New Beer Weekend #73

After the wonderful but incredibly sour Flanders Red I reviewed earlier I need to go in a different direction. I may be the last person on the face of the earth to review Velvet Rush. That's an exaggeration, of course, but I actually might be the last BA to do so.

Bottled on 8/6/2021. Poured into a snifter glass. It pours a very dark ruby color with over a half finger of creamy, light khaki-colored head and a thick sheen of lacing. The fragrant nose includes roasted malt, chocolate, burnt coffee, nutty char, tobacco, vanilla, and just a whiff of bourbon. This is roasty and tasty! It opens with burnt coffee grounds and charred nuts. There is a hint of chocolate in the background but it's not very sweet. Rather, the sweetness comes from the vanilla extract and milk sugar. There is a good balance between acidic bitterness and creamy sweetness. The bourbon barrel notes are quite delicate and compliment the other flavors without distraction. I have mixed feelings about the mouth feel: on one hand it's rather thin but on the other the 11.1% ABV is very well hidden. I would never think the alcohol level were so high. While not creamy in feel it is very smooth and drinkable.

I've always been a sucker for Founders but this is a really nice Brown Ale!

4.31/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I hope everyone is enjoying his/her new beer(s) today. As always, I enjoy reading your reviews. Cheers, NBW!

 

Oooh, I've got one of those, and almost cracked it a few minutes ago, but didn't, cuz a few of us might be getting together to crack some bottles, and it wouldn't have a "new" brew for me. I opened something else. You are making reconsider my choices here!

 

Hope you and yours recover quickly.

 

Just got back from visiting Garrison City Beerworks with the gf. Went to enjoy a pour of their new Hygge imperial Belgian stout (brewed with spices, vanilla, and chocolate) and ended up having a small pour of their Toasty Close imperial s'mores stout as well. Good place with a solid atmosphere. If I could have spent more time there, I would have gotten an additional few pours, especially because they had their Dojo Jojo, an IPA with matcha (powdered green tea), jasmine rice, and Enigma hops... super good. Anyway, this is another new beer from another local-to-my-girlfriend brewer (lucky me!), Stoneface. This IPA was canned on 12/9/21, a mere three days ago.



This one features Mosaic, Citra, and Strata, and clocks in at 6% ABV. Kind of a really pale pour here, with a somewhat sickly look to it and a thin, non-retentive head. Some spotty, decent lacing, but... overall, this one isn't too attractive.

Nose is excellent. I get a lot of spice and anise, weirdly enough, plus a huge dose of tangerine and stone fruit. It almost feels like Idaho 7 was involved here; if I hadn't known any better that would've been my assumption. Strata is pushing some decent dankness and hints of grassiness as well. Light aspects of berry and ripe mango once it acclimates to room temp a bit. Smells real nice for sure!

Saturated flavor profile with a hefty hit upfront of bright citrus and dank cannabis. Surprising melon and apricot coming out here. It's pretty complex actually, which I didn't expect for the lower ABV, and the hop combo is bringing out some unusual stuff. Speaking of which, this trifecta of varietals is probably going to end up being the combo du jour for a while. Just making a prediction. Feel is very nice, soft and unassuming; it highlights the hops without being too one-dimensional. Solid stuff here for sure. Would gladly enjoy again.

 

I loved the sidebars...what side of the delaware river, south jersey side or PA side? If it is NJ side let me know I'd be happy to recommend some good breweries and stores.

 

And, I always welcome the chance to revisit with friends from the past. It'll be interesting to see what I think of it now, as opposed to 7-8 years ago.

 

This happened to me with Jubelale. I hadn’t in about that long and it was like a brand new beer, I forgot so many aspects of it. It’s a damn great beer.

 

Speaking of Garrison City in my first post, here is a new-to-me beer from them. This is Glean, a "rustic lager" brewed with Blue Ox malt from Maine.



I guess this is considered a kellerbier, which seems fair considering the pour... it's nice and cloudy, with a pale yellow appearance. Solid finger of head that builds and dissipates quickly. It does retain with about a half-finger and some really nice lace, so nothing about this seems out of character if we take the style into account. I've really enjoyed some craft kellers over the last few years, and my favorites have been from breweries such as Idle Hands that really nail the balance of bitterness, light bready notes, and slight fruit that characterizes a solid keller.

The nose is baking spice and rye bread with hints of sourdough bread, plum, orange peel, and caraway. This really banks on the Belgian-esque spice, though, so maybe it's more like some kind of Abbey-style single/patersbier? Interesting.

Lemony with caraway, plum, apricot, and hints of rye bread on the palate. I'm not exactly sure what they're going for here, but it feels like a Belgian-via-German lager that sorta has elements of patersbier and kellerbier. It is lacking the cleanliness of a keller, but it has some character as a result. Kinda chewy and yeasty, which gives it some ester-ish qualities.

Feel is slick and a bit doughy. The yeast is distracting a bit here. I want this to be slightly more refreshing. It's missing that fun, bright minerality I associate with kellers, but that's replaced with some intrigue when it comes to fruity flavors. Hmm... probably wouldn't get again but it's still solid.

 

Going big today, with another new one and another later tonight. “Are you seriously taking a picture of your beer right now??” Mrs Phisher, as the chaos of our house swirled around

Reubens Brews - Crikey IPA



This one has a slight haze to it, pours a bronze like color. The head had legs and stayed very thick for quite some time before settling down.

Tangerine like citrus smell, little touch of pine sap, a fruitiness to it as well but very nondescript. I get the most minor garlic/onion scent as it warms. My mosaic detector has gone off, though it is so subtle I may be wrong. The

The taste to me is primarily a rind like citrus that I want to call grapefruit because of the bitterness this beer has. It is also very sappy and more so because of the drying finish this beer has.

Medium body to this beer, fairly dry finish, a subtle sweetness on the finish to go with the medium bitterness.

Another pleasure of a beer from The Evergreen State. Thanks @BBThunderbolt

 

Congrats
(& I'll save you a milkshake wild veggie sour when that becomes a style. )

Maybe?
I saw something from Rochefort with other than the usual numbers, but as I had my hands full already, & had to step out of somebody's way, I neglected to look and see what exactly it was.

Hey all you NBWers

First one for me is The Raspberry , from The Farmhouse , a raspberry saison aged in red wine barrels .
Short version -
O: : it's essentially a sour/wild ale, derived from a saison base. At first , I was a bit surprised & taken aback, but liked it once mentally adjusted, especially as it warmed. (Drinking half, putting the rest away for tomorrow.)

That^ didn't show the true color, so put it under one of the plant lights :
Pretty close . Probably a bit more red.


A : As it pours, it looks like dilute pink lemonade, but as the volume builds in the glass it becomes orangey-red, lightly hazy, with light , quickly-dissipating off-white head.

S: The smell is acetic, like fruity pickle juice, with some slight grape and oak aromas becoming apparent as it warms. Also , a faint whiff of fresh,crackery malt. Smells like a sour/wild ale, +/-. (I do like that . )

T: Taste is ....well.... sour/wild ale . Not sure if that is intentional (probably) , but it works. Initially there is some tangy , but light, grape and dried raspberry, quickly followed by some woody funk. "Bandaid" is the closest I can come to it, for now, with some tannin .(It's better than that sounds.) Then the fruit becomes a bit more jammy , just as the typical saison spiciness comes in . A bit of dry woody/bread crust flavor lingers on the front of the tongue, while some jammy sourness lingers at the back . I'm also getting a salty sensation near finish, and lingering after. Not absolutely sure this is from the beer , or from the beer liberating residual salt from the tortilla chips of a half-hour ago, but it seems like the beer. ?????

F: Feel is light, with moderate, very,very fine carbonation, that is initially mild, and becomes pleasantly sharp at finish, & lingering awhile. There is a drying feel on the front of the tongue after finish, with a sour/mucilaginous/jammy feel at the back.
3.96/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35315/580800/#navigation

 

Surly BRAAAAAAAAins Double Fruit Smoothie Sour - Pineapple, Guava, Dragonfruit, 7.2% ABV. Pours thick an murky burnt orange with a one-finger light orange head that left puree residue. Nose is a mashup of pineapple/guava/dragonfruit, and vanilla. Taste follows, moderately sweet, equally tart, with salt on the close. Excellent thick mouthfeel with decent carbonation. Overall outstanding, one of their better BRAAAAAAAAins variants.

4.39/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Just got back from a Christmas concert by the South Dakota Symphony Orchestra, now bracing myself for the Packers game. Never know how it will go with the oldest rivalry in the NFL, against duh Bears.

 

Very busy day today, lots of driving but got to pick up some bottles from The Referend. For the rest of the night I will be enjoying The Waves, a collaboration with de Grade!
4.44/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

750 ml bottle, bottled on 3/6/19, poured into a flute

A- A hazy golden orange with a two finger white head.

S- Sour, apricots/peaches, oak, hints of berries, a lovely musty funk.

T- Sour, lemons, oak, apricot, hints of tart berries, touch of wheat, musty/earthy funk.

M- Smooth, light body.

O- This is a lovely Lambic that embraces a wonderful balance between sour and funk.

Until next weekend, stay safe, cheers!

 

Greetings All from the Great Northwest where we are warmer than average but windy as all get out. No real damage but the tumble weeds were flying.

Today we have the Peanut Butter Milk Stout from Belching Beaver Brewery.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30923/97563/

Very sweet, more of a desert beer than sessionable. The six-pack might last a month.

Until next time

 

Melvin Mythfits IPA, 7.0% ABV, 4.19 overall


Pours an effervescent & somewhat hazed gold with 2 fingers of eggshell colored head. Average head retention & good lacing

S: Tropical fruit, green melons
T: Green melon, papaya, a little lime, passion fruit & a little dryness up front. I pick up a little guava as this warms, plus a little bitter orange. Finishes with grapefruit, passionfruit & guava

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation with good balance

Easy to drink, very good offering. I will always buy any of Melvin's hoppy stuff unless I know its old

 

Here's to all getting better!