New Beer Weekend #3

Bourbon Barrel Champion Ground by Jackie O’s



Was really happy to find Jackie O’s beers at the Fort point Market in downtown Boston. My first visit to this store uncovered a lot of hidden gems.

4.5/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into a snifter / snulip

One finger creamy brown foam cap , good retention, settles to a ring over dark brown liquid with numerous streams of micro carbonation . Even though the liquid is dark, it was interesting to note the active carbonation streams

Fragrant bourbon aroma on the first pour. Borkum riff whiskey tobacco, roasted malts , Fresh ground coffee,

Taste is bourbon whiskey, coffee, roast malts

Creamy , rich mouthfeel, low sudsing , almost syrupy, coffee taste lingers but not bitter

Good beer

And from this week’s morning bike rides...

 

Greetings all,
I rather like this two day luxury. Pick your day, pick your beer, take your time. We have had a bunch of storms lately, cumulonimbus piling up like quintessential summer sky-scape. 2 inches of rain in an hour today. And it's really humid. Next week's Wyndham tournament will be back without a crowd, on the gorgeous Sedgefield Donald Ross gem.I've been following this tournament through all of its transitions for 64 years. I love Sam Snead, a 7 time winner here.
I picked up this beer randomly, a Maine brewery, called Town Line Porter. I"m a porter sucker. This one pours anthracite black, brooding, pitching a quick white cap and settling pure black and beading nicely. It has a rich roasted malty nose. The entry taste is lean and sharp, but roasty and easy to drink. It is dry and not so lively as it sits. I would much rather have a Smuttynose Robust Porter, or an Entire Butt, but here I sit committed. It's OK and I'll not buy another.
I'm an Eric Burdon fan from long ago. He doesn't seem to ever age.

 

You are correct here: the reason that the Guinness is able to float on the Harp/Bass is because it has a less dense specific gravity. For the situation of my Czech Dark Lager and Bohemian Pilsner both of those beers have a similar specific gravity and even using a tool I will not achieve a good float. I was avoiding this topic since it is a bit technical in nature but since you brought it up...

Cheers!

 

My second new-to-me beer today, and another cross-post from the WCIPA tasting thread.

Steel Toe Brewing Size 7 IPA
ABV: 7.0%
IBU: 77



This is a well-regarded beer from among the MN BAs, but this is my first time trying it.

The aroma is definitely in the WCIPA territory, although somewhat subdued. Citrus is there, of course, along with a floral component and a bit earthy. Just small hints of tropical fruits. Subtle bready malts back up the hop aromas.

Orange-amber color, clear, with moderate rising bubbles to a creamy, slightly off-white head with decent retention. The beer leaves attractive lacing as the head recedes.

Taste is immediately bitter, but back by very flavorful hops. The earthiness is more prominent in the flavor than in the aroma. Good combination of flavors, including the citrus and floral notes and the bready malts. The bitterness remains into the aftertaste, providing a lingering bitterness inviting the next sip.

The mouth feel is on the thin side of moderate, with a drying bitterness.

Overall, a good WCIPA. The aroma could be stronger, but the flavors are good with the earthy citrus and floral backed by a decent malt body.


L: 3.75 | S: 3.75 | T: 4.0 | F: 3.75 | O: 3.75 | Rating: 3.85

A good beer.

 

Got the Texas hookup from @frijoless
A couple I tried today, Weathered Souls DDH who got the juice now. Definitely a juicy neipa. Checks all the boxes. Only flaw was some significant hop burn, in the spirit of Trillium and monkish. Maybe too fresh?

Secondly, Roadmap’s Craven Cottage. A pub ale was a nice change of pace. Some nice caramel bready malt presence, with mild bitterness.

 

Bought this for my wife, but frankly, its amazing.


4.37/5 rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from an undated can to a Pilsner glass.
L-Clear with continuous rising tiny bubbles with a superb head of frothy multi-size bubble, super white head.
A-Grassy - hay, bread, hints of must.
T- Bitter, dry start, slight hint of grassy sweetness on finish.
M-appropriate carbonation and mouth feel. Super-slight oiliness.
Overall a really good example of the style.

 

2014 vintage

Appearance: Very dark brown with medium-sized dark beige head, which dissipated fairly quickly. Noticeable legs on this one. A nice looking BT variant. the head stuck around which is notable for a beer 18.9%.

Smell: Rum and brown sugar aromas are the prominent aromas followed by some raisin aromas. I also pick up faint alcohol aromas which is very nice in light of the high ABV.

Taste: The rum and brown sugar notes from the nose carry over to the taste, along with the raisin notes. I also pick up some moderate vanilla and coffee/roast malts notes. This particular variant is sweet like other Black Tuesday (BT) variants I've had but it dries out quicker than the regular Bourbon bal-aged variant. The beer dries out nicely with a touch of rum sweetness in the finish. I sat on this for 6 years but how little alcohol presence this beer has for it's listed 18.9% is amazing.

Mouth-feel: On the heavy side of medium bodied with a modest level of carbonation appropriate for the style. Very restrained alcohol presence for the listed ABV.

Overall: A very nice BT variant, The complex tasty palate of regular BT with Rum bal-aging rather than Bourbon bal-aging. The subdued alcohol presence is deceptive to the point of being dangerous if someone doesn't respect the 18.9% ABV. One can only hope this is rebrewed.

Black Tuesday Rum bal-aged. Six years in the cellar and this one is drinking stellar. Cheers all!

 

It is great to see cross pollination between the WCIPA tasting event and this thread, IMHO. That’s the way we should roll here.

Just a single new beer from me tonight, but it’s a doozy, IMHO.





4.52/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This pours the most beautiful golden color imaginable, with a nice amount of hop haze, and a dense, substantial bone white head. Gorgeous beer, and in line with brothers Elder and Younger.

Dank citrus notes abound on the nose, with a strong tangerine aroma leading the way, accompanied by pineapple and grapefruit rind, and a crackery malt note as well. Wow, this is gonna be awesome.

The tangerine flavor takes the lead with an aggressive mien on the taste, but it’s a slightly sweet candied tangerine, which actually works well with the pithy grapefruit flavor and pineapple note - and the crackery malt that lurks in the background for balance.

The mouthfeel is full and exquisitely dry, the very definition of the mouthfeel expected from a WCIPA, and there’s substantial bitterness throughout the taste that lingers until finally giving way to a subtle booziness WAAAAAY at the back of the palate.

My only regret is that I only have a couple more pints of this outstanding example of a WCIPA, because this truly a joy to drink.

 

L - Black in color with a tan head and good lacing.

S - Vanilla, bourbon, and leather.

T - Taste follows the nose. Really getting a lot of bourbon and leather.

F - Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

O - I’ve had the variants, which I have been posting all of this week in the WBAYDN threads. But, this is the first time for the original. This is a decent Imperial Stout and even better at $10 for a 4 pack. Between this and the variants, I liked this one the best. Would purchase again.

 

Beer Separatist Project - Mango Smoosh
7.8 abv, canned 06/30/20

4.16/5 rDev +25.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Sometimes I’m leery when I buy a beer like this because there’s too much stuff going on, its too artificial, or it just doesn’t deliver so here go:
A golden-orange color. Some head but it dissipates fast and a small amount of lacing. It smells pretty good, like mango, and hops and a little malt peeking through. The taste is also pretty heavy mango like a bunch of puree was dumped in but it’s a natural flavor. Some hops and malt and it has nice balance. It reminds me a little of the Aprihop from Dogfishhead with the smoothness, balance, and fruit flavor, and that’s not a bad thing since I love and miss that beer.

 

I hope all you fine NBW folks are doing well and enjoying your weekend. I'm going to follow the lead of @FBarber, @ovaltine, @MNAle and @Snowcrash000 and cross-post one of my beers from the WCIPA Tasting going on this weekend. Ninja Vs. Unicorn by Pipeworks is a beer that I've heard about for a long time, but only recently has it shown up in my market. This can was dated 6/16/20, and it poured a vibrant cloudy gold yellow with a one finger white head that dissipated quickly. The aroma, while not overpowering, provided hits of pine and citrus. The taste also brought both qualities in big amounts while the malt gave it something a rich quality. Bitter and with an underlying sweetness, the balance here was truly on display. It was an easy drinking light bodied liquid with medium carbonation. Ninja Vs. Unicorn lived up to it's high rating and is a beer I'll surely seek out in the future.


4.36/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Look - Golden yellow with a slight cloudiness and a one finger white head.
Smell - Pine and orange citrus are the dominant notes that I detect.
Taste - A nice balance of sweet and bitter hops that also provide a blend of resiny pine and bright citrus. The malt gives it a nice richness without getting in the way of the shine of the hops.
Feel - Light bodied with medium carbonation.
Overall - Fantastic beer. Easy drinking for an 8% DIPA and one I'll definitely seek out in the future.

 

Founders Frangelic Mountain Brown

4.17/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 ounce bottle dated 12/9/2019 (no idea why it took so long to get here) poured into a DFH tulip. Thick light tan head over a mahogany body which dissipated to a surface skim and ring. Definitely smell the hazelnuts and light coffee. Hazelnuts are muted in the initial taste which has the characteristic brown ale slight bitterness but the hazelnuts linger on the palate along with the coffee and a chocolate taste. Mouthfeel is slightly rich for a brown ale but not at all off putting. This was a pleasant experience.

 

Today I tried a Broccoli World from Other Half Brewing. This is an 8.2 % ABV Imperial IPA. The can was dated 8/05/2020.

It poured a hazy yellow color with a frothy white head. As soon as I opened the can, you could smell the tropical fruit. The beer starts with a slight bitterness, then turns into honey dew melon. The mouthfeel was very creamy, with a medium body and carbonation.

This is the first time I’ve experienced the honey dew melon in an Other Half IPA, but I’ve heard numerous mentions of it on BA. I thought it was really good.

Now I just need to figure about how to post a picture.

Cheers

 

Good evening NBW
12.5 hours of overtime complete. Been looking forward to this one all day...

Boulevard Brewing Manhattan Social Club
The review:
12oz bottle "Enjoy By 08JUN2021" poured into a Boulevard tulip glass at fridge temp 12.5% ABV 9 IBU. The beer pours dense medium to dark brown with tan colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and leaves a little lacing. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring bourbon, oak, rye malt, dark fruit and treacle. The taste is semisweet rye malt up front with raisin, prune, plum coming through midway before the bitters show up to finish things off. The use of bitters in the recipe makes the 9 IBU deceptive as it drinks much more balanced than one would expect. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with medium carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very good. If you're looking for big bourbon presence, this is not your beer. Everything is subtle and balanced to be reminiscent of the cocktail, while remaining a rye beer at heart.

That's all folks. I enjoyed it. This beer only needs two more reviews to have an official BA score, so if you try it, don't keep your thoughts to yourself. Cheers all and enjoy the new beer in your glass this weekend!

 

Drinking a new Trillium NEDIPA right now, Comm Ave, named after a main historic road in Boston, Commonwealth Ave, which I used to actually work on for a little while.

Brewery Notes:

Brewed with American 2-Row barley, white wheat, flaked wheat, Citra and Columbus hops

Can dated 08/03/20

This is their second iteration of the new Ave series, which is basically a Double IPA version of the Street Series. The first release was Mass Ave, with Mosaic hops and it also had local rye in it. I was hoping that was an additional difference between the Ave DIPA and Street IPA series, but this Comm Ave does not have rye in it that they mention. Oh well, they don't even have a Citra hopped Street Beer. Fort Point pale ale, their original hoppy beer is hopped with Citra, but none of the Street series beers feature it. Citra is one of my favorite hops, especially in a NEIPA.

This beer pours a cloudy hazy opaque turbid pale golden yellow with a frothy dissipating white foam head. Smells like huge Citra hops and that dank Columbus in the background, gigantic mango, peach, apricot, pineapple, orange citrus, some grapefruit rind, lime peel, mild caramelized bready malt, hint of oniony scallion, and dank resinous floral earthy herbal grassy pine. Taste is pungent and tropical, citrusy, with some stone fruits, peach, apricot, nectarine, mango, some tropical pineapple, papaya, grapefruit zest, orange citrus, lime peel, a hint of bready caramelized malts, mild spicy hop burn, and dank resinous floral earthy herbal grassy pine. Feels medium bodied, creamy with smooth moderate carbonation. Overall this is a real nice NEDIPA, showcasing the Citra hop well with the dank earthy herbal resinous Columbus in the background. Huge fruity flavors as it sits on the tongue, I think this will mellow out and become nicer in a week or two. Cheers! and Happy NBW!

 

Fossil Cove Session IPA, 4.9% ABV; 3.53 overall

Pours a bright & effervescent gold with 2+ fingers of fluffy pearl colored head. Some head retention & lacing

S: Tropical fruit, breadyness

T: Bready dryness, green melon, & lime up front. Grassyness, green, melon & dryness as this warms. Finishes dry, grassy & with lime

MF: Fairly light body, subdued carbonation, nice balance

Starts fairly strong, but session IPAs are always a tough sell for me, I will say I like this more than most of their offerings, might be time to revisit some of these brews. This one is listed at 4.9% ABV not 4.5 FWIW

 

Tonight we've got a whole floor full of transplanting to be done, and we're going to accompany it with a bottle of Pfriem's Belgian-Style Dark Ale. My first Saturday NBS(ish) entry!

I'll admit right up that I misread the label initially. I was thinking Strong Dark... so like plums and rich deep dark flavours.
In fact the back label describes it as: "... fig dipped in dark chocolate, ripe fruit, and toffee..."
That's not what this beer is.



The pour was a lot lighter than I expected, to begin with (shout out to Charles Dickens). Ii'd describe it as a muddy chestnut. Split into two glasses, even the one that didn't get the sediment at the bottom isn't particularly clear. The fuzzy off white head is of the style that you often see buzz/swell initially and then fade almost immediately, but it sticks around for the long haul: even now at the dregs of my glass there's still a good quarter inch sitting atop the liquid. Moderate lacing.

Nose is immediately full blown belgian esters, full stop. It's a big swell of banana and a bit of hard rye-like spice and maybe some caramel and nutty malts behind it all, but it's big banana-y belgian esters and that's all I can see (with my nose).

Flavour isn't quite so one-dimensional, thank goodness, though it's still significantly more in that direction than I had erroneously anticipated (as stated above). The esters are still a big part of it, but the nutty aspect comes across as the primary canvas everything else is splashed across. There's some spice in there as well to be sure, and some stray ribbons of caramel shooting through the strata.

Body is light, but incredibly soft and fuzzy... almost like drinking foam. Finish has a little bit of bitter bite to it coming from the spicy angle, and when I went back and read that it was 10% I was astonished as I would have guessed more in the 6% range.

Overall, it's fine. Pfriem are talented brewers and this is still well made, but it's not really my preferred style, and it doesn't help that I had misread it and was looking for something else when it entered my glass. I'm happy to have tried it, but I don't see myself picking it up again.


Cheers y'all, hope you're having a good weekend as well!