New Beer Sunday (Week 724)

Happy football playoff's NBS:

This new one was sent courtesy of @thebeers when I won a LIF in NBS #8. Drank it while watching a crazy finish to Eagles/Bears:

Look: Dark black with a good amount of dark tan head that hangs around for awhile
Smell: I am getting a bunch of ginger, some honey, chocolate and a hint of cinnamon.
Taste: Served too cold at first, I am getting mostly a ginger flavor. As it warms the flavor rounds out nicely with cinnamon, chocolate, spice and a slight ginger finish.
Feel: Medium to full bodied with a nice smooth creaminess. Good amount of carbonation.
Overall: Super enjoyable milk stout, perfect for the stormy weather today.
Thanks @thebeers

 

Unfortunately it's too late on a Sunday for me to get into a new beer at the moment. I did have a nice day in NYC with #1 Son, even managed to snag a few cans of Schlenkerla Helles-Marzen to bring home, but they'll have to wait for another night.

I can report that the dark ale at McSorley's is good stuff, and even better than I remembered it to be (more roasty and bitter than I was expecting, actually)- would definitely drink again . Overall, though, it was nice just to get him in there and reminisce a bit on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Cheers, all!

 

New Beer Sunday: Robust Porter

Evenin’ NBSers with a recommendation for SE PA folks who like to support their local Breweries when they are making reasonably good beer.

Well, given that cliff-hanger and “gasp” ending to the Eagles-Bears game I think it’s time to take a deep breath, relax and have another new beer.

This evening’s new beer is Mr. Robusto from the Conshohoken Brewery. This brewery is located in the Borough of Conshohoken which is typically referred to by locals as “Conshy.” Conshy is located on the east bank of the Schuykill River to the northwest of Philly. When first settled it was located near to major transportation links, some rich natural resources and active markets, so back in the day the town early on played a major role in the industrial development of SE PA. Today the steel mill is long closed and Conshy is primarily a suburban residential community that is an interesting place to visit and do a walking tour if you have an interest in both SE PA history and some of the surviving architecture from the 1800s.

As usual my review, subject to revision until the beer is finished, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34280/379329/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors of this beer are mostly about the dark chocolate and just a bit of coffee. In addition there’s a degree of toasty rye bread character. The sweetness and bitterness are in a well balanced combination so that each shows but neither conceals the other. Eventually in the long dry ending there’s just a bit of earthiness that shows up as the mouth feel seems a bit empty and waiting for another sip. While not my favorite Robust Porter, I’d certainly be willing to have more of this one and won’t pass it up next time I find one.

On the music player tonight it’s time for some more Bach.


Cheers, all!

 

Awesome IPA. Fantastic lasting head retention/thick soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, red apple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, blueberry, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, and pine hops; with moderate cracker, toasted biscuit, light honeyed malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, woody, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation, medium-plus body, and fairly crisp finishing. Balanced creamy/bready/grainy munich/oats and sticky/resinous/rindy hops in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing resin dryness, no hop astringency. Very smooth, not overly aggressive, minimal warming 7.8%. Awesome Nugget, Mosaic, Azacca, Cascade profile. Very juicy, vibrant, dank, and earthy balanced hop complexity; great bready oat/Munich malt backbone. Minimal residual sweetness from crisp resin dryness. Another awesome addition to the Voodoo Ranger lineup. Been a big fan of all of them so far that I've had. 4.13


Cheers, have a good night NBS

 

Drinking another fine bottle thanks to @ovaltine. Its been a pleasure working through this box from him.



Pours black and thick, thin layer of tan head dissipates quickly to ring of foam.
Nose is chocolate, coffee, slight peanuty hint. Reminds me of a fluffernutter.
Taste is thick sweetness, very chocolatey. Nutty notes remind me more of almond than peanut. Finish note is like a combination of raisinettes and whiskey. It feels a little heavy at first but the flavors blend really well as it warms up.
Mouthfeel is fairly creamy, but not totally thick.
Overall this beer does a great job of balancing barrel, stout, and peanut butter. The nuttiness compliments the beer rather than overpowering it. Thank you again, Mike!

 

Do I ever know what you mean. One of the best experiences of my life was an afternoon with my son in Boston at Neptune Oyster. It was bustling, the food was great, we drank Harpoon IPA and some New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It was the best of fun! And we were on foot......

 

Mast landing gunners daughter pb milk stout

And so continues my search for a fantastic pb stout

Nose is amazing like light peanut butter cups making you think wow could too much PB be a thing?

Pours dark but light not rich light getting through
Almost no head on generous pour

Drinks very light, too light for the flavors, peanut butter comes quick and fades faster, and so goes my quest to find the pb beer of my dreams. This beer more so than any I've had reminds me of another...belching beaver PB milk stout

3.75/5 good but falls short for me

 

Well Hello Almost Late Night NBS
I am pouring a Mystery Beer from @akatz821
Mystery Beer #7
Hint: 1/12
Temp: 55
Pours a deep, dark walnut brown. Frothy sand colored head pushes northward aggressively with a gentle pour.Retreats to a solid 1 finger cap. New bubbles replenish from below.
Aroma begins with a mild spicy note, akin to a Belgian Dubbel. But the more I sniff I'm picking up hints of green apple, and a warmer apple brandy sweetness. It's almost like a sweet take on a Flanders.
Ok, here we go.
Taste is more subdued than I predicted based on the nose. Mild bready sweetness, some fruity notes along the lines of apple, pear, prune, and caramel. A gentle spice note comes through as well. It really has a nice play of malt sweetness and some crisp fruit notes.
Mouthfeel is medium, carbonation plays along for the entire ride, though tapering off a bit on the end. I MIGHT be getting a slight alcohol warmth.
OK.....

 

Good evening NBSers. Tonight I'm starting with a mystery bottle sent to me by @Dragginballs76 in NBS BIF 8.5.



It pours a dark straw color, with a foamy white head that has some staying power. The nose immediately screams farmhouse ale: a touch of funk, light citrus, slightly floral, and earthy wet hay. These impressions are confirmed on the palate, and joined by huge oak barrel character and a nice tartness. There's a full bodied mouthfeel and a dry finish. This is a wonderful farmhouse Mike, and right up my alley.

Reveal:



Wicked Weed Brett Farmhouse with Pears, 2017. Holy cow, I totally missed the pears. Now that I know that they're there I can find them, but they work so well with the Brett they blend right in with the funk and fruity esters. Really enjoying this one and I'm happy to have tried it. Thanks Mike!

 

Fluffernutter?

I'm stealing that, fo shizzle my jizzle.

 

HOLY SHIT!!!! You son-of-a-gun! You sent me a WESTY 12!!!
I had this years back, when BA allowed quick ratings. I gave it a 4. (I know, I'm a d-bag.) Gonna put this into a proper (as well as I can review now-based on style).

Mil Gracias Azi!!! @akatz821

 

Machine House is great. Their Dark Mild in particular is just fantastic.

 

heheh I'm glad I was able to send this. I brought 3 back from a brussels trip, and after trying some aged ones at Kulminator I decided I had to do the same for myself. that being said, I thought it would be the perfect mystery beer since it doesn't have a label anyways.

And...theres at least one brew in there thats still gonna be exciting. You definitely went for some of the bigger ones from the get go, but I hope some of them will still be great, and that some of the spirits will be good as well!

This bottle is actually the one that made me choose brown paper bags as my packaging. Foil gives away almost nothing for most. but that little ridge at the base of the neck might've given away something =p

Excited to see what you think of the rest!

 

That kid's a madman.

 

The description sounded interesting when I ordered this.
Oh well...

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22150/385390/#navigation



Moderate pour yields a 5/8 inch tan head over a black body with no lacing and head disappears almost instantly. Nose of dark roasted malt, chocolate, oats, and a bit of wheat (?) Taste of chocolate (unsweetened and bitter), roasted malt, and oats. Okay feel. Near zero carb as a result of the overzealous use of that damn lactose. Overall, a shame as this would have reaped a much higher rating if not for the milk sugar.
Cheers?

3.81/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

 

Evil Twin Molotov Heavy

I wasn't planning on opening this today, but it seemed like the logical follow-up to the Mikkeller beer. This one is from my 15+% club (pic below). I now only have one of these left - the colossal DuClaw Colossus at 20% ABV.



This Evil Twin beer is one in the Molotov series. Founder Jeppe once described the 12-13% ABV Molotov Cocktail as a barley wine that's labeled an IPA because IPAs sell better... but his point had more to do with the fluidity between styles rather than being disingenuous. It's safe to say that the barley wine thinking behind Molotov Cocktail is even more applicable to this 17.2% "Heavy" brother. This beer was canned last May.

It's a nice copper color that settles into a clearer brew than that in my pic. Well, at least for the first half of the can. The second pour was a nasty snow globe. Nice head. Smells strongly of pine resin. The taste is intense pine, caramel sweetness, and intense alcohol. This beer is over the top. I'd love to try this alongside some cheap retsina wine to see if there are similarities because that's what immediately and inescapably comes to mind. There's a great throwaway line in Roman Polanski's Bitter Moon when a waiter is taking drink orders and the guest says, "Anything, as long as it's not retsina." It's nice when you catch something in a movie that really doesn't need to be there to further anything.

This beer is a fascinating mess. I wouldn't call it "good," but I like it. The brewer description claims that it's "one of the most anti-authoritative beers ever made by Evil Twin Brewing." If the authorities are ensuring that beers aren't unfettered commotion in a glass, then yeah, I guess so.

 

I'm a little late to the party this week, due to lots of family-type activities here. It's been a great post-holiday weekend with the kids before they depart for their colleges, and fortunately they are developing nicely into beer snobs (my son has long eclipsed my beer geekery). Hopefully they will find an income to support their tastes, but the lack of macro AALs in my fridge over the holidays is a welcome sight.
Today's new beer comes from Monkish in SoCal, and I am excited that I finally have a few of their offerings to try this week!

look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Canned 12/19/18. A nice-looking beer with a bright yellow gold color and a small white head that left rather quickly - my only gripe. Very hazy and bright like OJ (the beverage, not Simpson). Huge tropical aroma! Tons of pineapple, guava, citrus, berries, and some resin to keep it interesting. Thankfully, the taste lived up to the smell. All of the above fruity notes were there. Citrus emerged on the mid to late palate as the dominant flavor, but this beer was complex. There was a moderate soft bitterness and a very soft feel. Overall, I'd agree that this is world-class. Cheers!

 

Good evening NBS, finally getting around to a new beer to celebrate that crazy win by the Eagles, still can’t believe icing the kicker actually worked. Really enjoying a bottle on Monday Night Brewing Mischief Managed Peach thanks to @JBowenGeorgia

4.21/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thank you JBowenGeorgia for this
500 ml bottle poured into a tulip

A- A slightly hazy golden straw with a fast fading three finger white head

S- Sour, peaches, lemons, touch of wine barrel, hints of lacto, some wheat

T- Sour peaches, some lemons, touch of wheat, mild funk, some wine barrel

M- Smooth, light body

O- A really nice peach Berliner, very well done

Cheers!

 

How old were the ones you tried in Kulminator? And how old are the ones you've been doing yourself?

 

Kulminator: nothing too old, just a 2013 W12. But I was drinking other Quads from as early as 1986 and that place really cemented the idea that quads are really really good for aging.
The ones I bought were all 2017 or so, and the one tried here is the same ( I bought them January 2018).