New Beer Sunday (Week 728)

NBS beer #2



10 Layer

RAR Brewing (Realerevival)
Herb and Spice Beer / 8.60% ABV

4.22/5 rDev -2.3% | Score: 4.32
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

L-The beer pours black and glossy with a 3 finger tan head. The head recedes to a thick film with spotty lacing on the glass.
S-The nose is primarily roasted malt with a bit of vanilla in the backround. Coconut seems to blend in a bit with the vanilla.
T- First sip leads with the coconut and vanilla before quickly transitioning to the roasted malt. Despite the addition of lactose the beer finishes slightly bitter. Not cloying like many "dessert" stouts. They really nailed a nice balance here.
F-Mouthfeel overall is medium. Slightly slick to promote the flavors coating the tongue. That said it isn't so filling to make it a chore to finish.
O- A great example of a dessert stout which doesn't go over the top with the adjuncts. Has a nice balance which many in this style fail to produce. Highly recommended.

 

Hey NBS! I'm back this week after a couple weeks off. Busy and complicated month last month, let's hope February is a little more consistent and laid-back, shall we? Going to a Super Bowl party in a few hours with a lady I've been seeing for a few weeks, so let's hope that goes well. My two new IPAs are both from Common Roots Brewing based in South Glens Falls, NY. I've liked most of this brewery's ouevre, but some of it hasn't been spectacular. Let's see where this one falls!



This is a honey and green tea leaf-infused 5.5% IPA hopped with Mosaic and El Dorado. I'm not unfamiliar with the idea of honey or green tea in IPAs, but I don't think I've ever had a beer that utilizes both simultaneously. Cool idea, I suppose. Pours a very hazy straw-yellow/medium-golden color when held up to light. Very fluffy and soft-looking head of cloud-like, dense foam. Pillowy as hell! Superb, consistent lacing and excellent legs on this one. The only knock against this one is the extreme amount of sediment that has now sunken to the bottom of my glass. It's kind of unsightly, but I assume it's from the green tea addition and is, in fact, leftover plant matter (could also be yeast or hops, or all three things!).

The nose is very delicate, for sure, which I kind of expected. Even gunpowder green tea added to IPAs can be rather overwhelmed by the hoppy notes, in my experience, depending on the hopping rate. This one has a nice balance, but it's definitely not a punch-you-in-the-face hop load. In other words, the Mosaic hops seem a bit dialed back. I like the idea of El Dorado in this, however... I've found it to be a great hop to use for a more subtle citrus and tropical note when brewing in the more understated, lighter pale ale spectrum of styles. Grassy and lightly floral with some slight dank notes and a proper amount of spritzy grapefruit in here lingering about. A touch of sweet melon-like fruitiness and light red berry rounds out the nose. Seems like this will be a pretty nice, if inoffensive drink.

Super soft feel here with a light lingering sweetness from the honey. I've had a bunch of honey IPAs recently and, weirdly enough, they've all seemed to have the "honey" aspect quite present despite the general understanding that it should ferment out almost entirely, leading to a markedly-drier beer as a result. It's weird, then, that I have not experienced that at all as of late. Anyway, this has some sticky guava, passion fruit and light tangerine peel bitterness followed up with more nice grassy and subtle herbal characteristics. The finish is nice and bitter, but it doesn't linger too long, with an echo of the sweet elements from the mid-palate. Kind of does an interesting dance on the palate, I'd say. That said, it's not the most flavorful sub-6% IPA I've ever had. I think it tries to pull in a few too many directions, if I'm being honest. I think I would rather have just had a crisper 6.5% IPA without the honey addition. The green tea gives off an enjoyable off-kilter note, for sure, but this feels a little more confused than it probably should. I am enjoying drinking it, however, and wouldn't mind revisiting it if there were some recipe changes. As it stands, however, it is likely a one-and-done. Nothing wrong with that. I love trying new stuff, especially when there is a unique concept behind it, of course! Back soon with a new DDH IPA from Common Roots!

First of all @zid , I want to say thanks for including me in the discussion. It's definitely a weird case. In fact, I would say that you've probably thought about this more than the brewers have It just seems silly to me that they went "wow we like that oak character" and then went and kept using the same foudre to get oak character in a freaking pilsner knowing full-well that the tannins would eventually strip out almost entirely. Perhaps there's a reason to this, but other than contacting them directly, we may never know.

I will be interested to see if they start producing Kicking & Screaming (and/or In Limbo? *shrug* I don't get why these are different, to be honest) using an alternate way of integrating oak into the finished product. Needless to say I will absolutely pick some up if I ever see it out in my neck of the woods, even if it's expensive. I need to experience this strangeness for myself!

 

I had one of those recently, the 2017 vintage, was delightful with some age.

 

That Krylon paint inspired can is funny.

 

A-Pours a very hazy yellow golden color with a very generous head and lacing.
A-Aroma has abundant citrus and hop hints.
T-The taste follows the nose with abundant citrus and hop flavors
M-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer.
O-A good NEIPA

 

Fonta Flora Whippoorwill

This witbier is a cloudy dull yellow. Smells citrusy. Nice body. Tastes of lemon and orange with some background sourness and an earthy quality that keeps it interesting. Well done.

 

2 new beers again this Sunday. Both drunk for the 1st time yesterday both local and sitting in 64 Oz growlers awaiting the Super Bowl. The is named Haymaker IPA brewed at Trap Rock a local brewpub. It's 6.5 % ABV and there is wheat in the grain bill. The hops used are Ekuanot and Falconers Flight. The have a very strong presence in the aroma, the taste and the finish. A good IPA and different because of the hops I guess. I would have asked the brewer about this beer but he wasn't there
The 2ond beer is from Twin Elephant It's a 9.2%ABV Belgian Tripel called the 5 Galileos ( in tribute to the Queen song Bohemian Rhapsody) I should say starts life as a Tripel but ends up somewhere else. Both flaked rice and Jasmine rice are used. Small amounts of lemon peel and ginger are added during the boil. This brew is a bit pale for the style and has a white short lasting head. The aroma is strong. The lemon and ginger are there as are hints of banana, bread cinnamon and malt. The taste is just about the same The mouthfeel is light finish is off dry. A very tasty brew. I enjoyed it a lot
Both of these beers will be a hit at the party.I don't see either of these beer making it to the kickoff.

.

 

As soon as I poured it I thought "Damn, now Brady is going to win....my bad..."

 

New beer #4.

Deal with the Devil - 18th Street
DIPA - 8.5% abv
Canned 1/10/19 (24 days ago)
Purchased for $5.69 at Monde Market
Score: 3.99 (-8.3% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31042/93861/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
A very sweet, caramel-forward ipa. More of a traditional midwest ipa, with the malt being the star player here. I can taste the Citra but it’s curb-stomped by the heavy-handed caramel malt. Not for me, but I understand why others love it. I won’t be buying any more 18th Street, since their sweet house style just doesn’t work for me.

 

Welcome Back to My Happy New Super Michigan Beer Bowl Sunday (Week 728)!

Man, that first one was a little tough, for me! I reviewed & rated to style, but it made me want to take an indigestion pill & lay down.

I kid you not, I am only (nearly) 54 y/o, but between my hard-charging (sort of) lifestyle & 15.25 years on active duty in the Navy, my body is giving up underneath me, or so it seems. Tinnitus in my L ear (WHAT?!?); bent, not torn, R meniscus; GIRD & the grand-prize winner - Stage 1 prostate CANcer. My thanks that there is no real pain, but a LOT of aches & those active-duty years were 2:1 with each one counting for (at least two) on my body. I feel like I am (at least 69 y/o) at times & yet, I still conduct myself as a young man until the air goes out & I deflate like a sad balloon.

Ah, the beauty of a nap. I arose, refreshed, recharged & ready! I picked up with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/335/365859/?ba=woodychandler#review

& now, it was off to Stoutsville, NOT to be CANfused with Stoudtburg Village in nearby Adamstown, PA. I have known & loved Ed & Carol Stoudt for many years, but today was not their day. Instead, I went long with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/335/358875/?ba=woodychandler#review

Monkey approved! Well, if I was going down THAT particular road at 110 per, then why hit the brakes? Nossir, I turned onto the Autobahn & really floored it with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/335/380213/?ba=woodychandler#review

Okay, okay, officer. I get it. Time to throttle back & maybe have a bit of a lie-down. Lemme shift gears, leave Holland & head to Douglas. It's only about a half-hour away, headed south on I-196. Rolling into their lot, I picked up right where I left off with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/11814/116679/?ba=woodychandler#review

Nap/break time! I am bringing Gimlet ingredients to the SBLIII party so who knows if I'll be back. Several more Saugatucks to go, but they can fill out the upcoming week, as needs be. In the interim, keep drinking new beers each Sunday & I'll catch up with yinz.

 

New Beer #2.

Beer: Party Wave
Brewery: Kane Brewing Company (Ocean, NJ)
ABV: 7.2%

Pouring from a 16 oz can into a Willi Becher style glass, this beer pours out like straw and orange. Not technically hazy, but TONS of sediment and floaters in it. First Kane beer I’ve had with floaters like this. It forms a two finger width, dense and creamy crown with good retention and some lacing. Docking some for floaters. 3.25

The nose brings citrus and tropical elements of oranges, tangerine, melon, mango, maybe slightly ripe banana. Pleasant, but nothing too impressive. 3.75

The taste comes in with nice melon upfront before turning to a cracker/biscuit background. Oranges, tangerine, nectarine. 4

Very soft, creamy and smooth mouthfeel. Pillow like. No sharpness and well carbonated. 4.5

Overall, while this is a solid brew, it’s rather unimpressive. No real poor qualities other than the floaters in the appearance. Other than that, it was pleasant in the nose and taste and delightful in the mouthfeel. Well balanced and creamy, just didn’t bring enough to separate it and make it stand out from the numerous others of the style in today’s market. 3.75

Cheers NBS’rs!

 

On to another!

Komes Raspberry Porter



Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

Lathery rich, fine tan colored head, nearly khaki colored with nearly nitrous looking bubbles and a creamy top. Body color is a big dark nearly black body, with large red tinges on the edge. Real aggressive looking porter.

Holy raspberry on the nose batman, this is absolutely bursting in fruit. Very cordial liquer like smelling also. It is extremely impressive but overshadows any other flavors the beer might be producing. It is a bit one note but it's a dam good one.

Palate manages a bit more variety. Raspberry thick malted syrup but with good tartness and minimal sweetness. Finishes rich and velvety, a minor touch of dark chocolate on the edges. Aftertaste does manage a little bit of chile like heat to it, which is a good cutting contrast to the sweetness. Extremely bold but in control beer, which has a hint of bite with the added peppers, and perhaps some smoothed out body from the added vanilla, making a real black forest cake quality.

I have been real impressed with these Komes beers so far. This one is a lot of fun to drink also.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 | BA Generated Score: 4.27

Cheers!

 

Happy Sunday and game day NBS. Starting my day off with a new-to-me Monkish. Perfect first birthday brew.
Glamour, Glitters, & Gold. An 8.3% DIPA with nothin’ but citra!

Had on tap. Local place is getting all kinds of unique goodness for SF beer week.
L: 4.00
pours a uniform vibrant hazy yellow in color. But this is slightly more than just hazy, it borders or murky perfection. No head formation and no lacing, but color-wise it’s my favorite for beers in this style. I do wish there was more lacing however.
S: 4.50
in your face citrus, leaning heavily on grapefruit, tangerine and orange. Also get notes of mango, pineapple, bubble gum & melon. Hop profile is lemongrassy. Mild crackery yeast presence.
T: 4.50
Just as expected from the nose. Tons of pithy citrus flavor with yeasty undertones. Flavors of orange, grapefruit, lemon, mango, bubble gum, pink starburst & nectarine initially comes to mind. Finish is a perfect balance of hop bitterness, citra-juice complexity and mild pine that lingers for a while on the palate.
F: 4.25
Medium in body and light to medium in weight. Carbonation seems to be a tad high, but that could be the tap system. Creamy texture with ample fizzle on tongue. AbV not noticeable.
O: 4.50
Monkish nailed it with this perfect display of citra. The juicy+hoppy concoction works well, making this super enjoyable at 8.3abv.

Final Scoring:
4.45/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

 

Double Dry-Hopped Last Light is my second and final entry into this week's NBS thread. I don't think I've had the regular version of LL, so here goes pretty much nothing.

I was expecting this to be a lighter-colored hazy IPA, so I was surprised to see a light-amber/orange beer tumble out of its aluminum cage and into my glass. Of course, it's quite hazy and not even remotely filtered, but the color alone sets it apart. Superb head and retention here, with perfect lacing. I will say that Common Roots has some really great looking beers... their stuff seems to pour pretty gorgeous every time. Each small pour renews the foamy cap with extreme vigor, building up a few more fingers each time. It's never unrestrained or overly-intense, however. Just a really dialed-in carbonation and color. I have high hopes for this!

The nose is definitely melon and grapefruit forward, as the can says it will be. Slight fruit gum esters and maybe a touch of earthy chive just for complexity's sake. Pretty juicy with light notes of lychee and mango backing up the surprisingly soft citrus fruitiness. This isn't an ~intense~ smelling beer, however, even though it does have the DDH denotation. I kind of appreciate that, especially when taken in stride with the darker-than-expected color. Maybe this is going to be a little more... *gasp* ... old school?

...yup, it kind of is! Weird... and cool, actually. The flavor profile is rindlike grapefruit and pulpy orange with some nice lighter elements of mango, honeydew melon and apricot. A little bit grassy and green but these aspects are dialed-back in favor of some nice, deft maltiness in the mid-palate. Honestly, this has a superior balance to it... DDH LL is very well-constructed, and I'd definitely drink more of it! Clean and full-bodied without being overly pithy, too-bitter or chewy. It's just a nice-drinking IPA with I guess an extra dose of hops after fermentation. I wonder what the regular LL tastes like, however. Guess I'll have to seek it out. This is quite enjoyable. Not revolutionary by any means, but not every beer has to be. Sometimes we should sit back and remember that, I think. Prost!!

 

Neshaminy Creek trauger pilsner
.cloudy orange gold color
...nedium body as well as about a medium body
..aroma was hop bitterness,some malt grapefruit,orange peel, grain and cracker
..taste is a sharp bitterness, mild malt sweetness comes through second followed by astringent grapefruit
..overall it was enjoysble,went well with lunch. To me it was a bit of an identity crisis as it came off a bit like an ipa

 

New Wild Ale Sunday (Week 728)
Greetings fellow NBSers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY. Above freezing here and sunny. Such a welcome relief from a serious cold snap. Only the old timers like me remember winter of 70/71 when we hit -26 degrees in the county, but last three days it hit a windy -10 below that felt even colder, and will go down as some of the coldest days hereabouts in my life.

Greatly enjoying this beer, called Royal Jelly, made by the wonderful folks at Plan Bee. Since writing the review I have checked other reviews and it looks as though this bottle may be an aberration, in that it has no carb. That said, I am a low carb. lover, and enjoy still Lambics, and this is really delicious.

There was a definite pffsstt when I opened the cap, but this wild ale poured with no bubbles visible and has no head, just a ring of bubbles caused by the pour itself. It appears to be still like some Lambics. Not sure if low carb. is intended for this beer, but it seems to be no carb.

Wonderful aroma that has all the elements that make Plan Bee wild and farmhouse ales so good. That mixed fementation profile that has more barnyard and more prominent rotting fruit notes than many others, strong floral elements from the honey, and righteous oaky vanilla and light bourbon notes from careful use of barrels. In this case the sum of the parts has a vinous quality that adds to it nicely.

Straightforward goodness that is full strength rendition of the bouquet, now with strong citrus notes added. This beer is still, which makes the appreciation of it somewhat like tasting a wine, and the silky texture adds to that perception. Perfectly balanced, carries a hint of sweet that blends well with the honey and delicate grain flavors, and barrel notes, with a sharp and rounded tart that highlights the complex earthy, hormonal and fruity funk notes

In so far as wild ales are improved greatly by some level of carbonation, and should not be still, this is a fail for mouthfeel. That said, the flavor profile works excellently with the silky, viscous, clean flavor presentation, and just right finish. One can only guess what this would be like with some carbonation.

A delicate beer that presents strong flavors in a subdued, balanced way that succeeds despite being still.

Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

 

Greetings, fellow NBSers, and thanks to @lordofthewiens for getting us going this Super Bowl Sunday.

In answerer to your question, no, I don't know why a yearly bathing suit purchase is necessary, but a new one for me is long overdue. I've had the same one for about 15 years now and to say it still fits me would be an utterance of alternate fact. When I bought it, my parents lived in a house in my hometown with a pool. Since said hometown is frequently 100+° in the summer, and I usually visit them every 2-3 months, it goes without saying every time I visited in summer, after a hot drive of about 3 hours or so, I'd soon be jumping into that pool. However, after 22yrs in that house, my folks wanted to downsize, and my old man was heartily sick and tired of pool maintenance, so no pool will be found at the house they've lived in since 2011. In the 7 1/2yrs since I've rarely used said swimsuit, and it's been a blessing to all mankind as I've probably put on about 50lbs more than it can safely handle. As I'm possibly going to Hawaii this summer, I probably need a new one or face arrest on public indecency charges.

Speaking of indecency, this was indecently delicious last night after I got off work:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/467/254169/?ba=woemad#review
A big thank you to @Victory_Sabre1973 for this. Another of his NBS BIF 8.5 beers will be hit soon for my first official new beer of the day.

 

New beer #5.

Scrambled Pron - Free will
IPA - 7.1% abv
Canned 1/18/19 (16 days ago)
Purchased for $4.99 at Monde Market
Score: 3.97 (-6.8% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28091/394200/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
A milkshake ipa even though it’s not labeled as such. Quite sweet, and the most prominent taste is lactose. I enjoy the tart fruit additions, but they get completely overwhelmed by the heavy-handed dose of ‘tose. Wish Free Will would distro their sours better, rather than canning and distro’ing weird sour ipa hybrids that don’t hit the mark. I’d much rather pay $2-$3 more and buy one of their actual (awesome) sour beers.

 

My new beer for today - (perhaps
First of the day as I plan to have another if I get a chance to watch the second half of the game this evening) - The Astromancer Sage Gruit from Beau’s Brewing of Vankleek Hill Ontario.



Beau’s is an odd bird here. They tend to get a lot of negative commentary from those self-proclaimed craft aficionados. There just seems to be an opinion out there that they are inauthentic (slick branding, broad distribution). I can’t say I’ve ever had a bad beer by them. They make a lot of decent straightforward beers. They also make a ton of more experimental styles, including what seems like a thousand different gruits. I’ve had a few before and liked them for what they are. This one is no different and perhaps the best I’ve had.

The beer is a dark opaque amber with a light tan head. The lacing, as one imbibes, is quite attractive.

The aroma is, as one would expect, dominated by sage. One also notes a light caramel aroma that follows the sage. Smells nothing like ‘beer’ made with hops. Enticing.

The sage is less prominent on the tongue but present from sip to swallow. There is a spiciness that I assume is from the rye malts. Sweet caramel rounds out the sip. This is good.

The beer feels a little flat and thin on first sip, but as one works through the glass, the lighter body and lower carbonation is appreciated and works well with the spice and sweetness to make this an easy drinker.

I like gruits, and the huge variety the style allows. This one does well in marrying sage and rye to produce a very enjoyable beer that is quite unique. This was brewed for International Gruit Day on Feb 1st. A worthy beer for the day indeed.

Cheers.

Bathing suits.... try bathing suit season in the years following your wife giving birth to twins. Can a no win situation get worse? I will leave it at that.