New Beer Weekend #5

Bill, as the ancient Romans would say: Fortune flavor the bold!

Cheers to you!

P.S. Of course the ancient Romans would have said this in Latin: Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat

 

st Bernardus 6
..murky maroon color
...around medium bodied. At least average carbonation that comes off a little prickly
...aroma isn't overpowering to me, malt, brown sugar, molasses and alcohol
...taste is definitely more impressive than aroma.
There's dark fruit,brown sugar,molasses, mildly sweet, yeasty doughy bread.
... not a looker and aroma wasn't winning any awards but this wins where it counts,the taste.
Excellent beer that went well with sweet foodimage sharing forums

 

Hey NBW, hope everyone is doing well!! Hard to believe summer is almost over. Starting my evening with Casey Funky Blender Apricot!
4.43/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle poured into a flute

A- A hazy golden straw with a small white head.

S- Sour, apricots, lemons, oak, funky, touch of wheat.

T- Sour, apricots, oak, some wheat, earthy funk, lemons.

M- Smooth, light body.

O- A excellent wild ale/saison, very easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

After enjoying a fish sandwich and wings from one of our favorite local restaurants, I decided it was time for round 2. Since joining this site some 10 months ago I've realized how many classics I've never really sought out. While doing some shopping recently I saw a bottle of Weihenstephaner's Hefeweissbier that was bottled on May 5th of this year(at least I think that's what the code translated into). This is a style that is generally just not for me. Something about the banana and clove combo is just something I usually don't enjoy. I used to drink a fair amount of Franziskaner back in my early drinking days because of generous bartenders that could slide them to me. Truth be told I only drank them because they were free. I'd like to think that I've matured as a beer enthusiast over the years, so now was my time to try a classic. I have to say that I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. Rating to style, my score actually came in +0.02% rDev. Rating to enjoyment it might not be that high, but this is a truly outstanding beer and it's clear why it has been so highly thought of for so long. The one thing I found curious about it was that the medium bodied creaminess seemed to mute the visible carbonation for me. It almost felt flat on my palate, but I could see that was obviously not the case. This was a great beer that I'll probably come back to when I can find it reasonably fresh. Hope everyone is having a great Saturday.



4.46/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Look - Pours a cloudy yellow straw topped with a prominent fluffy white head. Ample carbonation keeps a thin layer of white foam present for the duration.
Smell - Clove and bubblegum are the most pronounced aromas for me. The banana is much subtler than I expected, but is detectable.
Taste - The subtle banana is more forward in the taste while the bubblegum now slides into a supporting role. The clove is also there, but in balance. A bit of bready malt in there as well with zero hop flavor.
Feel - Smooth and creamy with a medium body.
Overall - This hits all the notes that a weissbier should. It should be clear why this beer is held in such high regard.

 

Are you sure it was not : Bonum Bibere Leatificat, cor hominis!

 

Hop Butcher Riwakamania IPA (Riwaka/Citra). Riwaka is a rare hop to come by (seems like Hill Farmstead is the only brewery that gets it on a semi-regular basis) and these guys finally landed some. HB likes to pair new hops they get with more familiar ones, so this one gets the Citra treatment.

Pours a hazy rich orange color with two fingers of a bright white, dense head with great retention. 4.25

Aroma is bright, fresh grapefruit, nectarine, passionfruit, lime zest, bright floral, tangerine sorbet, ripe mango, hop spice, grass, light earthy dankness. 4.25

Taste is full of bright, juicy, fresh ruby red grapefruit, ripe nectarine, ripe passionfruit, funky guava, tangerine juice, ripe mango, mango skin, slight lime zest, grapefruit and orange pith, earthy dankness, bright floral, some pine resin. Juicy up front, but finishes with a semi-dry and firm bitterness in the form of citrus pith and pine resin. 4.5

High medium body that drinks higher than 6.5%. Very soft, creamy, slick, slightly sticky, oily from the hops. Nice ample carbonation that keeps the beer moving through the palate. 4.5

This is my first time trying Riwaka and I’m not disappointed by it. It has this bright, fresh, real grapefruit presence that is much different than the typical grapefruit notes you get from your more common hops. The nectarine, guava, and passionfruit notes are also pretty unique. The Riwaka seems to be the showcase in this one, with the Citra just slightly there to complement it. Here’s to hoping this hop can be produced on a larger level so that more breweries can experiment with it. 4.5
Overall: 4.43

 

If you are on the fence about participating in NBW BIF #12 (there’s a link to the enrollment thread from @Roguer on page 1 of this thread), my target will receive a couple of beers from this brewery.

U R welcome.

And don’t get me started on all the Transient hops and stouts you’ll receive.

And Three Floyds.

And Bare Hands.

Enough of the BIF commercial, let’s drink a beer.





4.35/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a hazy orange color with a full, sudsy off-white head. The ripe orange aromas just about leap from the can when you open this, and there’s also lemon-lime aromas, and a distinct malt note.

The hop flavors are strong with this one, particularly the oranges and the lemon-lime, which is an interesting flavor combo that works, especially with the sweet malt flavor, I’m guessing from the oat and rice malt.

There’s a nice bitterness to this and a semi-dry mouthfeel, which I appreciate. I was a little leery buying this at nearly 2 months old, but it’s really good, IMHO.

 

We started getting Fiddlehead to Long Island, and this is my first chance at Second Fiddle.
Pour is a clear amber with a soapy white foam head. The lacing in the glass was like white spider webs. Smells of lemongrass, fresh cut lawn, and herbs. Taste is like the throwback IPA's; more earthy and bitter than citrusy. Finish has a raspy bite, which is welcome. Actually smooth though, and leaves a slight dryness in the finish.

 

It’s an acquired taste

 

To quote mr Spock ,

Fascinating is a word I use for the unexpected, in this case I would think interesting would suffice.”

 

As you know, sometimes you have to take a leap of faith with a brewery you trust

 

#2, this beer combined with beer #1 is a pretty fantastic beer night for this old beer nerd. Forgot I had this in the fridge, don’t need to sit on coffee bombs.





4.34/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a deep mahogany brown with a dark tan head that dissipates pretty quickly. The coffee is immediately noticeable on the nose, and there’s also
milk chocolate and vanilla notes as well.

The vanilla really shines on the taste, mixing with the milk chocolate flavor to balance the coffee flavor, which is abundant. The mouthfeel is on point, a bit creamy and substantial enough to provide the backbone this 9% ABV beer requires.

What a pleasure it is to drink this beer.

 

As promised, I'm continuing my Pfriem exploration on this newly* expanded New Beer Time Unit, as I humbly hope to save some PNW face by finally snagging their pilsner.



The pour is a hollywood embodiment of 'beer.' Crisp clean yellow with a good finger or two of big white bubbbbbbles. Lots of active visible carbonation. Lacing is ok, but looked like it was going to be better.

Nose is sweet and earthy and grassy.

Drinking it is problematic.You see, I pick up my glass, and then next thing I know it's almost empty. Almost kind of creamy with a nice bite of carbonation. Flavour leans away from the earthy side of the malts and more towards a cracker/biscuit direction. Grassy and some almost NJ-esque perfumey hops. But mainly the grassy that leads into dull lingering bitterness that's almost mildly APA-esque.

I dig it. I can see why folks think so highly. Cheers!!



Poor Maggie-Pie split her paw pretty good down at the beach, so we had to carry her back. Poor pup has already escaped and jumped back into the pond, necessitating a re-dressing of her wound, but she's doing better now. She'll be fine, it's just tough to convince an 8 month old pup in doggie heaven to remain calm!

 

Jacks abby copper legend
...clear amber
.. around medium body and about the same for carbonation and has a slight slick feel that coats the mouth
..aroma malty, bread/grain, brown sugar, what comes off as some earthy hops
...taste is malt,very little sweetness with an almost dry earthy hop flavor that lingers.
...not overly complex but a nice attempt at the style from a brewer that usually hits the mark fairly well

 

Drinking this old local Mystic imperial stout from 2016 called Spectral Evidence. I thought I might've had this before, but it looks like it was an oak aged imperial stout called Conviction back in 2015, which to this day was one of the richest most dark chocolate fudgy stouts I have tasted, and tasting this now I can tell I'm in for a similar experience. They also had a porter called The Hum which I thought was quite good. They were originally known for their Belgian styles, saison farmhouse ales and wild sour beers, and then turned to NEIPAs and some pastry style stouts on their way out, but their original stouts and porters without additional ingredients were overlooked I think. Even from 2016 this beer is holding up better than some of the big boys. Smells a bit vinous but the taste is luscious.



Pours black with some dark brown highlights and a creamy tan foam head that caps and settles to a ring around the glass. Right now with age on it, it's smelling like vinous dark fruits, almost red wine, plum, red grape, maybe cherry, fig, dark caramel, dark chocolate, coffee, roasted malts, toasty toffee, molasses, and some earthy hop notes. The taste is super rich and concentrated, really dark and chocolatey, with fudgy dark bakers chocolate, black licorice, hints of dark soy sauce, tobacco, char, coffee, dark roasted malts, dark caramel, toasty toffee, molasses, some fig, dried dark fruit, brandied raisin, black grape, dark toasted brown bread, and some earthy herbal piney spice. Feels medium plus bodied, creamy slick with moderate smooth carbonation. Overall a really nice imperial stout from the old local Mystic Brewery. Their spirit is missed. Cheers all and happy NBW!

 

Went in blind on this one, caught my eye browsing the other day it was fresh for an import (canned late June).

It’s an interesting beer to me. The cloudiness really is more than I expected, I knew it was unfiltered but I still was expecting a little more clarity. Halfway through now it’s got a nice creamy linger head and some very nice lacing. It drinks pretty clean but has a bready mouthfeel to it, very smooth carbonation.

Taste is wheat bread, maybe some subtle honey type sweetness, and some tea vibes to it. It really drinks like an altbier, it’s lager clean but some extra oomph to it. If this wasn’t labeled a lager I would babe guess or call it one if I didn’t know what it was.

Has pretty strong fruity smell, grapes, cider type smell almost. Not strong but that’s exactly what I smell.

Not my favorite beer but I’m very glad I tried it.

 

I guess @JackHorzempa and I were really on the same page this weekend, as I picked this up for tonight and Troegs Trail Day Dry-Hopped Pilsner for tomorrow!

Cigar City Spanish Cedar Jai Alai - packaged/canned on 07/13. My feelings are in line with Jack's and this is a very interesting and complex beer. I was impressed by how heavy on the nose the Spanish Cedar is and that it came through on the taste as well. The base beer balances things out very nicely and I will be gladly drinking this again.

And I have yet to try the White Oak version but when I see that around again fresh I will definitely be giving it a go, as this has made me interested in trying that beer now too.