New Beer Weekend #7

Central Waters Twenty Years


Pours pitch black with a decent sized, stable beige head.


Smells of licorice, toasted coconut and red berries among chocolaty coffee. Brings a nice spicy whiff to the nose among old wood and smoky, sweet toffee.


Drinks smooth and oily, showcasing the decadent, rich body of this in a perfectly balanced way.


Tastes of a warming, honey covered bourbon presence, coated by milk chocolate and additional coconut. Inherits a rock sugar and licorice, together with calming whipped cream, vanilla bean and bakers chocolate. Has a praliné finish, featuring warming, dry Bourbon and complimenting, earthy coffee, chocolate and oak.


Fantastic, complex and playfully balanced beer, evoking new flavors with each sip.

 

Good afternoon Sunday readers of this weekend thread. My new beer today is Hardywood's Black is Beautiful rendition, which was "conditioned on coffee from Southeastern Roastery in Baltimore, Maryland" (according to cheersva.org). According to another press release, Hardywood plans to donate money to a local restaurant initiative.

Hardywood is a production brewery in Richmond, VA that generally produces straightforward styles, but also has what might be the best barrel program in Virginia. We have visited their original location as well as a much newer "outpost" of sorts and enjoyed ourselves both times. Their beers are generally well made and taste pretty good. I'm expecting a decent experience here, but let's see.


The pour shown had a mocha head (on a lighter pour) which held up fairly well. The other pour off stage left had a less impressive head, but after some typing, they look similar with medium thin rings adorning both glasses.

The nose is a nice mix of roast - both malt and coffee. More casual sniffs has the coffee being the lead player. Deeper whiffs uncover a bit of sweetness that helps evoke a bit of a chocolate cake doughnut impression.

Beer opens with a hint of molasses and a hint of a ginger-like bite that brings a brief root beer impression. That sounds like it might be really sweet, but it's not - think of the flavors with at least half the sugar. Coffee swoops in quickly to smooth out the bite and bring some true bitterness to the party.

Medium thickness, the beer does not weigh on my palate that much at all. The carbonation and spice actually keep the beer lively and clean so that I am ready for another sip almost immediately after completing one. That restrained sweetness from up front sneaks back into the end, although the coffee bitterness outlasts it into the aftertaste.

I didn't expect a thick, coating beer from Hardywood, and I didn't get one here. The sweetness was a little more than I wanted, but as I tried to convey - isn't killing me either. I guess maybe another way of looking at it, I wanted a little more malt char to join the coffee bitterness.

The GF says she definitely gets the coffee but doesn't think it is that strong (she's not a coffee fan). As such, she says she likes it pretty well. I was a tad surprised, as I think the coffee is fairly evident and this isn't in the pastry stout realm that she sometimes really enjoys.

 

Drekker Strawberry & Lemon BRAAAAAAAAins Double Fruit Smoothie Sour, 7% ABV. Pours thick, murky brownish red, with a one finger beige head that left puree residue. I always forget to lightly roll these cans to mix the puree before opening. Nose is strawberry, lemon, vanilla, and lactose. Taste follows, moderately tart, slightly sweet. Decent thick and smooth mouthfeel, overall excellent to outstanding, though not the best of theirs I've had.

4.24/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This could be our last 90 degree day for the season as a cold front is coming through tonight and the forecast is colder. Then again we had tornadoes last September 11th, so you never know. We're still grilling right through the winter as usual.

 

Hi all, here I am for another NBW! Had a really good day with the lady I've been dating yesterday... went to Salem, MA and finally visited Notch's biergarten, went to Gulu-Gulu, then went to a bonfire back at her friend's place in Manchester, NH. Found out while I was there that a friend of mine dropped off some new beers for me to try, so here's the first one...



So it seems this is a collaborative effort between Vitamin Sea and Other Half called F.Q.A.s (Frequently Questioned Answers). It's 8% ABV, features "a delightful blend of 2-row, Golden Promise, Flaked Oats and Golden Naked Oats," and is hopped with Cashmere, Motueka and Galaxy. Sounds great, let's see if that all pans out.

The pour here is a definite "NEIPA" in its most unfiltered, kinda-gross looking form. Deep orange/medium amber with a nice, chalk-white head that forms atop the beer with about three fingers immediately, though it settles down to a half-finger consistent ring, leaving behind excellent, sudsy lace as it fades. Though this definitely has an, um... healthy appearance, the foamy cap and great lace/legs do seem enticing.

The nose is juicy rind-like citrus with specific, bright key lime notes (Motueka!), punctuated by some mango and guava tropical aspects and a little bit of passion fruit. Really nice stuff here, and I'm glad the Cashmere doesn't overtake everything. Some soft tannins, a bit of dank spiciness/resin, and a touch of vanilla all appear after some time spent letting this breathe, but they never really block out the initial wave of citrus and mango.

Wow, this is nice and punchy. I do get a touch of heat upfront with some superbly-saturated hoppiness that reminds me of tangerine, guava, mango, and passion fruit. Lighter notes of resin, lime, and grassy dankness in the finish. Very minor hop burn, but nothing too bad overall. Smooth and semi-sweet flavor profile (Golden Promise/oats probably helps this pop, for sure) that works well with the drier citrus and powerful tropical fruit flavors. Drinkable and fun. I recall having some reservations about Vitamin Sea when they first popped up in the NEIPA scene, but now that I've had a couple beers they've had a hand in making, I'm ready to give them the benefit of the doubt. Also, their taproom looks really nice... gonna have to make it a point to check that out at some point.

Back with more in a while, BA! Cheers.

 

Another quick hit from me today while doing some yard work, this time from the Jersey side:

Tonewood Bierspace Kolsch

Another very nicely done beer from this brewery. Really rich crackery bread crust malt character leading the way; hints of straw and grassy hops follow up, as well as gentle wafts of white raisin and pear. Crisp and quite drinkable overall, with a moderate but noticeable snap of bitterness following through (about pale ale level, I'd say). An enjoyable A- (4.1), and recommended!

 

Not ashamed, which is why I stated I think it’s a great cause. I just really don’t like politics (or getting political) because, in my experience, that’s usually a harbinger of someone (or someones) disconnecting the logical side of their brain.

 

Good morning, NBW! Today's first new beer is Imperial Gorilla Juice from Reuben's Brews.


16oz can served in a big snifter. Packaged 07/16/20.

Pours a hazy pale yellow with a medium sized head and medium carbonation. Smell is resinous and citrus.

Taste is tropical fruit and resin.

Mouthfeel is moderately thick and shaky. Overall, it's a nice beer.

 

Having another newer Trillium beer, a fruited Berliner Weisse style ale that usually borders on fruit smoothie to me without lactose. I'm drinking a heavily fruited Twice the Daily Serving: Raspberry from Trillium.


Can dated 09/01/20

Brewery notes:

The Daily Serving series has been some of the fruitiest beers I've ever tasted, and not too sour or tart. They usually have a thick smoothie-like pulpy texture and flavor, as you can see when the head recedes. Twice the Daily Serving is even fruitier, and a slightly higher abv. Both are really good and some of the best fruit beers I've had, no matter the fruits.


This beer pours a completely opaque dark purple red magenta with a dense creamy pink foam head with pulpy thick lacing and a remaining ringed cap. Smells like raspberry candy, fresh raspberry jam, dark overripe juicy jammy berries, a touch of earthy grassy hop, and mild caramelized wheaty malts. Tastes like jammy sweet overripe dark raspberries, pulpy garden raspberry jam, lightly tart mixed berries, raspberry candy, mild caramelized wheaty malt, with hints of earthy grassy hops. Feels thick, medium-full bodied, creamy with smooth moderate carbonation. A little heavy for the style I think but I credit that to being 7% which is also high for the style, leaning towards an Imperial Berliner Weisse, or at this point it might be better to not even call it a Berliner, but it's nice to see where the style has taken us. These beers are even fruiter than the goses Trillium was making last year, and I think they really honed in the style for the ultra fruit experience in beer. I don't always want a fruit beer, but when I do, Trillium is the best. Cheers everyone!

 

Looking at my fridge I thought I had no new beer for this weekend. Well, that has changed. My wife runs the Sunday Market downtown, in between her duties there she picked up Flavortown a new one from Little House Brewing.
Here is what their website says-
We’re gonna keep it simple. This new, 6.6% NEIPA is literally a one way ticket to Flavortown. You know, that place where fun and flavor meet in perfect harmony? Brewed with NELSON SAUVIN and GALAXY hops, with a lil’ dash of CITRA and STRATA in there for good measure…your tastebuds might not be ready for this hype bomb. Recommended Listening: “Flavortown” by Guy Fieri, featuring Steve Harwell from Smash Mouth

Guy Fieri has become a parody of himself, but every now and then I'll watch a segment or two if the food is interesting. Didn't know he had a song out. I am going to do all of you a favor and not post it. On to the beer-
There was a minor foam out when I opened the Crowler. That manifested into an over pour in my glass. That big head faded to thin with an 1/8 inch ring, but plenty of lacing. The hazy orange body looks like unfiltered apricot juice. 4.25 on the appearance. But the aroma is semi-sweet orange with a musty grass background. I'm going to say 4.0 on that.
Taste is a little more bitter than the aroma, probably the hops standing out. I'm not good enough of a taster to determine which hop does what. Still this is nice to me so I'll give it 4.25 on the taste. Mouthfeel nice and thick per style, 4.75. I've had so many thin NEIPAs lately.
Little House changes their lineup constantly, but I hope this one comes back. I'll settle on a 4.5 overall.

 

Firestone walkers rosalie
Medium bodied with around average carbonation
Image doesn't really show it well but has an odd pinkish copper color..
Aroma to me was ripe peaches,floral, peach candy.
Taste was similar to aroma but not as sweet as I thought it would be. Floral but subdued compared to ripe fruit. Tart and sour but very mild
Pleasant and refreshing but not something that blew my mind. Nice on a warm day though.

 

Next up is another Transient Artisan Ales beer, this one a collaboration with Tampa Bay Brewing Company. I was surprised that this was not already in the BA database. It has now been added. I'd add a picture of it to the database as well if I were smarter / more capable of figuring out how to do so. As with all of the Transient beers I've had, it's courtesy of @ovaltine. I have fairly high hopes given how much I've enjoyed their other brews.

Anyway, this ended up being a really interesting beer. It's described on the bottle as "Oak aged sour ale w/Michigan blackberries, cherries & cranberries". Those are all present on the tongue, but what surprised me (pleasantly) was how much oak I picked up. It's not uncommon for me to not be able to pick up oak, but I could here, and I think it's a better beer for it. Thanks for sending it my way @ovaltine

4.15/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dark cranberry with close to zero carbonation.....about as close to flat as you can get. Aroma is church wine, berries & a nice sour smell. Taste is really interesting. Cherries & cranberries, with an underlying smoky oak flavor that makes for a really interesting combination. Zero carbonation. Taste lingers for quite some time, in a good way. This is a really interesting beer.

 

I didn't think to look into the roastery despite a brief thought as to why they chose a place in Baltimore versus one in Richmond or more nearby. Makes sense, now.

 

Moving on the Level 4: Broccoli Kong Vs. Liberty Broc. So far my lowest rated of the Green City beers. This isn’t a bad beer at all but I find NEIPA that start getting to higher ABVs can sometimes be too sweet compared to their lower ABV counterparts and this is leaning towards the sweet side.
4.34/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

16 oz can, dated 8/19/20, poured into a teku

A- A hazy copper with a two finger white head.

S- Citrus, some tropical fruits, mango, a little earthy, touch of sweet malts, some stone fruits.

T- Citrus, tropical fruits, sweet melons, some mango, earthy, touch of sweet malts.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A good NEIPA. 10% ABV is well hidden, but this is starting to move a little to the sweeter side as NEIPA tend to do with the ABV creeping into to double digits

Cheers!

 

I got denied application for the Cellar Tech at Fat Heads, but I applied to be a Bartender at Royal Docks and a Maintenance Specialist at Great Lakes. I'll keep trying until I get an interview. Seems to be quite a few brewery jobs on Indeed. A lot of aptitude tests on Indeed as well I had to take, and they were easy to get "High Proficiency" ratings. General maintenance is all common sense for me. I'd rather do a job I love at this point, I can afford a pay cut from engineering. I just got done playing God's Trigger for 2 hours with my buddy on steam remote play. It's a top down shooter.

Metazoa Hoppopotamus. This was awesome. Lasting rocky head retention/thick foamy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, blueberry, gooseberry, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread, toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy earthiness. Moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, wood, herbal, floral, grassy, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation, light-medium body, and fairly crisp finishing; moderate bready/grainy malts, and sticky/resinous/rindy hops in the mouthfeel. Moderate increasing resin dryness, no hop astringency. Very smooth, not overly aggressive, minimal warming 7%. Fantastic citra, mosaic showcase. Extremely dank, vibrant, earthy, and fairly juicy hops; with a nice clean vienna malt backbone. Zero residual sweetness with crisp resin dryness. Loved it, glad I got the 4 pack as expected. Might grab another kind of beer from this brewery. 4.13


Cheers