New Beer Weekend #67

Do you have a favorite Halloween Beer?




Heretofore my favorite Halloween beer is a blended beer that my wife labels as Chocolate Pumpkin: half Pumpkin Ale (with lots of spices) and half Youngs Double Chocolate Stout. But this year I was finally able to find/purchase Allagash Haunted House Hoppy Dark Ale. Will this be a new favorite Halloween beer?

From the Allagash website:

“Doomed by a love of pitch-black Porters and our Allagash House Beer, we summoned the recipe for Haunted House. Roasted Barley and Blackprinz malt curse this beer with a gravely dark hue. Hopped with Crystal, Chinook, and Saaz hops, this beer ends with a ghost of coffee-flavored bitterness and hauntingly complex malty palate.

Beer Details

Grains: Roasted Barley and Blackprinz

Hops: Crystal, Chinook, Saaz

Yeast: House

Serving Temp: 40-50°F

Ideal Within: 6 months

First Released: October 24th, 2015

Availability: Limited

Package Size: 12 oz, Draft

ABV: 6.66%”

There are a few of the aspects of the above beer details are incomplete/in error:

They do not list the base malt within the grains section; my guess is they use Pale Malt as their base malt. And know this beer is available in 16 ounce cans as you can see in the photo below.

On the back of my can there is verbiage which is not 100% consistent with the online description:

“Cursed by our love of roasty porters, we summoned the recipe for Haunted House. Roasted barleyand Blackprinz malt cloak this ale into a gravely dark hue. Hopped with Crystal, Nugget, Cascade, and Northern Brewer, its flavor is filled with hauntingly balanced notes of coffee, malt, and a devilish hint of hops.”

It would appear they decided to change up the hops a bit for this year’s version.

On BA this beer is placed within the IPA - Black / Cascadian Dark Ale category but based upon the Allagash information above it seems like this beer is more like a Hoppy Porter/Stout to me. Well, let’s drink this beer to find out more.

I shared this can with my wife.

Served in two small Duvel glasses:

Appearance:

Very dark in color, approaching black, with a khaki colored head.

Aroma:

Predominantly dark malt aromas (e.g., cocoa, coffee, dark caramel,…) but there is some hop aromas of citrus/pine in the background.

Taste:

The taste follows the nose with mostly dark malt flavors (see above) but also in a secondary role hop flavors of citrus/pine. There is a firm bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

This beer has a luscious/silky mouthfeel with an off-dry finish.

Overall:

I enjoyed drinking this beer, I think it is very good. I enjoyed the flavor profile and I think the mouthfeel of this beer is the highlight.

This beer is a Hoppy Porter in my opinion.

@rotsaruch @RobH

 

@JackHorzempa so no Belgian yeast in that one?

I supposed I could’ve done the research but I’ve always passed cause I assumed it was fermented with their normal (Belgian?) strain.

Also congrats on the new house @SawDog505! Close by to old one or did you guys move farther.

 

According to @JackHorzempa ’s post it is their normal “house” yeast.

 

I read the whole post except the list of those details. Go figure.

 

It's the same yeast used in their Tripel, etc.

 

Thanks for the kickoff @SawDog505 , and congratulations on your new home!

OK, already crossed posted with WBAYDN, typically write my review first but this one is short and sweet. Bought this with the worst beer I ever rated (Fuggin' Awesome - who knew), and a couple more for last week's Malt Liquor / European Strong. I like pils so decided to take a chance on this inexpensive offering from the Czech Republic.

Staropilsen Star of Pilsen Lager



Bottle Notes: $2.26 w/ tax purchased 10/16/21 at Shop and Save on Devon. BB Date of 3/3/22, so pegging this as bottled 3/4/21. 16.9 oz, 4.7% ABV. Brewed and bottled in the Czech Republic for Staropilsen, imported by B&I Overseas Trading Inc., Van Nuys, CA.

Star of Pilsen is an authentic lager from the Czech Republic still brewed today in the traditional way by using our barley, Saaz hops and pure soft artesian water. We offer you a full bodied and smooth lager of the highest standard appreciated for its taste all around the world.

Appearance: Golden clear straw color base, mild carbonation, nice creamy bubbly head leaves creamy film above the base throughout the pour, minimal lacing otherwise.. Looks good. 3.75

Aroma: Strong barley, OK. Next up grassy hops, mineral, and a whiff of skunky reminiscent of Heineken. Green bottle, why? 3.25

Taste: Hops lead with first sip, extremely salty . Overwhelms just about everything else, including the barley smelled prior to first sip. Perhaps I'm getting to sensitive to salt after trying to phase out in foods, but this is the second straight Pils I've tried recently with this feature. 2.0

Mouthfeel: Light body, salt overwhelms all other sensations in terms of hops, sweetness, etc. Salty aftertaste. 1.75

Overall: Salt, salt, salt. Wish it tasted like it smelled, sans the skunk. 1.75

Will pull out a Half Acre Pony this week to see if my palate is truly wrecked when it comes to Pilsners. I have a local Kellerbier on tap for tomorrow.

 

Firstly, let me get this out of the way: I am not a fan of green bottles because of the risk for skunking.

You likely know the reason for "why?"; there is a segment of the beer consumer market which associates green bottles with premium/imported beer (e.g., Heineken that you mentioned above).

At a beer festival I got into a discussion with the Yuengling Sales Reps about why they bottle some of their products in green bottles (e.g., Traditional Lager, Lord Chesterfied, etc.). They agreed with me that green bottles are not a good idea and the suggestion they provided was for me to purchase those beers in cans. The 'good news' is that when Yuengling came out with the new brand of Yuengling Golden Pilsner they decided to use brown bottles for that brand.

Non-cheers to skunky beer!

P.S. When my wife and I visited the Czech Republic in 2019 our hotel was on the same block as Staropramen brewery. It took us just a couple/few minutes to walk their for the tour and a visit to the gorgeous pub they have at the brewery. A photo of the four sample beers they provide at the end of the tour:



From right to left the four beers were:

· Staropramen Premium: what I would term a Pilsner but the Czechs would term as a Pale Lager.

· Unfiltered: brewed with malt (Pilsner Malt I presume) and wheat and unfiltered.

· Granat: they term this beer as being a semi-dark beer and brewed with three malts including caramel malt.

· Dark Lager (Tmavý Ležák): brewed with 4 malts and I presume one is caramel malt based upon my tasting of this beer.

 

Chris has already informed you about the House yeast aspect. Permit me to just re-enforce that there is no Belgiany character in the Haunted House beer.

Cheers!

 

Thanks, @SawDog505 for getting the thread started, and congratulations on the new house. Last weekend we had a family reunion of sorts, with me and my wife, four kids, and four grandkids. A good time was had by all. Now back home and getting back into our daily routines. Saturday chores are completed, now it's time for football and beer.
I picked up a 6pack of this the other day, a collaboration between New Belgium and Four Roses. It was pretty good, so I am going to drink them myself and not try to foist them off on my wife and son.
A dark amber color with a fluffy off-white head. Beautiful lacing.
Understated aroma. Fruit, bourbon, vanilla.
Taste of orange, caramel, bourbon, vanilla.
A bit on the thin side. I would also have liked a stronger bourbon presence.

 

Good afternoon NBW
I have a new-to-me and BA Pre-Prohibition Lager to share today. This is the first beer I've bought from this brewer. In the review, I noted that they omitted both the date and ABV from the labeling, but listed IBU. It is a fresh release according to their website.
Quaff On! Corn Crusher


12oz undated bottle poured into a pilsner glass at fridge temp. 30 IBU noted on the label, but no ABV. It's listed at 5.7% on their website. The beer pours brilliantly bright pale straw yellow with nearly white head. The head recedes to a thin cap. The aroma is faint with a little sweet, pale malt, floral hops and slight mineral notes. The taste is semisweet and barely tart corny malt with a hint of floral hops and a mild diacetyl presence. Moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, good AAL. I could do without the diacetyl, but it would be minimal in any situation except a formal review.

I'm sure I'll enjoy the other 3 in this four pack with a bourbon sidecar. It's not warm enough outside to guzzle them after lawn work...

Cheers all and enjoy the new beer in your glass today!

 

Thanks Jack. This was what I was curious about.

 

If you are interested in buying some I would encourage you to act soon (assuming your retail situation is similar to mine). This is the first time I was successful in locating/purchasing this beer since in prior years it had already sold out by the time I was ready to buy it.

A limited production/distribution beer?

Cheers!

 

Hey what's going on!

Man... what an insane week I had. I wont go into the gory details, but it involves a plumbing issue that is driving me insane (not the plumbers fault), a crazy work week, and a hectic scramble to get my ducks in a row before the weekend started.

Luckily the weekend is here and running. I am laying low, but also getting myself ready for some soccer action for my last season game of do or die MLS playoff advancement.

I am going to be heading out to Right Proper later! Almost seems like we might be getting some normalcy? But still patience is needed, I don't have a part, my co-worker doesn't have his car back from the shop yet... some jack ass is punching a flight attendant in the face for no reason whatsover..

But we are all here with a new beverage so everyone just CHILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL... and breathe! am I right!

I know I am... cause I got new beers!

Now what's new for our hero today? Very fitting to start with this can as I am hoping for a home team win tonight against Columbus. VAMOS United!



Poured from the can into a Libbey pilsner style glass.

Nicely forming beer here. Color is more in the chestnut brown more marzen looking character. Minimal redness with a dark brown and orange body. Simple khaki colored head two fingers with some medium bubbles, ok retention, with minimal lacing.

Aroma goes for a bit gooey caramel, a little bit of hop action somewhere between noble spice and basic pine. There's a bit of sharp minerality possibly on the nose, but does come off as clean.

Palate seem to lack slightly. Light and a bit wet bodied, with a hint of papery caramel flavor. Good hop finish that lightly accents with a bit of spice to the malt caramel hinting base. Muted touches of pine and a bit of hop warmth in the back tongue with this guy. Clean and responsive, but a still hints wet with the flavors dissipating somewhat quickly.

An ok red lager, nice to find these rare animals once in awhile, but unfortunately other than the awesome can logo and design (no bias there right!), not much more of the base beer is greatly memorable. Certainly drinkable at least.

look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75 | BA generated Score: 3.8 / 5

Cheers!

 

Congrats on the new house and thanks for kicking this off!

 

I have to agree wholeheartedly to this assessment, it’s not a bad stout but it’s not the pastry stout that they imply.
Cheers!

 

Schuhmacher 150 Jahre Oststraße


Yields a golden light brown color with a solid, froth smaller head atop. This is unusually bright in color for an Alt.


Smells of flowery, slightly spicy hops, together with caramel, wood bark and a note of toffee.


Has a light and well carbonated body, resulting in an easy drinking beer throughout.


Tastes of dry, leafy, grassy hops, unfolding a toffee malt accompanied bitterness among freshly toasted grains and whole grain bread. Has an earthy, grain forward mid palate, coated up by the herbal, dry hops and just a drop of caramel to sweeten things up a little. Finishes almost a bit smoky with lusciously sweet malts, straw and old lime zest, creating a crisp and elegant finish.


This is incredibly well balanced, featuring a perfect twist between rustic, sweet and spicy malts and herbal, dry hops, while showcasing a lovely, harmonious and easy drinking beer at the same time. I did expect a little more regarding its aromas, since this is supposed to be dryhopped with quite a bit of Tettnanger which I find hard to detect on the nose at all.

 

Good afternoon NBW friends!
Rare day I am not outside on the weekend but this game is special, at least in Michigan.
The beer I chose to drink with the game (at least the first) is the Baltic Style Porter from Dovetail, sent to me in a massive porch bombing from @ovaltine in NBW BIF 14.

@FBarber sent me a Baltic Porter from Poland that was amazing and became my standard for the style. So how did Dovetail do?
Well, I won’t say it is equal to the standard I have in my head, but it’s still an amazing beer.
Smoked essence emanating from the pitch black pour topped with a light brown head.
Smoky flavor is filled out with cocoa and charred stone fruit and toasted malts. Quite good.
The feel is where this deviated from the standard. It’s still really good, just more viscous than I expected from a lager. But there is so much flavor crammed in the glass, I guess it’s a tiny quibble.
OA, as with the other Dovetail lagers and doppelbocks sent in that strike, it’s amazing. I would be happy to have Dovetail beer availability here in W Michigan.
Cheers all!