New Beer Sunday (Week 728)

Cookie infused American brown ale from White Flame. This was very nice. Rocky head retention/spotty soapy lacing. Flavors of big caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, chocolate, cocoa, coffee, cookies, roasted nuts, and toasted dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of molasses, licorice, dark fruit, smoke, herbal, wood, floral, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast earthiness. Similar/muted aromas, a bit overly spicy/yeasty. Light-moderate pine, herbal, woody, floral, grassy, peppery, roasted bitterness; and cinnamon/ginger spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body; creamy/bready/grainy malts, some sticky hops/spice, and light chalky roast in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing lingerring bitter/spicy dryness; no cloying, acrid, astringency. Very smooth, minimal warming 6.7%. Great balance of rich malts, ginger/cinnamon cookies, and earthy hops against sweetness. Mild fruity yeast. Spot on base style example. 3.88


Cheers

 

This Super Bowl seems to be off to a slower start than last year, just don’t want to see Brady win another one. Enjoying some Revolution Ryeway To Heaven, thanks @bstyle!

4.5/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Thank you bstyle for this
12 oz can poured into a tulip

A- A dark brown with a small off white head

S- Charred oak, toffee, some caramel malts, touch of dark fruits, vanilla, hints of smoked meat, rye, some bourbon

T- Dark fruits, cherries, caramels, some toffee, bourbon, rye, charred oak, some vanilla.

M- Smooth, full body.

O- A great rye barrel aged beer, big flavors, nice balance.


Cheers!

 

thanks man!

 

Odd side rye hipster brunch stout

Pours dark with light brown thin head
Drinks lighter than it looks with creamy 4ich mouthfeel
Smells maple boozy
Tastes light maple upfront not too boozy maple is great not too overpowering dont get much bacon but a great use of maple
4.25/5
Thanks to @Joplamp @superspak @Bum4ever who all sent me one of these
Special thanks @Joplamp for that proper glassware

 

Barebottle - Secret Island

Brewer’s recipe


4.38/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

L: Hazy goldenrod in color. From a very slow pour, a huge head accumulated to about 3 fingers, consisting of loosely packed off-white bubbles. Heaps of residual lacing coats the glass.
S: Tons of fruit character. Heavy on pineapple, passion fruit, pomegranate, mango, papaya and apricot. Very tropical smelling, with mild hop presence.
T: Tons of tropical fruit flavor. Mango, pineapple, kiwi & papaya are the majority. Lemon, tangerine and nectarine come to mind as well. Aftertaste comprises an abundance of fruit sweetness with a touch of hop bitterness. Finish is semi-dry.
F: Medium in body and weight. Moderate amounts of carbonation.
O: Super enjoyable. If you're into tropical-forward NEIPAs, I suggest you give this a try.

 

#2, this imperial stout is crammed with chocolate and caramel flavors.

That makes me very happy.



4.43/5 rDev +8.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pour is jet black with a dark tan head, this beer looks thick. Boozy barrel notes on the nose, and there’s also loads of rich chocolate and caramel aromas.

The barrel is barely discernible on the taste. The same cannot be said for the cocoa and caramel flavors - those flavors are the sun, moon and stars to this beer. Rich milk chocolate, globs of decadent caramel, this is a big chewy imperial stout that is packed with flavor.

 

Thanks to @lordofthewiens for kicking us off. The swimsuit thing...my wife doesn't sweat that stuff too much. Sports bra and shorts. Our beaches are usually at cabins in the woods, so we aren't too worried about fashion statements. The problem was solved at home years ago with the purchase of a swim spa type hot tub, if ya know what I mean. But Yogi, what will the neighbors say? Well, if you are looking in my yard after dark, that's your problem. Things you can't unsee??? (Actually, we live on six acres, both property lines that matter bordered by trees and shrubs).

This beer has been on deck for a while:



Allagash Map 40 Belgian Style Stout with cold-brewed coffee from Speckled Ax. The site has this listed as a Belgian Strong Dark Ale.

Don't care what it's called. This stuff is delicious. Picture is pretty accurate for the pour. Looks like black coffee with a bit if beige crema on top. The smell is of very high quality coffee, light/medium roast, with a just opened box of milk chocolates smell, and raisins/dates and some nuttiness like almond or hazelnut.

The flavor follows through. Very nice coffee with no bitterness, astringency, or char. The chocolate lays in nicely, and reinforces the impression of milk chocolate. So far this is an excellent coffee stout, very smooth, almost decadent.

But then it adds a layer of very noticeable dark fruit, more than the raisin note in the aroma would suggest. Along with that, some peppery phenolic notes come to play and there is a little sweetness. A little toasted breadiness. Ok, so here's the BSDA part...

A lot going on in this little package. The body is medium, with a bit of a creamy feeling. A little lingering sweetness and pepper. For all the multiple layers, it is fun to drink, easy to just enjoy, and it all buttons up nice and tidy.

This is good stuff, right here. Going to land in high territory, for me, between 4.0 and 4.5.

 

Revoultion Brewings's Straightjacket Bourbon Barrel Barleywine, 13.0% ABV. 3.98 Overall

Pours an effervescent chestnut with a sliver of tan head. Zero lacing & head retention

S: Bourbon & dark fruit

T: Follows the nose, much barrel dryness, some leafy hops up front. Figs, raisins, slight boozeyness, dryness & a little leafy hop as this warms. Finishes with barrel dryness & a little booze, then figs & dark cherry

MF Medium body, tamped down carbonation

A nice Barleywine, the Bourbon could be a little more complimentary versus running the show

Cheers to @FBarber fo this

 

Back with a BA brett Saison I had sorta forgotten about:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/36949/176934/?ba=woemad#review
Not a particularly big flavor bomb, but it hits all the right buttons.

 

Thanks @brutalfarce. Super fresh, 1 month old. First time having sabro hops. This was incredible. Lasting head retention/thick soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big tangerine, orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, coconut, cream, gooseberry, cedar, mint, citrus peel/zest, and light peppercorn/pine hops; with moderate wheat, biscuit dough, light honey/toasted malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Mild pine, citrus peel/zest, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; very creamy, silky, bready, grainy wheat, light sticky hops, and slight lingering resins in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing linger bitter dryness; no cloying/astringency. Super smooth/soft, minimal warming 7.8%. Amazing Citra, Centennial Sabro profile. Extremely juicy, vibrant, and lightly dank/earthy hop complexity; with a perfectly balanced wheat/oat/malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. Hope to try more Sabro soon! Pretty unique, but would work well with any modern hop. I haven't brewed in a while, might have to try this out. 4.28


Cheers

 

I think you meant to post that review here
(https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20680/140119/), instead of under the standard , non-BA Dark Star (It happens. There are numerous variants).

 

Interboro Dead Pres Lager

This beer was brewed in collaboration with NYC Dominican and Puerto Rican owned craft beer bars: BierWax, The Sampler, The Bronx Beer Hall, Bar 177, Bar 180, and Uptown Beer Society. Whew! That's a cool concept that justifies the ridiculously long list of collaborators. It's a "Vienna lager."

It's copper colored. There's a subdued toasty malt character and an orange character that feel like walls looking for a foundation. This just isn't coming together for me.

 

Good evening NBS
I'm back with my second Sixpoint review. Liked this one a lot...


12oz canned 11/8/18 (3 months ago) poured into a teku glass at fridge temp 11% ABV. The beer pours very dark brown bordering on black with persistant medium brown head. The aroma is faint, but very nice, with cocoa, vanilla, oak and bourbon all intermixed. The taste is more of the same. Bittersweet chocolate, oak, vanilla, coffee and mild bourbon all at play with a moderately bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied, adequately carbonated and semi dry in the finish. There is a certain sweetness with the cocoa and vanilla, but it's nicely tempered by the coffee and barrel. Overall, excellent. It's rare that you get everything as advertised in one of these multiple additive beers. This one delivered.

So glad I found a 4 pack of this one while visiting my folks last month. It never hit locally.

Cheers all and enjoy the new beer in your glass!

 

NBS x3. Talk about NEW to me. Well that's not entirely true. I've dabbled with a few Omission and Ground Breaker beers in the past, but Gluten Free beers aren't exactly a high interest of mine. However, if this thing has the seal of approval (hell, even his face on the can!), I couldn't pass up on a Homebrew Guru Denny Conn certified GF Belgian Dubbel.

Ground Breaker
St. Denny- Dubbel Style Ale







Off to a decent start. The body is burnt chestnut brown. Exceptional clarity with some gorgeous garnet red highlights. The lifeless off white bubbles above are a bit of a disappointment, as well as their attentiveness.

Starting to get a bit concerned as the aroma doesn't boast much. However, the dark raisin and plum scents are pleasing, but there is a cranberry juice concentrate complete with freezer burn thing going on that doesn't have me very excited.

And, yeah… I'm lost. Church wine meets grape cider? Red grape juice, tart apple skins, and a puckering cranberry/raspberry finish. Chestnuts? Nope. Cocoa? Perhaps a touch. Not a whole lot else going on here in the flavor department.

The body is exceptionally thin. Light and watery with minimal carbonation that only amplifies this. Sweet with just a touch of tartness, and very little alcohol influence. I'll give it that it is very smooth and crisp, and very easy to drink.

I get that this is a good, if not great, alternative for those with sensitive stomachs. To that point, well done. But in my humble opinion, this hardly resembles a Belgian Dubbel. There is no spice, no clove, no banana, no depth. Perhaps no actual Belgian yeast? A proper Dubbel demands to be savored and sipped. This makes me want to finish it up and move on. Sorry Denny Conn/ Ground Breaker Brewing… I love your inspiration, expertise, and the concept, but this one doesn't excite me.

After my official, I gave St. Denny a very disappointing rating of 3.2 with an rDev of -9.3%.

Cheers.

 

Let me add imo this is the most enjoyable stout I’ve ever had, period. It was kinda chunky it’s the chocolate and caramel chunks without being close to cloyingly sweet, hell its not really all that sweet despite the floaties. I was licking the caramel chunks out of the glass, just a tremendous stout.Thanks @ovaltine I have one left with coconut. Saving it for a special occasion, given how they’re done I wouldn’t expect adjunct fade at all.

 

From an IP trade last night.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45496/396516/



Collaboration with Other Half

Bottom of can reads:
"Canned on
1/31/19 10:10
OH X Foam"

Moderate pour yields a 1/2 inch white head over a murky yellow body with scant lacing. Nose of orange and creamsicle. Taste goes directly to bitter orange pith that the lactose can't help. Feel is hindered by said lactose as carbonation is less than ideal. Overall, yet another Other Half collab that, for me, fails to deliver.
Cheers!

 

Back again with the reveal:

Speciation The Laurentian with Methley Plums

So that's what I was getting! Plums can be rather gentle in flavor, and that's what's happening here, but I could definitely tell there was something going on. They are used very much in the supporting role, and this is very much a yeast and wood driven beer (as well it should be, I'd say, since it's spontaneously fermented), but beyond that it sure seems like the fruit has a chameleon-like nature too, transparent and subtle enough to morph into just what is needed for a seamless accent and nothing more. Great stuff- throughout the bottle it never lost its zip, never got overbearing either, balanced the funk and fruit perfectly; Speciation really does have a great touch with wild ales, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. A (4.4).

Thanks again, Brian, and this one in particular was a perfect choice for a mystery beer!

 

Brand new Vivant sour. First review as always. Amazing! Fantastic rocky head retention/soapy lacing for a sour. Aromas and flavors of big sour/tart/tangy lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, citrus peel/zest, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berries, red/green apple, white grape/wine, toasted oak, hay, straw, herbal, floral, and grass; with moderate wheat, cracker, lightly toasted biscuit malts; lighter notes of peppercorn, leathery/musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate lactic tartness, Brett tang, herbal/floral/grassy bitterness, and yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Medium-high carbonation. medium body, and moderately crisp/clean finishing. Balanced bready/grainy malts, lactic acid, sticky hops, and oak tannins in the mouthfeel. Moderate increasing bitter/spicy/tannic dryness; no pucker/astringency. Dangerously smooth, not overly lactic, minimal warming 7.5%. Yea this is their best sour yet, right above Paris. Super juicy/vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy Citra/Amarillo hops; with perfectly balanced Brett/Bacteria complexity, oak barrel presence/integration, and pale/wheat malts against acidity. I need a 4 pack ASAP! 4.38


Cheers

 

Thanks for catching that . I'll move it over.

Cheers!