New Beer Sunday (Week 790)

Weiherer Fat Heads Imperial IPA


Pours a glowing orange color with a huge, pillowy head atop.


Smells of fresh cut limes among riper oranges and a profound, well working caramel maltiness.


Has a medium body to it, with a vivid carbonation, which makes this quite refreshing, not neccessarily easy drinking though, due to the prominent sweet- and bitterness in this.


Tastes of a pungent lime bitterness from the very beginning, entagled into sweet and rustic malts, together with a note of smoothing white bread dough. Offers a nice hint of watermelon and tangering, which get enhanced and almost overwhelmed by a powerful maltiness, remaining balanced and rustic with just a sweet peak to it. Finishes with a hop smack just as intense as it was in the beginning, coated up by the malts, which leads to a long lasting, bitter finish.


This is a great beer, featuring a well thought out malt backbone, as well as a great hoppiness, putting both breweries to do what they are known for. Quite an old school dipa approach, but it hits all the marks for me.

 

Lupulin Strictly Illegal Triple IPA, 11% ABV. Pours cloudy dark orange, with a four-finger off-white head that left foamy lacing. Nose is tropical fruits, oranges, toffee, pine, some zest. Taste is orange, toffee/caramel, berries, pine, moderately sweet, slightly bitter. Booze wasn't obvious, which could be dangerous at 11%. Smooth mouthfeel, overall outstanding. One of the best DIPAs I've had.

4.54/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Wow, NEVER thought I'd rate an IPA this high, really incredible brew. Last (hopefully) blast of winter here with 5" of snow, should be ending soon. And of course I woke up to a malfunctioning furnace. I opened it up, nothing obvious, just clicking, so I punched the damn thing - and it started working again. I've been meaning to replace it, so looks like that will happen sooner than later.

 

My supply of new-to-me beers is mostly these remaining from the Costco Advent box I was gifted in February (I keep adding the part about being gifted in Feb because, otherwise, why would I still have these?)

Anyhow, today is April-fest, I guess.

Memminger Gold Märzen
ABV: 5.3%



Crystal clear gold color under a tall, fluffy, white head with relatively short retention. Spotty lacing. Moderate carbonation. Great looking beer.

Solid aroma of sweet malts, caramel, honey, bready grains.

Taste is malty, bready, sweet caramel and honey. This maintains from the initial taste through to the finish, without a lot of nuance. The finish is malty, slightly sweet, but has a just detectable bittering at the end.

Mouth feel is a bit thin for the style, but otherwise smooth. Not much from the carbonation.

Overall, a decent enough malty-sweet Märzen. Easy drinking, enjoyable, and sessionable.

L: 4.0 | S: 4.0 | T: 3.5 | F: 3.25 | O: 3.75 | Rating: 3.68

 

For NBS this week I'll be reviewing a mystery beer courtesy of @ovaltine. I'm hoping he made this fairly easy on me, since I suspect I'd be terrible at guessing a completely random beer. Since the other beers in the box this was in were all from Transient Artisan Ales, I'm guessing this will be one as well, but let's see..


Poured into a tulip, and this one is clearly all haze, that is screaming IPA or DIPA. Smell is fantastic. Might be picking up some Citra. Whatever it is, it smells great, and reminds me very much of several Tree House beers. Taste is juicy, although somewhat less than I would have guessed from the nose. Very tasty with just the right amount of bite to complement the juicy flavor. Overall, this is a very good beer. Can't tell for sure if it's a single or double, but at 6.5% I'll guess single. I'll stick with my Transient Artisan Ales assumption. Let's see what it is...




Thanks @ovaltine for making this easy on me! This was another very good brew from this place. I see why they are one of your favorite breweries. I think this is my 4th? beer I've had from them this week and all have been quite good.

4.19/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

If you can, I'd just recommend doing an actual session with it, maybe 4 or 5 in a row. If it starts to become obnoxious or less than pleasant somewhere along the way then the balance is not as attuned as it should be.

 

New beer from Phase Three Brewing in Lake Zurich I’ll. From @FBarber BIF, and it’s Contoured View.

As usual I did no research on this beer or brewery, the only think I know in on the can. DIPA using Medusa and Sabro, 7.7 abv.

Nice pour, aggressive head, foamy but not super dense. Nose is a bit surprising, if I had this blind I’d take a guess at something like Double Two Hearted, I’d also guess Centennial Hops, it has that kind sweet orange kinda scent. The taste really does follow the nose, based on half a glass it’s remarkably like Double Two Hearted, I’m not familiar with these hops, but the taste like Centennial. Classic DIPA, maybe a tad sweetish, but it’s not sweet, could use a bit more bitter to rattle the taste buds. But overall it’s an easy drinking beer, nice sipper, as always I hate rating to numbers but I’d think a solid 4 would be fair.

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! A sunny, windy day here in the Fourth Corner, but nicely pleasant. grabbed a sixer of my NBS entry on my walk home last night, from one of Washington's OG breweries, Mac & Jack's, here's my review of Freeze Beater, a NEIPA: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/858/478714/

 

You sir are correct - Citra and Galaxy hops. Your review is spot on, too, IMHO. I had that last and the nose was killer, but the taste was a smidge “thin,” for lack of a better term.

 

Burned myself out on yard work again today, but now its beer time. I have noticed NBS being sparsely posted during this shutdown. Probably explainable due to new beer availability and angst I guess.
Today I have Natural Frequency from Sloop.

3.71/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 16oz can with an illegible date ending in "20" to a Nonic.
Body is creamy homogeneous haze with a medium head of bright white.
Nose is restrained tropical. Pretty mild actually.
Taste is pleasant tangerine, peach with a mild hop bite. Again subtle, not sure if my olfactory is great today.
Carbonation is prominent with each sip, mouthfeel is medium.
No sense of alcohol. I would like to comment that I have never noticed a 2-place decimal written on a can/bottle before, it states 6.18. That's 6.2 in my book.
Overall, okay. I may re-visit my review when my nose clears up.

 

Happy Easter! German beers for me today. First pour, Rothaus Pills Tannen Zapfle, an expensive offering ($14.99 + tax for six pack) purchased at The Beer Temple Friday. Best by date 7/17/20, couldn't find on the internet how to translate to bottled date. 12.2 oz bottle poured into a tall Pilsner glass.



Appearance: Faint clear straw color pour, one inch white bubbly creamy head leaves soapy lacing. Very heavy carbonation throughout. 3.5

Aroma: Nice bold and pleasant Pilsner malt, fresh cracker, pepper, lemongrass backs well. 4.5

Taste: Malt taste leads, light bread and lemongrass follows. Lightly dry and bitter. Fresh! 4.25

Mouthfeel: Strong fizzy carbonation lasts throughout, light crisp clean body, mouthfeel and finish. 3.75

Overall: Very good Pilsner. Pricey but still glad I grabbed a six pack. 4.0

Have a second new beer lined up for this afternoon, the Triple Hop'd Lager Collaboration between Bitburger and Sierra Nevada.

 

Greetings NBS and happy Easter! Went a bit deep for the occasion and this 2018 vintage brew is drinking superbly

A: Pitch black with a thin light brown head
S: Nutty, bourbon, vanilla, chocolate malts, hints of cream and baking spice
T: Matches the nose with am emphasis on the creamy/cocoa/baking elements. The habanero adds a bit of spice/heat here
M: Full-bodied, smooth & a bit creamy, the alcohol is well hidden
O: Delicious, with every component that went into it showing well with nice balance
Straight 4.5s and worthy of its cumulative score. Cheers!

 

Back again, this time with a brew courtesy of @The_Game in the recent Rookies BIF. Revolution Brewings X - Ten Year Beer. Damned excellent brew. If anyone is into shopping early for the holidays, or my birthday, or whenever, you now know what to get me: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22072/434045/

 

3 Favorite Sierra Nevada taste off in my "Easter Basket"

Overview:

1. 4.34 NH darkest, freshest, has the best bitter, wood shop, cedary tang
2. 4.28 Torpedo Closer to the wood shop tang of NH, best mass IPA at affordable price.
3. 3.9 40th lightest, soapy, blander, but still solid.

Northern Hemisphere Harvest Wet Hop IPA
4.34/5 rDev +4.1% | 6.7% abv
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
SN never disappoints. This is one of their best.
a) Copper dark body sporting dense head with huge lacing splash. Extra points for color hue.
s) Features a fresh sawn wood, cedar, pine, sharp, spicy, and citrus.
t) Follow, with more wood shop, toast, rose, orange rind, delicate wood sap sweetness. Layered complexity.
f) Resiny, grassy, Yes clean and sharply bright.
o) Sum is greater than the parts too .
Torpedo Extra IPA 3-25-13 review
4.28/5 rDev +2.6% | 7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
12oz Green and Gold labeled brown bottle with freshness date. A for available! Best mass produced American IPA?
A: Clear, copper-mahogany hue, excellent head, great lacing, looks like the west.
S: Why I miss the West. (now living on the Jersey Coastal cliffs) Sage, herbs, jam, bread, caramel, tobacco, pear, esters. A walk on coastal cliffs.
T: Smooth, excellent crispness, piney, with hop bitterness, citrus, grass, toasted bread, jammy fruit, herbal, drying finish. Lovely finish. A hike in California.
Feel: Medium bodied, good weight. Great tongue tingle and finish. Like a well balanced friend, between sweet and bitter, and a clean, sunny finish. Alcohol is very subtle. Be careful because you dont notice it!
Overall: Let it warm, let it come to 55 degrees. Try it with different foods and friends. Whenever I do a blind IPA taste off I include Torpedo in the mix an d it's always on the podium if not first. Affordable too.
40th Hoppy Anniversary Ale
Sierra Nevada 3.95/5 rDev 0% | 6% ABV
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Best mass craft, never disappoints and not 40th year or here.
a) Slightly murky nut / amber body sports standard head and lace.
s/t) Just more IPA than their APA: more pine balanced by minor mostly lime citrus and malt sweet. Between Pale and Torpedo.
f) Prickly, pine, lime, and drying, just a few notes more hoppy than their APA. A little thin.
o) All right with me for a mid-pack, solid classic style IPA.

 

Support your local brewery New APA Sunday!

Blackwater Draw's "Daisy Chain" Hazy Baby (32 oz. crowler filled yesterday):

Listed on BA.com as 4.6% ABV but I'm pretty sure the board at the brewery listed this batch at 4.1%.

The "Daisy Chain" project includes multiple Houston-area breweries using the same yeast strain. It started last year and includes at least Southern Star in Conroe. I'm not sure how many other breweries are in the "Chain", I think Back Pew, Buffalo Bayou and 11 Below.

BWD's Hazy Baby is a pretty standard American pale ale. The aroma is a bit sweeter than the flavor but both include mainly grapefruit and grapefruit peel. The mouthfeel is very nice, a mix of soft weight and light crispness. The earthy flavor falls just a bit short of bitter, but it's definitely hoppy.

The official review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/43320/476277/?ba=Premo88#review
3.98 (-1.2% rDev — just two reviews so far)

I'm off to a Easter Zoom meetup with Grandma and the family.

Cheers!