New Beer Sunday (Week 761)

Good morning NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @cjgiant for today's introduction. I have never attended any Oktoberfest celebrations myself, but the Frankenmuth one is the most well renowned. About an hour drive from my location.

Usual stuff from my end. Been busy with work and need to do some big detailed presentations for a recall I caused this week. A colleague referred me to a new open Program Management job last Monday, I will apply for soon; just need to get the resume polished up. Would be an enormous promotion. I have been in my current engineer position for over 7 years now, and with the company for 8. I have good confidence in my experience to move forward to more responsibility.

Usual new beer haul yesterday, been juggling some finance issues in the last month, but things will even out eventually.

Beer:

Another morning big beer review. The Bruery Vindictive. This was awesome. Poor head retention and no lacing as expected. Clear ruby red, purple, brown color. Aromas and flavors of big tart/tangy red/purple grapes, fruit skin/stems, blackberry, cherry, raisin, plum, prune, fig, date, black currant, red wine, dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toasted oak, roasted nuts, and dark bread/crust; with lighter notes of toffee, vanilla, licorice, smoke, oak char, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, peppercorn, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruit tang/tartness; herbal, grassy, roast, charred bitterness; and grape/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; balanced creamy/bready/grainy malts, grape/oak tannins; some stickiness and chalky roast in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing tart/tangy/tannic dryness; no cloying/astringency. Very smooth sipping, mild increasing warmth of 14.9%, no lingering booziness. Not overly tannic. Awesome balance between jammy/tannic wine, imperial stout, and American oak complexity. Minimal residual sweetness with lingering tangy/tannic dryness. Did not like this as much as wineification, but it is the same idea. The grape varieties are more harsh/tannic, but not overwhelming. Got better as it warmed up. 4.1


Cheers, be back later on.

Been listening to Cult of Luna all weekend. They dropped a new album on Friday.

 

Happy New Back to the Beer Future Sunday, Part 3 (Week 761)!

Nice early start, @cjgiant ! I would not be averse to you following @lordofthewiens lead & beginning just after Midnight, Eastern. ;=) J/S, no pressure! ;=)

Actually, yesterday was the official start of Oktoberfest & I had to beg off of a monthly beer share, held the 3rd Saturday of the month, due to too much happening in my life as school has started back up & I no longer have my days to myself. 8=( I think that they had a GER theme yesterday to celebrate. 8=( One of our group, an executive chef, put me onto a method of cooking sausages, like brats (mmm), that I had never CANsidered - throw them in a cast-iron skillet & put them in the oven! Now, I want brats, potato salad, & bier!

As to actual Oktoberfest(s) locally, I used to go down to BAL for Das Best Oktoberfest, but former organizer Joe Gold of Heavy Seas is no longer involved. 8=( Here in S-Central PA, the PA Dutch (Deutch) influence is strong & both the Lancaster & Reading Liederkrantz are having Oktoberfest celebrations. For me, an Oktoberfest bier & a pretzel with mustard are sufficient & perhaps a brat or two. I would be remiss if I didn't also mention Stoudt's in Adamstown (Lancaster Co. on the Berks Co. border). Carol & Ed have a rollicking celebration every year!

All right, having been duly inspired, my first time trip of the day takes us back to NBS 727 for an annual Sierra Nevada release:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/140/411545/?ba=woodychandler#review


Well, all right! Now that I am up & off (or is it off & running or am I simply "off"?), it's time to rejoin the TARDIS & head back to NBSs of the past. I'll provide regular updates so that you know that I have not become lost in the space-time CANtinuum.

 

New Beer Sunday: New England IPA

Mornin’ NBSers and special thanks to @cjgiant for his startup this morning.

Today’s weather here is supposed to be warm, mostly sunny and on the humid side with a high temperature in the upper 80s. Would be a good day for an Oktoberfest, but this is not one of my years for that sort of thing. We've other plans with the kids.

This morning’s new beer is also from a new brewery called Workhorse. This is their New England IPA.

My review, pretty much finished, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/54022/379572/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors have lots of citric zest, tropical fruits and some resin. The amount of bitterness seems a bit much for the style so while at first it’s reasonably drinkable by about midway through the beer the flavor was mostly about bitterness which is not harsh but is pretty much upfront and pervasive. Since this beer is more about the bitterness than the juiciness, I’ll not be going looking for another.




Cheers, all!

 

Poured into a 13 oz Snulip glass best before 2/15//20. Pours a golden mahogany with a solid one finger white head, on an aggressive pour. 4.25

Smell is cocoa, dry coffee, vanilla bean, toffee, caramel, and Kahlua. 4

Taste follows tastes just like a White Russian cocoa, coffee, vanilla, toffee, caramel, and Kahlua. 4

Mouthfeel is about medium, creamy because of the nitro, and at 8.9% ABV the alcohol is very well hidden. 4

Overall this is very nice and most important different. So many beers are the same these days and this stands out as tasty and unique. 4

 

Hazy light yellow gold color with white cap and lacing.

Moderate aroma of ripe fruit, Passion, Orange and Guava, just like the label says.

Taste on entry is surprisingly tart, rather sharp actually, followed by the commingled fruit flavors. I think orange peaks out a bit more than the others but the total effect is of well blended flavors.

Light texture with more carbonation than is needed.

My overall impression is of a very well flavored, lightly textured wheat beer.

 

Hello New Beer Sunday!!!

I went to my local Pantown Brewing's Oktoberfest release back on Wednesday. It wasn't a big event like the other local - Beaver Island puts on, but the end result was a very good Oktoberfest beer. Some cans of it may be headed out to my recipients of the Sloppy Seconds V2 BIF to try.

I'm getting ready for my Lake of the Woods fishing trip. We won't be leaving till after noon, so I have time to get laundry done, along with time to get my equipment ready for the trip. I also have time for NBS, and here it is:


Lemon Drop Wit from Boom Island Brewing.

This is a strange beer. The carbonation was just insane! It took me a long time just to get it into the glass. I don't know if it's because this beer has been in my fridge for several months, or what. When I finally got it into my glass, it reminded me of smelling beer as a kid. It was just a strange aroma. The taste is light.

Just a bizarre beer.

Review:

3.46/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Yikes! This beer is extremely carbonated. What little beer I can see, that I've been able to pour (half is still in the bottle 12 oz), it is a straw colored beer. Slightly hazy, and murky. The head retention is quite good.
The nose reminds me of an old school beer in a way. Really malty. Some lemon.
Taste - It does have some lemon in it. There's a bit of a bitter flavor in it that's slight. Fairly light on the flavor porfile.
Body is ok. Nothing special.
Strange beer to say the least. Not bad, but nothing I'd try again.


There will be more later today. Just all depends on where and what. Will I have one at Pantown? Will it be at Bemidji Brewing? Will it be at Lake of the Woods brewing in Warroad? Or will it be some at the resort? I don't know.

Cheers!

 

8=O WANT, WANT, WANT! COCKTAILS with The Dude! That's just my opinion, though, man. Hey, did you notice how my rug tied the room together until I p**d on it due to my inCANtinence? Sorry, off to team bowling.

 

Mikkeller Imperial Smells Like Bean Spirit

Happy Sunday, BAs. I wish I had a new Oktoberfest to share with you this fine day —the Trendler festbier just released by Tired Hands looks especially tasty. I don’t have any of those yet, but I will be drinking my share of old-time Oktoberfest favorites during the Eagles game this afternoon.

This morning’s new beer comes courtesy of the generous @azuelke. It pours a rich, chocolatey color that’s very close to black. It has two fingers of dark mocha foam head with very solid retention for the ABV, but minimal lacing.

Big maple shows first in the aroma with clear chocolate and coffee as well. Hints of chicory, gentian root and cherry cola appear if you really study it, as well as a whiff of alcohol.

The taste follows fairly closely with chocolate, maple, coffee, slightly-ashy / charred wood, and some hidden depth from root-like flavors. It has a very nice sweet maple finish with just a little coffee bitterness for balance.

It’s relatively full bodied and creamy, without going over the top, coupled with some fizzy carbonation just cutting through.

This is one of the more maple-forward beers I’ve had, but the slight char, as well as the coffee, provide a great balance that keep it enjoyable throughout. Thanks, Adam.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Bell’s Hopslam glass, canned on 9/12/19. Pours a very hazy orange yellow with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves a thick ring of lace with amazing retention. 5

Smell is tangerine, papaya, honeydew, pineapple, and just a whiff of grapefruit. 4.5

Taste follows a bunch of melon, tangerine, pineapple, papaya, guava, and hints of grapefruit in the bold yet balanced finish. 4.5

Mouthfeel is bigger than most, soft gentle carbonation, sticky not dry, and at 8% easy sipping, but packed with flavor. 5

Overall again this Brewery is so hyped, but so damn good it is scary. 4.5

 

Happy New Back to the Beer Future Sunday, Part 3, Mission II, (Week 761)!

The TARDIS & I landed in Grand Rapids, MI just in time for NBS Week 720! Dave & Mike came rushing out to greet me with open arms, oblivious to yesterday's MI/WI football outcome, which may have made them pummel me into submission. Time travel is SUCH a joy!

They cried "COCKTAILS!" & let slip the dogs of imbibing. We opened with:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/401036/?ba=woodychandler#review

with musical accompaniment by Trio Agave, with an old acquaintance, Greg "Rex" Litwin & fellow imbiber, Mark Gamber.
www.trioagave.com/

Once they wrapped up their set, I called another old friend, Jim Shuba, a Nu-Skool punk who put me onto The Jam & "Going Underground" back in 1982. We opened:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/79271/?ba=woodychandler#review

while listening to:
https://www.bing.com/search?q=jam+g...EDGENA&refig=cc407fddacfd464ea2940f9cda831f85

Ah, the early-80s. My nascent years. Oops! Time to jump back into the TARDIS! Back shortly. Or in the future? Or later? All time is one. Bye!

 

Oh man that bottle art is amazing

 

Good morning NBS and thanks @cjgiant for the start today. In our area a few german restaurants put on a fest, never been to one. There are lots of Fest choices to drink though and that is a real treat this time of year.
Today is the date when 29 years ago we got married, for those who remember, we had Catamount Amber, on draft. Outdoors and cool that day.
Today's offering is and Anniversary ale from Harviestoun Brewery.
Well done treatment.
Cheers all


10th Anniversary Ola Dubh

Harviestoun Brewery Ltd.
English Old Ale | 8% ABV

4.14/5 rDev +1.7% | Average: 4.07
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Poured from an 11.2 oz bottle dated 2017 into the test glass
A - Beautiful bakers chocolate color, hides any sign of what lurks, Steady carbonation assembles topside. A thin mocha cap is quick to exit.
S - Excellent notes form the barrel treatment, vanilla, shade tobacco hanging to dry, coffee notes, cocoa powder, peat and a touch of smoke.
T - Ripe blackberry wrapped in peat, aged on vanilla beans, 70% cocao, sweet dark malts.
M - Thin, this is the only aspect that feels off, Lite in body, sweet start then a quick wave moves through, drying the palate. Linger in tilted toward the barrel treatment, very nice element of the offering
O - A very good offering, complex nose and flavor threads. The palate is the weakest part, but not enough to take away from enjoying this lovely offering

 

I want to try this and they are now selling it in 19.2 oz cans near me so I will probably give it a go one of these days.

My after midnight NBS was Lagunitas Hazy Memory, canned just a few weeks ago. I heard about this beer recently and was excited, as Lil Sumpin' Hazy was one of my favorite beers of 2019 and I am a big fan of hazy IPAs in general and this did not disappoint, very nice hazy IPA with low to moderate business, which is the sweet spot for me (pun intended?). If I had to pick a negative it's a bit thin on the mouthfeel but that doesn't bother me really, as it goes down smoothly and is refreshing, will happily work my way through the other five.

 

Thanks @cjgiant for the great start to this weeks NBS. Will be back later with a new beer.

Cheers!

 

Happy anniversary!

 

Happy Anniversary !!

 

You talk funny. Hey Craig.

 

My 1st NBS pics, Zero Gravity's Oktoberfest.




Warming up for some Football.