New Beer Sunday (Week 804)

First time I had Westie XII was nearly 6 years ago in Aruba, at a great restaurant called Madame Janette (get the pork tenderloin schnitzel if you're in the neighborhood). Paid $35 for a bottle as my pre-dinner beer. Worth every cent, IMHO.

 

3 Orange/Tongue bombs for hottest day in July 2020
Waldos' Special Ale
Lagunitas | 11.7% | DIPA
4.33/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Probably hop, IBU- and ABV-inflated scores, but something about a beer near the top of its possible path... this is it.
a) Filters hazed bomb over rocky lasting head and amber, semi-haze body.
s) Resin, herb, flowershop, spice, syrup, hemp.
t) All the above plus fragrant perfumes of fruits like ripening rinds of grapefruit, mandarin orange, nectarine, cantaloupe, pineapple, mango, apricot
f) Full texture, honey, booze, but drying, barley wine? no! Brandy-like!
o) Almost a palate burner.

Cloud Sourced | Two Roads | 6.5% NE IPA
4.05/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
7th Review.
When the numbers all come up 4, I give a 4.25 overall.
a) hazed light orange body that throws a 1 figure head but lacks lace.
t) Follows aroma - As 1 reviewer wrote "Semi-sweet with touch of Cointreau".
M: Mid-bodied, moderate carbonation, tangy, summery, light.
O: Low on caramel malt, high on orangeade.

Crushin' It | Cape May | DIPA | 8%
3.6/5 rDev -8.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3rd Review. Love brewer, but this is overboard for a summer DIPA.
a) Orange hazed flattish no lace pour.
s) orange soda (Crush) comes to mind rather than say Screwdriver (a highschoolers' drink).
t) Mono-dimensional orange forward almost to point of being a screwdriver with some much sweetened orange and alcohol present.
f) Tooth coater is the last thing wanted on the summer beach.
o) Back to tub please...

 

Got a couple of Alstadt Brewery beers this afternoon. They are a German inspired brewery in Fredericksburg, TX. Given the location, German tourist town, it fits right in. I have seen pictures of the brewery/restaurant and it looks really impressive. I would defiantly want to make a visit there one of these days.

Anyway, first up is the simply named Kolsch at 4.8%ABV.



Pours a clear golden/yellow color. A two finger white head forms with good retention and plenty of lace left behind.
Sweet biscuit malts in the nose, light grains and corn. Earthy noble hop like character. Simple, and by the books but enjoyable.
Taste follows the nose with sweet biscuit malts. The sweetness takes over a little too much. I wouldn't call it cloying but its definitely the most up front character I'm getting. A bit of grains, light corn and just a touch of earthy, grassy hops without leaving a lot of bitterness.
M/O: A light body that is refreshing and effervescent. Crisp and clean, which I really enjoy, even if it is a little too sweet for my tastes. A nice and easy drinking Kolsch style from an American brewery. Will have no problems finishing the six pack.

Not my favorite example of the style, but still very enjoyable. There is just enough here to keep me interested in coming back. Overall, well made if not perfect.

Overall score is 3.68
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/49210/283114/?ba=champ103#review

 

Hello, NBS and thanks for the early start @cjgiant. Nice to see your “face” (avatar) at the top of the thread this morning.

My beer buying habits have a changed a little bit as a result of the quarantine. For starters, I have more or easier access to certain beers due to home delivery, increased distribution, and online purchasing for pick up during the week, which is now feasible since I am home.

Today’s new beer is courtesy of @jkblr and my chance to finally review the American Dark Wheat Ale. Thanks, Jason!






Look: The beer pours a pretty amber brown color with a finger of beige head. Translucent and murky. Some visible carbonation and no lacing as I drink the beer. A really attractive color.

Smell: This wheat beer jumps out of the glass sitting a couple feet from me as does the fruity yeast aroma. Sweet grains, bready, caramel, nutty, apple, earthy.

Taste: A pretty hoppy beer with some herbal,
earthy, tea-like and pithy bitter notes. The hops really stand out here, ahead of some caramel malt sweetness and dry grains on the finish.

Feel: Smooth and dry with a medium level of carbonation.

Overall: A very enjoyable beer that I could keep as an every day drinker. Thanks, Jason!

 

Two things:

1. Melatonin is effective for me when I have trouble falling to sleep. Usually a 5mg tablet does the trick.

2. Westie XII is usually available on the "gray" market for somewhere in the $30/bottle range if you're so inclined, and I'm fairly certain you can trade for it, too, again if you're so inclined.

 

New Beer #2
This one also comes courtesy of @TheGent

Industrial Arts Summer Landscape Classic American Lager
16oz can stamped PKG 06/19/20 poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 5% ABV. The beer pours very bright, very light yellow with nearly white head. The head recedes to a thin cap. The aroma is faint with a little grain and a hint of lemon. The taste is semisweet, lemony, pale malt with just a bit of grassy bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin bodied with just above average carbonation and a dry finish. Totally clean lager, no flaws in craftmanship. Overall, very good. Perfect summer lager. Thanks Anthony!

The can label mentions that all the ingredients for this beer were grown in New York. I think this trend is interesting and I have enjoyed every beer that I've tried with locally sourced malts.

Cheers all!

 

Good afternoon NBS and it was a quick smile this morning to see @cjgiant starting things off.
Todays offering is from Hill Farmstead. The Civil Disobedience 2020 is a masterful expression of blending, dry hop use and determination. Think Chablis meets New Zeland hops, with perfect pitch, texture is airy and crisp
Do good
Be well
Civil Disobedience 2020

Farmhouse Ale - Saison | 6% ABV

Hill Farmstead Brewery
Greensboro Bend, Vermont

4.19/5 rDev -5.2% | Average: 4.42
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 375ml bottle purchased at the brewery, into the test glass
A - A light straw background, cant hide the near perfect carbonation. Spheres congregate in a thin off white cap. Lacing is abstract and lovely.
S - Citrus and grape skins, some lemon, fresh cut grass, earthy elements balance the citrus and white wine aspects.
T - White pepper, Savingnon Blanc, touch of oak tannin, lemon and dragon fruit. In the mix is a nice semi sweet cracker. Classic Hill Farmstead mixed culture stamp on the flavor.
M - Medium in body, no edges anywhere. Polished profile on the palate, Semi tart with a delightful tension with the malt and barell conditioning.
O - A very good CD, with exactly the tension, in flavors you should expect. The blending and barell treatment are masterful

 

Antidoot Artemisia Absinthium


Pours a slighlty clouded golden color with a huge, froth head.


Smells of a complex, basement defined funkiness, including wet mushrooms, lighter cream cheese and a herbal flowery quality. Leathery wood blends into softer, matured herbs and dried apple, creating a truly inviting nose.


Drinks light and refreshing with a lighter, well nuanced carbonation.


Tastes of blood orange zest, matured wood bark and dried marigold among a pleasant, well nuanced tartness. This gets entangled into a prominent, almost heavy funkiness, consisting of mushrooms, wet leaves and orange pulp. Finishes with a mild, fruity sweetness among prominent basement, mold and lime zest among a pleasant acidity, wrapped up into noble herbs.


Astonishing beer, which drinks surprisingly easy while packing an immense depth of flavors. Bitter and sour define the taste in this, as well as a fantastic funkiness, resulting from the year long barrel slumber.

 

A couple of weeks ago a shipment of these appeared at my Wegman's, $5 for a 750ml bottle:


I wasn't familiar with Liefmans so I opened up BA and saw that it's rated ... what? wait... #5 for for Oud Bruin?
It's 2016 vintage, maybe the distributor is dumping past date stock? Nope, cork cap has a best by of Fall 2025.
A Top-5, 93 Score, 4.21 Avg Flanders Oud Bruin for $5/750? I bought five bottles.

Peeling off the paper wrapper shows this bottle:


Pouring into a glasss gives you this:


A Deep ruby/garnet cherry coke red. The thick dark tan head has a faint pink tint and quickly dissolves into a film.
Not much of a scent, just a light aroma of cherries and hay
Tart pie cherries, hay, grass, wheat, ripe yeast, maybe some dry apple cider and oak
Full bodied with mild carbonation, tart at the front crisp and smooth cherry pie at the back

This is good, damned good. The tart fruit flavors are perfectly balanced with the malt and hay and smooth funkiness.
The feel and finish is rich and smooth without the sharp acidity that oftens turns people away from this style.
I normally save this sort of beer for cool nights, but slightly chilled, it also makes for a nice summer beer.
The cap says to drink by 2025, I now have seven bottles in my basement and I'll have to make a conscious effort to keep one until then.

 

Second pour is an excellent WCIPA offering that I could have sworn I've rated before but after searching high and lo could not find so today is the day.

Spiteful Brewing IPA

Tale of the tape:
ABV 6.2% IBU 60
Malt: 2-Row & Victory
Hops: Citra & Amarillo
Canned 5/27/20 8:17:23
Refrigerated since birth



Let's get ready to rumble!!!!

Appearance: Clear golden tan pour, heavy carbonation, bright white head leaves fine bubble lacing in it's wake.4.0

Aroma: Bitter pine aroma, citrus and grapefruit backs well. 4.0

Taste: Excellent rich old school WCIPA taste. Bitter pine leads, balanced by sweet citrus , grapefruit and lemongrass. Well balanced, 2-Row Victory malt provides a solid pairing with Citra and Amarillo hops. Excellent. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Very dry and bitter, medium body, carbonation holds throughout the pour, dryness lingers post pour. This beer's taste and presence is full throughout 4.25

Overall: An excellent IPA, strong and pleasant throughout. 4.25

One of the many planned pours for the August WCIPA tasting session.

Cheers from Chicago!

 

Next up from Altstadt Brewery is Lager, 4.8% ABV. Side note, I love the simple names they give and really enjoy the packaging as well. Seriously tiered of all the stupid unoriginal puns to bad 80's and 90's pop culture Anyway...



Pours a clear and bright yellow color. A dense white head rises with excellent retention and plenty of lace left when the foam finally does recede.
Not a lot to the nose, but what is there is very enjoyable. Lightly toasted malts and grains. A touch of Noble hop character. Fresh cut grass. Very nice.
Flavor wise, I love the malt character here. Much more nuanced than the nose would suggest. Toasted malts, crackers, even a nutty flavor. There is a quick sweetness mid palate, but that drys out. Grassy Noble hops that leaves a nice soft bitterness lingering.
A light body with moderate to high carbonation. Crisp, super clean, and finishes dry. Downed in big gulps. This is a really good lager that I will be coming back to.

I'm impressed with this. Fairly similar flavor profile to the Kolsch, but without as much sweetness, a better finish, and a more nuanced malt profile. Which all melds together really well. Highly recommended, and another quality Texas lager.

Overall Score 4.19
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/49210/301704/?ba=champ103#review

I'll probably drink at least one more of these this afternoon, and have a Saison Brett that I might open to finish today off...

 

#5?!! What the hell are 1 to 4? I'm almost afraid to look...

 

I haven’t posted here in a while, but this is my 1500th rated beer, and it’s new to me, so why not?


Tree House Green

I was recently gifted with a box of a dozen Tree House beers from the generous @TheIPAHunter, and since I had Julius before, this was probably the one in the box I was most interested in.

Canned 6/17. A yellow/orange cloud with a fluffy head. Smell is grassy, citrusy orange, grapefruit, pineapple, and lemon, a bit of oniony spice. Taste pops with a tangy zesty hoppy citrus juice, a dank bitter earthiness on the undercurrent. Light to medium bodied, mild alcohol presence, dry finish.

Is it excellent? Yes. But strangely, I found myself slightly disappointed. The earthy, grassy dankness is a great twist for a New England IPA, but the fact that it seems kind of light to me keeps it from being truly world class like Julius, Haze, and Alter Ego (the three best I’ve had from them so far).

Either way, Tree House is the real deal when it comes to IPAs.

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. Nice to see the forum as it should be. Hot as hell here, on the island, but I will take it. Gonna head down to the water and throw my ass in a few times. Maybe fight a neighbor or two we'll see if I have time. Been pretty much working non-stop but its going well and I'm finally feeling that I'm back on my feet after the x. Really glad to see baseball back, even without fans, its still a great game. Looking forward to met/yanks game two tonight. Lucky, that I have never had a problem when it comes to sleep. Other than I don't often get enough of it.

My new beer today is Polemically Sent, bba and rye whiskey barrel aged imperial coffee stout- also brewed w/coffee, cacao, vanilla, and honey, from Singlcut. The brew checks in at 14% abv and no apparent bottle date but I bought it about a month ago so fairly fresh.

A pure black color on the pour with a white and fast head of bubbles. The nose is all chocolate malt but not overly floral. That seems to carry right over to the first initial sips. Lots of fudge and chocolate malt upfront. A good smooth flow with a ever so slightly bitter finish. Despite all the bottle claims I really finding the adjuncts to be non-existent. Subtle notes of the honey, vanilla, and brown sugar. On the plus, no notes of soy at all. Full bodied but not overly boozy despite its abv. The coffee, which I was looking forward to the most, is pretty lacking. I guess you might get it upfront but I'm not.

Overall, this is a decent bba stout but a lot of the adjuncts are just rather non-existent. Its still good drinking, just basically a fudge brownie dipped in bourbon. Decent but not in love. Right around a 4 at best,

 

Looks like a pretty busy NBS today, which makes me happy. I haven't been around as regularly as I want to be, but... ya know, life. Anyway, I hope everyone's day is going well. Yesterday, I discovered that Industrial Arts started distributing beer to Massachusetts, so I picked up three hoppy offerings from them. I've heard about these guys for a while and am very excited to finally give them a shot.

I will be drinking and writing about these three in order of ascending ABV. And I'm doing so out on my hot-ass porch because I'm a masochist, apparently.



Starting off with the 4.9% ABV Tools of the Trade, marketed by the brewery as an "extra pale ale with notes of bright & snappy citrus." Sounds like fun, for sure. This is batch #23, and my can was packaged on 6/5/20, making it about six weeks old.

The pour is a mostly-clear yellowish color with a thin but retentive head of eggshell-white foam that leaves behind a smattering of mild lacing. It's not a very exciting pour, but it's also not bad by any means... just sorta inoffensive.

The nose is crisp and grainy with a definite grassy/citrusy backing to it. Again, seems kinda inoffensive but there's only so much you can do with a sub-5% beer in this style. I guess this uses some classic West Coast hop varietals (Cascade, Simcoe, Chinook), but it apparently is bittered by the newer varietal Apollo. Honestly, I get the sprucey/piney/spicy Chinook more than most other elements here, though there is for sure a touch of grapefruit rind as well.

First sip is well-balanced with upfront flavors of pithy citrus, floral notes, and a bit of resin. Smooth mid-palate with a little kick of drying grain, following through to a finish that tastes extremely clean and lithe. "Snappy" is definitely a good way to describe it. Despite me seeming unenthusiastic about this one, I will say that it is certainly a fun, drinkable crusher that I could see myself enjoying more of during hot weather like today.

I know in the past, several of you here have expressed desire to hear the type of music I've been making with my modular synthesizer setup I built earlier this year. Well, you're all in luck because yesterday I premiered a live-streamed improvised set that I also saved a hard copy of on my computer. And, of course, I also uploaded it to Youtube for your viewing pleasure. Definitely more for fans of darker/harder techno, as that is more what I've been into producing these days.



Enjoy!

 

On to brew #2!



Poured from the can into a tulip style glass.

Absolutely rich and lathery forming pink head, with a quick dissolve after three plus easy fingers of simple pouring. Rich deep pale red to pink body color,with just a few reams of linear carbonation. Real nice looking.

The aroma on this is just huge. Bursting amounts of chewy raspberry goodness, mixing in with light acidic touches. Sourness is a little bit hidden by such an enormous one note raspberry rush, but boy is it a good one.

The palate gets us back to some clearer roads. Tart hits of sour lemon and cherry abound off the palate. The hinting raspberry sweetness on the nose is replaced with a much more familiar wild yeast punch, that suddenly comes unexpectedly. Tart like citrus bent, with only a faint hint of raspberry like character on the finish that comes off to remember.

This is a real neat sour ale, starts off like one thing, but becomes something else all entirely. Real nice.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25 | Final 4.29

Cheers!

 

Poured out of a 16 oz. can. Fruited “Smoothie” Sour with tangerine, passion fruit, mango, and soursop.

Pours like literal tangerine or mango juice. Turbid deep, rich orange color, dense, with fizzy carbonation that produced a tiny orange, soapy head. The head went away quickly and left no lacing at all. 4

Aroma smells like real fruit juice. It’s bright from both the fruit and the lactobacillus. Sweet mango, ripe passion fruit, ripe tangerine, fresh lemon. I’m not familiar with soursop, but I’m sure that is coming through as well. The sweetness of the mango and tangerine balance out the acidity of the other fruits and bacteria. 4.5

Taste does deliver on the fruit smoothie description. Ripe passion fruit, tangerine, and mango abound. The passion fruit and tangerine also add some tartness and the mango adds a nice balancing sweetness. Good amount of bright lemon tartness from the lactobacillus. Once again, I’m not familiar with soursop, but I’d assume that is adding to the flavor and tart level of the beer. 4.5

High medium body to somewhat mimic the body of a fruit smoothie. Light fizzy carbonation that you can definitely get in some sour beers, chalky, slightly sticky, slick. 4

Certainly drinks like an alcoholic fruit smoothie with no detection of alcohol on the senses. The fruit is authentic and fresh. No one fruit overpowers the others and the tartness is decently balanced by mango sweetness. May not necessarily consider this beer, but it’s a damn good beverage anyways. 4.5
Overall: 4.42

 

Might be the best 6.2% IPA I have ever had. Criminally underrated. Be Spiteful!