New Beer Weekend #31

Seems like it was a completely different beer, and a different ABV, which is why I hesitated for minutes on end... but in any case, it's GOOD, it's NEW, and I drank it.
Cheers man!

 

#2, I sought this more than a little bit - and found it in singles at my local grocery store. Let’s do this!!!





4.47/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Pours black with some mahogany on the edges and a tan head that provides beautiful lacing. Gorgeous beer. The nose maple up front, and I get a cocoa note and pretty substantial booze from the barrel, but it don’t get the vanilla - maybe it’s lurking in the barrel.

The maple is forward on the taste, but is joined quickly by the booze from the barrel - and the vanilla, which mixes well with the maple and the cocoa. Wow.

The mouthfeel is perfect for an imperial porter. I approached this with some trepidation because I read reviews that stated it was too sweet, but for my palate, there was an excellent balance between the flavors, and it wasn’t overly sweet. I purchased a couple of singles, but I’m gonna go back for more because this is exceptionally well done in that “hard-to-do-well” imperial porter category.

 

My contribution to the NBW thread is yet another coffee stout, or Cream Stout with Coffee if you want to believe the can.
Poured an enticing dark, almost black and certainly looked black in the snifter.
The head was almost a non starter- dissipated very quickly and virtually no lacing. Odd. The aroma was very tough for me to pick up anything but the malts. (Mmmm, beer!). The taste though really did well, definitely coffee forward, but no bitterness often found with coffee included Stouts. Must have been the lactose (AKA: Cream) Regardless, its quite tasty.
The feel was spot on for the style, smooth and creamy.
I’d gladly drink this one again. Well done Drafting Table Brewing!

 

Last new beer of the weekend, Monkish Double Wrapped, thanks @BartS!
4.56/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Thank you BartS for this
16 oz can, dated 2/2/21, poured into a teku

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

S- Citrus, grapefruit, some pineapple, dank, some mangoes and melons, tropical fruits, a little earthy.

T- Citrus, tropical fruits, pineapple, grapefruit, some melons, earthy, dank, lime zest, touch of mango. Wonderful balance between fruity and bitter.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- This is a great NEIPA and doesn’t have the unbalanced sweetness that most Triple NEIPAs have. Honestly drinks like a NEIPA that is more like 6-7% ABV. Bitterness and fruitiness work very well together.

Some other thoughts I just didn’t want to put to the formal review; this is a great, I would compare my enjoyment of this to Alien Church which is my favorite NEIPA. My rating is slightly negative being the 3rd review and 4th rating of this beer, but this rating is also falling in with what Untappd says, 4.55. I usually don’t trust Untappd ratings but with how new of a beer this is it seemed to be one of the few places to pull information on this beer from.

Until next weekend, stay safe everyone and wear a mask when you leave the house, cheers!

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

All right, a bit late to the game here this weekend.

I was at work till 10 last night, and really didn't want to review a great IPA that was sent to me by @NorthStateCustomCraft . I'll just say it was delicious, and was so happy to have tried it.
Now to today, I'm part of the NBW 13 BIF, and I traveled to Mason City today to pick up some beer for it, for myself, and for friends. There was a bit of snow around my home till I got to I-494, then it ended. I was clear all the way from 494 to 35 to Mason City. Went into Hy-Vee Grocery/Liquor and it was overcast, but fine out. 45 minutes later, when leaving, it was a damn blizzard! I'm damn lucky the I-DOT didn't close I-35, because it was a white-out going on. Not fun at all. It was pretty bad until it started to let up near Northfield, MN. I exited there, because the main reason I went south today is it's my sister's birthday, and there was a party for her at her place today. She's turning 29.... AGAIN for the 17th time.
After about an hour and a half there I noticed the snow was getting worse, so I said my good byes and headed toward my central MN home. It was pretty bad going till I got to about to I-394 in the cities, then the snow tapered off, and the roads got better. It was smooth sailing till I got to about 15 miles from home, around Clearwater, MN when the blizzard hit again, with the added bonus of slippery roads this time. I dropped off some Iowa beer with a friend in town, then headed over to another friend's house to pick up a package that was mailed to me at their place, so it doesn't get stolen, like it would if shipped to my place.

I'm sure you're all wondering: what does this have to deal with NBW?

Well, it is a package sent to me as part of a BIF not on this site. It was, however sent to me by a former member of this site - azuelke. He sent me a 44lb bomb!

This beer that I'm going to put here is one that was in it.

Triple 5 from New Glarus Brewing - Belgian Triple - 9% ABV.

I do have to be careful with this style, because they tend to give me bad hangovers.
That being said, it's damn amazing. I'm loving it, and it's damn delicious.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/590/526168/

4.28/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours a dark murky golden color. 1+ finger, fluffy, pillowy white head. The head retention is good, and there's some lacing on the glass.
Wild and funky aroma. Floral. Malty. Yeast-y. Very right for the style.
Bread, malts, yeast, funk, wild, are all words I can come up with to describe this beer. Damn tasty.
Nice body. There's a good feel to this, and a bit smooth, with a hint of the carbonation here.
Damn tasty beer. Delicious, and a treat to enjoy.


Maybe more. We'll see.

 

It's been a while since I participated in the old New Beer Sunday, and the new BIF is a great reason to jump back in. I've always been more of a rater than a reviewer, so this is definitely good for me. I also know my wife will be happy that I finally start knocking out some of the beers in the fridge as well.

Tonight's beer is The Eighth State Calling.

From the description, there's oreos and vanilla, so obviously expecting something sweet.



Poured from bottle into tulip glass. Pours very dark brown with about two fingers of mocha foam that dissipated quickly. Smell is all chocolate, I don't notice the vanilla at all. Taste follows the smell. It's an oreo bomb without any vanilla that I could taste. It's sweet and easy to drink, but is the type of beer I usually like to share. The body is thinner and it went down smoother than I expected for a higher ABV beer.

Overall tasty, and glad to try, as it's not my usual go to style.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/54028/503928/

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned on 2/16/2021. Pours a murky orange yellow with a half finger off white head with yellow hues that leaves a thin wall of lace with ok retention. 4

Aroma peach and mango jump out first, hints of vanilla, tangerine, and maybe a little pineapple. 4

Taste is a lot of the same but bigger and better peach dominates for me, mango follows, pineapple, tangerine, whipped cream enters the party, and vanilla closes it. 4.25

Mouthfeel is pretty big, really gentle carbonation, sticky not dry, and at 7% ABV loaded with flavor and the sour part is far from over the top. You can almost feel the fruit sliding down the throat. 4.25

Overall this is the 3rd in this series, but for me the weakest thus far but still a very nice sour for a person that doesn’t love or hate the style. I would recommend this fruit smoothie, with gentle carbonated life. 4.25

 

Good evening NBW
I just worked 11 twelve+ hour shifts in 12 days. I have a couple days off now and I'm ready for a new to me beer.

Collective Arts Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Porter

500mL bottle 2020 edition poured into Guinness pub glass at cellar temp 11.5% ABV. The beer pours dense black with a brown halo visible if held to light. The head is meager, rusty brown in color and recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. The aroma is roasty malts, barrel and dark chocolate. The taste is bittersweet chocolate, coffee, bourbon, charred wood and lightly ashy roasted malt. Slight ethanol heat and moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with just less than medium carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very good porter with plenty of flavor. The bottle states this beer was aged for one year in bourbon barrels and I believe it. Very bourbon forward, yet the porter is there as well.

Cheers all!

 

Good evening, NBW-verse. Thanks to @2beerdogs for the kickoff.

Decent weekend here in the kingdom, especially compared to other parts of the country. I hope any of the faithful living in areas where Ma Nature played havoc are safe and sound. We just got a long, annoying, lightweight snowfall - very lucky.

Tonight's victim:



Buddha's Juice, a DIPA from Wormtown made with Buddha's hand citrus. First beer from this brewery I have been meaning to explore. I like their sarcastic advertising on FB, including their spoof on the "cousin from Boston" bit by Boston Beer...they are the other cousin from Woostah...

Canned towards the end of December. Pours like you see it. An amber gold color, mostly clear, with a huge head that sticks like a DIPA should. That Duvel tulip is covered with tenacious residual foam.

The smell is a citrus peel smack in the face, but with undertones more reflective of a West coast IPA. There is a promise of bitterness, and maybe a bit of the dankness.

Oh, indeed...the taste is citrus rind and pith, but has a nice sweetness to counterbalance the sledgehammer blow. A bit of caramel. Bitter hits hard after this with pine coming out contributing to a big but brief hit of bitterness, with a lingering aftertaste of grapefruit-like citrus. No clue what a Buddha's hand tastes like - I've only seen it in the wild once, so I will take their word for it. It isn't really reading like any of the typical citrus fruits, but it easily identifies as a citrus amalgamation. On continued sipping, the big citrus dominates less and it rounds out more with the malts and sweetness. Very nice. There is a very vague spicy note I can't quite identify, right on the tongue in the aftertaste and crazily enough it strikes me as cinnamon-like.

The mouth feel is medium, a bit creamy, yet lively with just enough carbonation. There is a numbing sensation that I equate with citrus peel oil. Slightly astringent but not overly drying on the finish.

It's more of an old school DIPA representing well with the bitter, pine resin, and a supporting sweetness with gibs of citrus. Glad I grabbed this at random...a worthy beer. Easy 4 on the old BA-o-rometer here.

 

All right, one for tonight and the weekend. This is one I picked up today, and so wish I picked up more.


Lake Time Brewing - Clear Lake, Iowa - Imperial Peanut Butter Porter - 9.5% ABV.

Holy cow! This is damn amazing! Crap, if I would have known, the HyVee Liquor in Mason City would have been cleared out of this. I am DAMN impressed.

4.56/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

12 oz can.
Pours a thick, dark brown color. 1 finger tan head. Retention isn't the best, and there's no lacing on the glass.
The nose hit me hard while pouring - peanut butter. Up close I get - woah! The peanut butter is off the chart! I also get a faint chocolate note here, that is so pleasing. Deep and rich.
Taste - Deep rich peanut butter. It hits up front, then a bit of a barrel note, then peanut butter strikes hard again.
Smooth, yet dangerous. This is smooth and thick, and rich, and full bodied. Just the slightest "heat" to warn you to take your time here.
I am so damn impressed here! This is damn good, and am wishing I would have picked up more of it.


This is it for the NBW 31. See you all next weekend for more fun and new beers.
Cheers!

 

Second new beer of the weekend, last beer of the day: 903 Brewers Hurricane Slushy Berliner Weisse Aged On Passion Fruit Orange and Lime.


16oz can served in a big snifter. I don't see a date on it. Bought it from Tavour.

Pours murky orange with about a one finger head that fades to nothing pretty quickly. Smell is tropical juice, with a little kettle sour.

Taste is tons of tropical juice with a strong tartness and a moderate amount of kettle sour flavor.

Mouthfeel is thick, moderate effervescence. Overall, it's basically a tropical juice. Not bad from that perspective, but still hard to see it as a beer.

 

Modern Times Coffee Cake: Double Coconut.



Pours a deep dark brown with minimal head, fading to a perimeter ring fairly quickly. The beer pours thick and shiny.

The coconut is heavy on the nose. Fresh shaved coconut. Vanilla and sweet coffee slip in behind the coconut. A little whiskey makes itself known as well.

Taste follows nose for the most part. Coconut takes centre stage. Strong and natural. A sweet milky coffee quality peeks in and the vanilla and cinnamon are present, but understated. The barrel is subtle but there. Really quite impressive. Appropriately sweet.

Thick, full bodied but not syrupy. Really fills the mouth.

Pastry stouts are not my favourite style, but when they are good I do like quite like them. This one is about as good as any I’ve had. One of the rare times I’d wished for a larger format.