New Brew Thursday (Week 2)

I chugged a crowler from INU Island ales in a pair of sloppy panties one time, it was good stuff.

 

Good evening, New Brew Thursday! I’m not usually a Thursday drinker, but until schools reopen here I very much am. The timeliness of this thread is uncanny for many of us, I suspect.

My first contribution is this lovely fruited wild ale from my neighboring state. I’ve never been to this brewery, but they are now #1 on my list once things return to normal.



4.5/5

Peach and blueberry sounds a bit strange together, but it comes together perfectly. The blueberry is more subtle in the taste than in the appearance, and takes a backseat to give the bright peach flesh some breathing space. Oak, grape, vinegar, musty bookshelves, rotted fruit, and just the slightest sprinkle of brown sugar bring it all together. A graceful beverage, full of energy, yet somehow still establishing a balance.

 

Thanks @Dragginballs76 for getting us started again this week. My first new beer comes to me from @jhavs Eagle Park's Wavelength, canned 2/19/20.
4.26/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours a hazy yellow with an orange tint, a thin off white head that dissipated quickly and left minimal spotty lacing. Smells of tropical fruit, a bit of weed and dank. Tastes completely different than the smell suggests. Grapefruit and grapefruit rind up front, followed by lemon, cantaloupe, papaya, under ripe pineapple, a bit of wheat and yeast. Full bodied, soft carbonation, dry and moderately bitter finish. Cheers all!

 

I started my NBT off with a ginger glazed cannoli inspired beer from Lone Pine (w/ a collab from Holy Donut) sent to me from @HeartofMiami

Nice, roasty base w/ touches of accenting sweet layers that never get out of hand. Enjoyable balance. Thanks Jared!

& cheers all!

 

Howdy, NBT!

Been doing my best this week to support my locals - Falling Knife is newer to the scene and I want to see them evolve and improve for a number of reasons. Today, I'm going to review one of their crowlers that was initially bottle-only - these things have evolved and changed as the pandemic has progressed and I absolutely congratulate their business-savvy in crowlering this excellent beer. Get yourself one if you can - they're even delivering now (just don't be an asshole like me, out walking with your dog and having to book it home when your delivery shows up!).

Anyway! Here we go - Shaky Hands:



I find myself favorably reminded of Forager's Pudding Goggles - Shaky Hands very much makes me think of the vanilla, pudding, and light cinnamon in that other great Minnesota beer. The taste and mouthfeel are remarkably similar, even down to the nose. I'm quite happy with this baby - adjunct bomb, as advertised. Nice thick body from an undoubtedly long boil, good head, nice lacing.

Falling Knife has a bright future. I sincerely hope that they survive this economic downturn - I'll definitely be doing my part to help them out.

On that note: guys, support your locals. The coming months will be make or break for a whole lot of breweries - spend your money in a conscientious, intelligent, considered way and try to keep your local market alive.

Getting a little stir-crazy lately, being quarantined and working from home. A few artists and playlists are keeping it bearable. Been watching a lot of Locke & Key and playing a lot of Ori and the Will of the Wisps. Cheers, dudes.

 

Enjoy!

 

I did Jon, thanks again.

 

Typical Chris

My feelings exactly. My 3 favorite locals are all micro. Without support all 3 will go under. At least 2 of them are crowlering their kegs to survive...the other has no crowler or canning line (and are prohibited from growlering in PA I think), so I don’t know how they plan to survive.

 

& next, is my first beer from Lost Abbey. Sent to me by @Snrubnivek



Very nicely done, traditional wild ale. Slight musty funk, greatly balanced tartness. Really enjoyable. Thanks Kevin!

 

Aslin No Bake

I know we’re supposed to post the same new beer three Thursday’s in a row in this thread, but I just can’t do it. Hope this isn’t deleted.

My current NBT comes from a generous noob named @beatjunkee. It’s loaded with roasty peanut butter and coconut, and at 16.5%, the alcohol does hit you.

 

Good evening BA, and Happy NBT!

My first beer today comes from @CanConPhilly in the form of Tired Hands Unique Facade:



Look: Upon initial pour a huge, bone white head that fills most of the glass.



The foam settles down to some sporadically placed bubbles sitting on top of the beer, with a ring of foam clinging around the glass. A lot of lacing as I drink the beer. Upon close inspection, through the murky, deep gold color, a whirlwind of carbonation streams up from the bottom of the glass. A very enticing beer.



Smell: The aroma is yeast driven, with a lot of fruity esters, complemented or enhanced by the apricots and peaches on which this beer was conditioned. Both fruits really shine. A lot. The fruity aroma is not too heavy and sweet. It is quite light, bright, fresh and sour smelling. This saison seems be light on funk. There is a faint must. Some hay and sour bread dough. Acidity. As it warms up the fruit ripens. As the beer really warms up an hour in there is some soft Summer farm yard funk that shines too. It also gets more floral and botanical as it warms.

Taste: On the tip of the tongue some sweeter, overripened apricot and peach. Those flavors do linger, but as the beer washes over the palate it dries out and the moderate tartness takes over. The apricot and peach stone fruit come through a lot, and it goes further with sweet orange citrus, tart lemon citrus and even a little tropical in the direction of tart pineapple. Some grapefruit pith and grittiness and the oak influence shows as the beer warms.

Feel: Medium bodied. Not the thinnest or most effervescent saison. Despite all the fruitiness that I described above, it dries out quite a bit.

Overall: Just a really pretty beer driven by the fruit and some complementary funkiness as it warms up. It is actually quite big at 9.5%, but you would never know that from the smell or the taste. Couldn’t believe the ABV when I looked it up.

Thank you, Matt! 4.3 / 5.

A beautiful beer on a beautiful Spring day.

 

Cheers Anthony! Glad it hit the mark for you. @larryi86 and I were both enamored with it when it released last year, too.

 

Me after the last sip when the 9.5% starts to hit:

 

New brew #2 is courtesy @thisischuck01 .


4.1/5

Beautiful pour, with gobs of sticky lacing even 10 minutes after pouring. Nose is indistinct, with faint orange, pineapple, and lactose. The taste is anything but indistinct though. A melange of spicy, floral, and citrus hops. Brings to mind an orange-gingerbread cookie, despite never having tasted such a thing. Moderately sweet middle is countered by a surprisingly bitter finish. Very little booze despite the 10%. I had feared this would be a sugar bomb, but in reality it strikes a unique balance. Thanks again Charles!

 

Me after chugging when the 16.5% starts to hit...

 

I forgot about this thread, but chose this over stuff I’ve had before - it’s like we have ESPN!



So here’s my new brew, which I am really enjoying.





4.25/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Really hazy orange color with loads of floaties under a bone white head that is dense and creamy. The first thing I noticed on the nose is a big blast of mango, followed by ripe oranges and pineapple.

The mango is really forward on the taste, and the oranges are vying for attention as well. There’s also a sweet malt flavor, approaching caramel. Really nice touch.

The mouthfeel is pretty full and has some bite. Stone is one of my favorite breweries, and this beer is another example of why that is so.