New Beer Sunday (Week 783)

Nice write up! One of my favorite breweries. Random fun fact: that building was a former lamp factory. It really does sneak up on you, first time I visited I almost Tokyo Drifted into the parking lot and someone I know actually jumped the curb once, embarrassed themselves in front of a busy tasting room. Not sure if you knew this but Dan Suarez spent a few years at Hill Farmstead, his brewing acumen is really good I haven’t had a style of beer from them that wasn’t very well-made. A couple of questions:

• Did you get a pretzel? They’re really good.
• Did you get a chance to try any saisons or mixed ferm beers or are you not a fan of the styles?

 

It will be my 2nd time there, and I totally love the area. It also helps that I have a very good friend who lives there. Can't wait to see her again, because 2 years is way too long.

 

I love Louis just by seeing these pictures. Your memories of him will be wonderful and almost physical reminders of your great friend. Cheers to dogs and the humans who love and care for them!

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned on 12/19/19. Pours an attractive hazy orange with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves plenty of lace thin lace behind, with solid retention. 4.25

Smell is guava, tangerine, melon, and apricot. 4

Taste follows guava, tangerine, melon, and apricot. 4

Mouthfeel is bigger than average, a little sticky not dry, soft carbonation,, and 8.5% ABV easy drinking. 4.25

Overall this is another tasty one from @tasterschoice62 . 4

 

A-Pours a nice hazy orange golden amber color with a nice head and lacing
A-Aroma had generous hop, resin and pine hints
T-The taste follows the nose with generous hop, resin and pine flavor
M-A medium bodied moderately carbonated beer
O-A very well balanced NEIPA

 

Happy Sunday, nbs crew! @cjgiant strangely I was sober 15 years ago. Didn’t even realize craft beer was a thing until 2008-2009. My first drink was at age 28 . Now of course it’s a different story, but I was a tee-totaling straight edge shit back in my early 20s

On to beer. @Vidblain sent me a nice Valentines’ box yesterday, including this mixed-berry sour that sounds right up my alley. Chris rarely steers me wrong!

Purple Telescope - Ology
Imperial Berliner - 8% abv
Canned 2/13/20
Score: 4.26 (+3.1% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/51226/464554/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
The tart berries are the star of this show. Lots of lactose make this creamy and semi-sweet, but the berries stay at the forefront. The beer is low on carb, but not so much that it detracts from the experience. This is another winner from Ology. Thanks again Chris!

 

Fifteen years ago I was enjoying craft beers, particularly Allagash Brewing which was just up the road from me. I became a Beer Advocate in September, 2005, so my own 15th anniversary is coming up. Never in my wildest dreams did I envision what the craft beer scene would become in those fifteen years.
Today I am drinking another new beer from Truth or Consequences Brewing. They recently opened a taproom here in Las Cruces, and thus far it has been very well received. My beer is Fireside Tripel. This beer was bottled 12/31/2018 and has an ABV of 12.7%.
In a goblet the beer is a slightly hazy orange/copper color with virtually no head.
Some sweet fruit and spices in the aroma.
Mostly spice taste. Cinnamon, nutmeg, clove. Somewhat earthy.
A medium-bodied sipping beer. Alcohol well hidden.

 

Yup, I was aware of that. Dan was in the facility the day we visited but he was in the back area of the taproom. I was hoping that I could chat with him but I figured they would not approve of me going into that area and I was not going to shout out to get his attention.

No, it was around 4:00 and we wanted to get home for dinner time (a late dinner).

I am a fan of Saisons and beer brewed using Brett - I homebrew these beers.

The tap list was lager-centric the day we went. I homebrew my own Czech Dark Lager (I have a batch bottle conditioning now) and Altbier (which I am drinking now - well during this timeframe but not exactly at this moment) and I was curious about Dan's versions of this style. Plus I am a fan of Pilsners and Kellerbiers.

The only beer that was on tap that is sorta like a Belgian beer was branded Whistlin' - a "Lemongrass country beer".

I think that Dan produces good beer. If I am ever in that area (which is not likely) and it is one of the three days of the week when the taproom is open I probably will stop in again.

Cheers!

 

Happy CANtinued & CANtinuing New Clear Out the Reefer Beers Sunday (Week 783)!
I was heartened by the mention of the passage of time today since my birthday is on Tuesday, which just so happens to be Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday/Fastnacht Day this year. I will be at work as usual, but I will be stuffing my face with doughnuts vice cake in celebration. This year marks my double nickels & the day will have The Minutemen's "Double Nickels On the Dime" as its soundtrack, even if simply in my head until I come home.

Never heard of them? They were an '80s punk band from San Pedro, CA, across the bay from Long Beach, my seCANd duty station. I saw them once before they disbanded & I remember sobbing in my barracks room in Meridian, MS when I heard the news of D. Boon's death. They were a DIY band & toured in a beater Econoline van ("We Jam Econo") & feeling beat after a show, one member's g/f volunteered to drive to the next city so that the band could crash in the back. She, too, was apparently beat & fell asleep at the wheel (!), awakening as the L-front wheel impacted the concrete divider. Jolting awake, she corrected, but in doing so, the back doors flew open & D. Boon fell out, breaking his neck on the divider. I was devastated upon hearing of this.



I am also reading the 33 1/3 series of books (www.333sound.com), each one focusing on a seminal rock album of some stripe. Each one has a different author & each is a labor of love/a love letter in the form of fan mail from a flounder. Geez Louise, this post is going to have some wild links, baby!




A science colleague & I were recently taking about the current LSD microdosing phenomenon & I remarked that I might give it a whirl. He was incredulous & responded, "You're not already?!? The building, including the students, would swear that you're on drugs!" Ha! His CANterpart, a woman with whom I was a student at Pitt, chimes in, "He grew up at 4-20. He never had a ChANce!" The family home was 420 W. Walnut St., believe it or don't.

I have read the 33 1/3 treatise of "Double Nickels" repeatedly, but I just picked up #105 (!), which is Michael Stewart Foley's take on the DK's "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables". The introduction alone is worth the price of admission.



All right, for having gotten through that babble, let me turn you rabble onto this bit of rubble, bubble:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/43699/454440/?ba=woodychandler#review

I am going to step away for a bit to watch the Pens/Caps game while CANtinuing to review beers. I'll be back with more … stuff … eventually!

 

Checked this out yesterday...




But then it was all rum and coke after that... lol


Today, making it official...


With a couple...

Alpen-Flo, 4.9% abv lager from Sixpoint in Brooklyn...

Clear and golden body under a fat finger or two of white foam... Herbal and grassy and grainy on the nose, with a sweetly chewy malt backbone that carries a bit of spice, like cardamon, nutmeg, and clove... Mildly bitter with a light suggestions of pine and pith... Light-bodied and clean-edged, with a bit of honey and husk drying on the finish... 1/5/20 canning... Can cites an, "extended maturation time," and provides a best by dating of 1/5/21...

Not a big Pearl Jam guy, but there are a few off of Ten that I like...


Here's to new beer in your glass, cheers...

 

Good afternoon NBS, had a very long and busy weekend so today is going to be a very lazy Sunday. Enjoying Odd Side The Nightman Leaveth, thanks @Sturgeon83!

4.23/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thank you Sturgeon83 for this
12 oz bottle poured into a tulip

A- Black with a small mocha head.

S- Chocolate, vanilla, whiskey, some caramel, roasted malts.

T- Chocolate, rye, whiskey, vanilla, some caramel, some roasted malts.

M- Smooth, medium to full body.

O- A tasty barrel aged stout that is a little heavy on the barrel but the chocolate and vanilla help balance it.

Cheers NBS!

 

I enjoy Qualify WAY more than Scrag Mtn, but thank God different people have different takes. I always enjoy getting your take Jack. Speaking of which, did you have a favorite out of the 4 above? I've had those in the past, but I also just had River and Estimation this Friday. Cheers.

 

Tree House Very Green


Yields a sun yellow color, as hazy as possible, with a huge, spongy head.


Smell is of fresh cut limes, ripe passion fruit and blueberries, tied together by subtle, yet well integrated oranges. Has a floral and sweet sorbet like lime complexity to it, defining a lovely and equally intense, hop leaden nose.


Has a fluffy, soft mouthfeel, exhibiting a medium body and a bright effervescence during its finish.


Tastes of zingy kiwi, cactus juice and truly bitter limes at first glance, mellowed by a lighter nuance of calming, bready malts. Turns even softer then with ripe mango and oranges adding in, still carried by a powerful lime foundation. Finishes with a great interplay between tropical fruits and a prominent, long going bitterness, effectivly balanced by the beer‘s soft mouthfeel.


Another winner from this brewery, not only showcasing a very well balanced and complex double ipa with a fantastic mouthfeel to it, but also a very strongheaded, thoughtful blend of flavors, which works miracles on my tongue.

 

Happy Sunday, all. Well 15 years ago I was running the security at a concert hall in Chicago, working terrible hours and the words "craft beer" were not in my vocabulary. Although that time seems like forever ago, it still has some fondness.
So today I cracked open two new ones that I received in trades recently. Here they are in order of consumption.

Holy Mountain - Three Fates Czech-Style Pilsner

• Appearance - clear, golden, nice head and good carbonation.
  
• Smell - slightly grassy
• Taste - Very clean with a slight bitter finish, but not off putting in any way. Nice hop presence as well.
  
• Feel - great carbonation and very easy drinking!
• Overall - I really enjoyed this. On a hot day, this would be phenomenally refreshing.
  
• Side note - they win for a great stamp on the bottom:

Second, I cracked open an Apple Brandy Champurrado from White Elm. Thanks to a recent trade, I tried the Toasted Marshmallow, Single Barrel as well as the base stout. All excellent and this one didn't disappoint.

• Appearance - dark with thin carbonation around the diameter.
  
• Smell - tons of cinnamon, fruit and barrel.
  
• Taste - First, huge wave of cinnamon (which I enjoy). Then it's the apple brandy barrel coming through nicely. Finish is the heat from the peppers followed by the cinnamon. As it warms, the peppers and the cinnamon meld nicely.
• Feel - A bit thin, but I don't mind that. With everything going on, if it was thicker like some others it would be far too cloying.
• Overall - another excellent variant on the Champurrado stout.

Cheers, all! Enjoy your beers!

 

A-Pours a nice hazy ruby color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma had honey, malt, hop and yeast hints
T-The taste follows the nose with generous honey, malt, hop and yeast flavor
M-A medium bodied moderately carbonated beer
O-A well balanced Braggot

 

So sad for your loss , for me it’s been devastating beyond words.

 

Yes, I was in to craft beers 15 years ago. My tastes would have been centered more in German Lagers, Pilseners and Marzens . My tastes have evolved and my go to style is definitely NEIPA and stouts. I like some of the tart and sours as well . Regardless of the style , I still appreciate quality, made beers. This weeks new beer is

Juice Machine by Tree house
4.62/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

canned 2 5 2020, opened 2 15 2020

“hey laser lips, your mama was a snowblower”

two finger creamy off white foam cap, great retention over a hazy orange liquid, good lacings

bright, freshly squeezed orange juice aroma, tangerine, lime, papaya

taste is tangerine, lime, papaya

hop taste, no bite , hop taste lingers, semi dry finish,

good beer

 

Out of the 5 beers I tasted from Suarez (Palatine Pils, River, Estimation, Ms Frank, Qualify Pils) I really can't say that any of those beers 'stood out' in any way (e.g., being a "favorite"). I thought all five of this beers were properly brewed to style with no technical flaws.

To discuss a topic which you did not bring up: price. The 4-pack/16 ounce cans of Qualify I purchased at the taproom was $16. For me this is a one time deal and I would never, ever do this again. A week ago I bought a 6-pack/12 ounce cans of Sterling Pig Shoat Pilsner for $7.99. The Sterling Pig Pilsner is superior to the Suarez Pilsners IMO and needless to say a much, much better value - I obtained more beer (72 ounces vs. 64 ounces) for half the price.

Cheers!

 

I am so sorry for your loss, and so grateful that you shared this touching dog/family story - chin up, and cheers Mate!