New Beer Weekend #9

Or it had less to do with expectations and more with delivery...don’t get me wrong, it’s a delicious Prairie BA Stout...but the peanut butter aspect falls way short, as you guys kind of dance around...Cheers!

 

3 New Power Classics now at WFM. Happy last week of summer.
Furious | Surly Brewing | IPA | 6.7%
4.33/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
my first review of brewer, glad I finally found it at WFM which has greatly improved its beer selection in 07701.
a) Perfect masuculine hazed dark amber body, supporting eggshell thick, lasting and lacing head.
s) Big, plentiful, hop over scottish malt.
t) Lots of balance with the scots malt, that smoky, woody, peaty, earthy bread feel against the pine, floral, citrus rind, and pepper hop overcast.
f) Plenty of mouth weight and tickle.
o) Deserves its high ranking on BA. Sum greater than parts esp in densely flavored masculine beer akin to Arrogant Bastard in a 6.8% package.

Alpha King | 3 Floyds | APA | 6.66%
4.33/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
2d review of 3 Floyds, 1st of this classic, in my fave APA style. Love to taste vs Dales Pale (my amber APA standard)
a) Pours deep aber clear body, sports eggshell head that lasts and laces. Classic.
s) caramel, strongly pine hopped.
t) Strong bite, citric rind and pine sap bitter hop, over a see-saw caramel, creamy malt base. Sharp marmalade, which despite the pepper is sweet.
f) creamy / bitter which is a nice see-saw feel. Tingly,
o) Equal or better than my APA gold standards such as Dales.

Gumballhead | 3 Floyds | APA-Wheat | 5.6%
4.24/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
3rd from 3 Floyds which is now sold at WFM in 07701. 3 Floyds deservedly well loved.
a) Slight hazy golden body with a thick foam white head that lasts and laces.
s) Hop lemon zest flowers over yeasty wheat french bread.
t) Hops like IPA, lemon flowers and zest, some bubble gum, and french bread baking.
f) Tingly, clean, juicy, silky.
o) Sum greater than the parts, lovely easy summer drinker. Could be a regular.

 

Thank you @Shanex for kicking off NBW 9 / NBS 813! Will try to finish this and the prior week thread over this weekend. Thursday evening was the first time since May it was too cold for shorts. Will warm up again next week, but beginning to get the Winter blues just thinking about the cold and dark approaching soon.

This is a cross post with the online Oktoberfest online tasting. If you have an Oktoberfest or never had one, it is a great place to learn more about the style or offerings you haven't tried yet.

Hacker Pschorr Oktoberfest Marzen (11.2 oz bottle 5.8%), bottle code date 2020 (85th day), BB 03 / 2021.


Appearance: Clear tan bronze color, no carbonation, light soapy off-white head leaves nominal clumpy lacing. 3.25

Aroma: Rich, nice malt and hop aroma, bread and caramel, balanced. 3.5

Taste: Consistent with aroma though much lighter, salty warm bread crusts, balanced, lightly dry. 2.5

Mouthfeel: Flat, no carbonation, light medium body, slightly creamy, slight sweet caramel aftertaste. 2.25

Overall: Would like a fresh beer to determine whether lack of carbonation and light taste the result of six months since bottling. Would not purchase again otherwise. 2.5

Will be back with a local Oktoberfest beer which I am hoping is better, it will surely be fresher.

Looking forward to everyone's reviews and gathering new beer ideas. Prost!

 

Happy New Beer Weekend, BA's!





Narragansett Fresh Catch, American Blonde Ale, 4.2%

Staying with the lobster-theme - poured into my 1970's vintage Red Lobster ale glass:

Look: Golden yellow, frothy white head that lasts, leaving nice sticky rings.
Smell: Balance of smooth malt and floral hops.
Taste: Crackers and dandelions with a squirt of lemon – a tangy bite to it.
Feel: Round and firm with a bright prickly finish.
Overall: A very good blonde ale that I highly recommend.

 

Then I would strongly recommend Sly Fox Oktoberfest to you. That beer does not 'sweeten' when it opens up. All that beer 'says' when you finish the can is: let's have another!!



And the 'bonus plan' is drinking this beer in your Oktoberfest Beer Garden:



https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...9-20-2020-tasting-thread.647249/#post-7033157

Cheers!

 

I’ve had some Ambers that I could drink multiples, but they’re rare. I’m glad I don’t have to explain much , seems in some ways are palates are very similar, although I’ve very narrow to styles. Last summer Sly Fox Pils was my beach week beer, they never disappoint.

 

Founders Mosaic Promise, American Pale Ale, 5.5%

Look: Bright golden, a white head that drops fast, leaving sticky sheets.
Smell: Emits a cloud of mosaic hops that meets you halfway – whoa!
Taste: Thick mosaic hops with enough body to hold them up.
Feel: Sticky hop-feel with a nice balance, small and slippery.
Overall: An outstanding pale ale that I highly recommend!

 

Dale, at the risk of 'putting words in your mouth' what you enjoy is an Amber Lager/Oktoberfest that has a very dry finish. The dry finish provides 'drinkability', it does not provide a satiating feeling. These sorts of beers exclaim: drink some more!!

As a counter-example of an Amber Lager which is not dry enough for my palate is Yuengling Traditional Lager. I have enjoyed a pint of Yuengling Traditional Lager from time to time but after finishing that beer I really do not desire a second one. In contrast when I drink a Yuengling Lord Chesterfield or a Yuengling Golden Pilsner I do want to drink a second beer after the first.

We all have our own unique palates and our own unique preferences in what we seek in a given beer style.

Cheers!

Cheers!

 

Many thanks @Shanex for getting us off and running this weekend!

Basically stuck indoors for the past month due to poor air quality from the wildfires, I was surprised how excited I was that I could actually go outside again and tackle some projects in the roof. And I hate home repair/improvement, its time I'd rather spend in the mountains.

Well now that all the ash is washed off the solar panels I'll reward myself with a brew...though partly to lessen the pain of watching the OKState Cowboys look like dog sh!t in their first game of the year.

New to me today is Panoramic from North Park Beer Co from San Diego. Ordered a shipment of brew from them after seeing their Strata wet hop available in cans. More on that one later today...



Can with indistinguishable date but legible "Simcoe&Mosaic" into a nonic pint.

A: Vibrant golden with 1+ finger of white variable density head with moderate retention and left limited mixed lacing.

S: Pleasant (but a bit mute) nose, floral and tropical, citrus shows as it warms.

T: Follows nose well but with more citrus prominence. Finishes with moderate bitterness and slight acidity, both linger pleasantly on the palate as it slowly drys.

F: Low-medium bodied with medium-high carbonation, slightly lively on the tongue, slick on the swallow.

O: A delicious modern west coast APA. Will gladly grab again, but it doesn't dethrone Alesmith's .394 as my favorite San Diego APA.

BA score = 4.21, rev = +4 2%

Be back later with some fresh hop deliciousness.

 

Good morning, NBW humans!

Other Half's double dry hopped All Together is my first new beer of the weekend.

16oz can served in a pint glass. I don't see a date on it. Gifted to me by @mr-jj. Probably purchased on Tavour.

Pours a hazy pale yellow with a big fluffy head, which collapses moderately slowly and leaves interesting thick webwork on the sides. Lots of fine, slow carbonation. Smell is grapefruit pith, juice, hop resin.

Taste is along the same lines. Leans toward citrus, I get some fairly clear orange juice flavors out of it.

Mouthfeel is thick and surprisingly effervescent. I like this beer.

On on!

 

Poured into a 13 oz Nordic glass canned on 8/17/2020. Pours a cloudy orange with a finger sticky white head that leaves thick patches of lace with solid retention. 4

Smell mango, passionfruit, peach, pine, and grapefruit rind. 4

Taste follows tropical up front mango, passionfruit, peach, with some apricot, pine, and grapefruit in the lip smacking finish. 4.25

Mouthfeel is medium, plenty of life, not really sticky or dry, and at 7.2% drinks easy with plenty of flavor. 4.25

Overall around $10 a 6 pack this series is always a great choice. Another nice brew from OB. 4

 

Next up is Fort George's Cathedral Tree, a barrel fermented pilsner.

16oz can served in a can-shaped glass. Dated 06/29/20.

Pours clear golden with a big fluffy head that doesn't last long. Not a lot of visible carbonation, at least not while it's at rest. Smell is lager yeast, a little barley tea, a little oak, and moderate grassy/lemony aroma.

Taste is rich and full -- lots more (but not overwhelming) lager yeast flavor. Barley / husk flavor. More oak bitterness. Grassy and lemony is clearer. None of it is too much, all of it is nice.

Mouthfeel is very dry. Overall, I really like this beer. I think the oak comes across nicely, complements the pilsner profile well.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned on 8/3/2020. Pours a hazy orange with a half finger sticky white head that leaves big streaks of lace, solid retention. 4

Smell is very faint melon, tangerine, apricot, peach, and grapefruit really weak and slightly muddled. 3.5

Taste is bigger and more assertive honeydew, tangerine, peach, apricot, and grapefruit. 3.75

Mouthfeel is big, fairly soft carbonation, a tad sticky but not dry, and at 8% it goes down easy enough. 3.75

Overall nothing really bad, but very happy I only purchase the single can. Maybe the malt dominated the hop profile a bit, solid brew. 3.75

 

Good Saturday afternoon, everyone. I usually wait til Sunday for NBW posts but I just reviewed Carton Brewing's Festy for the online Oktoberfest thread. This brew Is billed as a "traditional" Festbier and it drinks like a Vienna Lager. It's light in color and body, dry, with lemon, biscuit, and earthy, grassy Tettnanger and Strisselspalt hops. For those who don't like too much caramel sweetness in a Märzen, this is your kind of Festbier.

Here's my full review:

3.9/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Canned on 9/3/2020. Poured into a seidel mug. It pours a slightly hazy, honey-lemon color with a half finger of creamy, bright white head and lacing. Myriad tiny bubbles ascend the glass. A lite nose with lemon peel, biscuit, and spicy hops. The taste opens dry, crisp, and slightly tart. The Pils malt is very clean - it avoids the overly sweet caramel found in many local Märzens. The Tettnanger and Strisselspalt hops are earthy, grassy, floral, and slightly spicy. As the beer warms there is just a hint of honey. The mouth feel is lite and crisp with lively carbonation, and the 5.5% ABV is perfect for the style. Overall, Festy achieves Carton's stated desire to brew a traditional festbier. It reminds me of a Vienna Lager. A very fine beer as one would expect from Carton.

See you all tomorrow. Cheers, NBW!

 

Opening up an old can of Fair State Roselle that @Vidblain sent me a while ago. With it being a sour it got lost in the shuffle and I just remembered about it looking for something new to drink.

4.06/5 rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz can poured into a tulip

A- A fairly clear reddish orange with a two finger pink head.

S- Tart, hibiscus, some citrus, a little earthy.

T- Sour, floral, citrus, hibiscus, hints of some sweet grains, a little earthy.

M- Smooth, light to medium body.

O- Over two years old and still a tasty hibiscus sour. Love how the floral and tart flavors work together.

Cheers!

 

I liked it just fine, and was happy it wasn't more peanut butter forward.

 

Hey everyone, I'll be back with a Festbier later on with my German dinner and all the Oktoberfest fun, but for now, Fall. Its not quite fall yet, but it felt like mid-fall here this morning. Fall is this coffee stout from Maine Brewing and its only 5.6% . I figured its a good starter on this cooler-than-lately afternoon.

3.86/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 1/2 liter bottle dated 09/08/2020 to a diagonal-cut tumbler.
The pour produces a 1/2" frothy light brown head of mixed-sized bubbles. Head settles to a film within a few minutes but yields only medium to light lacing. Body is black and only shows brown-red with 3/4" remaining in the glass. Body does not want to coat the glass when swirled.
The smell from the pour is dark-unsweetened chocolate with just a hint of coffee.
The taste brings more coffee out, but the bitter chocolate is fighting with it. I do love a bitter stout and this is one.
Unfortunately the mouthfeel leaves a lot to be desired. Thin as water. The only high point is the micro carbonation. For some reason the effervescence seems finer than most beers, but its pleasing.
Overall pretty good, but there are definitely more amazing coffee stouts out there. However, its kind of a star at 5.6% if you want a bitter stout for those times when you don't have the alcohol budget for an imperial one.

 

Glad to be here this weekend, I'll admit I rarely find myself drinking new and interesting beers on the weekends these days. This afternoon I'm having Fremont brewing's barrel aged Darkstar, 2019 edition. Poured into my favorite snifter, it's a midnight, motor oil black, with a wispy brown head that quickly disappears. The nose is everything a good imperial stout should be, sweet chocolate and malts, with a strong oak and vanilla backbone, followed with oats and a touch of licorice in the background. Whoever selected the barrels for this beer deserves a raise, I can scare remember another beer with such perfectly balanced bourbon notes. The feel is just as balanced, sticky and sweet without being overpowered. Overall it's another homerun from Fremont, I just wish their beers weren't nearly nonexistent on the east coast.