New Beer Sunday (Week 785)

You drank them in the wrong order

 

Got a coupla bottles of this online through Tavour...

Father of All Tsunamis whiskey barrel-aged imperial stout from Pelican Brewing...

This is one of those truly elite whiskey barrel stouts (and yeah, that includes the bourbon barrel set - this just happens to have been aged in rye whiskey barrels) - a "wow" beer that hearkens back to the Parabola and BCBS bomber releases 7-8+ years ago - it was just a different animal back then - getting those limited bourbon barrel stouts that were so fucking rewarding...

This is like those beers...

Pitch black beer produced a finger of creamy dark tan foam off a center-pour into a large snifter... Head slimmed but maintained a creamy appearance, with shiny bubbles - each sip left motes trailing behind in an oily-looking sheen... Impressive right off the nose, the whiskey and roasted chocolate malts prepare the palate for what is to follow... Semi-sweet dark chocolate, light oaky dryness, an elusive sweetness of molasses beneath...The body is full, but not too thick - and much to my delight, this is one of those stouts where the barrel aging does not lighten the body... Truly bittersweet, with chalky chocolate and sharp whiskey rye rounded by syrupy vanilla and barrel woods - this one's a killer...

2020 bottling, 11.2% abv...

 

I’m enjoying this beer today. It’s a bit sweeter than deleting posts from someone who has devoted a lot of time to this thread. However, there is a lot of hop burn that is not there. (Maybe it got deleted somehow)
It goes down smooth, unlike how information & opinions do here.

 

Hello NBS!

it’s been awhile since I last posted, but I have a lazy day today (finally) !

Figured I’d bring a dusty relic to the table today . 2017 KBS. It’s new to me (the vintage at least ).



Honestly I find this beer quite appropriate today for some reason .

Fresh it’s great. Coffee, barrel and chocolate by the truckload .

Aged it’s terrible . Coffee is mostly gone , chocolate has faded and the barrel isn’t the character it once was .

A few words to sum up this review .

While this beer was once great , aging it has done it no favors . What was once bright and so full of life is now just dull and lifeless . This beer is a shell of its former self and sadly, that happens more than it should these days ...

Cheers all !

 

Today’s new beer is “Friday” (2020) aka Joyous Almond, from Cycle Brewing, Inc., St. Petersburg, FL. Released and obtained at the brewery yesterday. Part of Cycle’s daily bottle release for Tampa Bay Beer Week:





Pours opaque black with ruby edges at 56 degrees; fast fizzy reddish brown head; no cap retention, ring or lace; all that remains is a small oily slick with white flecks of coconut floating on top; heavy legs sheet the glass. Whiff of toasted coconut, otherwise not much aroma save a subtle caramel malt nose. Semi sweet chocolate upon entry; very little coconut; caramel malt; almond in the middle with a little cream; mild dark fruit - raisins, plum; no bitterness; finish is caramel, toffee, nutty sweet coconut candy. Silky smooth feel; some heat in the mouth (no idea what the abv is); full but not adjuncty body; light carbonation; dry, yet creamy nutty tongue coating. Overall a really enjoyable stout; balanced blend of chocolate, caramel, toffee with coconut and almond; all flavors equal and remarkably subtle; I wish it had more coconut, but overall a really nice, tasty, semi sweet sipper; I would not age - drink what it is right now, as I believe these flavors in this beer will fade over time.

4.0 | 3.75 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.25

 

What about the banter that went back and forth regarding reviews and opinions? Will that be deleted too? Is that too off topic?

 

Good afternoon NBS and thanks to all who help in keeping this wonderful corner of the world in order.
Todays offering is from Burlington VT, My first go round with these folks. A delightfu
Cabin Bier I

Freak Folk Bier
American Wild Ale | 5.8% ABV

4.02/5 rDev -6.1% | Average: 4.28
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle dated 4/19/19 into the test glass
A - Excellent clarity, pale straw color, gentle carbonation steadily feeds a thin ring of white accumulation.
S - White pepper, a touch of must, green grape, oaked white wine, lemongrass, and pith.
T - Follows the nose in almost lock step, add a nice sweet grain element to round out the flavor
M - Light in body, a sharp start with nice acidity, then moves toward center with some sweet/tart balance. Finish is dry and toward the tart side. Very good feel
O - A very nice offering with excellent feel, this is one worth seeking out

 

It may feel that way to you but at least over the past couple of years the numbers don't seem to show that. Searches only go back to April 2018 but here's the average number of posts per NBS during 3 separate time periods (these correspond to the 1st, 3rd, and 5th page of search results if you search by title for New Beer Sunday):

Weeks 688-707 (Apr '18 - Sep '18): 148.2

Weeks 726-745 (Jun '18 - Feb '19): 171

Weeks 767 - 785 (Nov '19 - March '20): 133

Seems like the numbers bounce around quite a bit and that late 2018 was maybe a little bit of an outlier.

 

Imprint Reap What You Sow

Happy Sunday, BAs? Let me start by thanking @cjgiant, Doc, Maria, @cavedave and other hosts of NBS for all the time and thoughtfulness they’ve put into making this the best beer thread on the internet. I know if I ever happen to open this thread in the future, I will start by recognizing their contributions — and I hope that becomes a regular thing among all us older NBSers.

Today’s new American Imperial Pilsner is one that I picked up for the NBS BIF. It’s tasty and definitely worthy of sharing.

It pours a hazed dark piss gold with decent effervescence and a finger-and-a-half of off-white head that has solid retention and leaves excellent lacing.

There’s a sweet, lightly bready aroma with a touch of mint and some sort of lime-zest herb.

It has a clean, easy-drinking taste. There’s a hint of that sweet mint flavor up front, and a light grassy bitterness in the finish — with just a hint of sulfur that lends a certain dryness to the aftertaste.

It’s full bodied in comparison to a regular-strength pilsner, with appropriately zippy carbonation.

All-in-all, this is a very good, quaffable lager. I recommend trying it if you have the chance.

 

Hey all, happy Sunday! After sitting out last weekend's NBS with a brutal cold, I'm back at it. Today's breakfast beer is Nervous Energy from Tree House.

Appearance - I've never had a beer pour more like a coke. Very little head which dissipated almost immediately. Jet black with good carbonation.

Smell - lots of maple syrup and roast. Some coffee as well.

Taste - Big wave of maple syrup but not cloying at all. Vanilla and cinnamon are present but faint. Slightly bitter aftertaste but not off-putting.

Mouthfeel - When I poured it, it looked very thin, but it has such a silky texture to it.

This was really nice, very well-balanced. Great as it warmed a bit - got more of the cinnamon. Overall I'd say 4.15.

Cheers, all!

 

A-Pours a dark amber color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has raisins and chilie pepper hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a raisins and chilie pepper flavors
M-A light bodied well carbonated beer
O-A decent Red Ale

 

Good afternoon all. Not really sure about this but I think this is my first time posting a beer here in NBS, though I´ve been reading these threads from time to time. Work has relaxed a little bit and I am (responsibly) indulging in beer these days, after a couple of dry phases after Christmas. My opening beer is a German schwarzbier I had last night (post-midnight) which actually took some effort to find in the supermarket...

Yesterday I was hanging around the beer aisles and a yellow tall can inside the shopping cart of another client took my attention. I hadn´t seen it before, and the fact the man also took an unfiltered Praga couldn´t help but increase my curiosity about the former. So I searched for it, but the beer was nowhere to be seen in neither the beer shelves nor this temporary 'Foods of the World' section at the entrance. Then I saw this man again in a near check-out line and moved the closer I could get without the wife noticing, just to have another look. This made me feel creepy as fuck. Was it maybe a cider, or even a soda? Did he bring it from another place? Hell no, he is about to pay for it you fool! At this point, I was about to call it a day and returned back to the beer aisles to finally grab some damn beer. Yet I took a more unusual route with my scanning eyes wide-open, and BINGO; A yellow tall can showed in between all the sensory noise along with other (hopefully) beers, in which seemed to be a smaller part of this 'Foods of the World' promotion (apparently spreading through the place).

The yellow can was indeed a beer, and more specifically a German weiss. There was also the black one I am reviewing from the same (unknown) brewery, a couple of ales from Hobgoblin and some more 'new to me' Germans and Belgians. But let´s move on Leikeim Schwarzes, which I found the most intriguing one given the relatively scarcity of this style, plus being a German schwarz whose name doesn´t begin with K.

First thing to notice was its low price at 1 euro (0.5l), considering this kind of promotion usually brings quality imports you don´t see around often (usually at a higher than average price). So in the risk of this coming out as a terrible macro I just took one, even at that price. At this point, I decided not to look for any info about the beer or brewery, which is definitely more fun with beers like this.

A closer look at home wasn´t totally convincing either, but it showed some interesting things; The black can is pretty badass, with a rather solid design which still could both mean quality beer or Fernsehbier swill. A big part of the can coming in Asian characters, and the Bayerisch Bier label only adds to the intrigue, this being a northern style. And last but not least, the beer is pretty fresh at 5 weeks after being canned with a best by of 13 months (take that as you like), all the info clearly printed at the bottom.



So FINALLY;

The beer pours pretty clear against the white background and shows rather yellowish-brown hues before expectedly going all black and opaque, with still some amber highlights in the bottom. The slightly tanned white head has nice retention (at least better than expected, the possibility of this being swill still lurking in the shadows), and manages to make it through the pictures into my drinking corner while leaving a decent ring through the entire experience. Lacing is great.





The nose is roasted malts, slightly sweet dark chocolate, cocoa, cream, maybe some toffee and hints of licorice and grassy hop in the background. This is PRETTY NICE against all odds, the mix of creamy and roasted-bitter being inviting, with all those descriptors above feeling fresh and natural. At this point, I have to look at the ingredients to confirm no adjuncts are involved.

Taste follows the nose to the line with 'raw chocolate' again along with the bitter roasted malts and a hint of herbal hop, with just the slightest sweetness and a creamy ending to round it all. The aftertaste is rather ashy/roast with also waves of cocoa and some everlasting licorice which even manages to mix with the Saaz notes of a later Urquell. Really nicely done!

Possibly on the lighter side of a medium body, this is a highly drinkable beer. Maybe, just maybe, a tad too thin, but still packed with flavor and spot on the style in my understanding.

I didn´t expect this beer to be this elegant and delicious at all, and will definitely go large next time (especially at this price). Schwarzbiers might lack the personality, 'uniqueness' and complexity of dunkels (or even dark Czechs) but they are not less drinkable and tasty, so I am happy to notice there are actually good ones out of Köstritzer. I have been prudent with the ratings because the beer is rather unassuming and I come easily over the top, but will definitely put it against deeper scrutiny these days. A lovely surprise at 2 euros the liter, and definitely a solid YES.

4.25-4.25-4.25-4.25-4.5

Only after this, I had a glance at other reviews, which expectedly enough were mostly lower than mine. Still nice to see decent ratings and some seasoned advocates enjoying this beer as much as I did. @josanguapo

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/472/13278/

 

Helles Lager from Bravo Brewing Co. In scenic Pascoag R.I. This brewery opened last November, I am the first to review a beer from them, and this is my first brewery fresh Helles. The beer and picture are from yesterday so I'm cheating a little.
The review was written today.
Prost.



4.28/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Served on draught at the brewery in a Weizen glass. Clear golden straw color with a bone white creamy head, average retention and blotches of lace. A thin cap and ring persists.

Fresh smell of cracker and baked bread with some toast. Faint floral and herbal hops

The taste is semi-dry with low bitterness, the hops provide more flavor than bitterness. Clean and well attenuated, the malt shines through as mentioned in the smell. Almost sweet apple juice, a hint of grape and a general citrus flavor sneak in. The finish is quick, crisp and clean, the aftertaste is short-daring me to take another sip.

Light body with soft abundant carbonation, smooth, bright and refreshing. Matches style guidelines across the board.


The ABV is 5.1% per the brewer.

 

My first post on this thread. I realized this morning the first pour on Sunday is second in anticipation only to the first beer on Friday night. I was a little apprehensive of my first Peanut Butter beer and am pleasantly impressed. Poured into a 3 Sheeps snifter, dark, dark brown/mahogany with a nice creamy tan head. No carbonation issues with this can. Nose is coco and peanuts and taste follows but with a much more subtle peanut presence than the smell. Taste is fantastic. The base beer is a solid, 3 Sheeps variety imperial stout and chocolate is predominant here, with just enough peanut for the name sake. Buttery isn’t a favorable descriptor for a stout, but this pulls it off with a nice slick, maybe oily? Mouthfeel. Good stuff, 3 Sheeps. Also very impressed with how they handled the bad seems in the cans. Fortunately the first two of my four have been flawless.