New Beer Weekend #79

Good morning, NBW folks. It's been a while since I've been on this dance floor. The main reason, I just haven't been checking out many new beers, relying on favorites over the holiday period (except when I was participating in tasting events). Hopefully there's still a seat for me at the new beer bar.

A quick check shows two reviews in the month of December and so far only two new beers with alcohol in January. Time to increase that by 50% with Mast Landing's Coffee Gunner's Daughter.

This is the second rated beer I've had from Mast Landing, with the first being the non-coffee version of this beer, which I rated over 4. Other's seem to think about as highly of it as the coffee version, and I am hoping the same for me. Let's see.


The pour is a dark, medium thick liquid flowing from its temporary aluminum home. A medium light tan head pushed toward the plastic container rim without overcoming it, settling down to a fairly thick collar with a gossamer sheen across the surface.

The nose bursts forth with a mix of roasted peanuts and medium-leaning-dark coffee. The sweet lactose aromas swirls in between the strong coffee aroma. The mixture of aromas becomes more like chocolate as I continue to sniff. It's almost like having a chocolate cake with a nutty coffee after a satisfying dinner. Hopefully the taste will not continue the evolution and be too sweet for my liking.

Thankfully, the opening isn't too sweet, but has a little twang (that fades as the beer warms) to the more toasted notes trying to gain a bit of char. The peanut maybe be bringing about this "toasted malt" lean to the opening. The coffee seems mixed in a little too well, as I debate if I am forcing myself to recognize it. Then again, there is no need for it to be distinctive, as long as it produces a nice experience.

There is a bit of sweetness up that picks up mid-taste. After this, the beer gets a little fizzy in the feel, and the fact this is a regular strength milk stout shows. It's about medium in heft, but the carbonation reduces any smoothness lactose might have brought to the party.

This is a beer where the aroma is strong enough to obviously influence my tasting experience. Of course, aromas always affect taste, but it's very obvious to me in this beer. If I try to leave out the aroma in my mind, the beer is more even keeled as a crossover stout/porter (per my definition) with just a hint of coffee and not as much peanut influence.

My mind can't specifically remember my thoughts on the base beer, but my review of it has some similarities to this one, including the strong aroma and its influence on the taste and the feel. A side by side might be in order, if my store still has some of the regular cans available.

 

Was at Urban South, the Houston, TX location yesterday afternoon.

Tried their Doppelbock, simply called Doppel. 9.4% ABV



Pours a murky reddish/brown color. A small white head forms, but recedes quickly. After a quick minute, no collar or lace left behind.
I don't normally "smell" sweetness, if that makes sense. Though I definitely do here, burnt caramelized sugar and molasses.
Taste wise, oh man, there is a candy like sweetness here. Burnt caramel, sugary sweet, and cloying. Seems way under attenuated, even for the style, or they have intentionally sweetened this with something. No balance, and no other malt characteristics.
A sticky, resinous, viscous body. Thick and syrupy, with not much carbonation to speak of. For the strength, there is not a lot of alcohol noticeable,. Though oh that sweetness, this is a core to drink. Not something I want to come back to.

Dopplebock's should have a way more nuanced malt character than this, and can even have some bitterness going on. All the good ones are so much more than sweetness. This is disappointing, but not really surprising from this brewery, well from the Houston location anyway.

Overall score is 2.81, a generous C- from me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45129/578842/?ba=champ103#lists

 

It's a porter from a Baltic country, isn't that good enough to make it a Baltic Porter?

My grocery sometimes throws some odd things onto their build your own 6 pack shelves.
Yesterday i ended up with three Zombie Dust and three Lizard Kings for a lot less than the price of a 4 pack of either.


This can is from mid-November, even though it is a couple of months old it still shines and shows why this is a world class beer.

It pours a beautiful translucent orange/amber with a tall, foamy white head that laces nicely

The aroma is grapefruit, tangerine, and mango.
The flavors follow with a range of citrus, tropical fruit, new pine needles, a dash of resin over a malty base.

I'm working on expanding my IPA repertoire and ZD has been on my list. Even at 2 months old it's easy to see why this beer has the reputation it does and I'm very happy to have two cans left

4.5/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

 

@JackHorzempa I remember enjoying that beer too, recommended by @TongoRad in this thread a while back.

@cjgiant that beer certainly sounds like what my afternoon coffee will taste like. I got half a peanut butter cookie to got with my afternoon cup I was so close to doing a side by side last night. But didn’t have the stamina to crack an extra beer sadly.

@champ103 bad beers are the worst especially when a higher abv taps into less drinking of other beers.

@Roguer that sounds like one delicious and unique beer.

 

Sorry, no baltic porters for me today. How about a lawnmower beer, out of season in 10F Minnesota?

Fair State Crankin' Foamers

Appearance: Clear yellow, good head.

Smell: Lemony.

Taste: Mild corn sweetness, then lots of lemon and a grassy finish. Crisp and clean feel.

Overall: Picked up a 12 pack on discount, probably over 6 months old. This just really hits the spot for me, light but flavorful, but you can still tell it's a lager. Easy drinking stuff and just excellent, even at 6 months old.

 

Best value on the market, IMO

 

An excellent beer indeed,and one of the best values out there. A 500ml bottle is only around $2, so I frequently add one to my basket in the store. Too bad I didn't know about today.

 

Good afternoon, fellas. Chili in the crock pot for dinner. Took the kids to the park despite the 8 degree temperature. They lasted a half hour. Got some last minute shopping done for the week. Time for a beer. And a bourbon.

My new beer for today has been in the fridge since November at which time I had bought it in the Perrin Barrel Aged Specialty Pack, released for Christmas.

I reviewed the Malted Milk Ball Imperial Porter in an earlier NBW, and I wasn’t impressed. My hopes were a little higher for this.

From the bottle:
“A triple mash, bourbon barrel aged, chocolate/raisin stout. 12.8%”

“Perrin Brewing 2021 Reserve is a Russian Imperial Stout aged in Bourbon barrels. This beer was made with honey, caramelized lactose sugar and aged on golden raisins to create a uniquely rich and flavorful celebration beer.”

This beer pours a ruby tinged dark brown. Not pitch black as you might expect. A half finger mocha head rises and quickly falls to a thin ring and leaving very little residual lacing. The nose is mostly bourbon notes. Vanilla, charred barrel, dark fruit, raisin, tobacco, and a sweet honey undertone. Taste follows suit with a slightly bitter toasted malt in the front, bourbon and chocolate notes throughout and a sweet honey finish. Feel is smooth, oily, and mouth coating. Overall, I’m happier with this than I was the Malted Milk Ball. This beer is complex, balanced, and pretty much has everything I’m looking for in an almost 13% RIS, plus some. I think I’m going 4.25 across the board. Cheers fellas.

 

Thanks @JackHorzempa for getting us going, I have few new beers to spread around this weekend. Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned most likely on 1/17/22. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow orange with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves a thin wall of lace with excellent retention. 4.75

Aroma is passionfruit, tangerine, papaya, and apricot really inviting. 4.75

Taste follows passionfruit, tangerine, papaya, and apricot low on bitterness but pretty big on flavor and excellent balance. 4.75

Mouthfeel is above average, soft gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 7.2% goes down dangerously easy, but still drinks closer to 8% for me. 4.75

Overall this is the best single NEIPA have had from them or any other brewery in a long time. 4.75 Cheers all.

 

In my every-so-often quest to understand people’s thinking, I wonder why having “everything…plus” doesn’t yield any ratings closer to 5 from you. Simple curiosity is intended, not criticism.

Cheers!

 

I just had this discussion with a friend here and this is what I came to: A “5” for me is in theory “perfect”. It would be a beer I could drink every day. It would be a beer I could never get sick of. It would be a beer of one of my favorite styles, which RIS is not. It’s definitely an internal battle when it comes to rating a beer that I think is excellent for the style, which this one is, but at the same time doesn’t necessarily start my engine like some other styles I more prefer. At the end of the day, I really like this beer. Is it perfect? I don’t think so. Could I drink it over dinner tonight? Not a chance. Would I buy it again? Hell yeah, that’s why I gave it 4.25. For me, I’m not even sure a 5 exists. Cheers.

 

I've had ZD the day it was bottled, it can change pretty significantly in a couple of months (similar to many other Citra-hopped beers), but it's still a flavorful pale ale that is always a pleasure to drink, and your review reflects that. Exceptionally well done.

ZD used to be IMPOSSIBLE to get, except at the brewery ($10/6er), and it always sold out the day it released. Now it sits by the case here (Northern Indiana) in grocery stores. The buzz is definitely gone (pun intended), but your review has sparked my ZD fire, so I'm gonna have to pick some up on my next foray to my local beer store.

 

First, you explained your thoughts perfectly.

Secondly, I sorta agree with you on a perfect 5 beer (across the board, I have no straight 5s). I used to be fearful of even giving any category rating of 5, but finally broke the seal a few years ago when I felt I had a fairly decent breadth of experience. Even now, though, I use a single 5 sparingly; I think I may have only a handful of "overall" 5s, which I use for my personal rating absent individual aspect or style critiques.

Lastly, I think this is why those of us who like including reviews for information over just ratings. I'd have thought your found the beer pretty good, definitely above average with a 4.25 rating. I might or might not buy it with just that info (and a presumed elevated price tag); reading your review would remove any doubt.

 

It’s time to embrace reviews…

 

@JackHorzempa - Thanks for kicking things off. I've had bad to terrible experiences with Zywiec (Heineken parent company) in the past, but perhaps will by a single at my local Polish beer store if they have a date on the bottle (their beers seem to linger for months/years).

@cjgiant - I see more of the opposite, people saying a beer is poor, drain pouring it, and rating 3.5-4.0 + scores (vs. underrating). Really hard to get 5.0 in all five categories, any beer over 4.5 across all five is an excellent beer in my book.

This is Riverlands weekend for me, with tomorrow slated for a collaboration with Penrose, another suburban brewer.

Riverlands Midnight Silence



Can Notes: 16 oz canned 12/30/21, 5.1% ABV. Brewed and packaged by Riverlands Brewing Company.

The night is still, and the streets are silent. Midnight Silence is a German Style Schwarzbier hopped with Hallertau Mittelfruh hops. Enjoyed equally well by the fire in quiet contemplation, or in the company of good friends.

Appearance: Multiple pours into a large pilsner glass. Dark brown to black impenetrable base, rich creamy generous head lingers for a few minutes, leaving spotty clumpy lacing in its wake. 4.25

Aroma: Roasted malt, bakers chocolate, mild in strength, OK. 3.5

Taste: Somewhat consistent, bolder than the aroma. Bakers chocolate and light coffee the first take. Hops strong in terms of bitterness, but taste from hops negligible as I'm getting mostly roasted malt. 3.25

Mouthfeel: Dry and bitter, hops hold any sweetness flavor components in check. Drinks light and easy, lightly dry chocolate aftertaste, faint to no carbonation. Light body. 3.0

Overall: This is a OK to good Schwarzbier, consistent with style, packs some flavor, enjoying. 3.25