New Beer Weekend #51

Happy NBS friends!
My Sunday beer comes from the oldest brewery in the world. And it’s a wheat beer that tastes nothing like Oberon.
Poured this thin caramel color capped with an impressive off white head. The aroma started in right after popping the top, malts and fruit, notably banana. Banana? Yup. Odd, but okay.
The taste is flat out amazing, so mouth filling with malty goodness and fruit and spices, even a bit of banana, which somehow works.
The feel is so smooth that I had finished it before I finished thinking about it. Nuts, have to get more. I think I would have anyway.
So this is what a wheat dunkel is supposed to taste like? I’m in, this is good!

 

White Elm Forty Two Mild English Dark Mild Ale, 5% ABV. Pours dark brown with a 4+ finger beige head that left lots of nice lacing. Nose is malty with slight toffee. Taste follows plus bread, with faint sweetness, slight bitterness. Excellent mouthfeel, overall outstanding. I could drink a lot of these, would be great for a cool fall day.

4.44/5 rDev +11.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I'm really digging White Elm lately, except a pastry stout that I cellared for 18 months instead of keeping it in the fridge as advised on the can - went sour - my bad. This one is incredible, and a style you don't see much, one of those beers that disappears quick because it's so good. It's a small batch but hopefully they add it to their rotation, would make a great fall beer.

 

Next up this lovely afternoon is Threehigh, a TIPA brewed by McCall Collective Brewing Company in Allentown, Penna. I bought a pack when we visited the brewery yesterday. This brew purports to be a bigger version of the brewery's flagship Lehigh IPA. If so, then it's hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and El Dorado. But it tastes quite different; it's much danker and sweeter with lots of ripe pineapple and melon. The mouth feel is killer - thick and creamy. I'm a sucker for a big IPA like this. I was very impressed by the reviews by notable and respected BAs @Knapp85, @jzeilinger, and @SawDog505. Here's my full review:

4.28/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

No clear canning date. Poured from 16 oz. can into a McCall cider glass. It pours a dense, murky, dirty tangerine color with a half finger of creamy, eggshell-colored head and thick, clinging lacing. A classic appearance. A rich, full nose with lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, ripe melon, a whiff of onion, and floral hops. This is great! It's dank and fruity with a nice balance of tart lemon and grapefruit and ripe, sweet, tropical fruit including pineapple and honeydew. Unfortunately, the hop bill isn't well publicized but I'm assuming they used Citra, Mosaic, and El Dorado since this is a bigger version of McCall's Lehigh IPA (although this version is definitely sweeter and juicier). It's only mildly bitter at the finish. The mouth feel is exquisite: thick, almost chewy with moderate carbonation, and it drinks much too easily for 10.6% ABV. Don't operate heavy machinery after drinking this big boy! Overall, and kidding aside, this is a very good TIPA. I'm actually enjoying it more than it's little brother.

I really enjoy comparing my thoughts with those of discerning fellow beer drinkers. Cheers!

 

That's a good beer. Hefeweizens have a banana taste, one of the pluses IMHO.

 

Interesting there is a brewery in north jersey that is the same thing. Old movie theatre, movie themed beers. That’s all I know about them though. But funny the same marketing.

 

People aren't particularly unique. I'd bet there's more with a movie theme too.

 

I appreciate the green onion comment, for me the no go flavor in beer is coconut
Pick up a hint and I am done with it.
Cheers

 

Up next, from local Murk Mavens Structures, is American Select Pilsner. Pretty nice, with a pleasing bitterness on the finish: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/43366/557770/

 

Cheers everyone, and happy NBS!
Today I'm digging into one of the cans I picked up on our recent roadtrip. We ended up detouring through Reno, kind of on a whim, and my partner insisted that I stop and grab some local beers, because she knows I'm into that kind of thing. She's a keeper. The lady working the beer store was super friendly and helpful, offering some insights into Reno in general, and asking me about my preferences then directing me towards some local offerings she thought I'd enjoy. The ones that I picked up on her recommendation were pretty spot on. This was not one she recommended, but is a style that I have been wanting to explore more, from a brewery based out of that area that is generally very well regarded, as best as I can tell.

Revision - Revision Red



The body of the beer is pretty much what I expect out of a red: a somewhat rusty amber colour, mostly clear, with an initial puff of off-white head that dissipates not immediately, but pretty quickly, never to return. No lacing whatsoever.

Nose starts off similarly to how I would expect, with some grainy malts, and a thin trickle of caramel ribbon, that I soon decide may have been my imagination/projection based on expectations. The sweetness of the malts soon turns to a kind of green-hay/vinous/almost 'grape' like note that I feel like I mostly notice in wheat-heavy brews like wheatwines, though I do not believe this has any wheat in the malt profile, so it must be coming from somewhere else. Some light florality and grassiness if I dig.

Flavour follows a lot of the same blueprint, leading in with some straw-like malts, before that same vinous character emerges, though as I work through the glass, that becomes less pronounced. The finishing hops have a nice pleasant bitter bulge that I find quite appealing. The amarillo is incorporated really nicely.

Body is really smoothe and rounded and enjoyable. Little pricks of carbonation. Pleasant drinker on a toasty summer afternoon.

Overall, it's fine. I don't think it's going to be the beer that changes peoples' minds and turns reds into the new hotness, but it's not going to be difficult to finish the glass. Still probably wouldn't be a repeat, even if it were local, but I don't regret opening it.

Y'all: be excellent to one another.
Cheers!

 

Howdy - NBWers, Avery Tweak. 16%
You know this beer.
October 2017 bottling.
Review below, photo incoming....

4.34/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

L - black as Dracula's night-box; great lacing, a bit of brown angry foam for 4-5 minutes.
S - sat on this too long; most of the character of the coffee is gone, still smells like strong beer, malt, molasses, and whiskey which is great.
T - more malt, whiskey, sugars, and roast, but not much coffee anymore. It is a 2017 (Oct) bottling though, so that's on me. Still fantastic.
F - Amazing mouth-coating, vein-popping sugar content, not for diabetics. Almost a marshmallow smore's kind of sweet.
O _ Baller stout. Just wish I'd paid attention to the date sooner so that I could enjoy more of the coffee-roast flavor and aroma.

 

Ola Brew ( Big Island ) IPA, 6.5% ABV; 4.02 overall

Pours a slightly hazed gold with 2 fingers of eggshell colored head. Nice head retention & lacing

S: Citrus & grass, tropical fruit late ( passion fruit )

T: Grassyness, a little pine, some green melon & dryness up front. Dry & grassy as this warms along with lime. Finishes piney witha little lime & dryness

MF: Medium body, crisp carbonation & good balance

Solid & drinkable take on the style

 

I thought I posted this earlier^. Now on to a St. Bernardus Christmas Ale, 10.0% ABV; 4.24 overall

Pours a very effervescent hazel with 2 fingers of billowy tan head. Nice head retention & lacing

S: Tons of figs, a little dark cherry
T: Follows the nose, a little brown sugar, some candi sugar dryness up front. Caramelized & dry sugars, figs as this warms, just a little mushroom & a little boozeyness, plus a little fig. Finishes dry with a little oakyness, more brown & caramelized sugar, more shroomy taste & just a kiss of booze & slight smokeyness

MF: Medium body, fairly lively carbonation, warming

Like most Quads this one hides the heft very well. I found the base Quad more complex, but maybe I should've sat on these longer. BBD is 07.24

edit: Late in the game I'm getting green banana

 

Good afternoon NBW
I picked this can up in Chattanooga, TN yesterday. Bearded Iris Pharmacy (German pilsner)

The review:
16oz can stamped 06.16.21 poured into a stemless wine glass at fridge temp 5% ABV. The beer pours very bright light honey amber with off white head. The head builds quickly and settles slowly to a thin cap and leaves plenty of lacing. The aroma is mild with sweet pale malt and floral hops. The taste is semisweet pale malt with big pine, floral and earthy hop flavor and moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish. Cleanly lagered. Overall, very good. Bearded Iris is known for their hazys, but I won't be passing on their lagers.

Cheers all and greetings from Seneca, SC!

 

Good afternoon NBW, hope everyone is doing well. Buddy of mine had a cookout yesterday, it was a great night of hanging out with friends and great food. Today is just a lazy Sunday at home for me, goal for the evening to review a few brews from @FBarber. Starting with Dovetail Grodziskie, thanks Frank!
4.09/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Thank you FBarber for this
16 oz can poured into a stange

A- A hazy golden straw with a small white head.

S- Smoky, wheat, cloves, touch of citrus, hints of banana.

T- Smoky, touch of charred wood in the finish, some wheat, citrus, hints of cloves.

M- Smooth, crisp, light body.

O- A nice smoked beer, not as good as their smoked Hefeweizen or smoked Doppelbock, but still well done.

Cheers!

 

Been a very busy weekend, hitting New Beer Sunday #855 later than usual. Tried many great beers yesterday including the formally rated 3 Sheeps Pendulum. It was great meeting @scream's wife Jean and son Nate, and the great BA's who were able to make it to 3 Sheeps yesterday.

Many great beers were shared, including this beer that we each got a few of yesterday courtesy of Nate and 3 Sheeps Brewing. It was brewed, and named in honor of Don (his middle name is Pryor).

3 Sheeps Pryor Engagement



Brewer Notes: Triple IPA (sorry Nate), 11.5% ABV. Per Nate, this was brewed with Simcoe, Centennial, Mosaic, Galaxy and Ekuanot hops.

Appearance: Darker tan amber pour, rich creamy egg white head lingers for a few minutes, leaves generous lacing and a puffy cover over the base throughout the pour. Persistent substantial carbonation throughout. 4.5

Aroma: Bold and complex, pine leads, fresh cut grass, citrus and grapefruit back well. Get a bit of caramel malt, strong bitter pine hops aroma keeps the sweetness in check. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with aroma in terms of strength and complexity. Nice bitter pine leads all, sweet fruits balance well, with citrus, grapefruit and a grass melon backing. Really love this one, hard to type in the notes and not gulp down all of it. 4.75

Mouthfeel: Very rich creamy full body, light carbonation, slightly dry, bold strong pine bitterness balanced well against the fruity hop flavors. Drinks much easier than the 11.5% ABV, easy clean finish. 5.0

Overall: This is an outstanding Imperial (Triple) IPA, full of rich flavors. Held well together with old school pine assertiveness, nicely rounded out with the hop selection, full rich creamy body. Very well done Nate, now in my top beers for 2021! Hope 3 Sheeps can return with this again 4.75

Going to start seeing what I missed this weekend online, looking forward to catching up with your review this weekend.

Cheers!

 

This one was located in the "import" section next to Pilsner Urquell in the local grocery store. The bottle is 11.2 ounces just like those found overseas, and it has a Guinness harp on the label. But when you look closer, you see "Baltimore Blonde" on the label. So this is a Guinness beer brewed at a Guinness Brewery in Baltimore; hence the name.
This lager is very crisp and dry with a noticeable, citrusy bitterness you would find in a mild American IPA. The aroma and mouthfeel are pure Euro-like lager, however. You can also detect some dough and faint vanilla in the flavor profile. While I have fond memories of living in the Baltimore area while serving in the military, I still prefer the toucan bird that used to be on the label.

 

Greetings All from the Great Northwest where the dog days of summer have arrived.

Wheat harvest started this week. It's a little early but given the drought and the heat not a surprise.

Today we have City of Dreams Pale Ale from Fort George Brewery in Astoria, Oregon.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16077/282192/

Hazy and fruity. Dogs might not like it but for the dog days of summer it works.

Until next time

 

Christmas in July?!?

 

Thanks to @Roy_Hobbs for getting us rolling this weekend.

It was actually half way decent here, with just a spell of hard rain from the remnants of the hurricane. Managed to get a stuffed meatloaf done on the smoker and the son and grandson made a watermelon sorta sorbet type thing for desert. Watermelon, honey, coconut milk, lemon juice. Very high brain freeze potential, but tasty.

I've been on a Warren Zevon kick recently. I had forgotten how good the self-titled album is how much fun Excitable Boy was, but then it was cherry picking from the rest of the catalogue until The Wind. Weirdly, this led me to Puddles Pity Party covers of Tom Waites and Nick Cave, but I digress...

In the glass is Galaxy Hoppin' from Pipe Dream Brewing in He Hampshire:



Says on BA that this beer is retired. With no date on the cans, I can neither confirm nor deny. But it looks OK and smells fresh enough. My son brought it home.

It pours with a look like grapefruit juice with a white foamy head. Said head falls to a nice, persistent layer with tons of suds sticking to the glass.

The smell is citrus, passion fruit, and apricot, maybe a bit of bread, a bit of pineapple for sure. Pleasant and inviting.

The taste follows along opening with grapefruit blended with passion fruit and apricot. There is actually a decent bit of malt peeking through. There is a little spiciness at the end of the taste and a very mild bitterness, slight resinous character.

The feel is medium bodied, mildly carbonated, and there is a citrus resin build with repeated sips. Slightly dry.

Overall, a good enough brew but it doesn't separate itself from the infinite pack of beers in this style. Enjoyable and tasty for sure and I wouldn't turn one down. But that seems like a problem with the category in general..,there are so many that are decently made and taste good that it is hard to distinguish between them as a drinker or create distinction for the brewer. So I'm feeling this lands in 3.8 territory as a nicely made, enjoyable and tasty Imperial IPA that is one of the multitude.