New Beer Weekend #4

I haven’t been on these threads since the days of NBS (which by my math has only been a month) but nonetheless it’s my first ever NBW post.

Great Lakes - Lake Erie Monster




3.73/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Not to bad a looker, nice beige foamy head, lacing is there but not too cocky. Solid amber/orange body. Nose is confusing for a moment until sour, sweet malty and maybe a hint or sugary orange. Taste is s little less all over but not acres better. Little berry tart up front but an avalanche of sweet syrupy follows with solid bitterness on the finish. Almost no evidence of alcohol, so that is impressive given the high AVB. Just ok I reckon.

 

Founders marvelroast
I think @ChicagoJ. And @highdesertdrinker already did a great job of reviewing this beer.
It is all coffee,vanilla, and milk chocolate, not a lot in the beer category. This applies to the taste and aroma which were very similar to me.
Its is very well done,flavorful and worth giving a try.

 

On a beer like this, I know I try to take the intent of the brewer into the equation - though I do have my on biases as to whether they should be even trying. Since styles aren't truly scientific, I sometimes ignore the style claimed. For instance, the beer you rated is maybe closer to a [Golden/Pale] Strong Ale than a [Imperial] Blonde Ale.

That said, I try to hold brewer's accountable via my review - which I hope clears up any of the decisions I made in rating like those mentioned in the previous paragraph. To me, that's where some degree of advocacy comes in above just keeping a record for myself. Sure, my assessment is still the thoughts/opinions of a fairly random guy on the internet, but I hope to make it to as objective as I can - with words, not just numbers.

And this is another debate - where should your personal opinion be reflected in the ratings? It obviously gets mixed up in all aspects, but it's not hard to provide an example where subjectivity can be off: someone who hates bananas rates a world class Hefe horribly because of the banana nose/taste simply because the "are not enjoying the experience."

I wouldn't expect that person to give taste a 5 due to personal experience, but I wouldn't want them to give it a 1 just because they didn't like it. I'd hope they could say (in a review), "This has a large banana presences, and while I do not appreciate that in beers, I understand it can come with the style - it's just overpowering for my tastes, 3+."

Based on the side of the argument I fall on, this person's overall category can then be a one, without any issue from me. If they just provided numbers (rating only), it would look odd to have a one mixed in with a bunch of 3+, but that's why some of us like to promote reviews

 

Drekker Braaaaaaaains Double Fruit Smoothie Sour - Raspberry/Pomegranate/Plum, 7.8% ABV. Pours murky red with a two-finger pink head, with the puree leaving residue instead of lacing. Nose is raspberry and plum. Taste follows plus lactose, moderately sweet, slightly tart, light bitterness. Excellent thick and smooth mouthfeel, overall outstanding.

4.25/5 rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

On the odd occasion where I make a conscious distinction, I do the opposite.

The L:A:T:F: are to style, and the O: is adjusted up if I really like the beer anyway. I point out when I do this in the review text.

I can't remember going the opposite direction (that is, adjusting the O down because I dislike the beer, even though it is to-style...).

 

Giving this a shot while watching Umbrella Academy on a rainy Sunday. I am mixed on this beer. The candi sugar and sea salt play a veritable tug of war with the taste and the result is a beer that honestly needs a bold food pairing to work.

 

I don’t like two foods, green peas and coconut. I’ve never tripped over a beer with green peas (thank the beer godz), but I LOVE coconut in stouts and porters.

I also don’t like coffee (I’ve had less than 10 cups in my 57+ years), but I REALLY love coffee in beer.

Finally, I can’t drink or even sniff from a bottle of bourbon or whiskey after an ..... explosively unfortunate incident when I was 15 (“projectile” anyone?), but I begin to actively salivate when I catch a whiff of a BBA stout or porter.

No wonder I’m always flummoxed. Beer, the great equalizer.

PS: this is from my review of Marvelroast. I still think this. It’s not very beer-like, but I enjoyed the shiznit out of drinking it.

This is like Starbucks decided to make a chocolate caramel frappe latte (please note: I am NOT a coffee drink.er - maybe 10 cups in my life) and cram some alcohol in for beer nerds.

 

I would just like to add St. Benedict"s
."

And a microphone.

 

Second up today is Lagunitas Super Cluster



3.83/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

First thing that stands out for this one was the massive whiff of spicy fruitiness as soon as I cracked it open. Once i spent time with my nose in it I discovered further niceness in the shape of a light amount of garlic and plenty of floral bitterness. Taste goes downhill a bit as all the elements in the smell are there but watered down quite a bit in this very wet beer.

 

Well this is going to be a brief and unfair tasting. What you see in my glass is all that is left after an accidental spilling of the first full pour (before even smelling it). The stain you see on the label is not art, that is the burst of beer that came out on uncapping. Only been saving this beer for 3-months waiting for the weather to not be above 90F. Oh well.

Poured at cellar temperature from a 1/2 liter bottle to a tulip. Bottle says "Brewed 11.20.19, bottled 04.2020".
Nice tan head that stays 1/4" to the end. Darkness is under that.
Aroma is literally like snifter of bourbon and water. That bourbon takes over all other aromas.
The front of the taste is the same as the smell, however that fades gently to bitter chocolate then to rich black coffee. The finish is pretty much alcohol (ABV is 11.8).
Mouthfeel is a little oily with some coating feel.
I don't think its fair to give rating numbers with such a small taste.

FYI - boy does this beer stain stuff when spilled. You could use it as a brown dye.
On the bright side of the spill- I have some blood-alcohol budget left this afternoon for other beers.

 

This is Haw River's St. Benedicts Breakfast. It is herbal like a German digestif. Rich and black this lovely brew just smells of anisette and healing, leaving a notion of something more than a beer. This beer was very easy to drink and did make me feel better.This is like a fine tonic and soothing.

 

Until a few weeks ago, I had been on an impressive (for me) streak of not buying new beer for several months. That was attributable partially to the amazing beer I've been sent through the last BIF, and partly through the recognition that I buy way more than I drink, and at some point, I need to balance that equation better. Anyway, what broke my resolve was when Fox Farm announced this beer last month. It is described as follows...

"A rich Imperial Stout aged for 18 months in bourbon barrels before coffee was added- a special microlot of Bourbon Amarelo dubbed "Summer Solstice" by its producer Daterra of Cerrado, Brazil. The coffee was roasted hours before introduction to the beer by our friends and family at Ashlawn Farm Coffee of Old Saybrook, Connecticut."

Review below, but let's just say this did not disappoint. I am loving this beer. Unless my target in the new BIF doesn't like coffee in their stouts, there is a high probability that one of these bad boys will be included in what I send. I'm glad I had the foresight to bring my wife so we could double up on these at 2 per person.


4.7/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Stored at normal fridge temp and poured after sitting out at room temperature for 30 minutes. Pours an attractive jet black with a little bit of fizz but no discernible head. You could take the brightest light you could find, place it behind this beer, and I don't think any light would get through. Aroma is wonderful, with roasted malts, notes of fig, coffee, and booze radiating out from the glass. On the tongue, this is rich, complex, and smooth. I find it to be very well balanced, with all kinds of notes coming through at various points of the taste journey. In addition to the coffee, I'm getting nice roasty flavor, an almost smokey / burnt note in the aftertaste, and some notes of dark fruit. Nice, smooth and creamy mouthfeel. Overall, this beer hides its 13.8% very well, and is absolutely fantastic.

 

I'll [re-]state what I think we've all more or less indicated - that 95% of the time, the overall is somewhere between the high and low of taste, smell, and feel (inclusive) - and probably 90% of the time it's between smell and taste - maybe even higher for beers that are pretty straightforward in style. It's the oddball beers (lots of adjuncts or flavorings or style-bending) that have the most chance for variance, and Marvelroast almost definitely fits the bill.

Completely unrelated: f---in' Caps

 

Thank you all for taking the time to respond to my question. The only beers I've ever seen green @ovaltine are cheap AALs on St. Patrick's Day. Old Nation does brew great NEIPAs, among the few I actually like and seek, primarily because they are balanced and well executed, except of course for that green batch.

This pour was just too sweet, and while it contained the texture of beer unlike that PBR Yoo-hoo "coffee" creation, that was the extent of the beer experience.

This was the only rating where I had a problem assigning a rank. I believe the brewer liked what they created, and no doubt many in the taproom and here on BA like/love this pour, otherwise production and distribution would not have been expanded.

That said, this was the only rating where I had a problem assigning a rank. I didn't enjoy it, far too sweet. That said, I try to be objective, especially if the taste is consistent with the style. Sometimes brewers go overboard with adjuncts, but I'm still able to find beer in there somewhere, just not as much as I like. In this instance, there was no beer there.

Anyway, just wanted to respond, I still have 2 1/2 pages to work through though not sure if I will before the lock. I've been busy this weekend. Thanks!

 

Now to New Beer Sunday!!!

Well, let's just say it is.

In Brookings, SD, at Eponymous Brewing with a friend of mine.

http://imgur.com/gallery/WA4eDnr
My Own Personal Hells- hells lager.

Easy drinking and crisp. Very tasty on their patio.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/52668/460707/
Review link

Maybe more in Sioux Falls.