New Beer Weekend #11

Thank you @EMH73 this very tasty Suarez While Helles. I have to echo what @Roy_Hobbs said about this wonderful brew!

4.36/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thank you EMH73 for this
16 oz can poured into a mug

A- A fairly clear golden straw with a two finger white head.

S- Sweet bread, touch of honey, slightly herbal/floral, dough, touch of lemon.

T- Dough, sweet bread, hints of honey, some pear, touch of lemon, herbal.

M- Smooth, crisp, light body.

O- A great and very easy drinking Helles.

Cheers!

 

Lakefront oktoberfest
...clear orange amber color
...medium bodied and about the same for carbonation.
..aroma is caramel,malt,soft sweet bread, a sweet sugary aroma as well
..taste is mildly sweet with a feint ,really feint hop bite in the end. Sugary malt, sweet bread caramel
...its a really nice attempt at the style,one I wouldn't mind having a few of

 

My pleasure Larry, glad you enjoyed.

 

I think that's your 1,001st beer on Beer Advocate. Missed your 1,000th, apparently. Wait, that's not right...your 1,001st beer is registered, but several days ago, and certainly not this beer.

Congratulations? Cheers? Whatever. Well done!

 

Prairie Snickerdoodle Vanilla Noir BA Imperial Stout, 14.4% ABV. Pours black with the typical Prairie ring of light brown bubbles instead of real head. Nose is vanilla and cinnamon, taste follows, moderate sweetness, slight bitterness, some bourbon burn. Excellent mouthfeel if a bit under-carbonated. Overall world-class. Reminiscent of Oskar Blues/Cigar City Bamburana, but I still prefer Bamburana.

4.52/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Nice fall day. Just got back from watching a friend and fellow instructor test for his 7th degree black belt, went well.

 

Greetings NBW! It was a gorgeous day in our area, and my wife and I took full advantage of it by visiting our son up at UConn this afternoon, picking apples and taking in the NE autumnal feel of the place.

I'm home now and it's my great pleasure to continue to partake of the great deal of new WA state beers sent via the amazing generosity of @beertunes for our own recent BIF #12:

First up is Boundary Bay Harvest Rye Autumnal Ale, perfectly fitting for my day.

I'm digging it, and can definitely pick out some evocative qualities. Overall it's drinking like a particularly spiced ESB; and between the spiciness of the rye and complementary Fuggle aroma it's no wonder. The malt here is beefy, with an additional drizzle of caramel, with noticeable residual sweetness, yet those still only play a supporting role to the spice and fruit. Overall it's kind of like a rustic cocoa-tinged apple strudel muffin. But the beauty is the finish, where a massive wave of citrus peel crashes in, keeping those dessert qualities from getting out of hand, and reminding you that you have an ale in your glass, dammit! An enjoyable A- (4.0).

 

Well, Fresh Hop season is kind of winding down, but there's still some new hits to be had. Hellbent Brewing's Strata FH IPA: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/40790/508573/?ba=beertunes#review

 

My turn. Had this at dinner as I wasn't expecting much, after all, the can nearly failed in shipping, so what could be left of the original? Icarus Brewing Kalashnikoffee RIS
Got this (and *many* others) from one @MacMalt in a current BIF and due to its altered condition, I didn't let it sit for long. The carbonation was largely gone, but the aroma and flavor were absolute stellar. I may be in a minority in this, but I don't generally like bitterness in my stouts, and this didn't have any. At all. Wondrous malts, coffee and honey melded into this very drinkable beverage. I was half way through when I noticed the ABV - 14.5 Whoa, so much for working with the table saw after dinner!
The only down side is that it isn't available around here so trying it from an unaltered can is doubtful anytime soon. But a guy can dream can't he?

 

Just got to CA and hope to finally try this beer, possibly at the source. Always a little skeptical when a Heady comparison is made, but that label art seems a pretty clear homage to the Heady can, so maybe it’s deliberate?

 

Yards Philthy ipa
...cloudy hazy murky orange
...medium carbonation with about medium body
...arima ismixed citrus peel and fruit,sweet orange juice, a little bitter earthy hops
...taste is mildly sweet, mixed citrus peel and fruit.some hop burn in the middle and lingers.
...overall it was really an enjoyable beer from an excellent brewery. Lot of juice in the flavor but earthy bitter hop taste kept it perfectly in checkpost a picture

 

Sorry, I'm still working on posting pictures. Hopefully this works.
Several local beer stores had several beers from Foam Brewers this past week. Luckily, I was able to pick up a mixed 4 pack. This will be my first taste of any beer from Foam. The first beer I tried was Dead Wax. This is a 6.8 % single IPA. The can was dated 9/17/2020, so it was pretty fresh.
It pours a hazy light orange color with a white head that dissipates slowly. The small was very citrusy, mostly grapefruit and orange peel. The taste matches the smell, with a nice dry finish. 10 minutes after finishing the beer, I can still taste oranges. I'm a little bummed that I only had 1 of these, as it was really tasty, and the lower ABV was very nice.

Cheers

 

I’ve had like 9 new beers this weekend. I’m outta control.

 

Next up from @beertunes is Double Mountain's Killer Red, a fresh hop ipa

When I think of the American small brewery renaissance in its early days, this is the kind of beer that's elemental to it all. Big caramel but even bigger hops, all fermented with a highly attenuative neutral yeast that lets those ingredients shine through.

And boy howdy this brings me back. The real secret to these beers all along has been freshness; otherwise the caramel takes over and the fine balance (yes, I mean that ) is undone. What a pleasure it was to finally drink them as meant to be when I made my first excursion to the PNW all those years ago. So yeah, it;s bringing me back to those days.

There's such an intense evergreen bitterness here, it's amazing. Naturally there's a counterbalance of almost thick and syrupy nutty caramel going on, but it's just a platform. The spotlight is on those hops: piney, spicy (uncannily like ginger), punchy kumquat and a smidge of maraschino cherry.

And even better, it's getting much more enjoyable and complex with every sip. As I acclimate to the initial intensity other nuances seem become clearer. A very lovely old-school A (4.4).

 

Prairie Weekend



4.46/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12 ounces bottlled on 2/17/2020. Poured into a DFH tulip. Black body capped by a small light tan head. Smell was of vanilla, chocolate, coconut and I'm sure there's some marshmallow too. Taste mirrors the smell with a pleasantly understated alcohol presence. Mouthfeel was full but a little less chewy than I was expecting. Another balanced imperial stout from Prairie which I don't thing aging would improve.

 

One more Oktoberfest, Loptoberfest by Lops Brewing Company of scenic Woonsocket RI. Brand new to BA and brewery fresh. Prost.



3.42/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

A sturdy pour from a 32-oz "Piglet" produced a finger of tan soapy foam that collapsed into a creamy cap. Clear amber color, orange-amber if bright light.

Candy sweetness greets the nose ahead of bread and dough. Very faint general hop smell.

Semi-sweet with low bitterness from hops and maybe added spice. Light taste of apple cider, the malt has some toasted character that is balanced by non-caramel sweetness. Tea and toasted wheat appear with a hint of mixed fruits. The finish is fast but not crisp, flavors drop off quickly. A mild astringent alcohol taste and mild bitterness linger.

Light bodied with soft, lasting carbonation. Smooth and well suited for a session. A bit light on taste and body, great looks. This Beer would do better as an Amber Lager. Brewery fresh and enjoyable but not very true-to-style.

 

You captured something really special in words right there.

 

Busy day, little beer drinking, now settling in with a new to me beer from the Tavour box - “Rhino Suit”, Alesong Brewing & Blending, Eugene OR. Bottled 11/19. Aged in Heaven Hill barrels:



Poured at 56 degrees; anthracite black with ruby edges; creamy beige with rocky top; ok cap retention; heavy ring and sudsy lacing; medium legs on swirl. Bourbon up front; spicy peppery dark chocolate; boozy retro nasal exhale. Bourbon, oak, milk chocolate; semi sweet chocolate base; oak and vanilla on backend. Medium plus body; creamy feel and tongue coating; medium minus carbonation; some warmth from 12.4% abv; dry oaky finish. Overall very easy drinking and enjoyable; great bourbon nose; barrel notes are stronger than underlying malt base; a tad thin for abv; very nice, tasty BBA imperial stout.

4.75 | 4.0 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.25

Score: 4.22 rDev - 2.1%

 

I already commented on @beergoot using "anthracite" -- not often I hear anyone picking out specific varieties of coal, but twice in one day? Amazing! Cheers!

 

New Beer #2
Komes Baltic Porter Oak Flakes

The review:
500mL bottle lot number 59/32/19/1 poured into a nonic pint glass at fridge temp 9% ABV. The beer pours dark brown with minimal highlights and light brown head. The head recedes to a pencil thin ring and small island. No lacing. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring brown sugar, oak, leather and dark dried fruit. The taste is bittersweet coffee and oak with a dried fruit tangy note transitioning to a dry, earthy, moderately bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with just less than medium carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, good. I imagine this is pretty old, and while complex, I prefer the malt to be fresher and more up front.

I had the regular Baltic Porter & the raspberry version and enjoyed them a lot more, but assume they were fresher. Still happy I found this one on an out of town trip and had a chance to try it. Cheers all!