBAYDN. No Can Defend from Barrier. A Pilsner brewed with Tumeric Ginger White Tea and yet another example of why I should NEVER purchase a beer that's new to me without my glasses. Pours a crystal clear golden color with a fluffy white head that leaves decent lacing.The base is a perfectly fine pilsner. However, IMO the tumeric ginger white tea is off putting and does nothing to improve the beer, it just ruins it for me. Light to medium bodied, highly carbonated. All that being said my daughter likes it. Then again she makes her own tumeric teas and has downed the pint.

 

Cheers man. I’ve consumed no other beer more than that one. Nice review!

 

Just got a message from my friend, who is a butcher, that he's got some rib steaks to throw on the grill, so this will, likely, be my last NBS entry for today, SNs version of Resilience. I only had two other versions, both local, and this falls right between; not as sweet as Wanders, not as bitter or dry as Boundary Bays. https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/140/387939/

 

Pouring something big. Quite literally - it's a crowler! But the mystery label puts the ABV at 13.2%! Eek! I'll be slowly sipping through this, one pour as a mystery and one as a known. I'll do this post in two parts: The Review and The Reveal.



Some lovely artwork on this one.



And a hilarious, but very true, warning.



@Roguer !Mystery Beer, Hail Santa.

Part I - The Review:

Two fingers of khaki foam emerge from a pitch black liquid after a moderate pour from a 32oz crowler. Head retention is good, with a few dense strings of lacing left behind. Aroma is boozy, with powerful notes of bourbon from the moment the can is cracked open. Chocolate, coffee, toffee, caramel, burnt sugar, and molasses form a sweet aroma, that is grounded by toasty, roasty malts. Bourbon adds an unmistakable kiss of heat that helps sooth and smooth out the sugary notes. Flavor profile is a touch thinner, or at least slower to start. Toasty malts lead the charge, with roasty, darker malts following. Bourbon, barrel, coffee, molasses, caramel, and toffee add bits and pieces of sweet and acidic additions to the flavor profile, shaping this into an even more dynamic flavor profile. Mouth feel opens up as medium to medium-thick, but then stalls out on the tongue, sitting like a fire blanket on the tongue. Graininess is present at the start, but becomes more apparent at the finish. Overall, a hefty stout that packs a punch.

Score: 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5

Part II - The Reveal:



Cigar City's Beoir Bairille.

BA Score: 4.5 | rDev: +2%

Part III - The Reflection:

This beer was, is, hellishly good. Huge whiskey notes without ever feeling like it's sneaking a surprise punch to the face, and as a mystery beer, that's huge. Not much warning this would be boozy save for the ABV label on the paper cover. Great brew!

Part IV - The Recommendation:

Bonus round, but I was in the Seattle area this week for work and was able to visit a couple breweries and one stood out - big time. Big enough that I'm yearning to go back already. That brewery? Machine House Brewery on Jefferson Street (second location on Airport Way - the usual response from Google Maps). I don't see them gaining the notoriety of the special NE IPA or limited pastry stout producers, but this brewery deserves every bit to be a top 5 destination for people who love beer and its history. It's a brewery that focuses exclusively on cask ales, with little to no attention to bullshit or trends. As soon as a bartender told me this was in town, I paid my check and got there, and it did not disappoint. I even left a brewery's anniversary party in downtown to experience Machine House, and Machine House still topped the special one-off from the anniversary party (totally different beers though). I'm starting to gush so I'll keep it to the facts: Machine House had about 10 handles that spanned several bitters, milds, and a solo barleywine all made in house and for the cask system. On Friday's, they tap a special cask, in this case a first time brew - a red ale dry hopped with Aurora hops. This was the only extra hopped version they had, making space for many traditional style ales. Machine House has guest taps from time to time, but is still a cask ale. The little space also had a chalkboard listing football (soccer) matches, for those seeking a space to watch some football (soccer) while enjoying a traditional ale.

Personally speaking, should I return to Seattle for work or pleasure, this is the brewery where you can find me.

If you read this far, woah! You deserve another beer

Cheers!

 

Good afternoon BAs and happy New Beer Sunday. I don't make New Years Resolutions... I just try to be the best husband, father, son, friend, worker, etc. I can be every year. Anyway, woke up to part of our backyard fence blown over so once again, hike put on hold, no pics. Now that that's taken care of, it's time to ring in the first NBS of the year with something special.

Hair of the Dog
Otto From The Wood





"Otto is soothing and deep, with flavors of red and black fruits, vanilla and oak. Otto blends peaches and cherries with our distinguished beer, Fred. It is then aged in oak barrels for at least 18 months. Brewed with love and respect for my brewery’s strongest influence, Fred Eckhardt, and bears his name at birth."

From a 12 oz. bottle circa 2013…

Otto is a gorgeous cranberry red beer. Crystal clear with highlights of plum purple and auburn hug the sides as light strikes the glass. The thinnest of rings kiss the coast, white bubbles tinted pink by the body below. (4.25)

The aroma is ridiculous. Divine. The sweet and syrupy notes of Fred, Belgian candied sugar and toffee, are met with black cherries, apricot, peach and wood. Warmth brings out a subtle vanilla touch. I'm too reserved to even take a sip. I could just sit here with this under my nose the rest of the day and be content. (4.5)

But I do take a sip and I'm glad I did. Again, the influence of Fred are obvious. Caramel, golden raisins, dark candi sugar. Peaches and cherries. What a perfect addition. Soft and sweet with the cherries being the clear winner, the orchard fruit playing wing man. Damp wood lends that drop of vanilla, and there is a cinnamon spice finish. The bitter classic hop profile associated with original Fred is nowhere to be found, which works exceptionally well for Otto. (4.75)

Like a lot of Hair of the Dog's offerings, Otto is mostly flat. And once again, appropriate. They get it. Carbonation would distract from these amazing flavors. It's syrupy, sweet, but balanced by the barrels stripping qualities and tannic influence. It coats every nook and cranny of the mouth. Otto demands small sips with plenty of time between. (4.5)

Otto is phenomenal. This bottle is around 5 years old and I'm not sure if that helped or hindered, and frankly I don't care. This is one damn fine beer and an amazing tribute to Fred “Otto” Eckhardt. (4.5)

After my official review, I gave Otto From The Wood a rating of 4.59 with an rDev of +8.8%. Cheers!

 

Okay, here we go! Last entry of NBS, and I'm closing in on my time limit for drinking on Sunday. Time to gulp it down and finish laundry and getting ready for a busy work week.

This is a new IPA from Rockingham Brewing Co. out of Derry, NH. I had a session NEIPA from them last night that I absolutely loved, now it's time for their rotating hop series NEIPA, Guinea Pig. I don't really know whether or not this is the first entry into the series, but it's the first one I've seen canned and available in stores. It was packaged on 12/26/18 and features Amarillo and Denali hops.



That... uh... that doesn't look like a New England IPA at all, guys. Which is weird because the one I had from them last night that I just mentioned above was very apparently New England style. Hmm... well, let's hope for the best here. Light-medium amber color with dirty haziness and a thin but retentive ring of bone-white foam. Crazy patterned lacing here, but not much in the way of legs. I'll... take it? I'm not sure it's what I wanted this beer to look like, but it's also not explicitly bad. Maybe for the declared style it's more than a bit off but... whatever.

The nose here is pretty awesome. Intensely bright lemon-lime with crazy floral notes being thrown out everywhere. I had a Denali beer from Relic kinda recently that also had a spectacular lime characteristic to it, so I think that's probably the note du-jour of this hop. Amarillo lends a bit of spiciness and deeper citrus, but really... this just smells like lemon-lime soda with some alcohol in it. Your mileage may vary, but I think this is a superb smelling beer... it just leaps from my glass!

On the tongue this is just as excellent as I figured it'd be. I first feared it would be a bit of a malty mess based on the appearance alone, but I'm glad my fears were allayed. This is crisp and very drinkable... it has a firm bitterness that melds well with the intense citrus flavors and light spice/floral elements in the finish. Great malt balance letting you know it's still a full-strength 7% ABV IPA, but it doesn't throw its weight around too much. Is Guinea Pig a New England IPA? I dunno, probably not. Is it freaking great? Yes! Kudos to Rockingham for another fun and unique beer! These guys know what's up, and have really grown into their own over the past couple years.

In other news, an air fryer was bestowed unto me for Christmas this past year, and I have finally decided to give it a shot with a completely new recipe. For the past few weeks, I've just been using it to heat frozen foods, but today I went all out to make panko-crusted chicken tenders coated with chipotle honey mustard. They came out amazing... even better than I thought they would. Here's some photographic evidence:



Amazingly crispy and tender inside... mouth-wateringly delicious. Can't wait to use it more!

That's all for this week, NBS! Looking forward to catching up on everyone else's posts and winding down for the evening. Cheers to the virtual tavern!

 

This is a brew I could see myself buying more of, should I get the chance. Sadly, perhaps not worth the cost of hauling home from travels, but still of interest.

It reminds me of Kane's Tiny Shells. Another session ale flavorful enough that I would stock my fridge with it.

Thanks for sharing!

Cheers.

 

Machine House. And, you really need to go to the brewery on Airport Wat. it's in the old, original, Rainier brewery. Awesome space, and awesome brews!

 

Hair of the Dog is one of my top brewery's in terms of wants. Lots of big name classics. I haven't heard or read about Otto, so thank you for your review! Sounds absolutely delightful.

Cheers.

 

Time for a Happy CAN A New Singlecut Be All The Beer That It Takes To Make Me Happy On A Sunday (Week 724)?!? Update!

The day has been progressing nicely, with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30452/292026/?ba=woodychandler#review
,
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30452/95639/?ba=woodychandler#review
,
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30452/336058/?ba=woodychandler#review
&
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30452/349308/?ba=woodychandler#review

More to come!

 

I don't know who Machine Head is! Good catch.

I did want to visit that location, but I tried to stay fairly close to the ferry. Should I make another appearance, I'll make a point to spend an afternoon at the original location. Just thinking about their Dark Mild has me salivating. That's a real treasure.

 

You're welcome and thank you! Hair of the Dog should be on everybody's wants list. Full disclosure, they don't fit the typical mold. But they've been around for 25 years for a reason, and they have a die hard built in core of fans, so doubt they are going anywhere anytime soon. Hit need up and I'll gladly make something happen for you.

Cheers!

 

Jelly donut sour. This was awesome. Great head retention/spotty lacing. Aromas and flavors of big juicy/lightly tart/tangy raspberry, strawberry, fruit jam/skin/seed, lemon, lime, orange, peach, pear, melon, red/green apple, red grape/wine, hay, straw, grass; with moderate vanilla frosting, cream, wheat, white bread dough malt sweetness; light pepper, lacto funk, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness and fruit tang on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; creamy/bready/grainy malts; some lactic acid, and fruit tang/tannins in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing acidic/tangy fruit dryness, no pucker. Very flavorful/refreshing, 4.5%. Not overly lactic. Awesome balance of jammy fruit and Lacto complexity; with nice dough, sugar, and pale/wheat malts against acidity. Absolutely delicious, nailed it for an experimental brew. 4.1


Cheers

 

Starting with a mystery brew sent to me by @thebeers during the NBS BIF 8.5 Secret Santa edition.

Aroma from the can tells me IPA.

Appearance makes me wonder a bit. Beer has a green tint. Thin off-white head, leaves a lot of clingy lacing. Head settles into a thin layer of small bubbled foam.

The aroma is still IPA. Has a combo of earthy and herbal hop aroma. Maybe a hint of tart green apples and grape. Some citrus and a faint fruitiness. The herbal and resinous pine is the largest factor pushing through. Something sweet in there too, maybe lactose.

Aroma and appearance made me expect something crazy, but this is an IPA. It does have a heavy mix of herbal hops and earthy flavors of pine and spice. Something sweet balanced the hops, but I don’t get the creaminess of lactose. Not sure what it is. I think I get a bit of green apple, but the appearance may be causing that interpretation.

Soft, medium body, just under moderate carbonation. A decent amount of background hop bitterness, but smoothed over with sweetness.

Overall an interesting and tasty brew. I have no idea why it is this color. Odd looking, complex flavors. I like it. Balanced by something sweet I can’t figure out.

Reveal:


So I couldn’t figure out the graham cracker and vanilla, but that’s what the sweetness was. They both melded nicely with the hop flavors and didn’t overpower anything. Really interesting brew, thanks @thebeers