New Beer Weekend #22

Finally, my last beer of the day. There is a much longer time between the beers today that there is between the posts. As I said on the first beer over on the holiday beer online tasting thread, things kind of backed up on posting earlier consumed beers.

Anyhow, beer #3.

Anchor Our Special Ale 2020 (Anchor Christmas Ale)
ABV: 7.0%
IBU: 40



The look is very dark, opaque, topped by a tall, creamy-thick, tan head with excellent retention. It recedes lazily, leaving thick lacing just above the head, and forming a pock-marked head, mounded up in the middle.

The aroma is not too strong. Roasted coffee. A bit sweet smelling, chocolate, floral and honey, some orange.

Initial taste is sweet, floral. The middle features the beginning of the bittering, backed by evergreen, coffee, and chocolate. The finish is fairly bitter, not too strongly piney with the previously mentioned flavors intermixing. The finish is tipped a bit to the sweet side, with the bittering and floral flavors lingering. There is no alcohol taste or burn. A pleasant, but unusual, beer.

The feel is moderate and a bit sticky.

Overall, I'm not sure what to make of it. It is certainly interesting.

L: 4.25 | S: 3.5 | T: 3.75 | F: 3.75 | O: 3.75 | Rating: 3.72

 

Last new beer today, Cascade Patio Paradise.

12oz can served in a WABL sample glass. Canned on 06/29/2020

Pours a mostly clear pale yellowish with a small head and medium carbonation. Smell is fruit juice, tart, herbal.

Taste is similar -- tropical fruit, tart, herbal -- looking at the label and seeing basil listed, I could call it that. Also somewhat salty. Not overdone.

Mouthfeel is very dry, light. Overall, pretty good beer. Interesting and refreshing.

 

Finishing off my planned new beers for New Beer Weekend #22 and New Beer Sunday #825 with another local beer, brewed in Niles, not Chicago, but still the closest brewery to my house.

It is a holiday theme, courtesy of Seinfeld for the rest of us. Une Annee Feats of Strength (2020).



Beer Specs: Single can purchased at Beer on the Wall, no printed can date but released this year the second week of December. 16 ounces, multiple pours into a medium sized snifter. From the can "Belgian Inspired Imperial Stout Brewed with Chocolate". 13.5% ABV.

Appearance: Dark ruby dark brown coloured pour, faint head leaves light off-white tan ring of extremely small/fine bubbles around glass, carbonation light. 3.5

Aroma: Tart plums and dark fruit dominate, chocolate, raisins and dates back to provide some balance. Light to mild in strength. 3.25

Taste: Taste much bolder, vastly different from the aroma. Nice chocolate, cinnamon, plums, raisins and dates lead, maple syrup as well. Sweet but not overpowering. It different than any stout or Belgian beer I ever had, but I like this blend, a nice sweet Belgian. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Very light wafer thin body, nominal carbonation. ABV light and easy at first, but it packs a powerful punch as I work through the 16 ounces. Somewhat sticky feel like syrup, slight sweet aftertaste. Be prepared to test your strength. 4.0

Overall: This is a unique offering. I expected a thick rich Imperial Stout at first glance of the beer lable, but what it lacked in body it held in breadth of taste, a sweet and powerful beer, but not overpowering in sweetness. Overall, this is sweeter than my typical preference, but I really am enjoying and would definitely pick up a future offering when this annual release returns. Serenity Now!!! 4.0

Hopeful to catch up with the threads and pick up new beer ideas for 2021 purchases.

Cheers!

 

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass not sure when it was canned. Pours a hazy orange with a 2 finger sticky slightly off white head that leaves big thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.75

Aroma passionfruit, pineapple, peach, mango, tangerine, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows passionfruit, tangerine, peach, mango, pineapple, and apricot really balanced. 4.5

Mouthfeel is bigger than medium, not sticky or dry, rather gentle carbonation, and at 7% it may drink a little bigger, but exceptional drinkability. 4.75

Overall this is an excellent NEIPA, wish I knew when it was canned and I trust it was recent. Very happy to have this brewery in NH and I trust you will see me buying these guys often when on shelves. 4.5

 

Good day BAS! Back for the NBS portion of NBW. Today's New Breakfast Beer:



Sure Bet from Pipeworks. Purchased 11/13/20 for $6 (Including tax) for 16 oz can ($ 0.375/oz) from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. Reviewed 12/20/20.
Marked on bottom rim of can “08/28/20”. In reefer at store and stored at home at 42 degrees. Served at 45 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 55.9 degrees.
Appearance – 4.25.
First pour – Straw (SRM 3), clear.
Body – Pale gold (SRM 4), opaque. When held to direct light, translucent with a haze noted.
Head – Large (Maximum 4.2 cm, aggressive center pour), ivory, high density, average retention, leaving an eight to eleven mm undulating crown fed by effervescence, some scattered foam islands on the glass as the head collapses, and a thin complete cap with rocky islands. Second pour produces a 0.2 cm head.
Lacing – Excellent! Wide bands of near-microscopic bubbles with a few small thrown in. See also above.
Aroma – 3 – Weak honey and lemon, no mango, no malt, no yeast.
Flavor – 3 – Weak malt, no hops, no yeast, no mango, no honey. A bit bitter. No alcohol (9.5% ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. Weak gastric warming eventually occurs. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3 – Medium, watery, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.25. Leaves an oily mouthfeel and nasty aftertaste. Still no mango.
Rating 3.13, rDev -29.8%.

Well. What's the problem here. It probably isn't three month in-the-can citra hops - I drink tons of Pseudo Sue and at three months the flavor has changed slightly from fresh but is still pretty good. Maybe mango? Does mango break down and rot in the can after a few weeks? Don't know, but after examining my past history with Pipeworks (16 different brews, all but two I rated below average), I've come to the conclusion that I won't be drinking any more Pipeworks IPAs. The best beer I've had from them was Imperial End of Days, back in 2014. So, until I can get to Chicago again (seven to nine hour drive, depending on traffic and location), no more Pipeworks IPAs.

 

Good morning BAs! Today’s new beer comes courtesy of @Number1Framer - Bell’s Brewery Inc.’s 35th Anniversary Expedition Stout Reserve:



Poured at 54 degrees; light brown mixed bubbles; ok cap retention leaves island of micro dot bubbles; solid ring; plenty of soapy lacing on agitation; thin legs; opaque black body with ruby edges. Nose is roast malt with some fruity esters - plums, prunes; tar, fresh asphalt as beer warms. Bitter roast entry; bittersweet dark chocolate; strong burnt grains; toasted black bread; earthy hop bitterness. Creamy soft smooth feel; some warmth from 11.5% abv; full minus body; moderate minus carbonation; dry finish. Overall, an outstanding very strong RIS; dry, bitter roast with lingering burnt dark fruit flavors; yet drinks easy - complex well layered flavors make this beer hard to put down!

4.5 | 4.0 | 4.75 | 4.5 | 4.5
Score: 4.48 rDev +0.4%

 

Flyin Machine Beautiful Nonsense

Pours a nice solid jet black color with a slight head and lacing with floaties
Aroma has intense cacao and vanilla hints
The taste follows the nose with a very generous lactose, intense chocolate and nice vanilla flavor
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A very well done very nicely balanced stout

 

I relate to everything you're saying. My wife is an RN(no longer working the bedside thankfully). When we hear the stories related to her through friends and co-workers there is no way we could have made any other decision. We were reflecting on the last 9 months the other day, and it was startling how close to home it's hit for us. The trauma can all blend together or seem more tolerable because of the fact that it's been spread out over months. Our neighbor was one of the first deaths in the county from Covid. Friends have lost their parents. A close personal friend was admitted to the ICU for a few days, but thankfully recovered. The number of confirmed cases that we personally know is rapidly approaching triple digits, if not already there. Then on top of that there's the stress and anxiety over keeping your loved ones and yourself as safe as possible. I started on BA about 13 months ago, and had no idea then how much this place would help me in the coming year. All the best to you and your family and friends, and thanks for making the tough decisions.

 

That RTM is so underrated. Problem I hqve is its hard to find fresh. For aome reason a shelf sitter.

 

Interesting...I’m drinking a FBS as I write, and it is a lot sweeter with more chocolate base. The 35th I just drank was super bitter roasty, no sweetness and very little unsweetened chocolate...reminded me of the RIS beers from Estonia’s Põhjala...good stuff!

 

I wish I could help you. We got ours in and it was a tiny box. My guess is we got 6 cans (2 of each).
Hopefully there's more, because I'd love to try them.

 

Heist Brewery Coast To Coast Itinerary
I can't travel to breweries while COVID19 is raging, so it is some consolation that we are getting distribution of Charlotte, and Atlanta beers. And paying dearly for the opportunity.
This is an excellent West Coast IPA, brewed with El Dorado, Simcoe, Citra, and Amarillo; dry-hopped with Citra, Simcoe, and HS-1228. I thought that the Simcoe was overshadowed by the other hops. Great vivid citrus and tropical flavors for the modest ABV. Tons of long-lasting head. Worth $6 a can, but only a once a month purchase at that price.

 

I posted this in the Holiday tasting thread last night (it's a fun thread, drop on by)

Delirium Noël
I have the glass, so I guess I have to drink the beer
Picked up the gift pack (2 .5L bottles + glass) 'cause I couldn't resist pink elephants pulling Santa's sleigh , I've had other Deliriums, but not Noël.



This isn't the best I've had, but it is very good.
It looks like diluted cherry cola and smells like a spiced dark caramel. The taste is caramel and molasses with raisins, prunes, some dried apricots, some spices that I can't quite identify, and a faint orange zest background.

You don't really notice the 10% ABV until halfway through the bottle, by then it has warmed enough for the spice mixture to bloom and the caramel to fade a little. Still just as good, just a little different.

A very good Christmas beer and I'm happy I have another bottle waiting.

4.28/5 rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

L: a diluted cherry cola with a thin, quickly dissolving, pale head
S: caramel with some raisins, prunes, and a hint of cherry
T: caramel and molasses with raisins, prunes, some dried apricots, some spices that I can't quite identify, and a faint orange zest background
F: no carbonation in the glass, but there is a fizz in the swallow. There is a mild burnt sugar aftertaste with a bit of ginger/pepper tang
O: a very good dark Christmas ale. The sweetness of kept from being cloy by the spice and orange. The beer has a decent body without being too heavy save the 10% is well hidden. I don't think I'd car for this 10 months out of the year, but it hits the spot on a cold winter's night.

 

Pours a murky amber color with a slight head and lacing
Aroma has tropical and citrus hints
The taste follows the nose with a tropical and citrus flavor
A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
A good IPA

 

Foraging in the old beer cellar resulted in my picking out this gem, which was courtesy of @Whyteboar from NBS BIF #12. I've been fortunate to have several Revolution beers sent my way this year from BIF participants, and they have all been excellent. This one is Deth's Tar, a bourbon barrel aged imperial oatmeal stout, and it did not disappoint. (bonus points..love the 12 oz. format).

4.34/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Very dark in color with a faint hit of cherry red as it poured (but not once in the glass). Decent head left behind a very thin beige ring. Aroma is fantastic. Bourbon, with waves of vanilla and chocolate that radiate from the glass and are noticeable from several feet away. Taste largely follows the nose with bourbon, vanilla, dark chocolate, and plenty of heat. The 14.8% isn't all that well hidden, but it's still executed in a way that works. Full bodied and smooth. Very good beer that I have to be careful not to drink too quickly.

 

Pours a murky golden color with a nice head and lacing
Aroma has slight wheat hints
The taste follows the nose with a very slight wheat flavor
A light bodied decently carbonated beer
An okay Hefeweizen