New Beer Weekend #5

O Cedar makes your life easier!

Do you remember that jingle?

The cedar we will be discussing today is Spanish Cedar as in Cigar City Spanish Cedar Jai Alai.

I have no personal experience with Spanish Cedar which is the primary wood utilized in the manufacture of Cigar boxes and humidors. I am not a cigar smoker.

I do remember the cedar chest we had when I was growing up. It was located in an upstairs hallway and we would place seasonal clothing in there (e.g., sweaters for winter wearing, etc.) and I always loved the smell that came from that chest when it was opened. I did a quick web search and apparently the wood to make those chests is Eastern Red Cedar.

So, how did Cigar City incorporate Spanish Cedar in the brewing of this beer? Well, from a second web search:

“The bold citrus qualities of Jai Alai IPA are complimented by sandalwood and cracked pepper notes imparted by Spanish cedar, the same wood used to build the world’s finest cigar humidors.

Ibu 65

abv7.5%

srm16

This unique IPA shares all the tropical and citrus flavors of our Jai Alai IPA but with an added dimension imparted by Spanish cedar, the same wood used to make cigar humidors. Wood from the cedrela odorata tree is added post-fermentation to impart notes of sandalwood and cracked black pepper, adding depth of flavor and accentuating the IPA's moderate bitterness.

Tasting notes: Cracked black pepper and sandalwood aromas present themselves assertively but compliment the base beer's tangerine, clementine and citrus peel notes. Balanced and juicy on the palate, caramel-like malt flavor helps temper bitterness and spice from the wood, while the distinct flavor of cedar lingers long on.”

So, they must add some wood (spirals?) during the dry hopping stage?

Well, let’s see if this beer reminds me of the old cedar chest we had when I was a child.

Served in my Speigelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

A deep golden color with a BIG white head.

Aroma:

An intriguing combination of aromas: tropical fruits, come citrus and yes woody (I suppose of sandalwood as mentioned above).

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with the intriguing combination of tropical fruits, citrus and sandalwood but accompanied with some light caramel maltiness. There is a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

This beer is medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall:

I really enjoyed drinking this beer! This beer is very good with quite an intriguing combination of aromas/flavors.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass not sure when was canned unfortunately, thinking late July. Pours a very hazy orange with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves a bunch of thick streaks of lace as it slowly settles. 4.5

Smell is fresh melon, tangerine, passionfruit, mango, and apricot. 4

Taste follows cantaloupe, passionfruit, mango, tangerine, and apricot. 4

Mouthfeel is bigger than medium, not sticky or dry, rather soft carbonation, and at 6% it drinks bigger but easy going down. 4.25

Overall this is really solid NEIPA from Branch And Blade out of Keene, NH. I do enjoy this series of experimental beers. Cheers all, go to sell beer in about in hour, might have time for one more. 4 Thanks for kicking this thing off @jkblr .

 

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass canned on 8/10/2020. Pours a very hazy bright orange with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves thick gobs of lace with amazing retention. 4.75

Smell is pineapple, marijuana, tangerine, guava, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows pineapple, tangerine, guava, marijuana, and apricot really balanced and bold. 4.5

Mouthfeel is bigger than average, a tad sticky not dry, soft gentle carbonation, and at 8.2% it goes down really easy but is bold and loaded with flavor. 4.75

Overall this is a very nice NEDIPA, I really think I am a huge fan of Strata hops. Dank and tropical at the same time. Really recommend this NEDIPA. 4.5

 

Nice review Jack. I'll probably catch hell for this, but the fine aroma of cigars are when they are unlit and in a big walk-in humidor. I love that cedar essence..

 

Pours a hazy golden color with a nice head and lacing
Aroma has malt, hop and wheat hints
The taste follows the nose with pleasant malt, hop and wheat flavors
A light bodied well carbonated crisp beer
A good Helles

 

Thanks for kicking things off @jkblr . Another hot upcoming week starts today, hopefully the last > 90s for the season. Planning on a quick beer pick up of additional Oktoberfest beers for the upcoming BA mid-September tasting.

First pour I had a few hours ago posted in WBAYDN (and pending the Saturday Saison thread). This is beer two from the mixed four pack I purchased from Lake Effect Brewing from their 2020 School of Brett. Four saisons were aged in red wine barrels for 8 months. In addition three of the four used Brettanomyces from Omega Yeast, the fourth released as a base beer without Brettanomyces. This can is one of two using Bruxellensis - 1 (OYL - 215). For the most part, this pour was consistent with the base pour posted last week, with the exception it was sweeter, the flavors were stronger and more complex. Picture and details follow.



Yeast used for this unlabeled can as presented by brewery staff:



Appearance: Darker orange body, generous bubbly white head lasts for a few minutes before dissipating, leaving a fin thin bubbly lacing throughout the pour. 4.0

Aroma: Very pleasant funky aroma, lemon, citrus, grape and grass. 4.0

Taste: Similar to the aroma, sweeter and more complex than the base pour, and this pour's aroma. Strawberries, lemon, citrus and tangerine. Very nice blend. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Very thin mouthfeel, fine light fizzy carbonation lingers throughout, mild tartness, sweet, easy clean finish. 4.0

Overall: This is a very good saison, very similar to the base though sweeter with a full rich and more complex taste. Well done Lake Effect. 4.25

Have a few more pours planned for the weekend, look forward to enjoying these as well, and learning about new pours and your take on old favorites.

Cheers!

 

Made the run up to Hill Farmstead yesterday, as the chance to try Abner (canned for the first time and a beer I've never had) was too much to pass up. Whomever ends up as my target in NBS BIF #2 will definitely be receiving some Hill Farmstead goodies. Hoping that a few of you who are on the fence will head on over to the signup thread (link above in the post by @Roguer) and officially sign up.

I was planning on cracking open Abner later today, but a strong thunderstorm decided to pop up and push me inside, so no time like the present.


4.46/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Canned 4 days ago and poured into a pint glass (only "beer" glass available at time of pour). Pours a glowing, hazy orange / yellow. Modest head that leaves behind some nice, thin lacing. Aroma comes off the beer in waves of tropical, hoppy goodness. Taste is a nice combination of citrus & tropical notes, but with just the right balance of hops and a tiny bit of bite. Medium carbonation and a medium to medium full mouth feel. Overall, while I'm not a huge IPA fan in general, I have to admit this is a great beer.

 

Greetings, fellow new beer drinkers, and thanks to @jkblr for getting things started this week. I have to say that I'm really enjoying being able to contribute to the thread for the entire weekend. The last few weeks have been rather trying. Three weeks ago today we noticed a bubbling of paint on our dining room ceiling that led to our upstairs shower needing to be replaced. We're renters so at least we weren't worried about the the expense of fixing it, but a job like this is never an easy fix. Two weeks ago yesterday the alleged four day job began. It wasn't until today that the first contractor finished the job. In the process he also managed to damage our dining room table by dropping a drill on it from his ladder. During this time both of our dogs needed to go to the vet, and one had to be put on antibiotics for a recurring bladder infection. Some painting still needs to be done in the bathroom, but at least the worst of the work is finally done. Needless to say, when he rolled out of here today, I needed a beer badly. Unlike last week where I started my Saturday with an imperial stout, today's 90 degree high called for something a bit lighter and heavy on refreshment.

Dancing Gnome is one of my favorite local breweries who made their name making fantastic hazy IPA's. They also get a lot of praise for the imperial stout Black Clouds series. Today's beer though is a deviation from both of those. Not Always Present is a Kolsch style ale that is brewed to traditional standards. There is no dry hopping or haze here. This one is made with Vienna and Pilsner malt and a variety of German noble hops. It's not the type of beer I usually reach for, but is one that I'm very glad that I picked up. Not Always Present pours beautifully and is incredibly crisp and clean. I'm not disappointed that I only grabbed one 4-pack and it's already sold out. This is the first time they've made this brew, but hopefully it's one they bring back again.



4.1/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Look - Pours a brilliant crystal clear gold with a one inch fluffy white head.
Smell - Notes of sweet, bready grain accompanied by very subtle grassy and floral hops.
Taste - A nice fruity sweetness up front fades quickly into a mildly floral and spicy territory. It finishes crisp and clean with no lingering sweetness.
Feel - Soft on the palate with a light mouthfeel.
Overall - The perfect beer for a hot day. Nicely balanced hops and malt with a crisp, clean finish. Very enjoyable.

 

Pours a very dark reddish amber color with a slight head and lacing.
Aroma has roasted malt hints
The taste follows the nose with a roasted malt flavor
A medium bodied moderately carbonated beer
A good Munich Dunkel

 

Thank you @jkblr for getting New Beer Weekend #5 off to a good start. Another day of over 100 degrees. Grateful for air conditioning and a pool.
I did some actual labor, washing and vacuuming the car. That made me warm enough to appreciate this beer, since it is a good thirst quencher. Fly Jack from Firestone Walker, a hazy India pale ale. 96 calories and 4% ABV.
A pale yellow color with a light haze. Large white head that dissipated rapidly. A little bit of lace.
Not much aroma. some citrus.
Light lemon taste, late floral hops.
Crisp and refreshing.

 

Pours a clear golden color with a nice head and lacing
Aroma has slight hop hints
The taste follows the aroma with a slight hop flavor
A light bodied very well carbonated beer
A decent Pilsner

 

Bells Mango Oberon Ale 5.8%. There's a hidden gem of a liquor store/pizza joint right where I go walking by the river. I stopped in to get a bottle of water and ended up getting 4 pack of Mango Oberon. I only taste a hint of Mango but that's probably better for me anyway. It's really good right now although it doesn't taste much different from the regular. I feel like it should be in a 12 pack not a 4 pack.

 

Hey what's going on?!

I don't know about you folks.. but this is the gard dang WORST mosquito season I have ever had to deal with in my 20 years of living down here...

I am tasty meat to these guys. They LOVE me... my juice is like FINE WINE to these buggers and they have been eating me up all Summer.. I am so itchy...

Well perhaps it's all that tasty beer I drink that makes them love me so much.

THat being said, another good beer weekend in the works... let's see what's in store..

Hardywood Park - Black Is Beautiful



Poured from the can into a teku glass.

Deep black walnut body, with quite a frothy filling light mocha head. Opaque, with a swiss cheese bubbled three finger head, and a good thick tall crowned collar while settling. Quite a nice looking stout.

Good simple aroma. Light roast, and a fruity ester accented with a coffee twist of berried like fruit. Hits light acid on the fruit tones as well, like a nice coffee bean fruit angle on the nose. Hits a slight dry almost cinammon as well.

Palate sticks to the basics. Very nice touches of light bodied malts, but with good roast character for depth. Hits with light coffee tones, and even a milky sweetness as well. Large amounts of bitter powdered cocoa on the finish for contrast, but not overwhelming. Some more of that almost cherry fruity character slightly mixes nicely with the cocoa for a good bite.

Good solid coffee stout.

Appearance: 4.25 | Aroma: 4 | Taste: 4 | Mouthfeel: 4 | Overall: 4

Cheers!

 

Hello all and happy New Beer Weekend!

Today I'm drinking a new to me old beer from Deciduous Brewing in NH. This bottle is close to 4 years old. Right now I'm drinking Albricot, a "plambic ale" with apricots. The label says "Albricot is our interpretation of a turbid mashed, mixed culture pLambic, aged on California apricots. This version is unblended and double fruited." I guess the "p" stands for 'pure culture', or pseudo? Apparently that's what some people call lambics that aren't from Belgium. I have never seen the term anywhere else before. It's really hard to compare to a true lambic, and very few American wild ales that I've tried have even come close to the complexities of a Belgian lambic or gueuze. Even with the age on this beer I still don't find it as complex as a real blended lambic.



There are some subtle complexities, and some barnyard funk notes, mild horse blanket aromas as it warms, not quite there on the taste though. I get a lot of toasty hay and straw notes but nothing too wild or funky. There is a touch of vinegary acetic acid in the taste similar to some lambics, and the tartness is fairly restrained for the most part with some acidity and sourness but not too over the top. The fruit is a nice addition to this beer, though I would be interested to try the base beer as well. Maybe the fact that this is unblended makes it a little less complex. If they had multiple aged mixed ferm beers that they blended together perhaps a more funky lambic-esque result might have come from it, but maybe they weren't going for that. This is a good beer with some funky complexity but not too overbearing, tamed acidity and sourness, and a heaping amount of fruity apricots. I'm enjoying this. Here is my review:

Pours a hazy amber gold apricot orange with a creamy frothy white foam head that eventually dissipates. Smells like tart funky stone fruit, sweet juicy apricots, hints of hay, straw, barnyard notes, touch of horse blanket, mild caramelized malt, and earthy herbal floral hops. Tastes acidic and sour, a touch vinegary and acetic, with tart fruity apricots, juicy stone fruit, toasty hay, straw, barnyard funk, some vinous cider, hints of tangy sharp blue cheese, bready wheaty caramelized malts, subtle vanilla, crisp apple, lemon, and earthy herbal floral hop notes. Feels lighter medium bodied, creamy with smooth moderate carbonation. Overall a nice plambic ale aged on apricots.

Cheers everyone, and happy NBW!

 

I found Lone Pint's first Zythophile SMASH IPA in bottles, at least this is the first time I have seen these in bottles. Its a rotating series of single hop single malt IPA"s. I had one earlier in the week when I got the 4 pack, but didn't really spend time putting my thoughts down. So here it is...

This one uses Nelson Sauvin, there is no ABV on the bottle that I can see, and one is not listed here on BA. These usually run between 6-7% ABV though.

And what the hell thats a blurry picture...anyway.



Pours with a beautiful golden/yellow/orange color, with a slight haze. A two finger white head forms with excellent retention and lace left behind.
The nose is of citrus rind grapefruit, berries and melon, and the melon specifically gives this an overall "tropical fruit" aroma. Not much malt in the nose, as the hops are suppose to be the show, which is perfectly fine. Enjoyable, but seems very samey to other Lone Pint IPA's.
Taste follows suit. Citrus and grapefruit peal. Melon and a mixed berry fruit bowl flavor. Missing that vinous grape and peppery spice flavor I would like with the hop, as is just typical Lone Pint SMASH IPA. Which is far from bad, just typical for the brewery. Neutral malts as they are never meant to be a standout for these. An acidic twang and bitterness lingers on.
A medium body with good carbonation. This becomes ultra smooth after a while. Easy to drink, I'll definitely enjoy the 4 pack.

This is certainly not a bad IPA at all, and overall pretty par for the course for Lone Pint. Though Nelson Sauvin has such an expressive hop character, I was a little disappointed not to get more of that signature vinous grape, peppery, and almost funky characteristic. This is the first of their Zythophile IPA's I have seen bottled, so maybe they are still fine tuning a little. Though if you are a fan of Yellow Rose or any of their other IPA"s this will fit right in, and I do enjoy it for what its worth.

Overall score 3.66
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30380/502614/?ba=champ103#review

 

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass Canned 8/04/2020. Pours a hazy yellow with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.75

Smell is guava, blueberry, mandarin, and apricot really pleasant. 4.5

Taste follows mandarin, blueberry, guava, and apricot really balanced and tasty. 4.5

Mouthfeel is medium, gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 6.7% it is really easy drinking. 4.5

Overall this brewery keeps impressing me, this one is extremely good. 4.5

 

Pours a hazy light pink amber color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has grassy, floral and herbal hints
The taste follows the nose with pleasant sour grassy, floral and herbal flavors
A light bodied well carbonated fizzy beer
A good Berliner Weisse