New Beer Weekend #14

Moving along



Poured from the can into a tulip style glass.

Beaming orange body, opaque but with little yellow hued lemon color edges along the sides of the glass. Frothy and a little soupy looking head forming real nicely out of the can with sheets of cascading lacing, bright as white can be. Real solid looking saison.

Pasty smelling nose, touching faint hits of brett with faint herbal notes. Minimal aroma coming off, somewhat closed and more of a simple malt backbone lacking complexity or diversity. Solid but kind of bland.

Palate sticks to basics. Soft bodied with a faint touch of honey like malt without the sweetness. Minimal herbal touches of faint grass in the mid palate, a finish of flat pepper that is just fleeting. After some time there's a bit of fruit lemon and candy like quality.

Has that bready kind mild funky quality but some of the unique flavors don't really seem to last long to really enjoy with perhaps the finish as an exception. Still pretty drinkable and enjoyable.

look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75 | 3.78/5

Cheers!

 

Thanks for kicking off a new week @JackHorzempa , those two beers look and sound great, hope I can score at some point. Really hope Fat Heads drops here one day.

Picked up a fresh local and WC haul the past two days, diving in right away with a new to me beer from the excellent brewers at Beachwood called Hayabusa



Beer Notes: Canned 9/28/20, 12 oz poured into a shaker pint glass. 5.3% ABV. Per can notes, Hayabusa is an ultra-crisp and refreshing Japanese-style lager made with American barley, Canadian pilsner, toasted flaked rice and German Hallertau Mittelfruh hops.

Appearance: Clear light straw coloured body, light carbonation, puffy white head recedes after a few minutes leaving nominal lacing. 3.25

Aroma: Nice bread cracker aroma, light rice noted. Salt and pepper as well. Bold and inviting. 3.75

Taste: Rice dominates the taste profile, barley malt backs with light bread taste. This tastes a lot like Budweiser, an AAL I like, but with more depth. Works well together, a nice crisp clean light beer, ABV barely detected. 3.25

Mouthfeel: Very light, nominal carbonation throughout, light sweetness / creaminess, easy crisp clean finish, consistent to style.3.75

Overall: This is a flavorful rice lager, heavy on the rice, backed well with cracker bread flavor. Glad I picked this up as a change of pace from my typical purchases of WCIPA offerings from this brewer. 3.5

Still trying to catch up with prior threads, hope to complete this weekend. Looking forward to finding new beer ideas and reading your reviews. Cheers!

 

Equilibrium Energy Equals



First pour of any Equilibrium beer for me. Hazy yellow-orange pour with fluffy (and delicious) foamy head. Good lacing retained throughout the drinking. Nose is light and pleasant, pineapple and citrus. Body has a good creamy mouthfeel and more pronounced pineapple-citrus flavor with a very light bitterness, perhaps just hoppiness. Modest carbonation. Very easy drinker period let alone an eight percent ABV beer.

 

@FBarber sent me a wonderful box of new beers to try, including a good amount of Dovetail. This will be my first experience with the brewery and I couldn't wait to dig in. I have a little bit of down time while putting dinner together, so let's dig into a nice Altbier:

Except for the sediment and slight cloudiness this is really a spot on example of the style. Dominant toasted pumpernickel crust malt dominates, but some superbly rustic spicy hops liven things up significantly. Some caramel, nuts, lavender and dried orange peel are all woven in nicely. The feel is excellent- crisp and dry, yet with a decent amount of malt heft in place. Bitterness is snappy and clean, and the lingering finish is surprisingly woody. Superb stuff, extremely well made. I'm between an A- and an A at the moment (4.3).

Great first impression- thanks again Frank!

 

Good afternoon NBW, I hope everyone is doing well. This week has been a whirlwind week with it being the first week I’ve been inside my classroom since March 13th. It was a scary going back but everyone around me is doing a good job wearing masks and I tested negative for COVID so I’m feeling a lot less anxiety for next week since there will still be no students.

Anyways, thanks for listening, time for the good shit!! I did enjoy a new Pilsner from Wilmington Brew Works as we had lunch during a sidewalk art sale my wife was in. Since we were busy with that I didn’t review it. It was a nice Pilsner and went down really easy, it was a little on the sweeter side for a German Pilsner in my opinion but still very enjoyable, feel like I would probably rate it in the 3.9-4.1 range.

On to my first formal review of the weekend, North Park One Simple Trick, thank you @Dimidiata!

4.44/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Thank you Dimidiata for this
16 oz can, dated 9/16/20, poured into a teku

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

S- Citrus, pineapple, some melons, piney, a little dank.

T- Pineapple, citrus, melons, slightly dank, piney.

M- Smooth, slightly creamy, medium body.

O- A great and easy drinking NEIPA, flavors is more balanced than the nose.

Cheers!

 

Happy Hoppy Anniversary !

 

Xposted from WBAYDN? Double Dry Hop King Sue, bottled on 8/11/20. Beautiful aroma, like popping open a bottle of mango-grapefruit juice while sitting by the Christmas tree. Lots of citrus and tropical fruit on the palate, along with quite a bit of dry bitterness. Crisp finish, with a hint of grapefruit lingering on the palate. The hop character may have started to fade a bit, at six weeks past the bottling date. Nevertheless, still pretty tasty. Paired with hummus and pita chips, 'cause that's what's for dinner. Prost!!

 

Great review, Andrew . . . what I really want to know is how (whether?) you like American Gods!

 

For Day #1, Beer #1, I’m going to join @JackHorzempa and enjoy this fresh hop offering from Fat Head’s, a brewery I really dig, but for some reason don’t enjoy nearly enough. Imma change that going forward.





4.44/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Absolutely gorgeous golden color, “like looking through clear glass” clear with a sudsy pearl white head that provides beautiful lacing and bubbles throughout the drink, little bubble streams constantly rising.

There’s an herbal aroma on the nose that is intriguing, as well as some fresh citrus and pine. O. M. G. We are squarely in WCIPA territory, and I am VERY glad to be visiting.

I’m wondering if there’s actually whole cone hops somewhere in the can, because the “fresh hop” component of this beer is bruisingly evident on the taste - that earthy flavor is up front, followed immediately by the fresh citrus, and then a HOWITZER of a wallop of fresh pine.

This is Bitter’s big brother, and I’m the president of the fan club. The drying mouthfeel is the perfect finish to this decidedly old school fresh hop WCIPA. World-class, IMHO.

 

Greetings NBW! Today's first new beer is Unibroue's Blanche de Chambly. If it's not my first time drinking this beer, it might as well be.

16oz can served in a big snifter. D1720GER is printed on the bottom, but if that's a date, I don't understand it. If I had to guess, I would say day 172 of the year 2020, which would be 20 June 2020.

Pours a moderately hazy light yellow with a big head and lots of carbonation. Smell is wit -- nice graininess, some yeast, a little spiciness that I'm mapping to cloves and maybe black pepper, hint of fruitiness that makes me think of banana.

Taste is pretty similar, banana and black pepper is a little stronger, might get a little lemon. Moderate sweetness, actually a little bit of bitterness to finish it off which works nicely.

Mouthfeel is light and effervescent but still very satisfying. Overall, I think this is a very good beer.

 

Great lakes nosferatu
...has about medium carbonation with what feels to be an above average body. Overall the body comes off heavier than average in a very good way
..aroma is malt,brown sugar, fruit cake, earthy hops.
...taste is malt and brown sugar and definitely sweet with some balance added by mild earthy bitter hops.
..this had a great body,aroma, and the taste was very flavorful. Regret only getting a single

 

You didn't get any diacetyl-like notes out of that, rihgt? Our four-pack had enough of it that we both noticed and poured out part of a can and let another go for months (also only partially drunk). As stated in a WBAYDN a week ago or so, that beer was an anomaly with that off note from Equilibrium for us, but we couldn't ignore it, either.

Well, I guess for old times sake...


I bought this a couple weeks ago for a NBW, but things don't always work out with timing and/or desire for a beer style and whatnot...

So the GF has had 3 of the 4pack and left the last for me. It was canned 5 weeks ago, so not too old, and I did have a sip of the GF's and enjoyed that sip. However, I wouldn't say my enjoyment is at the 4.4 level, but let's see if we agree in general on this Juicy Bits from WeldWerks.

Look - I didn't get the head production you did... it was on par for the style, however, so no complaints. Otherwise, we agree entirely on the body and lacing. Oddly, I gave it a higher look (look is a category I have the least variance in - most things are between 3.75 and 4.25).

I'm not getting a lot of dank herbs, but I do perceive what you are talking about. I am mainly getting a ton of citrus - pulp, peel, and especially zest. Orange leads, grapefruit next. Quite nice!

Taste is less juicy than expected - this is more near a classic APA to me. There is a little boost to the heft, presumably from the feel-aiding adjuncts, though I don't get it leading to the smoothness you mention. Though in saying that, I still kinda like the feel - it's got a couple toes in the realm of an old school IPA.

Circling back, the taste seems to throw off the pulp of the citrus and focus on the rind. The bulk of the beer is pretty balanced and has a bit of a "been there, done that" feel. But the mid-taste on has a moderate pithy bitterness to it. Seems like we're pretty close on most of these notes.

So in the end, I'm a little lower than you are on this beer as predicted. I think I'm a little lower rater than you on the whole, though, so we're likely a little closer than our ratings alone might indicate. Cheers!

--

I reviewed another German beer today I initially didn't feel like posting here, but Eggenberg's Urbock 23° seemed to meet the generic style guidelines well enough, but had a sweetness that, while contained in each sip, still seemed to build up more than I'd like.

 

3 new (4+) Beers Added to BA this Week Plus a Big Stone

Harvest 2020 Cascade | Carton | IPA | Rye PA | 6.2%
4.3/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
Added by Act 25, 1st Review, of this Rye Pale Ale. cross between APA & IPA, 50 IBU, rye dominant, fall flavors.
a) Massive white head that slather-coats entire glass all the way down, over a mostly clear golden amber body. Better as it warms.
s) sharp autumnal rye aroma, fall orchard, wet grass.
t) rising crisp sharpness, dry, woody, not fruity.
f) flinty, dry, crisp.
o) Sum greater than the parts, perfect fall beer out of Carton.

Ruined Again | Stone | DIPA | 10.8%
4.21/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
36th review. Gotta love Wegmans beer selection and build a 6 pack at 10.99. Always a Stone, Ruination, Arrogant Bastard fan... I loved this extreme cranked to 11 palate crusher. Very wine like.
a) pours that copper amber that I prefer, with classic head and lasting lace.
s) Need to warm, so much alcohol dampens that aroma.
t) Frankly, it's meditative, sharp, acidic, bitter, to the point of being shellac, pine tar, old boat refinishing in tight quarters - kind of medicinal hoppy sharp.
f) Likewise a tongue twister, so if you're into the gray zone of pleasure-pain, this fits your bill.
o) Call me a fan boy, I'm fine with this as an occasional and to save to spring on friends in a tasting. The most extreme Ruin?

Propagator C-Hops American Pale Ale | Firestone Walker | APA | 5.5%
4.17/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Added by Act25. As lovely an APA (my favorite style) as can be found, built in Venice, not Paso Robles, CA.
a) Slight hazed amber/nectarine body with classic off resuming white head and rings of dotty lace.
s) Classic APA with hint of floral, nectarine. Solid malt.
t) Carmel malt base supporting the C-Hops floral, fruit, stone fruit, nectarine notes.
f) Perfect layer of tingly refreshment like the cold sea. Almost salt on the nectarine flesh.
o) As fine an APA as any. Up there with Dales Pale, but much more floral and tingly.

Austen-Silbly Travis | Carton | Sour | 3.9%
4.03/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Added by Act25, 1st Review. "Beer is beer, and wine is wine."
a) If you were going to design a head for a wine inspired beer, this would be it, thin, lasting, creamy across blanc base.
s) Apple, Pear, Ginger, Orchard, Yeast.
t) Follows smell, bigger, see-saw of sour and astringent atop the subtle fruit.
f) dry, yet somehow creamy. Astringent, sour puckery.
o) Sum greater than the parts.

 

Good evening fellow beer drinkers. Tonight a local Oktoberfest Märzen from a brewery called double nickel. I believe they distribute to several states these days they are about 15 minutes away. I like their beers a lot but have never had this one. I think it’s the first time it’s been canned, like many other beers all around this country during this time. Here we go...



Nothing to really talk about head wise or retention wise minimal thin layer of creamy white head remains but not much at all. Slight opaque color like most of their lagers as well so nothing out of the ordinary.

The aroma on this one caught me immediately as hoppy, I did have a German one right before which was probably a bad idea cause I think it’s falsely amplifying the hops in this one. Anyway it smells floral, little honey, and grainy actually very pleasant combination even though it may not read as so.

Taste is grainy bread with a slight sourness, I’ll call it sourdough though because it is not unpleasant at all. Ends with some nuttiness which kind of reminds me of a brown ale. No sweetness at all.

Mouthfeel is very good, nice creamy carbonation feel to it and it finishes very clean with a very subtle bitterness. The bitterness almost makes me want to take another sip right away.

Overall a very good beer. My favorite part is the finish it’s unique to me to have a little bitterness at the end of this style and I actually kind of like it. Cheers to new beers, hoping to grab another new one for tomorrow. Have a good night everyone.

 

#2, go big or go home.





4.42/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours onyx black with a dark tan head. Beautiful imperial stout. There’s a LOT going on with this beer (imperial oatmeal stout with vanilla, Tugboat coffee, and hazelnut aged in Parker Heritage Rye Whiskey and Blissful Bourbon Maple Syrup barrels), with a lot to sort through.

The barrels are very present, with boozy oak notes on the nose. There’s also a lot of vanilla, and some milk chocolate and char.

The key to this beer, as is true with these big barrel-aged stouts, is to let it warm, because as it does, the barrels are a little less forceful, and the chocolate, vanilla, maple, and especially the hazelnut come forward.

This is a fun flavor ride. Transient’s big stout game is on point, IMHO.

 

Good evening NBW
Komes Barleywine up next

My review:
500mL bottle lot number 59/32/19/1 poured into snifter at fridge temp 12% ABV. The beer pours dense medium brown in color with light tan head. The head recedes to a thin ring and island. The aroma is mild with notes of dark fruit and toffee. The taste is burnt sugar caramel, leather and earthy hops. Moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with less than medium carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, good, not great English style barleywine.

I bought this one a month ago at room temperature and I'm guessing it's suffered from nearly two years of aging in those conditions. I would give it another shot fresher. Cheers all and enjoy the new beer in your glass this weekend!

 

I have another can so I’ll let you know, but I don’t recall any buttery notes. Interestingly I expected it to show a maltiness as it warmed, but to my surprise it did not. Not sure what black magic blankery was going on, but I enjoyed the beer. Cheers!