New Beer Weekend #23

Pours a murky golden color with a nice 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

 

it is all good. At the end of the day, that’s why they make all the different flavors. Some things hit for some folks, different things for others. Some people don’t like coffee beers. Those people are wrong, but also have their own opinions.

 

My first of three new Pipeworks beers today... hope I can stay (relatively) sober throughout! This one is called Forest Fauna and is a West Coast-ish IPA with Centennial and Simcoe hops. It also has spruce tips added, which is cool. I've had a fair amount of spruce-adorned beers before, and generally think it's a really interesting addition to use when you want to give off a piney and uniquely-herbal element.

The pour is fairly clear and has a yellowish hue to it with some light goldenrod overtones if held to light. The head is well-built and measures two fingers at its highest point, eventually settling to a half-finger, leaving behind some consistent, sheet-like lace as it does so. Solid legs here, as well. Looks the part of what they're likely to be going for here, but it's not exciting, to be honest.

The nose is a bit uninteresting, coming forward right off the bat with soapy floral notes, some "cat pee," and pomelo rind mixed with a hint of the piney hoppiness and spruce that I expected a lot more of. Maybe a tiny hint of white pepper and grassiness. Hm, not really selling me so far; it's just not swinging as hard as it should be, but perhaps the flavor profile will be better.

Yeah, it's marginally better, for sure. Biscuity malt with a backing hit of spruce and pine, grassy notes, a hint of passion fruit and grapefruit, and some tangy bitterness kicking around in the finish. It kinda reminds me a bit of a less-hoppy Torpedo or something, with a hint of warming ethanol character and a slightly breadier overall feel. Feel is marginally-heavier than it should be. Not really impressed by this one, though I have to say that Pipeworks' smaller-batch IPAs can really be hit-or-miss at times. I have one other IPA from them, and then a big adjunct-laden stout (which they tend to be pretty regularly good at, so high hopes for that one) to close out the day... cheers!

 

Just came back from a store with a really large selection. I had a really tough time making selections today. I've been pretty impressed with Sloop lately so here we are- Make It Nice NEPIA.
I was surprised to see that despite the beer being added to the BA database almost 18 months ago, I'm only the 2nd reviewer. Maybe its not brewed all the time, its listed as seasonal/rotating and not currently on the brewery's website.

4.06/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16oz can dated 11/25/20 to a Nonic at fridge temp.
Opaque yellow body mirrors the can art (kind of). One inch head of white pillows. Laces the glass heavily.
A lot of lemon rind aroma with a background of green grass.
Lemon is the prominent flavor also, like a lemon drop candy but not too sweet or too sour. Subtle dank finish.
Body is medium with appropriate carbonation.
A good beer for sure.

 

For what it's worth, I thoroughly enjoyed your descriptions here.

 

Up next, and I did this review 2 ways.

Founders KBS Mackinac Fudge.

I did a video of it. I was hoping to put it on Rumble, but can't figure that out in my ABV state, so I you-tubed it.Hope I don't destroy your phone/computer screens with my ugly mug.



and here's my review in text here on BA

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/491765/#navigation
4.39/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours pitch black. Less than a 1 finger tan head. Retention is ok. No lacing on the glass.
nose - tons of fudge here, as expected from the name. There's a bit of caramel, coffee, toffee as well, but the backside as well.
Taste - total fudge bomb here. Tons of it up front. Toffee, caramel, and coffee on the backside. Some vanilla mixed in as well.
Thick, full bodied. No alcohol burn. Shocking on the last part.
Solid addition to the KBS lineuo. Damn good.


Maybe more??? Not sure.

 

Thanks! I always try to put my all into reviews here, and it's good to see people enjoying reading things I've written. Cheers!

Okay, up next is that second-to-last Pipeworks beer I mentioned, and it's called Doom Jazz. What a great name. It's to the left of the name on the can, but there's a spiked black unicorn playing a fire-shooting double-saxophone on here so yeah. Of course, I have on some Bohren und der Club of Gore while I get in the mood for this one...



This pours a milky, hazy, opaque and dense-looking orange-yellow color, kinda like pineapple-mango juice or something. The head is sticky and intense, measuring three-to-four fingers at its highest point, and eventually settling down to a solid finger with spotty, chunky lace and good legs. Small islands of foam dot the surface of the beer itself, too. I'm into it. Good looking shit!

The can says that this features Citra, Idaho 7, Galaxy, and Cryo Simcoe hops as well as lactose, so this is likely to be a jam-packed beer full of cool hoppiness. The nose does seem promising with a big upfront element of punchy citrus, light melon, mixed berries, honey, and herbal tea-like notes with just a slight hint of spice and onion-y earthiness. I'm surprised they didn't go bigger with this one, as it only clocks in at 7.5% ABV. I could see it being even better at 8+%, but there is a lot of enjoyable stuff happening here already. It's a bit like Hi-Def by Castle Island, for those of you in the MA area... unmistakable Idaho 7 playfulness here!

Flavor is a cool mix of bergamot orange, passion fruit, sticky mango flesh, and dank piney-ness with, again, a touch of spice that really seals the deal. I'm really enjoying the complexity here, though it's also excellent how everything comes together in a way that makes sense. Idaho 7 is one of the coolest unusual new hops because of its ability to play nicely with other varietals, and it feels like Pipeworks exercised its malleability to great extent here. The juicy and tangy citrus with the backing of light tropical elements and tea-like flavors of earth and spice give this a multi-dimensional profile that I enjoy quite a bit. And this is a beer that's about five weeks old! I really want to try it even fresher now!

Feel is nice... palate-coating and juicy with minimal carbonation and a blanketing hoppiness. Light hint of bitterness in the finish with a mildly-sweet swallow (thanks lactose; though it's not obtrusive, per se). I would get this again for sure.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. We just finished a great, appropriately distant, visit with our daughter and her boy friend. They live in North Carolina but are spending some time at our place at the Jersey Shore so they drove up for lunch. Eating in the open garage was less than optimal but the fellowship and food were great.

I'm opening today with another new offering from Burlington Brewing Co.: Time of the Chimpanzee, a "New Zealand IPA." I wish the brewer provided more information about the New Zealand hops. As you can see it's a pretty pour: hazy, pastel tangerine with a large, creamy, milk-white head and thick lacing. The smell is rather subdued: mostly soft tropical fruit, white wine, orange zest, and floral hops. The taste opens with dry, tangy citrus particularly lemon and grapefruit, along with notes of grass and white wine. In the background is a dry, crackery malt. The hops are clean without much bitterness. The mouth feel is lite and crisp with pleasant carbonation, and it drinks very easily at 6.5% ABV.

This is the second tasty, enjoyable IPA I've had from Burlington Brewing Co. this weekend. I'm glad to see distribution in New Jersey and won't hesitate to try others. I only wish they provided a canning date and more information on the hops and grist on the website.

Here's the score:

4.19/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I'll be back shortly with a local stout I've been anxious to try. Cheers, NBW!

 

Final Southern Grist stout from @Buck89! This one is sweet being rum barrel aged with vanilla, banana and turbinado sugar.
4.43/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Thank you Buck89 for this
500 ml bottle poured into a tulip

A- Black with a small mocha head.

S- Chocolate, vanilla, rum, some bananas, brown sugar.

T- Chocolate, rum, vanilla, bananas, some dark fruits, oak, some brown sugar, touch of roasted malts.

M- Smooth, full body.

O- Southern Grist seems to like to have fun with adjuncts in stout and like the others I have they did a great job with this. Rum barrels work great this and play into the sweetness nicely.

Cheers!

 

Good evening NBS/NBW back with a rare second offering for my esteemed colleeagues, this from a new brewery near us. This is from Four Star Farm brewery. The farm grows commercial hops and grains for the greater brewing community. They built out a beautiful brewery and taproom on the farm, but to me more important is the fact they succesfully landed one of the most established, and best brewers in our area as the head brewer, Congratulations to the new kids.
The first offering here is The Northfielder, billed as a Traditional Lager. Notes follow
Do good
Be well

The Northfielder

Lager - Helles | 4.5% ABV

The Brewery at Four Star Farms
Northfield, Massachusetts

4.13/5 rDev 0% | Average: 4.13
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16 oz undated can, to be fair picked up at the new brewery on opening weekend.
A - Golden straw color, slight haze but wonderful clarity, carbontion is determined and relentless. The proof is a wonderful full 1/2" steady white cap.
S - Pilsner malts full on display, Warm bread rising, matched with a lovely grassy hops with a bit of lemon verbana.
T - Follows the nose well, Cold, the hops have the forground, with a quick warm the pilsner malts are exquisite.
M - Light in body, crisp on the palate, the carbonation cleans up quickly. Linger is semi sweet and dry
O - A very good start from a new brewery, to be clear the brewer is a local staple in the area for years. Excellent lager with the nuiance a solid lager needs on full display

 

Ozark Beer Co.'s 40 Miles From Denver, Colorado Styled IPA, 6.3% ABV; 4.06 overall

Pours effervescent, gold with 2 fingers of fluffy cream colored head. Nice head retention & lacing

S: Citrus & grassyness in abundance

T: Grapefruit, tangerine & a little green melon, plus dryness up front. Tangerine & grassyness, plus dryness & grapefruit as this warms, slight bready sweetness. Finishes dry with grassyness & pomelo

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation, nice balance

Having lived in Colorado for 4+ years, not sure what makes this a Colorado Style IPA, uses Centennial Hops, drinks very easy

 

NBS #2: Safe Word, an Imperial Chocolate Stout from Man Skirt Brewing in Hackettstown, New Jersey. Man Skirt has really upped its game and has been brewing some very good beer lately. I'd heard good things about this Stout but it was never available when I visited the brewery. So when I heard it was canned earlier this month I sought it out. And I'm glad I did! It's dry and bitter with lots of baker's chocolate, burnt coffee, and earthy char and nuts. I like this a lot and will purchase more at the bottle shop near my home. This is a nice, low key, flavorful stout that will pair well with a dram of Maker's Mark on the LNWBAYDN thread in the near future. Here's my full review:

4.21/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Canned on 12/16/2020. Poured into a tulip glass. It pours a dark walnut with some slight cola hues and a thick, bubbly, foamy, light khaki-colored head that dissipated slowly leaving residual lacing. The nose is roasty and features, baker's chocolate, burnt coffee and nuts, earthy char, and a whiff of tobacco ash. The taste features roasted malt, dark, bitter chocolate, burnt coffee grounds, and nutty, earthy char. It's quite dry but nonetheless very flavorful. It sweetens slightly as it warms in the glass. The mouth feel is a bit thin for an Imperial Stout but the level of carbonation is pleasant and the 7.5% ABV gives it good substance without overpowering. Overall, Safe Word is a well-crafted chocolate stout that has enough character to pair with a hearty meal but it's lite enough in body and ABV for casual drinking. I'm very interested in seeing how it ages in the can.

 

Noel by Jolly Pumpkin

4.01/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4



Beer received in bif12.5 from @Whyteboar

Pours a deep ruby cola brown into a chalice thin taupe island immediately evaporates , no visible carbonation

Aroma is red grapes, Pinot noir , barley wine perhaps

Taste is red grape, wine , tart cherries

Low sudsing, small fizzy bubbles, dry finish , tart , quenching , abv is well hidden

Thanks @Whyteboar !!!

 

Looks / sounds fantastic.

 

Here's my last entry for tonight... Pipeworks' Sundae Sauce. I felt it was nice to save for last. Perhaps in addition to being relevant to sundaes, it will help with the "Sunday Scaries?"



This is a 10.5% imperial stout brewed in collaboration with Hacienda Beer Co. based out of WI. It features additions of lactose, cherries, vanilla, cacao nibs, and natural pecan flavor (which I assume is "pecan extract"). I am excited for this one because although overall Pipeworks has been known for hoppy stuff like Ninja Vs. Unicorn and Lizard King, they truly excel at adjunct-laden imperial stouts.

The pour is initially pretty standard but solid... a deep-brown ale that becomes a solid-black color when fully poured into my glass. It bubbles up with a slight head of dark foam that quickly settles to... nothing. Huh. I wonder if any of the adjuncts have to do with the way this looks? It's not really selling me at all. I mean, yeah, sure... it looks scary in the most basic way a big ol' stout like this can look, but I expect to be intimidated by the head here and this just... does nothing. Hopefully it improves!

The nose is nice, luckily. Super reminiscent of hot fudge with a big, dense chocolate element mingling with undertones of vanilla, dark pit fruit, and nuttiness. Light roasted espresso beans and cocoa dustiness. Yep, they did it. I get almost everything mentioned on the label, and I'm hoping the flavor profile is 100% dedicated to what is shown here. That would make this a very successful beer, indeed.

First sip is pretty great. The almond-like nuttiness mixes superbly with the vanilla/lactose and gives off a really nice base with which the roasty malts, chocolate, and dark fruit do their thing. It's a weirdly "bright" dark beer, for sure... all maraschino cherries and amandine liqueur meeting with a dense chocolate-y mid-palate that feels logically placed with the vanilla and lactose. This is fun shit, for sure. Feel is a bit lighter-bodied than expected for being 10.5% ABV, so I enjoy it even more. As I said in a previous post today, these guys rule at adjunct stouts but have weirdly slipped when it comes to the consistency of their smaller-batch hoppy beers. Feel here is oily and heavy for sure, with a strong "flavored" component. Liking this one but definitely feeling it and glad I saved it for last for today/tonight. Hope everyone has a great night! Cheers!

 

Time for mystery beer #2...also courtesy of @Roguer. The first one kicked my !@#, despite drinking it over 2+ hours. This one promises to also be high ABV, so we'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow.

Appearance: Pours a murky brown that is very reminiscent of mud. I don't say this favorably. It's really an unattractive brown. No lacing and no head. I'm sure this is high ABV, so not a big surprise there. Based on the appearance alone, I'd be inclined to say a barleywine again, but the pure brown color has me a bit confused. 3.5
Aroma is very sweet with something akin to figs & raisins, but I can't quite tell if that's what I'm picking up. It's very sweet whatever it is. 3.75
Taste is.....unique. I think I'm picking up figs, but I don't really know what currants taste like, so maybe? I also thought I tasted raspberry, but the more I sipped, the less sure I was of that. I made my wife (who really doesn't like beer) smell and taste it and she swears it smells / tastes like prunes, but I can't imagine a prune beer, so maybe plums? This is driving me crazy a bit, as I've had something that tastes like this (but weaker) before, but I can't place it. Those of you who are good at this would nail this taste in one sip. Overall, I rather like the taste. 4.0
Feel: Almost no carb. Light to medium bodied. Smooth going down with a long finish. 4.0
Overall: I can't place this style. It feels fairly high ABV, and overall it feels like something in the British Stong Ale category, but it's so fruit forward that it seems like a fruit beer of some kind. In short, I'm stumped. 4.0 overall.
The reveal - Do You Like Spicy Nachos? a collaboration between Westbrook & Evil Twin. It's described as "Amarone inspired blended Belgian-style strong dark ale aged in port, bourbon, marsala, and cabernet barrels with raisins, cherries and black currants, and cherry and raspberry puree added"

That's a lot going on there! I picked up about a third of it.


@Roguer you have chosen two great mystery beers for me. Very, very unique, and actually both very enjoyable.