New Beer Weekend #76

Thanks for stepping up @ChicagoJ . This is a new one from Kettlehead loaded with mosaic 6.8%. Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned on 12/28/21. Pours a very attractive orange with a finger sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma is blueberry, papaya, tangerine, and apricot. 4.5

Taste follows blueberry, papaya, tangerine, and apricot really well balanced. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, soft gentle almost creamy carbonation, not sticky or dry, and really big on flavor for the ABV, but really easy going down. 4.75

Overall this is excellent, I highly recommend this one. Cheers all and have a safe and healthy 2022. 4.5

 

Was at Southern Yankee's Crafthouse again for diner last night. Its their bar/restaurant in Houston, the brewery is out in the suburbs. This is an excellent place.

New beer is Play Like a Pirate, DIPA. 8.6% ABV



Pours a light hazy orange color. With a one finger white head that forms, with good retention and lace left behind.
Aroma is berry and peach fruits up front. Baked bread like malts balance it out. Fairly simple but I enjoy that.
Taste wise, like the nose, berry and peach hop flavors going on up front. The fruit flavors don't take over too much, as a great bready character and enough sweetness balances. Then a nice bitterness lingers to bring everything together.
A full body with moderate carbonation. Not too sticky, but has enough chewiness. Becomes ultra smooth as this breaths. A really enjoyable IPA to sip on at the brewery.

Yeah, this is a good one. My score might actually be a bit low. Will for sure have it again, and up it a bit if I feel it necessary. Kind of an old school "East Coast DIPA" but with a bit more modern hop bite. I like it.

Right now, overall score is 3.82, which still makes it a B+ for me. Might be closer to a solid 4 all around.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/54216/430740/?ba=champ103#review

Pastrami Melt that went along with the beer is amazing as well.


Finishing up Denis Johnson's crazy poetry collection called The Throne of the Third Heaven of the Nations Millennium General Assembly. What a title Also one of the bartenders here is a college lit student and we go back and forth with books we like. She wrote a screenplay for a class and I"m proofreading it. Its really good, a short script of Hatian generational problems (that is were she is from), really impressed with that.

Anyway, have another DIPA I'm going to open sometime probably today from The Blind Pig in Champaign, IL. My sister got me that as a Christmas present when I went home.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned with in the last 2 weeks. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow orange, with a 2 plus finger sticky white head that leaves big thick rings of lace, with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma is buttery Chardonnay, mango, peach, mandarin, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows white grapes, mango, peach, mandarin, and apricot really well balanced but the Nelson is clearly the star. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, soft creamy carbonation, not dry or sticky, and at 7% ABV it drinks a little bigger but goes down really easy. 4.75

Overall another really well made NEIPA from Modestman, I would highly recommend this tasty brew. 4.5

 

Good afternoon NBW
I had to stop going to liquor stores about two weeks ago in the hopes of getting my fridge under control by January. I've been holding on to this beer and it's barrel aged counterpart for a couple months after a trade with @Harrison8, and today's the day.

Servaes Brewing Co
All My Pieces

From the can: This English style barleywine has notes of raisins, toffee, caramel and chocolate. It is best served close to room temperature.

16oz undated can ironically labeled "Keep cold. Drink fresh. Be happy." poured into half pint glass at 53° Fahrenheit 11% ABV per label. The beer pours opaque medium brown in color with light brown head. The head disappears completely in a couple minutes leaving no retention or lacing. The aroma is mild with sweet notes caramel and chocolate. The taste is semisweet burnt sugar caramel, cocoa and ethanol with mild bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, good, but lacking the body and complexity of above average versions of the style.

I will say the longer this beer sits in the glass losing carbonation and gaining temperature, the better it drinks. That's not a bad trait for a 16 ounce 11% beer.

Cheers all and thanks Harrison!

 

Cloud Inversion from The Blind Pig in Champaign, IL. They are a tiny nano brewery. Not the Champagne of beers, but the beers of Champaign They have always been a go to for me, when visiting family in the area. They make everything from Lagers, Milds, and everything in between.

Cloud Inversion, DIPA with 100% Strata hops. 8% ABV.



Pours a cloudy orange, almost but not quite of the murk bomb variety. A dense white head rises to over two fingers. Retention for days and plenty of lace.
Aroma is big hops that are dank and fruity. Not particularly complex, but is intense. That strawberry, melon fruit medley.
Taste wise up front, the juicy hops are noticeable. That range from strawberry to melon again. A hard candy like sweetness. Some bitterness lingering and a fairly assertive astringency.
A sticky and resinous body. Moderate carbonation, and overall feels a little thick for my tastes. Though, fairly enjoyable to drink. Not having any problems with putting away the can.

Maybe not my preferred example for a DIPA. It boarders on the NEIPA style, but maybe not exactly there. Which I'm known for not liking. Though saying that, this is enjoyable for what it is and always glad to try something outside my comfort zone, that is not completely off putting for me.

Overall score is 3.64, solid B for me.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20982/583580/?ba=champ103#review

Tunes over at the other thread soon...

 

Serendipity!

Firstly, Merry New Year everybody!



The serendipity that I am referring to: I subscribe to BYO (Brew Your Own) magazine and in the latest (January – February 2022 issue) there is a clone recipe for Weyerbacher Tiny – Belgian-style Imperial Stout. In the beginning of this discussion:

“Tiny, a Belgian-style imperial stout embodies Weyerbacher’s philosophy of big, bold beers with a flavorful twist. While the craft beer world has largely gravitated toward stouts fermented with a clean-fermenting American ale yeast, leaving a window open for expressive flavoring ingredients, Tiny relies on the fruity esters of a Belgian yeast strain for its nuance. The result is a smoother, fruitier imperial stout that lacks astringency but still packs a big punch of flavor, with rounded stone-fruit and chocolate notes conjured by fermentation and a careful selection of dark malts. Perfecting this recipe will remind brewers of how much can be achieved by simply respecting the power of yeast itself.”

I must confess that after I completed reading the above, I was salivating. I read through the recipe and thought to myself this would be an intriguing beer to brew. But why wait I also thought: why not just buy some first to try. So here we are!

Served in my Tripel Karmeliet chalice:

Appearance:

Black in color with a thin dark tan head.

Aroma:

There is an interesting mix of aromas: some cocoa, a bit of roastiness, some dark dried fruits and other fruitiness from the Belgian yeast.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with a complex combination of flavors: cocoa, roastiness, fruity,…No one flavor dominates and the flavors complement each other. Low-medium bitterness. The alcohol level is well hidden.

Mouthfeel:

A luscious mouthfeel with an off-dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is very good – excellent. There is indeed a moderate Belgiany character which plays really well with the dark malt flavors.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @RobH @Bierman9

 

Outstanding kick off to the thread @ChicagoJ. I'll chime in later with top beers of 2021, but for my first new beer of the weekend, I'm going to get right to the point. This is Fox in the Snow - Cranberry from Off Color Brewing, received courtesy of @FBarber. With any luck, I'll review one or two other Fox in the Snow variants this weekend.

Off to a good start....this one was tasty!
4.06/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a burnt sienna color with minimal, short-lived head. Aroma is very tart with faint cranberries, but mostly a message that this is going to have plenty of acidity to it. The taste immediately reinforces what I expected based off the nose. It's tart, but not over the top tart. After that tart cranberry fades on the tongue, there's a very long earthy, funky, horse blanket finish that I think really adds to the beer. Medium carb. Overall, a very tasty beer.

 

Great opening, @ChicagoJ!

I'll make a stab at going through my 2021 stats later. But, I already know I didn't come anywhere NEAR 560 new beers (@Roguer!). First, 10+ beers a week would be a bit much for me, plus I don't only drink singles of new-to-me beers. I might have hit 100 new beers; we'll see after I check the spreadsheet.

Today, though, I'm having another beer from the Sam Adams Beers for Cheers pack.

Sam Adams Holiday White Ale
ABV: 5.8%
IBU: 8

Clear golden body topped by a somewhat short (for the style and vigorous pour) stark white head that has a thick and creamy appearance and good retention. Heavily carbonated. Altogether, a nice looking wheat beer.

Aroma brings bright fruit, banana, pears, clove, light citrus.

The taste puts the clove and perhaps some coriander to the front, backed by the fruit flavors and a slight bitterness. A relatively unchallenging flavor profile. Simple spiced wheat. Refreshing and enjoyable enough for what it is.

It has a light body feel with a crispness from the carbonation.

Overall, not a beer I object to being in their winter mixed pack, but not one I'd buy on its own, either.

L: 4.0 | S: 3.75 | T: 3.5 | F: 3.75 | O: 3.5 | Rating: 3.62

 

I'm not sure I will get in a new beer today. I have a fridge full of Washington beer from @BBThunderbolt that is staring at me but my taste is still off a little bit so I don't want to miss nuance of any new beers. Hopefully tomorrow is the day.

I will reflect on some of my favorite beers/beer times of 2021...

Beer Times: visiting Seattle during fresh hop seasons and enjoying some beers with @snaotheus at Stoup and Obec..coincidentally one of my most memorable beers of the year was at Stoup there NW red ale, I didn't ever properly review it but I'm guessing it would end up well above rdev.

Beers that immediately pop into my head that were new to me and I really enjoyed in 2021:

-Union Craft brewing - foxy red ipa (+16.3% rdev)
-Kozel - Cerny (+20.8% rdev)
-Human Robot - Polotmavy (+6.5% rdev)
-All the fresh hop IPAs in Seattle

I'm sure there are more but a quick glance at some recent reviews and those stood out to me. Hopefully I'll crack open a new beer tomorrow, maybe tonight if my tastebuds wake up a little more but we'll see.

Thank you to all of you for my favorite part of BA, it's always a pleasure to participate with you people.

 

Let's get to 2022 in style BAs. I'm starting with this Beer'd DDH NEIPA clocking in at 7%. I've got some Stouts lined up for later, but company is coming so I may have too much socializing going on and might have to skip reviewing on NBW and just post to WBAYDN.

4.22/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 16oz can stamped "12/09/21 A WITTY SAYING PROVES NOTHING" to a Nonic at fridge temp.
It has a hazy orange body that glows near the edges, so its not completely opaque. A 1/2-inch white head sits after the pour but fades to scattered islands of foam as well as a glass hugging ring soon enough. Lacing is nice all the way through the session.
The smell is a musty mango. Not a tempting smell for a fruit but pretty cool for a beer.
Mango follows through into the taste, front and back. Mid mouth there is some hop bitterness and dankness. Hop bitterness reappears on the tongue long after swallowing, impressive.
This is not super creamy, but somewhat oily. Maybe that explains the flavors hanging well after the liquid is down the hatch. (Wow, I cringed writing "down the hatch").
Another winner from Beer'd.

Sorry about the glare on this picture, but I think you can make it out.

 

Hey what's going on!?

I am winding down the year nicely, and a good topic from our starting poster, what was your top rated beer of the year? I have to go do some digging here..

Turns out while I didn't of course try every single new beer in 2021, nor did people send me a plethora of new beers for me to try that I haven't had before... (snicker) there were some surprises.

My top rated beer was from Aslin, and on top of that it was from a style I usually don't care for.

It was: How Now Brown Cow - Peanut Butter, Coffee & Chocolate - Milk Stout

coming in at a whopping score of 4.82 out of 5 for our hero.

Other highly scored beers for 2021 were Founders Panther Cub, KBS - Cinnamon Vanilla Cocoa, Mexican Cake [a beer I have been trying to get my hands on for ages], Oude Geuze Cuvée Armand & Gaston from 3 Fonteinen, and a bunch of Goose Island BC variants...

Speaking of which... what is new for our hero today?!



Poured from the bottle into a branded Goose Island Bourbon County snifter.

Deep walnut brown body, nearly black and opaque looking. Simple light tan collar presented which manages to stay populated. Looks like typical BC stouts no surprises here.

The aroma is classic but seems stronger on a molasses end. Thick molasses, but excellent oak tones with real barrel hinting character. There's a touch of cola sweetness in here also which is really just like a classic soda. That's very impressive.

Real spectacular palate. The BC classic flavors and mouthfeel are all here. Chewy molasses and real rounded oak flavors. Hints of dark chocolate all over, and some black forest cake like vanilla. Cola sweetness and even hints of little cut bubbles perhaps in the mouthfeel it seems, or is that all psychological! Finishes rich and woody with cola and soda sweetness that cuts nicely almost cocktail like but doesn't water down too much. Slow warmth brings out even melted milk chocolate flavors too.

Very nice variant. The cola and vanilla sweetness brings an interesting cut with some sacrifices to the body but it's all in an excellent package regardless.

look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75 | 4.62/5

Cheers!

 

Ralphius Russian imperial stout by free will

4.49/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

New beer, new brewery to me courtesy of a trade with @JayORear

Brewers Notes: A rich full-bodied stout with notes of dark chocolate, coffee, vanilla, caramel, and jammy dark fruit. This bourbon barrel aged blended behemoth has a complementary smooth finish with a lush velvety texture. Aged for 1 year.

Chilled bottle poured into a snifter produces a one finger dense brown foam cap over a dark cola brown motor oil, foam recedes to a thin island and ring

Aroma is roast malts , dark fruits, dark chocolate, bourbon

Taste is bourbon , chocolate , sweet caramel , hint of vanilla

Velvety smooth , low sudsing, delicious beer

 

I have been looking for Wild Onions 2021 Drago for a month, so what happens, I find it's new sibling Ogard, Drago backwards. Another Russian Imperial Stout is a great thing in my book.
Stay safe, Happy New Year too all!

3.87/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a dense, thick, oily black, brown head fades quickly leaving a moderately laced glass.
Nose gets some dark fruit, roasted malts, and some cocoa. Taste is similar. Thick and chewy mouthfeel, minimal carbonation. Ogard is Drago backwards, and Drago has been my goto BA RIS for years. this is good.


Gonna miss the lovely, funny Miss Betty White.

 

These beers cracked my top 100 of all time in 2021

1 - Twice the daily serving : raspberry by trillium- so F’ing good, this is a juice box beer for adults . They have perfected the kettle fruited sour style of beer. Grab cases of this next time it is produced. It is so good.

2- VSOJ by Revolution - a beer I received from @FBarber in BIF13. The joys and benefits of participating in these Beer It Forward shenanagins pays off

3 - Yore - Three’s Brewing - recommended to me by brewer Paul Vaughn at Bearded Iris, he hasn’t steered me wrong yet. Brews some mighty fine beers as well

4 - Very Gggreennn by Treehouse - these guys are excellent. You know it, i know it. In that they opened a tap house staffed by a buddy of mine 20 minutes away from me makes them even better

5-The way in total daylight by hop butcher for the world - a beer I received from @FBarber in BIF13. The joys and benefits of participating in these shenanagins pays off…again

6 - tree of life blended (batch 2) by treehouse - have you heard that this brewer is excellent? Well, if you haven’t, you should check them out

7 - Juice Project Citra + Barbe Rouge by Treehouse - they introduced me to a new, delicious new hop with this beer

8 - Dylan Shoes by Treehouse- Ibid. See reference to consistent quality

9 -Strawberry Sipper by Barrique brewing & blending - Shocked and amazed by the quality of beers produced by this brewer. Equally shocked that there are not more ratings on this brewer. Their new location, closer to Broadway and Nissan stadium should put them on more BA radars

10 - Barrel aged spice cake by Trillium - They too opened an expanded tap room with greater access for Boston Beer imbibers- the hub of the universe for those incogniscenti

11- King Creamsicle by Treehouse - Yeah, those Treehouse guys again

12 - Black Tuesday byThe Bruery - a fine brew received from @colts9016 in BIF13

13 - Juice Project by Treehouse - its not repetitive, its consistent quality

14 - Bughouse square by Hop Butcher for the world - another excellent BIF13 brew from @FBarber