New Beer Sunday (Week 804)

Happy New American IPA Sunday!

Pretty nice day here on the Western Slope, some sun/clouds, around 95 or so. Having a pretty tasty brew.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20680/492328/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Let’s do this, NBSers! A single tonight, and thanks to @cjgiant for the launch. The more things change, the more they stay the same.







4.1/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I’ve had this for a minute, and the “Enjoy By” date is still 3 months out, but I’m gonna tackle it tonight. The beer pours a very hazy straw color with a dense, foamy pearl white head that sticks to the glass with a vengeance as your drinking journey proceeds. Mango and pineapple notes on the nose - actually, that should be MANGO, because the mango presence is indeed strong.

And that’s not a bad thing, especially on the taste, because there’s a heaping helping of mango on the taste, but there’s also pineapple and a surprising malt flavor for balance.

The mouthfeel is a bit watery per the style, but if you want a juicy NE-style IPA as a fridge beer when you want a fruity hop blast during summer that’s also widely available, this fits the bill, IMHO.

 

Hello there, NBS!
It's a breath of fresh air to see a classic host back for the day, actually drinking the beer in real time this week, and making an effort to engage users in conversation, @cjgiant. I missed you! Hopefully you finally got some shuteye. Good prompt today, too.
I have really noticed a difference in my buying and consumption habits in the last few months. In the beginning I obviously stopped going to stores and tried to drink down my cellar (not huge, but bigger than it needed to be) which was fairly successful. Secondly, I was smart enough to order a bunch of ingredients for homebrewing at the start of all this and have been doing that even more than usual (I saw your comment in the Jamil thread, @cjgiant, you should definitely stick with it. IMO one gallon is key to quickly address the doubts you expressed). Thirdly, since I have a full bar that I barely touch, the wife and I have been making cocktails more than usual and have enjoyed that immensely. The downside to this is that it has made it to where old fashioneds in bars will be even more ruined for me than they already were when bars are back to normal again. I've got mine pretty damn dialed in. Mint juleps, too. The plus side is that all together I am actually drinking a little less than before, with more overall variety, more of my own beer and spending less overall. I guess a net win for me, but I really do miss going to the good beer stores and just shopping blindly. I got to do just that for the first time in ages yesterday and today's beer is one of the things I grabbed.

This is a rauchbier made by the fine fellows at Dunham and it is brewed with pu'er tea. According to wiki this is a fermented tea from China. I am 99% sure I've had another beer from these guys made with this type of tea that I really liked but I can't remember what it was off the top of my head. Regardless I've had other beers from them with other types of tea that were surprisingly good. Let's see how this one stacks up. Quite highly apparently...

It pours clear copper with a large beige head, pretty airy. Good retention and clumpy lacing. The aroma is grainy with light toast and a faint hint of smoke; earthy, bruised grassy green pungency, distant campfire. The flavor follows with a fairly forthright smooth malt character, black tea bitterness that is earthier than it is bitter and not astringent, complementary but definitely central to the overall profile and lingering in the finish. There is also obviously some smoke that is assertive but not in your face. It is drinkable, refreshing, dry and crisp. Just what it should be and balancing a tight rope between complexity and easy-drinking-ness. This is a very nice smoked lager. Probably the best local take I've ever had. Not as strong of a smoke presence as Bamberg beers, but as complex. As usual with Dunham's beers, they have done a great job of adding complexity and interest to the beer through an "extra" ingredient, something that I'm often not a fan of, is often done poorly and something which often causes me to pass over beers in the store. Not here though. I liked this immensely and am now wanting to seek out and try fermented black tea from China.

Hope you all have a nice rest of your Sunday evening.

Santé!

 

Ampelmann keeps you safe on busy Berlin streets and opens some mighty tasty beers. I visited the Ampelmann store in Berlin when it as ther and became a big fan.

 

I'm back, and I've finally hit a beer for today's NBS.

This is Mithril Clouds, from Varietal, a brewery in the central Washington town of Sunnyside:

That label appears to be a photo taken in central Washington. Having grown up about 60 miles from where this was brewed, I can vouch for the outstandingly beautiful sunsets of the region.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50306/495595/?ba=woemad#review
Nice hazy. Mandarin orange-like flavor and tons of drinkability.

 

Did you use a recipe? That sounds like a fun project. I love Manhattans even though anytime I order one I am told by someone it is an old woman's drink , but every time I think to make one I scratch it cause I don't have cherries and don't want to go to the trouble of seeking some out at a fancy store.

 

Poured out of a 16 oz. can. Nine weeks on this can.

Pours pitch black with a two finger mocha, pretty dense, head. Nice head retention, especially for the high abv. Coats the glass with every swirl. Looks big and viscous. 4.25

Aroma is saturated with peanut butter and chocolate. Distinct peanut butter powder, salty peanut, bittersweet chocolate chip, milk chocolate, slight vanilla, lactose sweetness, slight coffee, some caramel. 4.5

Taste follows the nose nicely. Straight peanut butter cup. Milk chocolate, 70% dark chocolate, cocoa powder, peanut butter powder, real peanut, lactose sweetness, very slight vanilla, coffee roast, some roasted malt, slight caramel, slight booze on the finish. The coffee and slight roasted malt notes from the base beer balance everything wonderfully. 4.5

Full body. Creamy, soft, sticky, oily, dense. Quite smooth for 12.5% 4.5

I’m a sucker for peanut butter/chocolate and this definitely satisfies that craving. As someone who uses peanut butter powder often, this certainly has that going on. But it blends nicely with the different chocolate notes and the sweetness provided by the lactose, vanilla, and base beer. There’s even a great balance with the coffee and roasted malt playing in there. Maplewood continues to kill it. 4.5
Overall: 4.49

 

I thought I might be done, but now I should be done after this Long Trail - Triple Bag triple amber ale.



This bottle is a few years old but still kickin' at 11% abv. They brew this in a small batch from a single infusion that uses only the first runnings of the mash, resulting in a brew made from only the purest part of the grains, providing a uniquely rich and dense flavor.

Pours dark maroon amber red-brown with a creamy khaki colored foam head. Smells a bit vinous like an oxidized sherry wine, some toasty malts, dark fruit, creamy caramel, toffee, molasses, vanilla, with some earthy piney hops. Tastes concentrated and rich, dark, roasty, a bit charred, nutty, toasty, caramely, fruity, with creamy caramel notes, toasted bready malts, toffee, dark chocolate, blackstrap molasses, dark dried fruit, vanilla, and some earthy piney hops. Feels medium bodied, thick, creamy with moderate smooth carbonation.

They consider their Double Bag year-round beer a double altbier at 7.2%, and this is sort of that amped up, so almost like an 11% abv altbier. It has that rich amber brown ale taste but feels a lot more cleaner and easy drinking. Overall this is a really nice and interesting brew. I'll be sipping on this for the rest of the night. Cheers!

 

Got some lasagna in the oven and am drinking a 2018 barrel-aged Frambozen from pFriem:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29573/236928/?ba=woemad#review
Probably the most vinegary and funky framboise/frambozen I've had, but not in a way that's a deal breaker. Wouldn't be a session beer for me but I'm really enjoying this bottle.

 

I have no idea what the hell this story line is about, with ninjas and unicorns and hazes, but one local shop has finally gotten distro from Pipeworks. Canned 05/27/20, so pretty fresh for a non-local yellow beer.

I’ve been buying a slew of different beers for the wife to alternate from her Cherry Chouffe, and this is a rogue can for me to try. The nose is subdued until you get the schnozz all the way in the glass. There, you get the kind of ubiquitous citrus notes, with nothing coming forward to my nose. First sips are bright bitterness, followed quickly with a balanced orange sweetness, ending on a cantaloupe vibe.

Mouthfeel is full and lively. “Seasoned” BA as myself appreciates the “8 is the new 5 trend” (coined by Greater Good?), which is enough to give you a happy warmth by can’s end.

I could see this as an afternoon in the sun beer, instead of my nightcap. I should probably stop posting about most IPAs...they all seem too similar / my palate can’t discern the subtleties unless it’s a heavy monster like a TIPA.

That said, this is tasty, as evidenced by the fact that it’s almost gone as I type this last line.

 

I need to get one for myself. All I've got from WP is a shaker style pint glass.

 

That’s a 2016? It looks like a new bottle...I thought that label just came out last year. I have a couple 2014’s with the old centered cowboy label.

Not trying to argue...just trying to confirm because I’ll start checking dates on those locally. I thought those were only a year in. Not many people buy them, but they are tasty! I can still find some 2014s, too.... @goingbrokeonbeer has the best screen name. It’s so true. $11 a bottle hurts the bank account!

 

Greeting, NBS nation. Sure was warm and toasty here today. Did all the chore stuff early, just watered the gardens antivirus actually pleasant outside. Unfortunately the mosquitos think so too..

I continue the archeological dig and I believe I have approached the boundary of the Trillium layer as I unearthed Pot and Kettle, an oatmeal porter. I have heard tales that some bottles of beer have been found withhold hieroglyphic markings that may provide clues to age, but none have been found in my Trillium finds.



The picture is decent, for a change. Dark brown, tall beige head that falls to a thin foamy layer. Looks great.

Smells milk chocolate, brown sugar and toffee, oats, nutty, brown bread, light vanilla and a touch of coffee, a little dark fruit but not much at first. Builds some fruitiness as it warms. Nicely balanced.

There is a lot of chocolate in the taste, but the party doesn't end there. There is a lot going on, more than I can describe. But the highlights are brown sugar, brown bread, fruity raisin, nutty notes, toasty oats, and a decent level of bitterness. This is a well-designed and nicely executed beer.

Smooth and slick mouth feel. Restrained carbonation, medium bodied. There is a bit of a chalky feel on the end. Creamy, but no lingering sweetness despite the big chocolate flavors.

I rather like this one. It is at least a 4.0 on points, maybe a bit higher. Looking for the beer here, it seems typical Trillium. An excellent base beer, then a whole bunch of variations on the theme. Still, this is a very pleasing beer.

 

Last new beer of the day?

Breaking from the local ingredient trend and checking out this DIPA courtesy of @TheGent

Carton Brewing 07747

16oz can stamped JOURNEY BEGAN 06/24/20 START @44° F poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass at just above fridge temp 5 SRM 7.8% ABV 80 IBU per can. The beer pours moderately hazy in a peach/amber color with sticky off white head. The head recedes slowly to a quarter inch cap and leaves a little lacing. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring ripe tropical fruit and earthy notes. The taste is very nice with a firm, not sweet or caramel, malt body interwoven with tropical fruit and dank, earthy hops. Moderate to heavy bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, very good to excellent. The malt, hop and bitterness are just perfectly balanced here. Thanks Anthony!

This one really hits all the marks for me. I'd love to try it side by side with Hop Juju (one of my desert island picks). No wonder Carton gets so much love from the Jersey crew. Pretty sure my palate is toast at this point. Cheap beer or good whiskey from here on out. Cheers all!

 

Southern Grist Brewer’s Treasure, thanks @Buck89, this is great!
4.38/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thank you Buck89 for this
500 ml bottle poured into a tulip

A- Black with a two finger mocha head.

S- Chocolate, caramel, a little nutty, some marshmallow and vanilla, some roasted malts, hint of salt.

T- Chocolate, caramel, some marshmallow, hints of vanilla, some roasted malts, touch of salt.

M- Smooth, full body.

O- A tasty pasty stout, really enjoy how the peanuts and salt help balance the sweetness.

Cheers NBS!

 

It was a long, hot and sunny day outside today, with a couple breaks inside to cool down. Closed the evening with grilling some burgers and bacon. The kids are down and I’m settling in with a hefty stout courtesy of @y2kawakami while I play Super Mario Brothers 3.

Pharaoh Ascendant: Oatmeal Cookie Edition

Here are the details from the bottle:



And here is my review:



Look: The beer pours dark brown from the bottle and looks full bodied. A finger of light brown head settles to a thick ring around the edge of the glass with a thin layer of foam across the top. Sits black in the glass. Opaque. Tiny specs of carbonation are visible. No lacing.

Smell: The beer smells exactly like a doughy, sweet, oven baked oatmeal cookie with cinnamon and brown sugar. There’s not much more to say about it. The nose is perfect.

Taste: The flavor is also very well done. Up front, oatmeal sweetened with brown sugar and vanilla, with a nice oven baked toasty-ness. The cinnamon and amburana come through mid palate with a lingering spicyness that dries out on the back.

Feel: The beer is sweet, but not cloying. There is a sticky sweetness on the lips and rim of my glass which I just love, evoking feelings of a sugary, gooey, freshly baked cookie. The body is full and round.

Overview: This beer is spot on for an Oatmeal Cookie inspired Imperial stout. If sweet’s not your thing you might not like this beer. But I think it’s a nice dessert beer that achieves its goal all while being drinkable.

Thanks, Sean!