New Beer Sunday (Week 731)

New Beer Sunday: American IPA

Mornin’ NBSers with a heads up for SE PA folks looking for a local session IPA to try. Also special thanks to @cjgiant for his start up this morning. From my point of view he's nailed one of the important things about this weekly thread. I personally have lost count of the number of beers I bought (or, more importantly in this age of choice, didn't skip buying) when I saw them after reading what someone thought about a particular beer on an NBS.

The weather today will continue to bring us light rain and showers this morning but then about lunch time it will eventually move them on out. The high temperature is expected to be in the mid to upper 50s.

This morning’s new beer is called Keep it on the DL Session IPA and comes from Neshaminy Creek Brewing in Croyden, PA which is in the north eastern part of the greater Philadelphia area.

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

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29021/290455/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors have some grapefruit and zest up front with pineapple and passion fruit in the background. Some crackery malt sweetness helps to soften the resinous bitterness that persists throughout the long dry ending. I’ve found this one to be reasonably drinkable and enjoyable for a session IPA and I would drink it again if offered, but I’ll not be seeking it out in the future. (Session IPAs are not really my thing.)

Cheers, all!

 

Poured into a 16 oz Flying Goose Snulip glass can read when it was canned but betting less than two weeks. Pours a midnight pitch black with a 2 plus finger sticky mocha head that leaves plenty thick lines of lace with wonderful retention. 4.5

Smell is strong roasty coffee beans, vanilla beans, and dark chocolate one dimensional in the best way possible. 4.5

Taste follows really roasty coffee, French vanilla, and deep dark chocolate so darn tasty. 4.5

Mouthfeel is large, plenty of life for the style and heft, not really dry at all and that is impressive, and at 10% I detect no alcohol and goes down way too easy. 4.75

Overall this is just what I was hoping it would be, just flat out roasty and delicious. 4.5

 

Счастливого Нового Пива (Квас) Воскресенье (Неделя 731), товарищи! That's Happy New Beer (Kvass) Sunday (Week 731), kamarades!

All of a sudden, the Kvass Kick is back up and running, Kamarades! There were three (3) of us who were hardcore for a while ( @TMoney , @NeroFiddled & @woodychandler ) until @UCLABrewN84 raised the question as to whether Kvass was worthy of or even merited inclusion. 8=( The wind left my sails as the debate protracted & I simply moved on. Time has borne me out & Kvass has a solid place on this site! Happy happy joy joy! Which brings me to my current, renewed interest. I took some Kvass to a monthly bottle share last Saturday & while it was not wildly received, it was still pooh-poohed by some attendees! 8={} I ALREADY fought in this battle & won! Now, I am simply drinking the fruits of my success in advance of today's visit from @tone77 who will get halvsies of everything yesterday & today.

I brought everyone up-to-date in WBAYDN #2318, so if you are curious, you may check-in over there. My first for today on this thread was:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23305/399811/?ba=woodychandler#review

and with that, I am off & running! Why? The Cossacks are chasing me! It seems that I did not have sufficient rubles to pay for my Kvass. 8=(

 

I like these in-depth threads! Starting to be ready for some reviews myself. So far my na beers are in the "gots" section, 81 different. Maybe starting out with just rating though, so there may be some more Sundays before being productive in NBS, need to know and feel more

Keep up the good job!

 

Good morning New BSers! It's a rainy morning here in NW PA - two weeks from now I'll be humping around the streets near my brother's place in TX. Damn - I can hardly wait! Mrs. Lizard and I are figuring out places we want to re-visit (Witte, SA Museum of Art, SA zoo, SA botanical gardens, the McNay, Fort Sam medical museum, 5 Stones brewery (Me), all the quilt stores in TX (NOT ME!), etc, etc). This time we'll fly - finally we don't have a load of my mother's stuff to haul down. When we drive, it takes three days each way because Mrs. Lizard's priorities are different - she likes to eat, rest, sleep, etc. I've driven to SA and back twice without her, once with my son and once with one of my brothers, and it's taken 25 hours each way.

But enough BS, now on to New BS stuff. First, thanks to @cjgiant for starting today's thread - nice summation of our goals, targets, and end games! On that note, today's New Breakfast Beer and New (For me) Beer Sunday entry:



$ 13.00 (Including tax)/500 mL cork and cage bottle ($ 0.767/oz) from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. Reviewed 2/24/19.
No date other than the nebulous “2016 Series Batch No 03” on the front and back labels. Stored at 42 degrees and served at 54 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 60 degrees.
Appearance – 3.75.
Body – Dark brown/black, opaque.
Head – Large (Maximum 5.3 cm, aggressive center pour), tan, medium density, less than average retention, diminishing to a three mm ring and a thin complete layer.
Lacing – None.
First pour – Dark brown, clear.
Aroma – 4.25 - Primarily sweet chocolate with a hint of caramel. As it warms, some bourbon comes through.
Flavor – 4.5 – Begins moderately sweet with some toffee which is shortly replaced by light but noticeable char. Nutmeg is present but I cannot taste either vanilla or cinnamon. A bit of alcohol (9.6% ABV) mixed with coffee appears at the end. No diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide, no hops.
Palate – 4 – Medium, creamy, soft carbonation.

Impression and interpretation – 4 – A decent take on the English Milk/Sweet Stout style, with the mulled flavors blending well so that their independent flavors mostly cannot be isolated. This is the first time I’ve noticed the use of pasilla peppers in a beer - I had to look them up. Their presence is undetectable by me, unlike most peppers in beer which are usually very much “in your face”. They might be present in the slight post-consumption gastric warming, which I had attributed solely to the ethanol content. Or are they contributing to the slight char characteristic? The hops are mild varieties which contribute gently to the flavor but do not counteract the lactose sweetness although they may attenuate it. Overall, a decent brew lacking the distinction necessary for a great brew.

What is the listing for this brew on BA? I'm sure someone has reviewed this before I have but the listings on BA don't align with the actual nomenclature printed on the bottle. Chris Banker only shows up in the details on the back label, so why is his name part of the listings on BA? Am I oblivious to some unwritten naming algorithm? HELP!

 

Great! It's always exciting to hear from someone having access to brews we never see in the states. As long as you give us the basics (See @cjgiant opening), we'll welcome you with open refrigerators!

 

Good morning NBS
Just finished my 3rd of 7 nightshifts and having a beer before bed...

The review:
11.2oz bottle bb 02 03 19 poured into a St. Bernardus goblet at just above fridge temp 7.5% ABV. The beer pours slightly hazy orange amber in color with off white head. The head fades quickly leaving a thin cap and some lacing. The aroma is mostly clove and pepper with a touch of bubblegum. The taste is semisweet pale malt accented with strong black pepper and clove leading to a mild, but firm, closing bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with above average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very good. I'm not a huge tripel fan, but I like the balance and spice here. No banana which is normally what I dislike.

As for @cjgiant's opening comments, I have been picking up every European beer I can find with a reasonable date. I've grown tired of wading through endless "new" beers that are really plain and recycled and cost $4 a can. I've found consistent enjoyment in these classic styles and the variety is welcome. Enough old man talk. Cheers all and enjoy the new beer in your glass today!

 

Love your review Woody (Yep, I followed the link) and would love to find some more Kvass (Kvasses?) to try - my first and only was flavorful. This seems to be a,pretty uncommon style, at least around here, where as close as we get is when we strain Streno through bread.

 

My favorite Czech (sorta) Pilsener

Today’s new beer isn’t exactly new to me but it has been a very long time since I have seen this beer for sale so I will proclaim it as being new. I was very happy to see this beer available for sale at my local Retail Beer Distributor.

You may have noted my disclaimer of “sorta” above because technically this beer is brewed in the Slovakia vs. the Czech Republic but I still remember the country of Czechoslovakia so this beer is still a Czech Pilsner (Bohemian Pilsner) to me.

The beer is Golden Pheasant or for those of you who speak Slovak Zlatý Bažant (which is exactly the same in the Czech language).

Below is how this beer is discussed on the US importer’s (Stawski) website:

“NA ZDRAVIE, SLOVENSKO!

Also known as its English translation, “Golden Pheasant” this beer is Slovakia’s most popular beer. It’s the most exported Slovak beer and can be found in such countries as the USA, Canada, Russia, Ukraine, Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Moldavia, and Kazakhstan. Over a million hectolitres are sold all over the world per year. In 2006, its 12% version was awarded the best beer in its category by the Slovak Union of Beer and Malt Producers.

BOHEMIAN PILSNER

Geographically, Slovakia is an obvious location for great lager beers. They have access to the best hops, grains and softest water in the world. This and a long brewing tradition is what makes for this very special product. It exhibits a great balance between nutty malt flavors, aromatics and delicious noble hop varieties. The finish is clean and refreshing, making Golden Pheasant an easy beer to drink.

Golden Pheasant is rated as Highly Recommended by the Beverage Testing Institute and was awarded a Silver Medal in the World Beer Championships.”

http://stawskiusa.com/golden-pheasant/

Will this bottle live up to my fond memories of the past or have things changed? As the wise owl would say: “Let’s find out”.

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Golden colored with a one finger white head.

Aroma:

One the initial sniff I pick up a bit of struck match (hydrogen sulfide) which is quite pleasant. There is also some spicy/herbal hop aroma and a crackery malt aroma.

Taste:

The flavor very much follows the nose. A pleasing combination of crackery malt and spicy/herbal hop flavors. There is a firm bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

This beer is medium bodied with an off-dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is very good! A very enjoyable combination of crackery malt and spicy/herbal hop flavors.

If you can find this beer fresh I highly recommend this beer to you Pilsner fans. The best insight I can provide is my bottle has a production code of 7320703A14:37. I lack a Little Orphan Annie decoder to crack this code and the brewery did not respond to my e-mail query for when this beer was bottled. Anybody out there understand this code?

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @Ranbot @Crusader @jesskidden

 

A-Pours a clear golden color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has citrus and hop hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a nice citrus and hop flavor
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A good IIPA

 

A-Pours a hazy amber color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has grapefruit and pineapple hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a grapefruit and pineapple flavor
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A decent IIPA

 

Today’s new beer is a collab between Westbrook and 3 Sons, blending the bases of Mexican Cake, and Summation, then aged 22 months in Napa cabernet barrels, then finished with cocoa nibs and dried tart cherries...I believe it was released 2 weeks ago; I bought the bottle at the brewery yesterday... the label description sounds good to me, let’s test drive it...



Poured at 58 degrees after warming on the counter for approximately 1 hour:



Black with ruby edges; dark brown/cinnamon colored thick rocky head; good cap retention and thin ring; medium legs; spotty lacing. 4.75



Chocolate covered cherries nose up front; red wine and some spicy chillies pepper sauce as it warms. 4.25

Tart cherries, chocolate, red wine; tart cherries on backend; some pepper from the Cake base. 4.25

Medium lite body; silky feel; moderate minus carbonation; vinous dry barrel tongue coating; little warmth from the 12%. 4.0

Overall, a bit thin feeling and the Cake flavors complete with the tart cherries and the cabernet barrel notes; the linger is dry and winey; in short, the sum of the disparate parts (all of which are good tasting) do not join well as a whole. 4.25

Lazy day here in the low country, perhaps another new beer this afternoon. Cheers from Charleston SC!

 

Brasserie De La Senne - Major Tom

Happy NSS. Today is new saison Sunday for me. First up is this collaboration between one of my favorite Belgian brewers and Monk’s Cafe... or more precisely, Tom Peters (hense the beer name) and his daughter Isabel.

This is a 7.5% “double saison” from Nov 2017. Color is hazy yellow. Carbonation is huge and the head is wonderfully crazy. Smells of brett. The taste has an assertive leafy bitterness that threatens to obscure all else. Underneath the bitterness is a hidden bright fruity lychee quality. This is a dry beer. There is supposedly some beechwood smoked malt in here. I didn’t know this while drinking it and I did not pick up on this at all.

This is a really well done beer, but while I like hoppy saisons a lot, in this case, the bitterness comes on too strong for the beer. This would be better with more balance, but I couldn’t say what it would have tasted like a year ago. This was bottle conditioned with Brett.

 

Bravo @cjgiant to a great start!

Today, like many other New Beer Sundays, I am starting out with a coffee infused beer. Surprise surprise.

So drumroll for the first of the day!


Beer: Coffee Vanilla Qualified (a Belgian style quadruple with, you might have guessed it, coffee & vanilla)

Brewery: Taxman (Bargersville, Indiana)

ABV: 9.5%



Pouring from a 12 oz. can into a snulip style glass, this beer resembles cola in color. It forms a pinky worth of peanut tinted crown that noisily dissipates to a thin outer ring within minutes. No lacing. 3.75

The nose offers a creamy, slightly roasty, cold brew coffee tangling through layers of vanilla, brown sugar and a little bit of Belgian yeast influence on the back. 4

The taste follows the nose up well. It brings the coffee back, this time with a nice chocolate presence as well. It melds into some dark fruit and Belgian yeast before showing way to the brown/burnt sugar notes and finishing with vanilla. 4.25

The mouthfeel is creamy and smooth. The coffee has a little astringency, but not much. The floral/ester Belgian yeast character leaves the mouth feeling dry. ABV is present in there with some slight warming sharpness to remind you that it’s close to 10%. 4

Overall, it’s an enjoyable brew that could use some slight tweaking to just round out some edges to make it great. But at $8.99 for a 4 pack, you’re definitely not gonna hear me complain. I respect what Taxman is doing with the complete Belgian influenced brewery, not chasing hype trains, especially while being in a small town in Indiana. 4

Cheers NBS crew, can’t wait to see what you bring to the share!

 

A-Pours a nice hazy amber color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has tropical citrus and malty hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a tropical citrus and malty flavor
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A good IIPA

 

Thanks @cjgiant for the great start to this weeks NBS. Will be back later on today with a new brew.

Cheers!

 

Good morning NBS! I can definitely relate to the opening post- I’ve enjoyed much of what I’ve had from local brewery Platform but they release so many beers into the local market I often pass them up as I don’t know which I might or might not like and even if I do like one who knows if or when it would be seen again.

This morning I’m sipping on a crowler of SingleCut’s 18 Watt session IPA. It’s a style I often pass up because when I want hops I want to taste them as fully as possible, and many don’t bring to the table what their higher abv counterparts do. This one I had to try as I’ve enjoyed the all of the brewery’s IPAs I’ve had. It is a fantastic example of what the style can be capable of as it truly packs the hops without being too thin or light on flavor.

A four on flavor otherwise all 4.25
Poured from a crowler into an IPA glass
A: Medium orange-brown, opaque though not exactly hazy, a one-finger lingering head
S: Tons of tropical fruits initially, citrus (mostly orange peel) in the middle and hints of pine & earth towards the end
T: The citrus & earth come through up front here, then some tropical fruit towards the finish though not quite as complex as the nose
M: Actually medium-bodied, quite pleasant. A touch dry/bitter
O: This is quite pleasant and a well made session IPA. More going on and more body than many