New Beer Weekend #3

I miss living in Jacksonville, and drinking at Aardwolf...great stuff there - Cheers!

 

My 2nd beer from Radiant Pig. Just looked them up, they are located in what must be some pretty expensive real estate, halfway between the Flatiron Building and the Empire State Building. I guess they must make some good beers to afford that.
Unfortunately, I am not feeling this one today. Nothing really wrong with it, just not a standout.

3.54/5 rDev -7.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 16oz can dated 7/17/2020 to a Nonic.
Medium white head that fades fast to a thin ring. Zero lacing.
Nose is lemon, a hint of malt with some sweetness.
Taste definitely is lemon, not tart, but a little bitter. Alcohol is noticeable on the tongue.
Mouthfeel is kind of thin. Carbonation strong in the first sips, not so much on the last.
Meh.

 

Just wondering, Doc, given this, why is it a 4-rated NEIPA? I admit, I'm not the biggest NEIPA fan (or even expert on the style), and hop burn is one of the big contributing factors to that for me. It just makes it unpleasant and at best a one-and-done beer.

 

Gänstaller Zoigl


Yields a clouded amber color with a bigger, froth head.


Smells of toasted grains, lighter caramel and matured, dried garden herbs among fresh baked rye bread.


Has a soft mouthfeel to it, coating the light body easily, while turning effervescent during the beer‘s finish. Refreshing and perfectly balanced, this goes down instantly.


Tastes of almost smoky, sweeter malts, gently balanced by prominent toasted grains, leading to a very intriguing, powerful first impression. The hops add in then, creating a perfectly coating, crisp dryness, which brings out the intense rusticness in this even more. Finishes with a perfect balance between lusciously sweet, caramel forward malts, wooden, smoky grains and an ongoing, dry hoppiness, which almost coats the tongue.


The beer drinks with an incredible intensity, while the mouthfeel is world class smooth and the beer itself remains refreshing throughout. This is a fantastic example of a Zoigl, true to its root but with an unforseen, smoky twist on the malts, while the hops are just uncompromisingly bitter. This is great.

 

Yeah, at that point you should also include barnyard musk and dirty sweat socks or I'm not gonna be interested.

 

Mine too!

I built a Spotify playlist of like a dozen versions of that song, and it's still one of my faves to play.

 

OK. WCIPA Online Tasting Day 3 (unofficially, of course).

Today is the Revolutionary War comparison, with the MN local Badger Hill Traitor IPA going against the Redcoats:

Firestone Walker Union Jack
ABV: 7.0%
IBU: 60



This beer has a little age on it, but just over 2 months, so it should still be good for reviewing (canned on June 3). I removed it from a ~40° F 'fridge and allowed to stand for a nearly 10 minutes before opening (longer than I intended; I was distracted after removing it from the refrigerator).

Strong aroma evident as soon as I cracked the can. Pine, grapefruit, pineapple. Just detectable is bread.

Clear golden yellow (more yellow and less amber than the pic might indicate), moderate carbonation, topped by a tall off-white bubbly / creamy head that recedes in 2 or 3 minutes to floating islands and a thick ring. Some spotty lacing. I knocked the "look" rating down .25 due to the quickly disappearing head. Otherwise, a good-looking beer.

Initial taste is pine and grapefruit, strongly accented by a bitterness in the middle that carries through to the finish. There is a semi-sweet malt body trying to stay relevant, eventually pushed back by the hops flavors and bitterness. The aftertaste is pine and bitter, but it does not grow quite as much as Stone IPA (for example) as you drink, but it does grow enough to maintain it's credentials as West Coast style. So, this beer presents itself as not palate-wrecking bitter, but inviting-the-next-sip bitter.

The body is moderate for the style, with a bitter edge.

Overall, a very good IPA in the West Coast style.

L: 3.75 | S: 4.25 | T: 4.25 | F: 4.0 | O: 4.25 | Rating: 4.20

 

One more new beer today, and this one is thanks to @GreenBayBA .



Go big or go home - wait, I am home - go big then.

3 Sheeps The Wolf Bourbon Barrel.

This is one really rich, and very thick beer. Very little alcohol burn at all. Damn good. Thank you so much for giving this to me, it's a treat. Probably the only major let down is the aroma is lacking.


4.21/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours pitch black. 3 finger tan head. The head retention is quite good for such a beer. There's beautiful lacing on the glass.
The nose is not too strong actually. I do get some barrel notes, I do get some caramel, and dark chocolate, but it's not too strong at all.
Taste - Unlike the nose, this beer is packed with flavor. Up front I get a raisin flavor. I get more of caramel on the backside, along with molasses.
This is one thick beer, but there's minimal alcohol burn from the high ABV. It's very smooth.
This beer is quite good, and I'm glad to have been able to try it.

 

Hope everyone is doing okay this weekend. We were without power since the storm came through on Tuesday, but got it back yesterday and things are settling in today.

I finally have time for a beer break, and figured that I may as well do the IPA that I was planning on doing for the tasting yesterday:

Sierra Nevada Hop Bullet, from early June, so about 2 months old.

Right off the bat you can tell that this isn't going to be a showy beer; and yet, the hops still manage to be a dominant presence. It's incredibly lean and tightly knit, and built with confidence. Breaking things down a bit, there's a good amount of clementine and evergreen in the mix, but that's bolstered by a touch of dank herbage and some really nice creamy paw paw fruitiness. The finish is long with grapefruit peel bitterness; while there's an ever so gentle touch of sweetness to round things out.

As I get to the end of the glass it all comes together and leaves me wanting another. In fact it feels like it's just getting started: it's not the kind of beer that blows you away at first and then quickly wears out its welcome.

The word 'tasty' comes to mind, and that's in the sense of how musicians use the term. It took me long enough, but I think I have another IPA to add to the regular rotation. A- (4.1).

 

Vacation is officially over, and while I'll miss the beach, it's always nice to be back in your own home (especially after 14 hours of driving over the last two days!). While I wait for another beer to cool down, I went digging around in the fridge to see what I had that might be new for me. Somehow, despite buying a six pack of this 8 months ago, I apparently never tried (or at least logged it) myself. I may have been too busy sending them out in BIFs. Regardless, this is Homespun by Suarez Family Brewing.

4.23/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Pours an extremely clear light yellow with plenty of foamy white head that hangs around for awhile, finally leaving behind a foamy ring of lacing. Aroma is bread and grass, and has held up quite well considering this was canned 8 months ago. Taste is light and crisp, with floral and grain coming through. This is another well done Suarez beer, and would be perfect "house" beer to keep around that would be enjoyable for almost any type of beer drinker.

 

First Sunday brew Bearded Iris All Business, thanks @Buck89!
4.08/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Thank you Buck89 for this
16 oz can, dated 7/1/20, poured into a pint glass

A- A fairly hazy golden straw with two finger white head.

S- Pineapple, grapefruit, citrus, earthy, some wet grass, touch of sweet malts.

T- Citrus, piney, some pineapple, earthy, some malt sweetness, touch of alcohol, hints of wet grass.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty Imperial NEIPA, more balanced like a traditional IIPA.

Cheers!

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Swiggers and commentators. It's another beautiful afternoon for outdoor beer drinking. It was even a relatively pleasant drive up from the Shore listening to Little Steven's Underground Garage.

I saw that one of the new beer styles that BA is considering is the Kettle Sour. I strongly support adding it to the list of recognized styles. These beers are all the rage now and when I add one to the database I'm never sure whether to classify it as a Fruit and Field Beer or a Wild Ale. My first new review today is Slack Tide Brewing's Haywire Twist, a sour ale conditioned on blackberries, blueberries, and raspberries. The BA who added this beer described it as an American IPA with which I disagree but it points to the need to clarify the style.

Slack Tide has done a very nice job with this offering. The color is a pretty cranberry-magenta with a creamy, light pink head and lacing. There is lots of fruit on the nose - particularly raspberry and blackberry. The blueberry emerges when it warms a bit. The fruit really bursts but it's not overly sweet, which is a plus. There is a wheat cracker base that balances the fruit, and it's crazy drinkable at 4.9% Overall, it's a great example of the style and is ideal for hot weather, outdoor drinking. I paired it with some sharp cheese and really enjoyed it.

4.28/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25.

I'll be back shortly with another South Jersey summertime beer. Enjoy the day. Cheers, NBW!

 

#2 in the (unofficial) WCIPA Online Tasting Day 3, Revolutionary War...

Badger Hill Brewing Traitor IPA
ABV: 7.0%
IBU: 70

Badger Hill started co-sharing brewing with another brewer in their brewhouse before they opened their own place, and for several years (it seems... didn't check exactly) they were the closest brewer to both my work (before I retired) and my home (before 2-3 breweries opened closer), breaking the "south of the river" barrier in the Twin Cities, so I've always had a soft spot in my heart for them. Nonetheless, I've tried to be objective in this review, helped by the three iconic California beers of the WC style I've reviewed this weekend (starting Friday).



For a long time, I avoided this beer. Once I got it when the server at a bar misunderstood my order, and I found it far too bitter. As I stated earlier, my tastes have broadened, so I was eager to see how I would view this beer now. So, on to the review.

Aroma level is decent. Pine, floral, and citrus, grapefruit. Hops dominate, little detected from malts.

Clear golden amber body with ample carbonation rising to a 1 inch slightly off-white head. The head leaves thick loops of lacing as it recedes. It is down to islands and a very tall, thick ring within a few minutes. Very good-looking lacing with each sip.

Taste is a bit muddled initially, citrus, some white bread backing.

In the middle, the bitterness asserts, but never becomes too strong (?! - see comment on tastes changing!).

The malts finally come through in the finish. There is grapefruit, a touch of pine, and mild (by WC standards) bitterness, while also being semi-sweet. An interesting finish, indeed.

The body is moderate for the style.

Overall, an easy-to-drink IPA, that is pushing toward West Coast style in the flavors and level of bitterness, but doesn't quite challenge the icons of the West Coast, including its tasting partner for today, Union Jack. I like the way the beer finishes, with the interplay of the hops and malts. It has no brewing flaws, is good-tasting, and enjoyable. As a local beer, I would not hesitate to buy it again.

L: 4.0 | S: 3.75 | T: 3.75 | F: 3.75 | O: 3.75 | Rating: 3.77

 

Glad to see the "Zoigl." I only had that beer once unfortunately, but it was the one that made me extremely interested in trying whatever I could from Andy Gänstaller. Getting his stuff over here is very rare in my experience. Some beers I liked more than others, but any that I didn't connect with as a drinker were still interesting. I'd love to try the Zoigl again. Your pics are the first time I've seen the beers in cans.

 

They just started canning their beers. Now that Andys daughter is committed to brewing full time they ramped up their business I guess. Before that, it was quite impossible for me to get their beers in Germany. Not sure they ship to the states right now.

 

Starting my day with this new Black Is Beautiful beer collab from Trillium and White Lion Brewing, another local MA brewer.

Beer notes:

Can dated 08/06/20

Pours a beautiful black with dark brown and ruby highlights, with a lasting dark tan brown creamy foam head with good lacing and retention. Smells really nice, toasty, bready, caramel, dark toffee, chocolate, fudge brownies, molasses, cooked brown sugar, rum, mild bourbon, oak barrel, char, fresh vanilla beans, some dried dark fruit, with earthy herbal hops. Tastes real interesting and unique with fresh vanilla bean glaze, some dried dark fruits, chocolate, roasted malts, hint of smoky char, dark toffee, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, maple, rum, mild bourbon, hint of leather, tannic oak barrel, toasted bready malts, dark berries, plum, with a touch of earthy herbal hop notes. Feels medium plus bodied, creamy and slick with smooth moderate carbonation. Overall this is a real nice and unique tasting blended imperial stout.

Brewed to support a good cause, this is a real nice collaboration between Trillium and White Lion. You get a little rum and bourbon barrel with a fairly complex imperial stout base, nice addition of Papua New Guinea vanilla beans that taste like a fresh vanilla glaze. I'm enjoying this right now after having a couple brews and lunch out back with my uncle. Humid and hot out there right now, glad to be back inside, it feels cooler. Cheers!

 

NBW #2. Pakeha Pilz, a New Zealand Pilsner brewed by Somers Point Brewing Company in Somers Point, NJ (just south of Atlantic City). The crowler was filled yesterday. A "New Zealand Pilsner" is brewed with Motueka hops. At first this seemed like an odd use of this hop but a little research taught me that Motueka is the product of cross-breeding New Zealand hops with Saaz, which is used in Bohemian Pilsners. I like the result: there is a soft tropical fruitiness along with the malt sweetness, which is balanced by a spicy hop bite at the finish. While I'm no expert on this sub-style of Pilsner, it's one of the more flavorful ones I've had recently. A very nice offering. Here's my full review:

4.04/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 1 day old crowler into a pint glass. It pours a hazy, bright gold with a creamy, milk-white cap and sudsy lacing. It's highly effervescent with myriad tiny bubbles ascending the glass. An inviting pour. The smell is subdued with the anticipated pilsner malt, lemon, and lite spicing. But the taste has a lot more to it: there is a creamy, malty sweetness but the use of Motueka hops adds some sweet tropical fruit notes. Since Motueka hops are the product of cross-breeding New Zealand hops with Saaz, the go-to hop for Czech-style pilsner, this makes a lot of sense. There is a spicy hop bitterness at the finish that gives it zip. The mouth feel is crisp and clean with lively carbonation, and the 6% ABV gives it good substance. Overall, Pakeha Pilz is highly flavorful and a pleasure to drink.

 

Do you have any idea if their market in Germany is mainly aimed at “craft” drinkers?

 

Hawk Moth Brewing & Beer Parlor's Hazy & Hoppy IPA ( New England Style ), 6.8% ABV, 4.03 overall, from the Crowler. Very easy to drink 25.4 ozs of this!

Pours a hazy gold with 2-ish fingers of eggshell colored head. Decent head retention & very good lacing

S: Oranges, & and faint bready notes

T: Orange, pineapple, breadyness & green melon up front. Tangerine & powdery dryness as this warms, some green melon as well, plus sweet orange. Finishes dry with tangerine & orange, plus a little green melon

MF: Medium body, soft carbonation, nice balance

Easy drinker that delivers flavorwise. Strangely, I like it better from the crowler than tap