New Beer Weekend #25

Jeez, the first post at almost 11. Is everyone sleeping in today?
Since my pup refuses to let me sleep past 8:30 I figured I'd have juice with breakfast.

Ginger & Juice.
A new sour ale from Springdale.
As they describe it: a Tart Ale with Ginger and Grapefruit

The can and website say

while the can informs you that this is "Farmstead Fresh".
That and the 4.5% ABV is all of the information available.

This is a fizzy pour that looks like a filtered yellow grapefruit juice with a dash of orange juice for color. The fizz and short white head quickly go away leaving a predominately bitter orange and grapefruit aroma with very little ginger.

Ginger & Juice is a very refreshing tart ale, but not quite was I was expecting. Lemon is the strongest flavor followed by grapefruit, orange zest, and lime zest; there is, again, very little ginger, if it wasn't on the label you wouldn't know to look for it.

Overall this is a very nice, refreshing sour ale, but disappointing if you were looking for a grapefruit forward sour ale with a ginger kick.

NOTE:
Ginger & Juice showed up on the shelf a couple of weeks ago so I assumed (I know, I know ) it was a new release, halfway through the review I saw that it had been canned in mid-October which may account for the lack of any real ginger and subdued grapefruit.

3.84/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

As a caveat, this was canned on 10/19/20 and reviewed on 01/09/21. The ginger flavor may have diminished during those three months.
"Taste" was rated based on what the label advertised, not overall flavor

L: pours out looking like a fizzy, filtered grapefruit juice with a small, white, quickly dissolving head
S: bitter orange, lemon zest, grapefruit in the background and hardly any ginger
T: Grapefruit, sour orange, lemon, a little lime; the ginger is, again, hardly noticeable, much less prominent than in ginger ale or ginger seltzer
F: there is a fizzy feel across the tongue despite no visible carbonation, no bitterness just a puckery saliva inducing dryness with a nicely tart aftertaste
O: Very nice, but lacking in the ginger and the grapefruit plays a secondary role. It tastes like a slightly too sour lemonade with grapefruit juice subbed for half the lemon and a dash of bitter orange. A very refreshing beer, but a disappointment if you were looking for a hit of ginger.

 

The winter of Black Lagers – part two

Last week I discussed a Schwarzbier from Sterling Pig and I made mention of another Black Lager I was interested in trying: Workhorse Black Lager. Well I am happy to report I bought this beer and will be discussing this beer today.

This version of a Black Lager is quite intriguing since it appears to be a ‘mash up’ of beer styles, as described by Workhorse:

“This mahogany colored lager is built upon the foundation of two German brewing traditions: Pilsner and Dunkel. We've taken a recipe heavily influenced by toasted malts and married it with the spicy and floral hoppings of a Pilsner. Extensive lagering yields a beer rich in malt character shored up by pronounced hop flavors and aromas.”

As I read the above I am reminded of a beer I drank a loooong time ago: Susquehanna Brewing – Pils Noir. That beer essentially tasted like a Pilsner but needless to say with ingredients which provided a dark color. Somewhat analogous to the Black IPA style which has predominant flavors of hops like a regular IPA but with a dark color.

Well, let’s see what a combined Pilsner and Dunkel tastes like here.

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

A very dark brown, approaching black with a BIG khaki colored head.

Aroma:

An interesting combination of roasty and some herbal/spicy hop aromas.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose but the flavors roatiness and herbal/spicy is more notable . There is a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall:

This is indeed an intriguing beer but for my personal palate the roastiness kinda clashed with the hop flavors. For me this beer would have benefited from a less roasty flavor profile. Having stated that I did enjoy drinking this beer.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @RobH @BeerIsland @jts211

 

(Been a half year of Saturdays - Bravo NBW!)
4 4% Favorite session beers new and old rated 4+

Saison D’Épeautre | La Succursale Brasserie Artisanale | 4% | Saison
4/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2d Review. Found at Beereau Berlin, the best beer pub I found in Berlin. (order the fresh pizza from next door)
Far from retired, this saison astounds the appetite.

Porch Time | Polyculture | 4% | Saison | New Hampshire
4.2/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Added by Act 25. No ABV on the fat 25.4 oz can. Amazing local produce. My first from brewer.
a) fervent, rising, white head over pale, yellow, haze body, splashing lasting and lacing. 4.25
s) best part, barnyard, yeast, hay, lemon, grain, biscuit, honey, fresh dough.
t) Follows smell, even bigger.
f) nice honey feel along with fresh dough, bread bakery.
o) Fine local example, exactly why to drink fresh, local, raw beer.

Jai Low | Cigar City | 4% | IPA | Tampa
4.2/5 rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
4th Review. Jai Low wins the prize for best session IPA ever, better even than Carton Boat.
a) First of all the color, which is orange carbonated clear, spinning lace. Looks like a bigger IPA.
s) Orange, citrus marmalade spread over crusty peasant bread (Like it's big brother)
t) Follows aroma without pulling power.
f) Crisp, clean, appetizing, less filling. Crushable.
o) This could become my every day IPA and maybe yours.

Boat Beer | Carton | 4.2% | APA | Atlantic Highlands, NJ
4.05/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
My Hometown brewer. I give this beer a 4 for being a flavorful, true session APA with plenty of bite, bitter, and complexity. If I had to drink beer all day long, this would be for me. BRONX Slow roll tops it, Boat is silver in session IPAs.
A: Pours a very hazy light blonde with a trace of visible carbonation. It pours into a tulip with a finger of head and leaves lots of dotty lacing.
S: Plentiful aromas of grapefruit, herbal hops and pine resin, stronger as the beer warms. Pleasantly hoppy.
T: The taste follows the smell but the pine resin kicks in stronger and longer. More complexity and a good finish of bitterness. A nice sweet malt underlayer, but hops win the show.
F: It is light-bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. A bit thin.
O: Extremely flavorful. This is the hop heads session beer, beats Bitter American which is a close 2nd, but entirely different character.
Visit the Carton brewery when near 07716.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned on 12/29/2020. Pours a dark orange with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves loads of thin streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.25

Aroma peach, mango, honeydew, white grapes, pineapple, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows very balanced mango, peach, honeydew, pineapple, white grapes, and apricot really well balanced. 4.25

Mouthfeel is bigger than average, soft gentle carbonation, a tad sticky not dry, and at 8% ABV it goes down really easy. 4.25

Overall this is a really nice NEDIPA that purchased as a single and I will say I am ready to commit to a 4 rack. Nice stuff. 4.25 Thanks @ChicagoJ for starting us up. Cheers

 

Great review, reflecting many of my own thoughts. Amazingly easy to drink, and I really dig that 8.5oz slim can format. I guess they do bombers, too, but they seem to be brewery-only; you can find the cans at some of the better beer shops in my area.

 

I have a couple of bottles of this. Bottle Conditioned Day Drinker from Lost Forty Brewing in Little Rock. Part of their Wild Barrel Project.

This is their regular Day Drinker (a very food Belgian Blonde Ale in its own right) bottle conditioned with Brett and dry hopped with Saaz. 4.8% ABV



Pours with a slight haze from the bottle conditioning. A beautiful golden/orange color. A dense and rocky white head rises to over two fingers with excellent retention. Rings of lace left behind.
A Lightly fruity aroma up front, with orange and lemon rind. Light esters and baked bread aromas. A definite musty basement like funk. Excellent.
Like the nose, an ester fruity flavor up front. Goes from orange, lemon, and pears to a touch of peppery spice/clove. Bread and grains for a light malt flavor mixed in. Light earthy, wet hay and funky flavors, and finishes with a wonderful grassy bitterness lingering.
A light body that is very effervescent. Bubbly and crisp, the finishes wonderfully dry. This is incredible to drink, I want to keep coming back to this over and over.

This is a great Brett Beer, and is like a lighter version of Orval. Which is very high praise from me. Really glad I was able to get a couple of bottles of this, really well done. And thats all I got to say about that...

Overall score 4.29, solid A for me. Perfect while reading some Isaac Singer out in the courtyard on a beautiful afternoon.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38015/514760/?ba=champ103#review

 

That’s an interesting way of engaging in the usual craft beer IP theft.

 

Poured into a16 oz long stem tulip glass canned on 12/28/2020. Pours a hazy murky orange with a 2 finger sticky off white head that leaves massive streaks of lace with incredible retention. 4.75

Aroma ripe melon, mandarin, papaya, apricot, and some buttery Chardonnay. 4.5

Taste follows cantaloupe, mandarin, papaya, apricot, and a nice buttery Chardonnay finish that lingers nicely on the entire palate yielding just a hint of alcohol. 4.5

Mouthfeel is big, nice creamy soft carbonation, maybe a little sticky but not dry, and at 10% ABV it goes down very easy and makes you savor every sip. 5

Overall this is a really impressive NEDIPA from in my opinion one of the best at the style. Incredible stuff. Again always think of @TheIPAHunter when indulging in Nelson. 4.5

 

Thanks to @ChicagoJ for getting this thread started. I picked up some new beers for the weekend, and this is the first one. Sons of Scotland from Ex Novo Brewing Company, canned 12/28/2020, and 7.6% ABV.
A pretty beer. Dark brown with red highlights. Small off-white head, some lace.
Aroma of caramel and molasses.
Ditto for the taste. There was some late hop bitterness.
A beer to be sipped in front of a fire, which is exactly what I'm doing.

 

This new beer is a collaboration between Non-Sequitur Beer Project and Two Villains ( and contract-breed elsewhere). They Stole How Much Fruit ??? was brewed with 420# of mangoes and blood orange.
The hazy yellow-orange can pour hosts a thin foam cap and a faint aroma of tart orange.
The flavor includes mango and orange influence. There is no tart aspect. The hop bitterness is is low. -designated as a NEIPA by the brewers, but tastes/feels like a fruited APA
The finish is pleasant. Flavors persist.

 

I thought it’d be a good idea to post about a national (or close to) distro’d beer. Since so many of us post from all over I may try and make it a point to include one local and one widely available each week if I can manager.

**i remember someone mentioning this sentiment a few weeks back and it made a lot of sense to me.

So here we go...New Belgium Oakspire Old Fashioned



Pours a cloudy amber, leaning more on the brown side. Nice creamy head a first, lacing from initial pour that leans into a creamy thin layer of white that stays.

Aroma is sweet dark fruits and a little touch of oak.

Taste is like a beefed up amber ale with all the flavors you’d expect in an old fashioned.

Mouthfeel is medium, little booze and a pleasant lingering sweetness. There is the slightest, I emphasize slightest, medicinal bitterness but I think it is the bitters (duh). I will emphasize it doesn’t ruin the beer at all it tastes like a dash of bitters in a drink.

This is a really enjoyable take on turning a cocktail into a beer. It is still very much beer but it is clear what they’re going for. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys an old fashioned. One is enough for me but I wouldn’t hesitate to sip on one again.

 

Poured into a skinny pint glass canned on 12/18/2020. Pours clear orange amber with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves tons of thick patches of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma pine, caramel, toffee, peach, mango, and grapefruit rind. 4

Taste follows caramel, toffee, biscuit, mango, peach, pine, and grapefruit really loaded with flavor and fairly well balanced. 4

Mouthfeel is big, plenty of prickly carbonation, a touch dry, and at 9% ABV it goes down plenty easy. 4.25

Overall this is a malty sob with a ton of hops to support it. I still love an old school in your face DIPA when done right. 4

 

Happy Saturday, NBW. Here's a nice new Firestone Walker beer, Chocolate Cherry Stout.

12oz can served in a tulip. Canned on 10/09/20. I think my wife found it at Costco.

Pours black with a big fluffy light brown head, medium to high carbonation. Smell is rich and roasty with a lot of chocolate and a little yeast.

Taste is dominated by the chocolate and roast grain, has a little anise, and the cherry comes out very noticeably but nicely balanced.

Mouthfeel is medium to light, dry and clean. Overall, this is a very nice beer.

 

My next from Lost Forty is a collaboration with Hawk Moth Brewing. I have never had anything from Hawk Moth. Picked up in Little Rock and added under the Lost Forty listing.

Buddy System, 7.1% ABV.

This is a Sirah Barrel Aged Biere de Garde with mix culture fermentation.



A dark, not exactly opaque orange/red color, that is a bit muddled. A dense white head forms with good retention and lace left behind.
Aroma is of plums, cherries, funk in the nose. Vinous, and a touch vinegary. Interesting and enjoyable, even if the vinegar kind of stands at odds for me.
Taste again is plums, tart cherries, funk, vanilla and caramel sweetness. Again, a touch vinous red grapes and vinegary. The slightest bit of acidity and more sweetness.
M/O: A medium to full body. Moderate carbonation with some tannin like characteristics. A nice one to sip on, even though I'm not craving more. Interesting and enjoyable.

Again, an interesting take. The wine barrels definitely add to this, kind of a tannin, vinous and vinegary character. While that is not bad, it just all seems at odds, and doesn't mesh exactly right for me. Glad I got a chance to try, and will enjoy the bottle, but thats about it.

Overall score 3.66, a B for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38015/528626/?ba=champ103#review

 

Barrel Aged Birthday Bomb! from Prairie.

12oz bottle served in a snulip. Dated 05.31.2019. Absolutely no recollection of where I got this.

Pours black with almost no head. Waiting for a little bit causes a tiny brown ring to appear, suggesting there is actually some carbonation, although it's hard to see it. Smell is dominated by peppers and a little chocolate. Booze, vanilla, wood.

Taste is chocolate cake, vanilla frosting, moderate peppers, vanilla, still tons of booze. Very sweet.

Mouthfeel is thick and syrupy. Overall, it's pretty good, but not in love with it.

 

Pic over in WBAYDN.
American Solera/Our Mutual Friend
SMALL HOLD hoppy table saison with mostly Colorado ingredients. 3.5%

3.88/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

L- pale straw, gushing can, decent head.
S - bread malt, cracked pepper, mountain herbal juniper smell.
T - despite the ABV, more of the same - hop bite on top of bread, pepper, and green juniper notes. Excellent really for this low weight.
F - great hoppy carbonation and full palate but dries off quickly. Damn nice.
O - a great light saison amd table beer. Good collaboration between AS and OMF out of Denver

 

Glorious winter day here in the stronghold. Crisp and clean. After spending three hours in the woods with the grandson, I felt like something light and refreshing.

No picture, by Allagash Little Grove Black Currant us in my sippy cup while the sprouts working the juice box.

Pours golden with a bit of a purplish tint, huge foamy head that us very short-lived. The immediate smell is grapefruit, very fresh. Then a bit if berry, slightly peppery, earthy, and pine. Pleasant enough, kind if saison-like impression.

That us both out in The taste as well. Very citrus, slight berry taste, a little sweetness, a tiny bit of sweetness. Quite aromatic, but very much like a saison overall.

Light bodied, maybe not quite as refreshing as I hoped, but tasty enough to be enjoyable.

Overall, a decent and enjoyable flavor in a very light bodied beer. Maybe falls a tad bit short on the refreshment factor. a 3.75-ish beer to me.