New Beer Sunday (Week 760)

2nd Okto/Märzen. I know nothing about this brewery. I stopped into a small town liquor store while crossing North Dakota and bought a 6 pack.

Rhombus Guys Brewing Company Oktoberfest (2019)
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 20



Aroma is malty, bready, earthy, with indistinct fruit.

Tall off-white head, thick and creamy, recedes slowly above a clear amber body with a good level of carbonation. Good look for the style.

The taste is malt-forward, bread, toast, not at all sweet, earthy, with some bitterness that occurs in the middle and lingers into the finish and aftertaste.

Body is medium, appropriate for the style.

A decent Okto/Märzen. And enjoyable. And I'm glad I bought it.

L: 3.75 | S: 3.5 | T: 3.75 | F: 3.5 | O: 3.5 | BA rating: 3.62*


*from my spreadsheet; no review entered yet; that will await the second one.

 

Wishing you good luck and hope your issues get resolved. Enjoy the journey !

 

NBS #2. This is special. A collaboration between Carton and Lawson's Finest Liquids, "When They Said Sit Down, We Stood Up" (the name is a play on words from the lyrics of the Springsteen song "Growin' Up"). Apparently, Sean Lawson lived in Monmouth County at some point. Sip of Sunshine in now available in New Jersey and you can taste its influence, along with Carton's preferred Kolsch yeast and a funky hop bill of Citra, Galaxy, Amarillo, Falconers Flight, and Strata, which combine to produce an amazing range of tastes from tart citrus to cannabis to berry. This is a very fine collaboration. Here's my full review:

4.29/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Canned on 9/4/2019. Poured into a Carton IPA glass. It pours turbid, apricot-brown with over a finger of fluffy, milk-white head and thick, creamy lacing. It's a very attractive pour. Quite a nose: lemon, grapefruit, onion, cantaloupe, raspberry, and floral. In fact, it's like walking through a greenhouse. The taste opens with lots of fruit: ripe melon, lemon, raspberry, and grapefruit. It's extremely dank. It starts out tart but ends with berry sweetness. The complex bill of Citra, Galaxy, Amarillo, Falconers Flight, and Strata hops provides an incredible array of flavors including citrus, cannabis, and bitterness. This ale has it all! The mouth feel is rich and creamy with moderate carbonation, and the 8.4% ABV gives it a lot of substance. Overall, this is outstanding! The work of two first rate brewers who clearly enjoy working together.

 

https://www.indiewire.com/2019/05/wong-kar-wai-films-restored-2020-in-the-mood-for-love-1202131373/

 

67 hour work week so far and was luck to get off early today. Came home to watch second half of another disgusting Giants performance.
Again I would like to express the best to our good friend @cavedave. You made the right decision and hopefully we all hear from you in the future. Youre posts have been a learning experience- and not just about beer..
Bumped into todays offering:
Lagunitas Hazy Memory IPA
Pours a gold/orange with a slight haze and a nice white head that dissapears rather quickly leaving sticky lacing on the glass.
Aroma is peach, pineapple, lime, guava, mary jane, white grape and fresh cut earthy grass with a touch of pine.
Taste follows with lime, white grape, orange, peach, some grapefruit and pine, tropical notes of guava and pineapple. Lots going in here.
Feel medium/light with smooth drinking (Oats?) Crisp, Clean malts, no hint of 8%. Dry and pleasantly bitter finish.
On my second can. Another winner from Lags. They put together a brew that pleases many wants currently: light malts/oats smooth mouthfeel, hoppy hoppy, dry finish, 12oz cans! Etc. On my second can and have secured a second 6 pack. Really good.
Try to grab a sixer if youre into IPAs. Or even if youre not. Cheers!

 

First off, I’d like to say as a warning to all that the effects of trying to “Craig a post” have not been studied fully. No one can tell if the attempts led @AyatollahGold to take a break from us, but why take the chance? Here’s hoping there’s a way back from it (or the actual cause) on some future Sunday.

I asked the GF to come up with a movie for me although I accidentally added “comedy” to the genre name and she suggested The Princess Bride, which did involve “twue wuv” - so maybe that works.

We just returned from a trip with family to watch my alma mater’s football team play.

This first series of the game ended in failure, unlike the last defensive series that had to succeed three time thanks to the refs. But a close game that ended in a home team win made for a good time.

On to a New Black rice Sunday, and a beer from which I am honestly not sure what to expect. Usually when we see rice, it’s a nearer-to-AAL rice lager. This “rice beer” is actually a brown ale. Per this site’s notes of Black Rice Ale (which appear to be from a brewery write up), this is a brown ale that gets its nuttiness from the black rice instead of toasted grain, to quote:

Dark rye? Nut brown ale?? Definitely interested and skeptical both of these can hold true, though I generally think we’ll of Anderson Valley beers.


It pours with a huge beige head atop a dark yet discernibly brown body. With a little effort, you can see through the beer’s dark color, though everything you do see is deeply copper tinted. Lacing is pretty good.

It looks a lot like a porter, and the nose starts to inch it more towards a brown ale. There’s a roasted aspect mixed with a light peanut note that is reminiscent of a peanut butter porter (though much more subtle than most of those). There’s a little mineral note and a bit of rice - more like the smell of the dust that comes from pouring white rice grain from the bag.

Feel is very light (at 3.8%, not too shocking), but also smooth and soft - actually reminiscent of a lager. The “touch” of chocolate malt brings a light porter char, and I don’t think it’s just the power of suggestion to say that pumpernickel bread is a fair description. A rice note starts as an accent and becomes more obvious as I drink. There’s a somewhat... floral-ish high note that lightens the flavor towards the feel.

This beer had warmed before I got into it, so I will add my review on a second pour. The beer doesn’t quite fit as a brown ale to me as it seems a bit more robust and darker-grained in flavor. In feel, it’s nicely light with relatively bold, non-sweetening malt flavors. I might suggest thinking more of a light English porter or a lightly bittered Euro dark lager going into this one.

 

New beer for me today. The Dupont/Allagash Brewers Bridge collaboration. Obviously a Saison.



Pours with a slight haze that is golden/orange. A massive and uncompromising white head forms. Great retention and good lace left behind. Aroma up front is peppery spice, and light esters. A baked bread aroma as well. Flavor is similar, with that peppery and spicy yeast characteristic up front. With a more defined fruity ester flavor of apples and pears. Biscuit and baked bread round out the malty side along with a grassy bitterness in the finish. A light to medium body with great effervescent carbonation. Finishes dry. Incredibly moreish and will be looking to get some more soon. I miss Allagash in the Texas market and this reminds me why. A great collaboration, and it is not a surprise at all for me. Highly recommended. Score is 4.24 official review below:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/637/406669/?ba=champ103#review

 

Greetings from Hot-as-Hell Middle Tennessee, where 90 degree temps are predicted for the next 7 days (isn't this September?). I had very mixed feelings this morning when I saw two of my favorite BAs (@cavedave and @utopiajane) post. Like many, I miss Maria's thoughtful reviews and mouth-watering early morning cooking pictures. I also will miss Dave's flowing prose. He has a gift that I clearly lack. I do wish Dave all the best with his health and I'm happy that his focus is on what's most important. Like many, I hope to see him on NBS from time to time.
I also want to send my best thoughts to @AyatollahGold. Heal quickly, Dayton!

Onto the beer. This is another beauty that @2beerdogs generously gave to me when we met up in SoCal last month:



Spoiler alert: this was outstanding. The beer was a clear cola brown out of the bottle and then assumed a very dark brown hue in the glass. A small light tan head formed but quickly retreated, leaving only a few wisps of foam. The aroma favored the sour aspect with tart cherries. There was also faint oak and bourbon, but not much blueberry. The taste was a completely different matter. The imperial stout dominated, with rich chocolate, coffee, and bourbon flavors. The blueberries mixed very well here, almost dessert like and seemingly covered in chocolate. The sour notes were also there but much more restrained, shining the most on the finish. For a 16+% beer, the booziness was quite low. The body was surprisingly light for the size of the beer, possibly from the sour blend. Slick and smooth. Overall this was simply fantastic. Highly recommended! Thanks again, Derek!

 

So as it turns out all of the washing machines are broke this week. Put in the work order for them since no one else seems to ever do it. I need to go digging into the depths my closet to find work clothes for the week.

Rickety Cricket Hop Dealer. Very good Belgian IPA. Nice fluffy head retention/foamy lacing. Aromas and flavors of grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, mango, honeydew melon, cherry, berries, banana, bubblegum, clove, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, peppercorn, and pine; with moderate honey, caramel, toasted biscuit malts; herbal, floral, grassy hops and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness; and yeast spiciness on the finish. Medium-plus carbonation, medium body, and fairly crisp finishing. Balanced bready/grainy malts and sticky/resinous/rindy hops in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing bitter/spicy/carbonated dryness; no hop astringency. very smooth, not overly aggressive, minimal warming 6.5%. Labeled as an IPA, but definitely has some Belgian yeast in there. Citra, Teamaker, Idaho Gem, CTZ, and Nugget hops. Very juicy, vibrant, dank, and earthy hops with Belgian yeast complexity; and a nice dark/bready malt backbone. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp resin dryness. Very enjoyable. 3.78


Cheers

 

Good afternoon NBS, hope everyone is doing well. Starting later than I thought I would today, but for a good reason. Ending up going to a great car show at the Hagley Museum with my parents, it has always had a great selection of cars including lots of beautiful restored and kept cars dating back to the earlier 1900’s and got to see their yearly parade of Stanley steam powered cars. Now on to my first beer of the day, Equilibrium Energy Equals.

4.37/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

16 oz can, dated 9/6/19, poured into a teku

A- A hazy golden copper with a two finger white head.

S- Oranges, some tropical fruits, stone fruits, touch sweet, earthy bitterness.

T- Tropical fruits, earthy, oranges, citrus, hints of sweetness, nice touch of citrus peels and zest.

M- Smooth, light body.

O- A very nice and easy to drink NEIPA, drinks like it is only around 5-6% ABV even though it is 8%

Very nice, other half of the equation coming later.
Cheers!

 

Good evening BAs!
Lots going on in the thread today! I'm glad to hear from @utopiajane and want to send good vibes to both @cavedave and @AyatollahGold. Dave, I always appreciated your contributions on here and your wordplay and musings (and mush-ings). It is good to be aware of things like that in time, though, and I'm glad you're approaching it proactively. Little stinging bastards aren't all bad I guess... It's like the first one that got you was shocked that you didn't go to the doctor so he got his friends involved... I wish you all the best and don't forget to stop in from time to time to say hey!
I am back home for the evening and am going to have a little stout from a local brewery while making dinner. This is from a new brewery here in Montreal that exclusively makes stouts. I have yet to have anything from them so I'm curious to see what they're like. Since this is more or less their flagship and since I love it when breweries use sensible sizes for their stronger beers I figured this would be a good choice. Though looking now, this one isn't as big as I though ABV-wise and is bigger than I though volume-wise. Not that any of that is a bad thing. A Peanut Stout is definitely not usually the first thing I'd reach for but who knows...

It pours black with a short-lived, gassy, tan soda head. No retention nor lacing. There isn't tons of aroma at first. Some sweet roast notes and vague peanut. The flavor is kind of thin and a touch astringent and reminiscent of metal. There is some chocolate and peanut butter that sneak in, but between the slight astringency and the thin, fizzy body it doesn't really smell or taste like much. This is pretty one-note without that note even fully being peanuts from what I am tasting. It is not bad or off, but is not luscious or super drinkable or substantive in any one way. I usually fight my urges to be pessimistic and judge books by their covers, but this is definitely one where I was right to be dubious and put off buying it for as long as I did. Meh.
Anyway, hope you all are enjoying your beers a bit more than I am. See you all next week if not before.
Santé!

 

Happy New American Imperial IPA Sunday!

Cloudy, around 76 at the trailhead. Having a pretty tasty brew, starting to see some brews from this brewery at better prices around here. Might clean-up my bike today. Just might be back with another new brew later on.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24300/433452/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Collective Arts Hazy State. Excellent session NEIPA. Solid fluffy head retention/spotty lacing. Aromas and flavors of big red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, and pine hops; with moderate wheat cracker, white bread dough, lightly toasted biscuit malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium-plus carbonation, light-medium body, and fairly crisp finishing. Creamy/bready/grainy malts, some sticky hops, and light resins/rinds in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Refreshingly smooth/soft, not aggressive, 4.1%. Awesome Amarillo, Citra, Mosaic and Centennial profile. Very vibrant, dank, earthy, and fairly juicy hops; with a nice wheat/oat/malt backbone for the ABV. Mild residual sweetness with lingering resin dryness. Would buy again. Very well made for the style. 3.97


Cheers

 

Well, this has certainly been an eventful NBS day. First, how no one has mentioned this movie and scene in the “Romance” column is beyond me .....



Second, a tip of my NBS cap to @cavedave and @utopiajane. If there’s a NBS Mount Rushmore, they occupy two of the spots. Kegs of positive vibes sent their respective ways.

Third, I have a couple of beers. The first is readily accessible for almost all beer nerds, and is a delight to drink from one of our iconic breweries.





4.19/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A hazy golden sunshine color with a foamy white head - and floaties (I love floaties)!!! This is my kind of hazy.

The hop bill features Citra and Galaxy, so there’s citrus aromas of tangerine and pineapple and passion, but this is no dank bomb - the Loral hops see to that, with sweet berry notes (blueberry or gooseberry anyone?) balancing the citrus.

Where the Loral hops shine most is on the taste, where the berry flavors are very forward, and a perfect complement to the citrus flavors.

Where I struggle with the NE-style IPA and rating them (including this one) is the mouthfeel. I don’t necessarily care for “soft” in my IPA’s, but the style by definition emphasizes “soft.” I’m flummoxed.

Fortunately, this is a bit soft, but has a bit of a bite, so I’m enjoying it immensely. What was critical to this beer, IMHO, was letting it warm - that really brought the berry flavors forward, which is what I enjoyed most about this really nice offering from Lagunitas.

 

Hazy Orange Tears, a Dry hopped sour IPA from Aslin.


L: Hazy orange with a foamy white head that leaves some nice lacing. 4/5
S: Orange and clementine with some tartness. 4/5
T: Juicy sour orange and clementine flavors followed by grapefrut. The finish leaves you wanting more. 4.25/5
F: Medium carbonation and a nice thin, yet still creamy mouthfeel. 4.25/5
O: A nice sour IPA that tastes a bit like orange and grapefruit juice. Not overly sour. 4.25/5 for a BA generated score of 4.18