New Beer Weekend #41

Sorry, no photo, even after surgery on both eyes close range vision is still compromised.

Stella Artois Solstice Lager

A light shade of gold color with a creamy white cap.

Aroma is on the mild side. I get light citrus in a sort of lemony way. There is a hop edge in the scent but it's mild.

Taste is straight forward Euro lager which is to say hoppy enough to notice but not enough to scare children or frighten horses. I get some grain flavor which reminds me of Miller High Life without the sweetness. It really does not stand up well against common ice beer and at twice the price it's an easy future pass.

Texture is a shade past medium with decent carbonation.

Overall this beer gives me the impression of a promising child who's too shy to step forward. I get the concept of repackaging to stimulate sales but changing the name of a horse doesn't make it run any faster.

 

Another weekend another new beer. All the wheat beer talk in the planning thread made me have hefeweizen on my mind. So I saw this one and grabbed a single. Also have been drinking more of them lately so I bought a nice plain cheap glass on eBay. It’s harder than I thought to find an unlabeled glass. Here we go... Plank Bier - Hefeweizen



This one caught me off guard on appearance. Never have had this fake of a Hefeweizen. It’s lighter than the pictures but still a light shade of brown. Can see finger outline through the glass. Nice sustained fluffy head, some good retention and minor lacing.

Smell on this one was clove and banana, but this one was different. I’d say it was more banana bread than banana. There was a richness to the taste that stood out to me.

Flavor follows nose, first taste was the spice follows by the banana bread. Then I swear a little hint of tootsie roll like chocolate on the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is light side of medium, full but soft and creamy feel to it. Goes down very smooth with no bitterness and a really pleasant lingering taste.

Really cool different and unique hefeweizen, at least to me. I liked the added layer of the bready tichness this one had. Hopefully another new beer lager tonight.

 

Enjoying Urbock now.
4.46/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

500 ml bottle poured into a mug

A- A clear reddish amber with a three finger tan head.

S- Smoky, a little meaty, earthy, some caramel sweetness, some oak.

T- Smoky/campfire, earthy, meaty, some caramel malts, oak, touch of light fruits.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A well done rauchbier, complex but easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

I would love to hear the marches written specifically to celebrate a beer and brewery

The second hand smoke of the helles is a great introduction to Schlenkerla. Try their weißen if you get a chance, personally it's my favorite of theirs.
BTW the cans are canned by B. United in Connecticut from imported refrigerated tanks while the bottles are from the brewery in Bamberg. There has been some discussion over which is “smokier”.

 

The Oompah march!?!

Cheers!

 

Alrighty, Day #2 of IPA Fest in Cyberspace coincides with Day #1 of NBW #41, so I’m going to multitask! First up is my first beer from this brewery, which I can’t believe - and my first Washington DC beer, so I’m down to one state to complete them all.

Let’s dance.



4.35/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A very hazy burnt orange color with a dense, creamy oatmeal colored head that laces the glass nicely, this beer features ripe tangerine and pineapple aromas in abundance, and just a smidge of sweet oat as well. Mouthwatering aromas for me.

The tangerine is really forward on the taste and is staggeringly delicious on my palate. There’s also some pineapple, and a more than ample amount of sweetness from what I’m assuming is oats. Scarily drinkable at 8% ABV, I could beer bong this in multiples.

And then take a really long nap.

My introduction to DC Brau exceeded my incredibly high expectations. Fantastic beer, IMHO.

 

Meant to say this ***dark of a hefeweizen, not fake. Damn typos.

 

A nice surprise at work today included a few offerings from Northwoods Brewing Company, Northwood, NH.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/54955/439883/



16 oz. can.
Can's bottom reads:
"04/19/21
Bicycle Day"

Moderate pour yields a one inch white head over a hazy/murky body with sticky lacing. Nose of citrus and very slight pine with a bit of tropical/herbal/floral aromas as well. Taste is citrus with a slight tropical flavor; very smooth and well balanced. Nice feel and overall, a great little APA with loads of flavor for a 5%er.
Cheers to this tasty treat for being my first offering from Northwood, NH!

 

Good Saturday afternoon, New Beer Weekenders. Our closest local brewery when we're at our place at the Shore is Somers Point Brewing. They don't bottle or can and the owners have "day jobs" so they tend to fly under the radar. But they brew some very enjoyable beer and the atmosphere is pleasant. One of the joys of this place is my ability to slip away for a beer or two when we're here for a weekend or longer (which doesn't happen enough for me). The owners are really nice and I enjoy talking beer with the locals. April was the brewery's second anniversary and I haven't stopped in since last autumn so I was anxious to sample a couple of new beers.


The first is Dubbel Down, a Belgian Dubbel and the special 2nd anniversary release. It was served in a commemorative goblet. This glass is welcome; I have several chalices at home but could use a goblet. It pours a pretty, ruby-orange color with a modest, light khaki head and minimal lacing. The smell is terrific: green apple, cherry, raisin, caramel, and a nice dose of spice. The taste opens super fruity: tart green apple, candied cherry, clove, coriander, and sweet, earthy malt notes. It finishes with spicy hops. This beer is full-bodied and pleasantly carbonated, and the 7.7% ABV gives it good substance. Overall, I commend SOPO for its clever selection of a Dubbel for its second anniversary release. It's very well-crafted and includes all of the style points I'd expect.

4.05/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4



Second was a Milkshake IPA: Milky Shake Galaxy. I think this is the first time SOPO has brewed this style. It pours a murky bright orange and resembles orange juice. The head dissipated quickly but I give it style points for turbidity. It has a very nice nose featuring lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, lactose, milk sugar, and faint but discernible strawberry. As it warms in the glass the strawberry really pops and there are also subtle notes of peach. The Galaxy hops provide a lot of fruit but little bitterness. This ale's best feature is its mouth feel; it's very thick and creamy with an appropriate level of carbonation, and it's highly drinkable at a modest 6.2% ABV. Overall, my recommendation is not to drink Milky Shake Galaxy too quickly. The strawberry and peach develop as it warms and are worth the wait. Nicely done!

4.01/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Somers Point Brewing is a local gem and one of the reasons I enjoy drinking craft beer so much. The brewery is right off Exit 30 on the Garden State Parkway. So if you're heading down to Ocean City, Sea Isle City, Wildwood or Cape May, then give this place a try. You'll be glad you did. Cheers! See you tomorrow.

 

#2, this looks EXACTLY like beer #1 to me - I checked the can three times to ensure I didn’t enter some weird beer nerd parallel universe where every beer I pour looks like DC Brau Sticky Find.

I love the can on this one - and I love the beer more. Phenomenal stuff here, IMHO.







4.49/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a very hazy burnt orange color with a dense, creamy oatmeal colored head that provides ample lacing. The nose has dank citrus notes (thank you Mosaic hops) and some beery and stone fruit as well, and a significant sweet oat note as well. I am in full-on salivation mode.

The taste is led by a dank orange flavor, and there’s some grapefruit as well. Delicious stuff. The berry and stone fruit flavors hang in the background, and that sweet oat flavor is there for the finish, which includes a bit of warming from the alcohol, which actually works in this 10% ABV triple IPA sledgehammer.

World-class stuff here for me. I wish I had a keg of this.

 

Ok, folks, chilling out waiting for IPA Fest #2 to start with a Pilsner. Pliny won my heart of the great west coast IPAs we had yesterday, with New Realm’s seeming the most unique of the six. I’d probably have liked to have east coast IPAs yesterday and west coasters today, but still looking forward to some new brews tonight!!

For now, I am digging into the Radeberger Pilsner Zwickelbier...


It says hazy on the can, and it dies have a fair haze, but it’s light by today’s beer standards. I like the level of haze in this. The head was a little better than the pic shows, and the lacing is pretty decent as well.

Dryness is the word that comes to mind as I sniff it. Dry bread and dry grass, specifically. A little greenness and white pepper comes to the grass the more I probe the aroma.

The beer does seem nicely dry once I dig into it, reinforcing my nasal impression. A nice level of carbonation feeds the peppery note from that stage of analysis as well. A little bread with a dry grass start that gains a little chlorophyll by the end and in the light lingering note.

I am quite happy with this brew.

 

@cjgiant how’s the bitterness level on it? I almost grabbed some but went with another pils I knew I liked. Played it safe.

 

CAP ?
Btw, nice combo of that stunning blue with the variegated Solomon's Seal. Salvia, or Lobelia? Something else? Guessing it's a That-Won't-Grow-Here plant, but I'd still like to try.

Really like that one. Seems the perfect level of smoke .

Today's (first?) NBW is Lemon Strawberry Genny Creme.
O: I like it , mostly. I like cream ales that are on the dry side, & this one is that. Might be a bit too much on the dry side. The most prominent feature is a dry lemon rind flavor. Not really tart , or sour , as might be expected by the addition of lemon - it's dry.
Seems as though it should be something sessionable, but right now I don't think I could go for more than one.
Ask me when it's 95F , and I might give a different answer. Seems as though it'd be good in hot weather, &/or with spicy food. (Right now feeling a bit chill from the cold NW breeze. )


A: Clear gold, with light white head.

S: Smells like lemonade and thawed frozen strawberries.

T: Taste is lightly sweet toasted grain, bitter lemon rind, and a hint of dried strawberry.

F: Feel is light, with very fine carbonation bite, that lends a drying effect.

3.75/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/302/477964/

 

Whatever it is, that's a pretty good guess

 

I’d put it at around moderate bitterness. It leans towards balanced through the opening when a little malt sweetness is still in play. As it gains what I am calling “greenness” it turns more bitter to me. And to me, that’s how I like many a beer: dry out and bring some late bitterness.

I’ll say at the very bottom of the beer I am getting a little stone fruit in the middle I didn’t get for most of the pour.

 

Usually is the correct guess