New Beer Weekend #44

Another gloomy and rainy day here in Houston. So might as well open a new beer.

True Anomaly Wooden Bird. 5.9% ABV. Foeder aged Saison with Wallonian and Brett yeast strains. Dry hopped with Amarillo, and bottle conditioned.



Pours with a light haze, a golden/yellow color. A dense white head rises to over two fingers. Good retention and lace left behind.
Aroma is citrus and tropical fruits. Orange and mango aromas. Musty basement funk and wood aromas. Simple and enjoyable.
Taste wise, like the nose, there is a lot of citrus and tropical fruit flavors. Orange peal, light sticky and sweet mango juice. Peppery spice, a light musty funk and wood. A lingering bitterness. Very nice.
A medium to full body. Well carbonated, with a crisp but smooth bite. Finishes medium dry, and almost resembles some white wine in that regard. Easy and enjoyable to drink. I will finish the bottle in no time.

Another quality Saison from True Anomaly. The Amarillo hops gives it a more American fruity character, but it still works. I might not love it as much as say their Liberty Bell 7 Saison (which I gave a 4.35), but that is a high bar. Really good in its own right and very much recommended.

Overall score is 4.04. Boarding on B+ to A- range.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/55586/514965/?ba=champ103#review

A good one to enjoy while I continue my book on this lazy afternoon.

 

Yeah, not to trash Buffalo Bayou, but for all the "creativity" that they are so proud of, most of their beers just comes of as really bland. Way less than the some of all the stuff they add into it.

 

Cape may boughs of barley
...murky cloudy reddish brown.
...at least an average body with about medium carbonation which added up to a nice feel.
Aroma is scotch, bourbon,malt,molasses, with some mild fruit and spice.
...taste is not sweet with the high abv well hidden. Otherwise it closely resembles the aroma.
Overall another excellent offering from Cape may brewery

 

First beer for today is courtesy of @Whyteboar from NBS BIF #12 last fall. This is Kiviuq, a fruited oak-aged saison from Jolly Pumpkin.

3.46/5 rDev -7.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Appearance is fairly vibrant, with a nice cranberry hue and a decent amount of fizzy off-white head. Aroma is really nice...plenty of funk, some oak, along with blackberry & lime. Taste is....odd. Everything is muted except the salt, which is not something that (in my opinion) should be the focal point of a beer. I get a little bit of blackberry, and a tiny bit of funk (much less than I expected based off the nose), but mostly salt. Overall, it's a bit under-carbonated and thin. Glad to have been able to try it, but I'd have to think that this isn't exactly what the brewer intended.

Unrelated to this review, I've very much been enjoying many of your posts this weekend.

My next beer will be for Tactical Bob.

Who doesn't love menthol flavored dirt?

Was there a comma missing between battery acid and lemonade? If not, what is battery acid lemonade? I'm intrigued!

 

Next up is a brew from Foreland Brewing, Upstream Mend, a "North American" pale. It's a pretty nice brew.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/60183/550675/

 

Cali Common Stock a California Common (aka steam) beer from The Bull n Bear Brewery. The best known California Common is Anchor Steam beer an excellent brew that many consider the beer that started the craft era. This beer in nothing at all like Anchor. Served at the brewery it’s a ruby bronze color with an off white thick head. Strong aroma mostly bread. Very complex taste malt and hops. The hops used are Northern Brewer and Cascade. This beer is much hopper than Anchor. The mouthfeel is full, the finish dry. An enjoyable beer to say the least. I spoke to the brewer about this style. He told me as he read about the style he realized that as long as you brewed with lager yeast at a warmer temperature it would be to style. any grains or hops could be used. Sounds like a brewer dream to me.

 

Not sure the last time I've been in here, but I am back. I take 3-4 days off sometimes just because I work too much. I just put in 50 last pay and 54 next pay. Things are going ok. I still want an engineering job as stated many times before. It has been six months of poverty. But we kicked ass and I helped pull our store to the next level, plus I am promoted to lead anyways. It'll be fine once I get my 2 days off, we hired 5 more people.

I had a new beer. Transient Procession Of Unchanging Days. Dense soapy lacing clings on the glass, lasting head retention. Aromas and flavors of big orange, mango, melon, pineapple, passion fruit, citrus peel/rind, peppercorn, wood, pine, wheat, cracker, biscuit, herbal, floral, grass, Light-moderate pine, wood, herbal, citrus rind, peppercorn bitterness on the finish. Medium-plus carbonation and body. Balanced creamy/bready malts, and sticky hops. Light lingering resins/rinds, minimal lingering sweetness. Mild increasing warmth of 8% and lingering hop burn after the finish. Wasn't sure on the dating, but probably from mid 2020. Held up well enough and its a great NEIPA. Citra, Melon, Mandarina, Grungeist, and Blanc hops. Great overall profile. IMO it's hard to mess up with some of the new age hops. No complaints. 4.03


We were watching the first Roberto episode where they rob the bank lol. Some abandoned theme park footage was earlier. Now just about to go out for dinner and listening to music. new VOLA is prime time time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Cheers NBW

 

Happy Sunday, new beer reviewers. Slower start to the morning, but my walk generated more sweat due to the later time of day in which it was taken. The net result is the same, though - the desire to have a beer afterwards.

Before that, a quick update on the cicada front - the din is louder today and I am actually hearing many more local bugs rasping away in the trees nearby. Little surprised the difference a day made, even the GF mentioned the increased volume this morning.

Ok, on to beer, delivered yesterday via UPS to my over 21 year-old household.

Well shoot! that label description didn't come out too well...

So yes, I was made aware of this beer by a thread here on BeerAdvocate. I ordered it and some other things from Sierra Nevada, though this arrived first since it was the only things coming out of the North Carolina facility. A fan favorite from from Sierra Nevada, I couldn't pass it up. But should I have??

Well, nothing in the looks would have dissuaded me. I went a little aggressive on the pour, and after the head settled it didn't look as impressive, but there are still switls of bubbles milling about the clear, dark golden body's surface.

The nose is slightly sweet, with a little bite that I originally took as alcohol presence - unexpected given the modest enough 6.8%. After tasting, I think this is actually a spicy hop note (see below). There is a generic fermenting fruit aspect here, orchard mainly, where the fruits are still bringing sweetness but you can tell something a little funny is starting to happen. Giving the glass a swirl, there's a little bit of a toasted bread note that comes out. After checking out the ingredients, not entirely sure where from (malts: two-row Pale, Pilsner)

The taste has honey up front - bringing sweetness that yields to more recognizable malt flavors. Pure sweetness becoming bready sweetness. The bread somehow gets a bit toasted as the flavor evolves before giving the reigns back to a honey flavor. The two honey notes are different, however - one is more pure sweetness (like clover honey) and the latter has a bit more character to it, a richer, perhaps "darker" impression like buckwheat honey.

There is a little tingle throughout each sip that doesn't seem to be from the modest carbonation. Not sure if it's the surprise alcohol again or... looking at the makeup of the beer, Ariana and Spalter hops are used.

• Ariana hops - Aromatic hop with fruit, berry, and citrus notes coupled with resinous and herbal back tones --bsgcraftbrewing.com
• Spalter hops - "The aroma of Spalter Select is easy to distinguish from either Hallertauer Mittelfrueh or Spalter-Spalt. It has some background spicy and herbal notes that are similar to these hops, but it also has a characteristic heavy, sweet, almost candy-like aroma that makes it instantly recognizable." --beerandbrewing.com

Hmm - I think the Spalter hops are speaking to me more in this beer based on these these descriptions. There is definitely a sweet sappy, woody (maybe piney) finish to this beer which I am liking - that may be the Ariana's back tones coming through.

I really do like the taste of this beer. The beer did end up losing its head before I finished, and the nose took some getting used to, but the taste just seems to hit home with me. I think I can understand its place as a "fan favorite."

 

Back from a great camping trip in the mountains where I got to drink several not very good beers (at least to me) at the source...in my glass, Jjjuliusss!:

At 54° pours a cloudy deep gold/peach juice color; two fingers of rocky white foam; looong cap retention; streaming carbonation; heavy ring with heavy minus bands of lace. Nose is pineapple, grapefruit and peach. Taste follows nose; semi sweet malt base; grapefruit rind bitterness; lemon, tangerine as beer warms. Medium full body; moderate minus carbonation that is kinda prickly; no astringency; light creamy tongue coating. Overall, very well balanced; tropical fruit flavors and citrus hop bitterness play well with the firm malt foundation; yummy light bitter fruit juice aftertaste; I could easily drink another one - delicious!

4.75 | 4.5 | 4.75 | 4.5 | 4.75
Score: 4.67 rDev 0%

 

Next up is another beer from @Whyteboar. I've had nothing but good experiences with Speciation Artisan Ales, so I've been looking forward to this one. This is Incipient with Strawberries.

3.94/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Dull, strawberry cocktail color as it comes out of the can. Ends up being more lively looking once in the glass, while maintaining that same overall color. Roughly a finger of fizzy white head. Aroma is pleasant, if somewhat unremarkable. There's some general funk and berry notes, but nothing that stands out. Taste is really nice. It's not overly complex, but it's tart, refreshing, and well done. The strawberries are nuanced, in a good way. I'll take this over a massively fruited beer any day of the week. Light to medium bodies, and relatively lively. Another good Speciation beer.

Thanks, Craig. Really enjoying this one.

 

Happy New Beer Sunday 847!

Not sure how many I’ll have today. Starting with an older beer on special from Khourey’s in Henderson.

Brouwerij Omer Vanderbilt Ghinste Oud Bruin



Bottle Notes: 11.2 oz, bottled July 12, 2015. 5.5% ABV. Flemish Sour Ale - Red Brown.

A traditionally-brewed Flemish red-brown sour ale is blended with 18 month fielder beer to create this tart, refreshing, medium bodied benchmark ale. Reddish-amber with a tan head. Hints of tart fruit dominate the nose. The palate has apple and raisiny fruit notes.

Appearance: Bottle poured into a large wine glass. Dark red brown base, light off-white tan head dissipates after a minute, leaving ring around the base. Clear with substantial carbonation after the pour. 4.25

Aroma: Nice tart fruity aromas, apple, grape, raisin and cherry. Very enticing, bold in strength. 4.5

Taste: Slightly less in strength compared to the aroma, with matching characteristics. Tart but not too tart and sour, cherry, raisin, white grapes, lemon. Well blended. Age may have mellowed the tartness, but the flavor did not diminish. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Light, slightly creamy, light fizzy carbonation. Lightly tart and sweet, mellow, super easy drinking. 4.25

Overall: This is a solid Flemish sour, bursting with flavor, well blended fruit, a pleasure to drink. Glad I came across this. 4.5

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. For its anniversary each year Magnify Brewing releases a special Imperial IPA; the name is simply the roman numeral corresponding to the anniversary year. This year, it's VI. As always, it's a massive ale: hopped with Mosaic Incognito, Mosaic Cryo, and Sabro in the kettle and dry hopped 4 times with Mosaic, Sabro, El Dorado, Strata, Galaxy and Mosaic Cryo. It's big, bold, and complex.

During the pandemic Magnify's intimate tasting room has been closed and the brewery has relied on releasing 2-4 new beers each week. They have to be sensitive to the market and release a lot of kettle sours and adjunct-laden IPAs and big Stouts. For this anniversary they've gone back to basics by releasing a Farmhouse IPA, Woah Nelly, for the first time in 5 years and a big, hoppy DIPA. This is the Magnify I know and love.

I'm using my 5 year old Magnify tulip glass. It pours an opaque, rather turbid, dirty orange with almost a finger of fluffy, bright white head and thick, clinging lacing. The smell is fruity and floral with lemon, grapefruit, onion, cantaloupe, and bright hops. It pops with flavor: lemon, tangerine, berry, bubblegum, and notes of grass and earthy pine. The Mosaic hops in the kettle and dry hop really shine. As it warms a bit there are hints of cannabis from the Strata hops. The El Dorado adds clean bitterness throughout but particularly at the finish. The flavors are big and bold and the extensive hopping adds complexity and depth. This ale is nicely creamy and well-carbonated and the 8.5% ABV provides good substance. Overall, I expect big things from Magnify's anniversary big IPA release and like its predecessors VI doesn't disappoint.

4.35/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Cheers to the Real Juice Boys of New Jersey on another milestone! I'm looking forward to more solid gold good times in the tasting room.

 

NBS entry #3 for today comes from Belching Beaver, Hazers Gonna Haze. Yup, another average murkbomb.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30923/475996/

 

Welcome aboard! I hope you'll consider participating in the next NBS BIF this fall. It would be great to have a Kansan in the next round!