New Beer Weekend #47

Just sautéed some zucchini and onions for a quiche tonight, now letting them cook and enjoying some Kane Banana Kingdom.
4.19/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

500 ml bottle poured into a tulip

A- Black with a two finger dark mocha head.

S- Chocolate, bananas, touch of lactose, hints of nuts, some roasted malts.

T- Chocolate, roasted malts, touch of dark fruits, sweet bananas, hints of peanuts.

M- Smooth, full body.

O- Delivers on the idea they are going for, enjoyable and easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

My sinuses are finally clear from whatever havoc whatever pollen was causing. I can really smell beer well again! Unfortunately I probably rated some beers lower during the period.
Today I have Fox Farm Swale, a 6.4% IPA dry hopped over a Pilsner base. Picked it up at the brewery yesterday.

3.86/5 rDev -7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 16oz refrigerated can stamped 06/02/21 to a Nonic.
Small white head sits on a yellow hazy body that kind of glows, but maybe thats my local lighting. Head fades quickly, but does lace somewhat.
The aroma is hoppy, slightly musty with a note a sweetness. Pleasant.
Taste has a nice bitter start and finish. In between there is a sweet hit of orange and pineapple.
Medium mouthfeel suits this beer well.
A nice beer overall.

 

My suspicions of my last beer being my only new beer of the weekend turned out to be completely unfounded. As soon as I started looking around in the fridge, I realized I wanted one of the big exciting stouts, and I settled on 50/50's 2020 Eclipse Barrel Aged Imperial Stout Manhattan Cherry Rye, aged with cherries in vermouth and rye whiskey barrels. This beer was a generous face-to-face gift from a BA.


500ml bottle served in a tulip. No date, just the 2020 vintage.

Pours thick, black, viscous, still, just the tiniest ring of head. Smell is boozy, chocolate and charred oak, maybe the rye gets across a little bit. Definitely some anise, maybe some coffee, and maybe just a hint of cherry.

Taste is HUGE anise, clear maraschino cherry, rye whisky and oak, slow and surprising bitter finish. I'm getting something that I want to call hoppy/green bitterness but suspect might actually be the vermouth...herbal, maybe slightly medicinal.

Mouthfeel is gratifyingly thick and chewy, fairly sticky. Overall, very good beer.

 

A beer from @Roguer's BIF box. And a fun one for me since our son's name is Doug. He lives in North Carolina and is a home brewer. Because of Covid it's been much too long since we've seen him and his fiancee. We'll finally do so next month. This beer, btw, is exactly as advertised on the can.

Canned on 1/12/2021. Poured into a stout glass at 62°. It pours a dark mahogany with cola hues. The foamy, ecru-colored head dissipated quickly. Minimal lacing. On the nose there is milk chocolate, vanilla, and earthy nuts. The taste is spot on for the description: nice, rich chocolate, vanilla, and nuts. And I'm tasting the marshmallow I didn't smell. The tastes are easily recognizable and work well together. The mouth feel is viscous and thick - almost chewy - with low/moderate carbonation. And the 10.8% ABV sneaks up on you. Yes, this is gimmicky but it's also a lot of fun to drink!

Thanks again, Andrew. And welcome back to the northeast!!

 

Back with another. My son bought me this Stillwater single because he knows I like chilies and stouts. Based on the name and the ingredient list I said to myself "Buckle Up MF".



3.8/5 rDev -7.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a can stamped "BBE 02 JUL21" to a diagonal cut tumbler at fridge temp.
Minimal tan head sits above a black body.
Smells like cold molasses. A very sweet aroma, I like bitter stouts, but I understand by the name this is what I'm in for.
The chilies are prominent and I'm fine with that, but its definitely not for everyone. There is another burn that may be attributed to the ginger. Sweet end to the taste, but if you wait enough for the next sip you can sense the sea salt.
Sticky mouthfeel, but I guess that comes with the name.
As expected, not for everyone, however it was a better unique experience than expected. Not the kind of beer you drink all the time even if you like it.

 

You up in the Appalachians?

 

New Province Brewing's hello summer Watermelon Pale Ale, 5.7% ABV; 3.88 overall

Pours a chill-hazed gold with1 finger of pillowy cream colored head. Decent head retention & lacing

S: Watermelon Rind, fades once wArm
T: Watermelon, strawberries, a little grassyness & a little breadyness up front. Breadyness, a little Kiwi Fruit & Watermelon as this warms. Finishes a little dry, grassy with sweet & bitter ( rind ) watermelon notes

MF: Light/medium body, good balance

Really nice drinkability, they need to make this a Late Spring/Early Summer offering. watermelon was there in just the right amount

got distracted by the dog & didn't post my pithy thoughts

 

Glad it held up to the day! Great location and pictures! Cheers brotha.

 

All beers and glassware on Day #2 are from NBS/NBW BIF’s. This first beer and the glassware are from my beer nerd friend @BBThunderbolt, a beer nerd of the highest magnitude. I’ve definitely used this single glass more often than any other glass I have since I received it in March 2017. It is the perfect glass for multiple styles, IMHO, because of the color scheme (and of course its pint glass-ocity).





3.92/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a gorgeous straw color, with the slightest smidgen of hop haze, and a sudsy, creamy white head that provides some lacing. Solid grain bill on the nose, with some grassy hops, along with bread and cereal malts.

The hops are ever so slightly floral on the taste, and there’s a grassy note as well, along with some sweetness from the bread and cereal malts. The mouthfeel is crisp and on point for the style.

This is a really nice “summer crusher” fridge beer that would work really nicely sitting around the pool.

 

#2, this is courtesy of @WunderLlama. I am speechless.





4.6/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a really dark cola brown that looks black as it settles with a creamy tan head that lingers. Truly gorgeous beer. The nose has barrel notes up front (note: I am prone to barrel sensitivity because I don’t care for booze), but they’re not “hot,” if that makes sense, and there’s a nice balance between the oak and bourbon, which both help to accentuate the vanilla notes. There’s also milk chocolate and molasses notes. Wow.

The milk chocolate and molasses flavors are very prominent and very forward, and the vanilla is also notable, but it’s the oak and bourbon barrel notes that actually provide balance, not allowing this beer to be too sweet, while also avoiding being too boozy.

That is a difficult line to walk, and Trillium does it magnificently. The mouthfeel is rich and decadent, perfect for this hefty beer. What a pleasure this is to drink.

 

I wouldn't be opposed and maybe introduce tags or the poster calls out whenever it's a new beer.

New Belgium Mountain Time Premium Lager - Pours a slightly hazy straw yellow color. Nice head that quickly dissipates but leaves some nice lacing on the glass. Quite carbonated, not much on the nose. Taste is on the sweeter end but nice, crisp and refreshing. At 4.4% a great option for a session beer and add a lime and some sea salt and you have yourself a tasty lawnmower beer. Prost!

 

Giving Southern Tier Nitro Coconut Truffle a try, tasty stuff!
4.32/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

9.6 oz nitro can poured into a tulip

A- Black with a long lasting three finger light tan head.

S- Chocolate, salted caramel, coconut, hints of dark fruits.

T- Chocolate, coconut, touch of salted caramel, hints of dark fruits.

M- Smooth, silky, creamy, medium body.

O- A well done and super easy to drink dessert stout, nitro can was the perfect touch

Cheers!

 

Good evening NBW
I spent 7 hours in the minivan today driving to Indy and back to attend my niece's graduation party, with my mother-in-law in tow. A drink is now required

3Floyds Barrel Aged Behemoth Barleywine Ale

12oz bottled 2/16/21 (4 months ago) poured into a teku glass at just above fridge temp 13.6% ABV per label. The beer pours slightly murky, medium brown in color with light brown head. The head recedes to an irregular ring and island. Minimal lacing. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring bourbon, caramel, vanilla, and oak. The taste is boozey, semisweet caramel with immediate strong bitterness. Individual flavors of oak, vanilla, tannins, bourbon, pine and earthy hops all swim in the mix. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with just less than medium carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, excellent. I would never guess this one north of 13% and the balance of hop bitterness and barrel is outstanding.

I was a touch worried about face melting bitterness here from 3F, but the barrel (& possibly 4 months) really balance things out. Excellent American barleywine.

Cheers all!

 

The mother-in-law factor may require more barleywine

 

So, Toppling Goliath has finally made distribution to Michigan.
Our local Meijer had a pallet of the brewery in assorted styles, or variants on the IPA style.
King Sue - many of you have tried this and now I have too. It’s good, darn good.
The pour was raw honey in appearance with a nearly white head.
The aroma, one I could actually smell, was very nice, all Citra with everything that comes with it. I just sat and inhaled for 5 minutes.
The taste was excellent, all the aroma promised and more. Citrus, mango, pineapple- all distinct but swirling together at the same time (if that makes sense)
The feel was good too, so smooth and soft that I forgot I was drinking an imperial IPA.
Oh yeah, definitely one to keep an eye out for fresh cans. Good beer!
Cheers!

 

I'm out of barleywine, but I've got bourbon...

 

So my plan to open a slow supper worked out. I put on one of my favorite movies “the nice guys” (no not “the other guys,” people always say oh yea with will ferrell and mark wahlberg) with Russell Crowe and ryan gosling. It’s hilarious and has a great storyline, I highly recommend if you haven’t seen it. Sunday nights sometimes I like to pair a nice slow sipping beer with my favorite movies, something calm and peaceful about it. Anyway back to beer, my slow drinker choice

Kane - rye barrel aged object permanence (a barleywine)



This one does not pour that pretty of a color. It’s a super murky looking brown. Head ends up being a pretty nice creamy halo around the glass with nothing in the middle.

This one smells very woody to me. It also has a nice tootsie roll chocolate smell going on. Some subtle licorice aromas and some dark fruit smells too.

Taste follows the nose very closely but the licorice actually becomes a little more pronounced. Other than that it’s same as the nose with the bourbon mixed in, which I didn’t notice much on the nose.

Mouthfeel is full big body, low carbonation, a nice kick of booze with a low to medium bitterness. The heat lingers a little after the sip which makes it an ideal beer to sip nice and slow.

Perfect beer for the occasion, enjoying a favorite movie of mine sipping it slowly and letting the craziness (in a fun busy way) of the weekend slowly disappear into what we call Monday morning. Have a great week every one, until next time!

Just read the above post I too am out of barleywine now @jkblr

 

I’ve been wanting to try that beer @Beersnake1 i once saw it locally a year or so ago. Went back, it was gone and I haven’t come across it ever since. I hope one day it shows up again.

 

Good Sunday evening all ye NBW/S faithful. An absolutely wonderful day here in the stronghold celebrating the second anniversary of my wife's 33rd birthday. We aren't huge on these things. Burgers and dogs on the grill for whomever shows up whenever, and we don't do the whole gift thing but some times were given. Right now, she is making lesson plans for the last six days of school no kids will attend anyway...

Thanks for the kickoff, @SawDog505 and the reading thus far has been outstanding as usual. Lots of good discussion over our little weekly get together this past week.

Da beer:

Totally seasonally inappropriate...totally. This is a dopplebock aged in WhiskeyPig's The Boss Hog VII which I have no idea what that is, but into the great wide open I go...

Pours a dirty brown into the Barreled Souls tulip. Wax seal on a crown cap...interesting. No head to speak of, not much visible carbonation. Clears and looks like new motor oil as it warms. Well, lets say it looks like cognac, for real.

The aroma is straight up Christmas kitchen spices, with vanilla, boozy, dates, and very faint cocoa. Ok...this is NOT the road I expected to be on here...mulled cider??? Brown sugar and toffee sort of going on in the background.

The taste is an equally jumbled scenario. The whiskey is there. Everywhere there - oak, vanilla, boozy hot, cinnamon, vanilla, quite sweet in the fig/date fruit way. I'm looking for the maltiness of the dopplebock and I am having a hard time finding it. This is dominated by the barrel, and mean it is an utter victory for the whiskey. I can usually have some fun with the jumbled bag of flavor thing, but this is close to being a real mess. It isn't evolving, it isn't melding, it is just kind of a smack in the mouth.

This is minimally carbonated, on the thin side for feel, sweet yet astringent and drying at the same time. Bit of an alcohol burn, but maybe more like a whiskey tingle.

Overall, not diggin' this one, kids. Its coming across as some weird winter warmer but not in a good way. Unusual...typically I find Harpoons special stuff to be pretty to very good. This one is a a fail, and will be in the rare 3.0 to 3.5 range for me. A let down from a brewery I usually enjoy.