New Beer Weekend #13

Full taster pour, 5 oz Galaxy Uni-Verse Single Hop IPA by Able Baker. 6% ABV 40 IBUs.

Appearance: Light pale yellow clear pour, creamy white head leaves creamy full lacing. 3.25

Aroma: Faint citrus aroma. 2.75

Taste: Light citrus aroma, pizza dough, lemon. 2.75

Mouthfeel: Thin body nominal carbonation, easy drinking. 2.75

Overall: Not a good offering. 2.75

 

Poured into a 16 oz tulip glass, not sure when it was canned. Pours a fairly clear dark yellow with a finger white head that leaves some thin lines of lace with pretty solid retention. 3.75

Smell maple, vanilla, yellow grapes, and caramel. 3.5

Taste follows yellow grape, maple, vanilla, and caramel. 3.75

Mouthfeel is almost medium, not really dry, plenty of life, and at 7% it goes down rather easy, but still a rather odd duck. 3.75

Overall I got this from a friend and glad I only got one and I don’t hate it, but very very confused by it. Enjoy your Sunday all. 3.75

 

Good day BAs! Off to a NBS entry for NBW:



Lovin’ the Dream from Heist Brewery. Received from @nc41 in BIF 12. Received 10/8/20. Reviewed 10/18/20.
Undated 16 oz can. Stored at home at 42 degrees and served at 45 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 57.3 degrees.
Appearance – 4.25.
First pour – Pale straw (SRM 2), slight chill haze.
Body – Pale straw (SRM 2), translucent. When held to direct light, same.
Head – Large (Maximum six cm, aggressive center pour), white, high density and meringue-like, average retention, diminishing to a five mm tight crown with a thin undulating upper margin and a thick large island and islands of foam remaining on the glass. Second pour produces a tight 1.5 cm head.
Lacing – Good. Narrow bands of tiny bubbles with a few stalactites and connected by short columns. See also above.
Aroma – 3.75 – Weak pine and flowers. No malt, no yeast.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins perfumy but quickly becomes slightly dank and slightly bitter. Simcoe leads, pushing the centennial and cascade out of the way. No malt, no yeast. No alcohol (5.9 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Mildly dank and bitter for a long aftertaste.
Palate – 4 – Medium, watery, soft but lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 (Minus 0.25 point for undated can) A matter of semantics, but the brewer calls it a “West coast style pale ale” rather than an IPA and I tend to agree – other than the presence of the simcoe hops providing a dankness, this isn’t much bitterer than some lagers and certainly doesn’t have much of an ABV.
Rating 4.01, rDev -7.4%.

 

I have had the same impression with this beer. I do think it’s “thicker” or heftier than lagers that I like but I still enjoy it. The citrus lemon always cuts through to me as well. Been a long time since I’ve had it but reading your review was like drinking it again.

 

Pours a ver dark black color with a generous tan head and lacing
Aroma has generous Bourbon, rich creamy vanilla, roasted cocoa and ginger hints
The taste follows the nose with a very well balanced and abundant Bourbon, rich sweet creamy vanilla, roasted cocoa and spicy ginger flavor
A medium bodied moderately carbonated beer
A great Bourbon Barrel Aged Ginger Stout

 

Couple big hitters from Bell's:

Double Two Hearted Ale:

Appearance: Gold, big head.

Smell: Caramel, citrus, booze. Old school DIPA.

Taste: Moderately sweet, heavy feel, big grapefruit hop flavor backed by solid caramel backbone.

Overall: It's been a long time since I had an old school double IPA since they are out of style these days. Actually this probably would have been more of a triple IPA 10 years ago at 11%, but whatever. Big malts, big hops, big citrus, big booze, everything's big and bold and I like it!

35th Anniversary Expedition Stout:

Appearance: Black, good brown head.

Smell: Big roasted aroma, licorice, tiny bit of chocolate.

Taste: Creamy feel hits first, roasted malts, black licorice, molasses, mild sweetness.

Overall: I should have found a normal expedition stout to have side-by-side with the 35th anniversary version. It's been a long time since I had the regular expedition stout--mainly I recall that the alcohol was too prominent when fresh. The 35th ann. doesn't have that issue. I'm not a big fan of the black licorice flavor but it is still a good beer.

 

This big big has been calling my name, thanks @Dimidiata! Modern Times Tentbier.
4.08/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thank you dimidiata for this
19.2 oz can, dated 9/1/20, poured into a mug

A- A clear amber with two finger white head.

S- Biscuits, floral, a little earthy, hints of caramel.

M- Biscuits, caramel malts, hints of toasted malts, floral, earthy, a little herbal.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A solid festbier, this is heavier on the floral side and I tend to like them a little sweeter and more toasted.

Thank you Modern Times for the reminder on the bottom on the can!

Cheers NBW!

 

Angie Dickinson sure was something back in the day!

 

Happy Sunday, NBW crew - a weekend during which the virtual GABF awards were announced. As usual, I checked to see how any local and state breweries did, and Virginia had a good showing this year with sixteen (16) medals won. This continues a steady rise from a low of 4 medals in 2017. The breakdown is 5 gold, 4 silver, and 7 bronze, including taking two medals in the Vienna Lager category by two Virginia Oktoberfests

One of the medals went to what appears to be a little hole in the wall place in Charlottesville, VA - Random Row - for a Hazy/Juicy Pale Ale. I actually knew of the brewery (due to its location near where friends lived when I was at UVa), but didn't know its name until now. Unfortunately, it has as many GABF wins this year as the nearby college's football team, but I digress.

I do not have said beer, or any beer from Random Row, but I do have a new style for me from a brewery that is also centered in Charlottesville - Three Notch'd. I mentioned in another thread that the term "IPA" has almost become synonymous with "beer" - especially for marketing purposes. I am not claiming this is not a revolutionary idea at all, but I think it may apply in the case of this first beer. I'd be surprised if not, happily. So let's see what I think of Non-Alcoholic IPA

Ok, the pour is quite nice. A clean, light gold stream that has a little chill haze in the glass. The white head gets to a couple fingers before crumbling in on itself to form a rocky impression with small craters and spongy lacing

Nose starts a little grainy - like early on in a mash before the sugars have really sweetened the pot. Dried grass clippings come along with deeper inhales and as it warms. Not the most enticing of aromas for a finished product (especially an IPA) - but it has an appeal. It sorta smells like the production floor of a brewery. No, not the actual floor, ahhh - you know what I mean.

Well, the taste is quite similar to the nose when the beer is still quite cold (I quick chilled it, and gave it a little too much time. There's a hint of sweetness on the tip of my tongue initially - a honey malt sweetness. The grain comes next and while it's not as sweet, it is reminiscent of the sips of the sample you take for an OG rating when home brewing. The dry grass to herbal notes lean the beer closer to balanced, but don't really tip it into bitter until quite late, leaking into the aftertaste. The bitterness increases as I sip and/or as it warms.

Carbonation is lively enough, and it's a fairly light beer - as expected. There's a little bit of body, perhaps driven by whatever is providing the opening sweetness. It somehow avoids seeming as watery as the original session IPAs, but it doesn't completely eradicate the impression of "hop water."



Ok, so in summation - this comes off as a beer before the yeast have had a shot at it. Given that it's the yeast that produce the alcohol, it wouldn't surprise me much if their "propriety [sic] non-alcohol process" is just that. Okay, it would, but not much.

The GF, tasting this blind, thought it had an odd taste but didn't praise or put it down. She mentioned maybe there was extra hops added after the fact, by which I think she was describing the "hop water" aspect I was talking about. She did do a double take and say, "wow!" when I handed her the can to read.

Edit: I just saw the can says "made with cascade hops, grapefruit and citrus notes" - I can definitely say I didn't get grapefruit, though maybe a hint of citrus peel in my last sips after reading this, but this beer actually reminds me a little of their Firefly Nights offering (with honeysuckle).

 

My wife enticed me into a bike ride this morning. I haven't ridden my bike in two years, so we just did 5 miles on a nice flat track. Happily, I survived, so I'm going to reward myself with some beer and some football.
The beer is Persica Quercus from La Cumbre in Albuquerque. It is described as "a sauvignon blanc barrel-aged tart peach ale."
The beer is a hazy light orange color with a huge white head that dissipated quickly.
Mostly peach aroma, a little vanilla.
Tart peach taste, vanilla. White wine aftertaste.
Nicely tart. A great beer to have on a summer day.

 

Many thanks @superspak for getting this rolling. First offering was from late last night. Helped a buddy split and stack firewood at his Tahoe cabin. He sent me home with some new brews that I'll post a few of today.

Urban Roots - Hot Dogs Are Sandwiches is a 9.2% triple dry hopped DIPA. Beer is new to me and BA.



Can dated Notorious RBG 10/08/20 into an imperial tulip pint.

L: Vibrant golden with less than 1 finger of high-density white head with moderate retention and left spotted lacing.

S: DANK, earthy and pine. Old school West Coast nose that pops.

T: Follows nose perfectly, finishes with lots of bitterness and some acidity, both linger on the palate and dry it out.

F: Medium bodied with medium-high carbonation, tongue burns and tingles from ABV and carbonation, slick on the swallow.

O: A delicious classic West Coast DIPA, be ready for lots of bitterness with a dry finish, ABV is pretty well integrated. I very much enjoyed this beer, solid nightcap.

BA Score = 4.39, rDev = 0.0

 

2nd contribution comes from a brewer new to me and BA. Touchstone Brewing is opening in shared property space with Pipeworks climbing gym in Sacramento. Beer is Beta Sprayer, 6.5% WCIPA.



L: Pours golden, slight chill haze, nearly two fingers of variable-density white head with good retention and left sticky sheeting lacing. 4.5

S: Nose is pleasant, floral and pine. Some breadiness shows once its warmed. 4.0

T: Heavy pine with earthy undertones, finishes with moderate bitterness and slight acidity, both linger on the palate with a drying effect. 3.75

F: Low-medium bodied with medium carbonation, slick on tongue and swallow. 4.0

O: Solid classic WCIPA from a brewery I definitely look forward to trying more recipes in the future. 4.0

No stats yet, waiting for BA to accept my addition of Touchstone into the database, then I'll get the beer added too.

 

First beer for today is from last spring courtesy of @Mbgreg. So far, the beer has been the highlight of the afternoon, as I'm currently watching the Eagles get destroyed by the Ravens. As I write this, we could field a team of BAs in place of the Eagles offense and we would have the same number of first downs (big donut). Looks like I'll be getting to the yard work earlier than expected this afternoon!

3.94/5 rDev -6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Appearance is jet black, thick and viscous like motor oil. Half a finger of dark mocha colored head that left the party shortly after arriving. Aroma is quite sweet, with malt and fig like notes. Taste is nowhere near as sweet as I expected based on the nose. It's very, very roasty. Nice full feel. Overall, a good beer, but a little too much roast for my tastes.

 

Hey what's going on?!

Well all, gettin through the change of seasons... always up for more new beer! Went for a nice run this week, some light goodies and some obscurities too.

much new, what's new for our hero today?

Other Half - Double Potato Spaghetti Town IIPA



Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass.

Slightly muddy but not totally turbid body appearance in the glass. Presents a dull yellow and orange solid body, with a topped big three finger soft white looking colored head. Pill lacing and some long staying power make this a big elevator drop as the beer slowly settles down.

Real pleasant hop aroma. Soft herbal sweetness of mint and faint pine notes. Hits some real soft grassy texture as well with a touch of light honey aromas as well. Very enjoyable hop nose here.

Palate gets a bit challenging. Classic touch of hop flavors at first, then hits with a large sugar rush. Mid palate fills with a large syrup and honey blast, followed by great earthy and rich herbal hop notes. Juiced up lively body, but also high on sweetness. Medicinal and somewhat chalky aftertaste as well, with still much of that rich herbal flavor to go with. Lots of childrens aspirin flavors rolling in this, and then some bitterness that really doesn't compliment or contrast well with the base beer.

All the hallmarks of a rich NEIPA are here, but the sweetness and medicinal quality on this is way overboard.

look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25 | 3.61/5

Cheers!

 

This Is Me Trying, an IPA from Cloudburst.

16oz can served in a big snifter. I think it's dated 20.09.08, and I hope that September 8th, not August 9th. Gift from a friend that drifted to the back of the fridge in the flood of fresh hop acquisitions.

It's a light whitish-golden color, very hazy, moderately head, slow fine carbonation. Smell is fluffy, orange-vanilla, smells creamy.

Taste is right along the same lines, less creamy than it smells, nice resinous finish on it.

Mouthfeel is light and highly effervescent. Overall, this is a really nice beer.

Happy Sunday, NBW! Hope you folks are doing something fun. My family is doing our yearly pumpkins.

 

Moving on to some big hops with Industrial Arts Impact Wrench, thanks @EMH73!
4.29/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thank you EMH73 for this
16 oz can, dated 8/26/20, poured into a teku

A- A hazy golden orange with a two finger white head.

S- Citrus, dank, some tropical fruits, wet grass, some mint, touch of sweet malts.

T- Citrus, dank, some tropical fruits, hints of wet grass, a little minty, touch of sweet malts, piney, citrus zest.

M- Smooth, medium to full body.

O- A tasty Triple NEIPA. I often avoid a lot of NEIPA at this ABV because they tend to be hit and miss on balance, but this is a good one.

Cheers!

 

Siren Be More Pacific


Pours a clouded golden color with a medium sized head, which slowly fades to a thicker lacing atop the glass.


Smells of lusciuos, fresh cut passion fruit, lime zest and fresh baked bread. This gets complimented by ripe mango and zingy tangerine, creating a truly fruit forward nose.


Has a surprisingly full and smooth mouthfeel with a lively, refreshing carbonation, creating a well balanced, easy drinking beer.


Tastes of bitter limes from the very beginning, together with a resinous, honey topped sweetness, which finds its balance in additional leaves and dried herbs. Brings passion fruit and pineapple to the palate then with caramel and white bread dough, together with an ongoing lime bitterness. Finishes with blueberry skins, ripe oranges and dry, bitter limes, creating a clean, yet powerful ending with a long lasting aftertaste.


Fantastic Ipa with a complex and well working west coast character.