New Beer Weekend #22

Congratulations!

 

Other Half Polite Clap German Pilsner, great to see such a heavy hitter in NEIPA world brew a nice lager.

4.11/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

16 oz can poured into a pint glass

A- A fairly clear golden straw with small white head.

S- Biscuits, some honey, herbal, some pilsner malts, slightly earthy.

T- Biscuits, honey, earthy, some pilsner malts, herbal.

M- Smooth, crisp, light body.

O- A tasty and well balanced pilsner.

Cheers!

 

Back with another new beer, this time a fruited Gose, courtesy of @FrankenMiller:

Really nice gose. I feel like this had the potential to turn into a sweet, fruity mess with all the adjuncts involved. That didn't happen, I suspect because 3 Sons and The Bruery are really good brewers and approached things with a sense of restraint. A really enjoyable beer. Thanks, Gene!

 

Bare Hands Galaxy Imperial DIPA (TIPA?). Another new-to-me beer sent by @ovaltine in his ridiculous Holiday BIF box. Generally love single-hop Galaxy beers, so anticipation is high. Hazy on the pour, but in that FW/Cellarmaker style of "hazy," which is to say not a murkbomb but with gently, evenly suspended particles that almost give it a glow. Big, pillow head that sticks around for quite a while. Nose is bright citrus and pineapple, with no dank/herbal notes, just a pure, almost crystalline aroma typical of the best expressions of Galaxy. Taste is unexpectedly peachy and absolutely free of booziness, incredible given the 10% ABV (!) Mouthfeel is also a little confounding, given the high ABV: on the thinner side of medium, it goes down very easy, maybe too easy. Overall, this is a Galaxy beer that stands with the best of them, including the much-vaunted Other Half Space Diamonds. Like I've said recently, I'm always suspicious that OH is fucking around with oats and lactose to compensate for questionable brewing, so this stands out all the more for its clean, unmitigated goodness. Mike sent two of these, so I'm probably gonna be plastered in about an hour. Cheers!

 

I was going a different direction tonight, but @FBarber reminded me of the Holiday tasting thread, so I had to reconnoiter. I picked this up as my Christmas beer, thinking it would be a Celebration knockoff, but it’s not, IMHO.





4.07/5 rDev +9.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a relatively clear mahogany brown color in the body with loads of leakage to red on the edges and a dense tan head.

The nose is dominated by malt aromas, especially caramel and toffee notes, and there’s a subtle fruity note that presents as tart cherries from the hops.

The hops are more prominent on the taste, and it is cherries on my palate, with a bit of pine, and a LOAD of caramel and toffee flavors from the malt.

The mouthfeel is dry and crisp, in line with an old school IPA. I went into this thinking it would be a Celebration clone, and it is in that vein, but substantially maltier. Glad I picked this up.

 

My next new beer is a side-by-side comparison of two new beers, the barrel aged and non-barrel-aged versions of Dark Olympus from local brewery Chainline. I bought these bottles about two weeks ago at the brewery.


They look nearly identical. Dark brown/black with a small head and little carbonation. The barrel aged seems to have slightly more head.

Tastes deviate somewhat. I get more anise in the non-barrel aged, and tons of vanilla in the barrel aged. Plenty of roastiness in both. A little chocolate in the non-BA, and some oak in the BA.

Mouthfeel, the BA version wins out without a question -- thick, smooth and velvet as opposed to medium-bodied and a little gritty.

Overall, I think the non-BA is an OK imperial stout, and the BA is a good BA imperial stout.

 

For sure! This combo waa amazing.

 

Cross post from the holiday beer online tasting. My second and final new beer today.

Wild Mind Winter's Edge Imperial Stout
ABV: 12.3%
IBU: 45

Wow! Since a crowler is a drink it or dump it package, this will consume the rest of the evening. (Fortunately, I started it about an hour ago now.) (Also, fortunately, I am retired so I have no job to go to tomorrow. Still, if a beer this large is going to be packaged in 750ml, at least they could use a bottle so it can be stoppered. But, enough whining... I knew that when I bought it.)



The brewer's notes:

"Brewed with a melange of roasted, chocolate, and caramel specialty malts, and hopped with American varietals, Winter’s Edge is inspired by Mexican Chocolate. Thus, after fermentation, we added globs of Madagascar Vanilla beans, and a deftly handed amount of cinnamon and ancho chili that adds a slight warming sensation that compliments the alcohol heat. Winter’s Edge is big and bold with notes of brownie batter, Mexican Hot Chocolate, a touch of Smoky Paprika, and a Caramel Grenache."

Wow, again! That a lot of flavoring additives for one beer. This could either be interesting or a disaster.

I get the roasted chili peppers on the nose with an indistinct earthy sweet aroma.

The look is black. Black hole black. No light penetrates, even a bright back-light shows nothing. Tall, very thick, chocolate pudding head. The head recedes leisurely, leaving behind an almost unbroken sheet of lacing around the glass. I almost hate to take a drink, it is so pretty.

Taste is decidedly different, but the brewer's description gave a heads up. The vanilla is present, along with roasted coffee/malts, chocolate, with mild spiciness from the chili peppers. The brewer mentions cinnamon, and if it is there, it is a mere hint. The caramel attempts to add a sweetness to balance things, but the more prickly flavors won't allow it. The chilis are not bringing much heat, but they are bringing a nice flavor. There is a noticeable alcohol warmth. It is interesting and nicely done. By that I mean the various flavoring additives blend together well without one becoming dominant. The beer has a fairly bitter aftertaste that lingers, along with the roasted malts, the chocolate, and the spices.

The body is relatively thick, but not overly so given the style. The feel is smooth and coating. The roasted chilies break up the coating, though, so it is not sticky.

Overall, as I said, well done for what the brewer describes. However, given the high ABV in a 750ml crowler, a sweeter evening sipping beer would have been a more pleasant way to finish the day. But, I'm not downgrading it for what I wish it was. I read the notes, and knew the ABV and the package. So, I knew what I was getting into. In this package, though, it is a beer that should be shared. My oneself, it is a bit much.

L: 4.5 | S: 4.0 | T: 4.0 | F: 3.75 | O: 4.0 | Rating: 4.01

 

Here's a new-to-me from VBM.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/60010/517192/



16 oz. can.

Moderate pour yields a 3/4 inch white head over a hazy, light golden body with nice sticky lacing. Nose of citrus with floral/herbal attributes as well. Taste of citrus and slight dank floral/herbal flavors with a finish of citrus peel bitterness. Nice feel and overall, an easy drinking IPA from Springfield, VT.
Cheers!

 

If my kids haven't forgotten about a toy two weeks after receiving it I'd consider it a major win.

 

Poured into 16 oz goblet canned on 10/02/2020. Pours a very dark near pitch black with a finger plus sticky light brown head that leaves a bunch of thin lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma mint, peppermint, and maybe some dark chocolate. Way to much. 3.25

Taste follows mint, peppermint, and dark chocolate one dimensional and not in a good way. 3

Mouthfeel is bigger than average, not dry or sticky, just the right amount of carbonation, and at 8.5% it is so over the top that I am trying to choke it down. 4.25

Overall this is way too much, mint and peppermint, still pretty with a nice feel. 3.5

 

I know I've said this before, but I enjoy your photo compositions. Nicely done.

 

New Belgium's L'Amour en Cage

375ml corked/caged bottle served in a tulip. Foeder 53 and 20, aged 12 months. Don't understand it, but label is stamped with 13571036 190509K11T.

Pours a hazy yellow with no head. Smell is sweet-tarty, light and apricotty.

Taste is tart and bitter. Surprisingly bitter, in the oaky/tannin and fruit skin way.

Mouthfeel is a little oily. Overall, it's not bad.

 

Congrats! That will definitely help start 2021 on an optimistic note!

 

Bushwick Zombie from KC BC

16oz can split between a pair of WABL sample glasses. Canned on 10/19/20.

Pours a pretty hazy purple with a medium sized pink head and medium to low carbonation. Smell is vaguely berry/yogurt.

Taste is lots and lots of berry, not super sweet, definitely get some of the yogurt flavor still. Barely anything I would call sour. Mostly fruit smoothie. The wife says it tastes like a melted Jamba Juice.

Mouthfeel is thick but smooth. Overall, not bad, but not inspiring.