New Beer Weekend #45

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass. Pours a very attractive near pitch black with a 2 finger sticky brown head that leaves scattered circles of lace with good retention. 4.5

Aroma is roasty coffee, cocoa nibs, vanilla bean, pine, and grapefruit. 4

Taste follows roasted coffee, cocoa, vanilla, pine, and grapefruit really more about the darks malts, but a little hoppy bitterness in the back end. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, a tad dry, plenty of carbonation with a little creamy ness, and at 7% loaded with flavor but easy sipping. 4.5

Overall I really think this is excellent, makes me miss having the opportunity to purchase these when even. I will be looking for this next year. 4.25

 

Happy Memorial Day and to those that sacrificed their lives you are in our thoughts and memories. We salute you.
My second (kind of) entry into NBW -
Lone Pines Oh-J DDH with El Dorado version.
Pours a fairly solid orange with a tall and creamy off white head that lingers leaving a thin cap and many rings of sticky lacing.
Aroma is overripe pineapple, peach, sweet tangerine and melon.
Taste follows with juicy citrus, pineapple and peach and grace notes of kiwi and white grape. Moderately sweet with a myriad of flavors like a handful of jelly bellies that finishes with a gentle pine bitterness to balance things out. Juicyfruit.
Highly drinkable at 8.1% thats hardly noticeable. Medium bodied, lightly carbonated. Another great beer from Lone Pine and a nice varient of the original which is also a great brew. The huge flowering bush in the background is my favorite plant in the yard. Its covered with abundant pink aromatic flowers that lasts for a few weeks.
Cheers!

 

Day 3, this first beer (Just Up The River by J Wakefield Brewing in collaboration with Narrow Gauge Brewing Company) was muled back from Florida last week and I’m finally getting to it. I figured out yesterday how to reconfigure the shelves in Beer Fridge #2 to give myself added capacity to store more beer in refrigerated conditions.

So I’ve resorted to enabling my own beer nerd habit myself, which is something I’m quite proud of. I’m thinking of making a tee shirt for myself.





4.35/5 rDev +8.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Looks like pineapple juice in my glass with a dense, creamy bone white head that laces the glass nicely. The nose is exotic, dank tropical citrus, with passion fruit and mango most prominent, and some lemon and a subtle creamy oat aromas as well.

The dank is really amped up on the taste, lending a weedy flavor to the passion fruit and mango, with the lemon in the background and the creamy oat flavor providing balance. The surprise to me is there is no - as in zero - alcohol present in this 10% ABV NETIPA.

The mouthfeel is a little more tingly than usually found in the hazy style, but doesn’t detract in any way from the beer. This is truly a pleasure to drink and another example of J Wakefield’s prowess as a brewery. Really well done, IMHO.

 

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass canned on 5/05/21. Pours a clear straw yellow with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma is tangerine, peach, pineapple, mango, apricot, and a little grapefruit rind. 4.25

Taste tangerine, mango, pineapple, peach, apricot, and a little grapefruit bitterness in the balanced and juicy finish. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, not really sticky or dry, plenty of life, and at 9.3% ABV really easy going down with no alcohol detected. 4.25

Overall this is an excellent East meets West DIPA, really would love to sip this one again. Thanks @jzeilinger for this one. Juicy without the haze. 4.25

 

#2, I’ve been trying to work this beer in all weekend. The time has arrived.





4.49/5 rDev +10.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark cola brown with a light tan head that surprisingly laces the glass nicely. The nose is boozy and packed with fruity hop aromas that accompany toffee notes. Given the 75 IBU’s referenced on the bottle, the hop notes are not surprising.

The taste isn’t boozy at all, but it is substantially hoppy, with ripe fruity notes the most prominent flavor in this beer, but there is room for the toffee flavor as well. If you’re looking for an American barleywine that is HEAVILY hopped, this is your beer.

The mouthfeel is substantial enough to support this beer. This isn’t in the “traditional” barleywine vein, but it’s an exceptionally well executed beer and dances around all sides of the barleywine family. I am really digging it.

 

Sneaking in one final beer after catching up on the relatively slow thread this weekend. Thanks for sharing your story @woemad , nice you were able to send Dale off in style. Also, sorry to hear about the trouble at your latest restaurant @tasterschoice62 . I hope you are able to find a new place that allows you to engage your passion.

Before I dive in, I would like to acknowledge the two new to me beers I am inspired to find:

• @ovaltine & @JayORear with Stone's Liquid Poem
• @SABERG with The Drowned Lands Slow River

and nice to see a solid classics beers as well:

• @jonphisher 's Kalamazoo Stout
• @MNAle 's Trappistes Rochefort 8 (wish you liked this one more)
• @jockstrappy 's Gumball Head

Speaking of classics, AleSmith has brewed several throughout the years, and I've been looking forward to cracking open this one more than the Hazy .394 I had earlier today. Hoping this doesn't put me into a beer coma, but willing to take the risk.

AleSmith Speedway Stout Brewed with Espresso and Madagascar Vanilla Special Release



Internet / Can Notes: No can date, but released the week of 1/14/21 per social media.16 oz, 12% ABV. Glassware Goblet, Serving Temp. 50-55.

For this special edition of our signature imperial stout, we used tons of Madagascar vanilla and a bold espresso blend to give the beer intense notes of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and dark fruit. These rich and complex ingredients balance the roasted complexity of the beer, creating the perfect blend of flavors.

Appearance: Multiple pours into a large tulip glass. Dark brown black base, nice rich creamy and puffy sharp tan head, lasts for several minutes while I wait for this to warm up, leaves a layer similar to a root beer float on the glass, and generous lacing throughout. Looks great. 4.5

Aroma: Bold in strength, wonderful natural Madagascar vanilla leads well, not overpowering. Next is a wonderful espresso coffee, backed by roast malt, bakers chocolate and cherry. Held together by a bitter pine hop aroma, all of this a wonderful enticing blend I can't wait to dig into, but am to let warm a bit further from the refrigerator. Outstanding. 4.75

Taste: Largely consistent with aroma, both balance of sweetness and bitterness and taste profile. The roast malt and bitter pine hops work well together, letting the excellent base shine. No need to mask the classic base, it shines through well. Bakers chocolate as well.

The Madagascar Vanilla is well incorporated, present and pleasant, not overpowering. So much better than the extract many brewers use. The espresso is silky smooth, so decedent. The sum of these great flavors come together in an excellent overall imperial stout. Perfection. 5.0

Mouthfeel: Medium body though very creamy. Faint thin carbonation throughout. Lightly dry, incredibly balanced with the hops and coffee blending perfectly with the vanilla and chocolate. Each sip is enjoyable. Drinks easier than the ABV, thought I may split this in two settings but finishing this after close to an hour from the crack of the can. 4.75

Overall: This is an incredible stout. The solid Speedway Stout base is enhanced by the incredible and perfect amount of vanilla, and the espresso, leading to an amazing hour of savoring this stout. Blew away my high expectations coming in, I'm heading out tomorrow to grab whatever is left out in the wild. Another example of why AleSmith is one of my favorite breweries in the world. 4.75

Powered by the online English Broadcast of the Montreal Canadians live from Montreal, may switch to French for the final five minutes.

 

Finally home after a fun weekend in DC, thankfully I took tomorrow off so time for something big with a full review. Picked up a vintage 4-pack of DC Brau Wake Up The Future, saving the 2018 and 2019 for next weekend.
4.33/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

16 oz can, 2020, poured into a tulip

A- Black with a small mocha head

S- Dark chocolate, some figs, oak, bourbon, roasted malts. A little barrel forward but good.

T- Dark chocolate, bourbon, oak, some figs, roasted coffee, hints of vanilla. Great flavors but it is barrel forward.

M- Fairly smooth, full body, barrel is a little hot.

O- A tasty barrel aged stout, great flavors but seems like it might need time to mellow out.

Cheers NBW!

 

Late to the party this weekend visiting the In-laws in OKC. Got to bring this Beauty home, so all good: Roughtail Magnetic Disturbance New England IPA, 6.8% ABV; 4.81 Overall Rating

Crowler pours a hazed gold with a thumb+ of ivory colored head. great head retention & lacing

S: A plethora of mango, oranges, & guava as this opened, stays sustained as it warms

T: Mango, Guava, Oranges & dryness up front. Nectarine mixes with Guava & passion fruit, plus a little orange as this warms, just a little dryness & pineapple as well. Finishes a little dry with a little lactose, & a riot of tropical fruit & just a little vanilla

MF: Creamy, medium body, lovely balance

This easily one of this best beers of this style I've had & easily the best from this very good brewery

 

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass canned on 4/11/21? Pours a very dark near pitch black with a 2 plus finger sticky mocha head that leaves webs of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma is black cherries, raspberry, dark chocolate, and vanilla bean. 3.75

Taste follows cherry, raspberry, dark chocolate, and vanilla. A little one dimensional and a tad more cherry than I was hoping for, but still well made. 3.75

Mouthfeel is pretty big, gentle carbonation kind of creamy, a tad dry, and at 11% it may have a little alcohol in the finish, but still easy drinking. 4.5

Overall I am never a huge fan of fruit in my stout, but I will say I am enjoying this one. Thanks @jzeilinger for this can. Sleep well all. 4

 

As a Michigan native, I LOVE the name of this beer.

 

Roughtail Former Gifted Student Barrel Aged Imperial Stout, 13.0% ABV; 4.45 overall

From the Crowler, this Blend Imp Stouts aged in 2 different Apple Brandy Barrels for 2 years pours an effervescent ebony with fast falling mocha colored head. Viscous. zero head retention & lacing

S: Plenty of apple brandy barrel & sweetness, dark chocolate as well

T: Plenty of smooth apple brandy, some booze warmth, barrel burn & dark chocolate. plus dryness up front. Apple Brandy warmth, barrel dryness, apple sweetness & tartness as this warms. Finishes somewhat dry, warming with nice Apple Brandy notes & a little barrel bite & dark chocolate

MF: Medium body skewing to syrup with somewhat firm carbonation

Wow, lovely take on the style. Probably the best Apple Brandy Stout I've ever had flavor & drinkability wise

 

I know, late to the party today, and to make it worse this is the third new beer I enjoyed today.
The first two, Mitten Brewing Amber and Bells Official Hazy IPA, were consumed during lunch after a very pleasant kayak trip. No pics or ratings but I can say that the amber was hoppier than I expected and the hazy was less hoppy than expected. Both were still quite good.
This one, Elliot Ness Amber Lager, was beautiful to look at and hoppier than I expected- but as I considered it longer I think that if it was less hoppy then it would be too sweet and less interesting. Then I really started enjoying it.
Cheers all, back to work tomorrow.