New Beer Sunday (Week 744)

Check your FB. A friend of mine needs a beer buddy over there.

 

Getting tired (what a wimp!), but here's another new one, this time from Wandering Soul Beer Co. Based out of Beverly, MA, WSBC is a very new project from one man who started the project out of necessity for coping with the tragic loss of he and his wife's first daughter during the last month of the pregnancy. I know this weekend and Memorial Day holiday, we are supposed to pay respects for those who fought for the USA, but I am also choosing to do some reflection for those who fight their tough battles every day regardless of military involvement. Matt's story is some particularly heavy stuff, after all, and I'm proud to support his endeavor. I first had Melody Maker, his first NEIPA, a few weeks ago and enjoyed it enough to grab a can of this, his first double NEIPA, double dry-hopped with Ella, Simcoe, and Cascade.



This pours a deep orange/medium-amber color with a hazy yet well-defined body and a solid ring of slightly-off-white head. Lace is spotty but decent at the end of the day, and this beer has some alright legs. Honestly, Things We Don't Say... is not much of a spectacular looker, but it's definitely decent and will hopefully prove its worth in the nose and other subsequent aspects.

Simcoe and Cascade are well-known and well-liked hops, but the use of Ella definitely gave me a bit of pause when it came to picking this one up, I must say. I have personally found Ella to be better in spicier beer styles than in bigger IPAs, though I am willing to be open-minded here to see if its aggressive anise-like spice can be wrangled into a palatable form here in this brew. Luckily, it's been said that with aggressive dry-hop utilization, Ella tends to leave behind these spice notes in favor of a more tropical and juicy character. I am sort of getting that here, but I do get some definite anise/fennel along with some aggressive grapefruit and raw pine resin elements. Lightly grassy and peppery with some earthiness and starfruit here and there.

On the tongue, this is maltier than expected but still well-balanced. It doesn't drink too much like a smooth NEIPA, instead opting for an aggressive bitterness upfront that seems to temper a bit towards the mid-palate where the smoothness of the oats and wheat round things out. A lot of dense spice notes and complex citrus fruit marry with pepper and a deep, well-rounded malt in the finish before dank pine comes across to balance the proceedings. This isn't really as juicy as it might want to be, but I would say that has a lot to do with the hop choices. I personally would really like to see how something like Galaxy works with the Simcoe and Cascade in this recipe instead of Ella, but perhaps that's just my bias showing. Enigma would be fun in this beer, too, as the grain bill is a bit more complex and could stand up to the unusual qualities of such an experimental/odd hop. Anyway, I'm looking forward to drinking more of Matt's beer, and will continue to follow his development as a professional brewer. This is an important project, and I choose to make it important to me, too. Vulnerability and honesty go a long way towards developing a unique vision for a small brewing venture such as this, and he's doing a good enough job so far that I am pretty into it. Cheers guys!

 

Tired Hands Trendler Helles
4.5% Helles lager
Canned 05/15



This is the newest Trendler lager from Tired Hands. It's always nice to try a more traditional beer from a sometimes-wacky brewery. I've generally found they execute them well. Some of their low-ABV offerings are great.

The look is golden-yellow with the slightest chill haze and 2 fingers of rocky head (4.25)

The nose is cracker, lemon, hay, and white pepper. There's a nice depth of doughy bread (4)

The taste is a traditional Helles. Lemon, cracker, bread, and lightly bitter hops (4)

The mouthfeel is the highlight of this beer. It's hefty for both the style and ABV, opening substantial and finishing both wet (round) and dry at the same time (4.5)

Overall, very nice (4.25) - 4.12

 

Fantastic sour! Great fluffy head retention/soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big tart/sour red grape/wine, red/green apple, lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, mango, melon, berries, peppercorn, toasted oak, hay, straw, and grass; with moderate honey, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, light biscuit malts; lighter notes of leathery/musty/lacto funk, white wine vinegar, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, wine tang, and yeast/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Medium-plus carbonation, medium body, and fairly crisp finishing. Creamy/grainy malts; some lactic acid and wine tang/tannins in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing acidic/tangy dryness; no pucker. Very smooth, not overly lactic, zero warming 6%. Amazingly well rounded Brett/Bacteria complexity, wine barrel presence/integration, and malts against acidity. Mild residual sweetness from crisp acidic dryness. The best sour I've had from them so far. 2016 vintage. 4.25


Cheers

 

I know what I’m drinking next! Tired Hands do brew some really tasty lagers.

 

Bozeman Brewing's 2018 AndSoItGose with Black Currants, 5.4% ABV. 3.8 overall

Opens with a resounding pop! Pours a very effervescent Rose' color with a thumb+ of rocky pinkish head. Bottle drain clouds the beer considerably, some head retention & lacing

S: Grassy, limey, stays strong throughout the sample

T: Follows the nose, some salt as well up front, along with dryness. More lime and salt as this warms, a slight bitter edge from the black currant, hardly noticeable, some tartness as well. Finishes tart with lime and saltyness

MF: Light bodied, delicate carbonation

On point for the style, pretty darn drinkable

 

Happy NBS everyone! Had 4 new to me brews today:



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/41325/408357/?ba=bluejacket74#review



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24300/398907/?ba=bluejacket74#review



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/5046/10850/?ba=bluejacket74#review



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/430/414127/?ba=bluejacket74#review

Cheers everyone!

 

Schlafly - Apollo’s Orbit

This is the final Schlafly beer. They call it a black lager. It’s a very pretty dark cola brown. Black in the center with highlights of gold. It is a roast-forward Schwarzbier. Light flavor of charcoal (not in a bad way), with a some chocolate and fruit notes along for the ride. Slightly bitter. Strikes a good balance between rich and drinkable.

To collect my thoughts on the Schlafly Lunar lager pack: This pack is a total delight. Whereas some brewers would put out a beer made with moon rocks to celebrate the occasion, Schlafly has made an old-school collection of beers with an old-school view on how to brew them. And that's a perfect fit to celebrate a 50th anniversary. I am looking forward to getting a second impression of all of these.

Which brings me to one more thing. For me, NBS is almost always a first impression of a beer - for better and for worse. Lately, I've had a bunch of experiences where I really liked a beer on NBS, but didn't care for it later on. This year, I've had a few Maibocks that impressed me on Sunday and subsequently I had a hard time even finishing. Last week, I gave a nice review to Funkwerks Saison, and my second bottle had such a tropical fruit quality to it that I didn't care for it as much. I don't think either impression was more accurate than the other, but it highlights the shifting perception that I encounter a lot.

 

Happy New American Stout Sunday!

Pretty nice day on the Western Slope, cloudy, some sun, breezy, around 75 at the trailhead. Having a pretty tasty brew, my first from this brewery. Watching some Andy Griffith Show.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24827/80760/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

From @GreenBayBA. Fantastic NEDIPA. Lasting rocky head retention/thick foamy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big tangerine, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, mango, honeydew, watermelon, red apple, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, and pine hops; with wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, light honey/toasted malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; balanced creamy/bready/grainy malts and sticky/resinous/rindy hops in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing resin dryness, no hop astringency. Very smooth, nicely soft, not overly aggressive, no warmth of 8.2%. Fantastic Vic Secret, El Dorado, Mosaic profile. Extremely juicy, vibrant, dank, and earthy balanced hop complexity; with a great spelt/oat/malt backbone. Minimal residual sweetness with lingering resin dryness. Loved it. 4.23


Cheers

Been really addicted to Slayer recently

 

Oude Geuze Boon is a lambic from Boon. It has been aged four years but the stated drinking range extends to 2035. Wishful thinking suggests that I should cellar another.
-hazy amber bottle pour with a 2 cm fluffy foam cap. The aroma is tart and includes grape and woody notes. There is apple, grapefruit,lemon, oak and vinous bitterness in the flavor. The finish is somewhat dry. I really like this.

 

Now an Aslan Classic Light Lager. Nice little beer: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31399/271068/

 

Other Half DDH Citra Daydream

Pours a cloudy pale banana color with a half-finger or near-white head. Thick rings of lacing.

Citrus, white pepper and herbs in the nose.

The taste follows, with a very fresh, “green” herb quality to it. Light citrus pith and bitter herbs, along with some hop burn, prevent it being too sweet.

Full bodied and soft feeling, slightly creamy, with nice carbonation cutting through.

Another great NEIPA from these guys. The flavors are so big, I initially mistook it for a DIPA. Thanks, Matt.

 

Happy Memorial Day, NBS friends, and thank you to @lordofthewiens for his opening post. I have a couple of beers today, first up this new to me brewery that is relatively local (75 miles or so).







4.03/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I have been all around the horn with this beer. When I first poured it, the look was ..... not very appealing. It had almost a grayish hue to the grapefruit-colored body, though the head was a pleasant, dense bone white color.

Then, as I took a couple of sips, the body looked relatively “normal” for a Citra-hopped NE-style IPA (per the can). It’s certainly hazy per the style, though not a milkshake. Still, I’m befuddled.

The nose has the dank citrus notes associated with the Citra hop, with grapefruit and orange peel most prominent, but the nose is ..... thin, with a subtle undertone (something vegetal, maybe?) that doesn’t fit.

I am now officially terrified.

Then the taste is a blaze of glory for a Citra-hopped beer. The grapefruit and orange peel flavors are on point, there’s also some pineapple, and the vegetal component is MIA. The mouthfeel is to style, and there’s a subtle bitterness that’s quite enjoyable.

I never thought I would type that when I first cracked this open. I have a couple more beers from these guys that I look forward to trying.

 

I freakin' love this beer. Haven't seen it in a while, but if I see it again I'm gonna grab multiples. Super fun stuff.

Anyway. Here's my last sour of the day. I have a couple more in store but they're brutal beers I'm gonna need to take my time with. By comparison, this one is basically easy-drinking! Minimus is a new Rockingham Brewing offering that clocks in at 5.2% and is deemed by the brewery to be a Belgian sour red ale aged in oak red wine barrels. I assume it is supposed to be kind of in the oud bruin lineage but without the blending... making it kind of a... young bruin? But it's still barrel-aged. So I'm not quite sure!

Anyway...



This came tumbling out of the can with a copper hue but it definitely builds up to look more like a deep, opaque ruby once in my tulip-style glass. Tiny head with a slight khaki tone to it builds up to an eighth-finger and dissipates to nothingness rather quickly. Nice color to this one, but otherwise it doesn't seem to stand out.

The nose is caramel malt, mealy red apple, and Balsamic vinegar upfront with some light acetic acid undertones, cherry, more apple (of a tarter variety, perhaps, however), and plum fruitiness from the yeast and aging process. Definite tannins, but they're lighter than I expected. I want this to be pushed quite a bit more than it is, but I'm also holding out hope that, given the name, this beer will eventually be part of a "Maximus" blend that goes much harder in the Flemish oud bruin direction of tradition. I hope I'm right!

Taste is nice and refreshing with good red fruit flavor combined with ripe citrus peel and a tangy acidity that comes across, well, young. Decent but not amazing in tannic structure... I can see this becoming a lot better with a bit more aging. As it stands, it's fine but not a standout beer. For Rockingham, however, this clearly represents a branching-out from their norm. I mean, they're pretty experimental for a smaller NH brewery (their last Facebook post with their taplist has a few NEIPAs alongside a dry Irish stout on nitro, a tequila barrel-aged tripel, a barrel-aged maple bacon stout and a rye pale ale among other oddities), but I don't think they've ever tackled something quite like this before. They don't typically do sours, so this is a step in an interesting direction for them. I dig it, as such, but I know there is room for improvement.

Feel is lighter-bodied but kinda stiff and woody with a fruity aftertaste. It's definitely "young." I doubt this was aged more than 4 months, and I look forward to what they'll do with this idea in the future. There's just no way they stop here, especially after they just posted about an expansion recently. Exciting!

On kind of a death metal kick today, but may switch gears soon. I went to a great show last night featuring quite possibly the best technical death metal band currently operating (Archspire), and they had a band (Wormhole) somewhat similar to this one open for them... gave me a hankering for slammy modern death metal with progressive/technical touches. Too bad Cognitive's last album sucked so bad. This one's great, though!

 

I thought at first this was new to W. Sixth but apparently they have had batches the past two or three years at least. Anyway, it's new to me. And it's really good. Very fruity (grapefruit, specifically), light, tangy, refreshing. Reminds me of the soft drink Fresca (which I like). Carbonation perfect IMO. All around thumbs up.

 

Had my last two German pilsners, finishing the six I bought...

The Radeberger was a pretty run-of-the-mill pils, crisp and clean enough, some toasty malt points and chewy grain, with softly bitter hops in a lean and amply carbonated body... Falls into that category of beers that are harmless enough to drink through, but not necessarily compelling enough to repeat the purchase...

The Jever was lighter, sharper, with more biscuit grain and citrus hop than similar pils, light and refreshing, but not particularly compelling... Has that "beery" aftertaste you get from some mass-produced brews, but still drinks easy enough; harmless but uninspiring...

Nothing really special - of the six, the Ayinger stood well-apart from the crowd, though the Weihenstephaner was definitely closer than the rest, all of which were okay - "finishable but forgettable" - I like Prima pils and Pivo pils better than all these except the Ayinger...

Despite not many sensational hits, really enjoyed this pilsner run...

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

 

#2, this magnificent beer from from @beerloserLI in NBS BIF #Nein. But first, a word from Ranger .....



Mrs O and I went to Menard’s yesterday (for further reference, see “Indy 500 winner”), and they had “Multi Pet” Lamb Chop stuffed animals for, apparently, multiple dogs.

Ranger has had a Lamb Chop 1/10th the size of this since we lived in Minnesota. Any other dog that tried to touch the new Lamb Chop would be missing a leg. IJS

Yes, I spend $20 on stuffed animals for my dog. Sue me.

Here’s beer #2. This is world class, IMHO.





4.5/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours jet black, with a luxuriously thick tan head. The bourbon is forward, with vanilla and oak notes on the nose, and there’s also a ginormous toffee aroma, as well as some milk chocolate. Wow.

The bourbon is prominent on the taste, but the oak and vanilla notes complement the toffee and chocolate flavors perfectly.

This is a perfectly balanced beer, which is tough to do at the high ABV, but the brewery is clearly world-class. And they executed this magnificently.

 

Switching gear to something lighter with Tired Hands Trendler Helles. Have to agree with @mkh012 that this is a tasty lager, like the rest of the Trendler beers.

4.17/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

16 oz can, dated 5/15/19, poured into a pint glass

A- A clear golden straw with a two finger white head.

S- Sweet bread, pilsner malts, some earthy spice, citrus.

T- Bready, a little sweet, pilsner malts, some earthy spice, touch of citrus.

M- Smooth, crisp, dry, light body,

O- Another very tasty beer in the Trendler series. Very easy to drink, has a little more hoppiness than Helles Other People, but not as hoppy as Trendler Pilsner.

Cheers!

 

Thankfully we can rate closed breweries! Tallgrass, 2015 canning. Fantastic Russian Imperial stout. Nice rocky head retention/soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roasted coffee, caramel, molasses, toffee, brown sugar, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, herbal, wood, grass, peppercorn, pine, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate pine, herbal, woody, grassy, peppery hops; and roast/charred bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and fairly full body. Very creamy, silky, bready, grainy malts; some sticky hops, chalky char/roast, and light slickness in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering hop/char bitter dryness; no cloying, acrid, astringency. Dangerously smooth sipping, mild increasing warmth of 10.5%. Not overly bitter/charred. Fantastic balance between rich malts, chocolate, and fruity/nutty coffee complexity; with balancing earthy hops, and restrained fruity yeast. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering hop/char bitter dryness. Nailed the style all the way through. The coffee held up surprisingly well. 4.25


Cheers