New Beer Sunday (Week 750)

Glad you liked the pics I suck as a photographer, but I do love the beauty of fungi, to me they are the coolest living things, so I keep trying.

Are you seeing the Dallas show? I don't get to many shows anymore (understatement), and more a fan of different music nowadays, but will be seeing Bob next month, which I am very excited about.

 

Happy New German Marzen Sunday!

Pretty nice day on the Western Slope, at the trailhead, some sun, mostly cloudy, around 81. Having a tasty brew, watching some Star Trek Discovery. Might be back with another.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/5855/28796/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Glad you enjoyed it, man! To be perfectly honest, I had forgotten I'd pushed that one on you as well, but I'm glad I did.
The background for it is that every year Fremont (one 'e!') hosts an event they call the 'Heron Hunting Club' (they make extensive use of the great blue heron as a... logo? mascot? spirit animal? something like that). It's a whole ordeal and is definitely an investment, but it's been a gorram blast every time I've gone... they transform the brewery floor at their production building (a couple of blocks west of the Urban Beer Garden) into an event space, utilizing the hundreds of stacks of barrels from their extensive barreling program to create little nooks and crannies and alcoves and secluded rooms, each with a theme, and a handful of beers to match that theme on tap in said alcove. Ostensibly you get one pour of each of the couple of dozen beers they have sequestered away (everything from the experimental stuff [primarily a nascent souring program] to various vintages of their BA stuff to really rare stuff like the Ancient Ones etc) and have a renowned local chef cater the whole thing, have live music, open up a portion of their cellar for sale, and (one of my favourite parts) you get assigned to a group for a seminar on blending (they might have done general brewing/barreling in the past... I don't remember. My memory is generally pretty fuzzy by the end of the night)led by one of the main brewers or the head blender or the guy in charge of the barreling program or something official like that complete with verticals and horizontals to use as samples to try your own hand at blending (some folks just chug the samples available, but there is legitimately some really cool info being imparted).
So what does that have to do with The Gauntlet? Every year they also create a special blend specifically for attendees of the event. You get your bottle as you leave (and sometimes they'll augment the fancy catering with free Dick's [local burger chain... think In 'N Out but better {fight me}] to make sure people have something in their stomach to absorb all the booze), and last year the bottle was The Gauntlet. The Smoking Jacket was one they did a couple of years ago and is still one of my favourite beers I've ever had.
Anyway, it's a great time, with a LOT of great beer, and that's where that comes from and why it doesn't have much info associated with it (or any reviews on the site).
Anyway, again: I'm glad you enjoyed it! I remembered enjoying it on draft at the event, so I figured: share the love. And don't worry about whatever you left behind... between the decadence we drank that night, as well as your leaving me one of my other favourite beers I've ever reviewed on this here website (Mexican Cake), I think everyone comes out of this a winner.

Cheers!!

Definitely misread that as, "...drinking mosquitos today..." and my first thought was: Good! Let those little fuckers get a taste of their own medicine! I imagine your actual experience was significantly more pleasant than my imagined reality stream, however.

 

Great start @lordofthewiens.
Speaking of travel...
Hello Late Night NBS. (I’m on Ireland time)
Yes, I finally made it to Ireland.
Now I’ve finally had a proper pour of Guinness in Dublin. Is it better than in the States? Yes. Is it great? I’m not overwhelmed. I prefer Beamish. But that’s not as easy to find. Guinness has positioned themselves brilliantly as THE Irish beer. However “craft” is coming along nicely here. Had some solid DIPA’s at the Salt House, Galway Brewing’s pub, in Galway. The first, Of Foam and Fury, was good enough to grab a second. And the other...Damn if my picture disappeared. Can’t remember the name. But good stuff. Hope to report back in more detail later.
Cheers All.

 

After @Lingenbrau shared Rusty Nail with us, I’d drink anything that had even 33% of it as an ingredient. Fremont’s barrel series I think might be as well respected as FW’s, though I’ll let west-coasters weigh in on that.

 

Beamish was always preferred Irish Stout in England & the states

 

Oddmopolitan, a Cranberry Lime Sour from Destination Unknown Brewing.
3.92/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

First off, the two pours were completely different in color. I went back and poured the two together and then re-poured. Final pour is an opaque cranberry color with a quarter inch pink head that left blotchy lacing. Smells of cranberries, lime and mild sourness. Tastes predominately of cranberries with lime in the background, mild sourness and acidity. Light bodied, medium carbonation, dry finish. Very interesting take on a cosmo in beer form.

 

Ommegang King in the North (GOT Series ) Barrel Aged RIS; 11.0% ABV, 3.95 overall

Pours an effervescent mahogany with 2 fingers of tan head. Some head retention & lacing

S: Faint roastyness, some cocoa notes once warm along with figs

T: Brown bread, figs, oaky dryness, a touch of vanilla& a little banana up front. Roastyness & dryness as this warms, plus vanilla & some smokeyness as well. Finishes dry, smokey, with a little fig & roastyness

MF: Medium body & slight carbonation

ABV is well hidden, drinkable enough, the barrel was pretty restrained in this one. Hoped for more

 

I've loved all of De La Senne's offerings I've tried
and this is no exception!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16320/415484/



11.2 oz. bottle.
Bottled 23Jan19.
BBD 23Jan21.
Moderate pour yields a 1/2 inch light pink head over a pinkish-brown body with some lacing; and the head not giving up its claim to the surface of the beer. Nice nose of oak, dark fruit (dried and fresh), and grapefruit. Taste mirrors nose with the sourness outlasting the slight sweetness throughout. Finishes dry and slightly tannic. Wonderful! Nice feel and overall, another winner from my 2nd favorite brewery in Brussels and recommend this highly. Cheers!

 

NBS beer #2



Zomerbier

The Alchemist
Belgian Saison / 6.00% ABV

3.96/5 rDev +1.8% | Score: 3.89
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

L-The beer pours a pale opaque yellow with a 3 finger bright white head. The head recedes to a thin film leaving patches of lacing behind.
S-The nose is full mustiness, some classic yeasty phenols, and a little non distinct sweetness.
T-Up front some lemony sweetness and some mustiness. This fades leaving a lightly floral lingering bitterness.
F- Mouthfeel is on the lighter side of medium. Carbonation is light after the initial pour but remains prickly. The finish is slightly dry inviting further sips.

 

If you did not try it, look up how to do a hard reset. It has worked for me in the past with similar issues.

 

Second new beer of the day for me.

3 Floyds just started distributing to MN, with Alpha King and Gumballhead. I've already tried Alpha King from one of my beer-seeking trips just across the border to Casanova Liquor (Hudson, WI). So, I bought a 6-pack of:

Three Floyd's Gumballhead American Pale Wheat Ale
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 35



That weizen glass holds 23 oz, and the beer is 12 oz... yeah, I topped off the glass with a second beer for photographic purposes!

Bright golden amber, crystal clear, strong rush of bubbles to the top after the pour, settling down to a moderate to light carbonation, tall, white, fluffy, and creamy head, dropping slowly and leaving gobs of sticky, stringy lacing.

Lively aroma of citrus: lemon, grapefruit, orange peel. After a bit, the grainy malts and wheat come through as well.

Substantial wheat and grainy malts in the flavor, with a crisp citrus and lemon from the hops. While hoppier than a Belgian witbier (this is an American Pale Wheat, after all, from 3 Floyds, so what do you expect?), the hops are not overbearing, but are well balanced. Interesting interplay between the wheat and the hops gives this beer and excellent, crisp, summer flavor. No bitterness at all. The finish has a subtle sweetness, coating the tongue, leaving behind a nice lemony citrus aftertaste.

Mouth feel has a medium body with subdued carbonation.

Overall, an excellent summer beer, easy drinking, refreshing, with an enjoyable, multifaceted flavor.

L:4 | S:3.75 | T:4.25 | F:3.5 | O:4

 

Another New New England IPA Sunday!

Pretty tasty brew, glad to see this one around here.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30179/418774/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Greetings fellow NBSers and thanks to @lordofthewiens for getting us going this World Cup Championship Sunday!

I missed most of the game as I was attending to morning matters and prepping tonight's dinner (Corned Beef & Cabbage in the slow cooker), but managed to grab a beverage (I went with a cider as it seemed more breakfasty than the available beers) and chat with my soccer hooligan friends for a bit at the end at a local bar in the Logan district (the neighborhood Gonzaga is in-half the locals don't even know the name!). Congrats to the Team USA women. Hope their pay situation improves, cuz they deserve it.

78° and partly cloudy in Spokanistan this afternoon. My 4th was mostly uneventful. I worked until 7 and grabbed a couple beers with my buddy Mark, afterwards.

Today I'm hitting a beer from Jackie O's, courtesy of @ovaltine, that is a blend of saisons aged in oak casks formerly containing Sangiovese, with grapefruit peel, chamomile and white peppercorns:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1432/277513/?ba=woemad#review
Although probably bottled over a year ago, it had held up well, and was a tart, spicy and dry pleasure to drink. Thanks, Mike!

Since I'm basically doing St. Patrick's Day in July, I'll probably pair up dinner with a stout, so I may be posting again later this evening. If not, have a great week!

 

Freshest Melvin I ever had,
only 4 weeks old!

Cheers!!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24056/415561/



12 oz. can.
Moderate to vigorous pour yields a one inch white head over a hazy golden body with some sticky lacing. Nose of slight tropical fruit, slight citrus, and slight pine. Taste mirrors nose with the flavors of the aromas becoming more pronounced. There is a fleeting onion flavor (at first) which doesn't detract too much. Orange is the main flavor with a slight citrus pith bitterness on the finish. Nice feel and overall, this reminds me of a few Vermont DIPAs (Frost Lush and variants & Bent Hill Blood Orange) that I really like. Cheers to Wyoming!

 

It seems like everything drives us to drink. Good luck with the phone.

 

I’m just getting back into Indiana after being in Massachusetts the better part of the week. Haven’t read any posts yet and will have to catch up as I can in between unpacking. Just happy to be out of the car.

This one comes by way of @akatz821

Beer: Even More Candy Bars (Edition 3)
Brewery: Evil Twin (New York)
ABV: 14%

First off, before even pouring, as soon as the can cracked it started bubbling over uncontrollably. It’s a gusher. Went on for a good few minutes, making quite a mess.

After cleanup: Pouring this beer from a 16 oz. glass into a Prairie tasting glass, it pours out like motor oil and forms a thick, chewy looking, caramel colored crown that dissipates quickly.

The nose brings a big, sweet candy covered in booze. Chocolate, dark and roasty malts, booze, caramel sauce like notes, maybe even faint pretzels deep in the back. It’s sweet, it’s boozy, it’s big and I like it.

The taste carries in sweet and roasty dark malts. Sweet layers of chocolate, caramel sauce, faint molasses. I’m still getting that somewhat slightly salty pretzel presence in the back.

The booze is present here, but surprisingly not as much as the nose suggested and definitely not out of control for 14% ABV. It does a nice job helping cut some of that sweetness back and not letting it get out of control. Thick, full, fudge like body.

Overall, this thing honestly makes me think of if somebody took all the kinds of m&ms (Regular, peanut, caramel, pretzel) and mixes them together and made a boozy dessert out of it. And as previously stated, the booze does well at keeping the sweetness in check throughout. I like it.

Thanks Azi and cheers NBS!