New Beer Weekend #25

Hope you make it to Beachwood. You can easily spend a whole afternoon and/or evening there, and the BBQ Chicken Nachos are as excellent as any of the beers.

 

Amazing write up. Very lush descriptions. I was only confused by your use of "miasma" because of the negative overtones of that word. But seriously, I loved reading it.

 

If it's summer time, give me a shout out. I'd love to get another NBS handshake (maybe elbow bump in this new normal) tick.

 

Getting ready for more football today. What happened to the Seahawks?
My new beer for today is Josh the Boss Hog from Clown Shoes. The can says it is a "barleywine ale flavored with plum puree and aged in WhistlePig Samurai Scientist rye whiskey barrels." Canned on 11/30/20 with an ABV of 11%.
A slightly hazy cherry amber color. One-finger off-white head that dissipates quickly.
Aroma of rye, sweet fruit, malt, booze, and vanilla.
This mishmash translates to a taste of plum, rye whiskey, pepper, caramel, and vanilla.
A unique (to me) barleywine. Will try it again.

 

Good afternoon NBS/MBW and thanks @ChicagoJ for the Orthodox calender reminder, I appreciate it. Todays offering is from Notch Brewing in Salem Ma. I have had the benefit of accessing thier line lately. This is due to Massachusetts allowing in state shipping from Massachusetts breweries. I hope this stays available after the pandemic is long over.
The Czech Pale Lager Desitka is full of flavor, lovely aromatics and the texture is amazing, must be that triple decoction so prominenetly posted on the packaging.
This offering is a simple pleasure to enjoy, I bet not so simple to make.
Best to you all in these strange times

Desítka

Pilsner - Bohemian / Czech | 4.2% ABV

Notch Brewing
Salem, Massachusetts

4.23/5 rDev -2.8% | Average: 4.35
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 16 oz can dated 12/15/20 into the Pilsner glass.
A - Light Goldenrod color, superb clarity, carnonation is determined and relentless. The white froth cap if allowed can tower well beyond the glasses limit.
S - Biscuit, lovely malt expression, a kiss of honey, floral hops, sweet and earthy.
T - Again with the cracker dabbed in honey, the slightest hint of lemongrass, with a modest spicy note, hint of white pepper.
M - Medium in body, well above what a 4% offering usually feels like. Semi sweet start, then the carbonation acts as rails, keeping the ever so slight bitter in its lane. The water seems appropriately soft with a bit of minerality.
O - A very good Lager, with any flaw impossible to hide. The flavors , aromatics and feel are all superbly expressed.
Lovely biscuit flavor, the aromatics with the honey, lemongrass, are by themselves a simple joy.

 

Enjoying some Parish Holy Ghost, thanks @SouthernSips! While I enjoy NEIPA a lot, I tend to like them between 6-8% ABV and tend not to seek out many over 10% because I don’t find them as good. That said I’m still excited to try something new and this beer is one ended up being one of the best examples of a high ABV NEIPA.

4.46/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Thank you SouthernSips for this
16 oz can, dated 12/11/2020, poured into a teku

A- A hazy golden orange with a small white head.

S- Citrus, limes, pineapple, tropical fruits, dank, a little earthy, hints of sweet malts.

T- Citrus, dank, limes, pineapple, earthy/piney, mango, touch of melons.

M- Smooth, creamy, medium to full body.

O- If you are going to take a NEIPA up to 11% this is how you do, no overwhelming/out of place sweetness or alcohol. Enjoy that this do have bitterness from the hops and isn’t just straight fruity hops.

Cheers!

 

Drekker The Nightman Cometh BBA RIS, 9.5% ABV. Pours thick and black, with a 1.5 finger medium-brown head that left light lacing. Nose is sweet chocolate and slight bourbon. Taste is light chocolate, some dark fruit, faint licorice, and roast malt, very slightly sweet, moderately bitter, bourbon but no bourbon heat. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.14/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Watching the playoffs, drinking craft, and waiting on the 10-alarm chili.

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass canned this week. Pours a hazy yellow orange with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves a thick almost wall of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma ripe melon, peach, passionfruit, hints of garlic and marijuana, mango, apricot, and grapefruit rind. 4

Taste follows cantaloupe, peach, passionfruit, mango, apricot, garlic and marijuana, and a bold grapefruit bite in the finish. 4

Mouthfeel is above average, soft creamy carbonation, maybe a tad sticky but not dry, and at 8.5% in flavor and body drinks bigger, but still very approachable. 4.5

Overall another really nice NEDIPA from Modestman Brewing. I think it may a little green right now, but only patients and time will tell. 4

 

Poured into a 13 oz long stem tulip glass canned on 12/21/2020. Pours a hazy orange with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves scattered lace all over the glass, with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma lots of tangerine, guava, pineapple, apricot, and grapefruit rind. 4.5

Taste follows for me the tangerine takes center stage, pineapple, guava, apricot, and a little grapefruit in slightly bitter finish. 4.5

Mouthfeel is bigger than medium, soft carbonation, maybe a little sticky but dry, and at 8% ABV it has huge flavor and really engaging. 4.5

Overall this my is favorite DIPA from Foundation Brewing Company. Really a special brew for me. 4.5

 

Happy belated birthday!

 

Howdy NBW! Today, I have three new beers up for review, and (this might be a first ever for me...?) none of them are IPAs! I'm starting off with two pecan pie beers, one with a high ABV and one with a more modest level of alcohol, and finishing with a new peanut butter and Fluff stout from an entirely new-to-me brewery. Exciting stuff, so let's get it started with this...



Funny that I randomly chose a Clown Shoes coaster for this beer, because way back in the day, CS made their original Pecan Pie Porter, which was a beer close to my heart for quite a while. This is more of an "American strong ale" or something, however, so I doubt it will be too comparable to the aforementioned brew. High Water has made some pretty good stuff in the past, including a few sours I've really enjoyed as well as their Campfire Stout, which I think might be the best "s'mores stout" at its price point and availability level. This beer clocks in at 9.8% and is brewed with Vermont maple syrup and pecans. Sounds fun, but will it be, ya know... drinkable? Or will it be consigned to the category of "gimmick beer"... here goes nothing.

Pours a deep chestnut brown with some mahogany tones to it. It's mildly-translucent and builds up a creamy, buoyant head of off-white foam that retains very well and has extremely consistent legs to it. Lace is pretty damn great, too, honestly. Nice looking stuff! So far, so good; not gonna complain about a good ol' (very strong) brown ale in 2021, that's for sure.

The nose is extremely pecan and maple forward, so already I can tell this is probably going to be one of those adjunct-heavy/dependent, "exactly what it says on the tin" type beers, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I just think stuff like this can sometimes kinda lose sight of being a beer first and foremost. There's a hint of nutty malt, caramel, and maybe even some cocoa powder-type notes in there as well, but in my opinion not much else comes out other than, well, pecan pie. Makes sense, I guess!

On the tongue, this is at first actually a bit more complex and interesting than I thought it'd be. For one, it's a lot less sweet than I anticipated, which is good because it becomes a little easier to drink. The high ABV (along with the fact that, most likely, the majority of the maple syrup used was eaten by the yeast during fermentation) lends some striking flavors here. The hefty tannic elements here, for instance, could definitely be attributed to how maple syrup works in higher ABV beers, especially if added during the boil, and I think the strength highlights that element even more. It's overall very nutty and has some moderate caramel and biscuit-like maltiness in the mid-palate, . The finish actually has a snappy, herbal hop note that I enjoy quite a bit, but I've noticed throughout sipping it that, as it warms, the bitterness actually feels slightly too intense, and the fact that this is pretty woody as well somewhat throws it off balance. I realize it seems like I am being difficult to please, but I think it's just the nature of beers like this to get me thinking about how they deal with juggling "external influences" with "brewing process."

Anyway. I'm impressed with the lack of off-flavors, as I have experienced some "metallic" type hints in beers of this general stripe before, and I will say that the overall quality of the mouthfeel here is appropriately smooth without being too thick/chewy/sweet or too thin/weak/lacking. Carbonation is fairly high I suppose, but that also gives this a bit of levity to contrast the ethanol content, and, of course, this element is also common among beers with maple as an adjunct ingredient anyway. I'm not sure I would drink this again honestly. Or, I guess it's more accurate to say that if I were to, it would only be if I was in a specific mood. Like many beers I've written about for NBS/NBW, this seems like it falls pretty-firmly in the category of "one-and-done." Nothing wrong with that, of course!

(Side note: it seems like there is a "bourbon oak chip" aged version of this as well with the same ABV, but it was originally released as a 22 oz bottle. The one I am drinking doesn't say anything about bourbon or oak anywhere on the can, so perhaps they nixed that element. I still think the tannins have to do with the syrup, as it's not an "oaky" flavor. Not sure if anyone knows more in the way of specifics, but I do know that High Water has been weird with ingredients before, as I recall some batches of Campfire Stout saying "artificial flavors," and some saying "natural flavors"... who knows?)

Back soon with the other two I mentioned... until then: fajitas and gaming!



Cheers!

 

pFriem's 10th Anniversary Barleywine for Chuck's Hop Shop.

375ml bottle served in a snulip. Bottled 03 10 20. Probably bought it at Chuck's a couple months ago.

Pours a murky very dark amber. Small head with slow formation, and moderate to low amount of very fine, very slow carbonation creeping upward through the syrupy murk.

Smell is oak and must, lots of dates and raisins. A little booze. Classic barleywine profile, maybe a bit muted.

Taste is sweet, dates and raisins again, background of wet decomposing wood (think perpetually damp forest floor), booze is there but as a nice accent.

Mouthfeel is thick, smooth, satisfying. Overall, this is an excellent example of an English barleywine.

 

Need......

 

Alright, here goes nothing. I've mentioned this a few times recently in both NBW and WBAYDN? threads, but I've been enjoying stumbling upon new beers by Kettlehead Brewing Company recently, as they tend to have somewhat of a "cult following" of local MA/NH beer geeks. Most of the beers I've had from them have been IPAs of some stripe or another, but I did have a good "chocolate peanut butter oatmeal stout" from them the other day, and now I'm going to see how they do with this, their Toasted Butter Pecan Pie brown ale, which clocks in at 6.5% ABV.



Well, the pour is freaking great, so I think we're off to a good start. I get worried with stuff like this that the beer will be ugly or have some kind of weird aesthetic flaw (lack of head retention due to odd adjuncts is a common occurrence, honestly), but the deep brown/mahogany color topped off with a generous dollop of incredibly-retentive foamy head is really impressing me. As it slowly sinks to three-quarters of a finger or so, it leaves behind a consistent sheet of soapy lace that just looks gorgeous. Alright, this one might actually be a surprise. Any beer with "butter" in the name/description is automatically worthy of a raised eyebrow, in my opinion, but if they can keep the dreaded diacetyl in check, I'll be happy.

The nose is pretty much what you'd expect, and that was honestly pretty impressive to me. They got the buttery pecan element down without it seeming too cloying or, well, buttery. There's a hint of tangerine-like hoppiness in here, too, which is amusing and intriguing. It has evocative notes of pie crust and pecans with some honey notes and suggestions of English toffee. One thing I'm missing is the caramel/nutty malt, though, and I'm hoping it comes across on the palate because without that, this will probably be kind of unimpressive. Hoping that's not the case, as I'm rooting for Kettlehead to knock this out of the park.

The feel and flavor are both a bit thin for my taste, which I guess is rather unfortunate, but I'm also coming off a ~10% pecan beer so perhaps my tastebuds are a little used to something else. I enjoy doing side-by-sides when it comes to niche styles but that type of thing is definitely a concern. Anyway, I get some flavors of milk chocolate, pecan, buttery pie crust, a little caramel, and a bit of citrusy hops here. Nothing about it is too crazy or outside of my expectations honestly... it's sort of goofy but I enjoy it for what it is. It's definitely a fun beer and the focus is logically placed on the additions of toasted butter pecans, so I can't say it isn't successful for what it is. I probably wouldn't revisit it, but I also don't know if I'd ever have the chance to anyway, because it's probable this is either a one-off, or it'll rotate through their lineup in such a way that I might not ever happen upon it again. I'm okay with that, though, and I'm glad to have tried it. Worth a look!

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. My first new beer of the weekend is Carton's new "NJ IPA" release. I just posted the first review of "Shake This World Off My Shoulders" (btw, I'm not a big Springsteen fan and I hate Dancing in the Dark, so shoot me if you must). I really like this! It opens dry, tart, and bitter with lots of lemon peel and grapefruit rind. And it has a really nice crackery malt base. As it warms, there are sweet notes of melon. I'm not familiar with HBC 342 hops but I like the way they work with the Sabro. Chinook is the bittering hop and it delivers a really nice, dry bitterness. The mouth feel is great: with near perfect carbonation and an easy-drinking 7% ABV. I can't claim to be able to taste Atlantic Highlands water but Carton's use of Kolsch yeast is distinctive. I think if I drank this blind, I'd guess that it's a Carton IPA. It has the attitude I think @augiecarton intended to achieve. It's a fine craft beer for us highbrow BAs but you could pound it in a dive bar down the shore.

Here's the score:

4.14/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Cheers, NBW!

 

Howdy NBS
Good Weekend. Finally got to do the Holiday thing with my son and his girlfriend. And he got his first job as a lawyer while here. Cool.
Springdale from JA
Not Stirred: Sangria
Oak Aged Sour with Moscato Grape Juice, fermented in wine barrels and finished on Pear, Apple and Apricot.
Pours a golden slightly hazy with rose colored edges. Head is minimal and short lived.
Aroma is vinous, with hints of oak, damp hay/old barn, Pear is the predominate fruit followed by crisp Macintosh Apple and not much from the Apricot.
Taste follows with grape wine, damp funky earth, sour apple, a tad of pear sugar, tart apricot, funky yeast.
Feel is medium/light, tiny bubble light carb, drying tannic finish, light warming from 9.2%. A sour start blends into a tart finish.
I am partial to wine barrel aged brews especially sours. I dont drink Sangria but from what I can remember this has none of that overly sweet that it presents. However there is plenty of fruitiness. This is big and bold and pretty delicious. Recommended for Wine BA aficionados even with the 12$ price tag. Cheers!

 

Good looking can, great review. Surprised you didnt give this beer an 11

 

Poured into a 16 oz tulip not sure when it was canned. Pours a chestnut brown with a finger plus sticky khaki head that leaves some thick streaks of lace with solid retention. 4.25

Aroma biscuit, cocoa, vanilla, toffee, and a hint of coffee. 3.75

Taste follows biscuit, cocoa, toffee, vanilla, and coffee grounds.3.75

Mouthfeel is about medium, not dry, gentle carbonation, and at 5.3% it drinks like that. 4

Overall this is a nice sessionable brown ale,nothing earth shattering but and easy drinking brown ale. 3.75