New Beer Weekend #30

Good afternoon, Saturday NBWers!

@rgordon, as another point of reference, we will stay below zero all weekend, and have been below zero since sometime Thursday and won't be above zero until Tuesday. Wind chill warnings tonight (quoting the warning: "Wind chill values during this time are expected to range between 35 degrees below zero and 50 degrees below zero."), and tomorrow the forecast is calling for the high temperature to be a record low. (i.e. the lowest high temp on record for the date).

(Never complain about winter weather when Minnesotans are present! )

Anyhow...

Continuing my support of local brewers with the beer I have first up for today.

Wild Mind Artisan Ales The Mission Begins (Mission 22) Pale Ale
ABV: 5.25%
IBU: NA



To explain the graphic...

The brewer's description:
The Mission Begins (5.25% ABV) - Hazy Pale Ale with Simcoe, Motueka, and Ella hops

Mission 22 is dedicated to healing America’s veterans when they need it most — right now. We offer treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury, substance abuse and all of the issues veterans are facing today.

So, how is the beer?

Fruity aroma from a distance as I pour, inviting me closer. Aroma is citrus - grapefruit - and pineapple.

Appearance is murky, barely translucent, and almost the color of juice from the namesake aroma fruits - pineapple and grapefruit. No visible bubbles, but perhaps that's because there is no visible anything other than the fuzzy darkness of my hand on the opposite side of the glass. With the pour, it formed a 3/4 inch off-white head with decent retention, but no lacing. Nothing offensive about the appearance, but I wouldn't call this a great looking beer.

The taste is dominated by citrus, with the pineapple fading well into the background, and is quite bitter from the beginning. The bitterness carries through into the aftertaste, but it is half-heartedly balanced by a light breadiness. This beer is surprisingly bitter given what is normally expected from the hazy appearance. If it is not quite WCIPA territory, it is getting there, especially since as you drink, the bitter finish grows. This may sound like criticism, but it merely caught me off-guard. I LIKE it!

The mouth feel is on the thick side of moderate. It briefly leaves a bit of a coating on the roof of the mouth.

The finish begins just a touch sweet, and then completes in a more dry-ish direction, the perception driven by the bitterness, but it never quite gets to where you could call it dry.

Overall, this is a delicious beer. Just based on the brewer's description (and previous beers I've had from Wild Mind) I bought two crowlers. I'm glad I did.

L: 3.5 | S: 4.0 | T: 4.25 | F: 4.0 | O: 4.0 | Rating: 4.07

 

Good Saturday afternoon, New Beer Weekenders. I'm glad it's a long holiday weekend! This morning I made a quick run over the state line to District 96 Beer Factory to pick up two new releases. This one is Transfer of Power, a NE TIPA, double dry-hopped with Citra, Columbus, and Comet hops.

It pours a dense, turbid, dirty golden tangerine color with a very thick, creamy, milk-white head and copious amounts of sudsy lacing inside the glass. The fragrant nose includes lemon, grapefruit, pine needles, cannabis, and just a whiff of sweet tropical fruit. The taste opens with a nice balance of tart, bitter lemon and grapefruit, dank, earthy, resinous notes, and the sweet "Snake Fruit" that characterizes D96's IPAs. The sweet fruit is more pronounced as it warms in the glass. The Citra and Columbus hops are used to great effect while the Comet hops add bitterness, particularly at the finish. There is a touch of hop burn which may mellow out as the ale matures in the can. All of the flavors blend well. As is typical for this brewery, the mouth feel is luxuriously thick and creamy with near perfect carbonation. And you can feel the 10% ABV.

As with other brewers, I prefer D96's DIPAs to the triples. But this is still a very fine, enjoyable beer.

4.29/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

D96 also released a TIPA collaboration with Tin Barn Brewing that I'm saving for NBS tomorrow.

 

I've made the almost 4 hour round trip to Suarez two weekends in a row now, mainly because I wanted to pick up a bunch of their beer to share in NBS BIF #13 & associated shenanigans. I've so enjoyed these BIFs that pretty much my first thought when I find beer I like is "I want to share this with my fellow NBS / NBW beer nerds".

Anyway, I'm hoping to review at least a few new to me Suarez beers this weekend. First up is Stands to Reason, their smoked lager. Review below, but I freaking loved this beer. I come in below rDev about 75% of the time, but not with this one. Their lager game is as good as it gets, and for me, this was just so drinkable with just the right amount of smoke. Cheers (and note to self....wash & rinse the glass better next time)!

4.46/5 rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours an attractive dark brown. About one finger of khaki colored head after a relatively gentle pour. I know smoked beers can be polarizing, but I loved the aroma. Dark bread, malts and a lovely smokiness that is definitely there, but didn't overwhelm. This is likely just personal preference, but I was close to a 4.75 on the aroma.

Taste is just as good as the nose. The bready notes are very well complemented by the light smokiness. The smoke is delicately balanced and does not dominate the palate. It's just mixed in as a perfect compliment. Medium carbonation / bodied. As with pretty much all Suarez lagers, it is incredibly crisp and clean.

I expected to like this, but not this much. Great beer that I could drink all day long.

 

Michigan and Northern Indiana winters (I'm 1.5 miles or so from the Indiana/Michigan state line) are nothing to trifle with, but Minnesota is an entirely different level. Mrs O and I loved the 18 years we lived there, but we do NOT miss the January-thru-mid-February period even a little bit.

That is winter on PED's - then amped up just a little bit more to make sure you're paying attention.

 

The wonderful thing about Beer It Forward is the ability to try néw beers, mysteriously chosen by your sender. They read your posts and send you something they think you might like . I’m enjoying a ninja strike from @FBarber and his great choice if Lord Octopus by Hop Butcher For The World

4.43/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Canned 1.5.21, opened 2.13.21

Can received in a ninja strike from @FBarber , poured into a Schilling stemmed glass

Turbid orange liquid crowned by a creamy pencil thin layer that quickly fades to a wispy island anding. Looks like orange juice and maybe a fresh apple cider

Aroma is tropical, mango, hint of berry, whiff of pine

taste is light citrus, pineapple, bubblegum, tropical fruits

Low sudsing, very smooth, not creamy, hop taste with no bite

Delicious beer this one

Thanks @FBarber !

 

This is another fine ale from a neglected style. You can detect some roast and coffee from the malt as well as yeasty characteristics typical of a Hefe-Weizen. I could not tell you the last time I have tried a dark wheat beer. I am sure there are some fine examples brewed domestically.

 

I still have 3 Extreme Beer Fest beers to finish, so that is the focus this weekend. This first one is outstanding - I’d buy a case of this if I could (hint for @Todd!!!).





4.35/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This beautiful beer pours a dark cola brown with a dense tan head that provides substantial lacing. The first note on the nose is juicy, tropical citrus aromas, followed immediately by a molasses malt note. Wow.

The taste has juicy citrus flavors up front, primarily tangerines to my palate, but it’s that molasses flavor that makes this beer for me, along with a smidge of char. The flavors complement each other to the extent that there is no - as in zero - alcohol present in this 10% ABV TIPA. That illustrates the prowess of these breweries.

The mouthfeel is strikingly dry, per the WCTIPA style noted on the can. What a delicious, adventurous flavor ride this beer is.

 

The GF can confirm this with a story of a college friend from MN listening to them with rolling eyes complain about NE (the state) winters.

 

Denver beer co peanut butter Graham cracker porter
Cola brown appearance
...medium light carbonation with around a medium body. Has a slight slick,oily, creamy feel
Aroma is peanut butter, malt, roasted malt, Graham cracker, black coffee
..taste is mildly sweet but otherwise the taste stayed very close to the aroma.
..overall it is an excellent porter with the peanut butter coming off natural, not artificial. Just sweet enough which made this a good dessert beer or a nice novelty beer

 

#2, this EBF beer is appropriately named, because it is delicious, even if it leans more toward the imperial porter side of things, as our friend @Ozzylizard suggested.



4.15/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours black with a dense tan head. Beautiful beer. The barrel jumps in feet first on the nose, and the maple is a nice complement to the bourbon and chocolate notes.

The taste is led by the barrel, and the maple is on point, with the chocolate notes providing some depth, but this leans more toward the imperial porter side of the ledger than a BA stout.

It is still delicious, and I’m glad it was part of the EBF party.

 

Another fine Saison from Lost Nation Brewing's Yesterday's Tomorrow series.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31645/505811/



375 ml. bottle.
Bottle conditioned with Brettanomyces.
Caution, this is a lively little bugger!
Gentle pour yields a nearly one inch white head over a hazy light golden body with some lacing. Head is present for the duration. Nose of funk and pear. Nice! Taste of funk, pear, and a bit of citrus and a bit of flint-like dryness on the finish. Nice! Great feel and overall, an exceptional Saison from just up the road in Mo'Vegas, VT.
Cheers to Jamie, Allen, and the crew!

 

My wife got me a mixed six pack of German beer as a gift for Valentine’s Day. This beer was perfect cause I was just talking about Hefeweizens I hadn’t had in another thread. It was one of the first styles I explored when I got into beer and seldomly have them anymore so I was happy to try this one. Hofbrau Hefeweizen



Pours a hazy dark straw with a nice creamy fluffy head. It settles pretty quickly into a nice layer of creamy fluff.

The first aroma I notice is banana and a little bit of bubble gum too. Very good smelling beer.

The taste is where I noticed the spice note, which to me was clove like. There is also a little bubble gum but I do not notice the banana as much.

Mouthfeel is the light end of medium and it has a very creamy carbonation to it. It is very soft and smooth.

I really enjoyed trying this beer and I’m excited to try some other hefeweizens that I haven’t had the pleasure of trying yet. Gonna shoot for one more new one tonight or tomorrow. Happy weekend everyone!

 

Poured into a 16 oz can shaped pint glass canned on 2/9/2021. Pours a very dark amber with a finger plus sticky off white head with reddish hues that leaves loads of thin webs of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma pine, caramel, toffee, apricot, a hit of amaretto, and grapefruit rind. 4.5

Taste follows toffee, caramel, amaretto, upfront with apricot, pine, and grapefruit in nice rather balanced finish. 4.5

Mouthfeel is big, gentle carbonation, not dry, and at 9% ABV extremely approachable. 4.5

Overall you don’t see many Hoppy Imperial Red Ale or Red DIPA these days and I am really enjoying this sauce. Well done Kettlehead Brewing. 4.5

 

Good evening NBW, hope everyone is doing well. Was going to try to do a try to do a blind tasting of the 4 Morden Times Beastmaster vanilla stouts but I decided that I’m just going to do two tonight side by side and the last two tomorrow, big thanks to @Dimidiata!
Beastmaster Madagascar
12 oz can poured into a snifter

A- Black with a small mocha head 4

S- Chocolate, roasted malts, caramel, some vanilla, some dark fruits 4

T- Chocolate, vanilla, roasted malts, some coffee, caramel, hints of dark fruits 4

M- Smooth, full body 4

O- A nice vanilla stout, definitely n the sweeter side but still has some balance to it 4

Beastmaster Tahitian
12 oz can poured into a snifter

A- Black with a small mocha head 4

S- Chocolate, vanilla, marshmallows, hints of roasted malts 4

T- Chocolate, roasted malts, vanilla, some marshmallows, some dark fruit, touch of alcohol 3.75

M- Smooth, full body 4

O- A decent vanilla stout, could have a better balance of flavor as some clash slightly but overall it is enjoyable 3.75

When it comes to looks they look pretty similar, Tahitian has a head that sticks around slightly more. Rating both a 4 from smell, the Tahitian is definitely sweeter than the Madagascar but both have equal enjoyment to me. Madagascar is sweeter kind of like how the Tahitian smelled, Madagascar definitely has a better balance. Madagascar is the winner of the two.

Cheers!

 

Prairie Mocha Noir Imperial Stout, 14.2% ABV. Pours thick and black with a huge head for a Prairie stout, though it nearly went away by the time I got the picture. Nose is strong bourbon, vanilla, chocolate, and coffee. Taste follows with strong bourbon up front and everything else cowering in the shadows, mildly sweet, mildly bitter coffee, and bourbon burn. Thick and smooth mouthfeel, overall most excellent. Let this one warm, nose improves though taste doesn't. If you're a huge bourbon fan, you'll love this one.

4.29/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Happy Valentines Day eve, wink wink, nudge nudge. Hunkered down for the arctic blast, getting down to -20F tonight, a high of -8F tomorrow, down to -26F tomorrow night, then gradually warming to a high of +34F next Saturday. Windchills to hit -40F, screw shoveling!

 

Having my first Rainier ever...

12oz can served in a tulip. The best guess I have as to the stamp is Feb 22 21. Bought it as a single at a Whole Foods.

Pours clear light golden with an initially large head that collapses to a couple millimeter thick blanket, dense and creamy. Carbonation is there, but not a lot of it. Smell is grain, maybe corn, maybe honey.

Taste is far too sweet. Yikes. Honey / simple syrup. Definitely some corn here, some barley tea.

Mouthfeel is a little too thick, a little too sticky. Overall, it's too sweet to be good, but it's not terrible.

 

Poured from a howler, Ozark Beer Co.'s Ales for ALS DIPA, 7.2% ABV; 4.1 overall

Pours an effervescent amber with a thumb of cream colored head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Pine & citrus

T: Plenty of pine, some grapefruit and oranges, breadyness up front. Sone dryness to go with the breadyness, a little caramel, grapefruit & pine as this warms. Finishes with orange, grapefruit & pine, plus a little dryness

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation

Solid DIPA with nice drinkability in the West Coast style