New Beer Sunday (Week 757)

This ‘märzen’ collab between Jack’s Abby and KCBC (King’s County Brewers Collective) is a bit long in the tooth (5 months old). But as is the case with solo JA brews, it’s so solidly put together it stands up to time.

 

Touché!

 

Wasn't happy looking in by fridge so I made a beer run. Here is the first of two more today.

Dogs Vs. Shinobi, A colab with Beerd and Pipeworks. They both have flagships and icons and have kind of combined their themes at least in this beer. Makes for a nice label. I did not snap a picture, but the bottom of the can with the date reads "Help me Obi Wan Shinobi".


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

Poured from a 16oz can dated 6/24/19 to a Nonic.
Completely opaque orange haze beneath a healthy .7" head that fades to medium lacing.
Aroma is mild fruit, the guava is present under a must dank aroma.
Guava with citrus rind greats the tongue and it goes from sweet to dank to dry.
Mouth feel is medium and carbonation appropriate.
Decent beer.

 

Hope everyone had a good day so far. That Bruery beer had me go take a nap coupled with being up all night. Oh well. Had to really tone down the amount of stuff I review because all I am left with now is very high ABV. I am sure it will turn around eventually, just not a lot of new releases this month. A couple of my friends gave me some guitar cables they didn't need last night, so I finally played for the first time in years. That 7 string probably hasn't been tuned in 5 years, but I did it last night. It has a tremolo on it, so you need to unbolt the locking nut to tune it. Might just have to replace the strings, it didn't stay in tune for very long after a few bends etc.

Une Annee Less Is More. Fantastic saison. Great fluffy head retention/foamy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big lightly tart/tangy orange juice, lemon, lime, citrus peel/zest, peach, pear, melon, red apple, coriander, peppercorn, clove, and light banana/bubblegum yeast; with moderate wheat, cracker, white bread, lightly toasted biscuit malts; herbal, floral, wood, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy bitterness; pepper/clove yeast spiciness; and light citrus tang/tartness on the finish. Medium-plus carbonation, light-medium body, and fairly crisp/clean finishing. Balanced bready/grainy malts, sticky hops, citrus resin/rinds, and light acidity in the mouthfeel. Moderate increasing bitter/spicy dryness; no hop/fruit astringency. Very flavorful/refreshing, 5.5%. Amazing balance of vibrant citrus, Belgian yeast, pale/wheat malts, and earthy noble hops. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp dryness. Amazing style example. I loved it a lot! 4.25


Cheers

My new favorite Tech Death band. Former Drummer of Obscura/Necrophagist.

 

Brasserie De Saint Sylvestre - 3 Monts Golden Ale



Look: A stunning beer that is bright (this beer is crystal clear, but does not appear so in this photo due to condensation) and golden colored. Bone white head of thick, densely packed foam. It settles craggily. A lively beer with streams of carbonation rising. Streaks of thick lacing.

Smell: Sweet grains and bread. Spicy. Fruity with red apple, pear and alcohol sweetness.

Taste: Fruity, bready and spicy. With a faint bitterness on the finish. Red apple, red grape and pear. Alcohol sweetness.

Mouthfeel: Moderately carbonated and smooth. Semi-sweet finish.

Overall: This beer is very good. I find it a touch sweet for my preference, but it’s very easy drinking, especially at 8.5%. I probably would not drink this again on its own, but this beer would be great with food. Especially something acidic and bright.

3.85/5 rDev -3%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Cheers, NBS!

 

It feels like Fall today and I am therefore a happy man! If I made my own planet in a lab it would never get above 75 degrees and the dew point would never breach 60, so August is generally not my favorite month. Thanks to our host for the clever opening and I hope it's nice where everyone else is as well.

I've got a new lager from Zero Gravity (Loral Lager) today and based on how much I love their Green State Lager I have high hopes for this, even if I'm not often a big fan of "hoppy lagers" with newer school hops in them. It's 5% ABV and described as follows:

"A golden styled lager brewed with Pilsner malt. Refreshing yet complex, this unique lager is dry hopped with Loral hops, which feature pleasant floral, citrus, and dark fruit notes."




Look: Golden, ever so slightly hazy yellow color. Tight white head settles to a quarter inch or so and then sticks around leaving moderate lacing. It's also worth noting that I think the cans are absolutely gorgeous. There's just something very pleasing to the eye about them with blue, black, and cream colored art and text.

Smell: Some lightly bready pilsner malt, some definite fruity tropical notes from (I presume) the dry hopped Loral, as well as a bit of more traditional spicy/floral notes. The two are reasonably in balance I think. I looked up Loral hops after I finished the review and found that they are specifically meant to have both Noble and new school hop character, so I think that indeed comes through here. You won't mistake this for a traditional pilsner, but it doesn't taste like, say, a Mosaic beer either.

Taste: follows the nose though the bready notes don't come through that much. Mild bite of a more traditional pilsnery bitterness on the swallow. As it warms the fruity notes are coming to stand out more than the traditional ones, and a little more breadiness sneaks in too. I can't say I taste any dark fruit.

Feel: Nicely crisp and light-ish bodied. Very dry finish which makes it feel thinner than it probably is though. Pleasantly bright carbonation.

Overall: As mentioned above, I'm a bit lukewarm on "hoppy lagers", but I think this is a very good version of what it is. The fruity notes play well with the more traditional hop flavors and do not overpower, though I really wish there was a bit more of that bready/crackery character from the pilsner malt in the taste. Instead there's just kind of that flat, thin, lack of much malt character that you often get with things labeled "hoppy lagers" in my experience.

Cheers!

 

Annnnnd another one from @thebeers

Beer: Chocolate Pretzel Sunday morning stout
Brewery: Weyerbacher (Easton, PA)
ABV: 12.7%

Pouring from a 16 oz. can into a PAA glass, this beer pours out with a slick blackness just like the other two versions. Pinky width of caramel colored bubbles recede and settle into a ring around the glass.

The nose carries a big, warm booziness. It’s like booze soaked chocolate. Not picking up any pretzel.

The taste brings in what I could see as being a pretzel dough, more so as it warms. But it still carries that boozy chocolate with prominence.

These drink like they are 15-16% to me. Every one has been big and boozy. This is still more inviting than the original seemed to be though. Another one with lower, almost still carbonation. This one has dry oak on the backend. Sticky sweetness in this one that leads to it feeling thicker than the others.

Overall, this might be my favorite over the original and the mole. It remains a little bit one dimensional throughout the entire thing, and that booziness is still kind of hard to understand at only 12%.

And the last thanks of the day to Arthur, because I’m done for!

Cheers NBS!

 

Almanac Love Hazy IPA. This was fantastic. Great rocky head retention/foamy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big mandarin orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, coconut, mango, honeydew melon, guava, blueberry, gooseberry, vanilla, cream, cedar, mint, citrus peel/zest, and light peppercorn/pine hops; with moderate wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, light honey/toasted malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Mild pine, citrus peel/zest, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body; creamy/bready/grainy malts, some sticky hops, and light resins/rinds in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Amazingly smooth/soft, minimal warming 6.1%. Amazing Mosaic, Citra, Sabro profile as expected. (apparently they changed from Simcoe to Sabro since original release). Extremely juicy, vibrant, and lightly dank/earthy hops; with a perfectly balanced wheat/oat/malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. Will be buying a full pack! Perfectly executed for the style. 4.25


Cheers

 

Hello, NBS friends. Tonight, I have a couple of beers for your perusal, one is relatively local, one is an iconic beer from the Left Coast that I nearly hollered, “No way!!!!!” in my local when I discovered I hadn’t tried it yet.

First up, the local beer, a Citra/Mosaic-hopped IPA. Full disclosure: if you put Citra/Mosaic hops in a tincture of bubonic plague, I’d spend more than a few minutes trying to determine if I could maneuver around the plague to get at the hops. That is the level of my appreciation for that hop combo. IJS.





4.08/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Hazy golden sunshine color with a dense white head after an aggressive pour, the nose has all the requisite notes associated with a Citra/Mosaic hopped IPA, with dank tangerine aromas accompanied by pineapple and passion fruit notes.

The taste is dominated (literally) by the dank citrus flavors, but they are the slightest bit thin when taken in the context of their strength on the nose, and the mouthfeel is a smidge thin, too.

Given all that, this is still a pleasure to drink. I’ve had a handful of beers from Burn ‘Em and they do a nice job. This is no exception.

 

They use the same sort of touch with the Mandarina Bavaria hops in their Keller Bier, which I love. Unfortunately I don't think those beers make it to wide distribution any more- I can't recall the last time I saw anything but the main 3.

 

Thanks for @cjgiant for the great start today! Today's new beer actually did fly home with me after a recent trip to California. My wife and I had a great time hanging out with the ever-generous @2beerdogs who left me with quite the cargo for the trip home, including this one:


The beer poured pale pink out of the bottle and darkened to a pinkish-amber color in the glass. There was bright carbonation producing a short-lasting foamy head that left without a trace. The aroma featured overripe raspberries along with earthy, funky notes and faint oak. As expected, this was really sour. Mouth-puckering on the first few sips with lemony tartness that gave way to a bright raspberry flavor that lingered on the palate. A fair bit of funkiness and barrel was there, making this much more complex than most Berliners I've had. I really enjoyed this one. Recommended if you have lots of tooth enamel! Thanks, Derek!

 

Ah, that's interesting. I like the Keller a lot as well but didn't realize/remember that it also had a newer school hop in it. I think this is a fair bit fruitier and less malty than I remember the Keller being, though it's been a few months since I had it.

As for distribution, ZG seems to be moving over exclusively to 4 packs of pounders instead of 6 packs lately, so I wonder if that can cause any hiccups in the distro/supply lines while they get things ironed out?

 

#2, I’ve had this, but what I found whilst in my local Thursday is that I had the 2015 iteration that weighed in at 13%. This is the base beer at 11.5%, which is new to me. I literally yelped when I discovered that.

One more note - these iconic breweries offering these (massive ABV) iconic beers in a 12 oz serving size vs a bomber or a 750 ML is maybe the greatest thing since the realization that Pop Tarts are the next great emerging food group. IJS.





4.33/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours black, leaks quickly to mahogany on the edges and props up a dark tan head. The aroma I get most on the is a toffee/caramel/milk chocolate combo pack that is really nice.

Those notes are present on the taste, but what really elevates this is the subtle barrel flavor and the jackhammer rye flavor. Just an incredible flavor bouquet.

A bit surprisingly, the mouthfeel is a skosh thin, especially for an 11.5% ABV beer, but man is this a joy to drink, especially in a 12 oz configuration. I need to pick up another 6er.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned on 7/23/19. Pours a slightly cloudy yellow with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace behind, with ok retention. 3.75

Smell is mango, pear, clove, biscuit, apricot, and a hint grapefruit. 3.75

Taste follows it is almost confused, Belgian influence all the way, some tropical mango, pear, apricot upfront with biscuit, clove, and grapefruit in the bold finish. 3.75

Mouthfeel is a big medium, plenty of life, a tad dry, and at 8% ABV goes down rather easy. 3.75

Overall was hoping for a lot more out of this one, not bad at all but it is a little confusing because I don’t think it knows what it is trying to be. Not a NEDIPA. 3.75

 

Happy New Summer in the Dark with a Beer in the City Sunday (Week 757), CANtinued!
I picked up where I left off by showing my social media prowess with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/43699/341148/?ba=woodychandler#review

but then, it was time for a walk:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/43699/374654/?ba=woodychandler#review

before returning to social media to make some places on Swarm/Foursquare:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/43699/341368/?ba=woodychandler#review

Up next? I have a box of crayons ready for tomorrow! I think that I'll do some coloring & report back. See yinz then!

 

Ascension TiHKAL - All Mosaic. This was fantastic. Opaquely hazy green color. Great rocky head retention/soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of huge mandarin orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, blueberry, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, and pine hops; with moderate wheat, biscuit dough, toast, honeyed malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; very creamy, silky, bready, grainy malts; some sticky hops and resins/rinds in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering bitter dryness; no cloying/astringency. Super smooth/soft, minimal warming 7.2%. Amazing Mosaic showcase as expected. Extremely juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hops; with a perfectly balanced wheat/oat/malt backbone. Mild residual sweetness with lingering resin dryness. Liked it a lot more than the first one I had, which I thought was all Galaxy. 4.25


Cheers

 

I hope everyone is enjoying their beers so far today. Well I'm back home after having survived the thirsty tourists hordes and am getting ready to make some easy dinner. In the meantime I am going to continue my journey through Tree House Bright variants starting with Galaxy while I work my way through people's posts.

It pours with a classic TH look. Perfectly cloudy dandelion with a nice marshmallow cap and streaky lacing. The smell is of pure, ripe, macerated peach flesh with a little musky funk and a creamy tropical roundness. I know, that sounds like nonsense, but it is all there. The flavor follows right along with earthy, sweaty, stonefruity deliciousness and a firm little bite. It is rich and soft, with well-concealed alcohol and a fluffy, nigh-juicy feel overall. This was a very tasty beer that really captured the hop and was all too drinkable. It is without a doubt the best single hop galaxy beer I've ever had. Although I have definitely had some stinkers so that might not be a totally fair representation of what's out there.

I wonder if this is the main hop in Haze... It reminds me of that one a lot and has a purple label. Just a thought, I might be way off. Anyway, compared to the Centennial version I had earlier I preferred this one but I think that the new school hops just go better with this type of beer. The Centennial was excellent, but I would have preferred it to be more west coasty, dry, clear, bitterness bomb. This one, though, is exactly how I would like it to be.

Santé!

 

Happy New American IPA Sunday!

Pretty nice day here on the Western Slope, 91 at the trailhead, sunny. Having a pretty tasty brew, watching some The Invaders.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22843/328560/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!