New Beer Sunday (Week 789)

With this whole self-quarantine thing going on the last few weeks, I've basically done nothing but try new beers. Instead of flooding the thread with ratings and reviews I'll just post the one that I've really liked.

Fremont - Head Full of Dynomite v. 18 Citra, Mosaic, El Dorado, and Sabro



16oz can poured in to a nonic glass. Pkgd 03/12/20

Look- Hazy golden amber color. Large off-white head that recedes fairly quickly to a thin cap of foam, solid lacing. Moderate carbonation streams visible. 4

Smell- Peach/nectarine, tropical fruit (pineapple, papaya and mango), melon, citrus (orange/tangerine, grapefruit and lemon), bready malt, resinous pine, light white pepper and other floral/spicy hop notes. 4.25

Taste- Similar to the aroma, tangy and juicy. Nectarine, tropical fruit, citrus and melon, light pine, lingering slightly bitter finish . Fairly well balanced. 4.25

Feel- Medium bodied, dry and crisp. Moderate carbonation on the tongue. 4.25

O- A very solid IPA, on the cheaper end of the spectrum too. Definitely worth checking out. 4.25

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass canned on 3/18/2020. Pours a hazy orange with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves loads of thin webby lace as it slowly settles. 4.5

Smell is peach, ripe melon, mango, mandarin, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows peach, honey dew, mandarin orange, mango, and apricot. 4.25

Mouthfeel is bigger than average, a tad sticky but not dry, soft gentle carbonation, and at 8% it goes down rather easy. 4.25

Overall this is rock solid, low on bitterness and very tropical and a very nice all around NEDIPA. No wow factor that would make it really stand out, but nothing to complain about. 4.25

 

The quarantine has me thinning out my beer cellar, not a bad thing. Drinking less beers, not a bad thing. Drinking better quality beers, definitely a good thing. Might need to sign up for a beer delivery service when my beer cellar has done dry


Other Half Pop Tart Hamburger Highway

4.53/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Can from my neighbor, poured into a teku

Brewed with Citra, Citra Cryo, Mosaic, Mosaic Cryo, Amarillo, Amarillo Cryo, Bru-1, and Nelson Sauvin hops

Two finger off white creamy , soapy foam cap, good lacings, good retention over a pale orange hazy liquid

Aroma is orange citrus, white grape, whiff of pine

Taste is white grape ,citrus orange and tangerine

Smooth mouthfeel, hop taste and flavor, no bite, the 10% abv is well masked

Good beer

Thinking about changing my dogs name from Tuukka to Teku

 

Thanks for kicking this week's thread off, @superspak. I haven't scored a Light Bell's Hearted Ale yet, but really looking forward to trying one to see how much flavor holds up in their lighter version.

I'm looking to lose weight as well, so this is my one pour today after a weekend of Saisons!

Mrs. O'Leary's Chocolate Milk Stout with Raspberries from one of my favorite breweries in Chicago, Spiteful Brewery. This is a 16 oz can packaged 11/13/19. 7% ABV, two pours into a large snifter.



Appearance: Pitch black pour, creamy bubbly rich tan head leaves generous creamy lacing. 4.5

Aroma: Nice slightly sweet aroma, milk chocolate and roasted malt lead, raspberries linger in the background, nice blend. 4.0

Taste: Bolder than the aroma, raspberries much more pronounced, followed by roasted malt. Milk chocolate and vanilla follow. This mixture would lead one to conclude this is a very sweet milk stout, but that is not the case as this is really well balanced by the fine roasted malt, a nice counter to the sweeter components. Very well done! 4.5

Mouthfeel: Rich, silky smooth, very creamy. Mild fizzy carbonation prevalent throughout the pour. The 7% abve makes its presence felt, but not overwhelming. Easy clean smooth finish. 4.5

Overall: Outstanding milk stout, another great Spiteful pour! 4.5

Looking forward to reading all of the reviews across the country, and grabbing a few down the road based on the excellent reviews found weekly in this thread.

Have a great New Beer Sunday everyone!!!

 

This very special gift from @DoctorZombies needs to be featured on NBS. Thank you for your generosity and thoughtfulness, @DoctorZombies! This delicious barrel-aged stout is heavy on the cinnamon, so it would be great to pair with some fresh fruit. The color is black, with no head. It has a strong smell of cinnamon, hazelnuts, chocolate, bourbon, and vanilla. The taste is very strong with cinnamon. I grabbed an apple after a couple sips to balance it out. The flavor also features hazelnuts and cinnamon. The mouthfeel was light carbonation, very smooth, and it coats the tongue with a strong cinnamon aftertaste. Overall, this beer is very delicious, and is very cinnamon-forward. I will likely finish the bottle in multiple sittings, as the cinnamon flavor is quite strong.

 

Another beer from my recent visit to Florida

A couple of weeks ago I discussed my road trip visit to Florida and how a good buddy gave me a mixed pack of beers to take home with me. Today is another beer from that gifted pack: Cigar City Guaybera Citra Pale Ale.

What the heck does Guaybera mean?

Luckily Cigar City provides the answer here:

“Traditional throughout Latin America, the guayabera shirt combines style, functionality, form and tradition in its four-pocketed design. We at Cigar City feel the same reverence and appreciation for the guayabera that we do for the Citra hop varietal, an ingredient that imparts notes of tangerine, lime and berries to this traditional American Pale Ale. The exclusive use of Citra hops in this beer creates a flavor that’s at once unique and recognizable, while it’s dry, crisp character and moderate alcohol make it as refreshing and functional as a crisp linen guayabera.”

I have heretofore been unaware of this shirt and I felt compelled to websearch on this topic. This is a guaybera shirt:



A pretty cool shirt. I suppose it is sorta like a Hawaiian shirt in that it is intended to not be tucked in. I guess I will have to add this to my birthday list?

But, is the beer as cool as the shirt?

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

Pours a hazy light golden color with a big white head.

Aroma:

Wow! Vibrant aromas of tropical fruit, some citrus and some yum!

Taste:

The flavor follows he nose with flavors of tropical fruit & citrus. There is just enough malt to provide a sense of balance.

Mouthfeel:

Light/medium bodied with a crisp and off-dry aspect to it.

Overall:

This is beer is very, very good!

Is it as cool as the shirt? I will have to report back when my birthday arrives.

Cheers!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @RobH @rotsaruch

 

You are welcome - glad you are enjoying the beer! Cheers!

 

A darn tasty beer I would drink more often if I wasn’t so enamored with Jai Alai! I have several Guayabera shirts, they come in two pockets or four...Can be 100% silk, very light for extremely hot weather, and I prefer the two pockets variety. Cheers!

 

Gosh, Jack, you're a good-lookin' fella. (That's you, right?)

 

Thank you, @bbtkd, for this excellent beer! This is a unique and very well-made beer. The color is black with no head. The smell is cinnamon, rum, chocolate, peppers, and coffee. The flavor is a good combination that mirrors the smell; cinnamon, rum, chocolate, peppers, and coffee. The mouthfeel is medium carbonation, thick, with a rum aftertaste. Overall, this is a good change-of-pace sipping beer. I hope I can come across it again.

 

Hello, NBS!

I haven’t cross posted WBAYDN and NBS in a while. I’m enjoying this one a lot and feel compelled to write a full review.

Thanks for the kick off @superspak. I’ve seen your updates on the job front and hope all works out for you with the opportunities ahead.



Look: The beer pours very dark brown and opaque. The edges are translucent chestnut. A light brown, loosely packed head goes away quickly, but for a very thin ring of foam around the edge of the glass. No lacing and no visible carbonation.

Smell: Dark dried fruit including raisins and dates. From 2018, this beer is showing slight signs of age and oxidation with some staleness. Not enough to put me off. Fruit cake, brown sugar, molasses, cherry cola, and some hazelnut. Chocolate. Faint chocolate/coconut candy as the beer warms.

Taste: I’ve never had this beer fresh. No signs of age though. Very clean flavor. On the tip of the tongue some sweet and slightly tart fruit flavors include raisin and cherry cordial. Mid palate some milk chocolate and nutty. Nothing on the flavor says coconut.

Feel: Medium level of carbonation. Very smooth and pretty full bodied. Pleasant warmth on the palate and in the pipes with some sticky sweetness on the lips. Great feel.

Overall: I’m really enjoying this beer. Age is treating it pretty well. Some coconut on the nose but not much flavor. It has held up well with age. The sweet, syrupy candy cherry aromas and flavors are an unexpected surprise.

 

Morning all! I have some drinking/trading pals in Charleston, SC from whom I source some of my Westbrook beers. It doesn’t hurt that what’s left of my wife’s remaining kin live in Charleston, and until this Virus Lockdown we visited frequently...Today’s beer is from a IP trade over a year ago - “Maple Bourbon BA Mexican Cake” (2018):



At 55 degrees pours jet black with the barest fizzy thin dark brown head; poor cap retention; thin ring disappeared quickly; small dots of lace with swirl; heavy long syrupy legs. Strong aromas of bourbon and maple, followed by vanilla and coconut; some booze on the retro nasal. Chillies pepper sauce, sweet maple, brown sugar; dark bittersweet chocolate, Baker’s chocolate; bourbon, vanilla and toasted coconut; dark fruit in the middle - plums and sugared raisins; finish is spicy chillies, bourbon and sweet maple. Medium body, smooth silky feel; light carbonation; pepper burn/alcohol bite all over tongue; warmth from 10.2% abv; not thick or adjuncty feeling. Overall, the “Mexican Cake” is solidly present with plenty of spicy chillies with a hot tamales sauce linger; and there is plenty of sweet maple and underlying chocolate to balance the heat; layers of barrel aromas/tastes of bourbon, vanilla and toasted coconut, and digging down, dark fruits; reminds me of CBS, and Morning Wood (without the adjuncts feel) for Maple content, but more complex which elevates into layers of bourbon and spicy peppers and barrel notes for a delicious slice of Mexican Cake drizzled with maple with two shots of bourbon poured on top for good measure!

4.5 | 4.5 | 5.0 | 4.75 | 4.75

Score 4.78
rDev +3.5%

 

Teku... looks fragile, delicate...

Not seein' it!

Now, NLH goaltender? That's more like it!

 

NBS BIF 11 Mystery Beer #1

Happy Sunday, BAs. I hope you and your loved ones are all in good health.

Thank you to the previous custodians of this great thread — and a special shout out to @beertunes for hosting the greatest BIF in BIFing for so many years. I believe this is his last round of leading the NBS BIF for a while. Much appreciated, Terry.

My first Blind Beer in NNS BIF 11 comes courtesy of the generous @Mbgreg who sent me this great box:



The presumably smaller of the mystery beers pours a vibrant, hazy light orange with at least two fingers of somewhat airy, off-white head. It has decent retention and leaves some modest, soap-bubble lacing.

It has a lovely, refined citrus aroma (clementine, tangerine). Maybe some slight dough, grass, cilantro and other herbs.

The taste is similarly refined. I get more grapefruit here in the citrus component. There’s again a slight touch of dough, and then some dull grassiness.

The mouthfeel is light to medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

My first guess upon cracking it, before even pouring, was Alien Church. Upon drinking it, it seems more like an APA. The citrus element here is really well done, and there’s a nice balance between that and the dull grassy bitterness.

And the reveal...



Boom! It’s something off my wants: Stay Gold — Creature Comfort’s collaboration with Run the Jewels.

I’ve gotta admit, Mark, I saw pics of a recent box you sent to someone else that included this in it and I was jealous I didn’t get a can. Super excited to actually try it. It’s even better than I expected. Thank you!

 

Wow nice job @Mbgreg !

 

Wow sorry I missed BIF#11.
I do have some new beers lined up though so I will be hanging in awhile.

 

*NHL*