New Beer Weekend #6

I suppose I need to start posting here again, what with my hat being thrown into the latest NBS/NBW BIF.

Tonight’s beer is from Brasserie Auval in Val D’Espoir Quebec. Auval is rightly regarded as a top Canadian brewery. Their beers are somewhat hard to come by. They don’t distribute too far afield I’ve heard that they have a six bottle limit from the brewery bottle shop. I don’t know whether or not that is true. Luckily, I have beer trading friends who are happy to send me their beers from time to time. I’ve never been disappointed, so my hopes are high this evening!

Auval Nova Amarillo Pale Ale.



Pours a cloudy gold with a substantial head that builds high to a lovely peak, and subsides very slowly.

The aroma is grand. Grassy notes with some undifferentiated citrus in the background. Pungent.

The first impression from the mouth is a very creamy body. Light bitterness. Floral, orange and grapefruit notes on the tongue.

Lighter carbonation which contributes to the very creamy mouthfeel.

A very nice beer from Auval as I expected. They do fruity wild beers so well and make nice farmhouse beers too. Ive always liked their IPAs and pale ales too and this one goes on the very good list with the others.

Luckily, I’ve been acquiring Auval bottles of late and plan to send something off to my eventual target in the BIF. A chance to try a beer from these guys without the very, very, very long drive to Val D’Espoir!

 

And another tonight.

This is Barncat Artisan Ales version of Black is Beautiful. Barncat is another top rated brewery in Canada according to the sister site. Their IPAs are world class and they make the most sought after stouts in Ontario. This version of BIB is a straight ahead imperial stout.



Pours jet black with a slow to develop creamy cappuccino head.

Aroma is all chocolate up front. Some roasted grain there too.

The taste follows the nose. Lots of bittersweet chocolate, maybe a little licorice. A little bit of alcohol burn. Very nice.

Creamy mouthfeel with a substantial body that coats the mouth.

Very nice.

Assuming my NBS/NBW BIF target likes the style, this one is scheduled for a trip across the border.

 

Thanks @SawDog505 for getting this rolling!

Had planned to be day hiking Mt Shasta under a nearly full moon tomorrow morning. But wildfire smoke and cooler than ideal temps prompted an audible. Will grab the cattle dog and do some hiking in Tahoe tomorrow instead.

So after cooking dinner for the lil lady, I figured I'd try something new. The Bruery's Sticky Maple is my contribution.



Can into a goblet glass.

L: Jet black with 2 fingers of mocha head with good retention and left limited mixed lacing.

S: Potent maple, almost too much so. Gives me concern it will be a diabetes-inducing sweet bomb.

T: Much better dimension than the nose. Maple is balanced by barrel attributes, but not quite prominent enough for this to still be slightly sweet. Char and vanilla gain in prominence as it warms but still can't overcome the maple aspect. Though given the one dimensional nose, I'll take it.

F: Low-medium bodied with medium carbonation, slick on the tongue and swallow. Thin for the ABV.

O: I enjoyed the beer, and its not as sweet as it smells. Wish it had a bit more body, and I also wish it was in a 12oz serving rather than 16oz. Luckily I'm having it for dessert, and that's fitting for this beer for my palate and preferences.

BA score = 4.11, rev = -2.4%

 

I'm gonna assume based on your review the date for this was decent? I'm always wary of mail distributors ability to deliver decently fresh products. I'm with you on what I've heard of the brewery and enjoy the commentary from one of its employees on this site, so I would be willing to take a chance on the service if I can feel more confident on the quality.

I hope you do even beyond the BIF, at least occasionally.

Nice to see you posted one of these, coincidentally before this post...

... as I have one I need to post, as well. Interesting to see the different takes.

 

Good to be back in the New Beer Weekend now, the new thing. I haven't reviewed a beer in 8 weeks. That's when I went out to the clinker for a bit. I am back and on the new life path of moving to Ohio in 2 months with a clean bill of legal obligations. Health has improved as well. Will be getting a GF and a new Engineering job as soon as I can and such. Feels pretty exciting. I needed this to happen more likely than not. I was just a drunk prior to the events of this past November. I also got my beer server cert last week. I will be doing Cicerone next.


Well alright, lets do my first review in 8 weeks. 19.2 ounce can, no dating. Deep ruby red, light brown color. Nice 1 finger fluffy cream colored head. Aromas and flavors of big caramel, brown sugar, nutty roasted pecans, toasted biscuit, and brown bread/crusts; with lighter notes of chocolate, cocoa, raisin, plum, apple, herbal, wood, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light herbal, woody, grassy, roasted bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and light-medium body; creamy/grainy malts, light chalky roast and sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Zero warming 4.5%. Very drinkable. This was traditional as hell for the English style brown. Nicely clean rich malts for the ABV, with restrained fruity English yeast and balancing hops. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. No complaints. 4


Cheers

 

Greetings from Nashville Nbw’ers


FIRST TRIP OUT OF MY BASEMENT SINCE THE ‘RONA. VISITING MY SON AND HIS FAMILY IN NASHVILLE . STOPPED AT BEARDED IRIS TO TRADE BEERS WITH PAUL VAUGHN. HE WAS KIND ENOUGH TO GIVE ME A TOUR . WE TALKED ABOUT HOME BREWING, WHERE HE GOT STARTED COMMERCIALLY( SWEETWATER), WHY HE ENDED UP IN NASHVILLE (FROM HERE), BREWING EQUIPMENT, CAN SHORTAGES, HOP CONTRACTS, COLLABORATIONS, ,FAVORITE BREWERS( TWO THAT I HAVE NOT TRIED ARE SUAREZ AND THREES BREWING) WE WERE ALL OVER THE PLACE IN OUR CONVERSATION. FINALLY, WE WALKED INTO HIS FINISHED BEER COOLER AND HE ASKED ME, “ WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE STYLES?”



MY NEW BEER OF THE WEEK IS THE ONE THAT HE IS ENJOYING THE MOST OF AT THIS TIME ... FROM THE BEARDED IRIS WEBSITE...

“PEOPLE POWER 2020
DOUBLE IPA WITH CITRA & STRATA, BREWED AS A COLLABORATIVE PROJECT SUPPORTING THE ACLU.
Power to the people, again. And always! PEOPLE POWER [2020] unites strata + citra into a DIPA with revolutionary and revelationary provisions of ripe strawberry, raspberry, tangerine, and meyer lemon. We’re honored to join once more People Power Beer, Threes Brewing, and breweries across the nation in this collaborative project supporting the ACLU. The ACLU dares to create a more perfect union — beyond one person, party, or side. Their mission is to realize this promise of the United States Constitution for all and expand the reach of its guarantees.

TASTING NOTES
citra, strata, equal rights

STYLE
DOUBLE IPA
ABV
8%
HOPS
CITRA/STRATA”


4.25/5 rDev +9.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

“Whatever it takes”

Canned 8.20, opened 8.27

16 oz Can poured into bearded iris will Becher glass, three finger off white rocky foam cap , good retention, settles to a ring, few lacings over a turbid orange liquid

Aroma is citrus orange, pink grapefruit , grapefruit

Taste is pink grapefruit, grapefruit rind , grapefruit

Medium sudsing , smooth , gentle grapefruit hop bite nicely lingers

Good beer for a good cause

Cheers Bearded Iris

 

Today will be a Bell's day, this offering and I have a second pour if this one doesn't suffice.

Bell's Mango Oberon kicks this NBS 810 morning off!

Before I get into this review, I want to share a few thoughts about Oberon. I have the beer rated above average (to me 3.0 is average as my personal baseline) at 3.64. While I usually limit repurchases to 4.0 and up, primarily because there are so many great beers available year round,

I get excited with each year's Oberon release, and will always pick up at least a 12 pack. The reasons include the beginning of spring, tradition, and the fact it is a nice easy beer, my transition phase from the heavier winter stouts. I also experience legitimate sadness when my 12 pack is gone. They do brew additional batches after the first release, but I stick with tradition and the first batch is the one and only batch I bring home.

I've also tried Uberon, and liked it a lot.



Statistics and measurements: 12 oz, bottled 7/6/20, 5.8%, no listed IBU, listed shelf life six months, picked up a few weeks ago warm at Binny's, refrigerated since.

Appearance: Single pour into a nonic glass. Light murky orange color, off white bubbly head dissipates quickly, leaving a few clumps of lacing. 3.5

Aroma: Sharp sweet mango aroma, wheat presence noted after several attempts, very faint. 3.25

Taste: Wheat and cracker comes through well, mango complements rather than overwhelms as it did with the aroma. Balanced taste, slight edge to sweetness. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Thin mouthfeel, no carbonation, easy drinking, clean finish. 3.5

Overall: Good offering, peach complements this wheat ale well. Pricier than the original, but still worth a purchase down the road. 3.5

I will try to catch up on the thread later today, it is intimidating with 48 hours of posts, but usually able to finish by Monday or Tuesday.

Cheers New Beer Advocates!!!

 

Blackrocks Nordskye, session IPA 4.8ABV, this beer is right on for the style, plenty of mosaic hop, light bitterness, faint piney aroma, if I was “sessioning” which is very rare this beer would do the trick. Pleasant drinker and correct to style.

 

Good day BAs! It's a crisp morning today with no "Noir Alley" forthcoming so off to a beer review, and a cross-post with WBAYDN.




$ 6.99/bomber, more or less, if the price sticker on the cap is to be believed. No idea where I got it other than maybe the Oneonta Beer Depot (non-itemized receipt) last October. Reviewed 8/30/20.
I can find neither date nor ABV on the bottle nor do I know how it was stored at the place of purchase. Stored at home at 42 degrees and served at 52 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 3.
First pour – Amber brown (SRM 18), clear.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. When held to direct light, same.
Head – Average (Maximum three cm, aggressive center pour), medium tan, high density, begins fizzy, average retention, diminishing to a three mm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Strong roasted malt with a suggestion of caramel, no hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 3 – Starts slightly sweet with roasted malt, then becomes markedly bitter and chock full o’ short chain organic acids (acetic, lactic, and some butyric at least). No hops, no yeast. No alcohol (? % ABV, NOT marked on container) taste or aroma. No diacetyl or dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3 – Thin, oily, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3. Well, we start off losing 0.25 point for no date and an additional 0.25 point for a secret ABV, to give a final total of 2.75 remaining of the 3.25 average of the initial scores. Now the only decision remaining is whether to subject my sink’s drain to this.
Rating 3.19, rDev -14.2%.

Note: I drank the rest, followed by a PseudoSue to clean my palate.

 

Yes. The beer was canned in the middle of July or early August (I don’t remember the exact date, but Tavour tells you) and I knew it would be on my porch by a certain date so I was OK with the purchase.

 

Sunday morning new pastry stout, courtesy of @JayWhitson - “Dessert Cart” by Mountains Walking Brewery, Bozeman MT:



An imperial pastry stout with chocolate and peanut butter...let’s go!

At 55 degrees pours a murky brown/black with a fast fizzy reddish brown head that disappears immediately leaving no cap, ring, nor lace; thin legs on swirl. Peanut brittle and chocolate fudge nose. Taste is sweet chocolate upfront with peanut butter right behind; black cherries and cola middle; phenolic finish. Smooth velvety feel; medium body, moderate minus carbonation; warmth in mouth from 10.5% abv; alcohol burn on tip of tongue. A pleasing pastry stout with as advertised nose and taste; what it lacks in heft, is more than made up for in alcohol, if you like that sort of thing.

3.75 | 4.25 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0
Score: 4.05 rDev +0.5%

Thanks again to @JayWhitson for this tasty Montana treat!

 

Pours a golden color with a nice head and slight lacing
Aroma has slight hop and floral hints
The taste follows the nose with slight hop and floral flavors
A light bodied decently carbonated beer
A decent Helles

 

I’d live on Islay whiskey if I could afford it, hence the WT 101 as the house bourbon. It been a long time since I had a 12 yr old Jameson, but the taste is unique, when you drink it you know its an Irish Whiskey.

 

Pours a light hazy amber color with a nice head and slight lacing
Aroma has slight malt and caramel hints
The taste follows the nose with slight malt and caramel flavors
A light bodied decently carbonated beer
A decent Vienna Lager

 

Today’s new beer to me is Moss from Finback, a double NE style IPA.
The yellow- orange can pour is opaquely cloudy. A thin foam cap dissipates quickly.
The aroma is dense with tropical hop esters. Grapefruit, orange and pineapple are noted. The flavor is rich with citrus and tropical aspects. There is a bit of hop burn, but it is welcome.
The mouthfeel is full and very smooth.
This is a fully flavored and soft brew.

 

Pours a golden color with a nice head and lacing
Aroma has hop and floral hints
The taste follows the nose with hop and floral flavors
A light bodied well carbonated beer
A good Bohemian Pilsner

 

A favorite of mine,
Cheers

 

Pours a dark hazy amber color with a slight head and I lacing
Aroma has roasted malt and hop hints
The taste follows the nose with a roasted malt and hop flavor
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A good Munich Dunkel