New Beer Sunday (Week 780)

Doc, you were offering sound advice until you got to football; Chiefs need to win this. For so many Cosmic reasons. I am a Cowboys fan ( bring it bitches ), but there is linkage back to the Chiefs, I have actually seen more Chief games than any other team ( Stationed in Wichita 81-85, old Arrowhead was awesome ) & now that Reid is no longer connected to the Eagles, I am in his corner. Plus I don'n't the niners winning anymore rings until my team has won at least a few more ( insert laughter & what have you )



All my old neighbors in Oklahoma with Cherokee, Choctaw & Creek blood will be doing this chant tomorrow

 

Well, since it is after midnight, my new beer is Russian River's Temptation. Simply an amazing America Wild Ale.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/863/9474/?ba=neenerzig#review

Eric

 

Eh, I drink (admittedly, to excess on occasion), but, days, which can expand into weeks sometimes, if I don't feel like drinking, I don't. We all have our internal scales.

That aside, a quick Heads up to anyone interested in getting in on the next NBS BIF: I'll be posting the sign-up thread a week from to.

GIRD THY LOINS!!!!!

 

Poured into a 16 oz Deciduous Snulip not sure when it was canned. Pours as hazy as any beer ever, orange yellow like 3 quarters OJ and a Quarter pineapple juice, with a 2 finger off white head, that leaves crazy thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Smell apricot, honey, vanilla, tangerine, and bold ripe grapefruit rind. 4.25

Taste is even sharper apricot, vanilla, blueberry, honey, and a rather bold these days shot of grapefruit that lingers while you wait for your next snoot full. 4.25

Mouthfeel is really BIG, soft carbonation, sticky as heck, but not dry, and at 9% easy going down but may drink closer to 10%. 4.5

Overall I always dig what this place does, I think they may have used oats again to get that giant almost gritty mouthfeel. Yes I recommend. 4.25

For you Doc, picture the mim with the angry woman and the smug cat. Woman what your excuse for getting blackout drunk this Super Bowl? The Patriots aren’t even in it. The cat because Tom and Bill aren’t actually in it! Boom and cheers all. Hitting the slopes this morning see you much later with more awesome new beer.

 

I've been up early, sitting in front of the TV watching the Australian Open Men's Final tennis match, which just concluded. I won't say who won in case you are going to watch the replay later. I really enjoy these grand slam tournaments. The Women's Final yesterday where Sofia Kenin won was a joy to watch.

Not surprisingly, I've sipped a couple of beers in the last 4 hours. Here's the first one:

The Alchemist - Donovan's Red (5.4% Irish Style Ale although I'd call it an Red/Amber IPA because of the bitterness) - my overall rating = 3.92



Had this near Pittsburgh, PA from a very fresh 16oz can

A - Partially-clear ruby with a 3-finger light tan head and excellent lace.

S - Toasted brown bread with cherry jam. Caramel. Mild earthy spice.

T - Much like the smell initially with bread, cherry jam and caramel but then a big dollop of bitterness comes in quickly. While it lingers and fades, there's a light malt sweetness and earthy spice for a modicum of balance. Fortunately, the bitterness doesn't linger too long and clears after about 45 seconds; making way for the next sip.

M - Medium+ body and light-medium carbonation.

O - Reminds me of a cross between Troegs Nugget Nectar and Sierra Nevada Northern Hemisphere although more bitter than either of them. It's got a lot of flavor for 5.4%. For my personal taste, it was too bitter for what I expect in an Irish Style Ale. Well brewed and high quality though so I'm glad to have tried it and certainly wouldn't turn it down if offered again.

 

Happy 40th Anniversary Sierra Nevada!

I was trying to remember when I first had a Sierra Nevada beer. I am pretty sure it was SNPA but what year that would be is eluding my memory banks. It had to be well over 20 years ago but which year?

Anyway, the fact that Sierra Nevada has finally reached their 40th anniversary is a big deal IMO. I have a related anniversary story from November 2017 that I posted in a past thread:

“I have been on a road trip the past three weeks with the principle purpose of visiting family and friends in Texas. This past week was the return leg with a route of Texas to New Orleans (2 nights) to Asheville (2 nights), Virginia (1 night) and then home.

On the way to Asheville we stopped off at the Sierra Nevada Brewery in Mills River, NC and luckily we arrived at the taproom at 8:50 pm (10 minutes before closing time). I was informed by the bartender that earlier that evening they celebrated the 37th Anniversary of Sierra Nevada: a speech from Brian Grossman and free pretzels and free chicken wings. I was bummed out that we were late to the party. The good news is that at least we could buy a beer (or two) and eat some dinner. I saw their extensive tap list (20 different brands) but I immediately zeroed in on the Kolsch – one of my favorite styles.”

There has been some discussion that for their 40th Anniversary Sierra Nevada should have made a ‘different’ type beer. Personally I am very pleased they decided to make this beer an homage to their roots.

From the Sierra Nevada website:

“Malts

Two-row Pale, Caramelized malts, Acidulated, Oats

Hops

Cluster, Cascade, Centennial”

Look at that hop bill, they even took the step to use the ‘heritage’ American hop of Cluster hops (I presume for bittering) in this beer. In a couple of weeks I will be once again be brewing my annual batch of Classic American Pilsner and yes using Cluster hops for bittering this beer.

Also:

“Hop-forward beers weren’t popular when we started brewing in 1980. But we loved them, and we knew that if we were going to open a brewery, we’d better make something distinctive. It’s been 40 years since then, and we’re still brewing what we love. This beer showcases the bold flavors and aromas of a classic West Coast IPA: intense pine and citrus with a deep gold color and slight caramel sweetness. Here’s to following your passion, and to the next 40 years.”

Well, what does an homage beer taste like? Let’s find out.

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

Golden colored with a big, fluffy white head.

Aroma:

The aroma is subtle, mostly a combination of citrus & fruity but there is some pine as well.

Taste:

The flavor is ‘better’ than the nose with more notable citrus/fruity but some pine is there as well. There is a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

It is light - medium bodied with an off-dry finish. There is also a subtle but noticeable aspect of astringent here.

Overall:

I think this beer is good. I enjoyed the hop flavors of this beer.

For my palate this beer would have benefited from having more malt qualities – particularly more body. Oh, and an even lower amount of astringency would have been an improvement.

GO CHIEFS!!!!

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @SierraTerence

 

Here's another one I had while watching the Australian Open Men's Tennis Final during the wee hours here on the East Coast.

Columbus Brewing Company - Bodhi (DIPA 8.5%) - My overall rating = 4.19



Had this near Pittsburgh, PA from a fresh 12oz bottle

A - Clear gold with a 2-finger white head and very nice lace

S - Ripe pineapple, mild-moderately dank, honey graham cracker. Aroma is pleasant but on the mild side.

T - Candied orange flesh and zest, graham cracker, lots of vegetal/herbal fresh hop flavors. Low alcohol heat. Piney bitterness that pairs with the fruit sweetness for a pleasant finish.

M - Medium-full body and light-medium carbonation. Oily and smooth.

O - Flavors are very well balanced and it is dangerously easy to drink. Good stuff.

 

A-Pours a dark color with a nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has espresso, dark berries and bittersweet chocolate hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a espresso, dark berries and bittersweet chocolate flavor
M-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A good Russian Imperial Stout

 

Happy Super New Beer Sunday!
I’m starting my day with this and it’s a bit odd for me because I’m writing to you here but not posting a review on the beer’s page. Why? This looks, smells and tastes like... a stout. Which is frustrating because I always try to appreciate nuances, describe the beer well, the label talks about all-Ohio honey, maple, oats... and I taste none of that. Bourbon barrel aged for 16 months and not a note comes through. This is not a knock on the beer at all, in fact it’s perfectly pleasant and balanced and I’m enjoying it. I just keep sniffing and sipping and no specific notes are being comprehended by my sensory systems other than “stout” and that’s no way to write a proper review or place a score. I’ll be back with a different style and hopefully a more descriptive review before kickoff.

 

And the third beer I had during the Australian Open Men's Tennis Finals. Time for a trip to the gym to work off some of these delicious calories. Gotta be ready for the other major sporting event of the day.

Bissell Brothers - Precept (German Pilsner 5.6%) - My overall rating = 4.25



Had this on 2020-02-02 near Pittsburgh, PA from a fresh 16oz can

A - Fairly clear straw-gold with a 2-finger white head and moderate lace.

S - Honey, white grape, white bread, noble hops. Smells great.

T - Liquid bread with white grape jam while drinking a spicy herbal tea with lemon. Restrained but present bitterness; mainly in the drying finish.

M - Medium body and carbonation. Smooth and refreshing

O - Great example of the style. Flavor, aroma and feel are very appealing to me. Good enough to be a fridge staple were it more readily available.

 

Heading out for Super Stout Sunday!, will post additional beers if I try something new for the first time (had many of the offerings previous). I was able to try this beer today, bottled 1/10/2020. Taste a little lighter than expected, but pleasant and I'm glad I have five more to finish this month.

This is the fifth of a seven release series from Bell's.

Appearance: The pour looked great, creamy head lasted a while and left generous lacing. 4.5

Aroma: Light aroma of malt, bread, raisins and dates. 3.75

Taste: Bread leads, cinnamon, dates and brown sugar backs. Light. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Dry, light bitterness, creamy mouthfeel, light dryness lingers after the pour. Medium carbonation lasts throughout the pour. 4.25

Overall: Solid winter warmer. 4.0

For those who watch "the big game", I hope you enjoy your gathering! I'll be enjoying a glorious 50 + degree day in the only city I've ever lived, Chicago, ILL.

Cheers!

 

Thanks @lordofthewiens for the great start to this weeks NBS. I have a new brew lined up for today.

Cheers!

 

Einbecker Non-Alcoholic Pils

The standard Einbecker Pilsner is really great. Here’s a non-alcoholic Pilsner from them. The beer is a very pale yellow and very clear. Great head. The smell is unpleasant. Taste isn’t bad. It’s actually pilsner-ish even if you’d never mistake it for a “regular” one. It’s a bit flabby like most beers of its type, but for what it is, it’s relatively successful. The last sip is way better than the first. It goes down easy.

 

Happy New More Odds 'n' Sods Beer Sunday (Week 780)!

I was awake after Midnight, awaiting the clarion call, but when it never sounded, I hit the rack until now, hence my late-morning start. I drink as much as ever, but I look at it as a hobby, not an addiction. I had to lay off for a couple of weeks following my prostatectomy in June & it didn't faze me in the least - no D.T.s, shakes, nothing of the sort. Plus, I didn't just dodge a CANcerous bullet, that was a full-on Howitzer shell that has been known to claim others' lives. I have CAN appointment on Tuesday for a follow-up & hopefully, the news CANtinues to be good.

I might have the Super Bowl on as background noise, but I will probably rack out ~ halftime. The NFL lost its luster for me several years back & I have enough good memories of watching Th' Stillers with my Pops to sustain me for a while.

I'm off to see "JoJo Rabbit" this afternoon, which will also interrupt the day's festivities. It is the only one of the BP nominees that I have not seen as yet.

My gig is hockey & this past Friday was tits! Fly-By-Nights @ Pens with Sidney Crosby scoring the OT winner! They hate him in Philthadelphia, the City of Brotherly Shove! It is also the height of collegiate hockey season, so I also got in MN/Wisco (the latter is where I want to go for grad skool at some point) & Central CO/NoDak (my Oxnard, CA drinking buddy, The Chief, put me onto the latter, advising that any time that NoDak is inna Frozen Four, bet on them!). Stout advice, that.

Speaking of hockey, I CAN't think of a country more associated with the sport than CANada. Now, if I just had a CANadian Stout in a CAN, I'd be all set:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/11023/321876/?ba=woodychandler#review

 

Arrowood Hummingbird

I’ve never heard of this NY brewery. I bet they have a NY farm brewery license. In order to have one, you need to have a certain percentage of your ingredients sourced from NY. The can claims that this is a farm brewery beer made with estate-grown barley, aged Cascade, and indigenous farmhouse yeast. It’s hazy and yellow. Smells like spice and orange. The taste is very unique. It’s like marmalade with sage and black pepper on challah bread diluted with water. What? The yeast character is really strong here (at least I assume that’s the main driver here). It’s a very flavorful beer, but this hurts its drinkability.

 

Hiya, all. I've got a visitor this week and so I probably won't make it with a new beer this week. It looks like the thread's off to a good start regardless. For now I'm off to a hockey game, we'll see what later on brings.

A propos of that:

Excellent choice on the version/location/singer!

 

Roscoe Brown Ale

I had a sample of this beer years ago that was given to me by the brewery, but I still consider a beer new to me if I haven’t had a decent serving size. I think the brewery was putting Trout Town on the label back then (“back then” also means 12oz bottles rather than 16oz cans). The beer is gorgeous. It’s a bright chestnut brown. Smells of holiday spices. Tastes of alcohol. I’m surprised how much alcohol is present despite it being just 5.5%. It’s off-putting. Body is thin (not in a bad way). Tastes of those holiday spices again - ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon (and sugar). The beer has a malt sweetness to it, but it finishes with hop bitterness.

At this point, I’m wondering how much the non-alcoholic beer that I started with has influenced my perceptions, because the two beers that followed it have felt too flavorful for their own good. I need to recalibrate.

 

Good morning, New Beer Sunday. Not much going on today. Our neighbors invited us over for the Super Bowl, but the kids are both sick so we are staying home. My better half is likely to be in bed by halftime potentially leading to a couple extra posts in this here thread!

Hope everyone enjoys the festivities!

Starting off with the first offering in a new series from Carton that explores the interplay between two hops.





Look: The beer pours an opaque, pale - deep gold color. A tightly packed finger of head. No visible carbonation. A very attractive New England Style IPA.

Smell: This beer does one of my favorite things you can get from a Mosaic NEIPA. The aroma is crushed sweet tart candies. Fruity, bright, and tropical juice. A lot of berries including blueberry and raspberry. The grain bill is distinctively dry and crackery, adding layers to the aroma. Great nose.

Taste: I’m not loving the flavor profile, and it’s definitely less enticing than the aroma. It’s not chalky or vitamin-like, two qualities sometimes used to describe NEIPA, but there’s something about the form of hops (I assume that’s the issue for me here) that’s coming off as “green” / plant-like and just a hint offputting dry and slightly astringent hop bite. The flavor does follow suite to some extent with the aroma. The berries are there and some very underripe mango.

Feel: Low to medium carbonation, nicely dry on the finish but a bit too much hop bite on the palate.

Overall: This beer started out very strong for me with a great nose, but fell flat due to the hop flavor issues that I described above. A rare Carton miss for me.

3.75/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Have you had this one yet @MacMalt ?