New Beer Weekend #40

Now, for today's #2, and the second traditional (but not too traditional as it turns out) bock of the day.

Schell's Stag Series Black Bock
Bock - Traditional
ABV: NA%
IBU: NA



This beer was distributed only as part of the brewer's Peacock Pack - a sample 12-pack that also included the maibock I'll get to tomorrow.

The "Stag Series" moniker is applied to a series of one-of beers from Schell's, which has included some very tasty beers in the past.

Good aroma - dried fruits, slightly sweet, a bit floral. No toastiness, though.

Dark walnut color, clear, with abundant carbonation rising to a 1 inch tan creamy head with OK retention. The head recedes to a thick cap within a few minutes and leaves no lacing.

Wow!. Very flavorful. The initial hit is the dried fruits, followed by a mix of sweet bread, a touch of toast, and the floral rounding things out. The floral adds an open-air freshness that is unusual for bock beers, but it works quite well. There is no bittering at all. The middle and finish continue the mixture of flavors already noted, and the finish / aftertaste is smooth. It's not dry or crisp, but it is not into sweet territory, either. Very enjoyable and light. As I drink, the dried fruit flavors become more prominent, with a touch of caramel making an appearance, while still retaining the floral lightness.

The mouth feel is smooth and light.

Overall, a quite enjoyable take on the bock style. It is a bit deceptive, though. The dark color would lead you to expect a heavy or roasted beer, but it is almost the opposite: light and floral.

L: 4.0 | S: 3.75 | T: 4.25 | F: 3.75 | O: 4.25 | Rating: 4.07

 

Bought this at my local liquor store, not the best craft beer spot, but I still found this bad boy. Paid $4.86 after tax for it.
Poured a nice yellow/light orange with a nice tall off-white head with great retention.
Smells rich of cloves, bananas, other spices, wheat, very yeast forward.
Taste follows the nose, spicier than I expected, has a good bitterness to it that pairs nice with the fruity flavors.
Medium-bodied, high carbonation, crisp/bitter finish.
It is a good brew, but I wouldn't drink/buy it again. I would rather just enjoy a hefeweizen.

 

Blackstack Foregone Conclusion


Appearance: Opaque murky orange, ok head.

Smell: Sweet, citrus, pineapple, red licorice.

Taste: Sweet, orange marmalade on bread. Sweet throughout but not cloying.

Overall: Congrats to Blackstack on 4 years! I don't chase their weekly IPA/DIPA drops but there was a pile of this at Hy-Vee and I took the plunge despite the $20+ price tag for a 4 pack. This was tasty, not hop burning orange juice, but a nice sweetness and eventual warming from the alcohol.

 

Someone posted a photo on BA a couple months ago, which alerted me to the existence of this beer, making me more excited when I found it at the brewery last month. Black Mirror, from Deschutes. A "black barleywine" from February 2019, 13% abv.

22oz bottle with black wax, served in a tulip. Bought it at the brewery last month. Bottled on 2019-02-18. I have been something of a Mirror Mirror fanboy in the past, so I'm pretty excited about this.

Pours very dark brown (but not opaque like a stout), moderate sized head that collapses to a mixed and moderately thick layer. Lots of very fine, very slow carbonation. Smell is boozy, oaky, roasted malts, something green. Coffee and anise if I try to block out the alcohol a little. Figs and dates are in there, too, if I think about barleywine.

Taste is along the same lines, but the alcohol is a little less abusive. I get more sweetness, like an oaky syrup, with a burnt sweetness too like burnt marshmallows. Dates and raisins come across.

Mouthfeel is medium or a bit lighter, something gives it a slightly watery impression. Overall, this is a very good beer.

 

It was $5.79

 

Now up a beer that I did not realize was a doppelbock until this weekend, Weihenstephaner Korbinian.
4.25/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

500 ml bottle poured into a mug

A- A clear dark amber with a two finger tan head

S- Figs, dark fruits, toffee, some caramel, earthy, touch of bananas.

T- Figs, toffee, dark fruits, some bananas, earthy, some caramel.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty doppelbock and easy to drink

Reading @Snowcrash000 review, there is a flavor I had trouble and it seems to be the hints of licorice and chocolate. I do agree it is a little on the sweet side.
Cheers!

 

Good afternoon NBW
Lots of bocks here for some reason. Thanks to @Victory_Sabre1973, I am the first nonresident of Minnesota to review this beer. August Schell's Limited Batch Maibock

The review:

12oz can stamped 07/01/21 poured into a Celebator pokal glass at just above fridge temp 6.3% ABV 60 IBU per label. The beer pours bright golden honey amber in color with off white head. The head recedes slowly to a thick cap and leaves plenty of lacing. The aroma is mild with pils malt, floral hops and a distinct note of lemongrass. The taste is semisweet toasted malt with a gentle floral, grassy citrus hop note capped by a moderately bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very, very good. When you get that balance of malt to hop in a maibock and there's no hint of a brewing flaw, you have something special. I would happily drink this one by the liter.

Thanks James and cheers all!

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned 3/18/2021. Pours a cloudy dark yellow, with a thin layer of bubbles with ok retention. 3.75

Aroma is pine, herbal marijuana, apricot, and grapefruit rind. 3.75

Taste is pine, marijuana, apricot, and some grapefruit bitterness fairly well balanced. 3.75

Mouthfeel is big, fairly soft gentle carbonation, maybe a tad dry, and at 10.1% ABV it drinks easy enough. 4

Overall this is a solid TIPA, but not sure I would send it out in a box in trade. One of the closest breweries in my area such I tad to give it a shot. 3.75

 

Alrighty, a couple of beers tonight, the first is from @WunderLlama in NBW BIF #14, and the glass is from him as well. He sent me a warehouse full of beers, and they’ve all ranged from “very good to “I’d shove my Mom out of the way to secure this beer,” so I’m really excited to try this.

And yes, that is beer #2 lurking in the background in the Schell’s beer bucket.

Let’s GOOOOOOO!!!!!





4.35/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a very hazy golden color with a bone white head that provides beautiful lacing. The citrus aromas literally jump from the can when you pop the top, with dank orange and grapefruit notes most prominent, and a bit of lemon and a subtle sweet oat component as well.

I like where this is heading.

The orange and grapefruit are forward on the taste, but I really enjoy the lemon flavor and oat sweetness and that very subtle earthiness I’m assuming is courtesy of our friend Mr Simcoe. This is really delicious.

The mouthfeel is on the softer side per the style, something Vitamin Sea has down pat (along with the juicy flavor profile). They are the really real deal, IMHO.

 

As I mentioned over in the bock tasting thread, I'll be trying that one for the first time tomorrow. I'm looking forward to it.

 

DFH Mango Smoovie - I love SeaQuench and Sours in general but unfortunately this one is a miss for me. On the pour the head quickly dissipated and it is very hazy. The taste was too thick and artificial and only a hint of sour in the beginning...one single is enough for me.

 

This is perhaps my third Zwickel style beer I have tried over the past 20 years or so; that is a shame as this is a quite flavorful lager. This interpretation from Urban Chestnut Brewery in St. Louis is the best one I have tried. Very quaffable with hints of vanilla and lemon with a very faint banana flavor somewhat similar to a wheat beer. I hope more breweries tackle this underrated style.

 

Something light after work and before dinner.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46703/432779/



16 oz. can.
Canned 03/31/21.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 3/4 inch slightly off white head over a tango pink body with some lacing. Nose of raspberry, blackberry, and a bit of citrus. Taste mirrors nose very closely. It is quite smooth and refreshing with light to medium sourness on the finish. Nice feel and overall, a great thirst quenching, sessionable offering from Hyde Park, VT and would recommend.
Cheers!

 

Thank you to @Pinz412 for my next new one, Woods, a spelt Saison from Trace Brewing. very nice yeast flavors, and a clean, dry finish.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/60252/546047/

 

Phonies + Frauds by District 96 in New City, NY. This is their take on Budweiser with a distinctive flavor of rice cakes. Not sure if they beechwood aged it or not but my guess would be no.

 

We love camping but it is more of a challenge as years pass. We are fortunate to have some awesome campgrounds- Hanging Rock, Stone Mountain, and many more- very close by. We are overdue. Hot Springs, North Carolina is a wonderful but isolated place. The Appalachian Trail runs through town. One can rent nice cabins with natural thermal spring water piped to the house. This sounds to me now like a revisit should happen soon.