New Beer Sunday (Week 787)

Good Lock-Down Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. I hope everyone is well. A little levity is in order. My first NBS review is Sexual Frustration, a DIPA from District 96 Beer Factory, double dry hopped with Galaxy and Citra hops. A little background: D96, located in Rockland County, NY, brews amazing beers with politically-themed names. One of its early offerings was Sexual Relations ("I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Ms. Lewinsky"), a 6.3% American IPA hopped with Galaxy. D96 and Equilibrium Brewing then did a fantastic collaboration called Sexual Fluctuation. Sexual Frustration is the DIPA version of Sexual Relations. It's hopped with Galaxy and Citra. This run was released on Thursday and is super fresh. The taste explodes with tropical fruit - mango, guava, pineapple, and banana, along with lemon, grapefruit, and sharp pine. It's really extraordinary. It reminds me of King Sue and it's every bit as good. As far as I'm concerned, this is World Class. Here's my review. Btw, the reference to Burger Loft: The brewery is physically connected to a fantastic hamburger restaurant called Burger Loft. Little in life (okay, maybe sex) is better than a Burger Loft mushroom burger and a couple of pours of D96 IPAs).

4.64/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Reviewed 3 days after can release. Poured into a D96 snifter. It pours an opaque, pale pastel lemon color with a creamy, milk-white head and thick film of lacing. The nose is fruity and aromatic with lemon, grapefruit, pineapple, mango, guava, and other exotic fruits. The taste is amazing: It opens with tropical fruit sweetness from the Citra hops, including pineapple, mango, and a hint of banana. It's balanced by tart lemon and grapefruit rind. There is also abundant pine and a sharp, biting hop bitterness at the finish. This ale is medium-bodied and nicely carbonated, and with a manageable 8% ABV a second pour is no obstacle. Overall, Sexual Frustration is a vintage D96 DIPA with sensory overload of huge flavors and nose. It's great to be able buy cans now. The only thing missing is a Burger Loft mushroom burger and fries, which would be the perfect food pairing with this extraordinary ale.

I hope everyone is enjoying great new beer(s) today. Cheers, NBS!

 

Jack,
If you are in town (St. Pete) and want to grab a beer, or get a brewery or draught house recommendation, please pm me.
Dave

 

Greetings all. I'm back from a business trip to Las Vegas and have had to isolate in the house as best as possible to protect my spouse. I'm sequestering for 2 weeks (or more); working from home indefinitely, but fortunately, I can still go outside for long hikes in the woods. Today it has been sunny and cool with low winds; so a very nice day for a 9-mile hike. Got back about 30 mins ago and after "degaussing" upon entering the house, I selected this brew:

Tree House - Fudge ( 9.2% Imperial Milk Stout) - My overall rating = 4.38



Having this near Pittsburgh, PA from a 16oz canned on 2020-02-11

A - Impenetrable dark brown with a 1-finger light brown head and mild lace

S - Espresso latte. Baker's chocolate. Fudge.

T - Vanilla ice cream with lots of chocolate syrup and chocolate sprinkles. Then gooey fudge followed by mild roasted coffee, some earthy spice, roasted grain and 80% cacao bitterness on the finish, which moderates the sweetness. Nicely balanced.

M - Thick body and light-medium carbonation. Chewy and creamy.

O - This beer gets a D for Decadent. Rich, enjoyable and I'd gladly sub it out for desert after a fine meal. Well done.

 

Thanks for the intro, Ian!

 

It's been a long time since I've ordered a flight. When I visit a new brewery, I try to check out BA ratings first. If there are none, then I typically order a full pour of the DIPA and a full pour of either a Stout or a Porter. That gives my a good idea of the brewery's current capability.

 

This is a crazy easy drinking NETIPA. Pours a very hazy yellow orange with a massive 2 plus finger sticky white head that leaves a thick wall of lace with amazing retention. 4.75

Smell is guava, pineapple, tangerine, papaya, and apricot really nice nothing dominating. 4.75

Taste follows big guava and papaya upfront tangerine, pineapple, and apricot in the really balanced and juicy finish. 4.75

Mouthfeel is big, gentle soft on the palate, a tad sticky but not dry, and at 9.8% really easy drinking with no alcohol detected at all. 5

Overall this one really standouts as special, belongs in the big leagues in my opinion. Has a wow factor for sure. 4.75

 

Good afternoon, NBS'ers. I don't try to hide my love for Fox Farm beers, and this is yet another one I'm trying for the first time and love. I am a simple man. I can't pick up hints of this and that in my beer, and impressed with those who can (while also wondering if some people just make crap up!) Heck, I'd never even heard of this style (gruit / ancient herbed ale) until 5 minutes ago. All I know is that I really liked this beer, and that's good enough for me. Cheers!




4.44/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

750ml bottle purchased at the brewery yesterday. Pours a semi-clear yellow with a moderate amount of head, and no lasting head / lacing. Smell didn't stand out to me in any way, other than you can smell the tartness that's to come. Taste is fantastic. Clean, crisp, lightly tart, not a ton of aftertaste. This is very, very drinkable. I don't even know what the gruit / ancient herbed ale style is, but if you are a fan of farmhouse ales, this one is great.

 

Cheers NBSers, hope you all are getting through this difficult time. I’m working from home, hiking daily with the pooch and will be mountain biking soon - helps to get your mind right! I’m digging this beer compliments of @Dimidiata - Modern Times, Hedge Witch, DIPA, pours an opaque orange with a finger of head that sustains quite well, lots of sticky lacing, very nice tropical fruits, pineapple, mango, peach that all blend into a complex beer. Medium thick mouthfeel and slight alcohol warming that I’m enjoying after my hike today! Very well crafted beer - Thanks Christine

 

Happy NBS everyone!

Just a couple new brews for me today, started off with Against The Grain Orange Marmalade Bo & Luke:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26850/452575/?ba=bluejacket74#review



And then had Moody Tongue Scotch Barrel Aged Peated Scotch Ale:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35410/450930/?ba=bluejacket74#review



I thought both were good although I liked the ATG brew more. Cheers!

 

BA bud @guinness77 gave me a recommendation (and request) for this previously unknown to me IPA from El Segundo, so I picked some up for both of us.
WCIPA with a Mosaic twist. It’s got the clarity and much of the bitterness expected of the style, but with the resinous aspects downplayed in favor of the featured hop’s more fruit-forward flavor profile, but without taking it too far. Well done.

 

Greetings, fellow NBSers, and thanks to @superspak for getting this train underway today.

Nearly 60° and sunny where I'm hunkering down (which is the same place I'm nearly always hunkering down for NBS). Since I got paid on Friday, yesterday I ventured out on a grocery shopping and beer-buying expedition into Spokane Valley. I hit the valley Total Wine and picked up a couple 16oz crowlers at Steady Flow (a couple hoppy beers for my NBS BIF target: most hoppy beers on shelves I saw yesterday were either unacceptably elderly or were undated). Unfortunately the brewery I most wanted to hit posted on fb while I was shopping to the effect that they'd sold out their outstanding NE style IPA that they package in 4-pks, so that was disappointing, but on my way home I was able to finally visit TT's Old Iron Brewing in the valley. My friend Rachel is the head brewer there, and the on-premises BBQ restaurant is overseen by a local chef who's been on Iron Chef and has several local restaurants, so I called in an order for pulled pork and a crowler of a rye IPA that sounded like a good bet. It was take-out only, of course, so I still need to pay them an official visit once all this craziness is done with. The food was quite tasty (although for as long a drive as I had to get home, the heat and humidity of 1lb.of pulled pork kinda wiped out the sandwich bread that came with the order. All I had as bread in my apt. were bagels! I improvised, I overcame), and I'll be cracking open that crowler later today.

All the restaurants and bars are closed or are take-out only, like a lot of places. I stopped by one of my local favorites, nearby Iron Goat Brewing, twice this week, picking up a 6er of their oatmeal stout and on Friday getting a Bahn Mi pizza and a bomber of their Mammoth barleywine. Normally it's not bottled, but they were out of crowlers and so they're letting any crowler-able beer go for $6.99 in 22oz bottles that are bottled on-demand. It's literally cheaper than if you were able to order a glass of the Barleywine, so I fell on that hand grenade with minimal urging. I don't think I've reviewed it yet so maybe I can squeeze it into NBS later tonight.

Today's opening new beer is an IPA from Fremont brewed with Simcoe, Sabro and Centennial hops:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20680/459218/?ba=woemad#review
While it's definitely not a hazy, it's nose makes you think it'll be a bit of a juice bomb, with soft tropical fruit notes. Then it hits your taste buds with WAY more bitterness than you expect. If you miss the old school West Coast IPA bitterness, you should check this out. IPA drinkers exclusively into NE style hazies, this is not for you.

 

This time the kids bought me some real beer . . .



Voodoo Ranger Starship IPA

Light, clear golden orange color with lasting white cap and lacing.

Mild aroma of ripe yellow fruit with sharp floral hops.

Taste is hop forward with a smooth underlying body of sweet malt. Hops stay on top of things, literally, from start to finish with malt riding along behind. Hops are a bit edgy like fresh citrus zest with a medium bitterness range. Finish is short, dry and refreshing. Fairly simple flavors yet well balanced.

Medium texture with balancing carbonation.

This brew has a clean sharpness which should work with a wide range of richer dishes.

 

NBS #2: Irish Goodbye, an American Imperial Stout brewed by Toms River Brewing here in New Jersey. This is my first beer from the brewery. It came to me from a (non-BA) beer-drinking buddy who stopped in the brewery just before the ban went into effect. It was canned on 3/10/2020. All of this brewery's beers are Irish-themed but this is a big, American Imperial IPA at 9%. I didn't expect much but was pleasantly surprised. It's largely bitter with char but there are nice notes of chocolate and toffee. The mouth feel is really nice - creamy and viscous. I can easily hit this brewery from the Garden State Parkway driving to/from the Shore (that is, when they finally reopen the breweries). This place is now firmly on my radar. Here's my review:

3.88/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Canned on 3/10/2020. Poured into a stout glass. It pours a very dark walnut - nearly black - with a half finger of creamy, light mocha-colored head and thin sheen of lacing. Not much on the nose, just roasted malt, whiffs of coffee and caramel, and nuts. The taste is a lot better: it opens with roasted malt and freshly-brewed coffee with a lot of acidity. There are also notes of burnt nuts and char. As the glass warms there are also hints of toffee. and bakers chocolate The mouth feel is nicely creamy with a low level of carbonation. The 9% ABV gives it lots of substance. Overall, this Imperial Stout is better than I expected. It has a lot of flavor and a nice mouth feel. This is a new brewery and one I'll watch. They are on the right track with this offering.

 

Happy New American Double IPA Sunday!

Really nice day here on the Western Slope, sunny with some clouds, around 50 at the trailhead. Always nice to see something new from these guy's around. Watching some Two and a half Men.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24659/463135/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Thanks again for picking up John. Really one of the best West Coast IPAs out there I’ve ever had. Cheers brotha!

 

Afternoon NBSers and godspeed to the recovery of any unfortunate endeavors this pandemic has laid upon you.

Ommegang's My Watch Has Ended

3.52/5 rDev -9.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Deep brown with a light color khaki head. Head dissipates quickly with spotty lacing that slides back down the glass. Burnt sugar and toffee with a subtle maple sweetness comes across the aroma. Notes of faint vanilla, cocoa, and coffee. Can't really pick up the fenugreek since it has maple and nutty characters to it to begin with. The taste follows the aroma but with a more nutty nuance. The sweetness comes across more in the overall taste of the beer, however, there is a spicy hop quality that helps counter the sweetness. A little on the thin side but has enough body to keep from feeling too watery. Very solid beer that is easily drinkable. Nothing about the beer slaps you across the face. Everything is pretty well balanced and does its part.

 

New Province Veritas Belgian style Quad, 11.2% ABV, 3.87 overall

Pours an effervescent hazel color with a thumb of tan head. Sub-par lacing & head retention

S: Figgyness, raisins

T: Follows the nose , pears & dryness up front, some candi sugar notes to be sure. Some mushroomy notes as this warms ( something I really noticed in Chimay offerings ) , plus boozey figs. Finishes dry with leafy hops. pears & a little dirt/mushroom

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation

A solid take on the style, liked this a little better on draft

 

Guess its a Triple kind of day my friend. Nice review. Cheers!

 

Any time. And thanks for the tip. Cheers!