New Beer Weekend #35

Never underestimate the power of the Schwarz!



Due to the generosity of a good friend for today’s NBW I have Tired Hands Trendler Schwarzbier. I am a fan of Dark Lagers such as Schwarzbier, Dunkel and especially Tmavý Ležák (Czech Dark Lager) so I am looking forward to drinking this beer.

Below is how this beer is detailed on BA:

“Trendler Schwarzbier is our Black Lager. Brewed with German Pilsner malt and Debittered Black Malt. Hopped entirely with Saaz personally selected by Jean in Germany last Fall. Brewed to honor and drink with Jean's grandfather, Joseph Trendler... that old son of a gun. Refreshingly stark notes of crisp malt, dried berries, black tea, and light toffee/toast. Man, we are so happy with this Schwarzbier and we thank you for digging into these delicate little numbers with us as we amplify our Lagerbier production.”

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Pours a very dark brown approaching black with a fluffy khaki colored head.

Aroma:

There is an interesting mix of malty aromas; a combination of dark bread, some dried dark fruits and even a hint of chocolate.

Taste:

The flavors follows the nose with a combination of dark bread, dried dark fruits, some chocolate and even a bit of a nutty quality. There is a low-moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied, moderate carbonation and a pleasant dry finish.

Overall:

I really enjoyed drinking this beer!! It had a very pleasant mix of malty aromas/flavors. The highlight for this beer for me was what wasn’t there – the level of roasty was very subdued which is a quality that should exist for the Schwarzbier beer style IMO.

This beer has the quality that the Germans describe by the word süffig (drinkability).

Cheers!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH

 

Thanks for kicking off the thread @ChicagoJ. I find myself oddly drawn to wanting to try both really highly rated beers in this thread, and really low rated ones (just to see) I love regular Guinness, so curious to see how I'd react to this beer. If I do pick some up, I'll be sure to review in this thread at some point.

I largely stopped playing fantasy baseball and football about a dozen years ago. I miss the camaraderie, but it was just taking too much time and (in the case of football) almost ruining my ability to watch a game as a fan vs. caring too much about the fantasy side. That said, there are aspects I miss for sure. I do still have an old Strat-O-Matic game from the 80's that I used to play a ton with my friends growing up. Also spent, many, many hours with my friends playing APBA on a late 80's era computer (I wonder what the specs where on that thing compared to computers today!).

Anyway, I'll be back with some new beers to review later today.

 

I have seen this one a lot and because of my part time gig at the beer store it is my turn. Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass bottled on 2/13/21. Pours a hazy yellow with a 2 plus finger sticky white head that leaves thick streaks of lace with amazing retention. 4.75

Aroma is tangerine, pineapple, passionfruit, ripe melon, and apricot. 4.5

Taste follows tangerine, pineapple, cantaloupe, passionfruit, and apricot really balanced nothing dominant but really really good. 4.5

Mouthfeel is a solid medium, not sticky or dry, soft gentle almost creamy carbonation, and at 8.5% ridiculously easy going down. 4.75

Overall this one of those beers I have been dying to try and find out what all the hype is about and believe me it is well earned. Awesome stuff. 4.5 Cheers all and thanks for kicking it of @ChicagoJ .

 

Correspondent by Wander

4.04/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Received in a LIF from @BBThunderbolt

gabf medalist



16 oz can poured into a snifter, deep dark cola brown liquid, thin taupe fizzy layer settles to a. Ring

Aroma is roast malts on the pour, fresh ground coffee

Taste is roasted malts, coffee grinds, dark bakers chocolate, char

Good sudsing, coffee acridness , drying

Good stout, thanks @BBThunderbolt

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned on 2/07/21. Pours an attractive slighty cloudy orange with very little head and it leaves a very small amount of lace. 4

Aroma vanilla, mango, tangerine, pineapple, and just a whiff of coconut. 4

Taste follows vanilla and pineapple kick in in first, tangerine, pineapple, and again just a little coconut pretty darn tasty. 4

Mouthfeel is about medium, fairly gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 7.4% bursting with flavor but really easy sipping. 4

Overall I am starting to enjoy sours, this is really nice. 4

 

1st Reviews of new Carton IPAs

Rattlesnake Speedway | Carton | 10.5% | DIPA
4.46/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75
1st review. Collaboration is core to Carton, in this case with District 96.
a) Triple IPA of smoothy status, so thick, it slashes saucy lace round the glass and pours a sedimentary glowing body.
Inspired by '78 Promised land, Springsteen, our local neighbor hero.
s) fruit cupboard, dried mango slices, spice cabinet, ample.
t) Follows aroma with mango, pear, peach, orchard fruit dominatting over vanilla, spice rack, all tied together in a peppery finale.
f) Smoothie. But on a smooth mineral, Kolsch core. Nectar.
o) Over the top, like a Springsteen hero:
"On a rattlesnake speedway in the Utah desert
I pick up my money and head back into town..."

Echo Chamber | Carton | 7.5% | NE-IPA
4.3/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
1st review. brew date 3-10-21. pre-St Pats 3-16-21. 5 days young.
a) Dim darkish hazed apricot. good amount of translucent haze and lace.
s) Peachy, creamsicle, with pungent smoky roast apple.
t) Follows around with more herbal added smokey sage and eucalyptus.
f) bright, juicy, clean, citric without being mouth coating.
o) Fine original NE style, on the peach / smoked apple and herbal spectrum

Turn Up The Hook - Ella Remix | Carton | 8.5% | DIPA
4.24/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
1st Review. At Carton Brewer in my hometown.
a) Hazed grainy body setting up 1 finger head above the murk.
s) Flowers, perfume, peach, pear, spice cabinet, vanilla, wheat.
T / Follows aroma, more spice cabinet and vanilla, some wood fresh sawn.
F / Sorry you cannot enjoy this fresh fruit juiciness off the press. That is the power of local. Tingly, chalky finish.
O / Ella formerly Stella is german half sister to Galaxy.

 

Thank you, @ChicagoJ, for getting New Beer Weekend off to a great start.
My wife and I are meeting some friends later for drinks, something we haven't done in a year. We're all vaccinated and we'll be sitting outdoors, so should be safe enough.
Lots of college basketball to watch today. Yesterday was fun, with some great upsets (Ohio State lost? How'd that happen?)
I had almost given up hope of finding my new beer for today, but it suddenly appeared on my store's shelves this week. Panther Cub, from Founders is a barrel-aged porter with vanilla extract and maple syrup. I liked it.
The beer is a black color with a tan head and a lot of sticky lace.
Aroma of roasted malt, vanilla, and maple syrup.
Taste of coffee, chocolate, vanilla, and maple syrup. A late kiss of hops.
Sweet, but not too much.

 

Good morning all y'all!
After catching up on the hijinks to be found within the NBSW BIF (I will make this mistake every time I'm sure of it) -- and rest assured there are plenty of them -- I decided to end my long work stretch with a gentle repose... opting to go small octane.

Machine House does a lot of great underappreciated traditional styles (milds/bitters/etc), and so I was excited to snag their Cambridge Bitter.



Immediately upon pouring it I was intrigued. A rich warm honey colour, with a head the concentrated down to a fine powder that just looked soft... almost like a nitro head. Large bubbles congregating all over the glass had me concerned it would be overcarbonated for the style, though, spoiler alert, that would prove not to be the case.

My intrigue continued with the aroma. Rich bready malts, with touches of caramel sweetness. Earthy, grassy hops are understated on the nose, and blend nicely with some earthy grainy malts as well.

I went into this knowing it was a 'small' beer per se. 3.8% is not going to be some massive flavour bomb. But, being blunt, I was disappointed when I began to sip it. While the hops emerged from hiding and take a bold stand to the tune of dull earthy bitterness, still with the grassy edge, but more just dull earthy bitter, and then an interesting twist of almost menthol-esque-ness-itude. I'm guessing that's what's more commonly described as mint-like for the progress hops?
Anyway, all that is fine and dandy, but where the disappointment comes in is that that was it. My GF described it as 'bitter water,' as the malts disappeared completely. Again, I realize that this is a low-octane beer, and that the malts are going to be the big driver in dictating alcohol content, but I was hoping there'd be at least some, especially after the rich promise of the aroma. But, nah.

Even more perplexing is that, even though there was a dearth of malt flavour/support, and it came across watery in some ways, it's actually a pleasantly medium-chewy bodied beer. Smoothe and drinkable, it just came out too one dimensional to me, and it was not the one dimension I really expected, if I'm being honest.

But ohwell. They can't all be winners, I suppose, and I'll still gladly grab other stuff I see from Machine House. Just that this one was a miss for me.

Cheers, hope your weekend is off to a good start and just improves from there!
Congrats Frank and Theresa!

 

1. Does it matter? They lost, hoorah! North Texas upset of another high-seeded Big Ten team was fun, as well. Of course, the ACC faired horribly, and I can only hope they go 100% today.
2. I, too, found that beer this week and will be having it at some point so I'll compare notes.

 

I am disappointed to read this (as I am sure that you are disappointed to state it). A proper Bitter Ale should indeed have a notable malty flavor. I wonder went went 'wrong' with this particular beer?

I took note from the BA description: "...brewed with Golden Promise malt from Norfolk, England". If this beer was brewed solely with Golden Promise malt I would have thought that there should be plenty of malt flavor despite the low original gravity (low ABV). Maybe they used a blend of base malt but just list Golden Promise? I have doubts that even poor brewing process (e.g., poor mashing technique) would result in lack of malt flavor but I suppose anything is possible?

Hopefully you will have better luck with other brands from Machine House and kudos to you for your willingness to keep trying their beers.

Cheers!

 

Well, who do you pull for? The new expanded ACC sucks and is a pure money grab. I'm a basketball veteran and despise where sports has gone. If I want to see real old-fashioned sports and sportsmanship I'll wander up to Guilford College and watch kids really play. Art Heyman was nice compared to a lot of these modern entitled prima donnas.

 

Your boys might have a tough time of it today.

 

Yesterday I visited Wooly Pig Farm Brewery on a sunny and crisp 46° last day of winter. Pictured is a sample of their India “Farm” Lager, a hoppy lager play on an IPA. 5.6% ABV and more hop forward than an alt and happier than many pale ales.

The beer is a smooth, full flavored lager with a very beautiful copper body and two fingers of dense foam. Nose is a mix of hoppiness (note: my phone changed that to happiness and in retrospect it was right) and malt with a mix of barnyard as I drank this beer while standing near the pig pen The brewery is a working farm with actual wooly pigs.

A very drinkable lager that unfortunately is not made frequently and is only available from tap. Cheers!

 

About a year ago, a brewery from New Orleans opened a second location in Houston. Called Urban South. They made a big splash here as they do all the cool kid styles. Caned fruit smoothies that would explode, chunky NEIPAs, stouts with marshmallows, and I'm really playing down their concoctions because it is exhausting just to try and comprehend all the additive stuff they put in.

After a few tries when they opened, I quickly got tiered of them. They have done a few "regular" styles lately though, which got me interested again. Giving them another try, here we go...

First up is Mecca Hay Pilsner. 5.7% ABV, labeled simply as a German Pilsner.



Pours a clear straw yellow color. At first a two finger white head forms, but quickly recedes to a small ring by the time I get to my seat. Light lace is left behind.
Orange and citrus aromas up front. Lavender and peppermint? This is odd. Not much in the way of malts in the nose. Just fruity hops and spice.
Taste is like the nose, more orange rind and citrus pith. I can't shake that odd lavender and peppermint character. Some sweetness, and very light bitterness lingering.
A light to medium body. Good carbonation, though not as clean as I would like it. Not hard to drink, especially considering their other offerings, which I jokingly call "beer" in the first place.

As something to drink at the brewery. this is fine. Way better than all their other concoctions. I wouldn't put this in the top tier of lagers around. Either locally, or for many other breweries in the state. I find there is a very odd peppery sweetness, that I can only describe as peppermint. Which might just be me, but even if that was the only issue, its still not among my favorites. Let alone, being the oddest "German Pils" have come across in a while made by an American brewery.

Overall score is 3.34, which is a B- for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45129/538778/?ba=champ103#review

Next up is their Vienna Lager. 4.5% ABV



Pours a hazy pale yellow/orange color. A two finger white head forms and recedes quickly. Light lace is left behind. Hmm...never had a hazy pale Vienna Lager...interesting, maybe.
A light bread aroma. Orange and citrus rind/pith is light but noticeable. Not much more I can add. Like the Pils, this is odd.
Taste is bread and sweetness. Hoppy fruity orange and citrus rind is light but there. What is this? Not any Vienna Lager I have had.
A medium body with good carbonation. Finishes smooth. Not hard to drink, again something I would gladly come back to over some of their other offerings.

At first wondering if they poured me the wrong beer on accident. Though this is their Vienna Lager. Not saying there are no traditional pale examples (honestly I don't know, I'm sure there are), just that Urban South is not the kind of brewery to do their due diligence on style guidelines. Let alone, you never really know what you are getting with this style in particular when American breweries attack it, as it could just as easily be a Dos Equis clone. Considering the light but distinct citrus hops I'm getting, this is at odds with anything I have had from the style. As a lighter receptacle for alcohol consumption that doesn't resemble a Minute Maid fruit juice, or a marshmallow stout, not bad. Just average.

Overall score is 3.25, basically a C or maybe just above, but who really cares at that point ha.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45129/530389/?ba=champ103#review

Well those were interesting, back to my book with some Orval later on.

 

New?

The last expansion was in 2013-14, same time as the last expansion of the B1G.

Conference realignment/expansion is, and always has been, about money, as is March Madness, the NCAA, and all of major college athletics.

 

Jacks Abby - Shipping out of Boston



Nice brownish leaning amber, slight haze to it. The head settles to a thing splotchy layer of white.

Aromas of nuts caramel, grains, dark bread, and a touch of earthiness.

Tastes leans toward the grain and nut, with the earthiness being more prominent than it was in the aroma. Also just a touch of something sweet, toffee like.

Really enjoy the feel of this nice light but full body. Nice kiss of bitterness to it as well. No complaints on the finish smooth and clean.

Glad I came across this, I really am enjoying it. It’s like a bready grainy darker bread with touches of sweetness. I think it was only 8$ a four pack too, can’t beat that. Happy that I bought a whole four and not just a single.

 

It's still new to me because the expansion literally destroyed the integrity of old rivalries and a truly remarkable history. I really don't care about ACC basketball anymore and I once loved it dearly. I played In Cameron Indoor, Carmichael, Cole Field House, and at Virginia Tech before they were in the ACC. Virginia Tech made sense but Syracuse, Miami, and Louisville did me in. Notre Dame just for basketball was stupid. This city is the founding home of the conference. The quality of basketball has diminished severely in my lifetime. Good enough?

 

The Strongest Geometric Shape is Triple IPA from Barrier. Brewed with Citra, Galaxy and Motueka, the pour is a densely cloudy pale yellow that hosts a generous foam cap.
The aroma is heavy with sharp hop burn (no burn in the flavor). Pineapple, orange, mango are prominent in the nose and the flavor. This is not sweet. the high ABV is not detectable. The mouthfeel is very smooth. In all this is a hop-heavy contender.