New Beer Weekend #14

Happy Anniversary!

 

Two more new beers for me at Saint Arnold today.

Sour Session IPA. Dry hopped with Citra and Mosaic hops with lactobacillus, added as a Wild Ale. 4.5% ABV.



Pours a pale yellow color, with just a touch of haze. A small white head forms with lace left behind.
Aroma is berry and citrus like up front, its that typical and classic Mosaic characteristic. Thats about it, not a lot of malt or any souring bugs in the nose.
Taste again, all that berry and citrus flavor you would expect from the hops. A simple tartness lingers on. Needs a little more oomph, but not bad while drinking at the restaurants patio.
A light body with high carbonation. Crisp and effervescent, finishes with a dry and clean acidic bite that pulls at the cheeks. Which makes this easy to come back for more. Easy enough to drink, and not bad at all, though not something I'm going to seek out a lot in the future.

Saint Arnold always puts a premium on subtle easy to drink beers. This is definitely that, and probably exactly what they wanted to make. Its not bad by any means, but this is a style they could have amped up the "sourness" and I would be A-OK with that. I feel this could have been much better, but as is just OK.

Overall 3.58
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/337/514636/?ba=champ103#review

Next is their version of Black is Beautiful. 10% ABV, Imperial Stout. Nothing added here, just the base stout. I actually haven't had a chance to try any of the others around Houston, they have been pretty limited releases and I have been done chasing beers for years. Plus the only other one I was able to have access to was one with glitter (yeah seriously) and peanut butter and a bunch of other crap, so I said no thanks on that. Anyway...



Pours an opaque black color. A one finger beige head forms with good retention. That recedes to a ring with light lace left behind.
The nose is bakers chocolate up front with light roasted malts. Some char and liquorice. A simple but well executed imperial stout.
Taste wise, I love the unsweetened bakers chocolate here. That roasted malt and char character again, along with liquorice. Some coffee and lingering bitterness from the roast.
A full body, and like most beers from Saint Arnold this has higher carbonation. Which might be too high for the style, but that is something I have never minded. As this breaths it becomes smooth. The alcohol is nowhere to be found, and this is a good sipper.

A really good imperial stout. I'm glad I got to try the base beer without all the additives and flavorings a bunch of the other breweries are doing with this release. Just quality and well made, as should be expected from Saint Arnold. Definitely recommend if at the brewery.

Overall score 4.1
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/337/507468/?ba=champ103#review

 

Cape the grove
. Medium carbonation with about the same for the body
Aroma is very strong,intense amount of lemon,lime, orange, fruit,peel,and orange juice
...taste follows aroma, intense level of citrus fruit and peel.
.. very good but the fruit is intense and dominates to the point of coming off like sugary juice

 

One more before the Pokes kickoff. Von Ebert' Alemanian Pils at 4.8%, new to both myself and BA.



Can dated 08202020 into a pilsner glass.

L: Pours light golden with hint of chill haze, 3 fingers of pillowy head with good retention and left mixed lacing.

S: Floral forward, then citrus, breadiness in tow. They balance out in prominence as it warms.

T: Follows the nose well, but citrus may be slightly more forward than the other attributes. Finishes with moderate bitterness that lingers pleasantly on the palate slowly drying a bit.

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

O: Thoroughly enjoyed, would happily grab again.
BA score = 3.94, rDev = 0.0%

 

Good Saturday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. I'm at Somers Point Brewing in New Jersey drinking Essential Worker Scotch Ale, a Wee Heavy served on nitro. The brewery has offered it before but this is the first time I've been able to partake. It's a fine rendition of the style although it's on the dry side. SOPO does a nice job with its BA offerings. The bourbon is flavorful but not overpowering. Here's my full review:

3.99/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

On draught at the brewery. 13 oz. pour served in a plastic cup due to COVID restrictions. It was served on nitro. It pours a cola-brown color akin to dark iced tea with a thick, light khaki-colored head and thick lacing. The nose is delightful: caramel, oaky peat, and smoky bourbon notes. The smell improved as it warmed. Its taste opens with less malt sweetness than I'd anticipated based on the nose. It's dry and smoky with lots of earthy peat. The sweetness comes from the bourbon and there are subtle caramel notes at the finish. The barrel influence is noticeable but delicate and there is just a hint of hop bitterness at the finish. As expected based on the nitro pour the mouth feel is creamy and very smooth and the 8.4% ABV gives it good substance. Overall, this is a very enjoyable Wee Heavy. SOPO always does a nice job with its barrel-aged offerings - the bourbon contributes to the flavor but is not overpowering. This ale is flavorful and super smooth and creamy.

One note about this brewery. The owners all have "day jobs" and they haven't started canning or bottling. But the beer is quite good for a 2 year operation. If you're in this area, then I'd recommend a visit. It's the epitome of the dream of opening a small local brewery. Cheers to SOPO and to NBW.

 

Happy New Beer Weekend everyone! Today I'm drinking an old barrel aged wild ale fermented with sour cherries. I thought I went through all of my FW Barrelworks beers, but I just found this one recently when looking through the cellar.

Firestone Walker Krieky Bones (2016)


Batch: No. 003 - Bottled: 09/26/16

Pours from the 375ml bottle a cloudy hazy dark scarlet orange red color with a small creamy frothy off-white foam head that sticks around for a little while.

Smells real funky right now with moderate fresh sour cherry fruitiness, some oak foeder, bready toasty caramelized malt, maybe a hint of lemon acidity, mild acetic vinegary red wine, some barnyard horse blanket, musty hay, straw, a touch of leather, sweet pie spice, and light floral earthy herbal hops.

Wow, the taste of this is magnificent right now, so balanced and refreshing, dry with very mild acidity, hardly any sourness or acetic vinegar coming out at this time, trying to savor and not crush it. Tastes like beautifully balanced fresh tart cherries, pie crust, bready toasty caramelized malts, oak foeder, sweet cinnamon-esque spice, hint of lemon, cherry cider, mild barnyard hay, straw, a touch of leathery phenol, and light floral earthy herbal hop notes. Really well balanced flavor and acidity, easy to drink and refreshing, finishing dry leaving me reaching for another sip. This is hardly even sour anymore, which I don't mind since I like the wild yeast flavors and don't always enjoy an extremely sour taste.

Feels medium bodied, a little juicy and smooth with drying moderate crisp carbonation.

Overall this is a really great kriek wild ale fermented with sour Montmorency cherries in oak foeders. Firestone Walker has a really great barrel program with these wild ales and everything I've had from them has been pretty top notch. Some of the wild ales, including this one are reminiscent of lambics and some of the top tier wild/sour beers. This would be easy to mistake as a cherry kriek lambic if I didn't know better. It might not be quite as complex and layered as a blended lambic but this has similar attributes and great balance overall. Another beer knocked out of the park from FW. Cheers everyone!

 

A very happy anniversary to both of you! When this madness is over, I propose a dog walk together.

 

Bonesaw le petit demon
..light carbonation with a thin body
Aroma is banana, banana bread,grain,floral honey
...taste is mild sweetness, grain,banana bread, banana, yeast and honey. Finishes with an earthy hop dryness
..not a winner in my books but its ok

 

Good afternoon, NBWers! Today I will be reviewing another beer from one of my now favorite local German-style focused (and German food focused) restaurant and brewery, Waldmann Brewery & Wurstery. Those of you who read my posts may recall that they restored the oldest commercial building in St. Paul (a saloon) to house their taproom, with the brewery in the back. I'm impressed with their dedication to historical preservation as well as their beers.

Today, I will be reviewing
Waldmann Dunkelweizen
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: NA



Dark brown, clear with rising bubbles. Ruby with a back-light. Very tall root beer float head from a not very careful pour. Tall and thick with excellent retention. Disconnected thick strings of lacing. Very nice looking.

Roasted malt aroma with hints of coffee.

The roasted malts carry through to the taste, with a bit more complexity of dark fruits and bubblegum underneath. I mention the roastiness, but it is not at all overbearing. Slightly sweet spiciness/bubblegum is present in the middle and finish. The finish is mild and dry, with the roasted malts and bubblegum remaining. I don't get any of the wheat tanginess or banana/clove, and the spiciness is very subdued. I would have expected these to be more prominent for a dark hefeweizen.

Mouth feel is thin, and despite the visible carbonation and tall head, a bit flat.

The bubblegum is more prominent and the roastiness less prominent as the beer warms. Overall, this is a decent beer. I enjoyed drinking it. But, I was expecting more from Waldmann's based on the previous German-style beers from them I had reviewed (especially their hefeweizen, which was excellent).

L: 4.25 | S: 3.75 | T: 3.5 | F: 3.5 | O: 3.5 | Rating: 3.61

 

Look See by Lost Forty- first beer from Arkansas

received from @Pinz412 in Bif #12

3.84/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12oz can poured into Sam Adams glass



Hazy copper liquid immediately reduces with a thin white layer , no lacings

Faint clove, banana aroma

Taste is clove, banana

Low sudsing, smooth , clove taste lingers

Good beer

 

Seems like a trellis is a great idea instead of scaling a 20 foot ladder to pick hops.

 

Thanks!

Thanks! Yes, a great idea. We’re in the process of an adoption for #2!

 

I just broke my zoom cherry trying to watch my nephew's wedding from the llama farm in New Egypt, NJ. Audio was breaking up throughout (other zoomers' mics were on, I guess) and I was trying to review this beer.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31645/513746/



16 oz. can.
Canned 10/04/20.
Moderate to vigorous pour yields a one inch white head over a bright, golden body with nice lacing. Nose of bready biscuit and noble hops. Taste mirrors nose with a bit of sweetness leading up to a slightly bitter finish. This is definitely an all day, highly crushable pilsner with a very nice mouthfeel. Seriously like no other domestically produced Czech Pilsner.
Cheers to the boys over the town line, up in Morrisville, VT!

I sent a 30 L. keg of this beer to the festivities.

Cheers to the happy couple!!!

 

Caller temps vary, if you live in the south it’s different than Mn. What’s your preferred starting temp? Im thinking cellar temps are 50-55 degrees, but I like most of my beers like 35 or so to start, so into the freezer that go. For me except for Stouts and such, it is cold beer that floats my boat. I wouldn’t like a Pils at say 55 degrees, and certainly any AAL is better as cold as yiu can get it before it ices over.

 

It's juicy as I've ever had and you can smell the alcohol. There is no doubt it's truly a juice bomb.



Ye olde BA Beer profile by yours truly. It was indeed a...



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/52077/514413/?ba=Thankin_Hank#review

 

I’m vertically challenged I don’t do ladders.