New Beer Weekend #8

Firestone old man Hatton
...murky brown color
..medium carbonation with an above average body. Has a slick creamy feel which gives it a really nice body
..aroma is scotch, alcohol, dark fruit,malt
...taste is more intense and impressive than the aroma. Malt,spicey apple jam, dark fruit,scotch,molasses.
...its an interesting beer thats jam packed with flavor butafter one its time for a break

 

Happy NBW everyone! My first new beer this weekend is a gift from a friend who was recently in Virginia to see in-laws, and stopped by yesterday when he was in the area. While he was down there he picked up some Aslin and gave me a can of Master Of Karate DIPA.

Notes:

Pours cloudy bright yellow gold with a dense creamy white foam head. Smells like strong musty tropical yellow fruits, pineapple, passionfruit, mango, guava, lemony citrus, grapefruit peel, some light caramelized bready doughy malt, hint of woodsy funk, with dank resinous herbal earthy floral pine. Tastes like juicy tropical mango, pineapple, passionfruit, guava, lemony citrus, grapefruit, light caramelized bready malts, with fairly bitter dank resinous woodsy herbal earthy floral pine. Feels medium plus bodied, pretty soft with smooth moderate carbonation. Overall a real nice Double IPA.

This has a nice tropical fruit profile with passionfruit mainly sticking out to me, though the intensity of aroma and flavors are moderate/medium and not too overly concentrated and intense. The aroma has a dank funk I had a hard time putting my finger or nose on, I said woodsy funk, not sure what it is, I've had another Aslin IPA before that I thought was a little "funky" in aroma. Nothing intolerable though, still a nice tropical flavored DIPA. This isn't opaque or milky, it's cloudy and hazy but I can still see light and my finger waving through it on the other side. This drinks a bit lighter than a NEIPA which I think is good, though I would appreciate a bit more flavor and aroma. This is a good DIPA. Cheers everyone!

 

Came up to the lake (Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire) last night to do a bike ride around the lake this morning. Brought some random beers with me for afterwards, one of which is this can of Das Yummy - Key Lime Pie Style from Oozlefinch. It's a "Berliner weisse ale with Key Lime, Graham Cracker, Vanilla & Lactose". I didn't have great expectations for this given the other "Das Yummy" beer I tried a couple weeks ago underwhelmed me, but this one is actually pretty tasty.

3.79/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a light but murky yellow with a finger of short-lasting head. Smell is, as you might expect, key lime pie and sour. It makes for a funky smell. It probably smells as it should, but it's a bit of an odd aroma. Taste is quite nice with lime & graham cracker making this like drinking dessert. Very little carbonation, but smooth drinking. Solid beer, and good for a sunny mid-September day.

 

Good afternoon NBW, hope everyone is doing well. The last few days have been rough but today seems to be better. Digging into The Referend Un Churn Andalou, thank you @thebeers! This is a 100% spontaneously fermented ale aged two years in sherry butts and blended with honey to referment in the bottle.

4.44/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thank you thebeers for this
750 ml bottle poured into a flute

A- A hazy/murky golden copper with a two finger white head.

S- Sour, lemons, oak, some sherry, honey, funky, slightly herbal.

T- Sour, lemons, funk, touch of pears, oak, sherry, some honey, slightly herbal.

M- Smooth, crisp, light body.

O- A fantastic Lambic, great balance between sour, funk and oak. Honey is a wonderful touch.

Cheers!

 

Two weeks ago on NBS, I posted a review of a hefeweizen from a small German-style focused brewery housed in a restored historical saloon building in St. Paul. Read the post here if you are interested in either the beer, or perhaps more importantly, a bit of the history and restoration of the building.

Today, I am drinking another of their beers:

Waldmann Brewery & Wurstery Pilsener
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: NA



Excellent pilsner aroma, if not too strong. Bready with notes of sweetness.

Beautiful looking beer. Clear bright gold with highly active carbonation, below a 3/4 inch white, thick head with good retention, leaving nice looking lacing. Gorgeous in the footed pilsner glass.

Taste retains the bready malts with the bit of sweetness, and adds a floral, slightly spicy flavor. The initial flavor mild to lightly bitter, with a well-controlled bitterness growing in the middle and continuing into the crisp/sticky finish and aftertaste. The bitterness does tend to grow a bit as you drink, but it is always within bounds.

The body is moderate to a bit sticky, leaving a pleasant coating in the mouth. Nicely effervescent.

Overall, an excellent pilsner, that would rival the best of Germany (at least comparing what is in front of me to my memory - not always without recency bias...).

L: 4.75 | S: 4.0 | T: 4.25 | F: 4.25 | O: 4.25 | Rating: 4.22

I would strongly encourage any MN (or Western WI, if you stray across the river to St. Paul) BAs who enjoy German-styled beer to stop by the brewery, or pick up a crowler at one of several area stores. (They do have a small distribution circle of their beers in crowlers, check out their web site for details.) Sorry if this sounds like a commercial, but I am impressed with their beers.

Grumble, grumble... they stick close to the official Oktoberfest dates, and only make their Oktoberfest beer available at the brewery beginning Friday, so it won't make the Oktoberfest online tasting next weekend. Grumble, grumble.

 

New to me and my first Beer from Surly Brewing Co. and my first from the State of Minnesota, Oktobefest.
In the middle of Marzen and Festbiers, mild flavor but what is there is right on the money.
Prost.



3.79/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12-oz.can (Canned on 8/13/20) into a 16-oz. mug. A moderately strong pour yields a finger of creamy light beige foam with long retention and spots of lace. Clear amber-straw color, yellow-gold in sunlight.

Bready malt, toast, dough and cracker greet the nose with very faint floral hops.

Neutral taste with low bitterness, toasted malt shines. Apple, attempting to be sweet is the only taste other than malt and faint hops. Cracker and toasted malt stand out over bread and dough. The finish is quick, crisp and clean and on the dry side. Bitterness builds to average during the lingering aftertaste.

Medium light bodied and perfectly carbonated. Alcohol is very well hidden. Smooth and session-able, balanced and true to style. Not as dark and sweet as Beers labeled Marzens, not as hoppy as many Festbier. Right in the middle.

 

Next new beer for me is XV (√225 Saison) from BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes) in Switzerland. Found 2 bottles of this while looking through some old beers, with what looks like a best by 2021 date, just in time. I remember hearing that this was really good, and I thought I tried it, I might've had a taste but not a full bottle to rate. I feel better prepared to drink this now having more experience with sour and funky beers than I had a few years ago.



Pours hazy golden amber orange with a fairly dense creamy white foam head. Smells a bit acetic and vinegary, tannic and vinous, acidic with oak wine barrel, tart citrus, sour lemon, leather, phenolic spice, vanilla, banana, apricot, bready grainy malts, with dusty floral earthy herbal hops. Tastes more complex with a bit more depth, acidic tannic oak red wine barrel, touch of vinous cherry, sour lemony citrus, leathery phenolic spice, unripe green banana, apricot, tart apple, pear, toasty bready wheaty cereal grain malts, hint of vanilla, and floral earthy herbal grassy hops. Feels medium lighter bodied, fairly creamy with smooth moderate carbonation. Overall a real nice oak aged slightly sour saison.

This has real nice elegance and complexity, showcasing the Abbay de Saint bon Chien oak barrels well while still remaining simple. Nice saison with mild tartness and complex barrel notes. Cheers everyone!

 

I thought damn I am not sure a I have a beer for Sunday. Then I remembered I had a new beer and its now NBW!
This one is dedicated to my youngest Brother Roger who I lost 6 years ago today. Miss him everyday..
Finback Warm Glow DIPA
Dry hopped with Citra, Nelson, 007 and Belma. I love this combo already...
Pours a turbid gold with a 2 finger eggshell head that settles after a few minutes to a ring with lots of sticky lacing on the glass.
Aroma is ripe melon, orange, lemon, pineapple, cotton candy, kiwi/strawberry, white grape and grass.
Taste follows with notes of citrus, tropicals, sauvignon grapes, strawberry (love that Belma!), watermelon, juicy fruit, green veg, pine.
Feel is medium/full, nice carb throught, very slight alcohol, sweet up front, juicy middle, nicely bitter pine/ rind and green hop finish.
Big juicy, fruity, vinous IPA that hits all the right notes. Very good. Grab it.

 

I might have more than one post in this thread this weekend, if that's allowed—it's fresh hop season and I picked up a few new ones yesterday. Stuck inside not just because of the virus, but now because the sky is a nasty yellowish orange with a persistent (and unhealthy) smoky haze. Might as well make the best of the situation and tick a few brews.

Starting things off with Pert Near from Crux Fermentation Project in Bend, Oregon. I'm still working on my review but here's what I have so far (first impressions are generally right). Overall I'm thinking the hops used here might have been picked prematurely. Not bad but just ... a disappointing start to fresh hop season.

3.5/5 rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

16oz can (canned 8/25/2020) into a tulip. Pours a beautiful, clear golden amber color with a big sudsy white head that leaves behind some nice patchy lacing.

Aroma is really faint pale malt and hops. Not really the powerful fresh hop aroma I was hoping for. It smells fine, just kind of watered down and weak. I might classify this as a pale ale based on the aroma.

Taste, likewise, seems muted, especially for a fresh hop IPA. In fact the grainy, biscuity pale malt almost dominates the hops. Again it's not bad per se—it just doesn't taste like a fresh hop IPA. It doesn't have the lively alpha acids that literally tingle on the palate, that "green" taste that, for me anyway, epitomizes the fresh hop experience. As with the aroma, this strikes me more as a rather bland and average American pale ale.

Mouthfeel is balanced, medium bodied, with a pretty dry clean finish. Pretty standard but good.

Overall a pretty average normal beer but a very subpar fresh hop beer. Canned in late August, I have to wonder if the fresh hops used in this beer just weren't quite ready yet.

 

Next new beer for me this weekend is Bitburger Festbier that I just got ahold of. I've had a few local Oktoberfest beers this year but only Weihenstephaner for a German import. After picking up Ayinger and this new Bitburger, that now changes. This one is a bit different and I like it.

Best by 03.30.2021



This beer pours a clear golden yellow orange with a creamy frothy white foam head. Smells like dark toasted grain, whole wheat bread crust, brown bread, hints of unsweetened toffee, dark caramel, raisin, mild fruity esters like apricot, a touch of spice, with earthy herbal hops. Pretty dark and grainy for a festbier I think but I enjoy it, different than a typical märzen aroma. Tastes a bit dark and sweet but not overly so, nice toasted grainy dark caramel taste, whole wheat bread crust, brown bread, hint of roast, unsweetened toffee, dark amber honey, raisin, mild apricot, with earthy herbal hops. Light char notes linger on the palate. Feels medium-light bodied, rounded and slick with moderate smooth carbonation. Overall a nice and unique Festbier.

This seems a bit more roasty than the usual märzen/festbier, I have no problem with that though since I tend to enjoy the darker märzen style more anyway. Real nice toasted/roast malt profile, lots of toasty bread, dark caramel and toffee flavors, feels like it's going to be sweet but ends up fairly dry and clean tasting. A real nice one that I'm happy to have and look forward to in the future if they continue to make this. Prost!

 

I’d like to see more “international” participation, which was one of the primary reasons given to move to a NBW format from a NBS format - I think we actually have less international participation in NBW than we had in NBS.

 

Three Floyds’ entrance into haze .....





4.1/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This isn’t particularly hazy, and it doesn’t really have the flavor profile or mouthfeel of a NE-style IPA, but it does taste good and sorta straddle that “Juicy/WCIPA” line.

It pours a slightly hazy golden color with a substantial off-white head that tracks nicely down the glass. The nose is dank citrus aromas from what I’m assuming is a Citra/Mosaic hop profile, with ripe tangerine, pineapple, and passion fruit aromas.

The taste has the dank citrus flavors, but the malt flavor is the key to this beer, IMHO, providing a balanced flavor that is really nice. A truly crushable IPA.

The mouthfeel is sorta in between NE-style and WCIPA - a little dry, a little soft. Overall, I think Floyds made a really nice “fridge IPA” here, but it’s not really a NE-style IPA - which is why I wish they hadn’t stuck “Haze IPA” in the name of the beer. That seems a bit misleading, IMHO.

 

A new brewery and beer to me, and apparently to the database (only 14 check in’s on Untappd) - “Playing It Cool” a “West Coast DIPA” at only 7.5% abv, from Unbranded Brewing Company, Hialeah, FL...let’s go!



Three fingers of creamy off white mixed foam sits atop an amber pour; loooong cap retention; medium heavy lacing. Whisper of lemon and caramel malt nose. The taste is toasted caramel malt with a lemon slice; light bitterness; relatively flavorless. Medium minus body; moderate minus carbonation; verging on watery. Overall, not much to say ‘cause there’s not much here...meh.



I really wanted to like this South Florida brew, but alas...

4.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5
Score: 3.56 rDev 0%...I added to data base.