New Beer Weekend #78

Hello everyone, snow should be coming soon, so it's stout time!



Poured from the can into a nonic(k) pint glass.

Overkill produced head. Giant amounts of tan foam more than beer and out of control with thick retention and lacing. Eventually settles to a cream like top sitting on very dark nearly walnut black body.

Real husky notes of thick grain on the aroma. Large amounts of peanut butter flavor, and just a small scent of dark chocolate. Kind of goes into peanut butter cup candy territory without the sweetness, which is a bit unexpected but inviting.

Flavor hits with a bit of wet body but some decent flavors. Hits a little wet even for a basic stout, flirting with chalky and watery char like flavors. Touches a bitter edge of dark chocolate like malt, and a hinting fruit like ester as well. Clean rocky mineral like finish, but also contains more of that overly wet and watery quality.

Not bad, but has a minor fault that could use some tweaking.

look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5 | 3.72/5

Cheers!

 

Pripps Carnregie Porter now has a new owner and I don't have a grip of any differences from then to now. In the old days Pripps was complex, very smooth, rich for a porter, with an interesting anise, nicely medicinal edge that all worked well. As I've said before Pripps Carnegie Porter has/had a true psycho-active delving into brewing.

 

Powder DayIPA, from Sierra Nevada Brewing. I’m of the opinion that there are to many IPAs on the shelf already. That being said there is always room for an outstanding brew and this is an outstanding IPA. Powder Day is brewed with Munich and Two Row pale malts and wheat. It’s hopped with Amarillo, Chinook, Comet, Cita, Herkules , Idaho 7, Mosaic and Polaris hops. Ale yeast is used. This beer is 7.7% ABV and 45 IBUs. Poured in to a tulip it’s clear and golden with a thick lasting white head. Powerful complex aroma of citrus, melon , malt and a bit pine. The taste is about the same and includes some bitterness. Medium full mouthfeel long lasting bitter finish. Overall the best new IPA I’ve had in a long time. Maybe not a 5 but at least a 4.75.

 

I needed a good beer to distract me from the abomination that is the Eagles game. This is Double Barrel Skeleton Key from Bellwoods Brewery, generously sent my way by @Coronaeus.

4.11/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4
by Roy_Hobbs from Connecticut

Poured at 47 degrees into a tulip. This beer poured thick, thick, thick. Just really clear during the pour that this has some heft to it. Color is typical (very dark brown / black) with thin layer of tan colored head that receded to a thin ring. Plenty of legs on the side of the glass.

Aroma is sweet, rich and boozy. I'm getting much more of a rum vibe than a bourbon one on the nose, with vanilla the only one ingredient I can clearly pick up. Overall, this smells great.

Taste leads with vanilla, in a slightly imbalanced way. I really enjoy vanilla, so I'm cool with it, but it's just a touch heavy. Underneath that there are nice chocolate and sweet malt notes. Faint spices (ginger?). Nice barrel notes, again leaning more rum than bourbon.

As expected based on the pour, this is thick and chewy with a really pleasant warmth from the alcohol.

Overall, quite tasty.

 

Lagunitas: IPNA v Daytime v IPA
With their branding and logotype (even Daytime - look at the "IPA" font on the can)

clearly, Lagunitas wants us to associate these with their full-strength IPA. So, I will.

My approach with this particular tasting is from the perspective of "how close" for both IPNA and Daytime. I don't seriously expect either to get all that close to the flagship IPA, but I do hope they at least maintain some semblance of being a West Coast substyle IPA.

Lagunitas IPNA Non-Alcoholic IPA
ABV: less than 0.5%
IBU: 28.32

Good look. Clear deep amber with a short white head. Not much retention, though. No lacing.

Aroma is a bit of pine, and bit of melon, slight citrus. Not bad.

IPA-level bittering on the first sip. Pine and citrus flavors, but then things start to fall apart. Oddly, it has more malt flavors than the Daytime, but they are of the NA variety. Somewhat off of actual beer flavors, but not to the full cooked grains flavors some NA beers have. The bittering fades into the middle and is largely gone by the finish. The finish is dry, but a bit nondescript.

Surprisingly, the mouth feel is moderate-thin with decent carbonation. IOW, more body than Daytime.

Overall, not too bad if you want some IPA-like characteristics without the alcohol, but not all that great, either.

L: 3.75 | S: 3.75 | T: 3.25 | F: 3.5 | O: 3.5 | Rating: 3.48

Lagunitas Daytime IPA
ABV: 4.0%
IBU: 42

Pale yellow, relatively tall white head with good retention and lots of sticky lacing.

Aroma is somewhat indistinct, but with elements of "IPA-ness" citrus, perhaps faint fine.

Flavor is typical of session IPAs. The hops flavors and bittering are present, but the malt flavors are largely absent. The middle retains the hop flavors of citrus, not much pine, with just a hint of malts in there somewhere. The finish is citrus, slightly bitter, with this being retained into the aftertaste. A nice crisp finish. OK as a light summer beer.

The thinnest body of the three, more of a tea character.

Overall, not a bad session IPA; not a great one, either.

L: 3.75 | S: 3.5 | T: 3.25 | F:3.25 | O: 3.5 | Rating: 3.39

Lagunitas IPA
ABV: 6.2%
IBU: 51.5
Look is almost identical to the IPNA. Clear deep amber with a short white head. Better retention than IPNA, with spotty bubbles of lacing.

Aroma is strong; citrus, melon, orange, pine.

The initial sip is strongly bitter, with citrus, melon, and pine. In the middle, bready malts join the party with a will-balanced interplay of citrus, pine, melon, and bread ("well-balanced" in a WCIPA sort of way, of course - which means hops dominate in both flavor and bitterness). The finish is dry and the aftertaste is quite bitter.

Body is IPA-typical (moderate-thin) with good carbonation.

Overall, as always, an excellent WCIPA.

L: 4.0 | S: 4.25 | T: 4.5 | F: 3.75 | O: 4.25 | Rating: 4.29

Summary of the 3-way side-by-side. The IPA is clearly the best of the three, no surprise. That I liked the IPNA better than Daytime is somewhat of a surprise, although both are OK if you're wanting a hop hit with less alcohol.

PS: Look at those IBU numbers. I think Lagunitas is having a bit of fun with the data geeks (like me).

 

Fuzzy Hat by Self Care, Three Magnets' line of NA beers.

16oz can served in a pint glass. Don't see a date on the can.

Pours clear dark gold / light amber with a smallish head and medium carbonation. Smell is...non-alcoholic. I don't know how to describe it, but I'm starting to recognize this as a common theme in the few NA beers I've tried. Kind of grainy / dusty, vegetal. Moderate hoppy overtone.

Taste is kind of similar, but leaning on the vegetal flavor a little bit. Moderate honey or honeysuckle sweetness, a little floral, with a pretty clear hoppy bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is light, thin, dry. Overall, it's pretty decent for a NA beer.

 

Last nonalcoholic beer of the weekend, DFH Lemon Quest. This comes off a little more gose like than a wheat ale and I’m enjoying it.
4.01/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

12 oz can poured into a pint glass

A- A hazy golden straw with a small white head.

S- Lemons, wheat, some herbal tea, hints of blueberries. Honestly kinds of smells like an Arnold Palmer in the best way.

T- Lemons, tart, wheat, some herbal tea, a little earth, touch of blueberries. Again very Arnold Palmer like.

M- Smooth light body.

O- Heavy in the lemons, but still a tasty nonalcoholic beer.

Cheers!

 

Lazy Magnolia Salted Caramel Pecan Imperial Brown Ale, 9.0% ABV; 3.99 overall rating

Pours orange/amber with a thumb+ of sand colored head. Some lacing & head retention

S: Toffee, brown sugar

T: Rich breadyness, plus dryness, toffee, caramel, brown sugar & a hint of salt up front. As this warms more pecan & dryness are present, less toffee, but still registering, a little booze bite. Finishes dry, with plenty of pecan & a little toffee sweetness

MF: Chewy, low carbonation, warming

Nice Imperial Brown, one of the best beers I've had from this brewery

 

Good afternoon, BAs! I have a few new ones on the docket today. Happy to be at home and taking care of some stuff around the house, but definitely not happy about the super-cold temps in MA. Oh well, maybe a few beers will warm me up well enough!



This was bestowed upon me by my friend who works at Widowmaker Brewing. I hadn't visited him in quite a while (COVID, new job, etc. getting in the way of our schedules lining up for a hang session), but we got to jam some music together yesterday as well as have a few pretty good beers. He sent me off with many parting gifts other than this one, so... who knows, maybe another of WM's beers will make an appearance here today?

Ice Crystals is a 7.8% ABV "DIPA" (I will always staunchly defend my POV that it ain't a DIPA unless it's over 8%, but whatever) featuring Mosaic, MI Chinook, and Azacca hops, and this particular can was packaged a mere three days ago. Woo, fresh beer!

The pour is quite nice for a hazy IPA. It's opaque, of course, but the surface coverage by the foam that builds up on top is solid, and the lacing said suds leave behind is marvelous. Pretty good legs, too. Retention is moderate and some surface-level bubbles remain in a small, tightly-packed clump after five minutes in my glass. Structurally sound, I'd say.

I am not the biggest fan of Azacca hops, but I believe Mosaic could benefit them in a well-made recipe if it pushes some tropical aggressiveness. MI Chinook is apparently known for a much cleaner, citrus-y leaning profile than the spice/piney elements it has when grown in the Pacific Northwest region. The more ya know, and I guess using that version makes more sense in this beer, as my first sniff yields elements of apricot, spruce, tangerine, and grapefruit with some light pineapple and melon notes. Hints of punchy dankness appear after a bit, along with a slight note of ethanol if inhaled deeply. Fruit gum-type esters coming out once it warms a little and acclimates to my glass. Kinda iffy here; it's not bad, but it's not exactly impressing me a lot either.

Flavor is a mix of soft stone fruit and generic citrus that is punctuated nicely by some dankness (probably Mosaic doing work). Soft herbal undertones that work well with the tropical hints... they seem to kind of bring this back from the tropics and into the icy winterscape the label calls to mind, and the flavors of grapefruit and tangerine peek out just enough to keep interest as I enjoy the remainder of the can. Lithe body without much heft despite its appearance. Crisp and drinkable, but definitely a little stronger than it seems from the outset. I like it well enough, but it's not one I'd return to frequently. Widowmaker does have some daily-drinker-type IPAs, and this seems decent for a "winter seasonal IPA"-type recipe.

More soon...

 

Voodoo Brewing Black Magick aged in Irish Whiskey Barrels


Pours night black with no head to speak of, but a quickly vanishing, dark beige lacing.


The aromas on this are defined by old, spicy oak, milk chocolate, lighter molasses and earthy cinnamon among toasty coconut.


Got a fuller bodied mouthfeel to it with a fitting lower, yet sparkly carbonation and lots of whipped cream adding to a decadent smoothness.


Tastes of oily dark chocolate, spicy molasses a hint of peat and dry, roasty, grainy malts, which manage to blend into the prominent spiciness of the oak flawlessly. Turns sweeter and spicier then with the barrel becoming even more apparent, adding a matured booze warmth to the flavors, together with some melting toffee. Finishes with layers of chocolate, dried figs, utmost spicy molasses and a lasting, throat glowing barrel dryness, which stays a long time on the tongue.


Rich, complex and well working, the balance in this is spot on, as are the flavors, reminding me of a slightly peaty, older BCBS.

 

Exotic Matter - peaches and cream


An enjoyable New England style beer. Orange body with a nice head poured from a pint can. Minor lacing during the tasting. Nose is a mix of peach and citrus notes. Mouthfeel is quite nice: full, sweet but not cloying fueled by lactose and oats. Lightly carbonated.

Taste follows nose but adds a nice hoppy flavor with a small amount of bitterness. Overall very pleasant. I’d love to see this one get the peach flavor boosted.

 

Maine Brwg Lunch IPA 7%ABV
4.59/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
1 pint .9 oz bottle mfr date 14Dec21 into an imperial pint glass.
L: Pours a yeasty light amber gold with a creamy 3" off white head with very good retention. Recedes to thick edge foam and a thick center cap. Light carbonation. Good sticky banding & lacing.
S: Tropical. Citrus, orange zest, caramel, lemon, subtle pineapple, honey, pale malts, bread. A hint of alcohol as the beer warms.
T: Bright citrus zest, orange, tangerine pith, light apricot, a suggestion of bread dough, cedar/pine, caramelized malts. It has sentimental bitterness & tang and is beautifully balanced.
F: Semi-juicy, sticky & smooth med-bodied mouthfeel and a med-length finish. It's linger is moderately drying.
O: An absolutely delicious tasting and beautiful feeling IPA that is very easy drinking. I love it! Truly a beer worth seeking out as it is world-class in it's style.
Advocates, as long as it's fresh, I will buy this beer now whenever I see it! Man alive is it great! My kinda IPA. Cheers! Happy NBW!

 

Thanks for the nice compliment.

Regarding my avatar ... a bit long, but you asked!

I originally intended to honor the nation where my quest for "good beer" started. In the 80s, I was commuting irregularly to the UK for my job, spending weeks at a time in the English midlands (Leicestershire).

My English hosts introduced me to English cask ale, and I quickly adopted English bitter on cask as my favorite - specifically Marston’s Pedigree, since most pubs were tied houses back then and Marston's had a number of the pubs we frequented, including the one on-site in the plant where I worked - (however, my hosts generally preferred lager). I was told about the CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) organization trying to save traditional brewing and serving methods from the homogenization of corporate consolidation.

Once back in the USA, this led eventually to craft beer.

So, when setting up my account, what is more English than Sherlock Holmes? So I used a photo of the statue of Holmes outside Baker Street station in London. That's been my avatar since (with one tweak during the holidays a few years ago, IIRC).

This holiday period, I changed my avatar to a cropped photoshop image I made during the recent BCBS tasking, inspired by the "cola" variation.



When it came time to revert my avatar, I decided that, instead of going back to Sherlock, I'd use a video frame capture of John Thaw, CBE, playing one of his most famous characters, Chief Inspector Morse, drinking an ale.

The Morse character was an aficionado of English real ale.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Swiggers and commentators. I was absolutely overwhelmed by beer from various sources during the NBS BIF #14. I still have a lot of stouts and sours to review but I this is my last IPA: Space Nelson, a New England IPA I received from @Harrison8 as a contract hit by the devious "Mr. Snot House." It was brewed by BKS Artisan Ales in Kansas City, a very impressive brewery! As the name indicates, it features Nelson Sauvin hops. Some brewers overplay their hand with Nelson but this is outstanding, earthy, piney, and piney with just enough balancing tropical sweetness.

It pours a cloudy, light golden-straw color with a large, creamy, bright white cap and thick, long-lasting lacing. On the nose there is grapefruit and lemon, along with modest notes of melon and other tropical fruit, and a background of floral hops. The ale is earthy, piney, and spicy and I can taste the Nelson hops from the onset. The white wine grape flavor is subtle but effective. The sweetness emerges more at the back end and as it warms. There are hints of sweeter citrus from the Galaxy hops, which nicely balances the initial dry, bitter, and spicy taste. This ale has a very pleasant mouth feel and the 6.5% ABV makes it easily drinkable.

4.22/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Harrison, I've enjoyed everything you sent on behalf of Ryan. There will be a day of reckoning, I assure you.

I hope everyone is enjoying their new beers this weekend. I'll be back shortly with a local, caffeinated treat. Cheers, NBW!

 

Been away a few weeks but today Im going to crack a real beauty courtesy of the extremely generous @2beerdogs.
The Purple de Garde Brewing
Wild Ale aged in oak barrels with Black and Red Raspberries.
Poured into a Teku also from @2beerdogs
Pours a very dark purple with a plum tinged short lived head. The beer leaves no lacing and you cannot see through this lovely looking elixir.
Oh and the aroma! Wild funk atop a vinous blend of ripe raspberries, blackberries and plum notes with an oaky/woody essence and a touch of vegetation.
Taste is an explosion of ripe berries, vanillin, slight astringy from barrel, lightly sweet with a fresh fruit tartness that perfectly balances the flavors of this lightly carbonated, med/light bodied funky ale.
Finishes dry with lots lingering fruity flavors and wood.
A real joy to drink this one.
Fabulous brew and I thank you for the opportunity!
Cheers!

 

Today I have a 5.6% oatmeal stout from Labyrinth Brewing. I visited this brewery in the before Covid times and was quite impressed. Lets see how this goes.

I did not know who/what Erebus is so I Googled. From Wikipedia-
In Greek mythology, Erebus or Erebos, is the personification of darkness and one of the primordial deities.

3.75/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 16oz can dated 11/09/21 to a tulip at 50F.
Very black body only shows some brown in the pour stream. An elaborate mocha head sits briefly on top. Bubbles continue to effervess in the center creating a phenomenon like a hot spring. These don't reform a head, but an 1/8 in ring clings to the glass circumference.
The aroma is of raisin, plum with a faint chocolate background.
The taste is similar. Its slightly sweet in the front it but has a dry finish.
Mouth feel is a little light for an oatmeal stout.
Overall, not bad, not great.

 

Finishing up chores for the night and moving on to a darker beer as the sun sets...



This is Evil Twin's Strawberry Jelly Donut Even More Jesus, a version of EMJ with strawberries and donut flavor added. I don't know exactly how they got those flavors in the base beer and would like to know more, but there isn't a lot of info about the process out there. I have enjoyed a few of the "dessert" variant EMJs before, so I am thinking this will be a good'un as well, but let's find out for sure!

Pour is terrifying, but that's kinda par for the course with this line of imp. stouts from Jeppe and co. It is a tar-black beer with a massive head of dark mocha foam lying atop the surface even after several minutes in my glass. Legs are superb, head is tight and retentive, and lacing is more than you typically would expect in a modern dessert-inspired stout. I love how this one looks, for sure. It's just intimidating and intense.

The nose is definitely grounded in the strawberry element, as it almost has a Twizzlers-like aspect mingling with chocolate fudginess and intense malt presence. The depth of the jelly donut comes out after a bit if I really get into the glass, as it presents with some other jammy berries (raspberry, etc.) and a yeasty note that feels well-rendered. I don't think it comes across as strong as it is, which is dangerous.

First sip is almost weirdly-refreshing, but I know better than to gulp this down like it's nothing. I'm interesting in how the bright berry-focused fruitiness comes across as this warms a bit more, so I may save my second glass for a little while to observe how it acclimates to room temp. I get fudge and strawberry immediately, with some excursions towards yeastiness and roast. There's even a little blueberry-like undertone in this. SJDEMJ seems right off the bat to be an impressive version of this now-classic stout. I am of the mind that, branding wise, it would make more sense to have these in the "_____ Break" line (which includes Imperial Biscotti Break, a totally-classic sweet imperial stout and probably one of the first widely-available dessert stouts), but Jeppe is good at marketing so I shouldn't doubt his expertise on this front. The aggressive roastiness and ashen malt combined with the chocolatey depth and classic high gravity approach yields a real winner here. Don't go in expecting this to just be some lame sweet stuff, though; this is one to approach with caution and reverence. Cheers!

 

I sold Fantome years ago and always found them to be quite odd, quirky, and very good. I have to admit that I have had Hiver before, but it is not like my memory dictates. This is simply a rustic and real ale. It is truly beautiful to watch evolve as it warms. I can say that it is vinous, piquantly so, pleasing, and amazingly alive in the glass without being too carbonated. It has a roasted edge with hugely vibrant malt. It is not sweet at all and the vinous nature pervades other senses. It truly is a cross between beer and wine. I taste ripe grapes, Grapenut cereal crunchy richness, all with a Belgo/Franco wine character. This is a really distinctive beer that requires thought.
It is snowy here with a fine sleet finishing the mix. It looks like we have dodged the ice that often comes with these complex storms. It is 21 degrees and ice box cold. Hiver is a really good slow-drinking beer, perfect for Winter. Cheers ya'll. The Guess Who is a really cool band that is largely forgotten. Memory is strong and sure.