New Beer Sunday (Week 743)

Thanks @cjgiant getting us started! Am up early chomping at the bit, sort of, to get out for the second to last day of morel season here. Season was late, too wet if you can believe that, and not very good here, sad to say. Will need to be pushing aside greenery with my stick today, old orchards being my habitat of choice, and thicket should be even more intense now it's warmer. All to say I am seriously gonna be in need of a beer, and if they let my stinky woods ass in the beer store later I will be back to join y'all! See ya inna bit.

 

New Beer Sunday: German Kolsch

Mornin’ NBSers with a thanks to @cjgiant for his start up this morning and a suggestion for those who can find the Von Trapp beers.

Today’s weather is expected to be mostly sunny (or maybe just sunny early) with a high temperature in mid 80s and the possibility of a late afternoon thunder storm (or maybe scattered afternoon showers). It seems we can’t entirely break the habit of having what seems like at least some rain on Sunday, every Sunday for weeks now.

This mornings new beer, in case you hadn’t guessed () is the Von Trapp Kolsch.

My review, mostly finished, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22512/285770/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors include some nice biscuity malt and some light grassy herbal hops. The very light sweetness is balanced by some light bitterness. There also seems to be a bit of fruity, spicy character that tinges the light dry bitterness in the finish as it moves to the back of the palate. This is a clean crisp refreshing and drinkable beer that seems a good example of the style and one that I’m enjoying and plan on having more of in the future..

Cheers, all!

 

Good luck with the foraging!

 

Do we really need another IPA sub-style?

What I am discussing is the Sour IPA sub-style with today’s beer being: Root Down Psychedelic Wave Sour IPA w/ Mango. So I suppose today’s beer is sorta a twofer with both the sour aspect and the fact it is fruited.

Now, this is not the first Sour IPA that I have consumed but frankly there have not been many of this type. I decided to do a bit of web research on the topic of Sour IPA:

“Somewhere between the surge of sour beers in the U.S. and the relentless hazy IPA craze, a handful of the nation’s trendiest brewers started releasing sour IPAs. The tart, hoppy brews are made with the softest malts, the trendiest hops, and the most luscious fruit purées.

Now the sour IPA style is becoming a nationwide cult favorite. In January 2019, Hudson Valley Brewery, a New York operation heralded for its sour IPAs, celebrated its second anniversary. That same month, Colorado’s Wiley Roots Brewing announced that it plans to expand its sour IPA program, due to popular demand.”

https://vinepair.com/articles/sour-ipa-guide-hudson/

So, is the Sour IPA the next ‘BIG THING’ in craft brewing?

Also, from the above linked article:

“Though not officially defined, sour IPAs are commonly understood as New England-style IPAs with added tartness.”

Well, I have this beer in hand so let’s give it a go.

Served in my Gulden Draak Tulip glass:

Appearance

A hazy golden-yellow color with a small-ish 1 finger white head which dissipates rather quickly.

Aroma

The smell is a combination of tropical fruit and some citrus.

Taste

The flavor follows the nose with the combination of tropical fruit and citrus but there is a notable tartness there as well. The bitterness level is low/moderate.

Mouthfeel

Light/medium bodied with a ‘spritzy’ quality.

Overall

I enjoyed drinking this beer. I thought the combination of tropical fruit and citrus flavors accompanied by tartness played nicely together.

I gave my wife (who is a HUGE hop-head) a sip of this beer with just a description that it was an IPA. She made a funny face when she sniffed the beer and after only a small sip she exclaimed: “Yuck! It is sour”. To which I replied” “Well, it is a Sour IPA”. She replied to my reply: “IPAs should not be sour!!”. I suppose Sour IPAs are not for everybody?

I wonder if in next year’s Brewers Association style guideline there will be a new beer style of Sour IPA defined?

Cheers!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH @telejunkie

 

Good morning New BSers! Thanks, @cjgiant, for starting today's thread. Well, there's some bright glow in the general direction of east, maybe gonna burn off some morning fog. Looks like Mrs. Lizard will want to head to the cemeteries to do some flower arranging - she arranges and I plant - assuming she gets up before the daily rain starts.
Dave, good luck with the morels! How old can a orchard be and still produce morels?
Well, today's New Breakfast Beer comes from @jdell15 and NBS BIF #9 and is:



Received from @jdell15 in NBS BIF #9. Reviewed 5/19/19. Thanks Jacob!
Printed on bottom left of label “Vintage 2019”. Stored at 42 degrees and served at 54 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 60 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Dark brown, clear. Such a dark brown approaches opaqueness.
Body – Dark brown/black, opaque.
Head – Large (Maximum 6 cm, aggressive center pour), dark tan, medium density, average duration. Diminishes to an irregular eight to ten mm crown and a thin, nearly complete, cap. A narrow ring of tiny to small bubbles remains, connected to the crown by thin columns.
Lacing – Good. Wide band of tiny to small bubbles with many short stalactites and thin columns connecting to the remaining crown. This band begins to open to give an early configuration of “torn curtain” lacing. The ring mentioned above is nearly desiccated.
Aroma – 4.25 - Begins with a strong sweet aroma of fermenting dates and figs. The aroma weakens but remains.
Flavor – 4.5 – Now here’s something odd – rather than rum, the brew has a smoky taste very similar to mezcal! I haven’t consumed rum in a few decades so does that mean that rum tastes like mezcal? No alcohol (11% ABV), no hops, no malt, no dimethylsulfide, no diacetyl.
Palate – 3.25 - Medium, creamy, soft carbonation.
Impression and interpretation – 4.25 – Seems a bit thin for an Impy Stout but otherwise is both interesting and tasty.
Rating 4.24, rDev +2.9%.

A beer that tastes like mezcal? YES, PLEASE!

 

Useful review. Personally, even without tasting one, I expect that I'd not enjoy that particular mashup of styles and will probably avoid even be trying one. (No matter how popular it becomes.)

 

Poured into a 16 oz Hop Slam Snulip, canned on 5/15/19. Pours a very hazy dark orange with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves big streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Smell melon, apricot, papaya, mandarin, pineapple, and just a little tickle of grapefruit rind, nice big and evenly distributed. 4.25

Taste follows melon, papaya, mandarin, apricot, pineapple, and justba little shot of bitter grapefruit. 4.5

Mouthfeel is a big medium, soft gentle carbonation, a tad sticky but not dry, and at 8.5% ABV extremely drinkable. 4.5

Overall I am digging this one. Different in a good way, Juicy, but balanced and showing all of its best qualities. 4.25

 

A-Pours a dark color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has fudge and roasted malt hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a fudge and roasted malt flavor
M-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A good Stout

 

A-Pours a light hazy golden color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has generous Guava hints
T-The taste follows the nose witha strong Guava flavor
M-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A good Gose

 

A-Pours a dark color with a nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has fudgechocolate and roasted malt hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a silky smooth chocolate and roasted malt flavor
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A good Porter

 

Happy Sunday, NBS crew! @Jimmy_Kneecaps provided me with my 1st-ever Trimtab brew last year, and now @JBowenGeorgia has sent me a second for sake of comparison. Likely my 2nd-ever beer from Alabama as well.

Helix Rising - Trimtab
DDH NE IPA - 8% abv
Score: 4.16 (-2.8% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33996/399137/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
An unusual collection of hops here. Chinook, Zythos, and Simcoe. The end result of this blend is an incredibly tropical, inviting nose. I get pineapple (which I believe is a Zythos thing), tangerine, and mango. These fruits carry into the taste as well. This is one juicy beer! Very little dankness, but mean ol Mr Booze stomps in at the end to wash over the finish. Trimtab is 2 for 2 in my review scorecard. Thanks again John!

 

This was from late last night and I forgot to take a picture. This one came to me via trade with @The-Adjunct-Hippie. This was a good one.

Victory at Sea High West
L - Jet black with a 1 inch frothy mocha head that dissipated quickly.
S - Smoky oak and roasted malt, dark chocolate.
T - Oak and rye. The barrel notes are strong. Chocolate, vanilla, caramel, dark fruit, and coffee. There is a lot going one with this one.
F - Medium-to-full bodied and creamy.
O - Very complex and enjoyable.

Enjoy NBS'ers.

 

Fortuna Mirabelle

This “plum beer” is from Poland. The label says “natural beer with plum nectar.” I assumed this bottle was too old (by a lot), but I just couldn’t resist giving this oddball a shot.

The head is beautiful. The beer is cloudy amber. I expected something darker just due to the word plum. It smells like a sweet hard fruit candy you’d get in a tin at your grandmother’s house.

My expectations for this beer were absolutely terrible and it totally shattered those expectations. This beer is actually quite admirable. It reminds me of an alcoholic fruit tea for the summer season, but the balance of this as a beer is fantastic. The stone fruit sweetness in the aroma becomes countered by very slight acidity and slight bitterness in the taste. The beer is extremely drinkable as a result.

I’m really shocked, but I think this one is great. Maybe I’m being just too generous today since I’m in a good mood, but it even made me feel like it was a better brew than most of the American fruit beers out there.

Cheers.

 

Good morning NBS and thanks @cjgiant for the kick off today. There is a similar brewery/incubator business opening near us later this year. I look forward to trying some of the scaled version of home brewers goods. With one stunning day yesterday, today WMass returns to the grey showers that constitute this years "spring".
Todays offering is from Finback and Haand Bryggeriet, a luxurious stout with Hazelnut, Coconut and Coffee. The texture is the highlight for me, not a fan of coconut, that said this offering does it well. A delightful sipper on this grey wet day.
Cheers all
Jadda!

Finback Brewery
American Imperial Stout / 9.30% ABV

4.13/5 rDev -6.1% | Score: 4.4
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a can dated 2/22/19 into the test glass.
A - Deep dark cola color, allows for the carbonation to hide. A thin mocha cap is proof its in there. During the experience, a ring clings to the glasses inside wall.
S - Coconut up front, hazelnut and coffee intertwine quite well, bakers chocolate, adds some range to the strong trio.
T - Coffee forward in this aspect with the coconut and hazelnut interacting well, the contrast from the nose is a nice twist. There are elements of cocoa, dark malts and some dark dry fruit in here, fig, as well a a touch of toffee.
M - Viscous on the palate, a bit slick, there is a quick to dry energy in this beer, I feel like the coffee drives that bus. The linger is complex with the coconut, and coffee playing a strong role, Think coffee dusted Macaroon, dipped in dark chocolate.
O - A very good offering, there is complexity that keeps one thinking, the flavors intermingle well, with not one element being to bossy. In the end it seems that the hazelnut acts a coupling for the coffee and coconut to play nice.
Well worth seeking out

 

Good morning NBS, after a very busy and exciting day yesterday it’s time to slow down some and relax. I realize I’m behind on reviewing some of the non-IPAs from the great BIF boxes @Blackop555 sent me. This Central Water Rye Barrel Chocolate Porter was something that I was very excited about, opened it thinking it was under 10% like previous year but found out it is over 12% so taking it slowly on this tasty beer!

4.34/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thank you Blackop555 for this
12 oz bottle, 2019, poured into a tulip

A- Black with a fast fading mocha head.

S- Chocolate, some rye whiskey, oak, roasted malts, touch of caramel.

T- Chocolate, hints of dark fruits, roasted malts, touch of caramel, oak, rye whiskey.

M- Smooth, medium to full body, carbonation is a touch on the high side.

O- A very tasty chocolate porter, very easy to drink for being around 12% ABV. Another high quality barrel aged beer for Central Waters.

 

A-Pours a nice amber color with a nice head and lace, not the usual stout color
A-Aroma has Bourbon and coffee hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a slight Bourbon flavor but a very generous coffee flavor
M-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A good Stout, despite the fact that it does not look like a Stout, frankly there should be a new style for these type of beers, namely Coffee beer

 

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

Cheers!

 

A-Pours a clear golden color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has slight hop and floral hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a slight hop and floral flavor
M-A light bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A good lager

 

New beer #2. Picked this up at the Jammer release yesterday in Brooklyn. @jrnyc @frozyn @thisischuck01 .

Super Key Lime Raspy - Sixpoint
Lactose Sour - 8.3% abv
Purchased for $18/6 at Sixpoint
Canned 5/16/19 (3 days ago)
Score: 4.39 (0% rDev - 1st review)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/10607/417530/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
This reminds me of a cross between a New Glarus fruit beer and a Veil triple-fruit gose. Super-thick, tart without being too sweet, and overflowing with berry flavor. No trace of booze despite the 8%+ abv. I really want to hoard my other cans, but I feel duty-bound to BIF them to others given how good this is. The best beer Sixpoint has made to date @SixpointMikey .