New Beer Weekend #56

I'm only 47, but I don't see it happening. I'm a lifer. My wife the math teacher, on the other hand, can tell you exactly how many months there are until her (age + experience = 85). The magic formula for an Indiana state teachers pension...

I get the March thing and understood when I posted. I'm just picky on freshness, and didn’t expect to pick up 5 months old beer at a brewery. Ironically, I learned later that the brewery was making lagers even though sales were slow because the brewer loves them. IPAs were their bread and butter. They host (pre-covid) a lager fest in the fall that's on a very short list of beer events that I would love to attend (post-covid).

 

This one isn't as good as their Luponic Distortion IPA. It's okay. Not a drain pour by any means just not my thing.
L: 3.25// S: 3.25// T: 3.5// F: 3.25// O: 3.25
FIRESTONE WALKER PROPAGATOR (any old gator will do) STRATA HAZY IPA 5.6%ABV
12oz can fill dated 5/21/21 into a nonic pint glass.
L: Pours a light yellow gold with medium-large dark sediment chunks. Good carbonation, thin white head down to edge foam. No lacing.
S: Pineapple, white bread crust, figs.
T: Sweet orange, coriander, vanilla, caramel, coconut, almond, lemon peel, passion fruit, light tea in the semi-dry finish.
F: Slightly tart juicy medium-bodied mouthfeel that is gently crisp then moderately thick, sticky and slippery then dry on the palate.
O: A curious hazy IPA with dry, tart fruit tastes and a semi-thick wet mouthfeel. It is okay in it's style.

 

Maybe I miscommunicated. I wasn't saying any of that to invalidate your response to the beer's age. I was supposing that the brewer wasn't actually trying to be incredibly historical with it based on your post. I was just having some fun and really enjoying the coincidence of it all. Did they just happen to brew a Marzen in March coincidentally (which would be an odd beer choice for a US brewer), or were they actually going for a historical approach?

 

Hey all! Tonight I have a new IPA in my glass, brought to us by Stoneface Brewing in collaboration with Orono Brewing out of Maine. I picked up a single can of this a few days ago when I headed to the brewery to pick up a couple of their new releases.



Deer & Moose is a NEIPA clocking in at 6.3% ABV, and it features Vic Secret, Topaz, and Amarillo hops. This was canned on 8/5/21, making it about a week and a half young. Hell yeah! The pour here is very nice... saturated and bright-looking orange toned beer topped off with a generous amount of bone-white head leaving behind swaths of consistent, tiered lace as it slowly falls to a half-finger ring with excellent legs.

Nose is prominent piney resin and mango with orange and papaya-like tropical fruit mingling with the stickiness and intense citrus elements thrown out by Topaz and Amarillo. The press release talks about honeydew melon but I don't find that general element to be too prominent here, honestly. Really seems more focused on a rather brash and aggressive resin-forward aspect mixed with bright, punchy rind-like citrus/tropical citrus.

Grainier than expected on the palate, with rustic wheat hints working decently with the overall soft and fluffy feel expected from this beer style. Flavors of orange, nectarine, and papaya from the hops mix with a powerful bitter kick in the finish, making this less of a juice bomb than other beers that look like this and feature this sort of hop bill. Vic Secret is really pushing some of its elusive spice here, as I get some hints of caraway that remind me a bit of rye, and there are some undertones of florals and bitter herbs peeking out. This is certainly a bit different than I expected it to be, but I appreciate it and am enjoying sipping on it. I don't think it's a beer I'd want to return to consistently, but it is a nice take on a style that is trending towards becoming over-crowded with solid-but-not-spectacular efforts.

 

Yeah, but it would be a nice discussion, comparing my tasting / palate with yours, not a disagreement per se.

 

Thanks all for your thoughtful responses regarding how you treat beer reviews and posts for beers you find to be poor.

@BillAfromSoCal - I do agree settings, company present, ones mood, etc. play a part in ratings people typically don't think about.

I find myself stricter on my favorite styles, just having a better overall appreciation and experience as compared to new to me styles / styles. I have begun transitioning from exploration of breweries and styles to settling on favorites from both categories, though still curious of trying new beers, including solid recommendations here. I've learned a lot from reviewing writing and beer styles in these weekly threads and also the periodic tastings we hold here. Always love learning about beer, as I am still relatively new to the wider beer world.

Will be back when it's time for cooking lunch with my new to me beer today I'm excited to try.

Cheers!

 

Coastal Dreams 2021 From New Holland.

This is denoted by year because it’s a completely different “Coastal Dreams” than they had out previously which I’m given to understand has been retired.

The look of this is very inviting to me. I’m not sure if my picture is doing it justice, but in the light it was a delightful opaque, bright orange with a ruby tinge in the center of the glass that just looked awesome. About a half inch of foam that was gone in seconds. No lacing, no ring.

Nose was complex. Citrus juice and peel, pineapple juice, vanilla, and marshmallow fluff. Follows the description to a tee and all the flavors are distinguishable in the aroma.

Taste follows suit, actually. The only problem I have with it; cloying. This beer is very sweet, beyond anything else I’ve had. It really is like drinking liquid sugar. All the flavors are there, and noticeable; pineapple, orange, marshmallow. Very little hop bitterness it’s there on the backend. Still doesn’t balance out the sweet factor of this for me.

3.48/5

 

I looked at the reviews and ratings after I had it and was shocked it was so low. I guess we are in the minority on this.

I’m guessing you’re right on the local brewery, time will tell and I look forward to seeing if the prediction is correct.

 

That particular year (2017? maybe), he brewed a Marzen in March and a Festbier style in September. Before the "lager revolution" we are experiencing now, he was trying to educate folks about lagers i.e. there's more than Bud Light.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned on 7/8/21. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow with a solid finger plus sticky white head that leaves plenty of thin streaks of lace, with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma pineapple, peach, papaya, melon, coconut, and apricot. 4.25

Taste pineapple, peach, papaya, honeydew, coconut, and apricot really balanced. 4.25

Mouthfeel is bigger than average, not sticky or dry, soft gentle carbonation, and at 6.2% it drinks bigger in flavor, but goes down really easy. 4.5

Overall another excellent NEIPA from a great brewery. Highly recommend. 4.25

 

Good day all yinz NBSers! A cross-post with WBAYinzDN:

Off to another day with fall definitely in the air - it's cold outside and the dew is thick. Too bad - I love the warm, humid weather! May pick some zukes again today (Zukes, a common garden weed), tomatoes, and peppers. Grew enough squash last year I didn't need to plant any this year. May reload some 44 mag today. But if Noir Alley is on, there goes the morning. Today's New Breakfast Beer is the lone survivor from NBS BIF #13, thanks @Rub_This_BBQ !



Nanaimo Barrel Aged from Trillium Brewing. Received on 9/4/21 from @Rub_This_BBQ in NBW/NBS BIF #13. 25.4 oz capped bottle stored at home at 42 degrees. Reviewed 15/8/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
“11/01/19” stamped on side of label. Served at 57.3 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 61.8 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Amber Brown (SRM 18), murky.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque with dancing effervescence. When rear-lite, same.
Head – Tiny (Maximum one cm, aggressive center pour), caramel, low density and fizzy, no retention, diminishing to a one mm crown and no cap, just a surface pocked by jetsam and a seven mm veil marking the former location of the head. Second pour produces 0.5 cm head, gone almost instantly.
Lacing – None, but really didn’t expect any for a 14.9% brew.
Aroma – 4 – Bourbon. No malt, no hops, no yeast, and none of the other additives.
Flavor – 4 – Flavor follows the nose but cloying as well. Flavor is less harsh than straight bourbon, probably because of the graham crackers and some candi sugar/brown sugar. No malt, no hops, no yeast, no vanilla and especially no chocolate. No ethanol (14.9 % ABV, marked on container) taste or aroma. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Full, creamy, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 Well, I may have held this one too long. Basically, it’ll kill diabetics and the bourbon is the predominant flavor. This seems like one of Southern Tier’s dessert beers. Still, the bourbon flavor makes it drinkable and the absence of alcohol in taste and nose makes it desirable.

Rating 4, rDev -9.1%

And a quick follow-up: apparently Noir Alley isn't on again until SEP.

 

I didn’t realize it was intentional. Please ignore my other posts.

 

For me, both yes and no. I sort of try to avoid extremely negative responses (ie this beer is an abomination and the brewers should be executed!) versus "this beer didn't live up to my expectations". Sugar coating, maybe. Less than honest, definitely. But I try to give an honest review without being corrosive or slamming anyone. If you really slam in a review, any honest criticisms will probably be ignored. And just because I find some thing abhorrent about a brew doesn't mean someone else won't enjoy the same factor. And by the same note, those beers received as gifts (ie NBS, ninja, etc) I do try to mellow any actual verbal reviews although the numerical ratings are honest.

 

May I ask where you found this Brew? It sounds right up my alley, and now that Mrs Lizard and I are out of quarantine, a short drive to MN is not out of the question.

 

Abs-fucking-lutely!

 

I've been to Kundmuller twice, both times pleasant visits although it's a long climb. Particularly enjoyed the visit to the caves and wished I could try the stored personal family brews!

 

I agree - Boddington's on tap is easy to drink and the cans are easy as well - maybe it's not the best brew around but it's still chuggable!

 

Welcome to NBS #860!!!

My second planned pour for the weekend is a collaboration between two localish breweries (18th Street out of Gary/Hammond) brewed for the upcoming Barrel & Flow Festival held in Pittsburgh the weekend after Labor Day.

Revolution & 18th Street Collaboration Shop Talk



Can notes: 16 oz canned 7/27/21 11:32:30. West Coast Style IPA. An official 2021 Barrel and Flow Fest collaboration. A classic IPA celebrating conversation, healing, and growth in our communities. Lined up with Centennial, Amarillo, Chinook and Cryo-Simcoe hops and brought to life by friends who go way back.

Appearance: Long pour and then top off of 16 oz can into a shaker pint glass. Clear orange tan base, light carbonation, creamy white head lingers bit leaving fine bubble lacing. 3.75

Aroma: Nice strong aromas, tropical fruit leads, grapefruit, tangerine, citrus. Nice pine backing, grassy. Sweet, enticing. 4.0

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, pine leads, sharp bitter. Fruits provide somewhat of a balance, but cannot hold their own, citrus the primary warrior in this battle. Dry and dank, old school WCIPA. Digging this a lot. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body, faint carbonation. Strong levels of dryness, solid bitterness, drinks at to slightly above the 7% ABV, light dry finish. 4.0

Overall: If you are looking for an old school WCIPA, this hits the spot. Dry bitter pine, aroma broader than the taste. Really liking this, will try to pick up another four pack before these are gone. Another solid collaboration by Revolution, and another enjoyable 18th Street brew for me! 4.0

Looking forward to following the thread for the rest of the day. Hope your beers are as good as this one. Cheers!