New Beer Weekend #30

First beer for today is Poet's Walk by Suarez Family Brewery. Here's how it's described on the bottle...."Poet's Walk is a glass-aged barleywine brewed by Suarez Family Brewery in December 2017. We brewed this strong ale and lagered it in stainless steel tank for several months, before naturally refermenting in bottles. It reached maturity in February 2021 and we now offer it to you"

I have very high hopes for this beer, let's hope it lives up to the billing.

4.48/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Served at just under 50 degrees in a tulip. Pours clear, and medium amber in color that's fairly dark in the glass but lighter around the side edges. Overall an interesting depth of color. Nice finger of tan head with decent retention and an ever present ring around the edge of the glass. A quick swirl leaves behind nice legs. Overall, an attractive beer.

I can pick up hints of the aroma from a couple feet away from me where the beer sits as I type this, but just hints. Upon closer inspection, the beer has a really nice combination of malts, caramel, dark fruit (mostly figs,but I've come to realize that I seem to combine multiple dark fruits into a generic "fig" description). The 10.6% alcohol is extremely well hidden. Overall, this smells great.

Taste is right in line with the aroma. Sweet caramel, toffee, figs & plums. Almost no bitterness and it stays sweet on the finish. As with the aroma, the alcohol is very well hidden. Very smooth going down.

Feel is medium bodied with relatively low carb.

Overall, this is an excellent beer made for sipping by the fire (which is exactly what I'm doing). I'm happy I picked up a bunch of this over the past two weekends, and look forward to both seeing how it continues to age, and to sharing it with other BAs through the NBS BIFs (haul hint!)

 

Another beer new to me from Alvarium. My son brought one can home from a visit to a friend's house. From reading the can this is a one-off from the brewery. Its not in the BA database.

Poured from an undated 16oz can at fridge temp to a diagonally cut tumbler at fridge temp.
Dark brown body shows faint light at the edges. Short tan head fades quickly and laces lightly.
Aroma is like sticking your head into a hi-end cocoa powder tin that has a few hop pellets in it.
Taste is super dry cocoa. Its like a super thin version of expensive cold chocolate milk without sweetening. Very enjoyable.
Body is thin, but it is stated to be a porter. Would love this beer pumped up to a lactose stout with around a 9% ABV.
A really good beer for those of us that like dry porters. Overall I give it a 4.5.

 

Good afternoon NBS/NBW back with a second today.
Leaves of Grass , Northern Kiwi (invasive species acorrding to Mass DEP)
A really wonderful series from our dear friends at HFB, this offering is delightfully crafted, very much a nod to mineral driven white wine IMHO.
Do good
Be well
Leaves Of Grass: Northern Kiwi

Farmhouse Ale - Saison

Hill Farmstead Brewery
Greensboro Bend, Vermont

4.16/5 rDev -1.9% | Average: 4.24
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 375 ml bottle into the test glass
A - Honeysuckle colored, excellent clarity, steady carbonation champagne style feeds a thin ring of snow white.
S - Mash up of lemongrass, kiwi, blood orange, wheat mixed cultures. An initial kiss of sulfur quickly exits, then a bit of barnyard.
T - All the nose brings with a delightful minerality, chalky element is quite something. Alsace wines come to mind
M - Palate is dry, light in its footprint, quick to move through. leaving a delightful dry finish
O - I love this series, this offering is citrus leaning, dry in finish. Delightful on the palate

 

Cheers everyone! Happy New Beer Weekend/Sunday/Valentine's Day. Today I am indulging in a new imperial stout from local Trillium, Barrel Aged Chocolate Coconut Truffle.

I take "someone you love" to include the fine ladies and gents at BA and in NBW.

Pours into my Double Barrel Cuvee de Tetreault snifter a dark pitch black with a creamy frothy brown foam head that sticks around for a while.

Smells sweet and rich, first impression is toasty brown raisin bread, some dark dried fruit, rich chocolate, bourbon oak barrel, nutty brown sugar, some creamy vanilla, coconut chocolate truffle, after sitting for a few it literally smells like a chocolate coconut truffle candy like pictured on the label.

The taste is a little more in tune with said ingredients and label, it really tastes like sweet rich chocolate coconut truffle candies, like a rich dark chocolate that still holds some sweetness, prominent creamy vanilla, milk sugar, fresh coconut, raisinets, dark dried fruit, bourbon sweetness, oak barrel, dark brown sugar, caramel, toffee, slight nutty toasty cinnamon swirl brown bread, really rich and luscious, luxuriant tasting, sweet yet not overboard for me, the raisin note is still quite noticeable and enjoyable, something that I've picked up in a few different barrel aged beers from them, perhaps depending on the bourbon/barrels used. Ultimately, this ends up tasting like a sweet dark milk chocolate covered coconut truffle candy, with some interesting complex barrel notes complementing.

Feels medium plus bodied, creamy, thick, viscous, with smooth moderate low carbonation.

Overall a delicious tasting dessert stout that really hits on what it's going for. It tastes like a genuine chocolate coconut truffle with some rich raisiny bourbon barrel notes flaunting. This is a really nice barrel aged chocolate coconut truffle imperial stout with cacao, coconut, Madagascar vanilla beans, and milk sugar. Cheers everyone, and happy NBW!

 

Energy city chocolate covered oranges
..murky brown black color
...medium light carbonation with a just above average body.
....aroma is literally milk chocolate covered oranges, dark roasted coffee, roasted malt, orange Creamsicle.
...taste is slightly sweet and definitely tastes like milk chocolate covered oranges. Black coffee, orange Creamsicle and roasted malt.
...you get exactly what you pay for with this one which is fine. I opened a dessert beer and got a 100%dessert beer. Gotta be in the mood for it but it was very good

 

New DIPA to me, from a Tavour box - “Electric War” a hazy DIPA by Resident Culture, Charlotte NC, with Nelson Sauvin, Pacific Sunrise, Galaxy, and Citra hops:



Two fingers of rocky bubbles with mousse-like white dome; excellent cap retention; medium heavy lacing; hazy milky gold color. Nose is strong pineapple with grapefruit nipping at its heels. Taste follows nose; there’s some hop bitterness, but mostly semi sweet tropical fruit punch with some citrus slices added. Medium full body; moderate minus carbonation; mild hop burn; alcohol (9%) bite on tip of tongue. Overall, great can art; I don’t like the burn; the fruit flavors are good, but don’t play well with each other; good, but one and done.



4.75 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.0
Score: 4.0 rDev +0.5%

 

Got two more Beastmasters from @Dimidiata!
Beastmaster Ugandan
12 oz can poured into a snifter

A- Black with a small mocha head 4

S- Chocolate, vanilla, some coffee, dark fruits 4.25

T- Dark chocolate, vanilla, fudge, coffee, dark fruits, roasted malts. 4.25

M- Smooth, full body 4

O- The best of the Beastmaster vanilla series, biggest vanilla flavor that lifts the base beer the best 4.25

Beastmaster Mexican
12 oz can poured into a snifter

A- Black with a small mocha head 4

S- Chocolate, dark fruits, brown sugar, vanilla, roasted malts 4

T- Chocolate, dark fruits, roasted malts, some coffee, brown sugar 4

M- Smooth, full body 4

O- Nicely done and easy to drink 4

Of the 4 versions this all look very similar, Ugandan had the longest lasting head. Ugandan has the best nose, Mexican is good definitely the fruitiest of the bunch. Ugandan is the most vanilla forward of the group and the best with balance of flavors.

Final rankings:
Ugandan>Madagascar~>Mexican>Tahitian
Madagascar and Mexican are both rated a 4 but I’m giving a very slight edge to the Madagascar since it is a touch more balanced

Probably will be milking these all night, stay safe NBW, cheers!

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. A few weeks ago, I was intrigued to read that District 96 Beer Factory was collaborating with Tin Barn Brewing on a new TIPA. I visited Tin Barn last summer - shortly after it opened - and was very impressed. And D96 is one of my favorite brewers - it's recent collaboration with Other Half, "All Snake Everything," was off the chart. I tend to miss a lot of releases but was fortunate to read on Friday night that Queen Snake was being released on Saturday. This was the first time during the pandemic that I waited on line to buy beer - but it was worth it. This is stunningly good!

It pours an opaque, dirty tangerine color with two fingers of fluffy, milk-white head and lots of thick, long-lasting lacing. The fruity, aromatic nose features lemon, peach, and a whiff of berry, along with lite floral hops. The taste just pops with fresh fruit - a delicious blend of tart lemon, grapefruit, fresh peach, tropical fruit, and as the glass warms a touch of berry. The Citra hops are used to great effect. The Simcoe hops add a note of fresh pine and clean bitterness at the finish. This ale also features D96's signature snake fruit, a tropical flavor that is both sweet and slightly sour, similar to pineapple. The result is magnificent! The mouth feel is plush and creamy with near-perfect carbonation, and it drinks more like 8% than the actual 10% ABV. Overall, this is simply an exquisite IPA. Huge flavor, a delightful mouth feel, and much too easy to drink for its elevated ABV.

I really love this beer and hope it's brewed again. I only bought one pack because I want to drink it fresh. D96 seems to repeat popular collaborations, e.g., Sexual Fluctuation with Equilibrium. I REALLY hope to see this one again.

4.59/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

I hope everyone is enjoying their new beers this weekend. I always enjoy reading your reviews. Cheers, NBW!

 

Happy polar vortex weekend. Apparently Mother Nature is pissed at us and giving us the cold shoulder this Valentine's Day. We might need to run out and get some flowers and chocolates or something.

Today, I am having a variant of a beer that was a treat to have back when I was starting to explore beer more deeply. AleSmith had space on the shelf in the more craft-centric stores, and Speedway Stout was one of the early widely-respected beers I was able to get without too much chasing.

The Speedway variants, however, were a challenge. The one I was able to obtain (in Richmond) was a coffee version - with Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, and I loved it. I've started seeing AleSmith a bit more recently after a lull in consistent distribution, but seeing today's beer was still a nice surprise: Speedway Stout Espresso and Madagascar Vanilla (almost apropos given it's Daytona 500 day, though no race right now).


I had regular Speedway rated a 5 in looks. This beer doesn't reach those lofty heights, but it does look nice with a thick creamy tan head that leaves a thin layer of itself on the glass wall before slowly fading to a thin stream.

Nose is mildly reminiscent of the Founders' Mackinac Fudge. I've not bold enough right now to bring one out to compare, though if I did, I'd think the Founders beer would have a much stronger impression of the dessert. There's a bit more of a coffee edge to Speedway Espresso + Vanilla, but the vanilla seems to drive the overall impression toward chocolate and fudge - since I'm not getting a ton of vanilla directly. As the beer warms, there's more straight roasted barley notes that join the aromas.

Taste doesn't really have much in common with Mackinac Fudge, which is not that surprising even though I get a little more coffee in the comparison beer than many. The opening seems a mix of coffee and roasted barley to me. There's a slightly metallic note in the opening tastes that is sadly distracting; however, when I focus on it, I start to notice some vanilla, specifically. Not sure if the chemistry of it would indicate a connection, but in my perception there is.

This variant has a solid stout base, and if I was handed it as just a random stout, I'd thjnk it not a bad version. There is that metallic note, of course. Then, as I get deeper into the glass, coffee is becoming a bigger flavor to the point I might wonder if it were an ingredient - but I wouldn't argue much if you lied to me about it. I almost certainly wouldn't mention vanilla in any fashion.

After letting this go from fairly cold to warm, I can say that there is something in the mix that prevents it from being a wonderful beer. I like the base and the coffee I get, and I'm left wondering if the vanilla is driving the distractions or if there is something else unrelated to ingredients that is knocking this out of excellent to very good for me.

 

That one looks and sounds fantastic.
As a chef I did multiple wine dinners amd pairings so wine was really my first education into learning to decipher and recognize aroma and tastes. So I have a thing for wine barrel aging and wine like qualities in beer. Which is probably why Nelson is one of my favorite hops. I looked up that species because I had never heard of it. Native to the Far East and Russia but looks like it doesnt grow wild here so I wonder if they grow it on their property or import it?
Cheers

 

Back for my second New Beer Weekend post.

Maple Shade (2020) from Parish Brewing.



Poured fresh from the fridge. No head whatsoever, but poured thick and slow.

Aroma is medium intensity maple, but not as sweet as other maple stouts I've had.

Thicker on the viscosity with maple and barrel being the main players. I did get a bit of vanilla in the middle, but with the maple and bourbon being prominent, it doesn't last long. The maple brings a nice balancing sweetness to the barrel heat, but not cloying. There's coffee roast notes underneath it all, which is a nice bonus.

Overall, a really solid maple stout. I've had a bunch over the past few years, and I'd put this up there in the mix.

Cheers, BAs!

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Had to run to the cities yesterday after work to deliver 4 cases of Yuengling that I got from my supplier to a good friend of mine. He was very happy to get it and can't wait to take them out to his property in Montana tomorrow.
I did enjoy several new beers yesterday at my friend's place, but was too busy having fun with them to post. So this morning I woke up there and headed over to Wisconsin to get some beer. It since it is so cold, and my car was sitting out last night, it did fight me when I started it, but it did start. Now I'm home, and having one that I picked up at Casanova Liquors in Hudson. If you're ever in Hudson, a stop at Casanova is a must in my book.


Thistle from Pitchfork Brewing in Hudson, Wisconsin - 5.5% ABV - Scotch Ale.

To be honest, I'm not impressed with this. It looks nice, and doesn't smell bad, but there's a weird flavor going on here that isn't the best. They have and can do better than this.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31853/534570/

3.37/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

Pours a nice dark brown color. Very heavily carbonated. With less than half the can in the glass there's a 4 finger tan head. Head retention is good. Some lacing on the glass.
The nose is a sweet malt aroma.
Taste - Malty, and sweet. There's a bit of caramel here. There's also a bit of a weird aftertaste, that isn't so pleasing.
The body is decent for the style.
That aftertaste just isn't working for me here. I think they could do better.


I'm sure I'll be back in a bit with another beer, from 3 Sheeps Brewing this time.

 

Yeah, that's a fine one. BL really does some magic in barrels.

 

Howdy all, time for another NBW I guess! Up today are two new beers from Magnify Brewing out of NJ. I've loved these guys' triple IPAs, but some of their IPAs and DIPAs haven't been as great to me. Let's see how this one is: a collaborative 8.5%er brewed with Barrier from NY. According to the brewery, this is "loaded with Citra, Vic Secret, Summit and Apollo in the kettle and triple dry hopped with an insane amount of Citra, Nelson Sauvin, Vic Secret and Apollo." That's a lot of hops, but let's see if it comes together.



The pour (into my new Stoneface teku!) is pretty nice. Opaque orange color with some bright, peachy highlights if held close to direct light. Head is tight and compact, settling down to a half-finger ring after ten or so minutes, leaving behind some pretty great lacing. Legs are modest but not bad. Overall, a good looking hazy IPA for sure!

Nose is a bit unfocused, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. And with all of those different hop varietals, there's bound to be a lot of complexity. I pick up peach candy, passion fruit, pineapple, ripe mango flesh, and a hint of papaya here and there. Some light dankness and a hint of green onion-like grassiness as well. A bit yeasty with hints of stone fruit esters and some ethanol heat lurking below the surface. I'm surprised that I don't get much of the "typical" Nelson character here, as it seems a bit crowded out by VS and Summit. Citra is present for sure, but I don't get a lot of actual "citrus" elements here other than flashes of tangelo just as I'm about to sip. Apollo seems like it's more suited to being a bittering hop, but I guess it could be lending some of the resinous elements, as several sources claim that is an aspect this hop can show off when used in late-kettle or dry-hop additions. The more ya know, right?

Chewy and slick by turns on the palate with strong maltiness directed by a helping of floral, slightly-citrusy, and moderately-tropical hoppy flavors. I pick up candied orange, notes of blood orange & ruby-red grapefruit, a pretty prominent hit of passion fruit, a hint of key lime, and some dankness in the finish. Ethanol is a little sharp, and there's the tiniest bit of hop burn that somewhat impedes enjoyment here, but overall it's pretty good. One thing I will say is that this somehow feels "old" or at least a bit past its prime... despite being canned on 1/26/21, which means this is less than three weeks old. That feels bonkers to me. It's crazy how quickly IPAs "go bad" these days, and DDH/TDH stuff is much worse about it, seemingly. I guess I should have run to the store when this came in two weeks ago and drank it immediately before it started to have a half-life

One more coming up soon... along with some slow-cooker barbacoa beef tacos!

 

Well Hello NBW
Busy, busy, busy. So since I don't get enough time on Zoom with my students and staff this week so... I figured let's do parent conferences on Zoom too. WooHoo.

So if there is a need for beer, well let's just say, I'm inspired.

Fractal Citra/Idaho 7 IPA from Equilibrium

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47536/532182/
Poured from a 16 oz can.
Golden orange in hue and somewhat hazy. Fluffy white head bursts north of 2 fingers in elevation. After a few minutes it settles to a tightly packed 1/2 inch of foam. Pretty solid retention. Scattered lacing.
Nose starts off with a fairly citrus forward push: orange zest, tangerine, and mild grapefruit pith. But a mild pine note pops in with some melon and maybe pineapple.
Flavor follows nose with a more active wash of tropical notes mixing in. nothing overwhelming, kinda mellow, but a pleasing blend of citrus, tropical, and hints of earthy pine. There's also a sweetness that moves from grainy breadiness to a mild honey note.
Mouthfeel is fine for an IPA with regards to body, but it's a tad prickly on carbonation.
Overall, a very welcoming IPA. Would like to try again to see if the carbonation was just this can.
3.73/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

Oh and, if you are here,
and still reading....
and hopefully posting...
and hopefully come back next week for a repeat...

Consider this: https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/nbs-bif-13-sign-up-thread.655057/

 

It's amazing how we can live in a region and yet still not hit a beer that is sooooo known for said region for years.

 

Nelson is a great hop for sure, HFB, manages to deal with the texture that other brewers miss, or don’t strive for in this format. The mineral (essential) touch really sets the table for the wine like comparisons.
Cheers

 

What a great write up.