New Beer Weekend #44

The best beer in the Galaxy?

There is an ongoing thread in the Beer Talk forum about the quality of Galaxy hops entitled “What happened to Galaxy?”

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/what-happened-to-galaxy.657996/

Which brings us to today’s new beer: Tired Hands DDH Wish Fulfillment - Our Double Dry Hopped Galaxy Double India Pale Ale. Whew! That is a long brand name!!

Below is how this beer is detailed on BA:

“DDH Double Wish Fulfillment is a big ol' single spaced love letter to Galaxy, with an effusive post script featuring more Galaxy love. Brewed with malted spelt, and dry hopped singularly and intensely with our freshest Australian Galaxy hops. Then, just to keep things fun for this batch, we added even more Galaxy! Just over a year ago (in what feels like another life altogether!) we had the privilege of visiting the fields in Victoria and Tasmania, Australia where these incredible hops are grown. Needless to say, we've become pretty hooked on these hops ever since! Notes of Cotton candy ice cream, fresh cut grass but in Hawaii after a nice sun shower, watermelon water ice, and a whole handful of the blue skittles.”

It has been a while but I have brewed in the past a number of hoppy beers (e.g., IPAs) which featured Galaxy hops. In those beers the aroma/flavor was a combination of tropical fruits and citrus which I greatly enjoyed. For those who read/participated in the above linked thread there is quite a bit of discussion concerning the ‘evolving’ flavor profile of Galaxy hops.

Let’s see what my Tired Hands beer, canned 4/14/21, has to ‘say’.

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

Pours a very hazy yellow color with a BIG white head.

Aroma:

The predominant aromas are a creamy aspect with a hint of vanilla. I suppose the above verbiage of “cotton candy ice cream” is applicable here.

Taste:

The flavors follows the nose with flavor of “cotton candy ice cream” with just a hint of citrus. This beer has a pronounced medium – high bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium body, a nice soft/velvety mouthfeel with an off-dry finish.

Overall:

I enjoyed drinking this one beer but when I was finished I had zero desire for a second. I appreciated the aspect of a soft/velvety mouthfeel along with a firm bitterness.

This beer does not have the aroma/flavors of my homebrewed Galaxy beers of the past. I did not pick up any tropical fruit flavors and the citrus aspect was rather muted. This beer tastes more like a vanilla ice cream smoothie for my palate.

Cheers!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH @jts211 @tzieser

 

Good morning NBW
Home from my 6th overnight shift this week. Tonight will make seven. I grabbed a single of this since it was just released in cans. It's a rye beer aged in bourbon barrels per label...

Against the Grain Kentucky Ryed Chiquen

The review:
16oz can with an unreadable stamp poured into a shaker pint at fridge temp 8.6% ABV. Recent release. The beer pours bright, light copper in color with off white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and few scattered bubbles. No lacing. The aroma is faint with notes of earthy, caramel sweetness. The taste is semisweet toasted caramel malt with a minor hint of rye and oak. Bourbon is absent. Mild bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, good beer, but not what I was hoping for... Minimal rye, minimal barrel and a fairly hefty price tag. It's a nice change of pace in today's beer world, but I'm good with one.

Well that's it. Cheers all and enjoy your weekend!

 

Good weekend mornin' to all to fine folks!! Did a brisk hike in the woods today to work up a little sweat, then home to cook some bacon and wash up before a beer that I have high hopes for.

I have enjoyed a few Other Half beers in my time - not many, but a few. Now that they have a place in DC my store is getting larger drops and a wider selection. Not that the latter (yes, I mean it this time, @snaotheus) can be avoided, there's like 9 million entries under Other Half here on BA. A lot are variants, off-shoots, seasonal, etc., but that is still a frickin' lot.

As such, I dread looking up what's sitting on the store shelf each time I stop in - I get carpal tunnel scrolling through the list. And I'm actually halfway savvy tech-wise, and finding the beer's name is only half the battle, given what I just said.

Anyhow, this one sounded quite familiar to me from being on this site for a while now, and worth the effort. It is well rated, and this is one of those "variant" thingies - a double dry-hopped version of All Citra Everything. I like OH beers, and this is highly rated, so lets go!.

Wait (sorry)!... first a quick side note: I sometimes wonder if there's really a difference in beers versus entries at times, but there does appear to be different cans pictured for DDH and non-DDH in this case.

Back to our regularly scheduled review...


With the low din of a continuous Star Trek phasers firing in the background as 17yr old bugs tried to get laid, I poured a rolled can of All Citra Everything into two glasses. I was a little more aggressive on the first pour, but both produced a common frothy top that befits many a cloudy beer. The coloring fits on the paler yellow end, lacking ay orange hue that some hazies bring to the table.

I am not getting a burst of aromas from the nose, so I'll have to cozy up to the "glass" opening to get more details. Nothing overly interesting here. I mean it is good, with a bit of the malt and alternatives and a somewhat muddled citrus note. I am getting a little sweet melon thread through grapefruit and tangerine. The aromas are whispering that this beer might actually have some bitterness, which perks me up. I also think I am getting a familiar yeast note, as well - though I couldn't say why.

Before I got to take a sip, the GF chimed in, "This is tasty!"

Ok, the opening starts like I expected with the m/alts laying down a dry gray/hay base. Citra fruit piths come next, but there is also a sugary sweetness peeking out from the corner. It's mildly distracting but doesn't drive out the notes that I am enjoying; in fact the sweetness fades and melds into the raw/bitter citrus rind notes to bring out a bit of tropical fruit flesh.

I'm guessing there is oat/wheat here, because I get something I relate to those at this point. Whatever it is, I like that it seems to help carry the citrus rind through - especially the pith. This last thing is what I'm left with as the beer exits stage gullet.

So, in the end, I got what I was expecting - which was just a bit shy of what I was hoping for. That sounds bad. I was expecting a very good to great beer, and had high hopes (my exact words about 10,000 words ago) it would be outstanding or differently great than other great beers. I got a very good to great beer and am glad I sight-untasted bought two 4pks.

Cheers, all! And here's hoping you find a beer at least as good as this one was to me today.

 

I bet the diagram helped.

Untappd actually has a good idea implemented fairly well, but limited by apparent industry practices: You can scan the bar code on the can/bottle/pack with your phone and it will take you to the entry in Untappd. Unfortunately, it seems many breweries use the same bar code for all their seasonal beers, and it wouldn't surprise me to find out a place like OH used the same bar code for all their beers that were the same price or something like that.

I'd love to see that kind of functionality in BA. I would also like to see unique IDs used for each beer label. QR codes could do it...the technology and techniques certainly exist.

All this thought because I effing hate typing on my phone.

 

I pulled my printout from my wallet mid-review to be sure

I was thinking this as I read your previous sentence, that maybe all All Citra use the same bar code. I know I've seen it with true rotating seasonals in the past. If OH is selling all their production without many returns, they might not need the granularity of additional UPCs.

 

To me that is all ATG specializes in; overpriced & low on promised flavor

 

Good afternoon NBW, starting things with Wellbeing Intrepid Traveler. Honestly pretty good, definitely consider it’s under 0.5% ABV.
3.88/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12 oz can poured into a mug

A- Black with a two finger tan head.

S- Roasted coffee, nutmeg, hints of cinnamon and cloves, hints of dark chocolate.

T- Roasted coffee, some pale malts, nutmeg, touch of dark chocolates, some acidic coffee.

M- Smooth, light to medium body.

O- Honestly this does a solid job being a coffee stout that’s non-alcoholic.

Cheers!

 

Thanks for opening the tap this weekend @SawDog505

peninsula by vitaminsea

4.02/5 rDev -6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4


16 oz. Can poured in a pint glass, canned 5.6.21

“home sweet home”

Light yellow hazy liquid with a one finger white foam cap

Aroma is pineapple

Taste is pineapple, lemon citrus

Smooth , no hop bite

Good beer

 

Next fall when the Pumpkin beers are out you might want to conduct a beer blend of Young's Double Chocolate Stout with a Pumpkin Ale of your choosing (the spicier the better IMO). My wife labels this beer blend as a Chocolate Pumpkin.

Cheers!

 

Mrs O and I spent the week in Miami on our first “away” vacation since October 2018. We visited Tripping Animals Brewing Company (great beers and FANTASTIC barbecue) and J Wakefield Brewing (for beers to mule back to Indiana), and we’re now at the airport having lunch at the Corona Beach House.

And they have a beer that’s new to me. This is Havana Lager, a delicious Vienna lager from Concrete Beach Brewery.



4.19/5 rDev +10.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a clear copper color with a light tan head that provides modest lacing. Beautiful beer. The nose is a bit nutty with some grassy hop aromas and a little toffee note.

The nutty flavor is forward on the taste and truly delicious. The grassy hops and toffee are a bit more prominent and work exceptionally well with the nutty flavor.

The mouthfeel is medium and very crisp. I’m a big fan of Vienna lagers, and this one is really well done.

 

Is this your first foray to the NBW thread? If so, welcome.

To repeat what was stated in the OP of this thread: "Take some extra time and give us your thoughts on the look, aroma, taste, mouthfeel, and your overall experience with that beer."

Could you please do so for the new beer(s) you are discussing today.

Cheers!

P.S. And if you have some related beer stories please feel free to add that since the NBW community likes that as well.

 

For this NBW I visited a style very appropriate for the pre summer heatwave we’ve just started. Cape May brews a cranberry shandy that I love called “the bog” that is a nod to the cranberry bogs all over in the pine barrens of south jersey. This one is a a little different, brewed with lots of citrus, appropriately called “the grove”...



Pours a very cloudy dark straw color. Pretty bubbly head with no real retention or lacing which I expected give the style.

Aroma is amazing if you like citrus, it smells like fresh juiced orange juice with lemon and lime juice mixed it. It’s an intoxicating yet not overpowering smell. Really really good smells here, sorry no other way to put it.

The taste to me leans heavily orange almost has a tang like vibe to it. I notice the lemon and lime as well only because the finish is more tart than an orange.

The mouthfeel is soft and light, very easy drinking beer. Despite all the citrus juice aromas and tastes this is not a sweet beer. It finishes pretty dry making it beg for sip after sip.

I really enjoyed this beer. This beer would be dangerous sitting on a beach if I had zero responsibilities. Cape May brews some great beers and this is yet another example. Try this if you want a thirst quenching refreshing drink.

Side note: I knew cape may contract brewed several beers at various times, their ipa at yards, I think. Both the bog and the grove say Utica so I’m guessing it’s FX Matt, anyone know?

 

Jon, that is a good guess. Those beers are brewed at FX Matt.

Cheers!

P.S. I took a private tour at Cape May Brewery a few years ago. The brewery is next to the Cape May airport and they lease space from the government (Cape May County I think). At that time they were in discussion with the County about expanding but they were uncertain whether they would be permitted to do so. And given the business conditions over the past 15+ months (pandemic) this may have impacted business decisions as well. I suspect they will continue to contract brew some of their beers for the near future.

 

Drinking a Chicago “Local” out West.

Kings & Convicts owned Ballast Point Longfin



Gift from brother from his variety pack.

Can Notes: Lager, 12 oz canned 2/5/21 at 11:08. 4.5% ABV

Appearance: Faint clear straw color base, bright white soapy head. Minimal carbonation. 3.25

Aroma: Cracker, somewhat skunky. 2.5

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, cracker. Salty, a little skunky. 2.5

Mouthfeel: Thin light and easy. Nominal carbonation, lightly sweet. 2.75

Overall: A meh lager, salty is the best taste component. Not a repeat for me. 2.5

Coming back with hopefully better beer soon.

 

If you have coin, our stores have Heist

Approaching Daylight
Hazy IPA, Strata, Mosaic, and El Dorado hops. 7.1 % ABV

This seems to be a beer from Heist that will reappear sporadically. Showed up on our stores a few weeks after canning. $5.00

Hazy gold with a finger of fine white head. Strong citrus and pineapple flavors. Smooth coating feel. Juicy with a bitter tropical aftertaste.
The best Heist IPA's are well worth the price. Glad to see them on our shelves.
4.31/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

I'm out enjoying the sun and getting some planting in, and I just happen to have the perfect beer for the occasion:


Stillwater Dry White, a sour ale with sauvignon blanc grapes, lime and sea salt.

And it's bang-on fantastic. Quenching, with just the right touch of salt and tartness, bracing but not overdone. The palate has a moderately full feel and not seltzer-like, with enough astringency/bitterness to fool you into thinking it's spent some time in wood; so the white grape quality is vinous instead of fruity. And it really really does come across as a spritzer with a little squeeze of lime, as advertised.

Overall, it's more elegant than it has any right to be,but not too fussy; extremely well designed and made, and is even better than I was hoping for. A- (4.2), and I will seek it out again.

 

Happy to be able to participate in the thread this weekend. Last few weekends have been crazy to the point where I think I've missed a few weeks. Anywho, first up today is this can of Chargoth from Oliphant Brewing. I received this and many other great beers from @Victory_Sabre1973 in our last NBS BIF. I'm a big fan of smoked beers, so let's see how this one is....

4.13/5 rDev -1.4% | Average: 4.19
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Copper in color with maybe an inch of short-lived head. Semi-translucent. Both the head and clarity seem a little off for a Vienna lager. That said, I don't think I've ever had a smoked Vienna Lager, so who knows.

Aroma is great. Sweet malts and just enough smoke to be intriguing. Taste largely follows the nose, and maintains a nice balance. The smoke is definitely present, and if you don't like smoked beers you certainly won't like this one, but if you do like some smoke in your beer (as I do), this is really nice. Fairly light in body and plenty smooth. Very enjoyable. Thanks, James!
And on a completely different note, the below was a brilliant way to describe cicadas.

 

Second Ballast point from the mix pack.

Ballast Point Big Gus



Can Notes: 12 oz canned 2/8/21 @ 1:23 PM. 6.5% ABV IPA.

Appearance: Clear straw golden pour, white creamy head leaves a nice layer over the base. 3.5

Aroma: Pleasant piney aroma, grapefruit backed. Mild in strength. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with aroma but bolder, firm bitter pine leads, grapefruit backs well. Malt light in a supportive role where it belongs, bread, slightly salty. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Crip, light and refreshing. Bitter and slightly dry. Faint fizzy carbonation holds throughout, easy clean finish. 4.0

Overall: This is a solid old school IPA, piney, bitter, grapefruit backed, well executed. 4.0

May have a few more in store today.

 

This weekend's first new beer is Neutron Haze, a hazy IPA from Fremont.

16oz can served in a big snifter. Dated 05/14/21. Bought it at the brewery a couple days ago.

Pours a hazy rich yellow-orange with a medium sized head. Smell is tropical and orangey with a background of pine and grapefruit zest.

Taste is super juicy -- mango or papaya or something like that, lots of citrus pith. Has a really strong resinous bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is medium or so, has that almost chalky drying characteristic of resin-heavy beers but not overwhelmingly so. This is a very nice beer.