New Beer Weekend #8

The fruitiness of them is very appealing

 

I finally had a chance to sit down and have a beer this weekend, with a late supper. Tonight it was Town Brewing’s Couch Full of Dads IPA.



Pours a dull, opaque but bright straw gold. Moderate head that dissipates slowly. Unattractive in the way a hazy IPA is supposed to be.

The aroma is bright and tropical. A melange of tropical fruit.

The taste follows the aroma. Lots of mango, papaya, etc on the tongue. Mellow.

The body is a little thin, but not too much so.

Overall a decent beer from a brewery that is really improving. I look forward to trying the imperial version of the same beer next.

Cheers.

 

Hop-A-Tronic Lupulositor from River North.

12oz can served in a wine glass. Dated 08/07/20, though I'm not 100% confident in my ability to read the stamp. Gift from @mr-jj.

Pours moderately hazy, light amber. Head is medium sized, fades slowly, leaves a sheet of lacing (at least early on). Smell is bright and fruity, though I can't pinpoint the fruit, it might be somewhere between orange and pineapple.

Taste is tropical juice, mango and pineapple. Light bitterness. Approaches but does not cross the border of too sweet (for me, right now).

Mouthfeel is medium-light, dry. Overall, pretty good.

 

Next up: Town Brewery Double Couch Full of Dads. This is the imperial version of my last beer.



This pours an opaque but bright straw gold. The head is fulsome and spends a good deal of time in the glass.

Broad tropical fruit notes dominate the aroma. Strong and inviting.

Loads of tropical fruit on the tongue. Sweeter than it’s younger brother, but not by too much.

Full mouth. Creamy.

An improvement on the single version. Everything is enhanced in comparison. A very nice beer.

 

Glad you like it. I'm not usually into stronger sours, but this one is a particular darling to me.

 

Well Hello Late Night NB(S)W.

Well the air quality has been for scheisse lately. It's amazing how much material a wildfire can put into the air of a whole region. And I pray for those in Central and Northern California, and particularly for Oregon who is facing an absolute onslaught.

As for beer, my first for this evening was a bit disappointing. Nothing terrible, but nothing to seek out.

Halley's Comet Hazy Ipa from Mike Hess Brewing, Miramar, CA

12 oz can canned on 8/26/20
Golden hazy swirl. Solid fluffy white head jumps out strong at 2+ fingers in height, slowly tapers off to a thin, scattered film. Decent retention, especially along the edge of the glass. Clumpy lacing.
Smell starts off inviting. Citrus and mango. So far so good. A hint of pine resin comes through that gives way to a little grapefruit pith. But about a minute or so later, a sulfur note pops in. It kind of builds, then thankfully backs off, but never fully disappears.
Flavor begins with a tropical melange of mango and orange, then gets a creamy sweet note that almost instantly drops off to a gristy feel/flavor.
Mouthfeel is lite and a tad fluffy. Moderate carbonation.
Overall, a loosely defined "hazy." Not a ringing endorsement I know, but although not bad, I won't seek it out again.
3.18/5 rDev -7.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

 

I can't imagine. My brother lives 2 states away now. And it's rough at times.

 

Good to see you again Darwin.

 

Yeah, I keep walking by that one. I like coffee beers. I love IPA's. But I don't get mixing. Kind of like sour IPA's. Why The F?

 

Cheers, Dave. Glad you got to have a Great American Beer in your glass WITH US!

 

Sorry that I failed to reply last time, when you asked about me joining the BIF this round.

My wife and I have experienced some difficult times associated with COVID. So, unfortunately, this is one round that I'll have to sit out. Otherwise, I'd be absolutely down to do some destruction. The first BIF I participated in, I was learning the rules, and I didn't destroy everyone's porch the way I wanted. But I learned. I evolved (I'm allowed to say that)...slowly. (HAHA...)

When these times change, so will my participation in the BIF, and I'll be rearin' and ready to go.

Appreciate the encouragement.

 

I have sipped gueuze very few times in my life. Which is strange for someone who loves Belgians. I plead guilty to the charge of neglect, Your Honors, and promise to do right by this wonderful style going forward. I thought that gueuze would be a great style for my first ever NBW post.

Lindemans Cuvee Rene. Enjoyed some as an aperitif, then the rest with salmon dinner. A lovely match (Garret Oliver tipped me off. Gawd I love his Brewmaster’s Table book.) Like a squeeze of lemon on the fish. The carbonation cutting through the fat. The funky flavors that stand up to a big bad fish like salmon.

4.68/5 rDev +13.3%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Big bottle. Served in a wine glass. Bottle code is L BG07PGC. Pretty sure that means bottled in 2016, maybe on Feb 7, but there seems to be an extra character (the first G) that doesn’t make sense. I don’t know why one should be forced to try to decode so many different bottling date formats. Just put the damn date on the label! But I digress.

Appearance: Clear orange/golden hues, topped by a gorgeous dense small bubble foam. A visual delight.

Smell: Lemon zest, microflora funk

Taste: Quite lemony, to the point of being pleasantly puckery. Hay, earth, flowery. Wonderfully complex, which each sip evoking different flavors.

Mouthfeel: Light, fizzy. Coats the tongue with a lemony essence.

Overall: A mouth-watering beer, a testament to the skills of lambic production and blending. A wonderful beer to pair with oily fish, many cheeses, sausages and more. At around 14 bucks a big bottle, this beer is an incredible value, and widely available. If you’re serious about beer, try a gueuze like this. Gueuze, the Champagne of Belgium!



image hosting

 

All right...this will be my last new beer of the weekend.

I have, over the last couple years, developed a new and devout respect for Skookum. They have figured shit out, and they are hitting home runs.

I have, over the last couple months, decided I should try more lagers, and I've been enjoying it.

So I was excited today when I was found a pilsner, Brumation, from Skookum.

16oz can served in a wine glass. Dated 04/27/20. I honestly don't know if I should expect a pilsner to retain goodness that long.

Pours a mostly clear golden amber with a fairly large head that collapses and leaves some sparse lacing. Smell is grainy and grassy, very nice.

Taste is moderately grainy, very light lager yeast, lots of grass. I'm convinced that 5 months is OK.

Mouthfeel is light and dry. Overall, this is really enjoyable.