New Beer Weekend #66

Thanks for the start @jkblr! My first new beer of the weekend is a mystery beer courtesy of a ninja box sent my way by @foundersasap. I love reviewing beers blind, even though I'm rarely on point with what I'm detecting.

It's a nice, cool day here in New England and I was in the mood for something dark, so based on the initial pour, I think I'm in luck

Dark, dark brown in appearance. A half inch of mocha colored head receded to a thin ring. Overall, a nice looking beer. 3.75
Aroma is quite sweet. It's taken me multiple whiffs to try and figure out what I'm smelling. I thought I was picking up raspberry at first, but now I'm getting plenty of prunes / plums coming through and maybe some faint toffee hiding behind. Smells decadent. 4.25
Taste is rich and boozy with prunes / plums again the predominant flavor I'm picking up. It may be the aroma that's still messing with me, but I still feel like I'm getting some raspberry. I won't be at all surprised if it's just my imagination on that front, though. Whatever it is I'm tasting, it's quite good. 4.00
Feel is silky smooth with a nice warmth, but not burn from the alcohol. Medium carb and fairly full mouthfeel. 4.00
Overall - whatever this is, it's tasty. The 12oz format makes me think of a Revolution beer, but what do I know.

The reveal?

French Toast Devil Dog, a bourbon barrel aged oatmeal stout from Roak Brewing.

Further proof that while I love beer, I'm very much a novice when it comes to formal reviews. In retrospect, the maple and vanilla are what I was picking up and oddly translating into prunes. Either way, I'm really enjoying this and it's EXACTLY the type of beer I was in the mood for this morning.

 

Do you prefer it wet (and wild?)?



Well, in this instance I am referring to wet-hopped vs. regular hopped beers.

The new beer today is Fat Head’s Wet-Hopped Head Hunter IPA. It is my understanding this is a new beer brand from Fat Head’s for 2021. I can report that I have never seen this beer before.

There always seems to be an annual thread/discussion on BA about “Fresh” vs. “Wet-Hopped” beers. The term of “Fresh” can be ambiguous but the terminology of “Wet-Hopped” is clear – it is a beer brewed using freshly picked hop cones which have not been dried (hence the word “wet”) and have been used in the brewing very soon after harvest (e.g., within 24 hours). Every year I homebrew what I brand as Harvest Ale using wet hops picked from my hop plant in my backyard. My friend Gary helps me with this batch and he picks the hops as I am boiling the wort. Those hops have been harvested only a few minutes prior to me adding them to the brew kettle (an end of boil aroma addition).

Below is how Fat Head’s describes their Wet-Hopped Head Hunter on their Tap Room website:

“WET HOPPED HEAD HUNTER IPA: 7.5% ABV 80 IBU 16oz: $6.50 Sample: $2.25 Growler ToGo: $20 Crowler ToGo: $10 Bright, green, juicy fruit aromas. Baked up with resinous, piney, grapefruit flavors. Medium-high bitterness with a balanced finish.”

It seems to be popular that breweries will describe their wet-hopped beers as having a “green” taste. I am familiar with the word green as being a color but I am uncertain what a green flavor is supposed to mean.

I also have regular Head Hunter IPA in my refrigerator so I figured it would be fun to conduct a side-by-side tasting here.

Below is how the regular Head Hunter is detailed on the Fat Head’s website:

“BREWER DETAILS

7.5% ABV 87 IBU

HOPS: SIMCOE, CENTENNIAL, EKUANOT, MOSAIC, CITRA, CHINOOK

MALT: PALE, C-15, CARA-PILS, FLAKED WHEAT

YEAST: AMERICAN ALE

BEGINNING GRAVITY: 16.8 PLATO

COLOR: DEEP GOLDEN”

Well, it appears that the Wet-Hopped and Regular versions are comparable in terms of ABV and IBUs. I wonder if the Wet-Hopped version uses the exact same hop varieties?

Served in my small Duvel tulip glasses:

Appearance:

Wet-Hopped Head Hunter: Golden yellow colored with a white head.

Regular Head Hunter: Ditto but with better head retention.

Aroma:

Wet-Hopped Head Hunter: Citrus in the forefront and pine/resin in the background.

Regular Head Hunter: A combination of tropical fruits plus some pine/resin.

Taste:

Wet-Hopped Head Hunter: The flavor very much follows the nose with a combination of citrus and pine/resin. On the mid-palate the pine/resin is quite prominent yielding a sticky sensation. There is a notable bitterness.

Regular Head Hunter: The flavors follow the nose with a combination of tropical fruits and pine/resin. In comparison there is no ‘stickiness’ to this beer. There is a notable bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Wet-Hopped Head Hunter: This beer is medium bodied with a dry finish.

Regular Head Hunter: Ditto but in comparison the finish is a bit drier.

Overall:

Wet-Hopped Head Hunter: I think this beer is very good – excellent.

Regular Head Hunter: I also think this beer is very good – excellent.

While these two beers have some similarities (e.g., appearance, amount of bitterness) the flavor profile does differ. FWIW my preference between the two is the Regular Head Hunter.

My wife was watching me as was conducting this side-by-side taste test. She requested a taste of both beers. I told her since I had an ‘extra’ beer she could have one. She selected the Regular Head Hunter.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH

 

If you had known up front that this beer included maple and vanilla do you think that would have influenced you in a positive way? Or are you like me where I have a non-positive view of 'adjunks' being used in beer?

Perhaps a benefit of drinking this beer blind?

Cheers!

 

In general, I'm not a huge fan of adjuncts, especially if they're used with a heavy hand (which these weren't) Reviewing this blind probably helped in that I didn't go in with any negative bias on that front. At the macro level, I was very much in the mood for a stout as well, so that was a bit of "blind" luck (pardon the pun).

 

Thanks for kicking things off today. I'm starting a few minutes from where I did yesterday to kick off the Beer Advocate Malt Liquor & European Strong Tasting going on through the end of the weekend. I hope you can join us, it has been really fun, both the tasting and the comradery, and the beers to date have rated an average 3.0, with some solid selections. You may find a few beers for either this weekend or down the road that you will really enjoy. I aborted my new beer review for my first selection, but this one is OK so I will present it in this thread.

Zywiec Tatra Malt Liquor (Niepasteryzowane)



Can Notes: Tatra Malt Liquor, Product of Poland. Full-Bodied Taste.7.0% ABV, 16.9 oz. Imported by Amtec International of NY Corp. Brooklyn, NY 11222.Contains malted barley and baley pasteurized. Best before *see bottom of the can". L1061515R1919. I'm guessing this may mean mid-April 2021, which makes this six months past best by. Wouldn't buy normally with the indecipherable date, purchased only for this tasting.

Appearance: Golden tan clear base, medium constant carbonation and bright white creamy head, settling on a ring around the chalice and light layer above the base. 3.75

Aroma: Sweet heavy malt aroma, frosted flakes next, faint cardboard and honey back. The aroma is faint in strength, but what does emerge is far too sweet for my liking, though I suppose consistent for the style. 2.75

Taste: Consistent with aroma, heavy barley tastes like frosted flakes made of cardboard. Wish it taste more like frosted flakes, and I don't prefer sweet especially in beers. Wishing there was a hops presence, but again this was brewed to style. That said, lack of complexity and poor malt flavor could be vastly improved. 2.25

Mouthfeel: Medium body, carbonation holds throughout, sweet malt taste dominates, no hop bitterness whatsoever. Clean crisp finish with negligible malt sweet aftertaste, so glad it isn't too strong or lingers. 3.0

Overall: This beer accentuates attributes least favorable to my preferences, mainly malty sweetness. That said, it was somewhat enjoyable, I am finishing this beer, it's just not a repeat purchase with all the choices out there. It is brewed to style and is an acceptable beer, though the barley taste should be better than this. 2.5

Returning with an American classic Malt Liquor tomorrow.

Musical Accompaniment - Tori Amos

 

Thanks for the start, @jkblr.

I'll be participating in the Online Tasting: Malt Liquor & European Strong Lagers (October 22-24, 2021) later. Before that, though, here is a locally-brewed Kristallweizen.

Utepils Plaid Bikini Kristallweizen
ABV: 5.2%
IBU: 16



This beer was included in Utepils summer beer sample pack, which I bought the other day on a whim.

Utepils labels this as a "summer wheat."

Crystal clear yellow, well carbonated, topped with a tall white head with OK retention and some lacing. (The lack of clarity apparent in the photo is due to condensation on the glass.)

Moderate aroma of banana, fruit, and clove.

The taste is mild and refreshing. Typical wheat beer flavors of banana, although weaker than most. There is also a bit of a sour note in the middle and carrying through to the finish. I detect the (typical?) Utepils mineral taste in the background. Given how often this minerality appears in Utepils beers, either my palate is super sensitive to this or it is intentional. Either way, the result is a crisp and refreshing beer. (Although, in truth, the mineral taste does wear out its welcome before the beer is finished. I'd like it better sans minerality.)

The mouth feel is light and tingly, appropriate for a summer beer.

Overall, I enjoyed it (even though I'm having it well into fall).


L: 4.0 | S: 3.75 | T: 3.75 | F: 4.0 | O: 3.75 | Rating: 3.79

 

If they're not being used as fermentable sugar, the proper term is "adjunks."
@JackHorzempa?

 

Hoof Hearted The World's Baldest Conga Line Imperial Stout, 13.5% ABV. Pours black and thick like oil, with no head. Nose is banana, chocolate, and peanut butter. Taste is chocolate, peanut butter, coffee, and pineapple, slightly sweet, slightly bitter. Thick and smooth mouthfeel with moderately heavy carbonation. Overall very excellent.

4.11/5 rDev +2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

If you have this beer, be sure to roll it and tumble it a bit to agitate the sludge. I was rinsing out the can and found some of the flavor I missed.

 

Actually, it's "add-junk" or "add-junks".

 

I recently got to try Industrial Arts' Torque Wrench as a result of @MacMalt's generosity. This is especially well-timed, since I had recently acquired Wrench on my own, so I get to try them relatively close together in time.

16oz can served in a big snifter. Dated 09/03/21. Bought it somewhere in NYC and shipped it home to myself.

Pours hazy pale yellow with a fairly small head that dissipates pretty quickly. Smell is bright citrus pith.

Taste is mostly down the same path as the aroma. Citrus pith and moderate resin bitterness.

Mouthfeel is medium leaning toward thick, slight grittiness. Overall...it's perfectly fine.

I came in way under average here, with an rDev of -12%. What I'm tasting is a pretty straightforward, pretty good hazy IPA. Nothing special. Wonder what I'm missing. I found Torque Wrench much more interesting and enjoyable. Lately, I've been enjoying single IPAs more and doubles less, and this stands in opposition of that trend.

 

cross-posted (more or less) in the Malt Liquor tasting thread

Founders DKML, an Imperial Malt Liquor Aged In Bourbon Barrels. It "Kicks you where you most expect it"

3.51/5 rDev -10.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5

Light amber in color with an inch of surprisingly dense and long lasting head. Aroma is very sweet and mostly one-dimensional. Not picking up any of the bourbon barrels on the nose. Taste is sweet yet harsh. The barrels are more present here, and help to add a bit of depth to the flavor, but the sweet / harsh combo is hard to overcome. Overall, this isn't a bad beer, just not a great one either.

 

Between yesterday, pre gaming before the Astros, and this afternoon, I have a few new beers to review...

Was at New Magnolia Brewing yesterday. Had their Redwood IPA. 6.9% ABV, with Cascade and Centennial hops.



Pours a darker orange color. A small white head rises and recedes quickly. Light lace is left behind.
The nose is fairly simple. Pine resin, grapefruit and citrus notes. Classic C hops, and thats all you get. Not much nuance, but enjoyable enough.
Taste wise, like the nose, all the C hops are up front. Pine, citrus, grapefruit. It becomes woody like as well, along with lingering bitterness that lasts forever.
A medium body. Moderate carbonation, and pretty clean. Though the bitterness just takes over after a while for me, along with the simplicity, makes this more of a one and done for me.

Definitely an old school west coast IPA. Just C hops and bitterness. Reminds me of the IBU wars about 10 years or so ago. Nothing particularly bad about this. just fairly one noted and bitter. Which makes it a middle of the road IPA for me.

Overal score is 3.51, which is a B score for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/58057/455281/?ba=champ103#review

Next up is their Provisionale Brett Saison. 9.0% ABV.



Pours with a light haze, an orange color. A small white head forms and recedes to a ring that sticks throughout. No lace left behind.
Aroma...Oh, big plastic like phenols in the nose, along with a fresh cut hay like character. A touch of fruitiness, with peach and citrus.
Taste, yeah, plastic phenolic spice all the way. It just takes over for the most part. A touch of nondescript fruitiness, and just a touch of bitterness lingering.
A medium body and moderate carbonation. Becomes a bit slick and oily after a while. Not perfect, but not particularly hard to drink. I appreciate the try, of making a Brett Saison, more than anything.

This reminds me of the old Brux Brett beer that Sierra Nevada made years ago. Like that particular offering, this has a very strong plastic like, phenolic Brett character that just takes over. While I typically love a good Brett Saison/Wild Ale, when that character takes over, its not something I'm a fan of. So again, respect the try, and not bad but not my preference for the style.

3.5,...Again, right in the middle, a B score for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/58057/482112/?ba=champ103#review

 

Good Saturday afternoon, New Beer Weekenders. I'm still stunned by the amount of superb beer I received from @FBarber during the NBS BIF. It's hard to decide what to drink next. Old Irving Brewing Co. in Chicago is new-to-me so I was anxious to try Triple Beezer, a TIPA hopped with Mosaic and Citra and with a grist bill of wheat, oats, and 2-Row and Carapils malts. It could pass for a Milkshake IPA given its sweetness and body.

Poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass. It pours an opaque, muddy tangerine with a very large, creamy, eggnog-colored had and thick soapy lacing. The smell is tangerine-forward with notes of stone fruit and creamy oat sweetness. The use of oats and Carapils 2-Row malts gives it a very sweet initial taste. The tried and true combination of Citra and Mosaic hops add flavors of bubblegum, mango, melon, and lemon. There is very little bitterness. The mouth feel is fairly creamy and viscous with moderate carbonation, and despite the sweetness it doesn't seem like 10% ABV. Overall, Triple Beezer is well-done albeit on the sweet side.

4.04/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

I'll be back tomorrow with a mystery beer and a very highly-rated Saison. Cheers, NBW!

 

Thanks @jkblr for opening the tap

slow start to my day after taking the red eye home from the left coast

Reubens Brews Fresh Hop Doubke Crush hazy India pale ale

4.09/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pint can received in Lif14 from @snaotheus

New to me beer, new to me brewery

Canned 9.28, opened 10.23, poured into a teku. Hazy orange liquid crowned by an off white three finger foam cap , very good retention , settles to a finger thick rocky , fluffy layer, occasional lacings

Aroma is tropical , orange citrus

Taste is tropical , orange citrus

Mouthfeel is low sudsing, juicy, smooth ,citra hop bite on the finish

Good beer, thanks @snaotheus for letting me Rey this beer

 

Another local brewery, I visited today. Baileson. The owner is a huge Labyrinth fan, as am I. So they named this after one of the big Jim Henson puppets from the movie.

Ludo, Black IPA. 6.6% ABV.


Pours a near opaque black color. A tan head forms with good retention and lots of lace left behind.
Roasted malts in the nose. Chocolate, coffee and earthy hoppy aromas. More grassy in the finish, but the malts are the show.
Taste wise, a nuanced roasted malt flavor here. Again, chocolate, toffee, coffee. There is an earthy and grassy bitterness lingering. Though resembles more of a porter, which is probably why I like it more that a typical Black IPA.
A medium to full body. Good carbonation, that is ultra smooth. Enjoyable to drink, I can come back to this pretty easily.

This definitely resembles more of a slight hoppy Porter, than Black IPA. Which I'm all good with. As more often then not, I get competing bitterness, from heavy roast/malts, and lots of hops. That never meshes right with me. This is just simple and well balanced. Might not be what some look for in the style, but something I'll come back to more often.

Overall score is 4.1, A- for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50448/493934/?ba=champ103#review

 

Mickey's Mean Green will always have a warm place in my heart. I helped increase the brewery's profit margin when I was in college.

 

Hop Butcher, Double Grid 7.5% NEIPA, aroma jumps right out of the can, nice, opaque orange with nice foamy head, leaving lacing aplenty, sweet melon, pineapple, smooth, light bitterness but overall, loses its appeal about half way through. Enjoyable, but world class? Is this due to local bias perhaps? Glad to have a chance with the Butcher, thanks @WunderLlama