New Beer Weekend #32

I made a beer store run a couple of days ago, and pulled a nice haul of Half Acre stuff, which is newly distro’d here in Northern Indiana, and this gem from a brewery that is semi-local and fully world-class, IMHO. This is Brian Boru, an Irish Red Ale from Three Floyds.





4.25/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a beautiful copper color with a nice amount of hop haze underneath a soapy oatmeal colored head that provides ample lacing. The nose is fruity, like fruit cocktail, which is a high compliment from me because I absolutely LOVE fruit cocktail. This is in that vein.

The taste (and look and nose) is very similar to SN Celebration, which is also a high compliment from me, because I love that beer, and this has the best of that beer - fruity citrus flavors from the hops balanced by a significant caramalt flavors.

The mouthfeel is medium and fits the beer perfectly. I don’t know if this is new from 3F’s, or if it’s been around, but I’ve not heard of it before and I am REALLY digging it.

 

I first thought someone had put orange juice in my can as a joke as this ale resembles a fresh glass of orange juice. It is all about the hazy in these crazy times, I suppose. This one is quite refreshing and is a "juice-bomb" as the can states.

 

Hello new beer friends! I was very excited when I saw that this brewery had contract brewed this to can and distribute. This is their signature beer and it is an altbier. Side story...Altbier may have been my first actual craft style way back when as long trail ale was the first true craft beer I started to regularly buy, they classify it as an altbier. I don’t see it around here anymore so this is a great alternative. Little Dog Gesundheit...



Pours a cloudy medium dark brown. It had a nice creamy white dense head. It took a while to settle and turns into a nice thin layer of creamy white froth.

Aroma is slightly over toasted bread, roasty grains, and a nice earthy spice hop presence.

Taste is roasted grain, something tea like and again nice earthy and spicy hop presence.

Has a light but very close to medium body. Awesome lingering bitterness and crispy clean finish.

I’m so glad I bought a four pack of this beer. I hope people buy it so it keeps coming our way. I have another local one I’m super excited about for later tonight or tomorrow. Enjoy your new beers everyone!

 

Now up going in the opposite direction with fruited sours enjoy 8-Bit Eye of Souron, thanks @BartS!
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thank you BartS for this
16 oz can poured into an oversized wine glass

A- A hazy bright red with purple highlights and a two finger pink head.

S- Sour, fruity and hoppy. Getting pomegranate, some passionfruit, touch of blackberries, lime zest, a nice zippiness from the Nelson hops, touch of herbal tea.

T- Sour, pomegranate, blackberries, some passionfruit, citrus, lime zest, mild dankness, Nelson hops, touch of herbal tea.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- This is interesting sour DIPA, flavors just blend together and a little muddled but not full balanced yet they aren’t fighting with each other, enjoyable and easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

A new offering from just up the road in Hyde Park, VT.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46703/536411/



16 oz. can.
Canned 02/17/21.
Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 3/4 inch slightly off white head over a very hazy golden body with some lacing. Nose of almost all citrus with a splash of floral. Taste mirrors nose with not much bitterness at all and finishing a tad sweet. Nice feel for a lactosian DIPA and overall, this one exceeded my expectations as I never really cared for many lactose IPAs in the past and this one shines in its smoothness.
Cheers to Jay, Mike, and crew for this tasty treat!!

 

Sláinte fellow NBWs for the last weekend of the shortest month

Our Saving Grace - R. Shea Brewing Merriman Valley



4.34/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

4/01/2020 pint can bought last spring. Poured into a DFH tulip had a blackish brown body topped by a small tan head which faded quickly. As soon as I popped the can I got a smell of marshmallows and peanut butter. As it warmed in the glass graham crackers and hazelnut aromas became more evident. Tasting it reveals the malt underpinnings of everything. Very rich and full mouthfeel. Alcohol is totally hidden. This is the second R. Shea sweet stout in a week that hit it out of the park. I like this trend.

Currently listening to GratHovOx - Frank Gratkowski / Fred Van Hove / Tony Oxley

 

Alright two new beer in a row. This one is form my favorite local place. We were just talking in another thread about the lack of chinook hops these days (@smutty33 @JackHorzempa) well not this one under the date it says OG triple c’s. Tonewood dusk to dawn, brewed with chinook, cascade and centennial.



This one pours a semi clear amberish color. It has a not so dense bubbly head that disappears almost completely faintly quickly. Just a ring of froth left now where glass meets beer.

Smells citrus rind, malty sweet, and piney goodness.

The taste leans mostly piney (I love you Tonewood) with a little citrus bite and again subtle malt presence.

Mouthfeel is medium and resiny, bitterness is all there. I was not expecting it to be but man it’s there, did I say I love this brewery. This beer leaves a subtle but noticeable sweet coating after the sip, something I could go without.

I gotta say they did this justice especially in my favorite aspect, the pineyness. I’ve never had a local traditional ipa that stands up to my favorites but this is very very close to being there. Take away that lasting sweet feeling in the mouthfeel this thing is close to perfect. I’m so glad I have a brewery nearby willing to brew and gamble instead of just brewing the juice.

 

Former Connecticut Yankee here. I enjoyed my 14 years living there in my formative years.

 

Greetings All from the Great Northwest where are are seasonable but breezy. Snow is gone from the valleys, but plenty in the mountains.

Today we have 7 IPA. I actually had to add this beer to the site, which was surprising. I don't seem to be the first to any beer these days.

A decent IPA. Long on dry grapefruit flavors on the finish.

Until next time,

Happy Trails!

 

Good Saturday evening, NBWers!

I'm starting a bit late, and I haven't read anything in the thread, yet (not even @SawDog505's open - and thanks for getting the thread started).

I'll be watching one of the new-to-me English mysteries / police procedurals / dramadies, The Mallorca Files, in about a half an hour. It's in the same vein as Death in Paradise, but a bit less on the humor. One of the leads in that show is a German detective, so why not a German-style (supposedly) beer?

OK, that was a pretty thin segue, I admit.

Anyhow, those of you who have been actually reading what I write in these NBW threads are familiar with Waldmann Brewery & Wurstery of St. Paul. If you're in Minnesota (or come here occasionally) and you like German-style beer and food, check them out!

Today's beer from them is:

Waldmann Barrel Aged Doppelsticke Altbier
ABV: 9.5%
IBU: NA

Yup! A German-style beer aged for "over a year" in two different American whiskey barrels (bourbon and rye)!

Let's see about this!



Aroma brings the whiskey. Also molasses, vanilla, and raisins. Some alcohol.

Appearance is deep and dark, topped by a short (and short-lasting) tan head, appearing thick and creamy. Within a few minutes it becomes a fairly broad bubbly ring with swirls of finer bubbles in the middle. It leaves good-looking stringy lacing initially, but then no lacing later. The body is impenetrable, even with a backlight, save for a bit of ruby-brown around the bottom.

Taste repeats the elements from the aroma, but adds a touch of earthiness, perhaps from the barrel, to the dark fruit flavors. The whiskey is more subdued in the flavor than in the aroma. There is a slight bitterness at the beginning, which becomes more of a drying sharpness sensation in the middle and finish. The alcohol warmth is present, but not dominant. The finish is semi-dry, trying but not succeeding, to push toward the sweet side. The aftertaste leaves a nice flavor of whiskey and earthy raisins with a touch of vanilla.

The mouth feel is substantial, not thick, but substantial.

Overall, a nicely done barrel-aged alt. This not at all a dessert beer, but it is a pleasantly warming evening sipper.

L: 4.0 | S: 4.0 | T: 4.25 | F: 4.0 | O: 4.0 | Rating: 4.10
.

 

4 Hands Scale of Complexity Sabro IPA, 6.5% ABV; 4.22 overall

Pours a hazed gold with one finger of tight pearl colored head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Tropical & citrus scents

T: Coconut, tangerine & orange slices up front. More coconut, powdery dryness & tangerine as this warms, plus a little nectarine. Finishes dry with more tangerine, coconut & a little lime

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation

Pretty darn easy to drink, easily the best beer I've had with this hop variety

 

"He found him in Mombasa in a bar-room drinking gin"....Classic!!

 

Prairie You Gotta Horchata Imperial Stout,10.8% ABV; 4.02 Overall

Pours black as night, with a pinky of mocha colored head. No head retention or lacing

S: Tons of cinnamon, some vanilla

T: Follows the nose, a little creamyness to it and some carob notes, plus dryness up front. More dryness, a little raisin, vanilla & plenty of cinnamon. Finishes dry with much cinnamon and a little vanilla & coffee

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation

I like Horchata, so that helps, the cinnamon is the star and is done well, ABV is well hidden. I would've liked more vanilla and creamyness. Having said this, not something I could drink all the time, but sure as hell would with some spicy Chille Verde

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Home now, and done with work for the week and ready to enjoy my days off. I worked hard and busted my ass, but also had fun- and enjoyed neww beers at work, including a New Glarus Brewing R&D beer that I brought in to share. It was a huge hit.

But to the topic at hand - New Beer!


@NorthStateCustomCraft so kindly sent this to me, and I thank you so damn much for it.
SeaQuake Brewing - The Land Before Lime - Key Lime Sour - 5% ABV

I love key limes, and I liked this beer a lot. Nice key lime flavor, and it was very delicious, and went down way too fast.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46700/536683/

3.96/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a very dank, very murky, straw color. 3 finger fluffy white head. Retention is pretty good, and there's some nice lacing on the glass.
The nose is full of a wild sour aroma with hints of key lime.
Taste - There's a decent amount of key lime in here, and it has a nice sour tartness to it.
Crisp feeling, decent body. The sour feeling lingers.
Tasty sour, and I am a big fan of key limes.


I'll pop open one more for tonight. See you in a bit.

 

Ok, beer #2 for tonight.


Better Than Cake - Singlespeed Brewing - Imperial Stout - 9% ABV.

This is very good, and a good way to end the day.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33560/531098/

3.9/5 rDev -7.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a very dark brown. There was some beautiful carbonation rising in the glass as I was pouring. There's a 2 finger light tan head. The head retention is very good. The head clings to the side of the glass as it dissipates.
The nose is fairly mild. There's a hint of chocolate here, and pecan. Very mild smelling.
Taste - Tons of chocolate, pecan and coconut. The coconut is more up front and the chocolate and pecan are on the backside.
The body is a bit thinner than I was expecting, but it's not watery at all. No alcohol burn at all.
Tasty imperial stout.


Ok, see you tomorrow.

 

Cheers to another NBW!

Tonight's first selection is State Pils from Suarez Family Brewing, courtesy of the immensely generous @Roy_Hobbs . I've had a couple of their beers at shares, yet never managed to check them into Untappd, nor enjoy them in a setting where I can sit down and really appreciate them. Needless to say, I'm quite excited to try this, especially given the fact that all of the ingredients were grown in NY.

The musical accompaniment is Suffering Hour's new album, "The Cyclic Reckoning," with which I'm still moderately obsessed just over a week after its release. Crushingly heavy with swirling, psychedelic vibes that somehow work alongside a sense of malevolence that borders on tangibly oppressive. The atmosphere is phenomenal, and their guitar tone is totally outrageous. I highly recommend anyone that's into extreme metal check it out.

Pours a slightly hazy goldenrod with a half-inch or so of rocky, eggshell head that slowly recedes to a thin layer of lacing.

Bold noble hops lead the way on the nose with a blend of floral character, subtle herbal notes, dry grass clippings, and a soft woody hue that wafts in and out of the nose. There's a faint lemon peel note adding a fruity component, but it remains in the background. The malt profile lends a bold doughiness with hints of sweetness to the aroma, mingling with some of the hop-driven smells to evoke freshly baked country rye bread. Clean, soft, and while it's bolder than a typical European example of the style, it lacks none of the refinement of the classics.

On the palate, the hops take on a somewhat softer hue, leaning further into the floral and herbal side of the spectrum, with bare hints of the grassy side of things. The spice and woody notes are slightly more defined, evoking similar sensations to foeder aging, albeit with less intensity. Freshly baked white bread dominates the mid-palate, possessing both a sense of a doughy center that's just barely underbaked, as well as the toasty crackle of a well-developed crust. As it reaches the backend, the spicy side of the hop profile asserts itself along with a restrained bitterness, combining for a dry finish that simply begs for another sip.

Light bodied, the carbonation is soft but plentiful, gliding effortlessly across the tongue. Unsurprisingly, it drinks entirely too easily. Had I not been taking the time to analyze the beer for the sake of describing it, I suspect I would've been wondering why my glass was empty in a matter of minutes.

It's easy for zwickelbiers to fall into the trap of being overly subtle to the point of blandness, but this manages to be remarkably bold for a 4.4% ABV beer, without losing any sense of nuance or delicacy. Fantastic example of the style.

Score: 4.5

 

Old Treehugger Barleywine
Live Oak Brewing Company
Look-4.5 Smell-3.75 Taste-4 Feel-4 Overall-4

Overall a pretty decent beer. I just thought that it was missing a bit of the punch that I like to see in a barley wine. I would like to explore more beers in this style which I wish were more readily available. That being said I would definitely drink it again !