New Beer Weekend #7

Woodgrain Peanut Butter Werewolf Imperial Stout, 9.3% ABV. Pours thick and black with a ring of bubbles. Nose is slight chocolate and heavy peanut butter. Taste follows, one of the most peanut-buttery beers I've had. Excellent smooth mouthfeel, overall world class.

4.46/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Just met a buddy at Woodgrain, a local taproom that has had some outstanding BA and/or pastry stouts. This is one of their better efforts, and much better than the Prairie BA Peanut Butter Bomb! I reviewed yesterday. I've been trying to get out to taprooms more frequently after a several month hiatus.

 

Back with another big IPA courtesy of Widowmaker Brewing. My good friend and homebrew partner just got a job canning with these guys so he dropped off a (presumably fresh) can of this one with a few other new-ish beers from them. Perhaps I'll get to them in a while.

Twin Comet is a hazy IPA clocking in at 8.8%. Some quick Facebook research shows that this is pretty much amped-up Blue Comet by these guys, but with an extra Galaxy dry-hop addition. That means this is loaded with Simcoe, Comet (duh), and Galaxy... sounds really fun. The pour is a stable, opaque orange-cream color with a decently-large head of eggshell-white foam that leaves behind some inconsistent but overall nice lacing. Surface coverage here is absolutely great, and the legs are nice too. A somewhat standard quality NEIPA pour, but that's not a bad thing at all.

The nose is spicy hops, passion fruit, cannabis/dank grassiness, and papaya with a slight hint of melon and grapefruit. Seems pretty satisfying to me. I wasn't huge on Blue Comet, but I think the elevated ABV and extra Galaxy will make this one much stronger by comparison. I am reminded of some newer beers I've had that utilize Strata hops when I smell this one; it could have to do with interactions between the Galaxy DH and Simcoe (or Comet, I guess), but I keep thinking of the "passion fruit meets pot" descriptor that Strata's been given. I am hit-or-miss with that hop, but I like what these seem to be doing together even if it's similar overall... if you like Strata, though, you'll probably enjoy the hop combo in this one, I guess is what I'm getting at.

First sip is quite bitter and aspirin-like with a big grapefruit peel flavor immediately hitting my tongue, though some grassiness, resin, dankness, and even light spice back it up. Passion fruit and, yes, earthy "cannabis"-like undertones do make themselves known here as well. More of that unusual melon note here, too, but it feels deeper and more impressive than some other beers I've had that just make that element taste stale and boring. I will say, if I had no idea what hops were used here, my guesses would be totally off-the-mark... I never really expect Comet (although given the name of this beer, perhaps it would be logical to consider it), but I am fairly confident I would think this involved Ella, Idaho 7, and/or Strata in some capacity. Just means I have a lot to learn about hop varietals (or that most of what we know about how they interact with one another and impart flavors into beer is weird and subjective as hell ). Feel is pretty soft and plush, with a fairly resonating bitterness that carries into the finish. Carbonation never really gets aggressive or pushy, and the malt bill is well-crafted. Probably one of the best Widowmaker beers I've had, but I also think they can do better in the NEIPA realm.

Two more from them coming up at some point today... on opposite ends of the spectrum, though both are interesting.

 

Fantastic weather here in SE Mi. Unfortunately I’m listening to my neighbor having a raging pool party and one of his guests pulls his Ram truck on my lawn! Yea we had words! OK on to beer.
Bells last in the leaves of grass series, Spontaneous Me, an American Wild Ale, I can say I’ve enjoyed all of this series and loves Bells for doing these. Pours a hazy orange with a nicely formed foamy head, plenty of carb pushing up to sustain well. Light funk aroma, very tart with more tart than funk. I’m not well versed on this style, but an enjoyable offering. Cheers mates.

 

Sadly, I do not.

I’ve been to all the states in the USA except for Hawaii, Oregon, Delaware, Rhode Island, and Vermont. What are the odds that two of the five your inquiry named are on my “never been there” list?

 

Return To Broccoli Island. So far my favorite of the Green City beers; I really enjoy NEIPA with papaya and melon flavors and this checks off a lot of boxes for me.

4.58/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

16 oz can, dated 8/25/20, poured into a teku

A- A hazy golden straw with a three finger white head.

S- Citrus, papaya, melons, tropical fruits, touch of bubblegum, a little earthy and dank.

T- Citrus, papaya, honey dew, tropical fruits, earthy, a little dank, hints of lime zest.

M- Smooth, creamy, medium body.

O- This beer hits a great balance and very easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

I don't do a great job of managing my beer inventory. Every once in a while while I'm picking out a new beer for the weekend, I'll find a beer sitting in the fridge that I could swear I must have had before, but then realize I haven't. The Cabin, from Fox Farm is one of these beers. I think I sent one or more of these out in the last NBS BIF, but apparently never consumed the one I kept for myself. With that, let's see what this one brings to the table.

Fox Farm Brewery - The Cabin - Smoked Helles Lager

4.06/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Served at fridge temp and poured into a half liter dimple mug. Pours an extremely clear, bright yellow with two fingers of dense, foamy head that hangs around for quite some time, ultimately leaving behind a nice thin layer with a healthy rim of lacing. Smell is bread & grass and provides hints that this will be a refreshing beer. Taste is a nice crisp, clean lager with just enough smokey flavor to make it interesting, without being overwhelming. Nicely carbonated and this sits on the tongue long after it's gone down the hatch. Another well done beer by Fox Farm.

 

Today will be an “All NBS BIF” NBW for me. The first beer is from our friend @Roy_Hobbs in the just getting started #12.

That’s right, beer being sent before the BIF even starts. That is the sign of a rockstar beer nerd. And the glassware is from our friend @beerloserLI in #4 (fall of 2016). One of my favorite glasses (and breweries, thanks to Brian in that BIF).





4.46/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very hazy pineapple color with a foamy white head that is Velcro clingy, a common attribute for H-F beers in my experience. The nose is dank, spicy, exotic citrus aromas, with pineapple and mango, lychee and white grape. Wow!

The lychee and white grape flavors are up front, providing a really dank, exotic flavor profile that is ubiquitous with Nelson Sauvin hops. The mouthfeel is fairly dry in this APA that is both exceptionally flavorful and refreshing at the same time.

What a magnificent beer from a world-class brewery.

 

As much as I love receiving great beer from around the country in the BIFs, I swear it's even more fun to see other people enjoy beer you were able to share with them. Cheers!

 

Same here. That’s why these BIF’s are so great - you have some pretty high-level beer nerds that are extraordinarily generous trying to share with other beer nerds the beers they enjoy.

That’s a great formula for success, IMHO.

 

I recommend visiting each of those states. I haven't been to Hawaii either..

 

Second to last new beer for tonight... Widowmaker's Kameosa. This is a sake yeast-fermented rice lager with some interesting adjunct ingredients. It features yuzu peels, sakura cherry blossoms, and ginger... I wonder how much any of these things will come out, but we'll see.

The pour is a pale-ish yellow beer with a stable, semi-large head of absolutely bone-white foam that leaves behind fantastic sheets of consistent lace as it settles down to a solid finger. Though the body of this beer is semi-hazy, I can still see the silhouettes of my fingers through the translucence if I hold it to direct light. Good appearance for sure!

I don't think I've ever had a beer quite like this... I think I've only had a few similar things, and of the examples I can think of, they're not even the same beer style. My first point of reference is Stillwater's Extra Dry, a light-bodied saison fermented with sake yeast, and my second is Great Divide's Samurai rice ale (whereas this is a lager). So, I guess I can't quite think of any American-made Japanese-style rice lagers, especially not examples fermented with sake yeast or with these types of adjuncts added. The nose here has a touch of sulfur mixed with hints of citrus, plum, and unusual funk. Slightly grassy with a little bit of an herbal undertone as well. I don't think I'm sold here, especially considering that the added ingredients don't seem to make their presence known much. That said, it could really change on the palate and make this a better drink.

My first few sips are nice and refreshing with a hint of crisp graininess washed out by some floral hops (and potentially the cherry blossom addition) and a touch of spice that might be the ginger addition. This is definitely growing on me, but it's also a bit heavier in body than it probably should be considering the sake yeast fermentation. Sake yeast can ferment close to lager temperatures, and I assume this was actually, ya know, lagered for a bit, so I believe that Kameosa was produced in a fairly orthodox fashion (for what it's worth), but it's still a little heavier than it ought to be. I think they should keep this one closer to a straight 5% honestly. Anyway, after this I still have one more. Should be a suitable end to drinking for the evening... hope it's good! Cheers!

 

Ozark Beer Co.'s Azacca Pale Ale. ABV is unknown; 3.86 overall

Pours a bright, effervescent honey color with a pinky of ivory colored head. Sheets of lacing & good head retention

S: Lemons, green melons

T: Follows the nose, nice breadyness & a little bit of grassyness up front. A little bit of peach, lime & green melon as this warms, along with much dryness & grassy hops. Finishes with dryness, a touch of pineapple, more green melon & grassyness

MF: Medium body & carbonation, decent balance

Easy to drink, decent single hop pale ale, nothing to get worked up about

 

Most likely reviewing American Solera's version later. Maybe it was agreed to be a straight interpetation of the base recipe?

 

#2, courtesy of our beer nerd friend @Roguer in #11. It should be a felony to make a beer this good, IMHO.





4.47/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Pours an onyx black with a dense, dark tan head, this is a gorgeous imperial stout. The nose is OVERWHELMINGLY milk chocolate aromas, and there’s also a significant amount of char and brown sugar, and a smidge of vanilla, which may be masquerading as the coconut.

The milk chocolate and char/brown sugar notes are forward on the taste, and there’s that subtle vanilla note as well. What a flavor thrill ride this is.

The mouthfeel is incredible - thick and creamy, it is more than worthy of the style. What a magnificent beer this is.

 

This was on the shelf at my local. Seems nowadays that the overflow of popular breweries they cant sell wind up their. Ive been to Trillium many times but Im always there to buy cans and I overlook some of these off the beaten path offerings ( although I did buy many bottles when they mainly bottled) . Glad I grabbed this one. Of course no date but this affected the this beer (except for proteins) in ni way. Dynamite brew and I think they have a few more flavors left. I sent one off and Im sure my recipient will enjoy it.

 

Sneaking one more new one before it’s too late...



I like the color of this beer. It’s too dark to be pale but to light to be amber, it has a nice balance to it. No real head retention or lacing on it as I’m drinking through it. It actually has a subtle hoppy aroma to it like a white grape or apple smell to it. Taste is almost sourdough bready with some toffee at the end. Mouthfeel it’s nice and dry I would pretty dry and sort of cider like almost tangy bite. There’s definitely something different about this that I keep trying to figure out. I keep going back to ciderish thing this beer has. Not really sure what it is and it is in now way overpowering. It’s just what I notice unique in to this Oktoberfest. It lists hop extract which I’ve never seen on a German beer before so maybe that’s what I keep picking up. Who knows...I did really enjoy this beer and it went down very fast.

 

Alright... here's my night-cap.



This is a big ol' imperial stout with a ton of added ingredients. Widowmaker collaborated with a local ice cream shop and added... *takes deep breath*... waffle cones, strawberry and banana puree, cocoa nibs, marshmallow fluff, and vanilla beans. Now, I've had a few of this type of beer before (sundae stout/Neapolitan ice cream stout), and I have a very hit-or-miss relationship with them... let's hope Widowmaker does a good job and at least makes this drinkable!

The pour is a rather scary stout pour with a thick, dark, black liquid building up with a medium-mocha head that gets to about two fingers before starting to sink, and it does so slowly. This foam leaves behind a really nice constellation of lace and has awesome legs to boot. So far, I'm impressed... some beers like this suffer due to the adjuncts present, but it seems like this is actually a solid looking beer!

The nose brings in some unusual elements right off the bat... I pick up a huge helping of charred, roasty grains immediately with a bit of coffee (even though there isn't any added), dusty cocoa powder, and strawberry in the background. I'm intrigued by the use of banana puree here, and I'm hoping it doesn't bias the profile to become "dunkelweizen"-like given that style's proclivity towards banana esters. I do get some of the vanilla, as well, but it's pretty much shut out by the intense maltiness and husky, roasted grains. I do also get a fair amount of soy sauce savoriness, though, especially as it warms, which could turn some people off.

On the tongue, BTS has a good amount of roasted grains with a helping dose of cocoa to nail down the "dark" and chocolate-y aspect of a sundae, but the vanilla, banana, and strawberry are somewhat lose in the shuffle. That said, this does somewhat highlight unusual flavors as it warms a bit. The slick, oily, ethanol-laden sips I'm taking are really tough to get to the bottom of, but I think that the light notes of banana and strawberry are pretty well-rendered, all things considered. This is definitely not a beer I'd want more than one can of, that's for sure, and it probably isn't even something that would age particularly well considering the probable volatility of the added ingredients, so it's one of those decently-made one-and-done things.