New Beer Weekend #56

I’m an inveterate overrater, but as a couple of others have mentioned, that’s probably because I do a significant amount of research here before I buy something (unless it’s from my locals Bare Hands and Transient), so I almost always purchase something I’m pretty sure I’m going to enjoy.

Having said that, if I don’t like something I’m drinking, I’ll share that in my review, hopefully in a constructive way. I owe that to the other beer nerds that utilize this site as I do, to make informed beer purchases.

 

I almost grabbed a single and I may go ahead and do so next time now. Last one I had was the new Belgium old fashioned one and I enjoyed it.

I’ve enjoyed reading about the brewery you’ve been posting about @MNAle. You don’t hear much about Scandinavian brewing really and it’s cool to get some education reading your posts. That picture you posted was pretty neat and that beer really sounds nice, the juniper berry added would be interesting to try. I’ve always been fascinated with those Scandinavian countries

 

Hello NBW friends. I meant to post these two beers yesterday, but the campground where we have our camper (which does not have WiFi) was hit by some severe storms last week and the cell service was significantly impacted, so we had no (as in zero) internet access, and only local channels Friday and Saturday.

It was literally like being back in the ‘70s, and actually pretty enjoyable.

We’re back home, so I’ll share these two now, then be back later with today’s new beer (or beers - gotta mull that decision over a bit). First up is a jalapeño blonde ale out of Kalamazoo MI. That’s not a typo.





4.04/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a golden straw color with a fluffy, sudsy white head. The aroma has a SIGNIFICANT jalapeño aroma that verges on vegetal on the nose - it literally leaps from the can. There’s also a bit of sweet bread on the nose, with is welcome.

The jalapeño is very forward and very prominent on the taste, but it’s not very spicy at all, and it leaves room for the sweet bready flavor balance things really well.

The mouthfeel is medium, and carb’d well. If you like the flavor of jalapeño (I do), this beer will work for you, but if you don’t, avoid it at all costs.

Next up, this beer is world-class, IMHO. Revolution’s barrel program may be the best in the country.

Yep, I typed that.





4.6/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark cola brown with a light tan head that is a little creamy and sticks around for a while with a bit of lacing, which surprised me given the high ABV (15%). Absolutely gorgeous strong ale.

Given there’s 36 oak barrels utilized to brew this beer, it’s no surprise there’s a significant oak and booze component, but they are surprisingly not overwhelming, allowing molasses, dark chocolate, vanilla, and stone fruit aromas to shine as well. Wow.

The taste picks up those dark chocolate and vanilla flavors first, and there’s a bit of stone fruit which works well, but it’s the molasses that makes this beer, providing a rich, textured sweet flavor that leads perfectly to the slightly boozy finish. This is SOOOOOO delicious on my palate.

The mouthfeel is rich and creamy, fitting the gravitas of the beer. What a flavorful joyride this beer is. Extraordinarily well done by one of my favorite breweries.

PS: Mrs O and I went fishing yesterday, our first time enjoying probably our favorite sport since we moved from Minnesota 4 years ago. As you can see, my prowess as a beer nerd is surpassed by my fishing skills.

 

I have had local Marzens/O'fests from breweries around me that are not in "season" but are fresh brewed (like in the winter or spring, just whenever they get around to making it I guess). I'm fine with it as long as its a good beer, sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't

 

Good day Advocates! What a winner here. Fantastic all around and it's my 1st. I've had a number of barrel aged and bourbon barrel stouts. This one is beautiful, woody, boozy and deep. Bottle fill date in 10/23/20. Immense flavors, like lots! and it's ready now or in a year or more. The purpose-built bourbon and barrel tastes are in the forefront of the flavor profile. A world class tremendously brilliant stout! Skol!!
KBS Barrel Aged Flavored Stout 12%ABV
L: 4.5// S: 4.75// T: 4.75// F: 4.75// O: 4.75//
12oz bottle fill dated 10/23/20 into a large snifter.
L: Pours a deep dark brown to black with a small amount of light breaching the top edge. It has a dark cocoa 3/4" head that dissipates to edge foam with no visible carbonation and minimal spotty lacing.
S: Up front bourbon, maple syrup, molasses, vanilla, leather and dark roasted malts.
T: Maple, bourbon, char, oak, coffee, tobacco, brown sugar, bakers chocolate, leather, raisins, dark figs, light marshmallow, candied cherries. It is moderately sweet.
F: It has a firm medium-bodied mouthfeel, fair carbonation, is rich yet thinnish and has a medium-long finish.
O: This flavored stout is ready to drink or can be cellared to a vintage of your choosing. In an optimum storage environment it's flavors will change well over time. It is robust, woody, bourbon, cocoa, vanilla. Excellent in it's style.

 

A month or 2 ago Hammerheart announced the shut down of their Lino Lakes brewery and that they were seeking a contract brewing partner for their distributed beers. (They announced at the same time they would be opening a brewpub - no distribution - in northern MN, but they did not have the location firm as yet).

This means that during this transition their beers in distribution are rapidly dwindling. The store I bought it from (France 44 in Minneapolis) no longer has any.

IDK if any other Minneapolis/St Paul metro stores have any left.

 

Good afternoon NBS/NBW and thanks @Victory_Sabre1973 for the great start.
I try to be straight down the middle with reviews, it can take a few reads before I save to ensure theres no extra love or hate in whats posted. I think the question for this week was an excellent one.
Todays offering is from our good friends at Cambridge Brewing Company. They work in a lot of dirrefent style arenas, not an easy feat for most brewers.
Short King is a lovely mixed culture/Brett table beer. BA listing has this at 3.4%, my bottle has 4.5% on the label. Crisp, a bit prickly in texure. excellent Brett display, and a fine grainy base.
Hits the spot this afternoon.
Cheers all

Short King

Farmhouse Ale - Saison | 3.4% ABV

Cambridge Brewing Company
Cambridge, Massachusetts

4.03/5 rDev -1.5% | Average: 4.09
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 750 ml bottle, date 10 May 2021.
A - Lite straw color, a hint of haze cant hide the active carbonation, The cap is loose bleached cotton and quite something to behold
S - Certainly starts with the Brett, blanket, hay funk. There is also a nice citrussy lemongrass, all stored in a dusty cave. All in the best ways.
T - Grainy, spelt and barley from the description. Excellent grain expression, then the citrussy lemongrass, then the Brett, yeast. The offering is as expressive of the mixed culture as it is the grains.
M - Spritzy on the palate, crisp and very dry in the finish.
O - A lovely Table Beer, Texture is lively, full of lovely grain with deftly applied mixed culture. The complete package here. A large chacuturie is all thats missing

 

Emo's Breakfast a 5.3 American Pilsner from Twin Elephant brewing. This beer is brewed with 2 different Pilsner malts, Eraclea Malt from Italy's Adriatic Coast and Superior Pilsen malt from Canada. Nobel hops aren't used Hallertau Blanc and Nelson Sauvin are. Guess that is why they call it an American Pilsner. Emo's Breakfast is dry hopped and spends 4 weeks lagering. Lager yeast is used, This beer was canned in a 32OZ crowler on 08/12, Poured into a tulip the beer is a light gold color with a thick head that does not last for more than a few min, The aroma is not Pilsner like, there is a nice malt presence but it's mostly various fruits from the hops. The taste is the same except the malt is a little stronger, Medium mouthfeel and a lasting long finish, Overall this beer should not be called a Pilsner but it tastes great and that's what matters to me. Elm's Breakfast is an excellent Summer beer, well done Twin Elephant.

 

Howdy everybody! I haven't really been doing too much on the new beer front lately, but I have one for this beautiful Sunday afternoon.

I was in scenic downtown Hackensack yesterday and figured I'd stop by Hackensack Brewing for some cans to go. I know that they brew a wide range of styles but the stores up by me only seem to carry the hazies. Thankfully there were several options available, and here's one of them:

Above Ground Pool Wit

This is extremely well done, and a fitting choice to put in that Celis glass. Where a lot of Craft witbiers seem to get it wrong is they usually have a sharp angular yeast signature that smacks you in the face; this one avoids that pitfall. It's actually pretty delicate and well knit, overall.

There's naturally the host of spice-like flavors that contribute to the profile: peppercorn, coriander, dried orange peel, mace, meyer lemon, maybe even a hint of fennel. But nothing is overly prominent, it's a seamless blend. The base beer does contribute that baguette crust platform, is fairly dry with a satiny feel. The finish is long with lemon peel and spice. A genuine pleasure to drink and has me wishing I had bought more than 1 pack. Very solid A- (4.35), manages to be gentle without being wishy-washy.

Btw, happy birthday weekend to @tasterschoice62 !

 

Good afternoon NBW
It's been another productive day off, but I'm losing motivation and wanting a new beer. Today's first is Deliria from Brewery Huyghe. This one actually showed up locally and was an instant pick up as a single, even though pales aren't my favorite Belgian style.

11.2oz can stamped L1119 (brewed in April 2021?) poured into a tulip glass at 54° Fahrenheit 8.5% ABV. The beer pours brilliantly bright pale gold in color with nearly white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. A web of clingy lacing stays behind as the level drops in the glass. The aroma is mild with pale malt up front and lesser notes of bubblegum and clove. The taste is pale malt followed by an immediate earthy, drying bitterness and flavors of white grape, clove, grass and bubblegum. Moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, very good. This beer is slightly drier, more bitter and presents more hop flavor than most Belgian Strong Pale Ales. I very much enjoy it for all those reasons more so that most in the style.

I'm not sure what the rest of the day holds. I may, or may not, be back. Regardless, enjoy your Sunday and the new beer in your glass today!

 

Wow 3 pages already, great job guys (multi-gender "guys" implied). Unfortunately I was too beat up from working on house projects in the high-heat-index yesterday to participate. Well I've recovered, time for a new beer.
Grey Sail Brewing, the people the brought you the popular Captain's Daughter notw have a new Nelson Sauvin hazy. And it's pretty good.

4.36/5 rDev +11.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 16oz stamped "FULL NELSON 06-21" at fridge temp to a Nonic.
Apricot orange/yellow haze sits below a .5" white head that fades in 3-4 minutes and does not lace the glass.
Aroma is Nelsonesque (sic), grapes, melon, etc. (yea, know, its a cop out).
Taste follows nose (lame writing), but it does. Just a minor hint of alcohol on the finish. Not annoying, I only note that because its only 7.0%.
Mouthfeel is fairly impressive, probably due to the oats.
Overall a great beer. I will buy again.

 

Nothing Gold by Bissell Brothers



4.38/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pint can poured into a pint glass

Hazy orange murk bomb creates a pencil thick off white foamy cap , good retention , clingy lacings and a solid island are the result

DIPA brewed with Citra, Equinox, and Amarillo hops.

Aroma is citrus, tropical fruits, papaya, flowery

Taste is papaya , caramelized citrus rind,flowery

Mouthfeel is heavy, full, creamy with a hop bite on the finish



Good beer

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! A sunny, warm day here in the Fourth Corner. The smoke that's been in the air lately has lessened up, and it's rather nice out. First up is a Kolsch, that's a collab between Otherlands (one of the top 3 breweries in my town) and Twin Sisters (one of the bottom 3 breweries in town), 234 paces. it has that name because the breweries are, well, 234 paces apart. It's quite nice:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/52775/561815/

 

Another hit from Bravo Brewing Co. of scenic Pascoag RI.
Making It's BA debut, Bombshell Blonde. Nice looks, big taste in a light body. Refreshing and session-able.


4.02/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

An easy pour from a 32-oz. crowler produced a finger of fizzy white foam with short retention and no lacing. A thin ring persists over a clear golden-straw color with orange highlights.

Mild smell of rising bread dough with herbal and floral hops. A hint of general fruit (not citrus) and baked bread in the rear.

Full taste of bready malt and balancing hops with a hint of grape and apple juice (it's not juicy). Semi-sweet with mild bitterness, Quick, almost Lager-like finish leads to a slowly waning hoppy aftertaste with a modest rise in bitterness.

Light body with medium low carbonation, smooth easy drinker. Alcohol is well hidden, perfect for summer outdoors.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Swiggers and commentators. Five straight days of hot, muggy, "dog day" weather have broken and today is gorgeous with low humidity, temps in the low 80s, and a gentle breeze. My brother-in-law and his family from Michigan stayed at our shore house last week and left a bunch of beer for me. The first is a German Pilsner, Big Yellow Truck, from Territorial Brewing Company in Battle Creek. I'm using my favorite pilsner glass.

It pours a cloudy, grassy, golden-yellow color with a modest, bright white cap and lacing. It boasts a very appealing nose with sweet, bready malt, caramel, and gentle spices. I was concerned it would be overly sweet but it isn't. While there are notes of brown bread and caramel, it's rather dry and with a heavy dose of burnt nuts and earthy bitterness. I wish I knew the age of the can; it appears this beer is brewed year-round so it's hard to tell. I finishes with more bitterness than I anticipated. As expected, the mouth feel is crisp and lite and pleasantly carbonated. The 5.3% ABV makes for easy drinking. Overall, anyone who enjoys a German Pilsner should like Big Yellow Truck. It's well-brewed and great for summer, outdoor drinking.

3.99/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I'll be back shortly with a local IPA I'm anxious to try. Cheers, NBW!

 

I meant to thank @Victory_Sabre1973 for the early opening of the thread on my first post yesterday, but somehow I left it out.

So, thank you! Sorry about your insomnia, but it was nice to have the thread started early for a change!

For last week's online tasting of fruited kettle sours et al, I bought SeaQuench in the 12-can sample pack from Dogfish Head. Even though the other three beers didn't excite me much (a NEIPA, a session NEIPA, and an AIPA), I had not had them before, so, I thought, what the heck?

With that exciting introduction... the NEIPA:

Dogfish Head Hazy-O
ABV: 7.1%
IBU: 45

The aroma is relatively subdued, but includes some complexity of melon, pineapple, and sweet bread. Even though a bit weak, the aroma is enticing.

Hazy orange, dark from the front, light orange with a backlight, with tiny carbonation bubbles rising along the sides of the glass to a 1 inch or so off-white head with OK retention.

The flavor contains a rich mixture of fruits. Melon, citrus - grapefruit - (without any citric acid), pineapple, even a touch of berry. A bit of honey. Bready malts. Only the faintest bitterness. The middle is, like the initial taste, fruity and bready, but not what I would call juicy. IOW, the flavors of the fruits without giving the impression you are drinking juice. The finish and aftertaste are quite mild, while holding the flavors on my tongue. The beer tends toward the sweet side, but not overly so.

The mouth feel is pillowy creamy smooth.

Overall, a very good beer. I have no idea how it compares with the standards of the style, since I gave up on chasing the locals hop-burning attempts some time ago, and I've never actually tried a NEIPA from the highly thought of brewers of the style. But, I am enjoying drinking this one, wherever it falls on the hype-train scale. It is one of the (if not THE) best of this style from a national brewer. Better than the SN Hazy Little Thing, IMO.

L: 4.0 | S: 3.75 | T: 4.0 | F: 4.0 | O: 4.0 | Rating: 3.94

 

Good afternoon NBW, hope everyone is doing well. Spent most of the weekend with my wife celebrating our first anniversary, including a day trip and wonderful dinner in Philly yesterday. Now we are having a lazy Sunday and I’m opening Dogfish Head Shadow & Substance.
4.31/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

375 ml bottle poured into a snifter

A- A dark brownish with a small tan head.

S- Tart, cherries, some figs, oak, lovely undertones of coffee and cocoa, touch of wine, some leather.

T- Sour, cherries, some coffee, figs, red wine, oak, hints of chocolate, touch of leather.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty sour, base seems to be a nice Flanders ale and the extra ingredients and barrel work well with it.

Cheers!

 

Great question. While I don't believe in "sugar-coating" reviews there have been a few times where I decided not to post one at all. These were situations where a beer was purchased at a bottle shop and something was obviously wrong with it. The brewery cannot control what happens to a can or bottle once it enters the distribution chain so shouldn't be unduly criticized. For example, I once bought a pack of a black lager from a local brewery at a bottle shop and it was almost nauseating. I think it must have been too old and long on the shelf. That said, breweries can be partially culpable by not dating their cans. I thought I was purchasing the current annual release and it was probably a year old.

 

Ok, after a little trip on the byways and freeways of western MD, WV, and western VA, I got to stop by one of my favorite VA breweries, that has changed names. The gentleman at Cushwa mentioned the name Vibrissa to me, and I was mildly confused, but it all makes sense now. Sorta.

Anyhow, the brewery has changed its name, though the sign out front still bears the old name, Front Royal Brewing Company. I’m going to try to be fair in my ratings here, though I can’t admit to always being totally up front in all of them. There’s an occasional fudge factor, though there’s no rhyme nor reason to when I employ it. As many, I try to explain the beer with the review, which I feel can give context to the numbers I chose.

First up today, an IPA called Gracious Living.


This beer looks quite nice, but the lovely head that marks my sips might be caused by a little more carbonated beverage than I wanted or expected. Aromas are also a bit muted, but what I get is familiar - some honey grain bread with grapefruit rind and some light pine.

The cold beer took a little warmth to open up on the aroma, but the taste also required getting past that carbonation which grabbed my tongues attention. Not sure if time or warmth corrected things more. I got a pine bitterness in the last half of the taste from the get go. Some honey up front, piney with maybe a tuft of grass or two in back. Bitterness is actually stronger initially, and softens with warmth as the beer becomes more cohesive overall. By the last quarter glass, it’s a more balanced pale ale.

Started the morning with a decent but short hike, rock scramble at a state park. The highlight is, of course, the larger of the falls


On the trip to the brewery, I passed by many windmills atop the Appalachian range. I’m likely in the minority, but I actually find the things nice to look at.