New Beer Sunday (Week 775)

Congrats on your retirement.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass. Pours pitch black with a 2 finger mocha head that leaves a few thin streaks of lace as in quickly settles into a thick ring around the sides of the glass. 4.25

Smell is hazelnut, coffee grounds, vanilla bean, cocoa, and a hint of alcohol. 4.5

Taste follows huge massive hazelnut, coffee, dark chocolate, vanilla, and some hits of alcohol in the big bold finish. 4.25

Mouthfeel is bigger than average, gentle carbonation, a touch dry as expected, and at 11.0% ABV it goes down rather easy. 4.25

Overall this is yet another tasty treat from this place. A great sipper on a cold winters night. 4.25

 

Happy New New England IPA Sunday!

Really nice day here on the Western Slope, sunny, around 26, some snow, at the trailhead. Having a pretty tasty brew, always a joy to drink this series. Been a little while since I've made my Cowboy Supper meal, pretty tasty this time around. Might be back with a non new brew, in a little while.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20680/450716/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

What's up, NBS!
As alluded to in the opening post I (and I'm guessing others) was AWOL last week doing some holiday travelling and eating and whatnot. Well this week I'm back and fresh off one of the handful of beer tours I have over the holidays. It's eerily nice here. Last year at this time it was -30 and snowy. No hypothermic tourists today. It feels and looks like early spring. Today is actually the anniversary of my fortuitous arrival in Canada in 2012. And my god was it snowy then. The morning after a record breaking snowfall and having to help my now wife move across town in waist deep snow without boots, gloves or a proper coat. Crazy... Can't believe it's been 7 years already. And far more beers. Everything is warm and comfortable tonight though and we're having fondue. As such, I might as well stick to some local DDC fancy winter beer this evening. My first (?) is the Rigor Mortis aged in Port barrels. I have only really recently been turned onto port and I have to say I really enjoy it. I could see it as a great complement here. Let's see if I'm right.

It pours opaque reddish brown with a whisp of tan head that stays a film throughout. Some streaks of lacing. The aroma is predominately toasty, caramely malt, nutty, oily oxidation, leather and a slight bright fruitiness I'm guessing is also from the port barrel. The flavor is similar with rich port flavors and moderate oxidation notes, some burnt sugar, grape sweetness, some light phenolics. It is pretty dry with a slightly less than full body and slight alcoholic warmth. A tasty beer all told. It is a little sticky but not quite cloying. The barrel comes through and truly does lend a port-like quality to the beer. I feel like the style and the barrel complement each other in a way as well. It is not completely on point to what it could be in my mind and is a little overwhelming in some ways (syrupyness and the admittedly port-like-but still-not-amazing-in-a-beer-in-my-mind oxidized character) but is not bad at all, nice on a warm night, and seemingly exactly what DDC was going for. Let's see if the night brings anything more for me new beer-wise, in case I don't, though, I'd like to wish you all an excellent 2020 filled with everything your hearts desire!!
Santé!

 

Sorry to be tardy to the party. Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and has a great new year.

Tonight I am enjoying a new Berliner Weisse from Trillium called Daily Serving. This one is brewed with Pomegranate and Blackberry.



This looks like a blood smoothie and I love it. It leaves a crown of lacing before settling into a thin sheet.

The aroma is a bit faint, but there's notes of blackberry yogurt, pomegranate juice, African American cherries*, and graham crackers. *Also known as Black Cherries.

The taste tho. It just explodes in my mouth. Gross. Lots of blackberry jam and yogurt, as well as pomegranate juice (I have never eaten pomegranate so fight me) and cherries. There's plenty of white bread and graham crackers on the backbone. Very fruity and sweet, like Richard Simmons, and subtly tart, also like Richard Simmons.

The feel is a bit thicker than expected, like a blind date, very smooth and creamy. But there's good enough carbonation. A bit dry on the finish.

Overall I give this a 4/5. It's definitely sweeter than a typical Berliner, and is closer to what The Answer is doing with their "Joose" series. It's kind of dumb and ridiculous but I like it. It's the kind of beer you don't drink in front of your friends out of embarrassment. Fortunately I don't have friends so I don't have to worry about that.

 

Happy Holidays, NBS friends. Huge shoutout to @cjgiant for the magnificent, creative opener - that’s why this is my favorite thread on this site, the sincere effort so many posters put forth to illustrate their appreciation for our beer nerd hobby. Exceptionally well done.

My first beer tonight is a summer beer, which is appropriate since it was 57 degrees here today when it should be about 35 degrees cooler. That and the 71 degrees I experienced in Dayton (Ohio!!!) on Christmas Day whilst visiting my Mom and family is freakin’ me out.

But I digress. This beer out of St Louis is worthy of your consideration, especially if you like Hefeweizens (which I do - shocker I know).





3.92/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Nice hazy straw color with a fluffy white head, this looks the part of a German Hefeweizen, and the aromas are on point, too, with some banana and clove aromas, accompanied by a subtle fruity note.

The taste features the banana and clove, and the fruit flavors keep things light and refreshing. The mouthfeel is fairly dry and spritzy, again to style. This would be a great lawnmower beer on a steamy summer day.

 

NBS #2: Industrial Arts' Winter Landscape (2019). Last year's initial release of this Schwartzbier was fantastic. I recall hoping IA would use the same recipe. Well, they did but they aged the beer in oak foerders which adds an additional smoky, oaky dimension. To me, it's a little sweeter than last year's version with more chocolate and cola. It's stunningly good; I'll have to buy more. Here's my full review:

4.59/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Canned on 12/17/2019. Poured into an Industrial Arts pint glass. It pours a very dark ruby-cola color with a finger of creamy, light khaki head and thin coating of lacing. The rich, delightful aroma includes roasted malt, leather, tobacco smoke, dark chocolate, brown sugar, caramel, and oaky char. The taste is fantastic: it opens with rich chocolate and roasted malt, along with freshly-brewed coffee, cola, and subtle caramel and black cherry. But these sweet notes are accompanied by a smoky oak flavor that quickly permeates the beer. It then becomes more bitter with tobacco ash and char that nicely balances the initial sweetness. It finishes with a spicy hoppiness. I think it's a little sweeter - with more chocolate and cola- than the 2018 recipe. The mouth feel is silky with a perfect level of carbonation, and the 5.6% ABV is just enough to give it substance but allow for easy drinking. Overall, I didn't think Industrial Arts could improve on the 2018 Winter Landscape but it did. Aging it in the oak foerder was inspired. This is a wonderful winter beer. I'm not sure what IA could do to improve next year's release but I'm confident they will give it their all.

Happy New Year, everyone!

 

Had just a taste of this the other day when I gave my neighbor a can. Solid! Here now, a proper review.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46275/454826/



16 oz. can packaged on 12/12/19.
Moderate pour yields a one inch white head over a murky golden body with sticky lacing. Nose of blood orange, pineapple, slight pine, and white grapefruit. Taste mirrors nose with the pineapple taking over as it warms. Finishing somewhat dry with dried pineapple, white grapefruit, with slight to medium bitterness. Nice feel and overall, yet another fine IPA from my hometown of Stowe, VT.
Cheers to pineapple!

 

NBSx3.

Great Notion
Love & Ritual- IPA with Nelson, Citra, and Sobra





Pours your Great Notion signature opaque light orange juice color with that absolutely gorgeous frothy and foamy white sticky head. Decent retention, great spider web lacing.

Finally, another beer that advertises Nelson and screams "NELSON!" thought the aroma. Gooseberry and white wine galore with a tropical fruit blend ranging from citric oranges to sweet melons.

Damn. In some ways, I can argue that this is perfect. But for personal preferences, I'll only slightly argue against. On first sip, this took me back to my first experience with Alpine's signature classic bearing the same title of that delicious hop. Before I even knew what the hell "gooseberry" was. But here it is again, bold and intense with that mild white wine companion. Fruits of the aforementioned lean towards that melon element. But then there's that new school yeasty, milky, sweet thing going on. I can't knock it as that's what Great Notion is known for. But damn I wish this had that classic clean profile.

Obviously, you know where I'm going from here on. It's sweet, and creamy, rich, and full. Light carbonation, only a touch of bitterness.

For the new school hazy and milkshake IPA fans out there, I think this would absolutely be a home run. Might even be one of the best of the style I've ever had! But shit, I really wish this had that clean West coast ale yeast to make this pop. The execution of Nelson in this beer is simply begging for it.

After my official review, I gave Love & Ritual a rating of 4.28 with an rDev of -0.5%. Cheers.

 

Recent arrival to VT along with CCB's Marshall Zhukov!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17981/53014/



CCB ORC
4./4./4.25/4./4./4.1
12 oz. can packaged 12/09/19.
Moderate pour yields a one inch tan head over a near black body with some lacing. Nose as advertised. Oatmeal, raisin, and cinnamon. Taste mirrors nose closely with dark malts and chocolate adding to the mix. Nice feel and overall, a more than solid brown ale from Tampa.
Cheers!!!

 

For a description that mainly references other beers, that's about as accurate as it gets. I can practically taste it. Well done!

Well first I thought you were turning 20 or possibly 40 (20/20), then I thought you were turning 6 cause of your beer choice. Now maybe 33 and a third? All I know is now you've given me an excuse to listen to that album. Thanks for that, it's a great one. Enjoy your 2 score and 3/4 a score in the next couple months

Are you kidding, those are great pictures!! Especially the beach ones.

That sounds/looks intriguing. What's in it?

 

Wow! Just … wow. It is rare that I am humbled, but between New Beer from @jkblr Sunday (Week 755) & these CANned beers from Taxman, I feel unworthy. The problem with opening such beers is that I have no way of knowing what is CANtained therein until I have started. These were both so CANtastic that I now feel CANpelled to CANsemble CANother sneak-attack box in return!

The first CANulprit was:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32480/432867/?ba=woodychandler#review

followed by:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32480/331428/?ba=woodychandler#review

Wotta day! I'm gonna do some navel gazing & try to return.

 

#2, at the other end of the beer nerd spectrum, this big ol’ BA imperial stout is a cinnamon/barrel 2 x 4 between the eyes.





4.29/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Black color on the pour with a rich dark tan head, this is a gorgeous imperial stout. The nose is outrageously cinnamon forward, like “churros from Taco Bell” cinnamon forward, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but a bit surprising given the barrel (which is also present) and vanilla beans (which are not present).

The taste is all about the cinnamon and the barrel, with a bit of chocolate at the end of the taste, and the slightest bit of vanilla. The mouthfeel is spot on, with an almost chewy depth to it.

If this beer had a bit more vanilla to balance the cinnamon and barrel flavors, I may have spontaneously combusted. It is still excellent, and fortunately I have another bottle to age to see if the vanilla comes forward to dance with the cinnamon and the barrel.

 

Oh man that looks sexy as hell.

 

Happy New New England IPA Sunday, Again!

This was new yesterday, another pretty tasty brew from La Cumbre, nice to see it around here.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24659/456779/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Evil Twin Grand Cru. Fantastic Strong ale. Solid head retention, minimal lacing. Aromas and flavors of big caramel, brown sugar, maple syrup, toffee, vanilla, bourbon, toasted oak, roasted nuts, and dark/brown bread/crust; with lighter notes of coconut, milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, molasses, licorice, raisin, plum, fig, date, apple, smoke, leather, tobacco, herbal, grass, pepper, and yeast earthiness. Minimal booze in the aromas as it warms. Mild herbal, grassy, peppery, roasted bitterness; and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and very full body. Very creamy/silky/slick/bready; lightly syrupy/sticky/chalky/tannic in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing drynss from lingering bitter/tannic spiciness. No cloying sweetness after the finish. Lightly increasing warmth of 12.5%, with mild lingering barrel booze lingering after the finish. Great soft feel for the ABV, not overly boozy/tannic. Fantastic balance of super rich malts and maple bourbon barrel presence/integration; with light earthy hops and restrained fruity yeast. Not overly sweet/heavy from lingering dryness. Outstanding for the style as expected of ET. 4.2


Cheers