New Beer Weekend #9

Foolery IPA from 2 Toms.

16oz can served in a tulip. No date that I can see. Gift from a friend.

This is one of the ugliest beers I've ever poured. It looked like a gray mixture with black sand in it during the pour. I seriously was saying "What the f*ck am I pouring in this glass? What in the good god damn is this?" It gives a purplish-dark-gray color now that it's poured. Head was medium sized and also slightly grayish. It does not look appetizing. I hate to give it a terrible score for look, but that's my honest opinion, regardless of the brewer's intention. Smell is citra hops, bright and loud. Don't look at it when you smell it, it smells nice.

Taste is more muted than the aroma, more grass and greens with a little bit of a citrus note. i get some lemon, too. I think it might be aging poorly, I get some musty old hay flavor that I usually associate with that.

Mouthfeel is medium to light, could use a bit more carbonation. Overall...it's not a terrible beer, but it's genuinely ugly to me and it's not great.

 

Congrats, Ian!

 

Happy NBW everyone!

Figured I'd just do one post for my new beers. Yesterday's new beer was Hoppin Frog's Den Haag English Style Imperial Old Ale aged in bourbon barrels: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/14879/455644/?ba=bluejacket74#review



It was a pretty tasty beast of a beer at 16.8%, still boozy but not as much as I expected. But after drinking a bomber of it, I could tell it was that strong!

Today's new beer was BrewDog USA's Paradox Middle West, a 14% imperial stout aged in Columbus' Middle West Spirits bourbon barrels. Think this one was an Ohio only release.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16315/507159/?ba=bluejacket74#review




Both brews were pretty good, worth trying if you come across either one of them. Cheers!

 

Watching US Open and drinking a Cart Horse, Old Nation IPA in the man cave, a hazy one, little head, smells of sweet fruit, huge pineapple, orange, mango, papaya, taste follows, very smooth, little bitterness on the back end. Killer IPA if you like em hazy and fruity.

 

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass canned 09/03/2020. Pours a hazy yellow orange with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Smell peach, mango, pineapple, and apricot. 4

Taste follows mango, peach, pineapple, and apricot. 4.25

Mouthfeel is medium, soft gentle carbonation, not dry or sticky, and 5.6% drinks closer to 6.5% but goes down insanely easy. 4.25

Overall this is an excellent rather sessionable NEAPA. 4.25

 

Cross-posted in Oktoberfest online tasting thread.....Tines, from Fox Farm. I'm sure I have some ratings bias towards Fox Farm, which may be offset by the fact that I'm not in much of a mood to drink today, after having thrown back a few last night.

Overall verdict.....another good FF beer. For me, this beer is exactly what it should be. The type of beer you want to enjoy with friends, and you want the wait staff to keep bringing refills of as soon as you polish the last one off.

4.13/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Deep yellowy / gold color with two fingers of glorious, foamy head that lasts and lasts. For me, appearance of this beer is spot on for the style. Aroma is bread & malt, and automatically evokes memories of sitting under beer tents drinking many beers of this style. Taste largely follows the nose...malt, bread, just a little bit of bitterness on the tail end. Crisp & clean Medium bodied & fairly smooth overall.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned on 8/25/2020. Pours a very attractive hazy orange with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves thin webs of lace with excellent retention. 4.25

Smell is lemon, tangerine, hints of coriander, and grapefruit rind. 3.75

Taste is bigger and better lemon, tangerine, coriander, and grapefruit nicely balanced and tasty. 4

Mouthfeel is a solid medium, maybe a little dry, plenty of life, and at 6.5% extremely easy drinking. 4

Overall this is a nice NEIPA, not amazing but I would drink again. 4

 

Erdinger Oktoberfest Weissbier
ABV: 5.7%
IBU: 27



What follows are actually my tasting notes from my second of these. The first one was so disappointing I poured a second, into a second glass, just to be sure I didn't somehow have either a bad beer or a not completely clean glass. The second was only slightly better than the first, so now that you know what to expect, here goes.

It has the weißbier look: some haze, golden yellow, an upward avalanche of bubbles to a very tall, thick, creamy head with excellent retention, leaving a rocky, uneven surface as it recedes. Little to no lacing.

Weak aroma; hard to pick up anything distinctive. Like a fresh breeze as much as anything.

Taste is better, but still subdued. The iconic weißbier flavors are there, but quite weak; some spice, hints of banana, solid body. There seems to be some attempt at bringing more of a märzen malty flavor, but I have to try hard to imagine it is there. In other words, the attempt was not successful. What I seem to be left with is a weißbier with subdued flavor with a bit of a maltier foundation.

Overall, while this beer was drinkable enough, it just seems to me to be a less weiß weißbier. This is not what I would expect from one of the premier brewers of weißbier in the world. In a word, disappointed.

L: 4.0 | S: 2.75 | T: 3.0 | F: 3.75 | O: 3.25 | Rating: 3.13

 

One more while I wait to see if the Bolts can hold on to beat da Chiefs.

Moksa's Angry Grandpa, an unfiltered West Coast DIPA. Citra and Simcoe hops at 8.8%



Can dated A Little Bitter Than The Rest 09/17/20 into a goblet glass.

L: Pours hazy dirty orange bronze with 1 finger of low-density eggshell white head with limited retention and hints of spotted lacing.

S: Nose is tropical forward, with dank elements hiding underneath. Plenty of passionfruit and pomegranate.

T: More equal balance between the tropical and dank aspects, some added citrus. Finishes with moderate bitterness and some astringency and acidity, astringency lingers.

F: Medium bodied with medium-high carbonation, tongue burns a bit from alcohol and tingles from carbonation/acidity, slick on swallow.

O: There's aspects I really like and some I can do without. I think I'd like it better with 1% less ABV, think it would have more dynamic character and be more rounded in its 'edges'.

Did love the name and label (even with their simplistic graphics). Though I think the walker is pointed in the wrong direction of travel for the blood streaks...unless grandpa is dragging it from the scene of the crime.



BA score = 3.98, rev = -2.9%

 

How much of an attention ***** do I have to be to post the same beer in 3 places.wasnt going to but this was a pleasant surprise
..jersey girl oktoberfest
...cloudy amber
..medium light body but has a bit of a slick,thick feel that I often associate with wheat beers
..aroma is malty,dark bread,, floral citrus wildflower honey
..taste is mildly sweet with an equally mild hop finish. Dark bread and floral citrus honey. Caramel and a little earthy
..realy nice attempt at a style from a jersey breweryu

 

Local leaders/ACLU organized a vigil for RBG, was planning on going with the wife but she wants to stay in and watch the stream of the event. Raising a glass of Dark Horse Bourbon Barrel Aged Scotty Karate aged 5 years, thanks @FlintB!
4.29/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle, 2015, poured into a tulip

A- A murky brown with a small tan head.

S- Caramel malts, bourbon, dark fruits, leather, a little smoky, earthy, some oak.

T- Caramel/toffee, bourbon, dark fruits, some leather, oak, earthy, faint hints of smoke in the finish.

M- Smooth, medium to full body.

O- A tasty Scotch ale, for being 5 years old it aged wonderfully.

Might come back with some notes on the 2016 bottle I have later, see how I feel. Stay safe everyone, cheers!

 

My first new beer of the weekend. Earlier today I walked down to my local growler station and picked up three crowlers of fresh hop beers I've had trouble finding—so many new fresh hop beers coming out in Washington and Oregon, it's hard to keep track and probably impossible to try them all. Here we have Reuben's Brews Fresh Hop Crikey.

My review so far below (subject to some minor revisions as I finish the crowler, as I watch the Seahawks-Patriots game). Now time to go grill some brats. Cheers!

4/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

32oz crowler (just filled today) into a tulip. Pours a crystal clear golden color with a big monstrous head (my fault for an overly aggressive pour).

Aroma is dank, tropical fresh hops: pineapple, maybe some mango and peach, also some pine. Simcoe is unmistakable. Pretty resinous.

Taste is much lighter on the palate. Pale sweet malt and bright tropical Simcoe hops. Nicely balanced. This is an old-school West Coast IPA, which I like.

Mouthfeel is balanced, a touch heavier than some of the other fresh hop beers. Seems a contradiction that it's lighter on the palate but has a heavier mouthfeel, I have to think that must have something to do with the balance between the malt and hops.

Overall a well-built, classic West Coast IPA, but I can't say that I could have picked this out of a lineup of IPAs as a fresh hop.

 

Another cross-post from the Oktoberfest tasting thread, I’m going two-fisted to try the beer from both a “traditional” dimpled glass and a stein. Note: the beer is better from the dimpled glass, IMHO.







4.19/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This pours a beautiful golden copper color, not a spec of haze in sight, with a sudsy pearl white head. “Looking the part” is a big part of the beer experience for me, and this checks all the Marzen boxes.

Bready notes that lean to wheat bread are prominent on the nose, and there’s also some caramalt and nutty aromas that again check the Marzen boxes.

What pleases me most, though, is that this beer stayed the course and didn’t get too sweet (for my palate), which I appreciated. The nutty flavor was definitely playing sweetness goalie.

The mouthfeel was medium and in the crisp side. I think Founders nailed this - I was leery of buying a 15-pack (I rarely buy 12-packs anymore, never mind a 15-pack), but I may need to secure another of these because it’s a perfect fall beer, IMHO.

PS: the stein features “Great Outdoor Dogs.” Here’s a pic of our great outdoor dog Ranger enjoying his “Happy Hour” (a Frosty Paw, AKA “Doggy crack”). We love this doggo so much.

 

I'm also jumping back into the fray with yet another cross-post from the Oktoberfest tasting as these were both new-to-me beers. Now that I've exhausted my tasting beers, I may still be able to switch gears and squeeze one more entry in tonight. We'll see what happens.

The first round today continued the festivities with Ayinger's Oktober Fest-Marzen. I was excited for this one because of all of the high praise I've been seeing for it around here. It poured a beautifully clear amber with a large fluffy white head. The lacing began clinging to the glass before I could take my first sip. The aroma was all bread dough and malt. The taste was exceptionally clean with more bread, malt, and only a touch of grassy hops at the end. The carbonation was visibly tame, but that lent to a somewhat creamier mouthfeel than yesterday's selections. This was much more in line with Hacker Pschorr's marzen, but taken to the next level of refinement. Very nicely done.

4.12/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

To wrap up the tasting I turned to Penn Brewery's Oktoberfest. I deliberately saved this one for last to see how it could hang with Weihenstephaner, Hacker Pschorr, and Ayinger. While a good beer, it simply could not measure up to the others. The head was thin and there was no lacing to speak of. The taste showcased the malt, but there was a lingering aftertaste that I found unpleasant. My favorite characteristic was the aroma. I found it to be one of the more complex that I encountered this weekend, but it wasn't enough to elevate it to the same level as the imports. Don't get me wrong, this was still a tasty Oktoberfest but not in the same league as the others.

3.8/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

 

As promised yesterday I am back, and on the road in Warroad at Lake of the Woods Brewing.
https://m.imgur.com/gallery/9MBAk8m
Oktoberfest- 5% ABV

Fairy standard Oktoberfest. Fairy malty. Also fairy easy drinking beer. I do like it sitting at the top of the lower 48, just 5 miles from Canada.

Review link
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32446/508786/

Maybe more later.

 

Hey everyone and what's going on as usual!?

Had a wonderful weekend,... so it's all downhill after this... right? ok well...

Spent a lot of time in the Oktoberfest thread, so I am not double posting some of those weekend beers, sticking to some new goodies and leaving the fest to the fest thread! Come on down and see us!

With that said, it was time to get back into one of my locals. Overdue, and glad to be back to mix it up again. What's new for our hero today!?

Astro Lab Brewing Co. - SPF 150 - American Pale Ale, probably I would call this an exceptional New England Pale Ale buy anyway...



Poured from the can into a nonic pint glass.

Deep pale yellow body color, quite hazy and opaque but not getting into turbid. Real big fluffy white topped cap. Head reaches an easy controlled four fingers in height with a real creamy whipped retention, and lots of ring like lacing.

Real nice hop nose. Touches floral and citrus tones, with some real unique character. Hits a touch spicy pine as well, but has this real perfume like aroma. Fairly neutral malt and yeast presence that let''s the hop aroma shine.

Real exceptional palate. Juiced and nearly creamy feeling texture on the tongue. First sip is a good wash of hop flavors, juiced light citrus and perfumed floral hops in a thick almost dank bouquet. Earthy light spicy finish on the aftertaste, with a hint of light sweetness. Creamy NE like backbone, but without the large ABV and sweetness, sticking to pale ale territory.

Really well made pale ale here, very well done. Truly feels and tastes like a proper NE Pale Ale.

look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4. | 4.39/5

Cheers!

 

Never lurked.. first time poster.. be gentle..
Spent Saturday in the Tampa area and went to a great new Brewery. Double Branch Artisanal Ales
The head brewer came from Barn Town in Iowa. (damn good beer).
And DB does not disappoint. The was a flight if yo will... 3 ipas on the left and a line of fruited Berliners across the table.

http://www.dbaa.com/




This tasted just like the Cocktail. Was amazing.



This is the closest thing I have had to an Answer Joose outside of The Answer.

 

Okay, I’m feeling up for one more. The 2016 is pretty similar, but it does seem there was more active yeast in this. Carbonation is higher, more dark fruits are present, a little more leather and not really any smokiness. 2015 definitely seems like a better batch, not saying I would rate the 2016 drastically lower but I would probably knock the nose down to 4 and overall to 4.25, cheers!