New Beer Weekend #16

A couple of new beers tonight, this first one is one I can’t believe I’ve not had, but I’ve not. It is more than worthy of your consideration.

Glassware courtesy of our beer nerd friend @Ozzylizard in NBS BIF 007. He is a rockstar.



4.6/5 rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a nicely hazy golden orange color with the most beautiful dense white head you’ve ever seen. The nose is juicy tangerines, mango, and passion fruit (thank you Galaxy!), and there’s a biscuity malt aroma, too.

The tangerine flavor is forward on the taste, and the mango and passion flavors really shine, but the star for me is the biscuity malt flavor, which proves nice balance to the significantly magnificent hop flavors.

The mouthfeel is a bit on the dry side, which I love - this actually sits more on the WCIPA side of the ledger than it does on the NEIPA side, IMHO, which is fine by me.

 

A few weeks ago I picked up a bottle of the Val-Dieu Grand Cru quad on a whim and I'm sure glad I did.
The brewery says

and that it is.

4.37/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

into a chalice from a BB 13/02/22 bottle
L: deep chestnut bordering on coffee brown with a tall tab head that slowly dissolves and laces the sides
S: figs and raisins and toffee
T: follows the smell with figs, raisins, prunes, toffee, burnt sugar, malts, no noticable hops.
As it warms the fruit flavors fade and the coffee, roasted malts, dark chocolate bitterness come to the front.
F: thick, mild carbonation, slides over the tongue with a dark chocolate aftertaste
O: this is a seriously good quad. Complex and fulfilling with a body you can feel. Rich without being cloying. A beer that evolves and changes as you drink. Hides the 10.5% ABV well, and that okay because sipping on one satisfies you.

 

Good eve-ning. Thanks to SawDog for getting it going. Rumor has it that he helped rebuild Steve Austin, The Six Million Dollar Man. Anyway, I have a new beer from Pueblo Vida brewing in Tucson, Void DIPA. Their beer always runs a little to the light side concerning the hoppy ales, and this is no exception . It is like an IPA plus, and that suits me just fine. I like DIPA’s that are in the 8-8.5% range, easy drinkers. Everyone have a mahvelous evening and rest of the weekend!
highdesertdrinker from Arizona

4.46/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours a turbid medium gold with a little head. Smells fruity, hoppy, herbal. Tastes like a melange of bright fruit flavors that blend quite well. A little herbal with some bitterness but very smooth. A little light for a DIPA, but really just perfect. Citra and Mosaic and maybe my fave from them in this category, cheers!

 

#2, this looks and feels more like a porter than a milk stout, but it tastes pretty excellent whatever it is.



4.34/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a dark mahogany brown with a tan head. Probably more on the porter side of the beer spectrum, but I am maybe picking nits. The nose is on point - rich coffee, caramel, and vanilla. Get outta here!

The taste features the coffee (a little) and the caramel and vanilla (a LOT), and it is delicious. I’m not a coffee drinker, but I would drink this until it came out my ears.

The mouthfeel is full and creamy, and brings this more toward the milk stout side of the scale. Wherever you choose to place this, it tastes pretty awesome, IMHO.

 

Howdy NBW
First time with a Surly brew.

Poured into a can glass yields finger sized fluffy and quickly dissipating head. Opaque golden color
Aroma of grapefruit guava and papaya
Taste is mainly grapefruit and citrus rind and slight stone fruit
Mouthfeel is astringent and tingles the palate. Medium to low carbonation
Overall I feel it’s fairly light and slightly refreshing, if you are into dry slightly bitter
finishing beer this is it.
4. 3.75. 3.75. 3.50. 3.75. Overall 3.74

 

Like many, having a Founders Maple Mackinac Fudge Coffee KBS. I’m sure I can’t add anything meaningfully different than what’s been said, but it is a splendid beer. Very easy to knock back while sitting out here on the back deck. The flavors all blend impeccably. I never had Mackinac fudge coffee, but considering how much fudge is imparted in this beer, it must be one hell of a cup of joe. Speaking of joe...never mind...topic for a different forum!

I have a Grimm Tomorrow’s Special lined up as beer 2, but considering how much I like this KBS, it might wait until tomorrow.

 

Masthead It's Raining Bock



4.11/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Bought this during the summer and saved it for an Indian Summer evening. Poured a pint can into a DFH tulip. Nice clear tannish mahogany color with a fluffy light tan head that faded gradually. Smell is very malty and dark bread with a hint of rye. The taste follows the smell with some caramel and chocolate added. Alcohol presence is non existent. Mouthfeel is very full but refreshing.

This would be a good beer for Masthead to keep on regular rotation

 

was wondering about those guys

 

Was going to save this but @Beersnake1 gave it a high mark so I popped it open
..solid black appearance
...medium light carbonation with a just above average body. Has a bit of a creamy thick feel which adds to an overall nice body.
Aroma is dark frui foremost, prune bread, malt, some spice. Has a mild dry earthy hop flavor.
Overall its interesting, delicious, and worth a try

 

I'm very grateful to @Pinz412 for this outstanding rye barrel aged barleywine sent during NBS BIF #12. I love BA barleywines when done well, and this one is outstanding.



Pours a very dark, opaque brown color with no head and no lacing.

The smell is sweet caramel, bourbon, and a hint of dark fruits.

The taste is bourbon, burnt caramel, and strong raisins on the finish.

The mouthfeel is slick with a medium/thick body and low carbonation.

Overall this is a great beer, good range of flavors, and an outstanding mouthfeel.

 

Well Hello Late Night NBS
A little surprise hit my porch the other day from @Roy_Hobbs
Ross, your generosity will be sung for generations yet to come...
And for tonight Ladies and Gentlemen, my Fox Farm cherry is no more.
Near & Far DIPA
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45832/286004/
Canned 10/21/2020
Golden straw in hue. Hazy with a white fluff that assertively breaches the rim of my Teku. Slow retreat leaves a pillowy slick of solid lacing, retention is solid.
Aromas of smooth citrus, bright yet earthy grape must, wet oats, grass, and a hint of creamy sweetness akin to lactose.
Flavors are more varied and hard to nail down. The citrus notes have an earthy tinge to them. The grape goes in a drying direction, then make way for melon and a most understated herbal note.
Mouthfeel is fluffy, carbonation is damn near perfect to keep this baby vivacious.
Overall, a winner. The flavor seemed to go in a different direction than the nose, but maybe that's just me. Not a knock in the slightest. Great beer.

 

Second new Revolution Brewing IPA from their Variety Pack Volume 11, Valkyrye-Hero. This is a first time release for this beer by Revolution.



Can Notes: 6.0% ABV, Sharp Rye Meets Soaring Hops, Hazy Rye IPA. Filled 9/23/20 @ 10:54:21. Online Brewer Notes: Valkyrye-Hero is a hazy new hero soaring into battle with bold rye flavor - balanced with a huge dry hop of Chinook, Cascade, Centennial, Amarillo and Citra. Tastes like victory!

A very broad hops mix for this one, let's see how this works out.

Appearance: Hazy somewhat orange tan pour, off-white head leaves clumpy lacing after a few minutes and a layer covering the top of the glass. 3.5

Aroma: Sweet tropical fruit aroma, pineapple, citrus, peach. Light in strength. 3.0

Taste: Similar to aroma, sweet tropical fruit, pineapple, citrus. Some bitterness attempts to offset. Rye backs well providing contrast to the sweetness. It's an interesting dichotomy, really enjoy the flavor of rye, I like the pairing here between the rye and sweet malts. Some earthy floral notes as well. Taste is very bold and refreshing. First sip I felt sweetness, but after several more really digging this one with the rye the star of the show. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Medium slightly creamy body, light fizzy carbonation lasts throughout, balanced to slightly sweet in the end, the sweetness coupled with carbonation tingles like Pop Rocks at times. Neutral dryness, easy drinking and clean finish. 3.75

Overall: Unique hazy IPA offering, really like the rye base which plays of the hops well. Would drink more Hazy IPAs if they were like this one, will seek out future Rye IPAs from Revolution and other brewers. Another very good Hero! 4.0

If I have one more new beer today, it will be the last of the variety pack. I really want to try their WCIPA in my refrigerator, but it is ten days old and can likely last one week before popping one open for next week's NBW/NBS. I also have that KBS Fudge everyone seems to be loving, but that can age well in the interim.

Cheers and see you later today!

 

Good morning BA
Another nightshift behind me and another fine beer from Central Waters courtesy of @basaywhat

Rye Barrel Chocolate Stout
12oz bottle with 2019 notch and no visible date stamp poured into a tulip glass at just above fridge temp, no ABV listed on label. The beer pours dark brown with limited light penetration and a meager medium brown colored head. The head recedes to a pencil thin ring and leaves no lacing. The aroma is mild and features chocolate, oaky barrel and roasted malt. The taste is a bittersweet tapestry of chocolate, rye whiskey, barrel tannins, roasted malt and coffee, punctuated with a slightly boozy, slightly bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with just less than medium carbonation. The rye whiskey and oaky barrel notes really dry out the finish. Overall, very good imperial porter.

I truly enjoy rye whiskey and anticipated enjoying this. The flavor is the highlight, which is fine by me. Thanks for the opportunity to try this one Chris!

Cheers all and enjoy the new beer in your glass today!

 

What is Sawdog's dogs name? Here's my Walker Hound Otis, lover of the moon and all things celestial. Cheers all!

 

This past week in my ways feels like the logical conclusion of the last four years. I notice a lot of people opening bottles to celebrate, lament, or escape the turmoil that at this point feels like it will always be present in our lives. Looking into the refrigerator my eyes landed on a bottle that is new to my possession, but was packaged in a time before a lot of the current Sturm und Drang was so ubiquitous. This made it feel like the obvious choice. Thank you to @Roy_Hobbs for sending me this bottle of Langunitas' High West-ified Imperial Coffee Stout from 2016.

This 2016 bottle, poured roughly four years after bottling, poured jet black in color with only a brief one centimeter head. The liquid appeared slick as it filled the 12oz. snulip I was using. The aroma heavily leaned into the oak rye barrel and vanilla. There were notes of the underlying roast, but they were only subtle. The flavor was much more delicate than I anticipated. The rye wasn't nearly as prominent on my palate as it was in the aroma. This is not to say that it was missing, it just didn't overwhelm in the way that I expected. The first big flavor I noticed was chocolate, followed by vanilla, brown sugar, oak, and the faintest hint of toasted coconut. The coffee was very mellow and mostly faded, but contributed to a pleasant bitterness to balance the sweetness of the also mellowed rye. The feel was a touch thin and slick with very little carbonation. Overall, this bottle held up well and was a pleasure to drink. Thanks again, @Roy_Hobbs.

4.39/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25