New Beer Sunday (week 729)

New beer #3. Mystery crowler from @woemad !



Only identifying mark is the “Nog” written on the crowler. Fun fact, there are 232 Nog’s in the BA Database

L - 2-finger dense offwhite head is stubborn to fade, cratering from the outside in, leaving an elevated plateau in the center. Body is a murky, near-opaque orange.


S - caramel, orange candies, warm biscuits, a little floral.

T - citrus and floral hops with a strong caramel malt showing. Orange candy, a little herb. Moderate-low bitterness. Moderate-low sweetness. Low booziness.

F- medium-full, creamy body with average carb.

O - this is another beer that is helping me to fully understand the “PNW NE IPA” sub-style. Supremely balanced, and a little sweeter than NE IPAs brewed on this coast. I absolutely love the body on this one, and look, smell, and taste are all up to snuff as well.

Based on @woemad ’s previous hints, I’m guessing this is White Bluff’s N.O.G. ipa. 90% confidence level.

 

Haha- blast from the past, man- that's a Yes song from the '70s. Good choice for Finback!

 

A far better review than I could ever do, but I’d agree right down the line. Your mention of an AAL reminded me a bit that a Gansett Pounder was kinda similar. It wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t buy it again.

 

Thanks to @cavedave for getting today's thread started. I'm thinking of asking @utopiajane to sub for me sometime.
It's cool and cloudy here today, and my wife and I are lazing around. This is after I fed and walked the dogs, made some seitan for dinner tonight, and did a dump run.
I picked this beer up yesterday, Tropic of Thunder by Stone. It was canned 11/30/18, and should be enjoyed by 3/30/19.
This is a nice-looking beer. A hazy gold color with a two-finger white head. Some delicate lace.
Fruity aroma, both citrus and tropical.
Pineapple and grapefruit, faint orange.
Medium-bodied. Lots of bitter aftertaste.
Nice enough beer, not as aromatic or tasty as I would like.

 

Boulevard changeling dark sour
..murky brownish cola color
..around a medium body with medium,prickly carbonation
...aroma is sour, tart vinegar. Candy like sweetness with some raisin and yeasty bread
.. taste is sweet at first but turns to almost mouth puckering sour tartness. The raisin bread flavor becomes strong in the aftertaste, coats the tongue, and lingers a long time
...overall it was fairly complex, full if flavor and the best way I can describe it is it was a fun beer to try. It came off candy like at times but it was a well made fun, full of flavor beer that was worth trying

 

Deschutes Fresh Haze IPA




A-Pours a very hazy an vibrant almost orange color with a generous head but and lacing
A-Aroma has abundant tropical citrus and hoppy hints
T-The taste follows the nose with strong tropical citrus and hoppy flavors
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A nice NEIPA

 

Howdy NBSers!
Nice to see @cavedave back at the helm this week. It is gorgeous and icy here and I don't have tons planned. I just got back from an arduous grocery run and figure that I might as well have a celebratory beer. It never ceases to amaze me how warm 15° with some nice sunshine feels by the time it gets to this part of the winter.

In terms of "newness" my first beer really fits the bill in multiple ways. It is a collaboration between an old brewery and a very new one. It is new to the system. Plus it is made with a pretty new ingredient that I have wanted to try but have yet to get ahold of. Until now. It is a "Farmhouse IPA" made with Kveik, a yeast used in Norwegian farmhouse brewing. Also, to give the illusion that the coincidences involved here were something other than coincidences, this is from the same brewer as one of my beers last week and the type of yeast in this one was popularized and isolated thanks at least in part to the wonderful blog I linked here last week (larsga). Further, last week's beer was a traditional Norwegian style and this week's is a new-world take on it. It's like the stars aligned. Or something...



It pours a fairly cloudy yellow without much head to speak of. The aroma and flavor are both lacking in terms of the potent hop punch that you'd expect from the NE-inspired side of this beer, but they both have an interesting Orange Julius character that I think must come from the Norwegian side of the equation. All-in-all this is a nice beer but I am kind of at a loss to describe the character I pick up on in it. Kind of an earthy vanilla citrus zest with some sweetness the I can only liken to squash in that it is a once sweet, earthy and kind of substantial body-wise. An enjoyable beer that has really piqued my curiosity.

Here is my actual review.

I'm also curious as to whether @JackHorzempa or any other people on here that brew have any experience with kveik. If so, what did you think? Same goes for others who have drank kveik beers before.

Santé!

 

Good afternoon to all, thanks to @cavedave for the nice kickoff. Had our last hockey games of the season this weekend in Reston, and as luck would have it, Aslin had some terrific beers available. First of the fun is this one

Aslin Double Orange Starfish



4.46/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

Super opaque pale yellow body, identical to Tropicana oj with a massive slightly white head that leaves a full curtain of lacing. Nose is a big punch of pulpy not very sweet oj with a trailing edge of earthiness. Taste follows suit but is a bit more sweet than I expected, but in a good way because the balance of bitter orange, sweetness and a dry, gritty edge. Body is big, thick and dry. Very well done.

 

Prohibition makes me think of gangsters in Chicago running booze to speakeasies. Maybe it makes me think that way cuz I’m going to Chicago next weekend for an anniversary trip with my wife. I’m excited to have some great beers and maybe meet some BAs at Revolution brewpub on Saturday night...

Anyway this is a collaboration between Monday night and hi-wire called No Coast IPA. It’s supposed to be a mix between NE style and WC style IPAs.



The appearance is NE style. It’s both bright and pale yellow at the same time with some haze. Not opaque, more translucent with minimal haze. Big lacing and moderate white head. The scent also seems more NE style, tropical is the first word that comes to mind. Pineapple, grapefruit, maybe even some peach, all kinds of tropical fruits dominate the scent which is pleasing. Taste is more of the same, up front anyway. On the back end there is some piney, resinous dryness which brings the WC style into play for the first time. It’s on the thin side of medium but never watery and a little sticky. Overall a nice splice both coast IPA styles, will enjoy the rest of the crowler, possibly with some friends later. Hiding in the background is my next NBS beer if I have time before my company arrives.

 

A-Pours a hazy amber color with a generous head and lacing
A-Aroma has tropical citrus and hoppy hints
T-The taste follows the nose with tropical citrus and hoppy flavors
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A nice IPA

 

Good morning NBSers. Well I tried my best for FebDRYary and made it nine days after hoping for 28. Work sucked this week and it’s been below zero most of those days. Ending up breaking down a little past midnight and cracking one of these beasts. Wanted to try it less than a month old. Have lost almost ten pounds so gonna charge forward and still limit my intake from here on out. Enough about me, here’s a new brew...



Nose is sweet honey and hops. Really reminds me of the home brew mead my boss has been making. After warming up the hops opened more to grapefruit, candied orange, citrus and a bit floral. Flavor is more of the same with a big alcohol punch on a week long clean palate. Think I should have tackled something smaller right out of the gate. Moderate mouthfeel and boozy finish rounded out the experience. Really enjoyed it and it’s the second time I’ve got to try it three years after @5EKF sent me a couple cans. Where is that guy btw? Over all I gave it a 4.5.

Having another lazy winter day here and loading up on cabin fever. -3 out currently. Watching a little hockey while the boy and pups lounge. Cheers fellow pioneers of ingestion.

 

I have yet to brew with a Kveik yeast strain but coincidently I did exchange a couple e-mails a few days ago with the folks of Omega yeast about their product of Omega Hornindal Kveik yeast (with emphasis in bold by me:

“A wonderfully unique Norwegian farmstead “kveik,” Hornindal produces a tropical flavor and complex aroma that can present itself as stonefruit, pineapple, and dried fruit leather, which complement fruit-forward hops. Add even more dimension to “C” hops and increase ester intensity with a high fermentation temperature. Ferments well at 90° F/32° C or higher. Non-phenolic and no fusels, even at higher temps.”

https://omegayeast.com/yeast/norwegian-ales/hornindal-kveik

So, the interesting aspects of the above (as I bolded) are:

The aspect of “tropical flavor” to my mind is consistent with modern day IPAs, particularly of the Juicy/Hazy IPA type. Also, the fact that this yeast can ferment at such a high temperature and not cause issues (“non-phenolic and no fusels) is rather unique.

I normally do not brew much in the summertime since it is too hot for ‘standard’ yeast strains. I do brew a Saison ever summer since Saison yeast strains can produce good beers even if fermented hot. I am contemplating perhaps brewing an IPA with Omega Hornindal Kveik this summer as well.

You made mention of “Orange Julius character that I think must come from the Norwegian side of the equation”. I am unaware of any authoritative (and universally agreed upon) treatise on what it takes to create a Juicy/Hazy IPA but I have my opinions here. In my opinion the qualities of juicy and soft/smooth mouthfeel (and consequently a hazy/murky appearance) is due to a combination of:

· A high(er) protein wort which is typically achieved using flaked grains (e.g., flaked wheat, flaked oats) and/or higher protein content malts (wheat malt, oat malt) as part of the grain bill

· An outrageous amount of hops of the varieties like Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy, El Dorado,…

· Certain yeast strains

Heretofore I would have detailed “certain yeast strains” as being a few varieties of English Ale yeast (e.g., Wyeast 1318, Wyeast 1098, White Labs WLP007,…) but based upon your description of this beer it would seem that certain Kveik yeast strains are complementary to the Juicy/Hazy IPA style as well?

Cheers!

 

New Beer Sunday: Flanders Oud Bruin

Afternoon NBSers, with a report and alert for fans of Flanders Out Bruin ales.

Today’s next new beer is locally brewed by Free Will Brewing in Perkasie PA and is called Olly. This is the 2016 version of the beer which is a blend of multiple vintages that have been aged in barrels and a foudre.

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

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28091/260548/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors of this beer are both well balanced and well controlled so that nothing dominates anything else. There’s some light cherry and dark fruit, a bit of chocolate, some light caramel and just a touch of nuttiness. The tartness is light and pleasant and there’s no bitterness showing. Way in the background there’s some light oak and mustiness. I’m really enjoying the complexity and balance of this beer and am glad I’ve got another bottle to age for a while longer.

Cheers, all!

 

A-Pours a hazy anber color with a nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has tropical citrus and hoppy hints
T-The taste follows the nose with tropical citrus and hoppy flavors
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A nice IIPA

 

Between you and me, two old Free Wills in one day. Cheers.

 

Happy New Beer Sunday, BA! Today I have two new beers of very different stripes. The first is a new-to-me IPA from Monday Night Brewing out of Atlanta, GA. I split a can of their hazy double IPA, "Don't Call It Hotlanta" with a buddy yesterday, but I'm enjoying this one by myself on this fine, chilly day.



Pours an unfiltered and slightly hazy yellow-goldenrod kind of hue with a tight head of bone-white foam that leaves behind a consistent sheet of lace. As such, this has pretty decent legs as well. If I look closely, I can detect plenty of hop solids in suspension. Pretty decent looking, to be sure.

Nose is nice and dank with a helping of mango and guava with lighter shades of passion fruit. Not overwhelming at all, but very aromatic. Almost jumps out of the glass. Excellent stuff here. If this follows through on the palate, it could have the makings of a new go-to full-strength IPA for me. Very exciting. Crisp notes of stone fruit, grassiness and ripe citrus peel make their way into the fray as well after a little while opening up before I even take a sip.

According to the beer's page on BA, it's a new one and utilizes Citra, Simcoe and Idaho 7 hops. A cool combination, for sure. The catty dankness from Simcoe and Citra combines really nicely with the pithy citrus and tropical fruit/light tannic/grassy notes from I7. Definitely a good drink. Perhaps a little less-dry than I want it to be, though, but it's not a huge deal. The mid-palate features strong grapefruit and pomelo juiciness/tang with a fairly clean hoppy tropical note at the end of each sip. Round and smooth finish. Definitely would prefer it to be a little drier, but we can't always get what we want. A pretty fun IPA that promised great things but which doesn't quite follow up on the tongue. Still good to try, but probably won't be a repeat purchase. I think I liked the Hotlanta beer from yesterday better.

 

Hey what's going on!?

Time for new beers. Even after all these many years, there is still more and MORE AND MORE new beers from NEW breweries popping up all over! When does the maddness end?!

I CANT TAKE IT ANYMORE!

Actually I am pretty happy about it. Even at its simplest form, there is just too much beer out there that is good and I can't drink it all... but lord knows I am trying.

Went to my neighborhood supermarket, and holy cow.. they have expanded their beer selection like crazy. In fact they even had some new stuff that I don't normally see around... how cool is that. This my friends... has potential.

Well with that being said, what new tasty treat did I have today? What is new for our hero?

Abell Hands - Peabody Heights Brewery , Baltimore Maryland.



Poured from the can into a nonic pint glass.

Bit of a minor fine foamy gush on opening, and the head creation continues on the pour. Out of the can a big off white foaming fistfull of head gradually forms, making a big splash on entry. Suds everywhere, with a cap that will not budge. This is looking more like a big aggressive IPA than anything. A bit of an opaque almost hazy body, maybe even flirting with classic unfiltered NE lines. Burnt orange in color, touches a little brown. A big bold aggressive looking beer, as a tall mountain settles in my glass.

Nice classic pale ale nose. American citrus like hop qualities, hints orange and a bit zesty, with a good solid sweet malt caramel backbone. Has a touch of green herbs and maybe a little pineapple sneaking in.

This is a real nice bold pale ale on the palate. Very large juicy portioned flavors and mouthfeel, and there's a creamy texture and flavor as well no doubt from the added English ale yeast. Mid palate hits excellent tropical and orange citrus qualities, finishing with nice zesty oils and flavors. Real good creamy texture on the finish as well, leaving a real almost chewy leafy mint you can bite into.

This is a very impressive pale ale, a bit hop forward and flirting with IPA qualities, but not a real big one. Nicely done.

look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 | BA Generated Score: 4.18

Cheers!

 

Камни ушли, а Россия продолжается!

The Stones are gone, but Russia continues!

My second Stone was a (perhaps) marginally legal gem:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/311305/?ba=woodychandler#review

It now strikes me that there was a VERY real & valid reason that the FDA made FourLoko remove caffeine from an already high-gravity beer! I am just now winding down. 8=O

I then decided to stay with my Mother Russia theme with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/11551/71028/?ba=woodychandler#review

I finally have stopped vibrating like a tiny generator so this may be a good juncture for a break in the action, i.e., a nap. Still plenty to come, though, so stay tuned!

 

Thumbs up on Von Trapp Dunkel. Had one yesterday.

 

A-Pours a very dark color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has malt, chocolate and lactose hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a malt, chocolate and lactose flavor
M-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer with an unusually oily taste
O-A decent Stout