New Beer Sunday (Week 731)

This will be my only NBS post I believe. Central State's Lazer Raptor, 5.9% ABV a Gose with Cranberry, Lime & Salt, very nice. 4.12overall

Pours an effervescent strawberry pink with one finger of cream colored head. Head retention & lacing AWOL

S: A little bit of funk up front sustains throughout

T: Tart tart lime, dryness, a little salt & maybe just a trace of cranberry. As this warms, the cranberry tartness & lime sourness intensify. Finishes very dry & puckery tart with a little cranberry, lime & salt as advertised

MF: Puckery with lively carbonation

This is a grown-up sour here worked on a lot of levels for me

 

Keep your reviews coming, Ian. A lot of us really enjoy them!

 

New Beer Sunday: American IPA

Evenin’ NBSers and an alert for IPA fans looking for something complex.

This evening’s new IPA is called Gearshifter and comes from Stoudts Brewing in Adamstown PA. (Some of you may recognize the name of this brewery as being the one founded in 1987 by Carol Stoudt who is said to be the first female Brewmaster in the US since prohibition.)

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

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/394/355036/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors of this beer are all about the hops but the profile is surprisingly complex in that the aromas provide a different picture than the flavors. In the aromas what shows is mostly a melange of tropical fruits, some floral character and some bready malt. In the flavors there’s also some citric zest and pine resin. The “shifting of gears” creates an interesting complexity that is both drinkable and enjoyable. I expect to be having more of this one.


The music on the player this evening is by a Greek Composer named Manos Hadjidakis. Back in 1960 there was a movie called Never on Sunday for which Hadjidakis wrote the sound track. His title song was the first from a foreign language film to win an Oscar for Best Original Song. Here is a sample of his music in the context of a video about one of the Greek Cyclades Islands, Syros. (A place I’ve been lucky enough to get to visit a couple of times.)




Cheers, all!

 

oh hey! I didn't see much at the store, but there's a great store that specialized in Eastern European goods called Taste of Europe. They have awesome Siberian dumplings, tasty Spreewald pickles, tasty homemade Smetannik, and I did see some Kvass there but not much. They also had lots of Baltic beer, but more of the mass produced makers. Great little store it's in Gaithersburg MD.

 

Good to know! I have an aunt & uncle in DC & I am public trans savvy so maybe on a future visit ...

Also, for @Ozzylizard : @TMoney2591 resides/resided in Chicagoland & from personal exbeerience, that is the motherlode. He was finding CANs as well as bottles at little grocery stores. SO jelly!

 

I was hoping it would be good, your review makes me happy about buy 2 4-packs! Glad you enjoyed it!

 

New What Light Through Yonder Window Breaks Sunday

This is one that I’m surprised I haven’t had yet based on how much I love Gillian and Halia. Seems like there was a recipe change with Matilda though because I don’t care for it as much anymore. Miss Pepe Nero. Anyway...


4.05/5 rDev -4.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Bottled March 3, 2017

Pouring it into the tall stemmed, Goose Island wine glass it is very fizzy. Audibly and in highly carbonated head. It disappeared almost immediately and left champagne like bubbles all around the glass. It is hard to describe the color. I would call it a burnt orange with a purple-red tint.

It smells fantastic. Lots of oak and a bunch of Brett yeast. Fairly sour and acidic, with an underlying dark berry.

It is really tart and sour initially. Not sure if I just adjusted, but it really seemed to let up as it warmed with more of a deep, consistent sourness. After the sour punch and the yeast, there is a nice blackberry and wine flavor. Like red grapes. The oak flavor is in the finish with lingering dark fruit.

Decent amount of body. Carbontion/ pricklyness is not nearly as high as it suggested. A little twang with a slightly dry finish.

Just a touch too tart overall maybe, and I wish the blackberry flavor would shine more, but a very nice beer.

 

I think there's also another Taste of Europe location in NOVA in the Annandale neighborhood, if that helps. THey are both I think suburban locations not really close to the metro, but hey nothing is totally impossible to get there.

 

Man on to a next new brew... really dig this one...

Lucy Juicy DIPA | Solace Brewing



Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Canned Dec 19th 2018.

Opaque, but not hazy looking body, with a nice bit of glow as it settles to a simple orange amber color, and very tangerine but also hints brown in appearance too. Head is very fluffy and a nice three finger controlled lump that settles with big creamy retention. This isn't going anywhere.

I really am diggin this hop aroma. This is a very nice orange candy zest aroma that is bursting off. It comes off like a light dusting of powdered sugar but not horribly sweet, big touches of tangerine and kumquats, with a nice little spicy touch. Ugh… drooling over this, candy store minus the big sugar bomb.

Woah, this is really hitting the mark on the palate for me. Big orange crush like flavors with a light controlled bitterness. Creamy touches of vanilla and a matching orange exotic creamsicle like quality in flavor. Wonderful aftertaste that coats of vanilla and exotic sweetened myer lemon and more citrus. Very well hidden abv, shockingly actually for 8%.

Boy is this beer dialed in, and pushing all the right buttons for me. Juicy yes, unfortunately no Lucy, and that's probably a good thing.

look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5 | BA: 4.45

Cheers!

 

Awesome NEIPA. Opaquely hazy. Great rocky head retention/soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big tangerine, orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, peppercorn, and pine hops; with moderate wheat, biscuit dough, light honey/caramel/toasted malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, minty, peppery hops; and yeast spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body; creamy/bready/grainy malts, some sticky hops, and light resins/rinds in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering resin dryness, no hop astringency. Very smooth/soft, minimal warming 6.8%. Yet another Voss Kviek yeasted NEIPA. Awesome Simcoe, MBC 438, MI Chinook profile. Very juicy, vibrant, fairly dank/earthy hops, and fruity/spicy yeast complexity; with a great balancing bready wheat/oat/malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering resin dryness. Very impressive as usual. 4.1


Cheers

 

A pox on you! Ever since I read this post, I can't get this song out of my head...

So, here to it taking up residence in yours, too!

 

Checked out two Pseudo Sue variants today...

Mosaic earlier this afternoon and Galaxy, still in the glass now...

And this is after starting my day with the standard version to refresh my memory...

The Mosaic hop complementing the Citra hop of Pseudo Sue produced a fruitier, richer, more deeply flavored beer, full of plush citrus and zesty tang - medium-light feel, bitterness crushing the palate, and mildly sweet and tart... Excellent...


The Galaxy version is another Pseudo Sue variant that just nails it - whereas the Mosaic hop added a lot of plush, juicy fruit, Galaxy enhances the sharp, tangy citrusiness, almost with a drying effect like wine barrel wood - hard to go wrong with a base beer like 'Sue, eh?

I'd have to say that I like both variants better than the base beer, though they are not necessarily better beers than the base beer - the variants have more of an IPA vibe than an APA vibe, if that makes sense to you, and I'm more of an IPA guy than an APA guy...

Believe it or not, that's all I got today, folks

Here's to new beer in your glass, cheers...

 

Good afternoon and happy New Brett Sunday, BAs. At this point I'm really just trying to “hang in there” as this is day 9 of a 10 day straight work week along with a transition double shift from graveyard to days again. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow afternoon not only for what I consider to be a well deserved weekend, but it is also my son's 2nd birthday. Great day to celebrate, and I will start that mindset by having what I presume will be another fantastic new beer considering the source.

Upright Brewing (w/ The Commons)
Bauernhaus Ensemble- Barrel Aged Wheat Beer w/ Brett

The Commons was a brewery that was adored by some, but unfortunately not by all in Portland. They stuck to their guns which arguably led to their demise. I was fortunate enough to visit both of their previous location before shutting the doors at what is now Modern Times.

On to the beer…





A straw to 18 carat golden glow with a softness to it as it is not absolutely transparent. The rustic image is topped by a humble ring of white soapy bubbles that hug the coast of the glass.

All of the usual suspects jump out for the party. Cracked grain and tart apple skins, a touch of acidic vinegar, and a musty, weathered wood. White wine elements creep out with pops of green grape and oak derived tannins.

A light earthy element and strawberry compliment the above. The rustic wood and grain weave in and out of the fruits, giving wave after wave of delicious flavors. Pear, grape, apples…. Again, like a fruity white wine, perhaps in the vein of a Sauvignon Blanc.

The soft texture and light carbonation only enhance the wine-like experience. Smooth and dry, warming despite it's modest abv, and wonderfully balanced.

Another winner from Upright. Unique and exciting flavors and textures with a laid back persona. Another beer that I wish was in any other format so I could drink all day long.

After my official review, I gave Bauernhaus Ensemble a rating of 4.21 with an rDev of -0.2%.

Cheers.

 

100% Centennial IPA. This was excellent. Awesome lasting head retention/thick lacing. Aromas and flavors of big red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, citrus peel/rind, mint, light peppercorn, and pine hops; with moderate honey, toasted biscuit/dough, light caramel/nutty malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body; balanced creamy/bready malts, sticky hops, and some resins/rinds in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Very smooth, not aggressive, minimal warming 7.5%. very juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hops; with a great balancing bready Munich malt backbone. Mild residual sweetness with lingering resin dryness. This basically tastes like a bit more malty/earthy version of Founders Centennial. Spot on Midwest IPA. 4


Cheers

 

My first Allagash can!
Nice to finally see this packaging move!!



16 oz. can.
Moderate to vigorous pour yields a one inch pure white head over a slightly hazy golden body with some lacing. Nose of some tropical fruit, citrus, and coriander with a nice Belgian character as well. Taste of fine refreshing flavors of slight citrus, slighter tropical fruit, and an herbal quality which seems like a bit more than just coriander. Very refreshing finish and will be great when summer gets here. Nice feel and overall, I'd definitely recommend this. Cheers!

 

I understand the trepidation to do it in front of a crowd. Don't worry about it. The only way to be able to do it, is to do it. There's no wrong answer : just tell us what YOU experience.

Hey NBSers
Todays first ( & not last?) new beer is a brand new one(again) from the brewery just up the road, Beer Tree Brew Co. Canned Tuesday, 2/19/19. Save That Money DIPA
Popping the top produces fresh red grapefruit aroma. Pouring it , even more. There's a bit of sweetness to it, + some tangerine, floral hop, & golden bread/malt sweetness.

Looks like fresh-squeezed tangerine juice, but with a beer head.

Taste is follows nose +/-, but in different proportions. Tangerine,pine,grapefruit,apricot, and a mead-like sweetness. Nice amount of bitterness, for balance. A soft bitterness, that's noticeable, but isn't quite the old-school-IPA slap to the palate.

Feel is on the light side of "medium" , but definitely not "watery". Fine carbonation, that occasionaly pops up to stick you with some sharp tingle. Trying it blind , I would have thought it was 6% +/-. A bit of syrupy coating left behind (& the current buzz) is the only hint that it's actually 8.1% .

Overall, very good. Best description I can come up with is : combine a tangeriney IPA (Jai Alai?) with a juicy NEIPA with Hopslam. Odd name. Don't follow the directions on the can.

4.46/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/51814/400220/?ba=mikeinportc#review

 

Hail to my beer nerd friends on this magnificent thread and our fearless leader @cjgiant for the opening salvo. I have a couple of Cali beers tonight from Heretic, which has distro all over South Bend.

The first is a triple IPA that features Mitch Steele on cowbell. I purchased this because of the respect I have for his work at Stone, and I’m glad I did.





4.35/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Beautiful golden color on an aggressive pour that produces a fluffy off-white head, this beer is as clear as a glass of purified water. The nose is filled with pungent, dank tropical fruit notes. Old school triple IPA (if there is such a thing), I’m aquiver with excitement to sip this.

Expectations exceeded. I don’t know what the hop bill is, but there’s a heap load of dank citrus flavors and a crackery malt flavor that combine to mask the 11.5% ABV wallop this triple IPA is packing, and a mouthfeel that is straight outta the West Coast IPA playbook.

I purchased this because I like Heretic and I love what Mitch Steele did at Stone, but my experience with triple IPA’s has been mixed. Nothing mixed here - this approaches world-class, IMHO.