New Beer Weekend #13

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned on 9/11/2020. Pours a hazy orange with a finger sticky white head that leaves thin webs of lace with solid retention and leaves a thin film of white bubbles as it settles. 4.5

Smell pineapple, tangerine, peach, cantaloupe, a hint of coconut, and apricot. 4

Taste follows pineapple, mandarin, cantaloupe, peach, upfront with coconut and apricot in the bold lingering finish. 4

Mouthfeel is big, soft gentle carbonation, a tad sticky not dry, and at 8.4% ABV it is very approachable. 4.5

Overall this is unique, actually the mouthfeel is spot on for the style, and I would recommend giving this one a shot. What I find about most of these big brewers doing this style, is they often miss the look and feel, but not this one they nailed it and I would gladly revisit for a quality and different NEDIPA. Cheers all. 4

 

Poured into a 16 chalet canned on 9/25/2020. Pours a very dark brown with a half finger dark tan head that leaves thick streaks of lace as it settles. 4.25

Smell is peanut butter, chocolate, toffee, and maybe a hint of vanilla. 4.25

Taste follows peanut butter, chocolate, toffee, and some vanilla simple but really tasty. 4.25

Mouthfeel is bigger than medium, maybe a little dry, plenty of life, and at 6.2% ABV it drinks more like 7%, but is really easy going down. 4.25

Overall this is exactly what you would expect from a Peanut Butter Porter. I would drink this with my kids Halloween Candy and be a very happy man. 4.25

 

Have you ever been pleasantly surprised by a brewery recently distributed to your area?

Well, this happened to me recently. In Pennsylvania the principle beer retailer has historically been what we call a Beer Distributor. In BA posts I refer to these as Retail Beer Distributors. I went to my local Retail Beer Distributor in search of a specific beer (Von Trapp Kolsch) but I had some free time so I did a bit of ‘window shopping’ and to my utter surprise I saw a few brands of beer from Oxbow Brewing. I am somewhat familiar with this brewery since in the summer of 2019 my wife and I visited their brewery in Portland, ME; I discussed this in a past thread (with emphasis in bold for this post):

“I was recently at the Oxbow brewery in Portland, ME and I can fully relate to you here. I ordered a sampler of 4 beers and I really enjoyed some of those beers but one of those beers was too 'different' for me. They did not have a Pilsner on tap when I was there; I would have tried it if it was on tap.”

Luckily for me an Oxbow Pilsner is available for purchase at my local Retail Beer Distributor: Luppolo dry-hopped Pils.

I was quite pleased to buy this beer since I really wanted to try it during my visit to the Portland Brewery.

On the side of the can it lists: “Brewed by Oxbow Brewing Co. Newcastle. ME”. So this beer was brewed at the production brewery in Newcastle (about an hour northeast of Portland).

Below is how this beer is detailed on the Oxbow website:

“Luppolo

Italian-Style Pils

Luppolo is an unfiltered dry-hopped pils brewed with European malts and hops.

Production Method: Lager

Color: Blonde

ABV: 5%”

It would appear that the people of Oxbow are folks of few words; not a lot of detail there.

A little more detail from a Punch article:

“Oxbow Brewing Luppolo | 5 percent

Oxbow’s Luppolo was the first pilsner to use the “Italian-style” designation and clearly cite Tipopils and other lesser-known Italian pilsners as its influence. Adams uses German Tettnanger hops for the dry hopping, but says Slovenian and Czech hops are fair game, too. “As long as it’s not American or new-world hops,” he says.”

https://punchdrink.com/articles/your-move-german-pilsner-beer-tipopils/

This whole ‘thing’ whether a Pilsner is dry hopped it is an alleged ‘Italian Pilsner’ sub-style is a misnomer. The aspect of dry hopping Pilsners/Lagers occurred way before some Italian brewer (Agostino Arioli) chose to dry hop the Pilsner he brews.

Enough jibber-jabber, let’s drink!

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Yellow/golden colored with some haze accompanied by a big, sturdy white head. This beer has excellent head retention.

Aroma:

Prominent aromas of herbal/spicy hop aromas plus even a tiny hint of floral.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose but is a tad more balanced between the herbal/spicy hop flavors and the bready Pilsner Malt flavor. As the beer warms/opens up there is a lemon-like flavor as well. There is a notable bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a dry finish

Overall:

I think this beer is excellent. It is a tasty German Pilsner which is very hoppy in all three phases (aroma, flavor and bitterness) but there is a noticeable bready Pilsner Malt flavor in the background as well. All of the flavors play very, very well together; like the music of a world class symphony.

For those folks who may be wondering about the name Luppolo, that is Italian for hop.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @ESHBG @honkey @TongoRad @FBarber @johphisher

 

3 six% ABV rated 4+ Beers of October 2020
Goldenrod | Decadent Ales | IPA | 6.3% | Mamaroneck NY
4.27/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
4th Review. Decadent nails this one.
a) Pours pale straw color, very hazy. Finger full of structured, white head that lasts and lacs.
s) Floral, grapefruit rind, blossoms, and citrusy hops.
t) Best part - floral, citrus flavors in a see-saw batter of bitterness and fruit.
f) Creamy mouthfeel.
o) My tasting partner and I agreed best beer of evening.

Premiere IPA - Double Dry-Hopped | Interboro | NE-IPA | 6% | Brooklyn
4.11/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
20th review. My first from this "local" Brooklyn brewer.
a) Hazed expected body, with reviving head and lacing suds.
s) Myriad hops. Maze of flavors.
t) Atop a pilsner, lighter, more sessionable base... The myriad hops maze into a lovely arch of woody, cedary, powdery finale.
f) Likewise chalky, powdering, yet some how juicy. Lovely texture
o) Clearly a brewer I want to visit and stalk.

Saison Violette | Allagash | Saison | 6% | Portland Maine
4.02/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
9th review. works for me. Very original and among the top fruit-infused saisons. Allagash does Blueberries and Belgian well.
a) A real and lasting head and lace in a field beer - great.
s) Perhaps its the name but reminds me of violet gum my mom used to fancy.
t) Everything I want in a 6% Fruit Saison. Harvest leaves, orchard, tea, wet grass and only the suggestion of blueberry.
f) Plenty of heft, but light and well carbed.
o) Needs to be test tasted against other fruit-field saisons.

 

It's been many moons since I cracked a beer before noon, but given that all I'm currently doing is relaxing and watching soccer, why not?

First beer for the weekend is Cafe Deth from Revolution Brewing. I've received so much beer in the last two NBS BIFs that I can't keep up, which has led to receiving this from both @ovaltine and more recently @Whyteboar. Spoiler - I'm very happy I have another one of these to enjoy.

The description on the can says "A weaponized quantity of freshly roasted whole bean coffee from independent Chicago roasters imbues our Deth's Tar Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout with assertive coffee aromatics without overshadowing the base beer on the palate".


The review....
4.46/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Appearance is as dark as night. I could hold this up to the sun and I don't think even a smidgen of light would make it through. About a finger of thick khaki colored head with fairly good head retention.

Smell is wonderful. At first whiff, I get coffee rolling off of it in waves. The more I let the aroma sink in, the more I was picking up the booze, figs, and the underlying base.

Taste is multi-layered, and really good. Coffee, chocolate, some char notes and more rotate through the palate. This is nice and complex and a great sipper.

Feel is fairly thick. Moderate carb, nice finish.

Overall a very good beer.

 

Thanks Jack- seems totally up my alley and I'll make a point to keep an eye out for it.

In the meantime I'll be enjoying my last few cans of Troegs Trail Day. Sorry you got a bad batch, but the ones I got were fantastic.

 

Me too.
Can't win 'em all?

Glad to hear. Plus you supported a good cause!

My wife and I (and some friends) will be hiking up to Hawk Mountain later this week to see the hawk migration which occurs this time of year.

Cheers!

P.S. They maintain a daily raptor count online: https://www.hawkmountain.org/conservation-science/hawk-count

 

Good day BAs! It's a sunny but cool day thus far, ideal beer-drinking weather! And I intend to enjoy my last day of freedom before Mrs. Lizard returns. Today's New Late Breakfast Beer (Last night's journey into the Valley of the Deer left me worn out and sleeping in until sunrise) is from @nc41 and BIF #12:




Approaching Daylight from Heist Brewery. Received from @nc41 in BIF 12. Received 10/8/20. Reviewed 10/17/20.
16 oz can stamped on bottom rim “09/02/20 SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN”. Stored at home at 42 degrees and served at 45 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 55.5 degrees.
Appearance – 4.5.
First pour – Pale straw (SRM 2), hazy.
Body – Pale straw (SRM 2), murky and opaque. When held to direct light, same.
Head – Large (Maximum 7.2 cm, aggressive center pour), egg-shell, medium density, average retention, diminishing to a jagged five to fifteen mm crown with a thick partial cap, leaving rings of foam as the head collapses to a thick, complete rocky cap. Second pour produces a one cm tight head.
Lacing – Excellent! Narrow band of medium to small bubbles with stalactites, a lot of stalagmites, and a few prominences. See also above.
Aroma – 4.5 – Begins with strong sweet tropical fruit, citrus, and a touch of pine. No malt, no yeast.
Flavor – 4 – Oddly enough, the prominent tropical nose does not carry well into the flavor – the fruity hop flavors are subdued, playing second fiddle to unfluctuating and insistent dankness. No malt, no yeast. No alcohol (7.1 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Medium, watery but approaching creamy, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.25. Great appearance and nose, surprisingly unrelenting mild dankness with a looong hangtime.
Rating 4.2, rDev -2.6%.

Thanks Dale - another excellent NC brew!

 

They brewed a "bigger" (i.e., more coffee) version of that beer this summer.

You can't make this stuff up.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22072/444256/

 

Greetings, NBW folks, I hope everyone is doing well today and enjoying their weekend. I woke up to a crisp 34 degree morning here and it looks like it will stay on the cooler side all day. Later today I'm visiting my parents to eat some pizza and spend some time around a bonfire. I opened this beer late last night while enjoying some time with friends, but in retrospect it would have been the perfect beer to sip fireside. A few weeks ago I had mentioned seeing Aecht Schlenkerla Rauchbier varieties at my local supermarket and @Roguer strongly encouraged that I go buy every last bottle. I didn't quite buy their whole supply, but I did grab a couple varieties. Last night was the moment for the Marzen.

It poured a dark brown topped with a beautiful slightly tan head that was thick and lasting. I expected a much murkier opacity, but this was actually quite transparent and clean in appearance despite the rich color. Roasted malt emanated from the glass, but it was no match for the smoke that clings to every aspect of this beer. What struck me most was not the presence of the smoke, but the quality of it. It was the kind of smoke you smell coming from a well maintained BBQ pit. It was a deeply rich smoke that can only come from the burning of hardwood timber. The taste followed the nose much to my delight. That smoke gave an almost savory quality to the beer that I reveled in and let wash over me. It was like biting into a heavily smoked kolbasi full of spices, fat, and the gentle smoldering of a fire. This is the first time that I've ever been tempted to describe a beer's flavor as meaty. The feel was clean and well carbonated. The lively carbonation was needed to counter some of that rich flavor. The liquid itself was a light-medium body, but it was honestly hard to discern beyond the intense flavor. A truly unique experience that I absolutely loved.

After drinking this one, I just may go back and buy out the whole supply as @Roguer suggested. Special thanks to @beertunes for the new glass. I'll surely have some LIF beers to share here through the weekend that I received from him yesterday. Until then, cheers!

4.29/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

It has been a long while since I have had this beer but the bottled versions of this beer typically tasted "meaty" to me as well. And while I am a HUGE fan of eating smoked sausage (for me: Kielbasa) I not such a fan of drinking this flavor profile. But you seemed to enjoy it so you should indeed buy more bottles.

FWIW when it comes to smoked beers I prefer a flavor that reminds me of campfire.

Yesterday I bottled a home brewed batch of an English Brown Ale that I augmented with smoked malt. The hydrometer sample tasted of campfire for my palate so I am anxiously waiting or this batch to carbonate.

Cheers!

 

Pours a hazy amber color with a generous head and slight lacing
Aroma has malt hints
The taste follows the nose with a bitter malt flavor
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A decent ESB

 

I can see how it might turn some off, but I didn't mean to imply that the "meaty" component bothered me. I'd had a few other rauchbiers, but it was clear to me as soon as I opened this bottle that it would be a unique experience. I can't say that I could drink this every day by any means, but I was impressed by this experience and am looking forward to revisiting it. Luckily I've got a bottle of the Urbock in my fridge as well, so I won't have to wait too long.

 

It's a New Trillium Beer Weekend for me, starting off with a fresh release of Super Street Shark, can dated 10/13/20. This is an "amplified" version of the original Street Shark collab with Bellwoods Brewery in Toronto.

Brewery notes:

The original Street Shark was 8.2% abv and this is now 9% abv. I presume this is a little hoppier too because of that.


Pours a milky opaque looking orange-yellow gold color with a minimal frothy white foam head that retains as a small ring.

Smells massive, juicy and dank with boasting tropical fruit aromas. This smells a little more dank and resinous than most other Trillium beers I've had recently, probably stemming from the hop bill that contains Simcoe and Amarillo with the CTZ, though the Citra is huge in this. As soon as this is poured I get huge peach, pineapple, tangerine orange citrus, mango nectar, papaya, zesty white grapefruit, slight oniony dank resinous weedy earthy herbal floral grassy pine, with a small hint of bready malt underneath.

Tastes really intense and concentrated, juicy with rich tropical fruits, mango nectar, pineapple, papaya smoothie, peach, nectarine skin, apricot, orange citrus, zesty grapefruit, lemon, lime rind, honeysuckle, mild caramelized crackery bready malt, and dank resinous spicy woodsy earthy herbal floral grassy pine. Fairly complex and hitting a lot of notes in the flavor department.

Feels thick and juicy, creamy medium plus bodied, pillowy smooth with moderate low carbonation. One of the better mouthfeels I've had on a Trillium IPA in a while too.

Overall I'm really liking this. It has a nice balance of dank pine and fruitiness, super juicy and tropical tasting, not sweet or too bitter. Pretty good balance of flavors, heft and drinkability. This is definitely a substantial DIPA that hits all the right marks for me, rating a 4.75-5 for my palate. I don't think it gets much better than this for what it is. Cheers all!

 

Pours a hazy golden color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has slight clove and banana hints
The taste follows the nose with a very slight clove and banana flavor
A light bodied decently carbonated beer
A decent Hefeweiss

 

Boston Rising is a DIPL, from Jacks’s Abby, a favored brewery for me.
This presents with a bright amber can pour with some haze and a 2 cm foam cap.
The aroma is faintly fruity. Tangerine and some woody hops are noted.
The flavor is full. Aspects of grain are pleasantly strong. Kiwifruit, and lemon are prominent.
The brew holds a fine carbonation. The finish is dry. This is good.

 

Thank you for kicking things off this morning @superspak . @Roy_Hobbs , nice to see Cafe Deth is holding up well, still have a few in my refrigerator, is in my top three coffee stout releases of all time.

Late night on the West Coast for me, hitting this after midnight yesterday from a local brewer in Vegas, Able Baker’s Atomic Duck Quarantine Edition Hazy DIPA



My brother shared 10 oz of this 8% ABV, canned 9/29/20. He likes hazy much more, so I won’t go further into his stash on this one. Long story short, this is good if you like a very sweet hazy DIPA, glad I tried but too sweet for me.

Appearance: Hazy orange lightly tan pour, creamy white head leaves thin lacing film which clears quickly. 3.5

Aroma: Citrus tropical fruit aroma, very sweet. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with aroma, very sweet citrus tangerine, lemon. 3.5

Mouthfeel: Medium full creamy body, light carbonation, sweetness aftertaste. 3.75

Overall: Very sweet Hazy IPA, could have used more balance. 3.5

Hoping to hit one or two more breweries this weekend, and perhaps a few beers from local / regional breweries before the weekend is up.

Many good reviews posted already, the Allagash Saison by @Act25 the most intriguing so far that I May able to pick up in Chicago. Looking forward to following the thread as always, and hope you all have a few great new beers this weekend.

Cheers!

 

Pours a hazy golden color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has very slight clove and banana hints
The taste follows the nose with a very slight clove and banana flavor
A light bodied decently carbonated beer
A decent Hefeweiss