New Beer Weekend #57

No judgment here! Enjoy what you enjoy, life is too brief for drinking beer you don’t enjoy.
Just be sure to tell us all about them so we can ramp up our desires to visit Europe for the beers you describe!

 

Thanks to @colby600 this is my new weekend beer.

Fox Farm Brewery Sway American Lager

Clear light yellow color with a big rocky white cap that quickly dissipates.

Aroma of clean, sweet grain and tangerine fruit sprinkled with lemon zest. There are hops in there but the scent is well covered up.

Taste on entry is full, rich grain and surprisingly hoppy. Bittering hops of some variety that announce their presence with a trumpet blast yet are not overpowering in any way rather melding effortlessly with the grain. I actually get more hops in the aftertaste than in scent or flavor but hop presence does not rise above the role of a support player.

Medium texture with balancing carbonation that is a touch more than it needs.

Overall this is an outstanding American Lager.

 

Good Sunday morning NBS/NBW and thanks @lordofthewiens for hosting this week, brings back memories! Well the storm named after our #2 son is making its presence known. We expect mostly more rain, apologies to my BA friends in the west. I wish you could have some of it.
Todays offering is from Estonia, a lovely Imperial Stout. Not as thick as we make them here, however excellent texture, and plenty of flavor range. A lovely beer that I will get some more of. The BB date is 08/22 so a few for science purposes.

Do good all

Imperial Extra Double Stout

Stout - Russian Imperial | 7% ABV

A. Le Coq
Tartu, Estonia

4.02/5 rDev +3.1% | Average: 3.9
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from 500 ml bottle with a BB date 21/08/22 into the test glass.
A - Bakers chocolate color, hides everything, a beautiful cap of mocha color resides through the experience. The lacing is spectacular, ring after ring after ring. A beautiful beer
S - Dark chocolate, a bit of char, some Anise, and dark berry on the nose.
T - Dark fruits first then the dark chocolate, a bit of espresso, and dark roast malts
M - Smooth, not silky with a steady texture, finish is a bit dryer than the start. Linger feels like a comfy chair.
O - A really good and frankly affordable Imp Stout, I have had American Robust Porters that are thicker in body but this offering is strong in flavor, texture all while keeping it on the thinner side of the aisle. A lovely beer

 

Oktoberfest Marzen Lager from Lakefront Brewery in Milw. WI. This is also the 1st beer I have ever had from Lakefront. This is a nice Oktoberfest. It pour a dark Amber-Red with a thick tan head. Powerful malt aroma brew bread and grain. Malty taste slightly sweet with a nice herbal hop for balance. Very full mouthfeel off dry lasting finish. A very nice Oktoberfest

 

Hey what's going on!?

I am really busy this weekend so can't talk much, but at least got in some new brews.

I'll post the one I had yesterday, and I am currently drinking this one right now. Always up for more coffee additions!



Poured from the can into a Libbey style pilsner glass.

Deep lemon body color, unfiltered and slightly hazed appearance but with some clarity and nice reams of linear fine carbonation. Fluffy and very rocky topped head, big bubbled and easily three fingers in height. Surprising amount of retention for a pils, with some scattered wet lacing. Really nice semi unfiltered look and appearance.

Neat aroma. Added coffee angle is there, but its more of a subtle roast note, with a touch of acidic berry like fruit. Chewy sensing malt with a little bit of depth, and good and clean aroma so far.

Palate goes in some unexpected directions. Mid palate has a bit of a milky flavor, touching a little bit of herbal grassy hop and lemon like notes. Coffee notes come out only slightly on the finish and are very fleeting, but also seem to take out much of the bready and herbal base flavors while drinking. Light touches of acidic fruity berry, and a good dryness.

This is a solid pilsner, but the added coffee seems fleeting and not contrasting that well with the base beer. More of a clash than a compliment, not to say that coffee in lighter beer styles is a bad thing cause I have had some decent ones. At least a decent pils remains.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75 | 3.87/5

and from yesterday, an Imperial Milk Stout from Bluejackt in DC




Poured from the can into a teku glass.

Thick rich looking body, with a light oily pour. Colors dark walnut brown, with a real dark tan not quite cocoa colored head. Rich filling, with fine tan bubbles slightly on the sides, and a nice topped thin puck.

Considering the variety of flavors and ingredients added to this stout, a dominant aroma is one that doesn't even appear to be an ingredient, an overwhelming sense of maple syrup. There's some light touches of faint dark cocoa too. This is quite a good aroma, but certainly not what I was expecting.

Palate is unexpected but decent. Very light bodied for such a high abv beer, bordering on wet mouthfeel. Still the palate is supportive and full of good stout flavor. Light touches of milky maple, and also a nice mix of coffee and carob nib like chocolate bark flavors. Finishes quite fast though, even a touch of earthy hop spice to go along with it.

A bit unexpected in flavor, but still respectable. Doesn't quite hang with the big guns but nothing to be ashamed of here.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 | 4.03/5

Cheers!

 

I know that's a classic packaging, but all in all it is beautiful to my eye. Cheers all!

 

There was a thread on what this glass is called.

... Addams Pint?

@FBarber, @zid, @beer_beer ??

 

Nice choice. The brewer of that beer is one of the most important brewers in the story of Russian imperial stout. A. Le Coq, founded in 1807, was an exporter that brought stout and ale to Russia, and eventually brewed beer within the Russian Empire itself.

Here’s a post I once made about it (it’s the second beer in the post, not the first one despite the look-alike label).

 

@BillAfromSoCal

 

Great start @lordofthewiens !!
And I'm happy to see quite a few of the old-timers, er uh, frequent flyers in attendance...

Old Towne Block Party: 5th Anniversary Celebration DDH DIPA by Chapman Crafted
On tap at Chapman.
Fluffy white head provides a regal crown to this slightly opaque and muddled gold vision. Great retention with clumpy lacing.
Nose abounds with orange and grapefruit zest, lemon blossoms, hints of apricot, melon, herbal spice, grass, and mildly sweet grain. Some of the notes go toward what I would describe as "tropical" without being able to discern specific fruits.
Flavor follows the nose loyally. Lots going on here. The citrus, melon, stone fruits, and mild herbal spice all get turns to shine in this ensemble cast, but the spotlight tends to linger on the grapefruit zest, herbal spice, and the generally tropical notes.
Mouthfeel is medium, active carbonation, and finishes a bit dry and bitter.
Overall, a fun ride. Give it time, it really allows the variety of hops to pitch in on the overall performance.
Hops listed on the can: Citra, Saphir, Simcoe, Idaho 7, & Loral.
3.96/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

This is pretty good and might find its way into a box soon, just saying'

Speaking of boxes...



Here we go NBW friends and fans. It’s coming…


NBS BIF #14

Yes, the legendary New Beer Sunday BIF lives on. The saga continues. Seven years and still going strong. The anticipation is electrifying.


Look what participants (and victims) say:

From NBS BIF #1…

“We all knew, when we signed up for this mission, that not all porches and tables would be coming back. They give so we may toast! Cheers!”
- @BBThunderbolt

“Damn!!! That's a haul!!! So wanna hang with you. F to porches!!!”
-anonymous

“That....that is simply incredible. Amazing, amazing box!”
- @Roguer

“Just woke up to a GIANT box on my kitchen table from @beertunes !! The Fed Ex man threw out his back carrying it up to the porch. Actually I think its more tape than cardboard box! “
- @strohme2


And the BIF has only grown from there...

Who can forget the wordsmithing of NBS BIF #2 Hints, Hauls, and Haikus?
The banter and bluster take many forms, from the literary…

My target is one who might
Get a flash of fright
Their steps may skew
The bottles won't be few
And the box won't be light

To the not so literary....

Newcomer to BIF
"...ready to Fuck up a porch"
Sounds bad, but good gift.

The vastness of our BIF is astounding…

“My target lives between the second and fourth planets of our solar system.”
- @cavedave

Profound moments arise that question our current understanding of the very laws and theories of our time:

“How do you fit 15 cans of awesomeness into a box that was clearly meant to hold no more than 8. The laws of physics be damned.”


And the cameraderie and congeniality knows no bounds…

”Ninja box has landed! Holy Jebus @SammyJaxxx !! Thanks a lot Greg!!!

"What I have seen here is beyond amazing. The generosity and thoughtfulness I have seen restores my hope for humanity. And then there's the beer."


Then there was the simian circle jerk slicing of NBS #4 Monkeys with Knives,
the Jaws themed “NBS #5 WGNaBP (We’re Going to Need a Bigger Porch),
Roadrunner vs Coyote BIF #6,
NBS BIF #007 The Spy Who Beered Me,
Halle Berry’s Pet Octopus...NBS BIF 8,
NBS BIF #Nein: Awesome Bill from Dawsonville,

along with Nigel Tufnel’s wet dream, the Rocket Balls incident (watch out for fermented projectiles tageting sensitive regions…

The chaos is glorious. The fun continues.
So, are you in?

Look for the official announcement next week...

 

That sounds amazing. And I love hearing about the atmosphere of Rushing Duck. One day, I will get to the east coast and that place is top of my list.

 

Thanks for the historical Chicago labor history addition. Awesome.

 

Watch out for those Estonian ticks.
NBS Buffers may get this joke.

 

Transient Parker (English Barleywine aged in Parker Heritage Rye Whiskey barrels). Barleywine is one of my favorite styles and Transient knows their way around a barrel, so I’m excited for this one. Believe this one was bottled back in December 2019, so this is 20 months old.

Pours a hazy, muddy brown/mahogany color with a finger of a tan head that dissipates slowly leaving a thick ring of lacing around the edges of the glass. Looks nicely carbonated, which you don’t always get in a barrel aged beer. 4.5

Aroma has a huge vanilla presence, almost to the point where I’d think vanilla was added if this was a blind tasting. There isn’t any vanilla addition, so this is probably just coming from the barrel. It gives this aroma a Cream Soda vibe. Outside of that vanilla (almost marshmallow) presence, there’s caramel, Werther’s Originals and Sugar Daddies candy, toffee, creme brûlée, slight whiskey, slight rye spice, charred oak, light fig. Definitely showing off the sweeter qualities English Barleywine can bring. Surprisingly not as much barrel presence as expected outside of the vanilla. 4.25

Taste thankfully brings a lot more barrel presence to this one than the aroma led on. This does have a Cream Soda vibe from all the vanilla, which is a little weird, but I actually do enjoy it. Caramel, Werther’s Originals candy, creme brûlée, toffee, fig, and raisin are all there up front along with this vanilla. As you get into the middle and finish, a rush of barrel character comes through and dries out the beer tremendously. Big rye spice, whiskey, charred oak, and oak tannins appear, with caramel, vanilla, and creme brûlée becoming undertones of residual sweetness. There’s heat, but I wouldn’t call this boozy. The age probably has something to do with this. 4.5

Medium body. Oily, slick, and only slightly sticky due to the drier finish from the barrel. Little airy softness to it. 4.25

This is an outstanding barrel aged barleywine. The barrel character is really interesting with both rye spice and plenty of vanilla. An awesome balance between the sweetness of the English Barleywine qualities and the barrel. This is indeed life. 4.5
Overall: 4.42

 

The BIFerz too!

 

Good afternoon NBW
Chores are done for the day and I'm ready for a new beer.

Augustijn Blonde by Van Steenberge

330mL bottle stamped 24BU poured into a Gulden Draak tulip glass at 53° Fahrenheit with no ABV listed on label. The beer pours bright amber in color with light cream colored head. The head builds quickly and takes it's time receding. Eventually there's a thin cap and generous lacing. The aroma is mild with banana, bubblegum and clove. The taste is pale, semisweet malt with big notes of clove, banana and white pepper before a mildly bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with above average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very good. This one is essentially a Tripel Lite, but it's very good in its role.

Cheers all!