New Beer Weekend #15

Nice! I actually used ancho and fresh serrano. Got just a slightly damp forehead....cheers!

 

For Day #2 of NBW, I have beers from a couple of iconic breweries in our beer nerd world that I’ve been looking forward to trying for a while since hearing about them.

Let’s do this.





4.34/5 rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This beer pours a gorgeous golden color, with the slightest bit of hop haze, and a dense white head that provides beautiful lacing. The nose is weed, and a little more weed, and then a little more weed for good measure, with a dollop of resiny pine and some caramalt notes as well.

The taste is that dank weed up front and unrelenting, followed by the resiny pine, and a fantastic close with the caramalt, but make no mistake - dank is the star with this beer.

The mouthfeel is a little softer than what I’d like to see in a WCIPA, but this is still a magnificent example of the style and truly a pleasure to drink.

 

I guess we are on the same page with the fruit beers today. Cheers brother!

 

Greetings fellow NBWers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY. Cold and breezy here, most of the snow we got y'day is gone.

Wanted to hit the orchard again for some "imperfects" that got left behind, but the weather didn't cooperate, rainy and chilly here all day. Instead, it's been a day of saucing apples already picked, and baking no salt, no sugar, no egg applesauce breads with half the oil (my own recipe adapted from King Arthur Flour website). Five breads and a gallon of sauce now are in the freezer. Getting ready to watch some football, NYCFC vs. NY Red Bulls, two teams for which I root, and both are on streaks of playing well. Just for fun I hope NYCFC wins, but I'm good with a tie or a Red Bulls win.

Just a quick note, seeing as Sober October just ended, and in two months it will be Dry January. I have done a month dry for a lot of years to get what health benefits could be gotten from a dry out, and also to prove to myself I can do it (I've known those who can't). My health problems that almost killed me 14 months ago were/are almost entirely of my own doing. I was raised "It ain't supper if there ain't meat", plus lots of rich baked goods, and sugary/salty treats always around, and I have consumed extremely poorly my whole life. I was super active also, so i didn't get obese, but I was almost 50 lbs. overweight by the end, and my active life didn't prevent in any way the serious self-damage I did. Anyway, knowing I could stop drinking with little problem was a great load off my mind when I needed to stop eating, drinking, and doing so many other things at the same time. I know some of you do Dry January, IIRC, and I'd like to recommend it to the rest of you.

"Characteristics of West Coast Hazy IPA

• Lighter-bodied, dry finish, minimal residual sugar
• Hazy in appearance, not milky
• Hop-derived (not yeast-derived) aromas similar to NEIPA
• Bitterness somewhere between an NEIPA and a West Coast IPA

To elaborate on those characteristics a bit further:

• The body is similar to what some now refer to as California IPA or even a lager. A hazy beer is not always thick. This may throw people off, but the availability of thousands of London III bombs will do that.
• Haze brings softness to beer. You can achieve bitterness and softness simultaneously, which is kind of cool."

Glad to be able to have a beer with you today. It is a beer in the West Coast Hazy style, brewed by a friend.


A finger of pure white head kicks back to a lasting skim atop an orange-ish light amber colored and quite cloudy beer. A swirl leaves oily lacicles on the inner glass.

Bitter grapefruit, sweet orange, lemon zest, and crisp, light grain flavor are main players, with light amounts of extremely tasty herbal bitter and hop funk aromas that lurk behind the main parts of the medium strength bouquet.

Oh baby, ALL the flavors of the nose are here, but the herbal bitter combines with grapefruit pith essence, and is much more a player. Light notes of crisp grain with hints of sweet try to balance. Both hit right away, and carry into the finish. The flavors are bright and distinct, with bitter grapefruit the key player, and sweet grapefruit/orange, crisp grain, lemon zest adding. A bit of honeydew melon joins the mix as it warms, making a fortress of flavors that excite and please. Full strength and clean taste that is quite delicious.

Mouthfeel has the feel of a West Coast IPA with well attenuated dry notes dominating the mix, but there is a softness here too that balances what would be an overwhelmingly bitter taste and finish. Linger stays clean and doesn't build up. Low/med. carb and very clean presentation frame the favors perfectly.

A joy to drink that assaults my palate with strong, clean, very pleasing flavors and refreshment. Highly recommended.

Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

 

Breck Lager is new beer number three today. First out of a mixed fifteen pack from my new employee.

12oz can served in a tulip. "Best enjoyed by" 12/31/20.

Pours clear light yellow, small to medium head that fades to almost nothing after a few minutes. Smell is mild, lager yeast, a little grain, maybe a little grain husk.

Taste is also fairly mild, which I guess is probably to style. Mild graininess, mild lager yeast, mild honeysuckle, mild grass.

Mouthfeel is light, dry, refreshing. Overall, it's a decent beer, nothing special though.

 

Another new IPA from Lop's Brewing Co. of scenic Woonsocket R.I. entitled Because It Works.
New England style all the way.
Cheers.



3.73/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A moderate pour from a 16-oz. can yielded a finger of creamy off-white foam with very long retention and blotches of lace. Murky orange-brown color, semi-opaque with yellow highlights.

Mild smell of herbal and citrus hops with bread and toast. General fruity smell with some cardboard in the background.

Semi-sweet with below average bitterness, juicy with added apricot and apple. A general boiled vegetable taste haunts the middle. Some cracker emerges from the malt profile, the hops and bitterness rise to average towards the fast and clean finish. Peppery hop bitterness lingers on a while.

Medium bodied with abundant carbonation, juicy and smooth. Alcohol is well hidden behind the pepper. Nice balance of bitter against sweetness. Brewery fresh, another hit by Lops!

 

I had a glass just like that...my wife stole it from a bar for me back when we were just dating. I wonder if I still have that, or if it departed in the great glass purge late last year. It's a great size for bombers.

 

#2, I’m joining our friend @DoctorZombies in enjoying this beer from another iconic brewery.





4.69/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

This beer pours an onyx black color that swallows all light and sports a dark, creamy tan color that provides a shocking amount of lacing - in my experience, big stouts leave clear glasses. That is not the case with this beer .....



Never seen anything like this with a big stout.

The nose is coffee up front, with HUGE chocolate notes following, and a nice mix of maple and oak notes from the barrel on the back end as this beer warms.

The taste is actually led by a combo pack of the coffee and booziness from the barrel, with a whopping boatload of chocolatey fudge as the beer warms and some sweetness from the maple. What an amazing collection of flavors.

The mouthfeel is full and creamy, substantial enough to carry this beast of a beer.

I love everything about the Breakfast Stout family of beers from Founders, and this beer is another example why that is the case.

 

Jester King Provenance Tangerine Saison, 6.0% ABV, 3.94
overall

Pours an effervescent gold with rapidly disappearing eggshell colored head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Grassy, wet hay, citrus notes & tartness once warm

T: Grassy, a little grainy, some tangerine up front. Tartness & sour oranges as this warms, a little sweet orange as well. Finishes with tart citrus, a little grassyness & dryness

MF: Medium body and dialed back carbonation

Nice Saison variant, but nothing world class by any means, drinks easy enough

 

Hello All
So our little bit of chaos (aka NBS BIF #12) seems to have no end...I received another surprise in circular firing squad.

Whoops IPA by One Well Brewing
Can says IPA, but describes Whoppy as Wheat+Hoppy. Hmm
Thanks to @foundersasap for this one.
Pours a turbid golden orange. Fluffy head leaps forth. Solid retention and curtains of lacing.
Aromas of lemon blossom, grapefruit, resiny pine, and grainy malt.
Taste follows faithfully. But definitely leaves the juicy for the bitter.
Mouthfeel is a tad light, but active. Slick finish.
Overall, a solid refreshing drink.
4.1/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

Drinking a Jellyfish Brewing Mandatory Fun FH Pale, with 100% cascades. It did not please me.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/49752/516187/?ba=beertunes#review

 

NBW #2 , Beer Tree's re-visit of their first sour, Ripened . (With the new brewer's take on it, who's been doing good-to-fantastic work in the sour realm, since his arrival.) Missed its initial appearance, so looking forward to trying it.

A : Deep pinkish-red, with light pink head, that leaves a persistent ring of foam, & no appreciable lacing.
S : As advertised on the can, passion fruit, dragonfruit, and guava, + some "fresh" wheat aroma, as is typical.
T : Guava, passion fruit, and dragon fruit, in that order. A slight herbal flavor (Michigan Copper hops?) , and dried lemon zest come in late, and linger. Light bitterness, and moderate sourness, less than the typical gose or Berliner. Slightly drying finish, that balances the sweeter aspects of the fruit.
F : Thick, and juicy, with moderate, soft carbonation. The mucilaginous feel at the back of the throat is slight, and less than is typical of most sour beers.
O : Enjoyable, and easy-drinking. I would like it better with less of the herbal (*****hound+sage) element, but then again, this is a re-issue of their first attempt at a fruited sour, so it can be forgiven, in the interest of history. (I missed it, when it was first released.) That aside, I'd get it again, if their more recent ones (Trippy Tree, & Slighly Fuzzy series) weren't available.
4.31/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/51814/474064/?ba=mikeinportc#review

 

My last new beer this weekend is a local dunkel lager from Idle Hands, called Brünhilda. Canned this past week on 10/28/20. I'm a fan of this style and glad to see some around this time of year.





Pours from the 16oz pint can a mostly clear dark maroon red-brown nearing black with a creamy frothy light khaki colored foam head with decent lacing and retention.

Smells rich and malty yet light and refreshing, fruity, clean, some notes of light chocolate, caramel, toasty bread, mild nutty toffee, sweet molasses, some dried fruit like apricot, plum, hints of red and black grape, cola, with floral earthy herbal noble spice hops. Aromas are of moderate intensity overall.

Tastes a bit more rich in malt character, dark toasted rich bread crust, chocolate notes, caramel, nutty toffee, sweet molasses, amber honey, dried fruits like apricot, plum, red grape, concord grape, a touch of cola, and earthy herbal floral noble spice hops, finishing with rich nutty dark toasted bready malts lingering. Moderate high intensity and concentration of flavors, not overly so though for a rich dunkel lager, and remains clean, light, drinkable and refreshing in the end.

Feels medium bodied, soft and light, airy and creamy, slick with moderate crisp carbonation.

Overall this is a really nice local dunkel lager. Glad I was able to acquire a 4pk of this. I love when a beer has the clean feel and drinkability of a lager, and is rich in body and malts at the same time, while not going too dark. A style like this I find very attractive especially in the cooler months here. I'd like to try more examples of this style, I think the only German one I've had is Andech's and it was pretty old so I don't think I even reviewed it. I might try to pick up some fresh Andech's, Ayinger, or Hofbrau sometime to compare to the few American counterparts that I've tried. From what I've had, I find it a desirable and balanced beer, rich, malty and tasty, not too dark, yet still clean, somewhat light and refreshing, easy drinking. It reminds me of Scottish ale or maybe a light barleywine in lighter session lager form, and this particular one is pretty balanced and tasty. Idle Hands is making some pretty good lagers over in Malden.

Watched a couple jazz documentaries tonight on Netflix, Miles Davis: Birth Of The Cool and now just finished up Chasing Trane a John Coltrane documentary. Really cool videos about these legends' lives and music careers. Cheers everyone, and happy New Beer Weekend!

 

Ha! Striking NBW 15 late.
Firestone Walker's Peachy Bones. 6.1% - an intriguing wild/Brett/sour/Lambic style beer.
More details, you ask? Read on below, friends.
I think I'd like it even MORE with time in the bottle. This was a recent July bottling.
Cheers...

4.18/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

L - Golden straw/yellow color; weak effervescent head, a tad of lacing. Delicate. Really.
S - Pith of white stone-fruit and definitely Brett yeast on the nose; some horsy blank that smothers most other things. A bit of peach as it warmed.
T - Fantastic wild meets sour, the Brett and the Lambic yeast and bacteria are active. Recent 7.20.20 bottling, too, so it hasn't run its full rustic wild course yet. Not much peach but definitely more of the white fruit stone fruit pith action here.
F - Great natural carb action, fantastic mouthfeel from the prickle of Brett, in a good way.
O - This is a winner, cuts the line between a wild, a lambic, a saison, and a sour. RULES BE DAMNED. Nice job.

 

Poured into a 20 oz giant tulip glass not sure when it was bottled. Pours midnight black on an overcast winters night, with a 2 plus finger mocha head that settles fairly quick with little if any lace. 4.25

Smell is deep dark chocolate, strong roasted coffee, vanilla beans, leather, sweet pipe tobacco, and bold oaked bourbon. 4.25

Taste follows dark chocolate, sweet bourbon, roasted coffee, leather, pipe tobacco, and vanilla really complex and in your face but tasty. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, a tad dry, slightly under carbonated, and at 16.7% really a sipper, but because of how complex it is it goes down pretty easy. 4.25

Overall this a really nice Imperial Stout that drinks like BCBS and wish they could make it more like a high ABV Stout like Avery does, still really nice but the entire time drinking you realize it is really boozy and too lightly carbonated. 4.25

 

Damn, you had me at Bourbon and ... Pedro. That sounds great.
Putting that on the list. Cheers!

 

Thanks to @John_M for this 2013 HotD Otto, which is damned nice!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/173/83737/

 

Greetings, fellow NBWers,
Just got done watching the Seahawks beat the Niners and what was perhaps their best defensive performance of the season (not saying much, I know). First game that wasn't a nail biter, so I'll take it gladly.

53° and clear today in Spokanistan. The 7" or so of snow from a week ago is mostly a memory at this point.
Now drinking a hazy IPA from local nano-brewery Hello Brew Co., this is It's My Birthday, and I couldn't post a review because I forgot to add Hello to the database til now, and no one else has done it:

The official description:
"This collaboration beer was brewed with Project Craft, to celebrate Community Pint's 3rd anniversary. This hazy IPA was triple dry hopped featuring Amarillo and Simcoe hops. Beer is light, with soft mouthfeel.
Malt: 2-row, Oats, White Wheat, Honey Malt
Hops: Amarillo, Simcoe, Azacca, CTZ
Yeast: OYL-011".
Very drinkable, with a tropical fruit sweetness. Modest, pithy bitterness on the back end. Canned on August 23, it's still holding up pretty well.
I might hit another after dinner. If not, have a great week.

 

I believe @zid is correct about Baltic Porters being either top or bottom fermenting. I think the reason why is mainly because "Baltic Porter" was originally brewed in England before lagering was created. After refrigeration and bottom fermenting lagers took place, most of the Baltic brewers adopted the cold bottom fermenting lager style of higher abv porter. A blend of an English style porter and Baltic porter doesn't seem out of context, it's sort of like the old original blended with the innovative new style together in one. Some other brewers in northern Europe brew Baltic Porters with a top fermenting ale yeast, so it can be either way, since it started as an ale and then became a lager, it can be both. The only thing I don't understand about having it as an ale is, what separates that from an imperial porter, or even a stout? If a higher abv porter isn't brewed with a lager yeast what differentiates it? A few different malts? I think the lager yeast is what makes the Baltic Porter a truly unique style, since now any porter can be high abv. Just my opinion.

 

I haven't had that in years, but remember it fondly.