New Beer Sunday (Week 766)

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. After a beautiful Saturday spent doing fun things with my wife and daughter, who is visiting us for a few days, the weather today was atrocious. Just pouring rain. So a Stout is in order for NBS. Each year Brix City Brewing releases several variants of its barrel-aged stout called Silk City (the nickname of nearby Paterson, NJ). When Brix City first opened, I wasn't overly impressed with its offerings - except for Silk City. But while Brix quickly hit its stride and is now brewing some fine IPAs and other styles, I always look forward to the annual Silk City release. There's usually 5 variants - the original BA version and 4 others. One is always a coffee version. This year's features Papua New Guinea coffee. It's a home run with tastes of both fresh and burnt coffee, vanilla cream, bakers chocolate, nuts, char, and even some dark fruit. The barrel is delicate and doesn't overwhelm the other flavors. And the 10% ABV isn't overpowering.

Here's my full review:

4.35/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

2019 Release. Poured from 22 oz. bottle into a Silk City commemorative glass. It pours a very dark mahogany color with cola hues when held to the light; and it sports a creamy, frothy, light khaki head and abundant, long-lasting lacing. On the nose there is freshly-brewed coffee and vanilla cream, roasted malt, and a whiff of burnt nuts and char. There isn't much of a bourbon presence in the smell. But you can certainly taste the bourbon up front. And the coffee taste is more burnt than the smell. There are also notes of roasted malt, tobacco, and even a hint of dark fruit. While the bourbon is noticeable it isn't overpowering or distracting. As the glass warms there is also a hint of bakers chocolate. The flavors blend seamlessly. This Stout has a thick, creamy feel with a moderate level of carbonation. And I like the fact that the ABV isn't higher than 10% While it's a big Stout for sure, it's also a very drinkable one. There is a certain delicateness that makes it really enjoyable. I always look forward to the annual Silk City release and this year's coffee version is very fine.

I hope you're all enjoying your new beer(s) today. Cheers, NBS!

 

Just got a She Made Me pumpkin common at Solace (up the street from Ocelot). Seems fitting

Not new, NBS, but this pumpkin lager/ale balances the typical spice and tang of the gourd pretty damn well. I upped my rating a tad, and may go higher as I sip it. Picture:

 

Bourbon County Brand Stout 2014 Vintage


Pours a viscous, oily black color with a very small, mohagony colored head, disappearing right after pouring.


Smells of raisins, covered in milk chocolate and complimented by rich, sweet and spicy bourbon. The nose offers a light note of additional toasted coconuts, licorice and burned malts, creating a fantastic depth.


Drinks full bodied and smooth, creating a well working balance, which puts out the nuances of the barrel in a great way.


Tastes of sweet chocolate, molasses and toasted malts, carefully inviting the beer‘s bourbon barrel to the tongue. Offers coconut, figs and raisins then, entangled in rich and boozy dark chocolate, with a nice burn at the end of the throat. Finishes with lots of whipped cream, scorched malts and bitter chocolate, calmed by an expression of matured oak.


Fantastic, with a moderate sweetness and a huge, complex barrel impact. This drinks great, no signs of loosing its edge.

 

Poured into an open mouth short glass canned on 10/15/19. Pours a very dark brown with a finger sticky light brown head, that leaves a thin layer of lace with excellent retention. 4.25

Smell is cocoa, coffee, vanilla, pine, and a nice hit of grapefruit. 4

Taste follows really cocoa, vanilla, coffee grounds, pine, biscuit, and bold grapefruit in the Bold finish. 4.25

Mouthfeel is big, plenty of life, a tad dry, and easy drinking at 7.8% but loaded with flavor. 4.5

Overall I miss this style, perfect time of year for it. Well done. 4.25

 

TightPack: 4 New First reviews at ~4.2 ratings
DDH Lupulin Mutant
Sloop Brewing Co. @ the Factory 4.19/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Tastes much bigger and brighter than its 6.5% ABV, this is a contender for AIPA crowns.
a) Luscious head and lace, over NE clouded yellow body.
s) the other fruits (berries, guava, pear) temper the grapefruit (good), abundant.
t) follows the aromas, adding complexity and dankness.
f) Creamy, bright, clean, crisp, silky, smooth, juicy at mid-weight.
o) Original and big.
Radio The Mothership Collective Arts 4.19/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
40th review. Beautiful from Wisconsin. Collective Arts
a/ pours a hazy, yet bright light golden body, with ample fingers of puffy, bubbly white head, that lasts and laces.
s/ Aromas of dank grass, pine resin, minerally water flint and lots of hempy, leafy, weed.
t/ As with aroma, plus bright, piney hops. Fine hop complexity and bittering in finale.
f/ creamy mid-weight, smooth, resinous candy like without being sweet due to astringency.
o/ great feel and taste, had me wanting more and to blind test against some great dipas.
Sloop / Sixpoint - Atomic Spritzer Bomb: Red 4.16/5 rDev +11.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
1st review. I love to be first lover of a beer and this is a case.
a) Hazed apricot body with thin but lacing and lasting ring of a head.
s) Grape, apricot, stone fruit along side grassy hills.
t) Follows aroma and added more pear puree, pear brandy, cantaloupe, papaya, & wine-like notes.
f) Creamy like a puree, but not filling, peppers and drys nicely in finish.
o) Try 24. Winner.
Andrés Carton 4.16/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
1st Review. Brewer writes: "Highlander Weiss Sour Ale with charred watermelon & spearmint ABV 3.9%, SRM 3."
a) hazed light golden body, splashes lace after a small foam head, light carbonation.
s) Hard time rising over the yeasty wild body, slightly soapy, to sniff out the watermelon and mint - just a hint.
But a fall, wet garden windowbox is there.
t) Follows smell, and brings flavor strengths, wine like, fall and orchard notes.
f) fizzy by sour, but softly carbonated, wine like.
o) Refreshing and my Victoria always loves these sours so she's a happy companion.
Everyone at brewer raving about these sours ranging from Blossom to VildBits.

 

Welcome back! Great to see you.

 

Enjoying some Speciation Common Descent (Lemon & Lime), thank @strohme2!

4.18/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thank you strohme2 for this
16 oz can poured into a pint glass

A- A hazy golden straw with a small white head.

S- Limes, lemons, slightly sprite like with less sweetness, some wheat, sour, slightly earthy.

T- Lemon and lime juice, some wheat, sour, a little earthy, citrus rinds.

M- Smooth, light body, dry.

O- A great Berliner with fruit, not as complex as their other sours, but still very tasty

Cheers NBS!

 

Just coming in from "raking" leaves (i.e. using my lawn mower to suck up the leaves!), so I thought I give this a try:

Toppling Goliath Intergalactic Warrior American IPA
IBU: 60
ABV: 6.2%



Look is hazy, murky burnt orange with white floaties. IOW, prototypical TG look. Tall white head, that has good retention, a frothy / rocky appearance, leaving good lacing as it recedes and as you drink.

Aroma is a bit subdued, citrus, grapefruit, generic tropical fruits.

Initial taste is the citrus, with citrus-driven bitterness beginning right away and carrying through to the finish and aftertaste. In the middle, the bready malts are detectable, but the hops remain dominant. The aftertaste lingers with citrus and bitterness on the tongue, toward the dry side, but far from bone dry... there is a stickiness and breadiness there as well. Excellent balance.

Mouth feel is initially smooth, moderate body tending just a smidge toward the thin side, but right away there is a noticeable citrus rind type edge.

Overall, an excellent midwest-style AIPA, only hazy.


L: 4.0 | S: 3.75 | T: 4.25 | F: 4.0 | O: 4.0 | BA rating of: 4.04

 

Crane Brewing's Trailsmith Saison style ale; 3.94 overall

Pours an effervescent honey color with 2 fingers of eggshell colored head. No head retention or lacing

S: Grassyness, band-aids, cloves

T: Juicy-fruit & pears, plus dryness & grassyness up front. More dryness as this warms, white pepper & yeastyness as this warms. Extremely dry finish with grassyness & cloves

MF: Medium body, firm carbonation

Solid Saison, pretty representative of what you get from Crane

 

Barrier w/ Grimm - Manual Wind

This is a collaboration between two of the better NYC area brewers. Cool label. The beer is an extremely hazy yellow. Great fluffy head that doesn’t last. This beer is too sweet. Tastes of mango and grapefruit. Full bodied. Some bitterness hits on the finish. Too much sediment in the can, negatively impacting the texture. OK.

 

I've got one more in me, and it ain't no fruited beer...



Gorgeous pour on this one... a deep, rich looking mahogany body topped off with eggshell-white foam that lasts and lasts and... god damn does this have an amazing collar! So much head, but it never seems over-the-top. Chunky yet tiered and perfect looking lace. Incredible legs. Great hue to it. Simply one of the most fantastic looking beers I've seen lately, and I'm very critical of appearance. Absolute perfection. Hope the rest lives up to what I am experiencing here!

The nose is pure caramel delight with a ton of breadiness and light notes of cocoa powder. It has that pub ale-like English-ness to it as well; dusty and yeasty to some extent but also really deep and complex. I can't pick up the 10+% ABV from just smelling it, that's for sure. Slight grassy and leafy hops with a little hit of plum and other dark fruit suggestions. Crisp and autumnal despite its heaviness. Nice!

On the tongue, this is waaaay hotter than I expected. Theeeeere's the ABV! Sharp bitterness from what I assume is a rather dense hop load tamed quickly by rich toffee and nuttiness. Bready malt with more shocking leafy and semi-citrusy hops in the finish. Yow! This is electrified... I bet this would be great with six months or so on it, but I'm having a good time sipping on it now. Peppery alcohol and round, smooth caramel are big flavor descriptors here. Light notes of candied nuts. Full mouthfeel with a bitter, zippy finish that still has a lot going on. Impressive stuff here. Would buy again.

 

Happy New Belgian Saison Sunday!

A nice day on the Western Slope, cloudy, around 46 at the trailhead. Having a pretty tasty brew today, been awhile since I've had this style. Watching some Two And A Half Men reruns, with Charlie.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/825/90903/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

It's been cool and cloudy all day in Middle TN which put me in the mood for a big barleywine this afternoon. Thanks to @FFFjunkie and his unbelievable BIFs, I had a great beer (and glass) that fit the bill:
Barrel Aged Behemoth, Three Floyds Brewing, Munster, IN


Look: a very hazy copper-light brown color with an impressive tan head. Nice lacing in the glass, especially for a big BA beer.
Aroma: caramel, vanilla, bourbon, and faint citrus hoppy notes.
Taste: the malt and the barrel produced a rich vanilla flavor which remained in the forefront throughout the drink. Smooth and rich caramel notes that were joined with a fairly bitter and citrusy hop presence, reminding me that this was an American Barleywine. Smooth bourbon lingered on the finish.
Feel: big as expected but easy to drink. Fairly light on the palate at the end.
Overall: a fantastic American Barleywine. Great base flavor and the barrel only enhanced the flavors. Thanks, Dan. This has been a real treat!

 

On a gorgeous fall evening in Northern Indiana, I have a couple of beers for the NBS squadron to consider. The first is from my trip to St Louis last week, and is the best beer - by far - of the three I’ve tried thus far from the brewery.





4.19/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Hazy golden color with a dense, foamy pearly white head that sticks to the glass like lint to Velcro, DDH IPA featuring Amarillo hops features mango and melon notes on the nose, just as stated on the can, and there’s some papaya aromas, too, though they’re cast to the cheap seats.

Not so in the taste, though, with the spicy papaya and mango flavors lending a tropical theme to the beer, and the melon providing balance.

This beer drinks easy, with loads of flavor. I had the Citra iteration of this beer, and this one is significantly better, IMHO. Very well done.

 

So, my weekend begins yet again.
Starting with the first of four new-to-me offerings.
First up, from Four Quarters, Space Puppy, a 4.0% APA.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34222/447050/



16 oz. can.
No canning date.
Delivered on Wednesday the 22nd of October.
Moderate pour yields a one inch off white, eggshell head over a very cloudy body with some sticky lacing. Nose of grapefruit, orange, and the slightest pine. Taste mirrors nose somewhat with the citrus pith taking over to a finish of citrus pith bitterness and slight pine resin bitterness. Nice feel and overall, there certainly is a lot going on with this 4%er, would have again, and recommend it. Cheers!

 

My next new beer is from a brewery I have never had a beer from; just randomly grabbed this one off the shelf of a small liquor store on a recent visit to North Dakota,

Laughing Sun Brewing Company Sinister Belgian Strong Pale Ale
ABV: 9.0%
IBU: 30


The beer name follows the naming convention of something devilish for Belgian style golden/pale ales, after the standard for the style, Duvel.

A pale, clear, burnt orange color, with a small white head, dying quickly to thin center cap and ring of bubbles. What lacing tries to form falls quickly down into the liquid.

Aroma is pear-forward, with a bit of bread and spice hiding behind.

Taste is pear, spicey, crisp but a bit sweet. No bittering. The finish and aftertaste is a bit sticky, with the pear flavor and a bit of banana lingering in the mouth. Easy drinking with no hint of the alcohol.

Medium body.

Overall, a tasty beer. Dominated by the fruit tastes (pear, slight banana), but with just enough complexity from the sweet biscuit and spice to keep it interesting.


L: 3.5 | S: 3.75 | T: 3.75 | F: 3.5 | O: 3.75 | BA: 3.71

 

Now enjoying some Austin Brothers Steve Murkel, thanks @superspak!

4.12/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thank you superspak for this
16 oz can poured into a teku

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

S- Citrus, piney, a little herbal, some tropical fruits, touch of pale malts.

T- Citrus, herbal, some pine, touch of melons, tropical fruits, some pale malts.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty and easy to drink beer, more herbal than most NEIPA, but it works.

Cheers!

 

Local offering, thrilled to review this, Had it yesterday on tap & I will say that version was better, but this is no slouch. Ivory Bill Brewing Co. 2018 Double Aged Bourbon Barrel Darker Imperial Stout, 8.9%. 4,13 overall. I'd rate the draft version probably 4.3 overall


Pours an effervescent mahogany with a sliver of tan head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Bourbon not much else, a little fig

T: Follows the nose, vanilla & oaky dryness as well up front, even a little coconut. Oaky dryness, vanilla & Bourbon notes as this warms, a little cola flavor as well/ Finishes oaky with cola & Bourbon notes

MF: Medium body, subtle carbonation, warming

Glad to see these guys making big beers, I get that they are old school in their brewing. methods, this is more in my current wheelhouse, this beer is too drinkable

 

Rickety Cricket Utterly Abducted. First add/review. Very nice Milk stout. Great rocky head retention/spotty lacing. Aromas and flavors of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, vanilla, cream, roasted nuts, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of licorice, molasses, dark fruit, smoke, char, herbal, wood, grass, pepper, and yeast earthiness. A bit too fruity/yeasty aromas. Light herbal, woody, grassy, peppery, roast, charred bitterness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium-plus body; very creamy/silky/bready malts/lactose; some sticky hops, chalky roast in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing hop/char bitter dryness; no cloying, acrid, astringency. Very smooth/soft, zero warming 5.4%. Well rounded rich malts and lactose complexity; with balancing earthy hops, and restrained fruity yeast. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. Spot on and well made style example. 3.88


Cheers