New Beer Sunday (week 803)

My second pour today is from one of my favorite Chicago breweries, Lake Effect, which is located on the NW side near the Kennedy Montrose exit. They have a very wide range of styles for a smaller production / self distribution brewery. Their quality ranges from good to world class, and they care about their community, including continuous local beer collaborations, and during the Rona many partnered beer offerings with other local small businesses (clothing, delis, bakeries, etc.). They also have nice tasting events to sample their pours quarterly, and can't wait until they resume when it is safe to do so.

I purchased this can in February, waiting for the warm summer to enjoy this great BA gin pairing, my favorite summer liquor.

Lake Effect Brewing Company - Botanic Overload



This is a very light ABV pour (6%) for a Barrel Aged offering. This beer was aged 2 years in unidentified gin barrels before canning. Looks and smells great, can't wait to get started so away we go....

Appearance: 12 oz can poured into a large tulip glass. Golden tan orange pour, heavy carbonation throughout, bright white head leaves fine generous lacing throughout the pour. 4.0

Aroma: This pour smells fantastic, botanic florals bold and wonderful, fruity grape, lemon. As this warms the gin emerges, juniper berries and pine. Outstanding. 4.75

Taste: Dry tart, slightly sweet lemon and grape lead, gin lingers behind. The yeast adds funk, grassy and floral, some lingering THP / Jelly Belly Popcorn as this warms. Unique, pleasant taste. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Heavy carbonation sustained throughout, light clean mouthfeel, lightly dry, easy clean finish. 4.0

Overall: Another one of a kind offering by Lake Effect, wish I grabbed more when this came out. I could drink this all Summer long on warm days. 4.25

Hope you all have local breweries willing to experiment. Grab something outside of your normal range / comfort zone. Variety is the spice of life and you may run into something very special.

Have a great beer day!!!

 

3 4.5 DIPAs for all time:
Enjoy By Unfiltered IPA 07.04.20 | Stone, San Diego | 9.4%
4.5/5 rDev +11.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
3rd Review. Unfiltered for 7/4/20 this DIPA scores in the top podium for me. Up there with the best, becoming more and more wine-like, unfiltered and untamed for 7.4.20. Always pick this up when you can!
A- Pours a fragmented, deeply hazed, orchard golden, with initial, cascading carbonation streaming up the glass. A white, billowy, two finger head caps and leaves butterflies of lace.
S - The nose is and floral hops with notes of juicy peach, orchard, grape, orange, tangerine, and lemon rind. Almost Belgian white pepper - yeast vibe too.
T - Resinous and bitter hops dominate, with rounds of flavors (per the aroma - peach and citrus colors) that resolve in a peppery and malty finale. Complex and wine-like. Drink slowly out of wide tulip and savor.
F - Finishes with alcoholic bite, with a dry, warmth from its 9.4% ABV. Glowing and brandy like.
One of my favorite beers.

Houblon Chouffe Dobbelen IPA Tripel | Belgium | 9%
4.5/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
WOW! Tasting notes compare side by side with Chimay Tripel.
I'd have to taste these again with friends to discern which one really comes out on top and why.
If hop head - goes to Houblon, if Tripel lover may go to Chimay, which seems to win on more fruit, complexity and body.
You could call this IPA champagne. Nothing I'd rather drink at a party. A very happy brew.
A: Beautiful, semi-clear golden ala Chimay White. Intense, tiny white, lively bubbles, white lace all the way down. 4.5
S: Fruit, hops, yeast. repeat. Beautifully blended. Not as sun-washed orchard of chinese pears as Chimay. 4.25
T: Again - clean entry and exit. Starts with massive hop tingle, citric, herbal, spicy, tobacco. Malt, fruit flesh, and pepper are next, and a long crisp, piney/citrus finish with pepper and balanced hop bitterness… long dry finish. 4.75
F: Mid body, refreshing carbonation, long finish, leaves you in a great place. 4.5

07750 - Nelson | Carton | Atlantic Highlands NJ | 7.8%
4.5/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
3rd Review. Proud to be among the first reviewers of Nelson 07750 (Monmouth Beach - my son's town). This one is at the top of the dubvariants. Carton tripling in size soon, well-deserved. Get to know this brewer. It's the water (and in my home town).
Watch the brewer at http://tedxnavesink.com/project/augie-carton/
Every time I return home to 077xx, I'm surprised by how lucious and juicy their 077 IPAs are. Of course, I can enjoy them on tap and when I buy cans at the brewer they're stamped "Journey began 7 days ago".
Mineral notes due to the hard artesian well water they use. A must try and a great place to visit
A) Light blonde body sports a pure white finger head, that laces dotty and rings the glass.
S) Super fresh, juicy, citrus hops, tropical fruits, along with round fruits of apple and grape, then fruity malts, oranges, and pine.
T) Taste follows the smell. Zests your palate with citrus hops, lemon, apple, white wine, fruit malts, and tropical fruits.
F) Long, lean, peppery, zingy finish. Chewy, creamy, medium bodied DIPA w moderate carbonation. Light bitterness, long finish, and pretty easy to drink. Cleansing, great with food, long, and fresh.
O) Try 24 if you can get it.
Back up at the brewer today, better than ever.

 

I picked a handful of new to me lagers, seemingly at random. I have not heard anything about this one, and there are no other reviews on Beer Advocate. So lets see how this goes...

Hopworks Urban Brewery. Golden Hammer Organic Lager, 4.8% ABV.


Pours a clear golden/yellow color. At first a one finger white head forms, but recedes quickly, a little too quickly (it was almost gone by the time I rushed to take the picture). Light lace is left behind.
First thing I get in the nose is a honey like sweetness. Light spicy/herbal and floral hop aromas. Not particularly vibrant, but simple and enjoyable.
The taste again has that honey like sweetness up front. Other than that, the malts are fairly neutral here. Would like more of a biscuit or cracker malt character to come through. Light acidic/spicy/herbal hops in the finish, though again not very vibrant. No real bitterness lingering, though I wouldn't expect a lot for the style. Though that just highlights how middle of the road this seems to me. As even if its not too style, it would still have some distinguishing characteristic.
A light body and moderate carbonation. Smooth at the same time. Not particularly dry,. Certainly not hard to drink, as it is no frills and not something you need to think a lot about. Which has its charm.

This is pretty average, which is far from bad or not enjoyable. Something for a hot summer day, and grilling outside. Which has its place. Though there are many lagers available to me, locally and regionally made at that, that are superb. I will be reach for those over this in future.

Overall score 3.46
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16353/481597/?ba=champ103#review

 

He looks just like you after a few beers, all smiles !!

 

that, my friend, is a very good surrogate for a White Russian. I enjoy them quite much but do not drink them for the same purpose as I do tasty beers.

 

Good afternoon, NBS. Today I am going to do a side-by-side of Helles beers, one from a local brewer that is not new to me. The other is from a brewery that appears to make a fair number of old style beers, including lagers that have made their way down to the Northern Virginia area.

I've had the Schilling Beer Company's Czech Pilsner and Euro dark lager so far and enjoyed them both fairly well. I have enjoyed Port City's lager series so far, with their latest releases being enjoyed more than in previous years - this is probably caused more by a shift in my perception than the brewer's technique.

I view Helles as lighter, sweeter, fruitier lagers that tend to show of the lager yeast as much as the malt, with hops just there to balance things out - which is close to but not quite what I read on this site's style page. Let's see how Schilling's Paulus ("Munich-style Helles") compares to Port City's Helles ("German-style blonde lager") and to expectations:


The Paulus obtained a larger, fluffier head with a slightly aggressive pour. Said white cap stuck around a little more and left some foam lacing. Port City's beer appears to have a little lighter color of gold leaning towards straw where Paulus seems more golden. The cold is producing haze in the photo that does not indicate clarity properly, though Port City's beer seems to not let light through completely unhindered as Paulus' crystal clear body does.

Helles beers often don't present much to me in the aroma. Port City Helles some light malt notes, a hint of fruit, and some dry grass - emphasis on the light. The Paulus has a bit more fruit (apple) and a mineral/grassy hop strength that exceeds anything I get from Port City. The nose is sort of reminding me of something I found in Schilling's Czech Pils (Alexandr 10°) - a metallic note that prevented that beer from being more enjoyable to me. Let's see if this is becoming a "brewer trait"or not...

Paulus definitely brings a more bready malt opening - the act of tipping a glass for a taste brought the bread to my olfactory senses just before the liquid hit my tongue. A little apple fruitiness flashes to the fore then fades to the back as an herbal grassy bitterness starts to take over. There's a little bit of a herbed focaccia impression that is interrupted by the lager fruity note. There is also a light mettalic note, but not as distinct as their previously mentioned offering.

The Port City is less bold across the board. A sweet malt with a hint of fruitiness is countered by a clean to lightly spicy bitterness. Subdued across the board, it is easy to take a good swig from this beer and be refreshed. There's a little more carbonation than Paulus, but overall my palate is more at ease after a sip of Port City's Helles and ready for another sip almost immediately.

So I am liking more the Port City Helles between the two today. I think something in between the two would be my sweet spot for the style. A quick mix at the end of the comparison didn't dissuade me from this conclusion. Cheers!

 

Triple Crossing hits a home run with this bastard, for real




4.33/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Confused it with my OJ this morning, just kept drinking this one instead. Smells terrific with just a hint of mild sweetness lingering on top of tangerine and green onion. Taste is much the same but the depth of the flavor is incredible. Tangerine goes until it meets up with just a hint of bread or something before it morphs over to oniony with a massive resiny bite. Serious bite and dry bitter finish. Very nice beer

 

Wait, The Bruery is doing clean lagers now? When did this happen...? I have always found The Bruery to be completely hit and miss. I really don't enjoy their over the top stouts, and have had plenty of infected beers back in the old days. The stuff like their Saison De Lente and Wild Ales I thought were great however. I haven't really kept up with any of their news lately. I know they have split their wild ales to another branding, but that is about were my interests stopped.

A Helles Lager piqued my interest though.

Ruekeller Helles, 5.2% ABV.


Pours a clear golden/yellow color. A dense white head rises to over two fingers, with good retention. Plenty of lace left behind as well.
Bread and sweet malts in the nose. Cereal grains and corn. A distinct leafy tea like hop aroma, which I find interesting.
The taste has that same bread and dough like malts, that become really sweet. Cereal grains and corn. That leafy/earthy tea hop flavor is there as well. Its actually like chamomile tea. Its odd and interesting and I can't really put my finger on it.
A light body, lighter that even the 5.2% ABV would suggest. Moderate carbonation, but has this chalky/filmy mouthfeel that I'm not liking a lot. While not my ideal lager, this oddly interesting to drink.

I find this an oddball lager. That tea hop character is playing tricks with me, and I'm not sure if I like that or don't? Anyway its interesting, and enjoyable even if its not what I would look for in a lager.

Overall score 3.59
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/406410/?ba=champ103#review

 

Good afternoon NBS and thanks @WunderLlama for the kick off today. Congratulations to your family, what a cutie that guy is!
Todays tasks are completed so now, a bit of Self Reliance Hallertau Mittelfruh from Hill Farmstead.
This offering is so very delicate in almost every aspect. The hops are aromatic, not bittering so very classic. The texture of the offering is soft, a bit of chalky minerality, and yet a bit tart. The IPA style stretched or maybe re examined is a better descriptor, to another space.
This is a real delight, full of nuance.
Do good
Be well

Self Reliance: Hallertau Mittelfrüh

Hill Farmstead Brewery
IPA - American | 6% ABV

4.16/5 rDev -4.8% | Average: 4.37
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 ml bottle, dated 2018 bottled on. Released at the brewery a few months ago.
A - A bright yellow backdrop, almost lemon colored. A touch of hazy, active carbonation feeds a thin white cap.
S - Textbook HFB farmhouse ale aroma, A bit dusty, with cut grass, some spicy and earthy threads in there from the hops.
T - Lemondrop, white pepper, a bit of tannin, Mixed house culture feeds the farmhouse ale formula in perfect balance. A very nice mineral thread, in there also.
M - Semi sweet start then a quick pivot toward tart, all set on a palate of soft water, and again a very mineral element. Finish is chalky dry and very pleasant.
O - A fine showcase for this delicate aromatic hop. I really value the farmhouse platform in this series. Its present but not dominant. The hop choice is classic noble and diplayed so well in this offering

 

I’ve had plenty of Roasted Porters over the years, but apparently never rated/reviewed one on this site...so here is style tic #100 - “Icelandic Toasted Porter” by Einstok Olgero, Iceland:



Pours black with ruby hue at 57 degrees; rocky, two fingers thick, tan head; very good cap retention; thick ring; layers of soapy lacing. Nose is roast malt, some smokiness, coffee. Taste follows tongue, roast malt, toasted black bread, char; bitter sweet dark chocolate, toffee middle; bitter roasted coffee beans on backend. Medium minus body, smooth feel, moderate carbonation; no warmth from 6% abv. Overall, very easy drinking and a tasty Baltic style porter; bitter roast linger; some char, but not smokey; I’d happily drink again.

4.75 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0

 

Happy NBS everyone! I think this will be my only new beer for the day, lucky one of my friends made a trip out East recently and was nice enough to pick up a couple bottles of it for me on his travels:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/64/455635/?ba=bluejacket74#review





I liked it a lot, but then I like World Wide Stout and the other variants I've tried so I figured this one would be pretty good too. Cheers!

 

Happy Might-as-well-be-new-to-me Beer Sunday!

Today's 'new beer' submission is Transferable Skillsets, a rather excellent pilsner from Brick & Feather Brewery in Turners Falls, Massachusetts. When I went to enter my rating and review I was mildly bemused to find that, not only had I entered the beer into the database, I had even uploaded a picture of the can. This would seem to argue in favor of my having, in fact, had this beer before however, since I have no recollection of the event whatsoever, I'm going to go ahead and insist that it's new...


...because there has to be some benefit to being old and forgetful. (Other than getting to take your medications more than once). My review follows...

From a 32oz growler, filled at the brewery earlier today. Served in a Brick & Feather-branded Pilsner glass because proper glassware.

Pours a mildly hazed unfiltered pale straw-yellow with two-plus fingers of whipped froth. Retention is very good, leaving a thick, foamy, solid curtain of lacing.

Sweet nutty aroma, grassy, dried leaves, some vanishingly faint peppery spice, but sweet.

Taste is sweet and nutty as well, with a creamy character, almost verging on ice cream-like. Sweet grassy hay, chamomile flowers and a hint of fuzzy peach skin.

Feel is thick and creamy, doughy smooth, medium-hefty bodied with ample, gentle carbonation.

Overall, a delicious break from my usual strict diet of NEIPA’s. Sweet, yes, but by no means sickly, cloying or sticky. This might have been a little heftier bodied relative to the style than expected but no complaints from me.

 

Awesome glass!

 

Beautiful picture
Cheers

 

Any appetite for the "S" in New Beer Sunday standing for Saturday or both Saturday and Sunday? I am finding it to be harder for Sunday to be my new beer day and I imagine with some work schedules Sat. would be a better day for many. Also, this thread doesn't seem to get too big anymore and switching it to Saturday or covering both days may generate some more interest.

Anyway, I did sip on this one right past midnight so I am counting it:

Founders Marvelroast - I was excited for this one when it was announced and I saw that it was in my area so I picked up a four pack, an added bonus was that it was reasonably priced too ($11.99). Fantastic beer! Hits every single note mentioned and it really does taste like a glass of iced coffee so if you enjoy coffee beers this one is for you.

https://foundersbrewing.com/our-beer/marvelroast/

 

Greetings, NBS brothers and sisters. I've been late to the party the last few weeks as a result of enjoying my Saturdays a bit too much, but I'm happy to report for duty at a more reasonable hour this week. Even though it's past 2 in the afternoon, Sunday's just always keep me craving breakfast throughout the day. A few weeks back I got an unexpected package from @ATLien that included a number of first time breweries and beers for me. I've been planning this week's NBS contribution since seeing the contents of that box. This week I'm starting out with Three Tavern's Morning Smack, a maple, bacon, banana, coffee milk stout(this should satisfy that breakfast craving). Later(when that craving returns), I'll be enjoying Double Smack - the grown up barrel-aged version of Morning Smack.


I have to admit that I can be a sucker for a heavily flavored stout, but have also had a number that have gone dreadfully wrong. I could have seen this one going either way because of the amount of different elements they were trying to incorporate. I'm happy to say that everything played well together with my palate being able to discern the different tasting notes without one of them dominating the others. This was the perfect appetizer for this evening's main course(of breakfast with whiskey). Until then, enjoy your days and your new beers.


4.33/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Look - Morning Smack pours a jet black color topped with a fleeting one finger thin head. I noticed no light able to penetrate it's opacity even around the edges of the snifter.
Smell - All of the flavors of a well rounded breakfast are present here. In order of most to least prominent: maple, coffee, banana, vanilla, smoke.
Taste - This is a very well balanced stout for how heavily flavored it is. I was expecting a lot sweeter beer than what I got. The sweet maple does indeed hit my palate first, but is kept in check by the bitter coffee and smokey notes. The banana only plays in the background.
Feel - The body was a bit lighter than I expected from watching the way it poured. I'd call it a medium body with medium/light carbonation.
Overall - This is my kind of breakfast in a can. I was nervous to see so many elements noted on the can, but I feel that Three Tavern's really hit the mark with this beer.

edit: forgot to include the proper review.

 

Decided to do a double today. I like side by side comparisons, because I notice things that I wouldn't otherwise, so why not do it while branching into lagers?

Focusing on Buoy's Czech-Style Pilsner, a 12oz can I bought at the brewery a couple weeks ago, batch 1533, canned 05/21/20. 6.2% abv.

Pours a clear light golden with a medium to small head, not a lot of visible carbonation. Smell is biscuity malt, yeasty lager smell (sorry, don't know the word for the smell, it's just what I smell in most light lagers), lots of grass aroma. Maybe a slight hint of caramel or toffee.

Taste is rich -- like a barley syrup, nice hop bitterness. Some of the malt comes across again as a toffee, but really I get mostly grain. Bitterness has a nice bite on the finish, still fairly grassy, but something that makes me think of the bitter skin of fruit.

Mouthfeel is medium, almost thick, leaning toward but not exactly sticky. Overall, it's definitely a tasty beverage. Don't know enough about the style to say whether it's a great example, but I like it.


Focusing on pFriem's Pilsner, a 500ml bottle my wife bought at the Metropolitan Market last week. Dated 06/17/20. 4.9% abv.

Pours a light clear yellow, definitely lighter than the Buoy. Tiny bit of visible carbonation. Small head that collapses quickly to a ring, not substantially different than the Buoy in that aspect. Smell is very light, almost absent, I get a little dustiness, a little lager yeast, and not much else. Doesn't smell bad, but doesn't smell like much.

Taste also has that grain-syrup characteristic, but not as strongly. Also has the grassiness and moderate bitter bite. Has a longer lasting bitter after taste that leaves me thinking of grapefruit skin. Bitterness builds as I taste it, so now it seems more bitter than the buoy. Some kind of lemon zest flavor getting into it as well.

Mouthfeel is a little thinner, a little lighter than the Buoy. Overall, feels somewhat crisper and consequently lighter.

Going back and forth between the two of them...yeah, that sweet grain flavor is stronger in the Buoy and the hoppy bitterness is louder in the pFriem. Grass is clear in both, but again more in the pFriem. A little surprised to have an overall wash of hoppy bitterness and barley sweetness inside my mouth right now.

The Buoy seems more like a beer to sit and pay attention to, and the pFriem seems more like a lawnmower beer. I'm enjoying them both.