New Beer Sunday (week 797)

Poured into a 13 oz thin tulip glass not sure when this was canned but I trust inside of 2 weeks. Last time they marked the cans, this time not, weird and annoying. Pours a hazy bright yellow, with 2 plus inch sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace and excellent retention. 4.75

Smell passionfruit, tangerine, pineapple, hints of ripe melon, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows passionfruit, honey dew, tangerine, pineapple, and apricot bigger than the nose was having me expect. 4.5

Mouthfeel is a solid medium, soft gentle carbonation, a tad sticky not dry, and at 5.8% drinks closer to 7% in body and flavor. 4.5

Overall this is a great almost sessionable NEIPA. This place should be on the radar, because they are brewing some great stuff. 4.5 Cheers all.

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! A mostly cloudy morning here in the Fourth Corner, temps in the mid-50s, as the sun just started breaking through about an hour ago. I just finished my overnight shift, and start a day shift in a couple hours, so time for just a couple here.

Up first is a brew courtesy of @jkblr , Taxman Brewings Bourbon Barrel Tax Holiday. A barrel-aged, belgian-ish winter Warmer sort of beer. Pretty nice: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32480/242127/

 

Good Morning Nbs’ers!

@superspak hang in there , hope you return to the ranks of the employed soon. I look forward to the days of the “old normal.” Too much computer face time for me at work . I am taking an online excel brush up course, all work no play. Did manage a 12 mile bike ride to Duxbury beach this morning which cleaners the mind & soul.



New beer! A Maine brewer who produces good beers really upped their game on this one.



green to green to green by mast landing

4.52/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Canned 5.7.20, opened 5.27.20

Can poured into a teku. Three finger pale yellow creamy foam cap, great retention, good lacings. Settles to a substantial ring over a hazy orange liquid.

Aroma is fruit, lychee , coconut, peach

Taste is fruit, lychee, coconut

Smooth, almost creamy mouthfeel, low sudsing, hop nibble lingers

Very good beer from Mast Landing, repeatable

From Mast Landing, “Green to Green to Green is our annual ascent into the upper limits of our IPA atmosphere. This year's triple dry hopped double IPA features a mouthwatering combination of Topaz, Simcoe, and the experimental HBC 692 hop varietal. At 8% ABV it's an indulgent, yet balanced representation of the experience we seek in hop-forward beer.”

 

Good morning NBS and thanks for the start @superspak

I see @beertunes and I have perfectly coordinated our nightshifts concluding at the same time so we can enjoy one anothers beers.

Boundary Bay Waypoint Pilsner:
12oz can graciously sent by @beertunes stamped 5/24/20 poured into a becher glass at fridge temp 4.9% ABV 38 IBU 3 SRM. The beer pours bright light gold in color with fizzy, nearly white head. The head recedes to a pencil thin ring and a few small islands. No lacing. The aroma is unique with an intense grainy quality, as in freshly harvested wheat or barley. The taste is also quite grain (not necessarily malt) forward, with subtle sweetness before a moderate, floral & wet hay flavored bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, good. The can mentions local malt and that has to account for part of the unique taste. Very enjoyable, crisp and unflawed.

No beer has ever brought me back to my childhood of driving grain trucks and cutting & baling hay like this beer did. Very agrarian. I've got three more nightshifts to go so this is it for me. Cheers all and enjoy the new beer in your glass today!

 

Good morning peeps. First time trying this one yesterday.



12oz can served in a chalice. No can dating.

Look- Black as dirty motor oil. Modest light mocha colored head that quickly recedes to a thin foam cap, moderate lacing. No carbonation streams visible. 4

Smell- Fresh ground coffee/espresso, chocolate, caramel/toffee type malts, roasted nuts, toasted dark bread and dark fruits (raisins and dates), a bit of vanilla. Light spice notes. 4.25

Taste- Rich caramel malt, coffee, bittersweet chocolate and dried dark fruits, roasted nuts, burnt sugar, light spicy hops. 4.25

Feel- Medium bodied with an incredibly soft texture. Light bitter finish, soft carbonation on the tongue. 4.25

O- Not the best but it's really good. Bale Breaker has another winner here. 4.25

 

Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em!

It has been an exciting last two days discussing Pilsners on the Online Tasting: Pilsner thread. Lots of other NBS folks participated.

To use a quote from Monty Python: “Now for something completely different”!

Smoked beer can be a very polarizing beer style. I have heard/read that these are the sorts of beers that you either love them or hate them. I am personally an ‘in betweener’ here in that I enjoy drinking some smoked beers and not others.

As a homebrewer I am aware of a few of the commercially available smoked malts and those malts can be smoked using a variety of wood with some examples being beechwood, cherry, apple, and mesquite. There are some intrepid homebrewers who will use their smokers and produce their own smoked malt with the wood of their choice.

One of my first smoked beer drinking experience was a long time ago while attending the Great American Beer Festival (GABF). A beer that had garnered a lot of medals over the years, and was not distributed to my area, was Alaskan Smoked Porter. This beer is brewed using malt that is smoked by the brewery and they choose to use alder wood. I still remember taking my first sip of that beer and immediately thinking “yuck”. I took a second sip and yup, same reaction. This beer had a heavy taste of smoked sausage for my palate and while I enjoy eating smoked sausage (especially kielbasa) I simply did not enjoy drinking that flavor. I ended up dumping the remainder of that sample pour.

I have had many Smoked Beer drinking experiences since that GABF event and I have learned that I enjoy beers that have a campfire type smoke quality while those that have smoked meat flavors are not a favorite.

Which brings us to today’s beer: Tombstone Ringo’s Rauch Rauchbier. For those of you unfamiliar with the term of “Rauchbier” it is German for Smoked Beer.

On the back of the can it states: “This malty amber lager features just the right amount of German beechwood-smoked malt. Delicately smokey, toasty, and rich with a clean, elegant finish, it is the perfect accompaniment to barbeque and grilled food.”

Well, that certainly reads like a delicious beer. But the question I have to ask myself: is it meaty or is it campfire? Do I feel lucky? Well, do I?

Served in my Spiegelau Lager glass:

Appearance:

Dark colored with a three finger khaki colored head.

Aroma:

There is smoke there but lot’s more. I am picking up a spicy aspect that reminds me of Coca-Cola and a bit of caramel as well.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with smoky but lots of other flavors: the spicy aspect that reminds me of Coca-Cola, some caramel and as the beer opens up even a hint of toffee. There is a low/moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with an off- dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is excellent. Yes the smoke aspect is prominent in this this beer but all of the other complex malt flavors are notable and they all play together very well.

The can proclaims “This malty amber lager features just the right amount of German beechwood-smoked malt”. As the character Mona Lisa Vito (Marisa Tomei) stated in the movie My Cousin Vinnie this statement is “dead on balls accurate”.

Cheers to the Tombstone team for crafting this wonderful beer!

@rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @RobH @honkey

 

The next county south of me is still very agricultural. Skagit Valley Malting https://www.skagitvalleymalting.com/ set up shop there a few years ago. They've developed some new techniques and equipment for malting grain. Right next door, WSU has an extension http://thebreadlab.wsu.edu/ where they play around growing, milling, using new grains, and they work together on things.

A lot of breweries up around here are using SVM more and more, and some of the smaller breweries are using their malts exclusively. Interesting stuff.

 

That's two NBS weeks in a row of lagers labeled "amber" that appear as black as night in your pics. How on earth did we get to the point of being OK with describing these and Yuengling the same way?

 

Thank you for getting the day started, @superspak.
Today is a house cleaning day. My wife and I have washed, wiped, and vacuumed, and now it is time for a beer. Perhaps not the wise choice, given that temperatures are heading for the 90s. However, the beer is a Prairie stout, and I can't let one of those pass me by.
The beer is Stuf't, an imperial stout "aged in bourbon barrels with vanilla, cocoa nibs, and Oreos."
The beer is black in color with no appreciable head.
Strong booze aroma, chocolate, vanilla.
Big bourbon taste, dark chocolate, and vanilla.
Another dessert beer, meant to be sipped.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned on 5/20/2020. Pours a very attractive hazy orange yellow with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves scattered lace all over the sides of the glass, with nice retention. 4.5

Smell coconut, pineapple, mango, peach, and apricot really solid. 4

Taste follows coconut, peach, pineapple, mango, and apricot I am assuming they used either Sabro or Cashmere to get that hint of coconut. Nice and refreshing. 4.25

Mouthfeel is about medium, soft gentle carbonation, sticky not dry, and at 7% drinks very easy. 4.25

Overall this is another very nice NEIPA from this brewery. A very under the radar brewery from Maine. 4.25

 

Thank you @superspak for kicking things off today, and best of luck on your job search, and also to anyone else here who may also be looking for work in these most difficult times.

A number of excellent reviews already, including @JackHorzempa ‘a smoked pour, a style of which I plan to pull out later today.

Revolution Brewery became my new “regular” local brewery after the taproom for the first time a few years ago during my long walks from downtown after work. They do such a great job across multiple styles that you can always find something fresh and new. I also love the fact they keep cask alive.

Piece pizza may be less well known nationally, but they brew great beers. As a picky Chicagoan, I reluctantly tried their New Haven style pizza and was an instant fan.

Why am I babbling about two excellent Chicago Breweries? The answer is this new beer is a New Beer for us all, a Collaboration Extra Pale Ale called Little Dreamer canned 5/26 and available for carry out at both breweries. This pour is brewed with Centennial, Cascade, Crystal, Chinook and experimental hop #0586, they work really well together.

I took two photos to capture the great artwork Revolution continues to roll out with the great artists they hire for their releases.





This looks and smells great so let’s roll.

Appearance: Clear yellow straw pour, extensive heavy carbonation, bubbly white head fades after a few minutes leaving nominal lacing. 4.0

Aroma: Light fruity, floral and grassy aroma. Citrus and grapefruit lead here, lemongrass lingers in the background. 3.75

Taste: Very refreshing bold taste. Sweet citrus and grapefruit leads, pine, floral lemongrass backs well. Tangy, very delicious. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Dry, sweetness balanced well by bitterness. Light fizzy carbOmarion present throughout, full bodied, crisp finish, light sweet tangy aftertaste. 4.25

Overall: Solid pour, very complex and balanced offering, well done Revolution & Piece Brewing! Headed out for more while they last. 4.25

Looking forward to sharing a second local new pour with you later today, this one from Dovetail.

 

I am uncertain about "we" here since what I wrote (with emphasis in bold this time):

"Appearance:

Dark colored with a three finger khaki colored head."

Perhaps you could direct your question as regards the quoted material to the brewery.

Cheers!

 

I didn't mean you Jack.

 

Flow Switch with Citra and Idaho 7. Pours a very hazy orange yellow with a solid finger sticky white head that leaves patches of lace all over the place, with nice retention. 4.5

Smell is peach, melon, papaya, blueberry, tangerine, apricot, and grapefruit rind. 4.5

Taste follows papaya, blueberry, tangerine, honeydew, mango, apricot, and a little grapefruit in the bold finish. 4.5

Mouthfeel is pretty big, a tad sticky but not dry, creamy soft on the palate, and at 8% ABV and canned 3 days ago really drinkable. 4.75

Overall another Kettlehead treat. Really just another excellent NEDIPA from them. 4.5

 

My apologies. It would appear that I am easily confused.

Cheers!

 

Is this your next on-line tasting theme?

Cheers!