New Beer Weekend #52

1st vacation in 18 months , bonus is being in Maine and at a gas station / beer store finding fresh bissell .. score .


lux from Bissell

4.06/5 rDev -3.3
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Date 7/6/21 poured into a snifter glas

L: burnt orange strong haze. 2 + finger white head fades to + lacing

S: mango, with a hint of dankess

T: low bitterness, ripe mango is the main player no malt /yeast

M: average to low carb, finishes thin

O: for a solo pale ale at 5.1 does a good job highlight mosaic hops.

 

Insane storm just rolled through, wind wasn’t bad but house was shaking from thunder. Power flickered several times went off twice and came back. Fingers crossed it stays, I don’t mind losing power but I feel for our two kids. Round two comes later tonight according to weather app. Anyway onto the beer.

Hill Farmstead Nelson Pale Ale



A very vibrant pale beer, hazy yes but signs of clarity on the edges. Great head and retention with some very nice lacing. Hill Farmstead has consistently some of the best lacing beers I’ve had.

Aroma is best described as vibrant fruity to me. I’m not the best with fruit descriptors but I would say there’s something like a citrus type berry aroma, subtle white grape and subtle frankness as well.

The flavor shows the same citrus berry thing and the white grape too.

The mouthfeel is so soft and clean. It has a nice medium bitterness and finishes dry.

This beer is such a perfect pale ale, it’s drinkable, clean, complex yet simple at the same time. It’s a beautiful looking beer and it’s mouthfeel is really really pleasant. I’m very glad I get to try HF beers once a year and bring some home.

 

Took a drive to Sheboygan, Wi. just for yucks had a tasty brat and this!



4.41/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a dark brown small khaki head that fades quickly, moderate lacing.
Coffee, leather, toffee, chocolate maybe some ash. Taste matches the aroma on this one. This is a bit thin for the style, carbonation is moderate. Easy drinking, at 13.5%, that makes this dangerous. My first beer from them, damn good!

 

Alesmith Speedway Stout - Mostra Coffee and Coconut



Not to lard up this thread with personal matters but this is my first beer in a month after open heart surgery and a subsequent problem that, even though I was in no danger, required me to be attached to an IV for almost four weeks. I'm far along on the road to recovery and am feeling much better than pre surgery when, frankly, I was feeling ancient. I'm on blood thinners which means limited beer consumption but that will increase over time. It's good to be back

3.91/5 rDev -6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This was a disappointment related to the high expectations in everything but look. Coffee was fine in smell and taste but coconut is awol. Alcohol is very well hidden. Feel was very smooth but lacking in imperial stout heft. I really expected more.

[edit]As it warmed (more than I thought was necessary in the summer) the coffee and even coconut began making their presence felt so the taste and feel ratings were upgraded.

 

I’m glad you’re doing well and able to enjoy a beer with us again. I hope you’re recovery continues and that you’ll be back more and more.

 

New Province Brewing Co.'s Dreaming in Tangerine IPA, 6.2%; 4.22 overall local superstar

Pours an effervescent & not quite bright honey color with a pinky of fast falling beige head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Loads of oranges

T: Sweet oranges, a touch of lime & grassyness up front. More sour tangerine notes as this warms along with dryness, plus a little sweet orange slice to offset the bitterness. Finishes with citrus sweetness & a little bit of grassyness/dryness

MF: Medium body, subdued carbonation, lovely balance

Great drinkability, delivers on flavor & juicyness without being too cute

 

Lacing is interesting. Does it likely presage a finely made beer or does it fit our eye for its aesthetic value? Duvel and La Chouffe always amazed me and they are both great beers. But it was the English ales that first caught my eye; in England when I was young and later when I sold Young's ales out of good old London. Their London Special Ale was a hoppy ale (Kentish hops) that was stark, ahead of its time, and pitched a frothing rocky head with lacing that ran out of room at the bottom of the glass. I can still smell that beer!

 

This one from Modist Brewing is really impressive with Citra & Sultana. Poured into a 13 oz Nordic pint glass canned 6/21/21. Pours a dark hazy yellow with a finger sticky white head that leaves a thin wall of lace, with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma ripe melon, passionfruit, Dank marijuana, apricot, and some white grapefruit rind. 4.25

Taste follows cantaloupe, passionfruit, apricot, marijuana, and a little hint of grapefruit bitterness. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above medium, a tad sticky not dry, soft gentle carbonation, and at 7.1% ABV it is big on flavor, but easy going down. 4.5

Overall this is really impressive, I am glad I grabbed this one when I left Minnesota. 4.25

 

Real Black Quad Ale, 10.5% ABV, 3.86 overall

Pours an effervescent mahogany with one finger of of tan head. No head retention or lacing

S: Some green banana, some brown sugar

T: Follows the nose, also getting dryness, figs & choke cherry up front, a little bit of mushroom as well. Mushrooms, dryness & brown sugar as this warms. Finishes dry with green bananas, brown sugar & a little cinnamon

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation, warming

Solid quad, just needs more depth of flavor, a sipper to be sure. ABV gets there eventually, a sipper

 

Poured into a 13 oz Nordic pint glass not sure when it was canned. Pours a very attractive yellow orange with a half finger sticky white head that leaves a thick ring of lace, with nice retention. 4.5

Aroma coconut dominates, some pineapple, and did I mention coconut really not getting anything else. If you like coconut you will dig this one. 4.25

Taste follows coconut just over the top, with just a hint of pineapple my god how much coconut did they toss in this? 4

Mouthfeel is above average, not dry or sticky, soft gentle carbonation, and at 7.2% it goes down really easy. 4.25

Overall I do like it, but it might be the most one dimensional NEIPA I have ever tasted. Citra gets lost with all the coconut. 4

 

Poured into a 13 oz Nordic pint glass not sure when it was canned. Pours a very dark brown with a finger sticky light brown head that leaves thin streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma is coconut, cocoa nibs, coffee grounds, and toffee. 4.25

Taste follows toasted coconut, cocoa, coffee, and toffee coconut is dominate but everything lends a hand. 4.25

Mouthfeel is a little above average, maybe a little dry, gentle carbonation, and at 6.2% ABV it drinks a little bigger but goes down easily. 4.25

Overall this is a really nice Porter, that will leave you craving the next sip. Well done and silky smooth. 4.25 Good night all.

 

Is it just the color balance of your photo or is that one ugly beer?

 

Ah, now I see the smoky tint in the stem ... I hadn't noticed that the glass was tinted (or that it was plastic).

 

First I wish I could have experienced that beer in England you talked about. I’ve always enjoyed good lacing.

I think to answer the question it may be both. I’d love to here other opinions on this too. For me lacing is a sign of attention to detail with usually (not always) translates to a good beer. I also love it just as much for aesthetic, we do drink and taste with our eyes so the prettier that beer is the better it “tastes.”

Anyone else feel the same or otherwise?