New Beer Weekend #36

After a long weekend last weekend, it was nice to relax and have a new beer tonight.

This is another from @colby600 who always hooks me up with great New England beers.

Barreled Souls/Mortalis Banana Lasers



This was the first time I was the inaugural reviewer which was a little bit of pressure. Hope I did this solid beer justice!

Pours a very dark brown/almost black with about a fingers worth of bubbly, cola-colored head. Smell is almost completely barrel, with just a light bit of vanilla that was more noticeable as it warmed. Taste is barrel forward with vanilla standing out. I also get the graham cracker, but very little banana. Mouthfeel is medium, which I expected. In my opinion it almost has the consistency of a whisky/cola. Overall, very nice, but I've never been disappointed with a Barreled Souls stout and this was my first experience with anything from Mortalis.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/36073/541316/

 

I decided one more was in order, but didn't want anything too potent. This beer was canned four days ago at Trace Brewing in Pittsburgh. Trace opened their doors for takeout only back in mid-late December. Only recently have they been able to start entertaining guests in their facility, but they've been releasing a steady rotation of beers since they opened. Coal Hill, a dortmunder lager, was one of their early releases. Tonight I'm drinking a batch of Coal Hill that spent two months in a foeder, and is Trace's inaugural foeder beer.

Foeder Aged Coal Hill pours a cloudy copper with an ample eggshell head which receded into a light blanket of suds that left a good amount of lacing. The cloudiness stood in the way of seeing the amount of carbonation, but viewed from above it was steady. The aroma was of grain and grassy hops with some floral notes. The taste was more grassy and floral hops up front with some citrus behind. Oak with some spice complimented the caramel malt flavor on the finish. Lively carbonation and a crisply dry finish kept me wanting another sip of this light bodied lager. Highly drinkable with a healthy dose of complexity, this is a beer that I will seek out again.

 

Asgard IPA from Odin.

12oz can served in a tulip. Gift from a colleague. No date that I see.

Pours a clear yellowish-amber with a thin skin of head. Smell is grassy, leafy, pine.

Taste is straw, maybe a bit past its prime; lemon and hay.

Mouthfeel is moderately thick, a little sticky. Overall, it's not bad. With a date, I'd be more confident, but I'm pretty sure it's a bit older than I would like.

 

Hopefully that makes it South...

 

That one sounds fantastic! Great write up.

 

Well Hello again. Now it's Late Night NBS, er uh, NBW.
Enjoyed this one, another one, from the Wundebar @WunderLlama
Due North by Vitamin Sea Brewing


Thanks to @WunderLlama for this juicy gem.
A solid IPA. Slightly hazy gold in color. Abundant fluffy head. Decent retention. Scattered lacing.
Nose pumps orange zest, mango, pineapple, and a smooth grainy note.
Flavor follows pretty faithfully with orange and mango taking the lead. Some drops of cantaloupe and maybe some peach come in as well. Slightly sweet with a subtle bitterness on the back end.
Carbonation is active but not overbearing. Full enough to be a great beer.
3.99/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

@2beerdogs could probably tell you a little more about them...

 

They've been a very respectable contender down here in Orange County for a few years now. Known for respectable lagers, and very respectable hoppy offerings as well as higher gravity stuff. Their Zodiac series is pretty nice for hoppy stuff. Lots office takes on richer stuff. And their Olde Towne Fest is a really nice Märzen / Oktoberfest.

 

Glad to have shared a few with you there, K.

 

Greetings, fellow NBWers,

It's a blustery evening in the wilds of Spokanistan. Parts of the city are without power. I'm hoping not to join their ranks.

Friday afternoon, I got my first Covid shot. Moderna. Arm is still a bit sore, but no other ill affects. Friday night and Saturday were spent doing "research" at a few local breweries for things to include in my NBS BIF box, so I was pretty uninterested in drinking any more beer until this evening.

Tonight's beer cones courtesy of @JayORear, who apparently received it from @Dimidiata. So it's travelled from California to Pennsylvania, and from there to Washington. From a brewery I am unfamiliar with, brewed with a hop I've never heard of:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/57858/541321/?ba=woemad#review
Light yet fruity and quite perfumey , this went down very easily, and was a delight to drink. Slice is now on my radar.
Thanks, Jay!

 

Slice is outstanding, easily my favorite brewery in that part of the state (Sacramento and surrounding) right now, probably in my top 5 state-wide. Everything I've had from them has been very good-to-excellent.