New Beer Sunday (Week 762)

Winding down with a "crisp and refreshing ale" from a brewery known for their multifarious IPA offerings as well as their legitimately-amazing peanut butter milk stout, Gunner's Daughter. Super excited to see how they jump into the "inoffensive but quality" pale/blonde ale market. I was summarily unimpressed with Idle Hands' Slate, a similar entry into this ignominious category of "new session ales for everyday drinkers" and (potentially) the less discerning among us. I hope I'm not going into this with too much negativity but... eh, I'm not. I think this'll be good!

Pours a hazy (but not opaque!) golden blonde color with a pretty nice, sticky head of eggshell-white foam leaving behind awesome lace. Pretty good legs here too, and the retention is better than I expected. Not much to say about this, but it's definitely good looking.

The nose is cereal grains and light lemony, zippy hops that appear to be trying to draw in lighter/macro beer drinkers. Hmm... this doesn't have as much character as I figured it would. That's not good. I mean, for an American blonde ale, this is basically par-for-the-course, but even Slate by Idle Hands had a little bit of an interesting hop bent to it. This doesn't even really have that. It's a little maltier than, like... Sam 76, but... not special at all.

Flavor is clean and crisp... easy drinking ale, for sure. It doesn't stand out whatsoever, but it's definitely not a bad drink. I wish it had a bit of character, though, because it really seems like Mast Landing is doing the bare minimum to attract non-craft-beer-drinkers with this. Full-bodied pillowy malt profile with almost no hoppiness at all. Slightly crackery with some white bread wheatiness... deftly-built with a slight floral and sweet note. Almost like the midpoint between a Kölsch and a Prohibition-era cream ale... weird and not exciting, but definitely something decent to drink that doesn't rock the boat. Huh. I wish this were a bit more involved and inspired. Like I said, didn't really like Slate (and wouldn't necessarily rather drink it than this to be honest), but this is even more plain. Meh.

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the weekend once again. Thanks to @lordofthewiens for this weeks introduction. Pretty normal weekend for me. Went to a 2nd anniversary can release at Rustic Leaf yesterday, and saw 3 of my old homebrew buddies there, so we had a good beer/brewing chat for a good 2 hours. Probably going to try and start brewing again soon. I have a lot of empty bottles and a whole corny keg to fill up. Running low on new review beers again, but have some stuff coming in the mail this week. The Tavour box is going to be huge.

New Beer:

Singlecut Is This Real Life? DDH. This was amazing. Opaquely hazy bright green. Lasting rocky head retention/thick soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of huge mandarin orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, blueberry, gooseberry, white grape, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, peppercorn, and pine hops; with moderate wheat, cracker, white bread dough, biscuit, light toasted 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, bready, grainy malts; some sticky hops and resins/rinds in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Very smooth/soft, minimal warming 7.2% or lingering hop burn. Feels like Citra, Mosaic, Nelson Sauvin, and Moteuka. Extremely juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hops; with a perfectly balanced wheat/oat/malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering resin dryness. Spot on stuff! 4.33


Cheers

This DragonForce addiction has been all weekend. Never listened to this one before, but it is noticeably different than a majority of their other albums.

 

New Beer Sunday: Flanders Red Ale

Evenin’ NBSers with a suggestion for fans of Flanders Reds.

Well, Baseball season for the Phillies has just ended and without a losing season.

This evening's new beer is called Red Flag and it is from Heavy Seas Brewing in Baltimore. I’ve been a fan of some of their beers for quite a while now and so usually am interested in trying what new they come up with. This particular beer is their first sour offering and it’s going to be interesting to see what they’ve done with it.

My review, subject to revision until the beer is finished, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/898/399014/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors are filled with fruit that includes tart cherries and dark fruits such as raisins, plums. There's also some oak leather and toasted malt. There’s a bit of light sweetness and a touch of vanilla. A nicely sippable/ drinkable Flanders Red with the tartness in the background and focusing on the fruit and malt flavors. While it may be a bit less complex than some of the Belgian brewed Flanders Reds it is worth a try and I’ll probably pick up at least one more to see how it is after it ages a bit. Also if they do a repeat brewing it will be interesting to see if they are able to refine this one a bit.








Cheers, all!

 

Dinner complete, listening to some Arcade Fire
Enjoying this massive offering from Operation Cellar Cleanout
2014 version
Cheers all


Pours pitchblack, thin cap,
Aromatics are full on anise, tobacco, dark fruit, fig reduction
Taste is all the nose plus, cinnamon, molasses, dark roast coffee to boot
Body is more than full, slick feel can’t hide Raisin, toffee, cigar wrap tobacco.
An amazing composition that has aged well
Cheers all

 

Poured into a 16 Nordic pint glass canned on 9/03/19. Pours a very attractive cloudy rusty ruby with a finger off white head that leaves thick streaks of lace all over the sides of the glass, with solid retention. 4.25

Smell is caramel, toffee, sweet rye, tangerine, pine, apricot, pineapple, and some hints of grapefruit rind. 4.25

Taste follows malty caramel, rye, and toffee upfront with and explosion of apricot, pineapple, and tangerine in the bold yet balanced finish. 4.25

Mouthfeel is big, soft and gentle on the palate, slightly sticky not dry, and at 6.8% big on flavor and feel, but really drinkable. 4.25

Overall I always like a hoppy red during the Spring and Fall and seriously this one is exceptional. So balanced and crazy tasty, really impressed. 4.25

 

Austin Brothers Alpeña Colada. Awesome milkshake sour. Minimal head retention/lacing, I got the end of the keg. Aromas and flavors of big tart/tangy pineapple, coconut, blood orange juice, fruit skin/zest, lemon, lime, peach, pear, apricot, red/green apple, white grape/wine, hay, straw, and grass; with moderate vanilla, cream, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, light biscuit/toasted malts; light peppercorn, lacto funk, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, and fruit tang on the finish. Light-medium carbonation/body, and fairly crisp finishing. Balanced creamy/grainy wheat/lactose, and fruit tang/acids in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing acidic/tangy dryness, zero puckering. Very flavorful/refreshing, mellowly lactic, 5.5%. Awesome balance of big juicy/vibrant fruits and Lacto complexity; with a clean lactose and pale/wheat malt backbone. Minimal residual sweetness with crisp dryness. Loved it. 4.1


Cheers

Apparently Sam Totman cowrote the whole album, so that's why it sounds so different. I still dig it.

 

Happy New American DIPA Sunday!

Pretty nice day here on the Western Slope if you like super windy. At the trailhead, around 76, sunny, some big ass clouds, wind. Having a pretty tasty brew, would not know it was 9% ABV.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23200/75933/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Schlafly' Poloma Gose with Salt, Limes, Coriander & Grapefruit, 4.5% ABV. 3.98 overall

Pours an effervescent gold with rapidly falling beige head. Stays effervescent, zero head retention or lacing. Murked up a little as the bottle was drained

S: Lime & salt, pretty much smells like a margarita

T: Follows the nose, pink grapefruit as well, very tart & dry up front. More lime, salt and dryness as this warms, not getting any coriander at all. Finishes dry, tart salty with lime

MF: Lightish body, slight carbonation

Pretty drinkable, not top of the line for the style, but worth a go, especially on a late September day where Summer isn't giving an inch

 

Greetings, fellow NBSers, and thanks to @lordofthewiens for getting us going.

Nasty day outside. It's been blustery and drizzly for most of the day. Right now it's about 40°. Yesterday there were snow flurries amidst the rain. It hasn't snowed this early in the fall for 93yrs. I'm staying inside and watching football. It's been a good weekend for me, football wise. Yesterday, while I drank a tasty, baseball-themed hazy IPA from 7 Seas my Eags finally (!!!) beat an FCS opponent and the Dawgs had a pretty good game against USC. Now, my Seahawks just finished a nice road win against a division rival.

During that game, I was sipping on this:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/77260/?ba=woemad#review
Courtesy of @ovaltine, this was utterly delicious and, in it's own way
rather subtle, considering it's a nearly 13% old ale aged in bourbon barrels that most recently contained maple syrup. While definitely a sipping beer, it's very well-balanced, proving once again that Founders' barrel program is pretty good. Thanks, Mike!

 

Flying Monkeys Killer Cupcake Panda. Excellent DIPA. Lasting rocky head retention/thick foamy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big tangerine, orange juice, coconut, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, vanilla, cream, almond, citrus peel/zest, cedar, mint, peppercorn, and pine hops; with moderate wheat, cracker, biscuit dough, light honey/toasted malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Light-moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, floral, woody, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; very creamy, silky, bready, grainy malts; some sticky hops, and resins/rinds in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering bitter dryness, no cloying/astringency. Very smooth/soft, not aggressive, minimal warming 8.3%. Awesome Sabro hop showcase in combo with the Pandan Leave flavors. Very juicy, vibrant, and fairly dank/earthy hops; with a nice sized bready malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering resin dryness. Impressive stuff. Fun thing is there is no lactose or vanilla in the beer at all. 4.03


Cheers

 

Good day NBS gang. I searched for weeks, and waited and finally found this new beer from Founders upon my return home at my local “go to” - “Underground Mountain Brown”, an “Imperial Brown Ale brewed with Sumatra coffee aged in Bourbon Barrels.”

I’ve seen lots of positive comments here on this site, the brewer’s description plays to my morning coffee weakness, and I’ve been waiting all week to test drive this one...





Bottled 8/7/19; Poured at 57 degrees; grayish beige mixed bubbles head sits atop a dark brown/ruby see through almost black liquid; good cap retention; solid ring; long lasting moderate minus lacing; medium legs.

Roast coffee, chocolate fudge fresh out of mom’s oven nose; bourbon exhale.

Upon entry, bitter roast coffee, espresso, bitter sweet dark chocolate, cocoa nibs, baker’s chocolate; faint bourbon; vanilla and oak middle; caffe mocha ending.

Medium full body; slick feel; moderate carbonation; only mildly warming for 11.9%; dryish oak barrel finish.

Overall this beer is amazing; lovely coffee linger/roast bitterness is offset by semi sweet malt base, toffee, coffee, chocolate and caramel; whispers of vanilla bean and char layers emerge as liquid warms; barrel notes are present in a sideline supporting way; in sum, add another delicious, commercially available BBA beer, reasonably priced, to the Founders’ line-up - Bravo!

5.0 | 4.75 | 4.75 | 4.5 | 4.75

 

A sample of a new offering from 603 Brewery out of Londonderry, NH.
Cheers!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30434/442372/



12 oz. can.
Canned 20AUG2019.
Moderate pour yields a 7/8 inch white head over a very hazy, near cloudy, light golden head with some lacing. Nose of sweet citrus, candied citrus, and pine resin. Taste mirrors nose with orange pith bitterness and pine bitterness on the finish. Nice feel and overall, a pretty intense 5.4%er!
Cheers!

 

Rustic Leaf The Imageneer - Bourbon Barrel Aged. Just got released yesterday. This was fantastic. Poor head retention, minimal lacing. Aromas and flavors of huge raisin, plum, prune, cherry, fig, date, apricot, red apple, red grape, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, coconut, toasted oak, biscuit, and brown bread/crust; with light notes of licorice, molasses, milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, roasted nuts, smoke, oak char, peppercorn, clove, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Sligh booze in the aromas as it warms. Mild peppery yeast spiciness; herbal, grassy, roasted bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Light carbonation and medium-full body; very creamy, silky, velvety malts; light sticky hops, chalky roast, and oak tannins in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing bitter/tannic, and spicy alcohol dryness; no cloying sweetness. Amazingly smooth/soft, mild increasing warmth of 10%, no lingering barrel booze. Perfectly balanced between Belgian yeast, rich malts, and bourbon barrel presence/integration. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. Spot on stuff for the style. 4.25


Cheers

 

Hello, NBS friends. After watching the Vikings breaking my heart yet again (and in a world where Chase Daniel is significantly better than Kirk Cousins), I’m ready for a new beer. This wet-hopped IPA featuring Cascade hops has me intrigued.







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

A hazy apricot color perched underneath a foamy pearl white head, this wet-hopped IPA features candied citrus fruits on the nose, particularly oranges, and a nice spruce tips aroma as well. Interesting.

The candied citrus fruits lead the flavor parade on the taste as well, and the piney flavor sits well in the background, lending a nice balance to the beer.

The mouthfeel is to style for a NE-style IPA, which is a softer mouthfeel than I’d prefer - if this had been brewed as a “traditional IPA,” with a firmer mouthfeel and the requisite bitterness, I think this would’ve been better.

 

NBS beer #2- another new to me Oktoberfest



Flash's Oktoberfest

Rutland Beer Works
German Märzen / Oktoberfest | 6% ABV

3.6/5 rDev -2.2% | Average: 3.68
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

canned 07/31/19

L- The beer pours a cola brown with a one and a half finger tan head. The head recedes to a thin film. No lacing is present.
S-The nose is dark toast with an underlying sweetness. Hops don't really play a big part here.
T-On the palate I get the dark malt, but it's more like brown ale or Dunkel than Oktoberfest in it's presence. It reminds me of a dark spice bread. It's not as sweet as the nose let's on. It's quite balanced really. The is a light earthy hop presence.
F-Mouthfeel overall is medium. Carbonation is light. The beer has a neutral finish.
O- On it's own merits this is a decent beer I won't have any problem drinking. There is a large amount of artistic license involved in labeling it an Oktoberfest however. Recommended for the tick, but don't expect a tradition O-fest.


Fortunately I didn't get any of the butter presence that @Amendm got. I'd say that as far as Oktoberfests go, like the can says, this one does indeed finish last.

 

I was a up to read the lead post shortly after it was posted by @lordofthewiens . Just getting down to a beer, so lets just have at it.

Here we have Smuttlabs Siamese Gorilla:



It is an Irish red ale calling on some Thai flavors of lemon grass, keffir lime, and ginger. It was canned in May, but just showed up at a local shop last week.

It sounds like a bit of a mess, and it kinda is, I am sorry to say. It pours looking like tea, reddish tinted but looks like iced tea to me. Not very carbonated. The smell is pleasant with decent lemon and lime with earthy ginger, more or less covering the malts that only like thru a little. It tastes like tea...the lime really sticks out initially and the lemon comes to play eventually backed by earthy ginger and some sweet maltiness, but the overall effect is tea. It has a bit of a citrus oil tingle on the tongue but isn't particularly carbonated. Very astringent and drying with a one note finish rather than a chord, a bit tongue-numbing and a metallic taste I get from lime sometimes.

Seemed like a good idea at the time, I guess, but this isn't melting my butter to any great extent. It is in no man's land for me, neither here nor there, floating in the void. I'm going to say around 3.5 at best. The Irish part is pretty much hidden by stronger flavors which seems strange since an Irish red features a strong malt profile, if I am not mistaken. If it is supposed to remind the drinker of tea, then it at least succeeds in that dubious achievement.

I may be back, and will catch up with the thread later.

Cheers!

 

Congrats!!! What a cute lil' guy.