New Beer Sunday (Week 760)

Made my monthly River's Edge stop for some growlers. Draft only stuff:

Bahia Mamba with Currants on cask. This was excellent. Aromas and flavors of big pineapple, tangerine, passionfruit, currant, lemon, lime, grapefruit, fruit skin/seed, peach, mango, honeydew melon, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn and pine hops; with moderate wheat, cracker, biscuit dough malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness; and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. Light carbonation and medium plus body; balanced creamy/bready malts and sticky hops; some resins and fruit tang/acids in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing tart/bitter dryness; no pucker/astringent. Smooth/soft cask finish. Minimal warmth of 7.3%. Big juicy/jammy fruit/hops, some dank/earthy; balanced bready malts. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. No complaints. 4


Coffee Lykov. This was fantastic. Aromas and flavors of big Milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, dark roast coffee, caramel, toffee, molasses, vanilla, bourbon, rum, scotch, brandy, toasted oak, and dark bread; lighter notes of licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, charcoal. leather, tobacco, herbal, pepper, and yeast earthiness. Mild herbal, peppery, roast, charred bitterness; and barrel/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; very creamy, silky, bready malts; light slick, sticky hops, chalky roast, and oak tannins in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing bitter/tannic dryness; no cloying/acrid. Smooth/soft, mild increasing warmth of 11.9%, minimal lingering barrel booze. Perfect balance between rich malts, fruity/nutty coffee, and bourbon/scotch/rum/brandy barrel presence/integration. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. Liked this more than the regular one I reviewed last year. 4.25


Cheers

 

Miss your smiling eye. Ha Ha!

 

Nanobrasserie L’Ermitage Pelerinage Nordique


Pours a hazed yellow with a big, froth head.


Smells of ripe oranges, dried lime zest and a lighter note of salt and pepper.


Drinks light with a well pronounced carbonation level, creating a very refreshing beer.


Tastes of unripe oranges, bitter lime pulp and prominent passion fruit among a light tartness. Has quite the bitter middle part, with a mineralic note adding in, as well as bread dough. Finishes lighter, crisp and bitter, with some remaining dough.


Pretty much looks and tastes like an unfiltered ipa, with a subtle and unique addition, resulting from the kveik yeast.

 

Should have posted a song. Not any song but a Reverend Ray Wiley Hubbard song. An old man song that ain't all that old.

 

& with the LAST, I have

Beer: Whisk(e)y Noir
Brewery: PAA
ABV: n/a (does anybody have an answer as to why some beers from them are unlabeled? My only guess would be a weird law)

Another one from @JBowenGeorgia

From a 12 oz. bottle into a PAA Pirate whiskey glass, this beer pours out with streams of dark brown that hardly let you see a glimpse to the other side. Caramel colored bubbles want to form a crown, but never really do.

The nose carries in HUGE scotch barrel presence and shows from the start, this is not for the faint hearted. A dry smokiness mixing with an earthy soil.

The taste is soaked with smokey soil. Smokiness just tangling all the way through with it’s dance partner of earth. Chocolate wants to come through, but you have to focus on it. It would be like eating a chocolate bar while watching a field burn I guess. The smoke is the main show. Huge peat, if you’re not a fan of scotch or peat, you’re not going to enjoy this. The fudgey chocolate does come out more as it warms, but it’s still a background player.

Dry and smoky with so much earth presence that it would be reminiscent of eating soil. Somewhat silky and thick with fudge.

Overall, I think they pulled this beer off greatly. It’s a scotch barrel beer, so it seems there will be mixed reviews, because this definitely brings the scotch and isn’t for the faint hearted. But I really do feel like Prairie achieved what they should’ve with it, for what it is, and it is my favorite scotch barrel beer I’ve ever had.

Huge thanks to the generous John!
& cheers NBS!

I’ll be waiting to see what you bring to the share!

 

I keep thinking of Quasimodo and Gypsy Esmeralda in "The Hunchback of Notre Dame".
And Charlie Allnutt and Rose Sayer from "The African Queen". Stuff older than me.

"I'm a rollin'stone..."

 

Before I get into my first new beer (of two) today, I want to, like other BAs in this thread, shout out to @cavedave. In a weird way it's a good thing you got that sting, like you said, cuz you're still here to tell the tale. Wishing you good luck on your journey to better health and a more well-balanced lifestyle. Definitely drop in every now and then to visit!

First up today is a new beer from Oxbow out of Maine, who typically brew barrel-aged/barrel-fermented saisons that are usually reeeeeaaaally expensive. They've diversified their portfolio recently to include 12/16 oz cans of beer ranging from dark saison to dry-hopped pilsner, and this one...



It's a coincidence that my other beer for review today is a salt/lime beer as well... perhaps I subconsciously wanted to hold onto the last vestiges of summer (it's really nice out today and the week ahead actually looks good too, somehow) or something, but it'll be interesting to compare this, a brew from a regional smaller brewer with the next one from a big ol' brewery out of Florida. Any guesses as to what it'll be?

Anyway, this pours as an extremely pale (almost lemonade-looking) "fizzy yellow beer" with a nice, rich, creamy head that lasts and lasts. Some spotty, soapy lacing as it dissipates slowly to a solid finger-tall ring. Looks pretty good. Definitely has an appearance that screams "summer crusher," that's for sure. At only 4.5%, it could be just that!

The nose is tart and tangy smelling with some light gin-like botanical notes combining with the fresh-squeezed lime and some funk from the saison base. A little "margarita"-ish, which I'm assuming was part of the inspiration for this brew. I wonder how "sour" this is actually gonna be on the palate, considering it doesn't profess to be a gose or anything, but it certainly seems like there'll be at least a bit of acidity from what I'm picking up in the aroma.

My first sip is pretty fun while also not quite what I expected. It kind of sits between a light, grisette-esque saison and a more tart Berliner-type wheat sour beer, with a nice pillowy wheat-laden body and a light spice combining with floral/botanical flavors and the lime punctuating the experience. Kinda has a "Radler"-like element to it, but there's this distinct, almost rye-like flavor coming through in the finish that keeps it very much beer-like at the end of the day. A bit heavier bodied than I figured it'd be, with a palate-coating mouthfeel and surprisingly long finish. Tastes a bit like a frozen margarita, but not quite as dangerous. Pretty good stuff!



Obsessed with this song lately. Amazing minimal/melodic techno/tech-house.

 

And let me say Godspeed and best wishes for a healthy and happy recovery. Actually shed a tear reading this. Ive felt like Ive seen too may goodbyes - a few tragic in my life - so I always keep them short.
Its been a pleasure to read your stories and posts in my time on BA here- ( food, beer, job etc) so I sincerely wish you the best.
Peace.

 

I am both saddened and hopeful in hearing this news. I will miss your musings and biting humor. But, as I am still hoping for a handshake tick with you, I am hopeful because you sound absolutely resilient in your outlook. Some day soon, I'll get to sit down with you and though any conversations about beer might be tinged with past tense, I'm sure our chat will go on for hours or days with regards to music, culture, politics, life, and your knowledge of Hudson Valley region (of which I know almost nothing).
Please continue to chime in, especially about your walks and shrooming. I truly enjoy these sharing.

Cheers Dave!

 

Ta-Dow from Other Half
4.19/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a murky dark yellow with orange hues, a three quarter inch fluffy white head that left spotty lacing. Smells of citrus and tropical fruits. Tastes of orange, orange peel, tangerine, mango, peach, melon and a bit of pine. On the full side of medium bodied, light carbonation, creamy and plush mouth feel, very mild bitterness and an ever so slightly dry finish.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. I'm not a big fan of romantic films so I'll move right on to beer.

Somers Point Brewing opened its taproom earlier this year. It's located in Somers Point, NJ, which is on the mainland across Great Egg Harbor Bay from Ocean City, a major Jersey Shore town. This weekend, SOPO released its Märzen, which is named Tony Martzen. It's a very clever name. Somers Point was the home of an iconic Jersey Shore bar/club called Tony Mart's. From the late 50's through the early 80's, many famous bands performed there.



Tony Mart's was immortalized in the film Eddie and the Cruisers.



I've been to SOPO a couple of times and was impressed by its beers. This Märzen is really very good. It has a nice balance of sweet caramel malt, burnt nuts, bitter hops, and spice. It's seriously good. I rated it higher that the Sierra Nevada/Bitburger collab and Bell's Oktoberfest. Quite an achievement for a new brewer. I spend a lot of time in Ocean City and plan on drinking a lot of SOPO beer in the years to come. Here's my review:

3.91/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from freshly-filled growler. It pours a hazy, orange-amber color with a very thin, ecru-colored head and minimal lacing. The nose is perfect for the style: caramel malt, earthy nuts, and spice. This is really quite good! It opens with the expected sweet malt and caramel but at mid-palate there are earthy, burnt nuts and and grains. It finishes surprisingly bitter and spicy courtesy of the German Hallertau Magnum and American LIberty hops. The balance between sweetness and spicy bitterness is excellent. It has a lite, crisp mouth feel with lively carbonation, and is super drinkable at 5.3% ABV. I have to say I'm very impressed. Somers Point Brewing may be new but this is a first rate Märzen!

I hope you're all enjoying your new beer(s) today. I'll be back with another Jersey offering shortly. Cheers, NBS!

 

Best Wishes my friend.

 

Wishing you the very best!

 

It's rather enlightening how one can be sad for an internet friend. This is not the norm here on the Beer Advocate. We are always happy and I know @cavedave would want us all to be happy and strong for one another. We are a unique family of friends. Cheers to all.

 

African Queen and Casablanca are great films that I thought of, but Audrey Hepburn was so gorgeous as Sabrina that I propose a toast in her memory of the beverage of your choice!!

 

Casablanca for me, too, with about 20 honorable mentions. Some of the best movie humor lives in the romantic comedy, so I love a lot of them for the jokes (Annie Hall, Manhattan, Serendipity, When Harry Met Sally, and on and on ...). But Casablanca's the most romantic. And Bogart's a bad ass.

Still no new beer for me, but y'all have given me an idea or two for next week. Thanks for your hard work, NBSers!

 

Pours a deeper hue than the Surf Casting I just finished, but the head here is definitely lacking. Makes sense, as this is an actual gose with lime and sea salt (plus orange peel, cuz why not?), not a tart saison. Shimmering, tiny layer of foam on top of this one. Very hazy but not opaque. Kind of has a green undertone to the color. Not bad looking.

The nose focuses a bit more on tropical fruit, seemingly anyway. I get a bit of papaya and passion fruit with a light note of lime and a crackery, wheat-like element. Wondering how this is going to play on the palate. I hope it's not too tart, but it also doesn't smell like an all-out sour. Interesting.

Ooh boy, this is definitely more acidic than I took it to be given the nose. Biting citrusy acidity with a decent mineral note in the finish. Suggestions of lychee and tart white grape in here make this a bit more complex than expected. Wheat makes an appearance alongside the lime and orange citrus flavors in the mid-palate. Definitely less body than Surf Casting had, with a quicker and zippier finish. Tight carbonation and a balanced sour profile once I get acclimated to it. I've had much more sour beers than this, of course, but I think my expectation was somewhere else with this one for some reason. Good stuff and I'd probably be willing to have a couple more cans before summer truly ends.

 

Emerging from lurk-mode to give a +1000 to Wong Kar-Wai. His Chungking Express is also worth watching.

 

My wife warned me yesterday that I need to slow down.