New Beer Weekend #65

A new one for me this afternoon, and really happy I found a four pack of this. Every time I go visit the brewery, they seem to have just ran out.

True Anomaly Titan, German-Style Pilsner. 4.9% ABV.



Pours a bright and clear golden color. A dense white head rises to about two fingers. Excellent retention and plenty of lace left behind.
Aroma is bread, grains, sourdough. Earthy, grassy hops. This is so simple, but so spot on and just really enjoyable.
Taste wise, like the nose, just simple and really well done. There is a touch of sweetness here but just a touch. With that great bread/sourdough maltiness. Snappy grassy hops, earthy and cut hay. Finishes with enough bitterness, which makes it dry. Oh yeah.
A light to medium body. That perfect crisp but smooth carbonation. Super clean and finishes dry. All day with this one. A really well done Pilsner.

Not surprising from True Anomaly, this is great. That really well done, less is more, type of Pilsner. One of the better beers in Houston, and highly recommended.

Overall score is 4.27, an easy A for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/55586/476235/?ba=champ103#review

Probably have at least one more of these this afternoon while listening to some tunes.

 

I think Tim Horton's made a foray into New England a few years back, but like Honey Dew and other chains they were unable to compete with Dunkin. Even the venerable Krispy Kreme did not fare well after the initial hype. Around my little area of MA seems like two or even three Dunkins at every intersection sometimes Thwe y put them to cover both directions of travel on lots of major roads. Thankfully there are other options...for now.

 

During the recent online Oktoberfest, I noted that I was (I thought) able to more fairly comment on the Festbier style if I considered it to be a strong Helles rather than to compare it against the Märzen style. I also commented (I think during the pre-tasting thread) that I’d eventually like to do a side-by-side of the same German brewer’s Festbier and Helles.

So, as promised yesterday, today I’ll be doing such a side-by-side.

This will not be a review per se, since I won’t be rating these beers again here. Instead, I’ll just be comparing them as to how they are the same/similar/different without a value judgment.

Weihenstephaner Festbier & Weihenstephaner Helles Side-by-side
ABV: 5.8%_______________________ABV: 4.8%
IBU: 26__________________________IBU: 16



Look:
Look is almost identical. The Festbier is slightly darker (but not much) and more lightly carbonated. Head appearance is the same, but head retention is longer with the Helles, and the Helles has more lacing that remains throughout. The Festbier recedes to a ring with little to no lacing.

Smell:
The Helles aroma is a stronger and spicier, whereas the Festbier’s is weaker and more malty.

Taste:
The taste is similar, but still different, with the Helles being hoppier in flavor while also being less bitter, with some peppery-spicy notes. Also, the Helles flavor overall is a bit less intense, perhaps owning to its lower ABV. The Festbier has more prominent bittering through the middle and into the finish with an overall stronger flavor. The Festbier presents as maltier overall.

Feel:
While both are medium-bodied, the Helles is on the thin side of medium with more active carbonation on the tongue.

Overall:
Since this is not a review, I have no overall rating. I will say, however, that both are very drinkable and enjoyable with a dry finish. The slightly heavier-bodied Festbier fits in with the fall season, whereas the Helles fits well in the warmer months. But, the differences are subtle and not easily discerned (by me, anyway) in an open non-blind side-by-side.

 

This next piece of Rat-fuckery from @Ozzylizard is perfect for this rainy-assed day here in the Fourth Corner, smooth, easy drinking Milk Stout from Lancaster Brewing. Very nice brew:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/743/3960/

 

Getting into Elliot Tower thanks to @WunderLlama
Very juicy looking, pillow like head, taste follows of pineapple, mango, grapefruit, nice New England but a bit of harsh aftertaste but overall enjoying this. A much needed beer after another lackluster Lions game.

 

The wool sock, rat fuckery mayhem continues with another shot from @Ozzylizard , the beer I was most amped for from this first box, Gulden Fraug from Hoppin' Frog. A bit low on carb, and a touch sweet, but I liked it a lot anyway: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/14879/33927/

 

On my trip to Myrtle Beach last week, I was looking for New Anthem and other Wilmington beers. I didn't find much. The Surfside Beach Piggly Wiggly had three New Anthem beers in the cooler.

New Anthem 11th and Folsom IPA.
Citra, Mosaic and Strata hops cited on the can. 6.3% ABV. July canning date.
Very attractive orangey haze with a rich creamy head. Strong citrus and yeasty aroma.
Nice bitter mouth feel. Loads of citrus, pine, and tropical fruit flavors.
Happy with this one and looking forward to visiting New Anthem and other Wilmington breweries next year.

 

So it's a mystery beer Sunday! Courtesy of @FBarber. He sent me two mystery beers and I'll save one for next week. All I can tell is that it's a can and Frank has left two clues: 6.5% ABV and "Scary!!" Not knowing what lies within, I'll use my favorite all-purpose tulip glass.


The pour:


It looks like a New England IPA. A dense, turbid, muddy orange color with a large, fluffy, milk-white head and and thick, clinging lacing. (4.25). The nose is big and fruity with pineapple, tangerine, ripe melon, and something else sweet (lactose or oats?). It smells like a Milkshake IPA. (4.5). It's definitely an IPA although the tropical sweetness is balanced by tart lemon and grapefruit and strong hop bitterness. I'll probably get this wrong but it tastes like there's Nelson hops. It finishes quite bitter. (4.25). I love the mouth feel! For 6.5% it's nicely creamy and pleasantly carbonated. It's very drinkable. (4.5). Overall, this is really, really good! (4.25).

But what is it? Frank is a very thorough packer and there's a lot of tape to remove.


Hey, I got the Nelson right! It's one of the few hops I can usually name with confidence. Meet the Nelsons from Hop Butcher in Chicago. Great can art! I like this a lot! Thank you, Frank!

I'll be onto another of @FBarber's huge stash of beers shortly. Cheers, everyone!

 

I've switched from soccer to football, where I'm stuck with a game between two teams I absolutely hate (Cowboys & Pats). Thankfully I still have plenty of beer from @2beerdogs to keep me company. This one is Lagerithm, an American Dark Lager from Bottle Logic. It's oddly (at least to me) categorized as an American Amber / Red in the BA database, which doesn't seem like it can possibly be correct.

Anywho, I come in under rDev way more often than not. Every once in a blue moon, I have a beer where I come in way over, and this is one of them. Derek, I absolutely love this beer. If you had given it to me blind I would have guessed it was brewed by Suarez, which out in this neck of the woods is high praise. Really, really enjoying this.

4.51/5 rDev +15.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours a dark, dark cola brown. When backlit, a small amount of light creeps in around the edges, but other than that, this is totally opaque. Head is khaki colored, fizzy and short-lived. Aroma is absolutely fantastic. Just loads of roasted malts, nuts & faint coffee. Very appealing.

Taste largely follows. Malt, bread, hints of chocolate and a good amount of roast. No bitterness makes this very clean & smooth. A tiny bit of residual sweetness. Light in body with medium carbonation. Just super easy going down. Great beer.

 

Howdy from the Brazos Valley, NBWers!

My new one won't be new to most of you, but somehow it has escaped my purview for all these years:

Sol • adjunct lager • 4.5% ABV

I'm a sucker for the adjunct lager, domestic and foreign. The highlight of this one is a shocking good amount of peach/bread malt aroma and flavor ... very pleasant and tasty. There's nothing off, nothing medicinal nor overly earthy/dirty/bitter. At times maybe a hint of a metallic note shows up, but it's so faint it doesn't distract from the other great-tasting notes.

The official review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/57/2803/?ba=Premo88#review

The official score:
3.95 (+60.6% rDev)

This one's a working lunch beer for me, so it's one and done. Hope your weekends have gone well and your coming week goes even better!

Cheers!

 

New Glarus Strawberry Rhubarb, Fruit Beer
@WunderLlama sent two of these and I wish I had reviewed the raspberry one but this one is equally well crafted! Pours a deep red with creamy head, huge aromas of strawberry with sweet yet tartness that is fantastic. Nicely acidic and leaves a welcome tartness on the lips. Thanks Maynard

 

Mystery beer #1 from @tasterschoice62's BIF box.



Pour is a slightly cloudy, super-light straw, with an uneven, pillowy head that reminds me of the few saisons I've had. Aroma super-funky but somehow light at the same time, a little like the foeder/pear cider blend I drank last night, but not quite as vinegary. Taste is extremely dry and subtle, like a low-key, unfruited berliner, with a herbal undertone I can't quite place. No alcohol detectable, making me think this could be a very low-alcohol saison or table beer. Interesting that not much of the funk from the aroma comes through in the taste, although it slightly increases as it warms. Mouthfeel is thin and fizzy, evaporating almost as soon as it hits the tongue. Overall, becomes more enjoyable as it warms, finding a little more complexity. I really haven't had that many saisons or table beers, but something tells me this is something along those lines . . .



Well, I wasn't too far wrong re: the beer's pedigree, from Proclamation's "Oakville" series, which put out the aforementioned beer from last night. I'm embarrassed to say I couldn't have identified a "wit beer," and I'm not even sure how it fits into the sour/saison world. I'm glad to know that the herbal note I picked out was coriander (!), but I would never have been able to name the chamomile or grapefruit peel. I hope this doesn't offend any purists, but this seems to be kind of an ultimate "lawnmower beer" (ABV turns out to be 3.8%). I could even imagine (gasp!) pouring this over ice, although that would keep some of the more interesting notes from coming through. Really glad to have tried this one, Larry, and I welcome anyone's thoughts on wit beers and whether some of my characterizations were aligned to style. Cheers!

 

NBS #2: I wish it were still sunny outside so I could have posted a more artistic photo. To have the sun shining behind the glass (also from Frank) would have been so much better. Alas. @FBarber sent me a couple of bottles from Side Project Brewing in St. Louis. There are only a handful of breweries in the country that brew a Bière de Champagne of this caliber. What makes it so delightful is the underlying sweetness which to my neophyte palate tastes like peach. It's a very delicate beer; you would never suspect the ABV is 10%.

It pours a cloudy, bright orange. It looks like Orangina. The head fizzled away almost immediately but that is typical for the style. The nose is just superb: like a fine Chardonnay; I'm smelling lemon, orange peel, and peach. It's taste is sublime; funky, oaky white wine grape with soft notes of peach that sweeten the native Missouri microflora. It's so delicate and fine. It has the expected effervescence and it doesn't drink like 10% ABV. Overall, Blanc De Blancs is an absolute delight. I'm privileged to have had the chance to try it.

4.49/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

This beer is a wonderful example of the joy of participating in the NBS BIF. I highly doubt I would have otherwise ever had the chance to sample the wares of Side Project - let alone in #approriateglassware.

 

Nothing left to do this weekend besides relaxing and enjoying a beer or two. Pouring some Plank-Bier Dunkler Weizenbock. A tasty weizenbock that I will definitely be picking up more often.

4.34/5 rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

16 oz can poured into a weizen glass

A- A murky brown with a small light tan head.

S- Banana, cloves, dark bread, earthy, some caramel.

T- Banana, cloves, dark bread, hints of coffee, earthy.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty and nicely balanced weizenbock

Cheers!

 

The Rat-fuckery doth continue! @Ozzylizard hit me with this Fat Heads I*B*U*Sive, and it's very nice. What a 'Murikan IPA should be. Would drink moar if local to me.

 

Boulevard Magic Drip Imperial Coffee Stout, 13.5% ABV. Pours black with a half-finger brown head. Nose is coffee and bourbon. Taste follow, plus slight vanilla, oak, and roast malt, slightly sweet, moderately bitter. Dry mouthfeel, decent carbonation, overall outstanding.

4.3/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Packers won, unfortunately the Vikings did too. Can't have everything. This beer is pretty decent. I prefer it to OG KBS due to more barrel character and stronger coffee presence.

 

Day 2, the NBW BIF #14 assault from my friend @BBThunderbolt continues to escalate. He sent me the glass 4-1/2 years ago and the beer 4-1/2 days ago. That’s a win/win for this old beer nerd.







4.42/5 rDev +15.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Pours an absolutely crystal clear golden copper color with a a dense, creamy oatmeal colored head that laces the glass perfectly during your entire journey with this beer. The picture in the beer nerd dictionary for an old school American IPA. Absolutely gorgeous beer, IMHO.

The nose is some citrus (grapefruit rind) and a LOT of resiny pine, along with caramel and toffee notes. I’m breaking out in a cold sweat, anticipating this beer.

The citrus is forward, but it’s the resiny pine mid-palate and the caramel and toffee notes at the end of the taste that make this beer for me - it is a great example of the flavor profile for the quintessential American IPA, which is nicely bitter (78 IBU’s) but with a sturdy malt backbone to keep the beer deliciously balanced.

A medium mouthfeel that is very dry closes out this magnificent example of the NWCIPA properly. What a pleasure it is to enjoy a beer of this caliber.