New Beer Sunday (Week 792)

NBS #2: Solemn Brewery's BA Goldmund, courtesy of @FBarber. This Imperial Stout is subtle both in its flavors and in the barrel notes. There is chocolate, coffee, and dark fruit, along with some chili pepper and cinnamon but the flavors are mellow, as are the bourbon notes. Very nice. Here's my full review:

4.04/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Received from @FBarber. Canned on 11/8/2019. Poured into a stemless snifter. It pours a dark walnut with cola hues and a large, foamy, medium-mocha head that dissipated slowly leaving a thin film of lacing inside the glass. The nose features a lot of freshly-brewed coffee and cream, along with dark chocolate, caramel, and just a whiff of bourbon. The taste opens with coffee and roasted malt. There are also notes of cola and dark fruit but I'm not tasting the chocolate that I smelled. The bourbon is very subtle; you can tell it's there but it's not distracting. There's just a hint of pepper and cinnamon. The mouth feel is somewhat thin for the style but the 10% ABV is very well hidden. Overall, a nicely-crafted American Imperial Stout.

 

I used to be able to get those 15 packs of centennial and Azacca fresh in San Diego a few years ago and they were my go to. Haven't seen them in years where I shop. No sixers. either I used to drink way more centennial than 2 hearted even tho Bells is one of my favorite breweries. I liked Founders Pale Ale too and I don't like anything from Michigan besides Eminem, Bells, and Founders.

 

I've enjoyed your comparisons today, although I'm actually most impressed by the lengths of the posts

Cheers!

Haha - sometimes I attempt to real-time self-edit reviews to not overuse "lessening" terms (e.g. light, slight, hint of, etc). I am getting a flavor, but of course it's not exactly that flavor - the peach I get doesn't taste like biting into a [fresh] peach. However, it's more peach-like than any other fruit I can think of.

 

That’s an awesome track record without a drop!

Now on to the Cedar Dust you sent me.
3.98/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thank you beertunes for this
12 oz can, dated 4/13/20, poured into a goblet

A- A clear golden amber with a two finger white head.

S- Citrus, some caramel malts, grapefruit, piney, touch of stone fruits.

T- Citrus, toasted malts, touch of caramel malts, piney.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A nicely balanced IPA and very easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

Here's a toast to @cavedave 's continued success! I've been sitting on this one for too long it seems, so no time like the present...


Carakale Black Camel Spider, a 10.5% Imperial Porter with dates, coffee and cardamom, from Jordan.

Btw, this is going fantastically well with my two baking projects of the weekend, a hearty rustic bread made with some gram flour added, and these rich and spicy pumpkin walnut muffins. It was meant to be .

Thankfully this beer is quite the opposite of its namesake (a gigantic double-fanged spider that runs 30mph...); meaning, not quite so scary at all. The flavors all meld beautifully well, nothing really stands out although there is definitely a presence throughout. And at 10.5% it's certainly rich initially, but finishes nicely dry, with no hint of alcohol whatsoever. Such a velvety yet lean and muscular feel, too.

The bittersweet roast quality does dominate (hey, it's a porter afterall), but it's supported by touches of smoke, dark chocolate, cappucino, dates and figs, blackstrap molasses and just the right amount of spice deftly woven in there. This one is right in my wheelhouse, with potentially potent flavors handled with elegance and skill; and with enough complexity to keep it interesting sip after sip. I always fear that coffee additions will dominate and throw off the balance, but that's not the case here. I suppose a case can be made that the age (2-1/2 years at this point) plays a role in that as well. Either way, it's the right beer at the right time for me, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it. A well made A (4.4). Salut!

 

Goose Island Limoneta Saison, 6% ABV. Pours lemon yellow, slightly cloudy, with a 3+ finger bright white foamy head that left solid foam lacing. Nose is lemon/lime, grass, and funk. Taste follows, strong lemon/lime, slightly sweet, almost no bitterness, and slightly salty. Excellent dry mouthfeel. Overall outstanding. Would be great for a hot summer day.

4.15/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I got this as a free sample along with another new Goose Island beer. This would be a great beer for a hot summer day.

 

Back again NBS, with another new beer from @LloydDobler. My second non-IPA from Old Nation.

Old Nation - Electron Brown

Espresso Bean Double Brown Ale (8.1%)



Look: The beer is opaque, very dark brown. It appears black in the glass, but you can see the color and light come through when held up to the lamp. Beige head that settles with no lacing and thin layer of foam on top of the beer that eventually disappears. No visible carbonation.



Smell: The aroma is full of smooth, semi-sweet and creamy coffee. Milk chocolate, roasted malt grains, chocolate cereal. Nice nose. No indications of the ABV on the nose.

Taste: The flavor is a bit disjointed for me and I’m on the fence with this one. I think the reason is the coffee influence which is pretty bitter, dry, and stale tasting, taking away from what I’d hope for in an English Brown ale. Even one with coffee added. It toward a bold coffee flavor with some masked base English Brown ale flavors. Unsweetened, dark roast black coffee with some berry, cocoa and coffee bean flavors. Dark chocolate. It’s not bad by any stretch of the means, but it’s not coming together for me.

Feel: Nice level of carbonation. Dry.

Overall: This one leaves me wanting a bit more balance. Some influence from the coffee without the dry, bitter coffee flavor.

 

A colder, rainy day here in CT so I figured I'd bust out one of the too many Bourbon County stouts I have stored while I watch Say Anything with the family. We try to mix in movies from our youth periodically. Some they really like (Ferris Bueller, Breakfast Club, others). Others they find ridiculously boring (e.g. Witness). I suspect this one will fall somewhere in between. Maybe you have to be of a certain age to appreciate the scene where Lloyd Dobler holds up the old boom box while playing "In Your Eyes".

Bourbon County Midnight Orange Stout

4.28/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours dark, dark brown, basically black with a small light tan head that didn't last long and left a thin ring. Smell is boozy with some orange (real or perceived) lurking. The taste is better than I was expecting based on the nose. Smooth, and not as boozy as I thought it would be (perhaps mellowed a bit over the last 18 months). Bourbon barrels are present but not overwhelming. Nice full mouthfeel...warm and smooth with not a ton of carbonation. Overall this was an enjoyable beer.

 

I was mentioning the character on which @LloydDobler must have chosen his username at the same time you must have been posting this. Perhaps my movie choice was meant to be.

 

No teenage boys then? Because I've never found Kelly McGillis boring.....

 

I can't wait to try this and I totally agree with you about Stone. And breweries like Troegs, Lagunitas, SN make great Lagers/other styles than IPA when they do also and I wish they would do more.

 

Next up on NBS, a beer courtesy of @The_Game from the recent-ish Rookies BIF#4. Le Grande Monde 2019-3.1 from Une Annee brewing. Interesting mix of peach, vanilla, cinnamon, and (what I assume are) native wild yeasts: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32615/425158/

 

I'd give this 10,000 likes if I could! Great to see you back, Dave. I feel like the good ole NBS is back.

 

As soon as I clicked “post reply” I heard the slow crescendo:



We were on the same wave length the whole time.

 

Whale Watching is a DDH DIPA from Finback. Coincidentally our one week vacation each of the past few years is on a cliff side ocean beach with Finback whales feeding each morning.

This cloudy orange can pour hosts a 1.5 cm white foam cap and an aroma of orange blossoms and strawberries.
The flavor is full and tropical. Mango, pineapple and banana are prominent. The hop bitterness is low.
The mouthfeel is very smooth and rich.
This has high flavor and some fruity sweetness.

 

Today's opening by @cavedave was a welcome (and needed) bright spot in an otherwise chilly and gloomy weekend here in TN. Cheers to Dave for his fantastic work on his health; his progress report was inspiring! Seeing Dave's opening and his typically eloquent review reminded me of my early days on NBS, which was a real treat.

Today's beer is a local one from Southern Grist and is their latest Hill series release. Always creative, SGB has been pushing the "pastry sour" envelope lately, combining fruits and adjuncts that seen counter-intuitive (at least to me). This one is no exception, described as a "fruited pastry sour ale brewed with lactose, pretzels, marshmallows, and strawberry puree."


Look: a slightly hazy pink-orange color with a small, fizzy white head that quickly settled, leaving only scant tracks.
Aroma: the nose was fairly pungent for a kettle sour, with strawberry jam and vanilla. Almost like a strawberry shake. I detected a hint of bready pretzel on a second whiff.
Taste: there was a bright strawberry flavor that started out sweet, accompanied by vanilla and subtle marshmallow. This transitioned to a fairly tart finish, which washed away the sugar and led to a clean finish. I wasn't sure what to make of the use of pretzels, but it produced a subtle and pleasing bready note that added a nice complexity to the beer.
Feel: medium bodied with lively carbonation. Light on the palate.
Overall: another outstanding beer from the Hill series. I think that strawberries are tricky adjuncts, and they handled it masterfully in this one. Cheers!

 

Westbrook Maximum Florida Imperial Berliner

Happy Sunday, BAs. Welcome back and thanks for hosting this week, @cavedave. It’s great to hear your health is improving.

Today’s new beer came to my by way of @Mbgreg in NBS BIF 11. Maximum Florida pours a cloudy raspberry-ish color with a finger of fizzy, short-loved, pink-tinted head that leaves a bit of a crown but no lacing.

It smells like a tropical fruit spritzer. They’ve got ten separate flavoring additions in this thing (literally), and I’m not gonna try to pick them out one by one, but I definitely get passionfruit, pineapple and marshmallow pretty clearly.

The taste follows: a somewhat sour / somewhat tart / really sweet tropical fruit medley with pineapple, lime, passionfruit and clear marshmallow underneath. None of the traditional Berliner character under all that — but I wasn’t expecting any.

It’s medium bodied and somewhat creamy feeling with strong carbonation fizz.

There’s a really nice mix of flavors here, but it’s honestly just too sweet for me to enjoy fully. I’m happy to say the coconut is understated, but I’m not sure why they felt marshmallow was needed on top of the pineapple and other fruit?

I think I’m gonna mix some of this with some vodka or tequila or what-not.

 

Good quarantine evening NBS.
After a decent day yesterday we are back into the doldrums around here with a steady chilly rain all day long. However ( and not trying to sound too corny) the day was definitely brightened when @cavedave opened the thread just like old times. So good to hear from this beer loving, foraging, lover of nature- and to hear you are doing well. Figured I would throw my hat in the ring as I have the mis en place for my Jambalaya ready to go. One of the reasons I made that 10 pounds of Andouille last week was to make this dish. The rest goes to the freezer and the neighbors (and sandwiches, and eggs...)The hickory smoke should add a nice touch to this dish.
So with these smaller breweries having to cut down on production and/or distro we are reaping the benefits as craft beer lovers. Every week seems to bring a surprise brew thats never seen around here. Heck we had Heady Topper and Focal Banger in a store!
So with that being said I turn to this weeks brew which comes from Beer'd Brewing just a stones throw from here in Stonington CT. ( sorry couldn't resist). Had plenty of their brews before but some really nice ones are elusive. Truth be told I banged one of these down mid week but now its time to sit down and share because its really freaking good.
RIFF DIPA W/Simcoe, Ahtanum and Falconers Flight.
Pours a crystal clear golden yellow with a wonderful 3 finger sea foamy head that hangs for quite a bit then settles to a thin cap with tons of sticky lacing rings. First off gorgeous looking beer.
Aroma is loads of sweet tangerine, grapefruit, mango, pine and damp earthy and floral notes with notes of fresh cut grass, a whiff of diesel and onion but gentle and inviting.

Taste follows with sweet fruits up front, tropical notes mid palate and pine and grapefruit pith bitter finish. Light caramel malt balances out the hops.This beer knocks all the expected traits of a West Coast Style IPA out of the park- but in a bigger DIPA way. Classic.

Feel is so much lighter than you would expect from a big IPA with 8.8% ABV. Its crisp, then creamy with a dry but pleasantly bitter finish.
This beer goes down so easy with nary a hint of alcohol. How can a DIPA be thirst quenching? Yet it is.
Cant say much more and have to get back to cooking. I love this brew. Superb!