New Beer Sunday (Week 733)

My weekend begins with one I'm always excited for;
any new one from Brasserie Trois Dames!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17998/378537/



750 ml. bottle.
Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 1/4 inch off white head over a deep amber body with some lacing. Nose of dark fruit, grapefruit, and oak. Taste mirrors nose with a tiny bit of sweetness in front, turning a bit sour in the middle, and finishing with slight tannins from the Cabernet Sauvignon barrels. Wow! Very complex and simple at the same time! The sweetness does carry through almost 'til the end with a ruby red grapefruit flavor at first, then morphing to a pink grapefruit flavor near the end. The oak flavor is there for the duration as well. Good feel and overall, what an interesting offering from Ste. Croix, Switzerland. Cheers to the Swiss for this!

 

Yesterday was a windy, soggy mess in Middle TN, but today was absolutely beautiful, with blue skies and temps in the upper 60s. Today was a glorious day that included a long walk with my better half and our dog to a local taproom for lunch and a few pints. I was even able to sneak in a nap after the trek back home. Anyway, time for a new beer!

Snake Root, a coconut milk stout, Oddstory Brewing Co., Chattanooga, TN

This is an English sweet stout, clocking in at 5.4% ABV.
I loved the look of this one. Dark and somewhat viscous on the pour. In the glass a hefty sized tan head formed and only reluctantly settled during the drink. Impressive foam in a coconut beer. The aroma was more milk chocolate than anything else, with sweet coconut poking through. The taste was less sweet and more balanced with roasted grain notes, some chocolate, and some coffee. The sweet coconut and milk sugar were thankfully more restrained in this relatively low-gravity beer. The feel was silky and appropriately hefty with some residual sweetness, but not overdone. I appreciated the balance and restraint the most with this beer. Cheers!

 

Greetings, fellow NBSers,

39° outside. Lately we've been hitting temperatures several degrees above freezing during the daytime but there's still enough snow on the ground that sustained warmer weather would probably cause flooding. Not that that's likely to happen Monday-Tueaday is being predicted to bring another 3-6 inches of snow in what, weatherwise, is the most bizarre March I've seen in a lifetime spent living in my region and 23yrs spent in my city.

Decent week for craft beer in my fair city. Community Pint had a pFriem event on Friday with some nice kegs on, and my last visit to Steady Flow Growler House gave me some ideas for beers to send to my target in NBS BIF #9.

Today I'm hitting a couple North Dakota beers courtesy of @Victory_Sabre1973, one of which wasn't really my deal and the other I dug very much.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27076/76106/?ba=woemad#review
This is a Scottish ale (the lightest I've ever come across) that I just didn't go for. Kind of a sweet mess. Possibly due to age, I hasten to add, since I didn't read the abv until today and wrongly assumed it was a Wee Heavy.


https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30597/96703/?ba=woemad#review

A thoroughly enjoyable Belgian Strong Golden Ale. I wish someone local made this style this well and packaged it.

Not sure if I'll have any more new beers today. If not, have a great week!

 

Good afternoon and happy New Bye-Bye Brewery Sunday, BAs. No hikes again this week which continues to kill me inside. Can't wait to get back out there as I suspect it's going to be a gorgeous Spring and Summer. Fall too, but… whatever.

So, I've been guilt laden with my lack of support over the years for this well established brewery, and have been doing my due diligence to support it as much as I can during its final days. Well, today is that day. BridgePort Brewing closes its doors for good after 30+ years of service. I was happy to enjoy the big old brick building, comfort food, and respectable suds one last time along with many others riddled to share in its inevitable demise. The surprisingly chipper and generous staff really made and makes this a heavy hearted goodbye.

BridgePort Brewing-
Port Barrel Aged India Pale Ale





This is anything but your classic India Pale Ale. An elegant and simply gorgeous rosé colored body with stunning clarity as no bubbles interfere. A bone white foam, though my eyes might be trying to convince me of a pink hue, rests well and proudly above. Spotty lacing trickles down the glass, spread out like an unending archipelago of islands. (3.75)

To match the appearance, light sweet wine once again takes lead in the aroma. Red grape skins are met with grapefruit flesh, a touch of wood, and a light buttery essence. The woodiness gives off an added earthy depth, especially as temperatures rise. (4.0)

Unripened grapes blend fifty/fifty with citrus peel. Old hops, like an aged IPA with classic varietals, dominate the middle carrying well into the finish. Plenty of oak with the slightest tannic influence share the load. (3.75)

Once again, this beer is embracing it's barrel influence. Not quite Lambrusco, but not far from it. Sweet initially, accompanied by a lively carbonation and a wood stripped dryness. A soft touch of bitterness, but only after the dust has settled. (3.5)

Port Barrel Aged IPA is just that. A wine and barrel-dominated, aged beer that manages to be smooth, unique, and actually quite tasty. I'm no aficionado but I am somewhat familiar with the sweeter and lighter styles of Ports, and although my preferences being in entirely different classes, this seemed to work well. (3.75)

I was unable to enter this into the database as the brewery is deemed “Closed”, but my official scores would indicate roughly a 3.75. Cheers, and thanks again BridgePort….

 

Evening and thanks @cjgiant for the roll call.
Had to work today which is usually a day off. We had a very popular reggae band play today and that being said I carried the Carribean theme throughout the weekend with the food. Having worked about 65 hours this week Im pretty exhausted but couldnt pass up an opportunity to share a brew here on NBS again. When I see Nelson and 007 in a beer my hand instinctively grabs without any concern for what may be in my wallet, hence:
Collective Dreaming DDH IPA, a collab between Finback and Dry and Bitter. Nelson, Citra, Azacca and 007.
Pours a turbid golden yellow typical of many popular NEIPAs. The head is unexpectedly large and lasting, biege in color, and quite lasting leaving lots of "world map lacing"
Aroma is what I always love first about Nelson: sauvignon blanc grape, gooseberry, kiwi than combines with citrus notes of grapefruit, orange and lemon. 007 appears as an earthy, piney damp background and there is a tropical pineapple element as well.
Taste follows with the white grape, kiwi and earthy, grapefruit/citrus and tropical notes with a spicey almost rye like character. Maybe its because Im finally out of work but Im loving this brew.
Feel is medium, nice carbonation, oily hop but drying, lingering finish.
I really dig this brew. It may be the best of Nelson of had in quite sometime. Comparable to Trillium DDH Stillings St but even better to to the addition of 007 and Citra. Maybe Im tired but this one is really worth seeking out if youre into the Nelson scene.
One of my Dub n Grub Reggae brunch specials today along with our house smoked and jerked chicken- Caribbean Scramble. Peace and Love in the House! If I can stay awake I will be back with another Nelson brew.....

Carribean Scramble today for Dub n Grub - Gently scrambled eggs over Sweet Potato hash; Sweets, Red Onion, Black Beans and Fresh Pineapple Bits. Drizzled with Roasted Pineapple/Habanero Sauce and Cilantro creme fraiche.

 

2018 BBA Ten Fidy



I've only had the regular Ten Fidy once, and it was before my palate could handle a big stout. I remember it being savory and roasty. Four years later, I'm giving the BBA version a whirl.

Canned just over 4 months ago.

Pours near-black with a persistent tan head with honey comb-like gaps.

The nose is dark chocolate, raisin, and a deep savory note. Awesome.

The taste is dark chocolate, raisin, cherry, caramel, and bourbon. This is almost as decadent as Bourbon County but a bit less sweet. At 98 IBUs, I expected a roasty beast of a beer, but this is actually a beautiful blend of flavors that I'm downing quickly. Chocolate, cherry liqueur, and oaky bourbon. Yum.

The mouthfeel is medium+. Not crazy full but very nice.

Overall, hell yeah. 4.5+/5

 

Hello New Beer Sunday!!!

What a day it was. I had an extremely tough time getting out of my apartment parking lot due to the heavy wet snow that fell yesterday, into overnight. Work was slow as hell due to the snow and the time change, but I wasn't surprised.

At least there's beer, and new beer, of course.


Junkyard Brewing Wake Up Late Vanilla Coffee Stout - 9.8% ABV

Considering the time change overnight, this beer seemed like the right choice.

I'm happy with this beer. I'm happy Junkyard has FINALLY decided to stop in the St. Cloud metro on their way to the twin cities, and leave us some beer love here.

Tasty, nice coffee and vanilla flavor that really works together.

Review

4.24/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours quite dark, with a 3 finger tan head. The head retention is quite good, and the head is long lasting. There's some lacing on the glass as the head dissipates.
The nose is really rich with coffee, and also a nice vanilla undertone. These aromas really work well.
The taste has the coffee up front, then the vanilla hits more on the backside. There's also a slight hop presence in this beer. Some sweetness on the backside with the vanilla.
The body is a bit lighter than I was expecting, but it isn't watery at all. Slight creamy feeling in this beer. Hard to notice the 9% ABV in this beer. No alcohol harshness.
Tasty, and easy drinking coffee/vanilla stout. Maybe a slightly thicker body would make this beer even better, but it's damn good.


This will be all for tonight. I'm not drinking nearly as much anymore, so I may, or may not be here next week, but I always like the new beer stories.

Cheers!

 

Agree 100%. Just because an IPA is hazy doesn't mean it's New England style. This one was really an English or Southern style malt-forward IPA.

 

Happy Another New American Impy Stout Sunday!

Having something from a local brewery, pretty tasty brew. Got to be the highest ABV brew I've had in a can. Definitely a sipper!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/5605/403028/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Ascension Fruit Sour. This was fantastic. Solid head retention/spotty lacing. Aromas and flavors of big sour/tart/tangy blackberry, cranberry, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, melon, red/green apple, red grape/wine, hay, straw, and grass; with moderate wheat, cracker, white bready malts; lighter notes of peppercorn, lacto funk, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness, fruit tang, and light spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation, light-medium body, and fairly crisp finishing. Balanced creramy/grainy wheat, lactic acid, and fruit tang/tannins in the mouthfeel. Moderate increasing acidic/tangy dryness, minimal puckering sourness. Very smooth, pretty refreshing, not overly lactic, 5%. Fantastic balance of super jammy Black/cranberries, and Lacto complexity; with a nice solid pale/wheat malt backbone against acidity. 4.2


Cheers

 

Time to share a whale with my girlfriend! I won this in a Super Bowl pool that @BeerThursdays put together. I passed on this bottle a few years back because of the high price tag and have been kicking myself about that since, but I finally get to try Drie Fonteinen Framboos! Right away the smell of raspberries just overwhelm you, so much so that I would have rated the nose above a 5 if I could. It is amazing but it is just short of the level that the Lou Pepe with fruit that I’ve had the chance to try.

4.68/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Huge thank to BeerThursdays for this
750 ml bottle, dated 6/18/2014, poured into a flute

A- A murky/hazy burnt red with a very small pink head.

S- Wow, you can smell the raspberries the second the cork is pulled, sour raspberries, some sweet raspberries, mild funk and oak. Smells like a wonderful pie made with great fresh raspberries.

T- Sour, lemons, tart raspberries, very mild raspberry sweetness, some funk and oak.

M- Smooth, dry, medium body.

O- Still has a lot of great tart raspberry flavor even after 4.5 years. Truly a treat that I’m very happy that I got to try.

Cheers NBS!!

 

I've long been guilty of taking them for granted, but to be fair I hadn't seen them on-tap in eastern Washington for years, and what I would come across that was packaged generally didn't do much for me. I guess it's a cautionary tale of what happens when you are perceived as resting on your laurels, no matter how far back your pedigree goes. I hope those employees land on their feet.

 

so a true NBS beer so it had not ratings on BA. As a lover of lager this was a tasty treat .. Cheer alls

Casita / Triple Crossing - Zero Cool

4.27/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Deep brown with a nice tan head that lingers and with above average lacing.
Smell is touch muted but nice toasted malt and nutty like roasted chestnuts. Taste follows clean crisp with a strong malt background and so tasty . Glad I have one more can to drink

 

Good early evening, NBS. Back here after a brief, unintended hiatus. Thanks to @cjgiant for the lead post.

Weather-wise it has been variable here, but not as bad as it could be. Snow, cold, rain, 60 degrees seems to be the cycle. It wasn't epic, but the last snow storm my 82 year old dad spent eleven hours plowing snow in their community. His birthday was Thursday so we talked a while. Said he plowed past 200 houses to clear the roadways, has zero volunteers, and 199 complaints.

So today's beer, with Bob the bathtub goldfish doing the Vanna White:



The Maple Barrel-aged variant of Brigadeiro by Springdale Barrel Room. BA has this classified as an English Oatmeal Stout. It is a blend of Brigadeiro aged in whiskey barrels and maple syrup barrels, with lactose and Brazilian coffee. So...there's that. Is it an oatmeal stout or a sweet stout? You'll see that I don't care...

Pours used motor oil brown with kind of a rocky dark brown head. Said head falls to a ring and a Pangea-like island in the middle. Pangea hangs around, the ring kinda fizzes out. Looks like a stout...

The smell definitely needs help from warmth, then it doesn't dissappoint. Coffee and chocolate, subdued whiskey notes, mild maple and vanilla, obvious sweetness.

Ya know, I can dissect the taste in detail, but this is just a good tasting brew that does not overdo it on any attribute in particular. The whiskey and maple are really subdued and blended into the coffee which blends with the malt flavors. There is a sweetness that seems reasonable. The overall effect is kind of a maple flavored milk chocolate coffee with just the lightest breath of whiskey. High potential to be a train wreck, but it aint.

The feel is on the lower side for a stout, but I am not minding that. Not syrupy or sticky, actually finishes on the dry side.

Well done, but maybe not a huge upgrade from the regular Brigadeiro. Around here they are the same price, so I am happy with that - quite happy to drink either.

Cheers!

 

They were the second brewery I ever visited in Portland back when The Pearl District was.... sketchy at best. I've now lived 10 minutes from them for a year and a half. I have no excuse other than my faded interest and desire to access other exceptional local offerings. Though this seems to be a recent trend (breweries closing), this one hits a little harder. Almost like the city itself lost some of it's identity. I remember doing anything within my power to get cracks at Hop Czar back in the day...

And I agree with you about those employees. The minimal research I've done indicates that they were decently severanced.

Cheers!

 

New Beer Sunday; Belgian Quadrupel (Quad)

Good evenin’ NBSers, and an alert for fans of Boulevard Brewing.

This evening’s new beer is a slow sipper, the Bourbon Barrel Quad Barrel-Aged Ale (BBQ) from Boulevard Brewing in Kansas City, Missouri.

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

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/423/43670/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors of this beer are full, rich and smooth. There’s some bourbon, some malt and some dark cherries. There’s also some vanilla and in the background there’s some other dark fruits (plums, prunes) and just a bit of oak. The semi-dry ending still shows some vanilla and that light touch of oak. Definitely a beer I’m enjoying and will be looking to have again. (Especially since it is on tap about 2 miles from here.)

The music on the player this evening is some vinyl featuring a drummer by the name of Buddy Rich who was an amazing performer. The friend who loaned me this particular album suggested I also look on YouTube to watch/listen to this:


Cheers, all

 

Patrik, from a Brewbound article:

“….explained Genesee Brew House Brewmaster, Dean Jones. “While Bock is a lighter beer at 5.2 ABV…”

My guess is that Genny Bock has an OG of 1.052 (about 12.8 °P) so yeah. I agree with you here.

Cheers!

 

Fillmore 13 - 2017 vintage BBA English barleywine. This was fantastic. Great dense head retention/spotty lacing for the big ABV. Aromas and flavors of huge raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, peach, pear, apricot, red apple, grapefruit, orange, citrus peel/zest, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with light notes of cocoa, leather, tobacco, herbal, floral, grass, pepper, pine, and yeast earthiness. Slight booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Mild pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery hops; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; very creamy, silky, velvety, bready, rich malts; light slickness, sticky hops, and bourbon/oak tannins in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering bitter/tannic dryness; no cloying sweetness. Dangerously smooth, mild increasing warmth of 13.5%, zero barrel booze. Amazing balance of super rich malts, fruity yeast, and bourbon barrel presence/integration; with solid citrus/earthy hop balance. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. Spot on stuff! Looking forward to the other barrel aged bottles I got from them today. 4.25


Cheers, have a good night NBS.

 

Something to drink for the latest episode of
"The Walking Dead."
Cheers!!!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24299/368728/





500 ml. can.
Moderate pour yields a 3/4 inch tan head over a black body with nice sticky lacing. Nose of dark malt, chocolate, licorice, and dark fruit. Taste mirrors nose closely with dark chocolate, bitter chocolate, malted milk, licorice, and slight dark fruit. Near velvet feel and overall, I would recommend this very highly as a great dessert beer. I think this would be fantastic with a stinky cheese, apple pie, or just about any favorite dessert of yours. Cheers to the other Scandinavian gypsy brewers!