New Beer Weekend #34

@Shanex thanks for getting things started


A new to me beer from last night, will post other later on today

Rub_This_BBQ from Massachusetts

3.84/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

16 oz can poured in a pilsner glass

L: 2 finger white fluffy head that fading so quickly, clear bright gold like color
S: muted some spice floral notes and some sweetness but all slightly muted
T: cracker light toasted bread finished with slight spicy/ floral bitterness
M: light carb, sweet finish

O: a well done lager, but wish had more of crisp bite to the finish

 

Thanks @Shanex for kicking this thread off. Poured into a 20 Snulip glass canned on 3/2/21. Pours a hazy orange with a 1 finger sticky white head that leaves rings of lace with nice retention. 4.25

Aroma is peach, blueberry, passionfruit, melon, marijuana, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows peach, passionfruit, honeydew, blueberry, marijuana, and apricot really tasty and balanced. 4.25

Mouthfeel is medium, really soft carbonation, not dry or sticky, and at 8.0 ABV it goes down extremely easy. 4.25

Overall this is really nice and stands out as slightly different. I am a fan of Strata and this brewery. 4.25 Cheers all.

 

Thank you for kicking the festivities off this morning, @Shanex ! Sounds like you enjoyed your Porter, of which we will likely see many this weekend, but likely not too many from France.

I have two Porters planned for each of the two days. Pairing like offerings, and starting with the lighter Porters and saving the stronger ABV versions for New Beer Sunday #837,

Today's Battle Royal features two widely distributed Porters which I never have come across, or at least never have formally rated if I have (I don't recall trying either). Since I regularly have either Bell's or Founders in my refrigerator, this tasting gave me the opportunity to rectify this omission.

Bell's Porter



Bottle Notes: This Robust Porter was bottled 11/12/20, with a listed shelf life of 6 months. I rescued this beer offered at room temperature from the Binny's Pick Six beer orphan rack earlier this week before refrigerating.5.6% ABV.. "Our award-winning Bell's Porter bridges the gap between malty brown ales and heavily roasted stouts. Notes of chocolate, coffee and roasted barley are offset with just a slight hop bitterness. Enjoy any time of year."

Appearance: 12 oz bottle, single pour into a shaker pint glass. Very dark brown base, light tan head very thin and dissipates quickly., leaving a fine bubble lacing. 3.25

Aroma: Strong and pleasant chocolate and roast malt. Getting a little pine bitterness, baker's chocolate and light coffee after a few more attempts. Smells neutral to bitter. 4.25

Taste: Taste consistent with aroma, the roast malt leads. I'd say the "slight" hop bitterness is a bit of an undersell, as it is strong, similar to a black IPA than and American or English Porter. Perhaps it's just in comparison to the Taddy Porter and Anchor Porters I had yesterday, but this is a very "Robust" porter, a nice contrast to the American and English styles. Get the pine as well, nice roast coffee bitterness, and faint chocolate lighter than the aroma. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Taste neutral to bitter, slightly dry, malt a bit chalky, thin body, heavier carbonation than other Porter styles, easy drinking, slight dry and chalky aftertaste. 3.5

Overall: This is a solid Robust Porter, only my third tried to date (Revolution Coffee Eugene and Spiteful's God Damn Pigeon Porter being the others). I'd consider this more leaning toward Black IPA status with the heavy hop presence, though the malt brings more sweetness than the typical Black IPA. Strong hop presence than the two previous Robust Porters, so not sure if this is more indicative of the style, or just a stronger hop version of the style. In either case, I do enjoy this offering, I believe I have a better grasp on this version of a Porter, and I'm glad I came across it. Wonder if a fresher version would be even more hoppy, but this is enough for my taste. 3.75

Returning with a second Robust Porter to compare and contrast, looking forward to this later today.

Cheers!

 

Weldwerks comes to Pennsylvania

Weldwerks Brewing Co. recently started distributing their beers to Pennsylvania (Philly area). But first a backstory:

I am a member of the American Homebrewers Association and every year they take a poll of the members asking what our favorite commercial beers are. Results were published in the July/August 2018 issue of Zymurgy (the AHA magazine). A beer that came in at number 10 is WeldWerks Juicy Bits. Also, in this issue Neil Fisher of WeldWerks Brewing provided a clone recipe for homebrewing a 5 gallon batch of Juicy Bits. WeldWerks beers are only available in Colorado so I figured if I wanted to drink a Juicy Bits beer I will need to brew my own.

The recipe that Neil provided was quite involved so for my version of this beer I decided to make a few simplifications: I decided to use Pilsner and Pale 2-row as my ‘base’ barley malts (as per the recipe) but simplify the number of other grains in the grain bill. I used the same hop varieties as detailed in the recipe but used a simpler hopping schedule. This beer features the hop varieties of Citra, Mosaic and El Dorado. I used the same yeast strain as specified in the recipe: Wyeast London Ale III (1318).

Now, if at that time I had a WeldWerks Juicy Bits I would have conducted a side-by-side taste test to see how close my version came to the mark but…

Good things come to those that wait?

Today’s beer is an ‘amped up’ version of Juicy Bits in that it is Double Dry Hopped (DDH). Below is how this souped up version is detailed on BA:

“We took Juicy Bits (our popular New England-style IPA featuring a huge citrus and tropical fruit hop character with a softer, smoother mouthfeel from the adjusted water chemistry, higher protein malts, and lower attenuation) and dry hopped it with more than double the amount of Citra, Mosaic and El Dorado hops, bringing the total hop rate up to more than 6 lbs per barrel, the most we have ever used in a single IPA.”

As Emeril Lagasse would say: “Let’s kick it up a notch!”

I will be conducting a time warp side-by-side with my description of my homebrewed version of the ‘regular’ Juicy Bits (branded as Jack’s Mighty IPA) from 2018 vs. the DDH beer I am drinking today.

DDH Juicy Bits served in my Tripel Karmeliet tulip glass:

Appearance:

Jack’s Mighty IPA: A hazy yellow color with a fluffy white head.

DDH Juicy Bits: Ditto

Aroma:

Jack’s Mighty IPA: A vibrant aroma of tropical fruit accompanied by some citrus. This beer smells “juicy”.

DDH Juicy Bits: Ditto

Taste:

Jack’s Mighty IPA: The flavor follows the nose with a pleasing combination of tropical fruit and citrus. There is low/moderate bitterness.

DDH Juicy Bits: Ditto except for a bit of hop burn.

Mouthfeel:

Jack’s Mighty IPA: A soft mouthfeel, an off-dry finish with a quality of “juicy”.

DDH Juicy Bits: Ditto

Overall:

Jack’s Mighty IPA: Very good.

DDH Juicy Bits: Very good.

I am happy that I have finally got a chance to drink the commercially brewed version of Juicy Bits (the DDH aspect is just part of the bonus plan).

Cheers!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH @ DEdesings57 @Tarheel4985

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass. Pours a orange red, with a half finger white head that leaves a few thin lines of lace. 4

Aroma must, sour apples, lemon rind raspberry, and champagne. 3.5

Taste follows must, sour apples, lemon, raspberry, champagne better than the smell but still pretty funky. 3.75

Mouthfeel is less than medium, plenty of prickly carbonation, a little dry, and at 6.5% loaded with flavor good or bad. 3.5

Overall not my thing, happy to try a single, but not something I would snag again. 3.5

 

Very nice reviews. Just a personal note: I have that same Tripel Karmeleit glass and it is frightening to wash. Probably the finest beer glass that I know of. I try not to touch it but I inevitably do. Cheers to all.

 

A new Porter for me, cross post from the Porter Tasting, A rare Saturday NBW for me
Cheers
Smuttlabs Magic Beans

Porter - Robust | 6% ABV

Smuttynose Brewing Company
Hampton, New Hampshire

3.94/5 rDev 0% | Average: 3.94
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16 oz undated can into the test glass.
A - Beautiful black walnut color, active carbonation supports a losse knit mocha colred froth. Lacing is exquisite during experience.
S - Coffee, coffee, coffee, some roast malt, bakers chocolate, char, a bit of tobacco as well
T - Coffee, no suprise. There is a subtle darf fruit thread, again with some char and dark chocolate.
M - Silky texture, quite nice, medium in body, semi sweet start quickly dries out. Linger is espresso, again quite nice.
O - A very coffee forward porter, the base is not the Robust Porter recipe, A great texture smooth and avoids being watery. A very good coffee ale

 

Broken one of those

 

X-Post from the Porter tasting thread
Yard's Washington's Porter, this is looking to be the most "tasted" porter so far

Considering Yard's relatively small distribution I was surprised that Washington's looks to be the most posted porter so far. After tasting it I'm not surprised at all. This is very, very good and the only drawback is that it leaves a sticky film on my tongue; however, that won't stop me from buying more.


3.95/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

L: Pours an almost black brown, with a hint of black cherry, and a tan mid-sized head that quickly reduces to a ring and islands.
S: Immediate coffee, toffee, and roasted malts
T: Lots going on here. There's coffee, cocoa, some caramel or molasses, roasted malts, some not quite toasted dark bread, a hint of licorice, a little background smoke, and something with almost sharp floral edge
F: mid-bodied with a slightly bitter-sweet aftertaste, but it seems to leave a sticky film on my tongue.
O: A very, very good porter. Satisfying without being filling. The 7% sneaks up on you and I can see how one could decide to revolt after spending several hours a day, every day, drinking this type of beer. If this recipe is true to George's, I can see why Washington was renowned for his love of porters.

 

Greetings, NBS family. Thanks to @Shanex for getting things started, and it's nice to see you back in the thread. I wasn't able to participate last weekend, so it's nice for me to be back in the thread as well. This weekend will be pretty chill for my wife and I as one of our pups had palliative surgery this week on a tumor. She's a distinguished older lady which made it a tough decision, but this procedure should buy us more time with her and also make her more comfortable. After the stress that dealing with that brought, I was ready for some beers last night.

Last year, for some unknown reason, Brew Gentlemen decided to fiddle with one of their most beloved seasonal releases and highest rated beers. They changed some of the processes that resulted in an overly malty product that differed greatly from previous batches. The backlash was so severe locally that I decided to forgo buying any of the DIPA that I had so looked forward to trying. This week finally brought some warmer weather to western PA, and with that the spring IPA's started showing up as well. Brew Gentlemen, in their weekly newsletter acknowledged their follies, stating, "After changing the hops one year and the technique another, we learned the hard way not to fix what ain’t broke. 2020 was a rough year for everyone - and like the poetic omen of misfortune for which it’s named, our springtime double IPA was no exception. This year, instead of trying to tweak and prod and morph it into something it’s not, we’ve stuck to what makes Albatross... Albatross." I excitedly placed an order for some of this DIPA loaded with four pounds per barrel of Galaxy hops.

Poured into a 12oz. snulip, Albatross pours an opaque golden haze topped with a creamy off-white head that bubbled above the rim of the glass. The aroma was full of peach, pineapple, and mango. The first sip brought an explosion of juicy hops with almost no bitterness. The amount of peach flavor was really outstanding. It was accompanied with the other flavor notes of pineapple and mango to brilliantly showcase the best that Galaxy hops have to offer. The finish was drier than expected with very little sweetness coating the palate. The mouthfeel was soft and pillowy. How a liquid can have such a full body while still maintaining that softness is baffling to me, but it makes for a very pleasurable drinking experience. Overall, this is one of the best DIPA's that I have ever had, and deserving of its score.

I see myself ordering more Albatross very soon. My wife hates IPA's of all walks, but every so often I find one that I think she should try. Usually the response is "it's not for me, but I can see why you like it." This was one of the first that she's had that she could see herself drinking a full pour of. I'm very happy that I waited out last year's turmoil to finally try this beer in all of its glory.

 

Thanks to @Shanex for getting this thread off to a good start. I imagine we'll see a lot of porters here, since there is a concurrent porter thread going on. I do have a porter I might get around to, but my new beer for now is a NEIPA, Connect the Dots, brewed by Progression Brewing in Northampton, MA. It is 7% ABV.
Cloudy orange color. Thick white head that leaves a bit of lace.
Fruity aroma, both citrus and tropical. Pine.
Grapefruit first in the taste, then peach and melon. Pine finish.
Smooth mouthfeel.

 

Enso from Equilibrium is a DIPA that pours pale yellow, is opaquely cloudy and hosts a 2 cm fluffy foam cap that dissipates quickly.
The aroma is arrestingly sweet with tropical and citrus most prominent.
The flavor is full and rich with pineapple, mango, passionfruit and lime aspects.
This is supremely flavorful.
The mouthfeel is exceptionally soft.
This is a great brew from superb brewers.

 

Good morning NBW
The only new-to-me porter I could get my hands on

Rhinegeist Panther Robust Porter
12oz CANNED 12/03/2020 poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 5.8% ABV. The beer pours very dark brown with sticky & prolific tan colored head. The head recedes slowly leaving a web of lacing and a half inch cap. The aroma is mild with notes of milk chocolate and roasted malt. The taste is bittersweet, tangy roasted malt with a hint of chocolate. Moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, really solid, tasty, unflawed robust porter.

This is a nice sipper. I have another can to pair with some whiskey at some point, but I need to get some work done today. Cheers all and enjoy the new beer in your glass this weekend!

 

That sounds amazing. Let me know the next time you're hitting up BG . . .

 

Had a couple new beers this week, cheated to be able to participate in the Porter tasting, but also wanted to contribute to NBW. Hofbrau Original...




Crystal clear, white fluffy fluffy head leaves some lacing as it settles. Has a beautiful gold color to it when held up to light.

Smells of faintly of grains, cracker, faint sweetness that reminds me of honey. I’m not sure if I’d say it smells like honey but I reminds me of something sweet. Maybe lightly floral it’s hard for me to put a word to this one.

Taste same as the nose, light crackers but something faintly reminiscent of lemon in it’s refreshingness.

Mouthfeel is light but with a nice backbone full feeling to it. To top that off it goes down like water. I’m not intentionally drinking this one fast but I’d say I’m halfway done as I type this. It also has a nice little light touch of bitter.

A really good beer I feel like I need to drink more than one to get to know this beer better. What I like about this one is that it has the little bitter touch that other helles don’t. I’ve been hitting the jackpot with fresher imports (this one is right at 3 months) and this was another winner!

 

Second new to me Porter for today, also widely distributed from Michigan, also classified as a Robust Porter.

Founders Porter



Bottle Notes: 6.5% ABV, 45 IBUs, Bottled on 11/20/20. "Dark, Rich & Sexy. Pours silky black with a creamy tan head. The nose is sweet with strong chocolate and caramel malt presence. No absence of hops give Founders' Robust Porter the full flavor you deserve and expect. Cozy like velvet. It's a lover, not a fighter. Also rescued recently from the Binny's beer orphan shelf, refrigerated since beer rescue.

Appearance: Single pour into a pint nonic glass. Very thin tan head dissipates quickly, leaving a light ring around the glass and fine momentary lacing. Dark black with hints of brown. 3.25

Aroma: Roast malt and dark chocolate with the first few attempts. Light hops, aroma neutral to slightly bitter, strong in strength and pleasant. 4.0

Taste: This porter strikes a nice balance between a tradition Porter and the hop presence characterizing a Robust Porter. Really nice sweet milk chocolate, malt presence leads, really enjoyable with light caramel backing, like a Rolo. The sweetness at times is offset by the hops which provide a nice counterbalance, light pine. Would like to know which hops are used with this beer. The contrasts lead to a very nice overall taste profile, really like this one. 4.5

Mouthfeel: This is a thin porter, light carbonation, light chalky feel, watery, easy light drinking, clean finish. Light sweetness trumps bitterness, though balanced, not overly sweet. 3.75

Overall: This is a nicely balanced Robust Porter. The Hops make their presence felt, but offset by a great malt blend. It is like velvet, Founder's bottle notes spot on. Not sure why I overlooked this Porter offering for years, but will not make this mistake going forward. 4.25

I have two more Porters planned for New Beer Sunday, but they won't be featured in the Porter tasting thread, since it is scheduled to end sometime tomorrow morning. I picked the two more available beers today for this reason. The two tomorrow include a regularly brewed offering from an excellent brewer, and a one off collaboration from two top Chicago breweries.

Cheers!

 

Hey NBW's
Weird Fishes a collaboration between Vitamin Sea and Proclamation in memory of Dave Whitham. Thanks @WunderLlama

8.7 abv hopped with Strata Rakau Ekuanot Lupmax

Poured from a can dated 2/12/21 yielded a butterscotch color and a thick fluffy head, dissipating to a thin veil and medium lacing. Slight sediment left on the bottom of the glass.

Aromas of dank citrus as in orange and nectarine

Taste is pithy citrus and a tad sweet and sticky

Mouthfeel is slightly astringent but mostly thick and smooth, low carbonation, and a slight lingering bite on the finish

Over all it's easy to drink, hides the alcohol well, and tasty
4.25/ 4/ 4/ 4.25/ 4/ 4.04

 

x-post from Porter tasting thread.
I received this bottle of Bourbon Barrel Aged Black Cherry Porter by Short's from @Whyteboar in BIF #12. This weekend was a perfect time to open this up and see what it brings to the party.

As described on the bottle..."Bourbon barrel aged Porter. Fermented with sweet black cherry puree.

This was quite good. I thought it might be heavy on the black cherries, but not so (and not to its detriment.) Thanks, Craig for sending this my way!

4/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Dark but with some reddish hues as it poured in to the glass. Once in the glass, it's very dark and any red highlights disappear. Thin coffee ice cream colored head. Aroma is malty and sweet with the black cherry clearly present (and inviting). Flavor is very interesting. Very first thing I tasted was smoke, but with subsequent sips it's more the bourbon barrels and some burnt malts that dominate the palate. Black cherry is also much more noticeable on the nose than the palate. Finish is more dry and less sweet than I expected based on the aroma. Medium bodied with some nice warmth from the alcohol. Overall, quite tasty.

 

Tricky for brewers. On the one hand, don't mess with it if it's already great. On the other hand, I like when brewers are willing to experiment. Not sure what the fine line is that dictates when you call it a new beer vs. a tweak of an existing. I'm not a huge fan of breweries that crank out hundreds of new beers a year when the underlying differences across many of them are very minor.