New Beer Weekend #40

No sparge imperial golden ale
..medium bodied with envy of carbonation
...aroma is straight up fruit juice, citrus peel and sweet doughy bread
..taste is sweet tropical fruit juice, citrus peel,sweet doughy bread and malt.
Overall it was a well done,flavorful interesting beer. I'm just not completely sure I know what they were going for here

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! After a couple weeks of nearly summer-like weather (sunny, warm, no clouds) the Fourth Corner has reverted to a more typical spring condition: Cloudy, chilly, and off-and-on rain for the last couple days. Ah well, it was pleasant while it lasted.

Up first today is another from @Pinz412 's NBS BIF #13 box, Altbier from Dancing Gnome. A nice, malty example of the style: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47223/471242/

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass not sure when it was canned. Pours a cloudy orange with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves thin webs of lace with nice retention. 4.25

Aroma peach, ripe melon, mango, apricot, and a little alcohol comes out. 4

Taste follows very sweet peach, honeydew, mango, apricot, and a little warming alcohol in the finish that lingers after each sip. 4

Mouthfeel is big, slightly sticky but not dry, soft gentle carbonation, and at 10% ABV it might drink even bigger, but still goes down easy enough. 4.25

Overall this is a really nice NETIPA. Thanks @jzeilinger for this can. 4

 

Brewing Projekt Puff Tart XL Strawberry/Pineapple/Dragonfruit Sour, 8.1% ABV. Pours thick and murky light brown with an ivory colored head that left puree residue. Nose is strong vanilla, strawberry, and pineapple. Taste follows, equally sweet, tart, and bitter. Nose is much better than the taste. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.37/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Taking a break from Beat Saber while my wife has a turn at it. Got into it after playing it at our son's, and our daughter just tried ours yesterday and wants one. Can't listen to a popular song anymore without thinking of playing it in Beat Saber.

 

Had a nice night with friends, shared a bottle of Cantillon Kriek and a Russian River supplication as well as a smattering of other things. Ramen and a structurally failed birthday cake that became an unbelievably delicious trifle. As a bonus, they left this at my house, so I get to enjoy it while I watch the White Sox, who are currently leading the Rangers 2-0 in the first.

Mind & Time, a "west coast IPA" from E9 in Tacoma.

16oz can served in a big snifter. No date on the can.

Pours clear amber-gold with a medium to small head and medium to low active carbonation. Smell is melon and bubble gum, some lemony resin.

Taste is following the aroma -- melon and bubble gum, some lemony resin, but a with a very west coast lean toward bitterness -- nice, assertive, resinous bitterness.

Mouthfeel is light, clean, crisp. Overall, very happy with this beer today.

 

Hello all. I just finished my chores for the day and am settling in with a new-to-me brew. I'm ever-so-glad that we can get fresh Lawson's beers in the Pittsburgh area. This seasonal hit the shelves this week and it's tasting great.

Lawson's Finest Liquids - Knockout Blonde (ABV 5.0%) - Overall rating = 4.23



Having this near Pittsburgh, PA from a 16oz canned on 2021-04-01
A - Clear straw-gold with a 1.25 white head that sticks around leaving good lace
S - Orange, honeysuckle, French bread crust,
T - Orange/mint herbal tea with a dollop of honey. I can't place all the malts but there is a satisfying underlying bread flavor. I certainly think there's a decent % of Pilsner malt. Plenty of spicy hop character but not dank at all. Mild citrus zest bitterness and a light, complimentary sweetness in the finish.
M - Light-medium body with medium carbonation. Not overly dry.
O - Walks the line between a Blonde Ale and a Session IPA. Eminently crushable but the fine aromas and flavors beg for some degree of contemplative savoring of this brew. Recommended.

Sure beats doing chores!

 

Time to review this Shhell's Limited Batch Maibock, which I received courtesy of @Victory_Sabre1973. I need more beers like this in my life.

3.89/5 rDev -4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

A healthy pour resulted in two fingers of foamy tan colored head, 80% of which disappeared relatively quickly with the remaining quarter inch hanging on for a couple minutes ultimately leaving behind a razor thin layer. Translucent, golden amber in color. Overall a nice looking beer. Aroma sweet and lightly malty. Taste largely follows the nose, although the malt is subtle. Just a little bit of hops to balance things out. Light, refreshing and very, very easy drinking.

 

Correcting myself... the maibock is in the Peacock Pack. I don't remember about the Black Bock - but I think that was a 12-pack sample box, too.

 

Irish stouts are generally lower ABV and thin body, aren't they (e.g. Guinness)?

 

Bock-land for me today will be all Minnesota. Two maibocks and one traditional bock.

First up is my third bock from what I earlier described (in the idea submission thread) as a Minnesota treasure: August Schell Brewing Co. They released 3 bock beers this year, and none were a doppelbock!

Schell's Limited Batch 001: Maibock
(THIS IS THE PILOT SPEAKING)
Bock - Maibock
ABV 6.3%
IBU: NA



This beer (as the label says) was brewed on their pilot system.

Crystal clear golden color with plentiful carbonation bubbles topped by a white, thick, fluffy-cloud head with OK retention. It leaves thick, sticky lacing as the head recedes.

The aroma is bread dough with sweet floral.

The initial taste is floral and bright, with a distinct slightly toasty bready malt underneath. There is an earthiness to the taste, as well as a touch of sweet bread. A fairly high level of bitterness arises in the middle and intensifies in the finish, leaving a bitter aftertaste. The finish is dry and bitter, balanced somewhat by the breadiness from the malts.

The mouth feel has good body, and yet the hops and carbonation keep it crisp.

Overall, a crisp, floral, and bitter take on the maibock style. Too bitter for a maibock for me, though - as in the IPL style rather than maibock style - but otherwise, a well done and a refreshing spring beer.

L: 4.0 | S: 3.75 | T: 4.0 | F: 3.75 | O: 3.75 | Rating: 3.87

 

Up next is yet another from @Pinz412 and his never ending NBS BIF #13 box, Four Points Brewing's Man, Beast, and Bird with Extra Vanilla. Lots of vanilla, for sure, but a nice base beer too: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/54317/523250/

 

Happy Weekend Advocators!
New to me is this Invictus Imperial Stout as is the brewing co.
Darker and more black than old motor oil, lovely tan head with some lacing, very strong espresso coffee, bitter chocolate and hops in the attic. It is fairly hoppy. Quite roasty but not burned. Has a slightly heavy mouth feel, is firm at first but after 10-15 min breathing it softens a wee bit. Very cool. It drinks like a 10.1%abv, has a little booze in the nose but not in taste. Bittersweet stays on tongue forever. I'll give it a solid 4+ now but I wanna have another to dissect further before rating it as one of my beers.
I like it and it is gently warming. Looking forward to trying more from Invictus. I'll hang on to a couple of cans along side my Alesmith Speedway Stouts for 6 months and bask in their veluptuous black wealth then again.
Keep on smiling! Cheers!

 

Anchorage brewing team cat ipa
..cloudy orange juice appearance
..maybe a slightly thin body with medium carbonation.
...aromabitter earthy hops,bitter grapefruit peel and fruit, orange,floral,buckwheat grain and honey. Interesting and complex aroma
..taste is a bit dry,sour bitter grapefruit, citrus peel,very mild grainy honey. Leaves a long bitter sour aftertaste.
...Interesting complex very well made ipa...even though teddy hated it
...

 

Final planned beer on this New Beer Sunday. This one from a solid Chicago brewer and also a cross post with the Bock Online Tasting Thread.

Off Color Brewing Beer for Burgers



Can Notes: No can date, released Week Ending January 11, 2021. 16 oz can, multiple pours into a tall tuip glass. 7.0% ABV. Helles Bock style beer blended with bourbon barrel aged lager.

Malts: Pils, Vienna, Munich
Hops: Magnum, Hersbrueker
Secret Ingredients: Bourbon Barrel Aged Lager

Appearance: Clear orange tan pour, very heavy and persistent carbonation, creamy bright white generous head leaves clumpy lacing after a few minutes of life. Really nice looking beer. 4.5

Aroma: Strong sweet bourbon. Faint malt aroma after several tries. Not enticing. 2.75

Taste: Bourbon barrel blends better tastewise. Bourbon still strong, though not as sweet as the aroma. Beer balanced, malt and hops come through well. Sweet bread, cracker, light pepper. Getting a nice fruit flavor as well, never had Hersbrueker hops before, but the taste profile comes through. Apples, pears and raisins, hints of grass as well. So glad the taste come through both enjoyable and varied across many sensations after the aroma. The bourbon adds sweetness, enjoyable. Bourbon Barrels not identified, but more balanced than the sweet bourbon aroma. This all works very well together, including a nice flame grilled burger, glad to have grabbed this one. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body, carbonation persistent and adds to the base. Creamy lacing left throughout the pour, sweet overall though hops help check. ABV / bourbon hits you halfway through, feels stronger than the 7.0% ABV, but not overly strong. Nice clean crisp finish. 4.0

Overall: This is an excellent unique creation by Off Color. Bourbon smells as if will overwhelm, but the taste profile is varied, balanced and enjoyable. Not sure how they came up with this idea, but I am glad I did. Can says cash only, keep some in your pocket in case you run into this excellent brew. 4.25

Cheers for Beers and Burgers!!!

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Swiggers and commentators. Those habitués of WBAYDN may recognize that I frequent Bull n Bear Brewery in Summit, New Jersey. I really like this brewery and its team. They've done a terrific job since opening in December 2020. They are not IPA-Centric. They brew a lot of euro pub-style beers. But they do play the IPA game. Friday was their first ever can release, which included their excellent ESB called Better Year Bitter, and their take on a South Pacific-hopped IPA called Mango Contango. All of their beers have names familiar to the finance industry, a nod to the owner. At first, I didn't understand the name of this beer but have learned that a "contango" exists when the futures price of a commodity is greater than the anticipated spot price on the futures date. Pretty cool.

It pours a hazy, but not completely opaque, bright golden orange with a half finger of creamy, milk white head and thick coating of lacing. The nose is floral and tropical with soft notes of lemon, lime, tangerine, and tropical fruit. The taste opens with abundant citrus, including lemon and lime, balanced by the sweetness of ripe melon, mango, and subtle hints of pineapple and white wine grape. The Motueka, Wakatu, and Vic Secret hops are used to excellent effect and give it the distinct South Pacific tropical fruit taste. Beneath is a bready backbone of barley malt with sharpness from the Australian yeast. I'm assuming (always a risk) that the Galaxy hops are used for bittering and this ale leaves a fairly significant parting bitterness (75 IBU). It's crisp and lite with fairly lively carbonation and it drinks easily at 7% ABV. Overall, Mango Contango is impressive. It's a nice rendition of the South Pacific hopped IPA. Assuming Bull n Bear continues to can it, I could see drinking it often during the summer months.

4.09/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Need I say again that I'm a big fan of this new brewery. Cheers, NBW!

 

Thanks, all. Real estate agent is coming over later today to list our house. Hoping we get a good enough offer for it all to work.

 

Anchorage team dog ipa
...cloudy murky dark orange appearance.
...around medium bodied with about medium carbonation.
...aroma is honeydew and cantaloupe melon with some citrus peel and fruit. Floral,orange juice,dank and earthy.
...taste is slightly dry but with just a bit of sweetness. Bitter hops and citrus peel but not as much as team cat. A bit of some funk and dankness.
..overall very good,ted liked it by a landslide but I think it edged out team cat by a fuzzy nose