New Beer Weekend #58

Thank you for kicking things off this morning @Victory_Sabre1973 , sounds like you had a great time at your High School Anniversary, sorry your beer this morning wasn't as pleasant.

I have to Illinois saisons planned this weekend, the first from the far downstate region, the second from Chicago. I've enjoyed the few Scratch offerings I've had at The Beer Temple on draft, where this bottle was purchased. I really would like to visit their brewery, hopefully next year.

Scratch Foeder Beer



Bottle Notes: Ale brewed with graoe pomace. ABV 7.5%, 12 oz. No bottle date, but dropped in Chicago in July 2021.Purchased 8/4/21 at The Beer Temple for $12.12 with tax.

This farmhouse brew went through a primary fermentation in stainless steel and was left to rest for a year in Missouri white oak foeders from our friends at Foeder Crafters. The beer was brewed with wild grape vines and leaves for a white grape-like character and was a smooth vanillin finish from the oak.

Appearance: Full bottle pour into a large tulip glass. Darker yellow golden murky pour, nice bright white head lingers for a few minutes, leaving a persistent ring above the base beer throughout. Heavy carbonation throughout. Looks great. 4.25

Aroma: White grape, slight funky yeast, lemongrass, nice oak barrel. Mild in strength, enticing. 4.0

Taste: Consistent with aroma, white wine / grape, grassy, funk emerges after warmth. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body, carbonation fades relatively quickly, somewhat creamy and sweet, very easy drinking despite the higher ABV, easy crisp clean finish. 4.0

Overall: Another solid offering by Scratch. Enjoyable slightly funky white grape saison, stronger ABV than typical, but very light and easy drinking, solid and recommended. 4.0

Looking forward to reading your reviews throughout the weekend, and I will likely see you tomorrow with another saison.

Cheers!

 

Thanks for the kickoff @Victory_Sabre1973 . I too enjoy my HS reunions and with almost 1000 in my graduating class, the party goes on for days

This forum provides me the opportunity to discover new beers. I’m very fortunate that I have several stellar brewers in my immediate area : treehouse , trillium , vitamin sea , Jack’s Abby, et.al. I can either search out these new beers , trade for them or join a round of Lif . I joined my first Lif a year ago and a few more since . To summarize in the local parlance, they are “ wicked awesome.”

My new beer is from @FBarber in a ninja strike ( even more wicked awesomeness) associated in Bif13. The next round is ready to start up. Check in with @Roguer or @2beerdogs for details.

The way in total daylight by hop butcher for the world



4.63/5 rDev +7.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Pint can received in a ninja strike associated with BIF number 13 from @F barber

Tasting notes;lush citrus, pleasant dank, ripe tropical

Canned July 12 and opened August 26, poured into an IPA glass, hazy orange liquid with a one finger creamy white foam cap , good retention, settles to a thick layer with sticky cloaking lacings

Aroma is orange citrus, tropical fruits, pineapple

Taste is orange citrus , tropical fruits , pineapple

Has a delightful Creamy smooth mouthfeel

Delicious beer , recommended thanks Gritty for expanding my beer horizons to this fine Chicago area brewer

 

Let’s go Premium today!

Have any of y’all been following the ongoing discussion about Premium beers from back in the day?

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/premium-beer-back-in-the-day.660767/

This thread got me motivated to purchase a six-pack of Reading Premium Beer.

Reading Premium Beer was indeed a ‘back in the day’ beer:

“1886:

Reading Brewing Company was founded by Philip Bessinger with a brewery at Ninth and Laurel streets in Reading, PA.

The beer was originally called Old Reading Beer and was marketed as a Pennsylvania Dutch beer.

The brewery was making around 1,200 barrels a year.

1958:

Low sales pushed the brewery to continue to reformulate the beer, and the name was once again tweaked, now called Reading Premium Beer.

The slogan was also altered to “The Friendly Beer for Modern People”

This decision is successful, and Reading Brewing Company thrives into the 1970s.

1976:

Due to the rise of larger macro breweries, Reading Brewing Company shuts its doors and Reading Premium Beer disappears.”

https://www.draughtlinesmag.com/brew-news/the-long-history-of-reading-premium/

But it was not the very end since Sly Fox Brewing made a decision to re-brew a beer branded as Reading Premium:

“The Pitcher Perfect Pint

The modern Reading Premium brew pays homage to a pre-prohibition classic with a smooth, clean finish.

We’ve updated our classic formula for refreshed drinkability. Our pale lager is semi-dry and clean with bright carbonation. With each sip, you’ll experience notes of citrus, honey, and a subtly sweet finish.

Available: YEAR ROUND

ABV: 4.5%

RE-RELEASED: 2019

https://www.readingpremium.com/our-beer/

Some more details about this beer (for the interested student):

“Light lagers are clean and crisp. Brewing them isn’t easy. Then having to recreate Reading Premium’s authentic, nuanced flavor profile, on modern brewing equipment, using corn – an ingredient craft brewers don’t usually cotton to – was difficult. “We hit a few speed bumps along the way. But when we got the grain ratios just right, we got a beer that pays homage to Reading Premium’s original recipe, while keeping it friendly enough for the modern people of Pennsylvania,” Ohst quips. “And it’s approachable like our Helles lager, so I think the team got it just right. I hope fans of Reading Premium agree. It was a labor of love, something we wanted to do for our new friends.”

https://draughtlinesmag.com/exclusive/sly-fox-is-stoked-about-brewing-reading-premium/

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Pours golden yellow colored with a big white head.

Aroma:

A subtle sweet, bready aroma

Taste:

The flavor is more potent with a notable bready malt flavor. Not much in terms of hop flavor. A low/moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Light/Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is a very good AAL. Very refreshing on a hot day.

@RobH @rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

 

Yesterday afternoon I was able to visit Baileson Brewing. One I don't get to visit all that often around Houston cause they are only open Friday-Sunday, but I generally like their beers, and the wife and husband owners are great people (she does the brewing, he still works a day job, but works more as the logistics/red tape person). More than a few times I go by the brewery, as my favorite new release book store is just down the block. Called Brazos Bookstore, but I'm always picking up orders or browsing during the week, and don't get down to this part of town often on the weekend a lot. Its a great store, Larry McMurtry would always hang out here ha.

Anyway, glad I was able to make a visit. Here are some of the new beers for me...

Chosen Family Pilsner. 4.8% ABV. They are using an Ale Yeast strain for this...interesting.


Pours a cloudy yellow color. With a two finger white head, good retention and plenty of lace.
Aroma is grassy hops, hay, and earthy tea like hops. There is a fruity ester quality going on here. Simple, and enjoyable, even though the esters remind me more of say something along the lines of a Kolsch.
Like the nose, taste wise has that earthy, grassy, tea like hop character. Fruity esters, biscuit like malts that gives this a touch of sweetness. A light lingering bitterness which is nice.
A light to medium body. Crisp carbonation, and seems a bit "fuller" than the ABV would suggest. Which is a good thing. I can come back to this with ease.

This is a Pilsner that uses an Ale yeast strain. Which makes sense to me, as I get a more fruity ester like quality than I normally would. I know there are some older US craft breweries that would make a Pils, at least calling it that, and using an Ale yeast. I think Saint Arnold use to do that when they opened, and believe Sierra Nevada did that when Summer Pils first came out, so this isn't unheard of. Which, taken all together makes me think of Kolsch, and its enjoyable if thought of in that mode. Not exactly traditional for a Pils, but I still like it.

Overall score is 3.8, B+ for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50448/547750/?ba=champ103#review


Next up is a new IPA for them, called Six Feet, Brah. With Summit and Simcoe hops. 7% ABV, a traditional West Coast IPA.



Pours with a light hazy orange/yellow color. A two finger white head forms with good retention and lace.
Aroma is citrus and pine, and a peppery spice. Herbal tea like hops, and that is it. Fairly simple and straight forward but enjoyable.
Taste follows the nose with the big citrus and pine notes. Some sweetness, with maybe a touch of caramel malts. Peppery spice, and a lingering bitterness drys this out in the finish. All nice, balanced and enjoyable.
A medium body with good crisp carbonation. Some sweetness, but drys out in the finish. Very clean as well. This is a good classic IPA to drink.

Baileson always does IPAs well, and this is a good one. Fairly straight forward, but thats what I like about it. No frills, old school IPA. Very enjoyable.

Overall score is 3.94, B+
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50448/484014/?ba=champ103#review


And last up is Intellectual Brewtality, a new Belgian Pale Ale. 5.4% ABV.

Pours with a hazy orange color. Plenty of white foam caps this off, that recedes after a minute with light lace.
Aroma is light esters, with a touch of bubble gum like yeast, light hops. Earthy and citrus like. Toasted malts. Simple and not bad, could be a bit more expressive.
Taste is that light ester, bubble gum yeast character is here as well. A big sugary, maybe some Belgian candy sugar? Hops are a tad bit more assertive, with citrus, pine and a woody like flavor.
A medium body with good carbonation. Smooth at the same time. Enjoyable to drink, even if I don't think its the best Belgian Pale Ale out there.

The Belgian yeast parts are there, but it just doesn't come together as well as I would like. Not that this is bad at all, but just a safe a straight forward example of the style by an American craft brewery. Though they do make a very solid Saison, that I enjoy, and will probably reach for over this next time.

Overall score is 3.54, which I'm putting at a B
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50448/516663/?ba=champ103#review

Cheers all, I'll be checking the thread throughout, but this is probably the only new beers for me this weekend. Got some stuff to open for WBAYDN though

 

3 new ORIGINAL east coast beers that I loved
Rainbows are Real
Clown Shoes | 6.75% | IPA
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
14th Review. My 5th from brewer, in this case, where I rate higher than BA avg. Here’s why…
a) Massive, dense head and lace over a hazed apricot body.
s) Apricot & Peach prevail along with hempy notes.
t) More complexity, floral, hemp, spice, grass, spice, spruce, juniper. Definite grasshead but lovely.
f) Luscious. Terpenes doing their calming work.
o) I love it when I find an original, pleasing take on NE IPA, this is it.

X | Carton | NJ | RIS | 11%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
1st Review. Going back for more. Ink black 10th anniversary RIS from Carton.
a) Thick without being a milkshake, stand up dark tan head over india ink body.
s) Malt, wood, smoke, licorice.
t) Follows smell as a kind of hard toffee, let it melt in your mouth candy that’s bittersweet.
f) Thick and meaningful. Contemplative.
o) Mystical X.

An Iota | Carton | NJ | Farm | 5.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
1st review, enjoyed at brewer, fresh. A farmhouse beer with strawberry, pear, yeast, and socks notes.
returned, re-reviewed, re-upped. *(at brewer)
a) Classic Saison pale translucent.
s) Strawberry, pear, yeast, basement, socks.
t) more fruit. complex.
Is it a beer for keeping or a light-hearted farm beer?
f) True to fizzy, prickly saison, but light and easy.
o) Interesting and complex. A happy beer.

 

I agree that it is too bitter for the style. I found the bitterness to be most objectionable in the finish. I didn't penalize it much for that in my rating, though.

 

Thanks for starting the thread, @Victory_Sabre1973. I, too, enjoy reunions. I just celebrated my 55th high school reunion remotely. Nice to see the few who "attended." My 50th college reunion has been postponed twice due to Covid. The plan now is to have the classes of 1970, 71,and 72 gather for a 50th next spring. In three more years I plan to attend my med school 50th.
My new beer for today is Lemon Basil West Coast IPA, a collaboration between Spice Trade Brewing and Beer Drop.
The beer is an orange/pink color. Off-white head, some lace.
Aroma mostly citrus, but there is some herbal notes also.
Taste of lemon and lime. Basil comes later.
Medium-bodied, nicely bitter.

 

Brewing Projekt Crash Landing DNEIPA, 8.7% ABV. Pours hazy dark orange with 4-finger white head that left great foamy lacing. Nose is pine and citrus/tropical fruit, taste is citrus and tropical fruit, slightly sweet, moderately bitter. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent to outstanding adjacent. Nice DNEIPA.

4.13/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

I Avery calls Tequilacerbus a “barrel-aged sour ale” so I picked one up before the sour tasting; only to decide that it didn't really fit (BA has it as a wild ale). I finally got around to trying it today and I regret waiting.

The bottle tells me that Tequilacerbus is “ale aged in Suerte tequila barrels”, but doesn't say how long. Among the ingredients listed are saccharomyces, brettanomyces, lactobacillus, and pediococcus (I wonder what their goal was )

As soon as you open the bottle you're hit with straw/barnyard/wet hay on top of good balsamic vinegar, and unripe apples. Unfortunately the aroma fades when the head dissolves.
Tequilacerbus is full of well rounded barn flavor in top of green grapes, apple cider vinegar, apples, leather, oak tannins, and lime zest, with a mild background sweetness somewhere between malts and agave nectar. The añejo tequila is subdued and becomes noticable as the ale warms.

Tequilacerbus is excellent. The bottle is dated 03/17/2017 and it has aged very wel.l There are 6 or 8 let in stock so I'll be picking up a couple more.
4.25/5
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

I liked that you were willing to put your rating where your mouth was, as it were. I am back into a mode of trying to be a little more critical of beer on both ends, though lower has more room, of course. I have two potential beers for this weekend, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow to give one or both of them the fair treatment in this thread. Cheers!

 

Good Saturday afternoon, New Beer Weekenders. This weekend marks the second anniversary of Four City Brewing Co. in Orange, New Jersey (just outside of Newark). This is one of the few truly urban breweries in the state. There isn't a more conveniently located brewery; it's seconds from Route 280 and directly across the street from the Orange Station on the Morris-Essex line. For the celebration, Four City released four special beer collaborations with Other Half, Alementary, Hackensack Brewing, and Twin Elephant. I hope to review all four this weekend.

The first is Wheat Street, an American Pale Wheat Ale brewed with Hackensack Brewing Co. It's brewed with English Maris Otter malt, white wheat, red wheat malts, and dry hopped with Strata. It was canned earlier this week. It pours an opaque, bright tangerine with a large, frothy, eggshell-colored cap and thick, clinging lacing. It's effervescent with myriad tiny bubbles ascending the glass. A very pretty pour. The nose offers lemon, lime, wheat cracker, and soft floral hop notes. As it warms a bit there is a hint of some sweet fruit - perhaps berry. The taste opens with more sweetness than I smelled. I'm tasting some berry and melon along with lemon peel. Beneath the fruit, the grist consists dry white wheat cracker and Maris Otter malt that gives it a slightly English feel. There are also some dank, herbal notes from the Strata hops. The flavors are complimentary and this ale has more character than I expected for the style. The mouth feel is crisp and lite with lively carbonation and it drinks easily at 5.8% ABV. Overall, while I don't drink this style often, I'm very impressed by this effort of Four City and Hackensack Brewing. It's a great late summer ale.

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

We'll be meeting some new neighbors later this afternoon so I'll defer my other reviews till tomorrow. Cheers, NBW!

 

New to this forum, but here we go...

From Avery Brewing this is Pomona, a barrel aged tart ale with pomegranate and blueberry. Canned on 2-2-21.
6.5% abv
Like the sour ale @officerbill posted above, this ale has Saccharomyces yeast, Brettanomyces yeast, lactobacillus, and pediococcus.

It poured an opaque light burgundy/reddish with an effervescent, pinkish head that dissipated quickly with no residual lacing.

In the aroma I immediately picked up pomegranate wrapped in some woody funk. Some aggregate fruits like raspberry and blackberry and some very light blueberry.

Tartness is strong and the pomegranate is upfront on the taste. There is sweetness from blueberry, apple cider vinegar, damp woodiness and it fades into an aftertaste of blueberry.

This is my first experience with barrel-aged tart ales. Very refreshing that finishes clean. Even though the pomegranate was upfront it was not overwhelming, nor were any of the other elements. Very good beer.

Cheers Y'all

 

Yeah. I've historically tended to allow "bias points" to favorite breweries. I've been trying to do better at being objective.

My review as done in 2018. (Which means people must like it bitter, if they haven't changed it since... kind of like the old Surly Fest, which topped (or nearly topped) the "Best Beer" list for the Oktoberfest/Märzen style, which, of course, it was not an Oktoberfest/Märzen at all … it was more like a rye IPL.