New Beer Weekend #63

My final new-to-me beer of the official Oktoberfest is from Urban Growler Brewing Company of St. Paul, MN.

Here is what they say about themselves on the front page of their website:

Bringing People Together Through Beer.
Welcome all! Urban Growler® is the first women-owned microbrewery in Minnesota. Join us in our inviting Taproom and Beer Garden. We make traditional beers and a wide variety of specialty brews with a local twist. You can also find our beer on tap and in liquor stores around town. Wherever you find us, We're beer for you! ™

Here is their story, if you're interested: https://www.urbangrowlerbrewing.com/our-story

Description of the beer from the can:
"Crisp and colorful like the fall. Bavarian malts are backed by Noble hops. Lederhosen and dirndls are not required to hoist this festbier. Prost!"

On Untapped, it only says "A carefully crafted blend of their two O-fests, combining the characters of both to provide a balanced, quaffable Party beer." OK, but what are "their two O-fests"? I don't really care enough to search further...

Urban Growler Oktoberfest
ABV: 6.4%
IBU: 14



Semi-clear light amber with sparse carbonation. 1+ inch off white head, thick and creamy, with good retention and lacing.

Aroma is moderate and is dominated by caramel and hay. Dark fruits as well.

Flavor is a bit odd. It doesn't follow from the aroma. Not quite herbal or floral, but more earthy-herbal, if that makes any sense. No bitterness at all. The earthy-herbal flavors are not unpleasant, but not expected from an Oktoberfest whether festbier or märzen or a "carefully crafted blend", and certainly not from the aroma. The can is stamped "CANNED ON 03AUG21". Small brewer, perhaps a portable canning line is the issue?

Anyhow, back to the beer itself.

The beer does pick up a slight - very slight - bittering or very mild astringency the more I drink. The finish and aftertaste are smooth and on the dry side, but it is lacking the usual "I'll have another" that should go with this. Not getting the promised crispness.

The body is moderate and smooth; almost flat in mouth feel.

Overall, this is, I'm sorry to say, not a very good Oktoberfest, regardless of the substyle.

L: 3.75 | S: 4.0 | T: 3.25 | F: 3.5 | O: 3.25 | Rating: 3.49

 

I'm reviewing new beer #2 because, well, it was in my fridge. I think one of my wife's friends brought it over last month and who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth?

This is Big Wave, a golden ale from Kona Brewing Co.

2.96/5 rDev -17.3%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

Appearance is unremarkable in every way. I'll give credit for the name of the beer, as the color is definitely gold, but the rest of the appearance can e described as "meh". There's a little bit of short lived fizzy white head, but nothing of note. Overall, I shouldn't be too harsh, as this looks like the kind of beer you'd have at a game, or at a tailgate, and I assume that's exactly what this beer is trying to be.

Aroma is not bad, there's just very little to work with. I'm not super sensitive to diacetyl, but I'm certainly picking it up here. On the tongue, the beer is light and very easy drinking, albeit lacking in any real flavor. Feels under-carbonated. Overall, I'm not trying to be too critical. Every beer has a time and a place. This is a crushable summer beer best consumed when you're focused on something other than the beer (would make a good beer for drinking games) Nothing wrong with that.

I have higher hopes for new beer #3 to come later, but we shall see.

 

Thanks @ChicagoJ for opening the tap

a weekend college officiating assignment brought me to Treehouse Sandwich (cape cod)



4.27/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pint can picked up at treehouse sandwich , poured into a Willi becher glass

Turbid orange haze bomb with a one finger frothy white foam cap , good retention , good lacings


Aroma is oranges, mango, pineapple

Taste is orange , mango , pineapple , tropical fruits nicely linger

Good sudsing , nice clean crisp hop bite , fruitiness has staying power

Good beer, my target in Bif14 likes this brewer and is getting some beers soon from here…

 

I’m sorry but that doesn’t look appealing…

 

Boulevard Kveik IPA bought as a single 16oz can from Trader Joes, because I like IPA ,and had no idea what "Kveik" meant, I often like Boulevard beers, and I had never tried it before. 9.0% ABV, only two reviews and a handful of BA ratings which average 86 pts. In my view, largely underappreciated, but I like craft beer and tend to grade high. Can stamped L080321 31 DEC2021. Bought about 9/25/21 and consumed today from the pictured glass which we have discussed before and decided to call a modified Sam Adams perfect pint. This one has a carbonation initiation grid etched on bottom. Color is as shown. Head is pretty persistent and slowly decays to a solid 1/8-1/16 inch film leaving lacing as shown. The only thing I can't illustrate is aroma/taste/mouthfeel. Aroma hit me initially as stonefruit and malt but taste turned more to a honey/malt/a bit brown bread, but this really shines in the mouthfeel dept, if you like (as I do) big heavy stouts. This one is creamy with really mild carbonation and relatively heavy, viscous mouthfeel. For an IPA this is on the "chewy" side rather than drinking side. I like this one a lot. Gotta go buy some more.

 

Canned this past Monday and rec'd yesterday!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34222/570729/



16 oz. can.
Canned 27SEP21.

Moderate pour yields a one and a half inch white head over a hazy, light to medium golden body with sticky lacing exhibited all the way through. Nose of tropical fruit, slight pine, slight citrus with a bit of herbal earthiness as well. Taste is earthy with a bit of pine resin, slight citrus, and stone fruit. Finish is nicely bitter from the pine resin and earthiness. Nice feel and overall, this one's bitterness really grew on me while enjoying more and more with each sip!
Cheers to a nice offering from Winooski, VT!

 

Founders KBS Cinnamon Vanilla Cocoa - unfortunately in my area this release is on the high side price-wise (so far I have seen four packs at $26.99 and $30!) and while I love KBS, especially the Espresso variant, something told me that this variant may not work too well for me so I grabbed a single...that was definitely the right choice:

Pours dark with the usual very dense and creamy head. Carbonation is light, smell is heavy on the cinnamon and the other scents are there but buried. Taste is heavy on the cinnamon, some chocolate, bourbon (barely) but not much else for me; taste is also spicy and hot due to the cinnamon. Also pretty thin too for what it is. This would be a nice cold weather sipper, though.

Do I like this? I do. Is one going to be enough and is this my least favorite variant thus far? For sure. Prost!

Edit: bottled on 08/26/21.

 

I made a trip today.

I bought beer.

This may or may not be a haul hint for NBW BIF #14, which is about to see boxes laden with delicious beers launched around the country.





4.48/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Beautiful hazy tangerine color with a creamy white head that positively clings to the glass it’s entire journey south. Truly a gorgeous beer. The dank, funky citrus aromas, with HUGE tangerine notes, some spicy passion fruit, and a slightly sweet oat aroma.

The tangerine is very juicy and front and center on the taste, and lingers to the back of the palate, tossing its arm over the shoulder of the creamy oat flavor to guide this into a slightly dry finish, which differs a bit from the original Juice, I’m guessing because of the different yeast (Cosmic Punch) that was utilized wIth this iteration of Juice. Wow.

This is absolutely delicious, and slightly dangerous because it’s so poundable at 8% ABV. Transient crushed this (pun intended), IMHO.

 

Another new beer from outside of Tallahassee for me today. This one is from Aardwolf Brewing Company over in Jacksonville, FL. The color is a strawberry amber hue. The strawberry and lemon come through on the sniff test. The foeder is overpowering at first but the strawberry and lemon come through on the back of the palate. Very solid sour. 4.0/5.0

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Back home from doing something I've been wanting to do for years - go to Dallas Oktoberfest - Dallas, Wisconsin that is.

Damn! It's taken over the whole town of about 400. It was packed, and crazy there. It was also crazy fun, but lacking of gals in the traditional Oktoberfest attire. There were a few, but not enough for my liking.

All right on to my new beer.


Erratic Rock - (hazy) NEIPA - Trap Rock Brewing - St. Croix Falls, Wisconsin - 6% ABV

I listed it, when I added it to the system, as a NEIPA, based on the can calling it a hazy.

Ok, first off, it isn't hazy at all. WTF?!? This is weird. Why is it called hazy, when it isn't? Don't get me wrong, I like the look, but it's not as billed on the crawler, or the menu board at the taproom.

That aside, I really like how this beer tastes. It has a nice tropical flavor, but it also has some pine mixed in. I actually downed all 32oz of this pretty fast, because I really enjoyed the flavor a lot. If I didn't this beer would have been rated a lot lower.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/54894/570759/
3.81/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

They call it a hazy IPA, well, it isn't. It's a clear golden color. There's a 2 finger fluffy white head. This head dissipates rapidly. There is some nice lacing on the glass.
The nose is full of mango, and pineapple. Very tropical smelling.
Taste - Up front I get a bit of pine. On the back the mango and pineapple kick in. The pine flavor also lingers in my throat.
The body is good. The hops have a resin sticky feeling. Yes, the hops linger in my throat.
Good beer, but, I'd say it shouldn't be called a hazy, when it isn't.


I might try another tonight, not sure yet. If not, I'm sure I'll be here tomorrow, and, maybe, from a brewery that is a 5 minute walk away from me.

 

A gem, Boulevard Magic Drip, a Wheated BA Imp Stout, 13.5% ABV; 4.35 overall

Pours an effervescent ebony with a thumb+ of mocha colored head. Okay lacing & lesser head retention

S: Coffee, figs, dark cherry, raisins

T: Boozey coffee with tart cherry mixed in, plus some raw barrel/dryness up front. Some caramel cuts through the coffee & a little red grape, plus a little dark chocolate as this warms. Dark chocolate, sweet cherry chocolates, a little barrel rawness/ dryness, plus figs in the finish

MF: Chewy, moderate carbonation, warming

Awesome release from one of the Regional Stalwarts. They do strong beer well. This is a sipper the ABV is felt, plus a lot of complexity

 

Good evening NBW
My 60th AAL review. Forgot to check the date before purchasing at a gas station in northwest Ohio.

Labatt Ice
24oz can stamped B19127 poured into a becher glass at fridge temp 5.6% ABV. The beer pours bright light golden in color with off white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. Minimal lacing. The aroma is faint with vague corny and grainy notes. The taste is semisweet corn plus stewed mixed vegetables and vegetable oil. Minimal bitterness and a hint of tart. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and somewhat dry finish. Overall, not great, but it appears to be over two years old from the stamp. I'd drink again in the right setting with a fresher sample.

Cheers all!

 

Wolf's Ridge Dire Wolf Yub Nub



Poured from a bottle packaged on 4/28/21. Smell was heavy with the cinnamon with chocolate and malts infused within and a small alcohol burn, maybe some vanilla too. Taste reveals some coffee but the alcohol is completely hidden; otherwise follows the nose. Mouthfeel has a nice balance where it doesn't get too thick and chewy like some of the cold weather high alc fortifiers. Nice fall imperial stout from Wolf's Ridge.