New Beer Weekend #27

Surprisingly, this was my first from them. I've heard good things about them in general. They don't get a lot of chatter, because, well, PDX. It's kind of hard to make an impression. But, we are going to save the label, frame it, and hang it here at work. Even though he worked at a couple other breweries in town, he was a friend to all of us.

 

Alright, here's the last one I promised just a few posts above... Marlowe Artisanal Ales' Blackout Jinx, a 9.9% imperial stout brewed with honey and maple syrup. My first beer from them, and I'm hoping it's a good one! It has five ratings on BA right now and they're all 4s or above, so I'm thinking I chose a good one.



The pour is a bit less active than I want with a stout of this caliber, and I'm honestly surprised that there was as little head as there was, considering the added sugars should have fermented out and led to more CO2 in suspension, which would theoretically lead to a more intense head formation. Maybe the brewery didn't add the sugars in the boil, though, and I guess I'll find out whether or not that's the case once I take a sip. Anyway, as you can probably see, this would fall into the category of "dark-as-hell beer." It's viscous and oily, but there isn't much else to talk about. Look at it. It's devouring all the light around it. Pretty soon, I'll be enveloped in darkness, too.

First sniff is promising; it smells like tobacco, blackstrap molasses, roasted coffee, and intense burnt grains. There's definitely a little smoke in here, and, honestly, not much in the way of sweetness... at least that's my initial perception. Hints of fennel, spice, rolled oats, baker's chocolate, and graham crackers. Lots going on. Also, it's not hiding its ABV very much at all. I can tell this is a big-ass beer.

Sweeter than expected on the tongue, though the sweetness doesn't really remind me of honey or maple, which is... odd. Good, prominent flavors of molasses, toffee, dark chocolate, and roasted grains with a slick palate feel and some balancing earthy/spicy hop character coming out, especially as it warms. I'm surprised that this is as round and hefty as it is due to the use of these two (relatively) simple sugars in the process... it's also strange that I don't taste either of them, nor does it feel like maple traditionally feels in stouts like this. I mean, even if it didn't ferment out completely, maple syrup tends to add a tannic note, and there's absolutely none of that here. Not sure what they did here, but it's definitely got me thinking. I enjoy it, though... definitely a sipper, and definitely a big one. A good stopping point for today, honestly. Grab it if it sounds good to you, but I don't think it's one of my favs ever... until next time... happy NBW!

 

Ooops fat finger, sorry.

 

Great review, Dennis. I was also impressed with Standard & Pours. It's a very good Russian Imperial Stout. Bull n Bear is off to a great start. The biggest problem, according to Will, is that too many locals only want hazy IPAs or "something like Bud Light." I think he's thankful that there's a small group of us craft aficionados.

 

Up next is a ticking beer I bought a couple days ago, from a nicely regarded Seattle brewery, Stoup. Pistol fingers is a nice, solid, OG-style American IPA:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33525/316828/

 

NBW #2: Untied Brewing's Bourbon Barrel Aged Left in the Dark. Russian Imperial Stout is my favorite beer style and the base Left in the Dark was largely responsible for my "re-discovering" Untied Brewing. It's a very good RIS. Having spoken with the owner I knew there were concerns about the carbonation level of this BBA release. The flavor is great with fresh coffee, chocolate, roasted malt, tobacco, and black cherry. The issue is with the body and carbonation both of which are on the thin side. That said, this is very flavorful and drinks easily for 10.2% ABV. I'm glad to have purchased this and am optimistic that the viscosity and carbonation issues will be addressed next time it's released. This is one of my favorite local breweries and I'm confident about its future.

Nonetheless, a good rating:

4.05/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Cheers, NBS!

 

Folkvangr from Little Beast.

16oz can served in a big snifter. Dated 10/20/20. Another gift from @mr-jj, also probably purchased from Tavour.

Pours black with about a one finger head that fades and leaves a skin with a few clumps. Smell is roasted grains, light funk, a little grass. Fairly mild.

Taste is also fairly mild, mostly roasty, moderate sweetness, still has a little bit of funk that's hard to really detect under all the roasty flavors, maybe it has some anise or burnt flavor. The word "meaty" might apply here, too.

Mouthfeel is medium, fairly still, slightly filmy. Overall, not bad.

 

Final new beer this weekend, part of a variety pack of singles purchased in December from Dovetail Brewery. All but one were brewed within a few weeks of pickup, this being the exception.

Dovetail Brewery Czech-Style Dark Lager



Can Notes: 16 oz canned 10/21/20, 5.3% ABV. Breadcrust, roasty, nourishing.

Appearance: This was the most aggressive head formation I've ever poured, took several minutes to pour the can into the 0.5L Dovetail Willi Beecher Glass. Really nice looking beer here, dark amber pour, initially somewhat clear turning murky by the end. Enormous rich creamy thick head, tan bubbly and creamy, substantial lacing. Looks like a nice root beer float. 4.5

Aroma: Excellent, nice warm pumpernickel out of the oven. Roast malts, brown sugar, caramel, toffee. Really like this. 4.75

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, though with surprisingly bitter lead. Smokey roast malt leads, bitter hops provides nice balance, bitterness offset by a nice sweet caramel, backed by toffee and brown sugar. This all comes together very well. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Medium, creamy body, fizzy carbonation lasts throughout. Neutral sweet/bitter with slight bursts of both, slightly dry, easy clean finish. 4.25

Overall: I've only had two prior beers under this style, but this one is far and away the best of the three. An excellent beer, creamy full rich appearance and feel, excellent tasting offering. Man does not live on bread alone, but I believe he may live solely on this, and do very well. Glad I finished the weekend with this one. Another great offering by Dovetail! 4.5

Cheers one and all, look forward to the rest of the reviews, and see you next week with some nice local barley wine offerings.

 

Very nice, big beer for sure. Glad to have gotten a chance to try it.

Barrel - Aged Boomerang Barrel No: 533 Ska Brewing Co.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/923/527575/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

Pours a cola brown color with ruby hues.

Mild nose consisting of chocolate and coffee.

Taste is mild chocolate with bitter notes of coffee and raw cocoa. Kiss of alcohol warmth at the end.

Finish is slightly bitter, the coffee notes prevail.

A very nice brew overall. There are certainly times where this is exactly what I’m wanting on a cold winter evening.

 

Another new brew courtesy of @vurt , Ex Novo Never More Barrel-aged Black Barleywine with whole cocoa beans and smoked figs. It's pretty damn nice.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35612/206386/

 

Super Hop-a-Tronic Lupulositor (Strata, Citra, Idaho 7) from River North.

12oz can served in a snulip. Don't see a date on it.

Pours a hazy orange-amber with a medium sized head that collapses and leaves rocky islands along the edges. Smell is mostly tropical juice, and maybe a little hay.

Taste is super juicy. Something overripe, dark in there.

Mouthfeel is mediumish, surprisingly light for a heavy hitter at 10.5%. Overall, pretty good.

 

I have a couple of beers from @FBarber and a ninja box from NBW BIF 12.5. And you’ll see a couple of beers from that magnificent box next week as well.

But first, a lager from the “Lager King” brewery of Chicago.





4.25/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a rich, golden color that is clear and sports a soapy white head. It’s a bit darker than I thought it would be, but is still a gorgeous beer. The nose is an excellent mix of grassy noble hops and a decidedly decadent bready malt.

The bready malt flavor is my favorite part of the taste - the noble hops are forward, but that rich, bready malt flavor escorts the noble hop flavors to the finish with great panache.

The mouthfeel is crisp and inviting - I didn’t set the glass down once I picked it up. This is a beer brewed by a brewery that knows what it wants to produce, and does so at an extraordinarily high level.

 

One more game to watch and one more beer to drink. Side Project/Boulevard Copains, this is a blend of a raspberry saison, a spontaneously fermented beer, two different Flanders and a little bit of a stout.

4.45/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle poured into a tulip

A- A clear dark ruby red with a two finger off white head.

S- Tart, wild raspberries, earthy barnyard funk, pears, oak, touch of leather.

T- Sour, tart raspberries, barnyard funk, oak, some tannins/leather, hints of light fruits, a nice and surprising lingering sweetness.

M- Smooth, light body, dry.

O- The raspberry beer and the spontaneously fermented beer drive everything but the flavors from the other beers linger in the finish adding a very nice twist

Please stay safe everyone and until next weekend, cheers!

 

#2, also from @FBarber, Off Color is not new to me, but the style is (Farmhouse Ale - Sahti).

I literally don’t even know what I just typed.





4.1/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a clear copper color to begin, but gets a little cloudy at the end of the pour. A light tan head tops this beer and sticks around a bit. The nose is spicy rye and a subtle fruity sweetness, I’m guessing from the juniper berries and wine staves.

But make no doubt, this beer is all about the rye, which takes on peppery notes as the beer warms, and there’s that sweetness for balance. The mouthfeel is surprisingly bright for a beer of this gravity.

There’s a LOT going on in this beer, but if you simplify things a bit and look at this as a rye beer, it’s pretty easy to see this is a beer that is done well.

 

Greetings from the icy cold stronghold here. Not the coldest weather we have ever had, but the coldest this winter so far.

If you throw three interceptions, you should probably lose a football game. Not too happy with my adopted Packers...oh well...

So in my glass is:



Founder's Blushing Monk. Still on the train, but may leave Foundersville after this one. Not digging this one very much. So much so that I went and read reviews, and I sure wish I was drinking the beer described there...this ain't it...

Pretty pour and fantastic color. The nose is straight raspberry. This follows through in the taste. This is totally one dimensional with a very vague and non-assertive sorta kinda Belgian ale way in the background. I am getting nothing in the way of complexity that some of our more esteemed reviewers reported. No sweetness to speak of, nothings showing up in the flavor as the counterpoint to the raspberry. It is reasonably tart and the raspberry flavor is fresh. What there is for the beer base seems to be in conflict with the raspberry and for me it's just not coming together.

I am confused by this, so maybe I am expecting this beer to be something else entirely. I don't think I should review it...my rDev would be extreme on the negative side. I'd be sitting at a 3.5 or so on this puppy. And my experience is so far removed from the likes of @superspak @jlindros and others that I am really questioning my senses right now. I have two more...will certainly revisit.

Don't know what else to say here, kids.