New Beer Sunday (Week 758)

Good morning NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the middle of a holiday weekend. Thanks to @lordofthewiens for today's brief introduction. Been having nerve related issues that seem to be related to Cubital Tunnel Syndrome all week. Friday I was not able to use my right hand at all after I woke up for work, but it's gotten a bit better. Will have to see a specialist about this for sure. Been having to do everything left handed, so it's been weird. Another typical weekend so far as usual. Got another nice new beer haul yesterday. Review #9000 was on Friday night right before I went out with some friends to Drafting Table Brewing Company. 2015 BCBS Rare.

Early morning big beer review. The Bruery BBA 5 Golden Rings. 11/20/2013 dated. This was excellent. Poor head retention/minimal lacing as expected. Aromas and flavors of huge lightly tart/tangy pineapples, peach, plum, fig, date, pear, apricot, red apple, white grape/wine, honey, candi sugar, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, and white bread dough; with lighter notes of caramel, toffee, cinnamon, ginger, peppercorn, clove, allspice, herbal, and yeast earthiness. Light cinnamon, ginger, peppery yeast, bourbon/oak tannin spiciness; and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Medium-plus carbonation and medium-full body. Very creamy, silky, bready malts; light slickness, sticky spice, oak tannins, and fruit tang/acids in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering spicy/tart/tangy dryness; no cloying/astringency. Smooth/soft sipper. Light increasing warmth of 16.2%, and mild lingering barrel booze after the finish. Awesome balance between rich malts/sugars, spices, Belgian yeast, and bourbon barrel presence/integration. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. Significant improvement over the base beer review I did in 2014. My palate has changed a lot since then, so who knows if I would feel the same about it today. This aged really well otherwise. 4


Cheers

180+ plays of this album's tracks so far this weekend according to Last.fm.

 

New Beer Sunday: American Pale Ale (APA)

Mornin’ NBSers with a thanks to @lordofthewiens for early start-up and with a suggestion for folks in SE PA who’d like a classic C hops APA from an experienced and talented brewer.

The weather here today is expected to have both intervals of sunshine and intervals of cloudy. The temp is expected to be in the low 80s with the real feel much the same.

I recently developed a longing for some classic C hop APAs. So I have been developing a little list. The first I found is this morning’s new beer which is called Cleat Hitch Pale Ale and is my also my first from a fairly new brewery in Philly called Mainstay Independent. However, it’s not my first new beer from the brewer. One of the folks running the show at Mainstay is a fella by the name of Brian O’Reilly. O’Reilly spent 18-20 years brewing at Sly Fox, in Pottstown, PA. He has multiple awards and about 10 GABF medals under his belt, so I’d guess he knows what he is up to as a Brewer.

The review, in progress and subject to change, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/55981/412813/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors of this beer are mostly all about showcasing the classic C hops (Cascade, Centennial and Chinook). There’s a bit of spice, some definite citrus, including some almost flowery grapefruit. Finally there’s some pine resin. The malt and its sweetness stay in the background to smooth things out as the flavors fade to a dry lightly, bitter and resinous ending.

Cheers, all!

@jmdrpi @JackHorzempa

 

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Families can be great....and, they can also be hard to handle.

Here's to Beer!

Bottle poured into a Hefeweizens glass


Hazy light amber liquid , four finger creamy, sexy white foam cap , good retention, settles to a pencil thin layer with excellent retention , some lacings

Aroma is malty, bready

Taste is liquid wheat bread ( in a good way) , malty

Feel is almost creamy , definitely quaffable

Good beer

 

Let’s kick it up a notch!

Firstly, Happy Labor Day weekend everybody and my sympathies to the folks of the Southeastern US as Hurricane Dorian approaches.

Permit me to regal you with an old story:

I was visiting Belgium (Brussels) 25+ years ago and at that time I knew little about Belgian beers. I did notice signs everywhere for Jupiler but I knew nothing about that beer. I went to a cafe close to my hotel. On a beer menu in bold Duvel was listed. I asked for a bottle of Duvel because, well it was in bold. That bottle was glorious! I really did not know at that time what beer style it was but I sure did know I liked it. So, I ordered another bottle and then another. As I paid my check and got up to leave I 'felt' those beers - I felt drunk. I thought to myself how could I be feeling this way after only three small beers? Well, I came to find out later how strong these beers were in alcohol content; I did not taste the alcohol whatsoever when I was drinking them.

Today’s new beer is a Duvel but wait, there’s more: it is Duvel Tripel Hop Citra.

I must give a shout out to @Shanex since it was his writings on this beer that motivated me to buy a 4-pack of this beer. I doubt that I would have otherwise since this beer was quite pricey for me: over 16 bucks for the 4-pack.

So, what is this Tripel Hopping stuff all about? Well, the Duvel Brew Master will tell us:

“The Brew Master on Tripel Hop

We note that the trend towards more hoppy beers - thanks to our first brews in 2007 and 2010 - is to continue. This Duvel Tripel Hop will please special beer lovers, while we will continue to ensure that the intrinsic characteristics of Duvel preserved.

It remains fascinating how only with the pure base ingredients you can provide a very broad and varying complexity to special beers. Each hop variety has its own intrinsic characteristics, which are so critical for the taste and aroma of the beer. As the grape determines the unique character of a wine, the hop varieties used that much for this beer.

We therefore wish that the character of the Citra hop over subtly noticeable. We achieve this by adding hops again after the main fermentation, which we call dry-hopping. This keeps the pronounced fruity character pervasive presence in the final beer.

-Hedwig Neven”

http://www.duvel.com/en/the-beer/duvel-tripel-hop

Also on the website the stats for this beer:

“Hops: Saaz-Saaz, Styrian Golding, Citra

Dry-hopping: Citra (Yakima Valley, Washington, USA)

Tasting profile: Grapefruit and tropical fruit

EBu: 40

Alc %: 9,5%

Shelf life: 18 months”

On the back of the bottle is a nice write-up:

“Tripel Hoppiness: Discover Citra, voted by our fans as the best variety for our special Duvel Tripel Hop. Citra enriches the already unique taste of Duvel with fresh notes of grapefruit and tropical fruit.”

It seems to me that this beer is an Old World (Duvel) meets New World (Citra hops) story. Let’s see how this story plays out.

Served in my Gulden Draak Tulip glass:

Appearance:

Straw yellow in color with a BIG white head.

Aroma:

A complex and enticing combination of spicy (phenols) and fruity (along with some citrus) aromas.

Taste:

Wow! The flavor follows and nose and it really ‘pops’ with a wonderful combination of spicy (phenols) and a myriad of fruity flavors with some citrus in the background – lots going on here all at the same time. There is a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

The body is medium and this beer has a dry finish.

Overall:

In one word: EXCELLENT. There is just tons going on in this beer and it all works together beautifully – like a top class symphony!

Also worth mentioning is that this beer is a high alcohol beer (9.5% ABV) but I perceived nothing from this high alcohol level: no heat, etc. An indication of a well brewed beer.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

 

Without being overly critical this beer strikes me as an example that just because something can be done doesn't mean it should be done.




Attractive ruby red gold color with tan cap and good lacing.

Aroma of burnt toffee, cocoa, light coffee, dark chocolate, a wisp of oak and something like a Bourbon/cola highball.

Taste brings more roasted malt flavor but that could be barrel char. Simple flavors that reflect the scent yet are not as intense as in the scent. The parts don't really quite meld here but the overall effect is pleasant enough.

Medium to full texture with balancing carbonation.

An interesting approach that seems to be steered more by marketing than an attempt to create something unique.

 

Nice! Where did you find it?

 

At my local Wegman's (KoP). I purchased it a couple of weeks ago.

Cheers!

 

You actually got a fairly good price. The Total Wine in Claymont lists it at $18.

 

And the prices at Wegman's already include the sales tax so you just pay the 'list price'.

Every once in a while the bread falls butter side up!

Cheers!

 

Congrats to your grandson, and thanks for sharing your faith. Hopefully everyone was on good behavior.
I have a couple on deck for tonight that are new, should be exciting.

 

This is Northern Virginia. Today is the first day of September, a month that will see the German celebration of Oktoberfest begin. Beers for this celebration have been hitting the shelves for about a month now. There have been public cries of "Finally!" and "Too soon!!"

It is now that I take this time to open the first "Oktoberfest style lager" of the year, for while the Sierra Nevada / Bitburger collaboration happened earlier this week, it was only a draft.

If you listen, you can hear the crack of the can in the background. The beer flows from the can in a medium amber flow. The rusty white froth protests this torrent and seems to be growing out of control, but the rage does not overflow into chaos.

Eyewitness reports are not entirely clear, but some of the more chilling ones seem to be coming in less and less. As a little more clarity comes to the situation, the reactionary elements have moved to the outskirts of town and settled down considerably.

The tense moments in between have shown some spicy personalities, though from afar the congregation seems to have a pleasant sweetness about it. Interviewing some closest to me, I get the mixed bag I expected. Sure, there are aspects that show a cinnamon-like fire and a more tame sort that take a little lemon with their tea. However, most interactions reveal a cordial nature - one with a nice mix of sweet and bitters.

So now, as the day comes to an end, while there was some excitement from rising factions, the demonstration went down smoothly. We can take Solace knowing that this rendering turned out all right. But what about the next one?

We shall all have to find out on our own. Good night, and good luck!



Ok, a little bit of irony aside, Gute Nacht was a pleasant little surprise. It's malty backbone isn't a burden on the feel, being just on the sweet side when combining with a tea-like earthiness. The spice, bitterness, and light citrus acidic notes work fairly well together, especially with the refreshingly light feel to it.

 

Congrats. Families can definitely be complicated. And we all have various levels of drama within them. But it gives me hope when members of the unit can rally around a person on their special occasion, be in their best behavior, and let the one in the spotlight shine. I’m happy for ya.

 

Great write up Jack. So now I need to thank you and @Shanex for my search inspiration.

 

Congrats to @lordofthewiens for his grandson becoming a bar mitzvah!

Glad to be joining y'all, back in town from five days of LockN, and pretty much recovered lol. Would love to pick up a four pack of that Duvel variant Jack reviewed, I think I know a spot on this side of the river might have it. Now, if they'll just let my stinky ass in after hitting the woods for some early fall shroom hunting. Have a feeling I missed one of my faves, but maybe golden oysters will show up again this year. Interesting story about this very pretty and delicious mushroom which is not native to North America.

See y'all inna bit

 

Gun Hill - Fort Ticonderoga - Aged on Cherries

I had a different version of this one on draft... at least I think. Details on this beer seem sketchy. I believe the version I had before was rum(?) barrel aged.

This is a beautiful mahogany barley wine, but it manages to look either black, brown or red depending on the moment. It smells like a heavy beer - syrup and alcohol. The feel is smooth and slick. The taste is potent. It’s heavy, sweet and tart. I enjoyed this beer but it can use a lighter touch... and proof of that for me is that I actually liked it better when I tried watering it down with some seltzer. It’s like an alcohol soaked holiday fruit cake.

 

Thanks @lordofthewiens for the great start to this weeks NBS. Should be back with a new or new to me brew later on.

Cheers!

 

I don't think Aunt Edna would like this beer?

Cheers!