New Beer Weekend #60

Good afternoon NBW
Another saison from De Ranke

De Dottignies
11.2oz bottle EXP 28/01/2023 decanted into a tulip glass at fridge temp 5.5% ABV leaving an inch of beer in the bottle. The beer pours mostly bright light honey amber in color with quick rising, light khaki head on a gentle pour. The head recedes to a thin ring and thin cap leaving a curtain of lacing. The aroma is mild with notes of clovey spice, pale malt and floral hops. The taste is dry pale malt with lots of hoppy earthy & floral notes. Moderate bitterness throughout. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with above average carbonation and a very dry finish. Overall, very good. I really wasn't expecting this level of hop influence, but it's very well done and drinkable. I did pour the last inch of liquid into the glass about halfway through. More peppery yeast flavor, fuller body and less dry.

I been having a hard time finding saisons to review lately, but it's nice to have a few around from a trade and some blind luck. Cheers all!

 

Only new beer in the fridge. Past its prime, but here's a review just because. Carbon is giving me his opinion by looking away from it.

3.54/5 rDev -13.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 16oz can dated 4/14/21 to a Nonic at fridge temp. Unfortunately given that date this is probably not the best example.
The body is gold, not clear, but not hazy. The a 1/2" white head fades fast, but does provide some lacing.
Aroma is mostly malt.
Taste is similar, malt with a mild hop burn.
Mouth feel is moderate.
Overall- Unknown. Kind of feel guilty reviewing this old sample.

 

Fresh Hop Abominable from Hopworks Urban Brewery, also known as HUB.

12oz can served in a stemless wineglass. Bought it at Ridgewood Tap and Bottle a few days ago. Packaged 31 AUG 21.

Pours a dark red-amber with a medium sized creamy head that deflates into a thin, fine, surprisingly uniform sheet across the surface and up the sides of the glass about a centimeter.

Smell is surprisingly fresh hoppy, green and flowery and resinous, with a very nice caramel background.

Taste is more mixed -- it's a nice hoppy red with a kick of fresh hop flavor, more caramel/toffee, moderate to light bitterness in the finish mostly overwhelmed by the sweetness.

Mouthfeel is dry, light, yet creamy. Overall, this is really tasty. It's not exactly what I'm looking for in a fresh hop, but it's definitely enjoyable.

 

Velvet Rush, deep mahogany, creamy well sustained head for the ABV, looks great. Smells sweet, brownies, chocolate and taste follows. Well brewed with deep notes of chocolate, vanilla some barrel on the back end but pretty minimal. Not as decadent as KBS or my favorite Macinaw Fudge and the brown ale base gives it a lighter feel but exceptional beer. Cheers

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. Summer is making a return to North Jersey with warm and fairly muggy afternoon. Drekker Brewing Co. has finally made it to New Jersey! I found two kettle sours at our local shop. Apparently, I missed the IPAs while I was on vacation last week; they sold out quickly. This brewery seems to brew many well-regarded kettle sours and the guy at the bottle shop recommended Raspberry Coconut Crumble Slang Du Jour. In addition to raspberry, it's brewed with granola, lactose, and vanilla beans. While the flavor is reminiscent of some of Magnify's better kettle sours, the viscosity is amazing.

Canned on 7/14/2021. Poured into a tulip glass. It pours a dense, pink-magenta color with a large, thick, frothy, pink cap and lots of lacing. There are also some large bits of sediment floating in the glass which is a bit off-putting. The nose is quite aromatic with raspberry, coconut, and graham cracker. The taste is big and bold with lots of ripe raspberry, vanilla, lactose, and granola. It's very sweet - cloyingly so - but the flavor certainly simulates the intended dessert. The mouth feel is amazing; it's like drinking a smoothie. It's super thick and chewy. I feel like I could eat it with a fork. I'm not sure what the floating material is; it's thick and a bit weird but it doesn't affect the taste. Overall, this is one of the biggest, thickest, Kettle Sours I've experienced.

4.23/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Thanks to @woemad for the cool tulip glass!

I'm hoping this drop from Drekker isn't a one-off. Some of the better known midwest breweries, including Surly and Rhinegeist, have sent beer to New Jersey but the distribution is spotty at best and the IPAs aren't always fresh. I'm hoping that Drekker becomes a regular option. And it's nice to finally tick a beer from North Dakota! Cheers, NBW!

 

Robinsons Trooper Sun & Steel
ABV: 4.8%
IBU: NA


This beer is classified on this site as a European Pale lager.

Here's the brewer's description:
Sun and Steel is a 4.8% double-fermented pilsner infused with authentic Japanese saké yeast from the award-winning Okunomatsu saké brewery in Japan. The result; a crisp and refreshing pilsner style lager with a flash of honey and fruit.

Sun and Steel is the sixth beer from Iron Maiden Vocalist Bruce Dickinson and Robinsons Brewery. This project was over two years in the making, blending creative thinking, British brewing excellence and Japanese sake yeast to create a truly unique beer.

Kanpai!

So, a Japanese Pilsner?

Light gold / pale yellow, crystal clear, ample carbonation. 1 inch white head, thick and creamy, with excellent retention, creating a rocky surface and thick lacing as it recedes.

The aroma is sweet-ish pilsner with a touch of honey.

The flavor is mild, but very nice. Honey, nicely malty balanced by a bit of a tang. Not bitter at all. The pleasant flavors carry through to the finish. The beer finishes a bit sticky and smooth, with the tanginess lingering keeping things from becoming sweet.

The mouth feel is smooth with a decent body.

Overall, I enjoyed it. It is a bit of a different take on a pilsner, but a well done one. My only real criticism is that since the name implies it is a summer beer, it could be a bit crisper.

L: 4.0 | S: 3.5 | T: 3.75 | F: 3.5 | O: 3.75 | Rating: 3.68

 

It has been a while since the Eagles have played like they did, cracking open Forest & Main Tourist Time, thanks @zekeman17!
4.34/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

16 oz can poured into a pint glass

A- A dark brown/black with a two finger mocha head

S- Roasted malts, dark chocolate, some coffee, slightly earthy.

T- Roasted malts, dark chocolate, hints of cherries, slightly acidic coffee, earthy, touch of pale malts.

M- Smooth, low carbonation, light body.

O- Another excellent and flavorful session ale from Forest & Main, we’ll balance and easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

Greetings, fellow NBWers. Shout out to @SawDog505 for getting us going.

Had a bit of a bottle/can share at Community Pint on Friday. My buddy Will brought cans of Heady and Westbrook's Key Lime Pie, and both were delicious, but neither was new to me. What was new to me was Lumberbeard's bba barleywine they released for their 1st anniversary some months ago that I'd been sitting on.

Whoa! For a 16.5% abv beer, this was dangerously smooth and drinkable. Glad I split it with others or else I might not have made it out of the construction zone that is currently the reality around CP.

Today, I'll be hitting another beer from Lumberbeard, a sour ale.

 

NBS #2. Grand Rabbits, a dry-hopped Cream Ale gifted me by my brother-in-law. It's brewed by Blackrocks Brewery in Marquette, Michigan. I like the idea of this beer. The can is a bit old and I think the sweeter Cream Ale notes would be more apparent if it were fresher.

Poured into a pint glass. It pours a hazy, greenish-straw color with a modest, foamy, bright-white cap and minimal lacing. The aroma is quite hoppy for a Cream Ale. I'm smelling lemon peel and grains along with the bitterness of the hops. Citrus dominates the opening taste. The sweetness of the grist is noticed after the initial lemon tartness. The Willemette hops provide earthy, herbal bitterness at the finish. This Ale has a lite, crisp, refreshing mouth feel with a pleasant level of carbonation and it is very easy to drink at 5.5% ABV. The idea of a dry-hopped Cream Ale is a good one and Grand Rabbits is ideal for drinking while engaging in outdoor activities.

3.74/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Enjoy your week, everyone!

 

I'm glad to hear that Locust Lane is doing well. I haven't been back since the opening day but I thought that they had promise. You've motivated me to try to get back out there!

 

Greetings All from the Great Northwest where we are celebrating the opening weekend of the NFL. A Seahawk win on the road, in the early TV time slot. Always good to win one of those.

Today we have Revival IPA from Cascade Lakes Brewing.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1043/521988/

A light brew with soft fruit flavors and wet bitter finish.

Until next week,

 

Bobtoberfest from Heater Allen. Not just a new to me beer, but a new brewery as well.

16oz can served in a stemless angular wineglass. Dated 08/13/21. I think I picked this up at Bottleworks.

Pours a dark amber with a fairly small head and not a lot of apparent carbonation. Smell is nice, clean grainy, a little toast or biscuit (American breakfast biscuit).

Taste is very rich, grain tea with a bit of grassy bitterness and a little nuttiness.

Mouthfeel is medium to light, moderately dry, clean and smooth. Overall, this is a very good beer.

I think I basically started paying attention to lagers last year near Oktoberfest season. I am enjoying the season immensely this year.

 

lol
I knew it was you just by looking at the head on the photo

 

Dinner by Maine Beer Company




4.6/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into a Schilling stemmed glass

Translucent orange liquid , small streams of carbonation, two finger off white , rocky, fluffy foamy big bubbled carbonation, excellent retention ,settles after five minutes to rocky islands and a solid layer

Aroma is citrus , tangerine

Taste is citrus , tangerine, hint of pepper

Hop taste, medium sudsing, hop taste nibbles and lingers nicely in the back of the mouth , dry and refreshing

Great beer , repeatable

 

Had their standard Baltic Porter a few weeks ago and really dug it. I've heard their barrel-aged game is strong.