New Beer Weekend #24

Greetings Fellow NBSers! A cloudy, rainy January day here in the Fourth Corner, typical. First work day of the year is over, and here's a new brew, Boundary Bay Tropical isolation:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/701/527598/

 

My friend bought me a two bottle and glass gift set for Christmas from a local brewery called bonesaw. This is the first of the two bottles, along with the glass...

La grand demon: rum barrel aged golden (Belgian) strong ale. Can’t say I’ve seen many beers like this so I’m excited to try.



Pours a dark gold with really no head, disappeared quick to a small ring of foam on the glass.

Aroma was very rum heavy and almost cider like.

The taste is almost like honey, lemony, and that same cider thing.

Mouthfeel is medium with some mild sweetness that pleasantly lingers and finishes dry. Booze well hidden at 11%.

I had a really hard time trying to describe this beer, still don’t feel the above is that great but this beer is throwing me for a loop. For that I very much and enjoy it, it doesn’t taste like any other beer I’ve had that I can remember. Really cool beer overall, in a blind tasting this would throw people for a loop.

 

Goller Traditional Dunkel, 5.2% ABV; 3.75 overall

Pours a very effervescent hazel with a finger of tan head. Some lacing & no head retention

S: Sweet brown bread,some woody hop notes

T: Follows the nose, brown sugar & dryness up front, a little leafy & grassy hop as well. Plenty of brown bread with sweetness & dryness as this warms, nice sweetness ( Molasses ), plus woody hops. Finishes dry & bready with woody & a little figgyness, plus leafy hops

MF: Medium body, fairly lively carbonation that smooths out quickly

Solid take on the style was looking for more fruityness, but drinkable enough

 

I'm back for another entry today because the FedEx guy blessed my porch on a Sunday. Blessed is probably a matter of perspective, I'm sure my porch didn't care for the experience much. On the other hand, it made my whole day. The beers made it all the way from @BBThunderbolt in Kiribati to Pittsburgh and were still chilled when they arrived. Up first is one of the two mystery beers included.

With no hints to abv or style, I reached for a snulip and gave it a moderate pour. It produced an ample fluffy white head floating atop a hazy gold beer. The head stuck around after having time to settle, but clung to the sides of the glass. The smell gives it away as a farmhouse/saison. This is not a style that I have a large amount of experience with, but one that I've been enjoying exploring more lately. I believe I detect Brett and am guessing from the carbonation and smell that this is bottle conditioned. There is also a bright citrus character on the nose with some grassy notes, too.

Moving on to taste, what strikes me first is how dry this finishes. There is a slight juicy citrus up front with a slightly bitter finish. I taste a bit of spice on the back end that could be from foeder or oak conditioning. I'm curious if the grain bill could also lend to that somewhat peppery note, possibly rye? Spelt? I don't taste any kind of extra fruit or spices added. I'm very much enjoying this dry finish. I'm also standing by my assessment of the presence of Brett and bottle conditioned. The feel is quite lively and its carbonation is dialed in. I would call this a medium body, but it feels lighter.

Overall, this is going down way faster than I expected when I opened it. A very nice saison that leaves me wanting more. I wish I had a more specific guess, but my knowledge of Kiribati breweries isn't the deepest. I could eliminate a brewery or two based on the cap, but that's not helping me formulate an actual guess. I'm rambling now, so let's get to the reveal, shall we?

Otherlands Beer - Illumination American Saison
Described on the label as a "Dry-hopped saison brewed with Continental and American hops: bright, juicy, and fresh. An old favorite from a previous life." So I got the style, but got a bit overly ambitious with guessing about it being wood conditioned. It doesn't mention Brett, but I saw a few other Untappd reviews mention the notes being there as well, so I'll take it as a win. It also mentioned on the label that this beer is a tribute to a departed friend, and it's very fitting. A beautiful saison that can be enjoyed year round. Thanks, @BBThunderbolt!

 

They're the newest brewery in town, and I had only stopped by once before I swung in to grab this for you. They're doing really nice Saisons and Lagers. I look forward to being able to go hang out, and explore what they got.

 

Folks can't handle 2, 4 day weekends in a row.

Buncha newbz.........

 

I'm sorry to hear that. And yes, you are right. People need to take this stuff very seriously. My friend just lost his mom on Christmas Eve. She had an in house nurse that was visiting, taking precautions, etc... But started showing symptoms, stayed away, and tested...positive. For the 1st week my friend's mom seemed ok, tested negative, then started having minor symptoms: slight fever that came and went, occasional cough, random light headaches. Then after about 4 days of this, a new test came back positive. All went down hill from there... My dear friend took care of his mom for 4 days before needing to go to emergency. And that he said was where the nightmare became friggin' real. Stuck in ER, chaos swirling around them for 12 hours, being treated (somewhat) there with oxygen waiting for any kind of space t o open up. He was amazed at the absolutely dire conditions that all of the patients and medical staff were trying to survive in. If people truly want to say they appreciate the nurses, doctors, and all of the other people working in this pandemic under the most arduous circumstances, then they should do their part: Minimize exposure by NOT gathering, mask up, and be patient. Sorry, I've known a few people who have had this and survived (after going through hell), and I've lost a few people. But this one hurts. She was a retired nurse herself. Somehow that seems ironic.

In the meantime...thanks to @WunderLlama for this one.
Sea For Yourself IPA by Vitamin Sea

Super fresh... stamped 11/24/20, "We're Thankful"
Appears like a solid NEIPA. Faded gold in hue. Fluffy white head abounds. Great retention, bountiful scattered lacing.
Aroma is generous in citrus, melon, mango, light grass, and a wet, creamy oatmeal grain note.
Flavor follows nicely with some added grapefruit, but the juiciness of the aforementioned fruits, is tapered by a drying herbal note that begins as spruce, or maybe gin.
Mouthfeel is fluffy and light, but not without heft. It's spot on for style. Finish becomes less dry than i originally perceived.
Great beer. I wanna go east to sea more from this brewery for myself.

3.96/5 rDev -8.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

My wife returns with students tomorrow morning. I have another week. But I am in contact with them a little bit(after a week and half without even checking messages). I’ll start ramping up this week. But these few weeks were so needed.

 

The Lawson's wasn't as sweet as the KBS-MMF and the maple was very present. The sweetness was comparable to the CBS. I liked it a lot and will get it again.