New Beer Weekend #83

Good afternoon NBS/nbw and thanks @ChicagoJ for keeping the NBS calendar, and historical context alive. I joined in 2007 and was quickly drawn to the Sunday thread. Keep it going. Had a great Mt Tom trail walk earlier, heading off to see Joe Purdy at the Parlor room tonight
Todays offering is a delightful Pilsner that delivers in each catagory. and for $2.99 relatively fresh its hard to beat.
Cheers all
4.02/5 rDev +12.6% | Average: 3.57
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by SABERG from Massachusetts

Poured from the 330 ml swing top, dated 07/01/22, into the test glass
A - Swing top popped open, steady pour yielded a fantastic 3 finger white cap. Excellent clarity, allows for the full display of active carbonation, White tight knit froth lasts the entire experience. Lacing is just lovely.
S - Sweet pilsner malts, grassy hops, a kiss of honeysuckle, then back to earthy noble hops
T - All the aromatics, add a really nice fresh doughy element, the malts and hops are in lock step.
M - Crisp, sparkly , dances across the palate, semi sweet start is quickly balanced with earthy hops. Finish is dry and leaves you yearning for the next sip.
O - A really good German Pilsner, hits all the high marks, I feel with a BB date of 6 months from now, this one is as fresh as I'll get here. Glad I did.

 

Yesterday I reviewed Tomato Factory from Other Half, a strangely named beer. Today's Other Half is blatantly named for what it is.

Poured from a 16oz can dated 01/03/22 (about about 50 days old) to a Nonic at fridge temp.
Aroma is a musty orange and a spice a cannot place.
Hazy body that is mostly orange. A thin white head laces the glass nicely.
Taste is sweet orange juice followed by a hop dryness on the finish.
The mouth feel is a nice creamy texture and the carbonation is average.
Overall- Pretty good for a 50 day old IPA.

 

That is one beautiful site, so many different colors going on.

That sounds like a very interesting and unique beer though I think I'd have the same simple pilsner reaction as you. I think this is the first time I've ever read of foeder water being used to brew a beer.

Flensburger used to be around here years ago but I only ever tried their dunkel. Your review has made me regret not ever purchasing the pils when I head the chance, sounds like a winner.


And safe travels this week @FBarber, vacation to me means a few things but one of the best things...new beers to try and bring home

 

Tree House JJJuiceee Project Citra + Nectaron NEDIPA 8.7% canned on 02/10/22. Poured into a 16 oz tulip glass, pours a very attractive hazy orange yellow with a finger plus sticky white head, that leaves a thin wall of lace, with incredible retention. 4.75

Aroma peach, mandarin, guava, mango, apricot, and grapefruit rind. 4.5

Taste peach, mango, mandarin, guava, and mild grapefruit very well balanced. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, soft gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 8.7% huge flavor but easy going down. 4.5

Overall another really impressive NEDIPA from maybe the best in the business. 4.5

 

Here's another great one that gets a high score from yours truly! Cheers! Happy NBW!
Maine Beer Co Mo Pale Ale.
4.28/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota (I'm not from here, but I live here )
16.9oz bottle mfg date 07 Dec. '21 into aa Imperial pint glass.
L: Pours a lightly clouded honey gold/deep yellow w/a creamy off white 2.5" head that recedes to a thick center cap, med-low carbonation, light lacing & banding.
S: Fruity. Orange, citrus zest, melon, light pineapple, light yeast, caramel malt, a hint of honey.
T: Pale malts, orange, subtle pineapple, pear, light yeast, elegant bitterness.
F: Delicately crisp & smooth med-light bodied mouthfeel w/a med-fast lightly dry finish.
O: Just excellent. A beautifully dignified example of an American Pale Ale. It is quite pale, moderately bitter and is outstanding in it's style.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. It's a pretty - but cold - afternoon in North Jersey. I'm glad to have tomorrow off. My NBW review today is Love Money, a Milk Stout from Bull n Bear Brewery in nearby Summit, NJ. This the first beer from Bull n Bear that I've reviewed from the can and not on draught at the brewery. It was released this week for Valentine's Day. Like most of the beers brewed by BnB during its first year of operation, it's impressive. This brewery isn't the typical New Jersey IPA factory - they like to brew European styles and emphasize complicated malt bills. Their other new release this week is an Altbier which is also very good.

Poured into a pint glass at 55°. It pours a deep mahogany with cola hues at the bottom of glass, and it sports and substantial, fluffy, light khaki-colored cap and thick lacing. The fragrant smell features roasted malt, cocoa, a whiff of caramel, and some earthy, bitter notes. The taste opens with fairly sweet cocoa balanced by dry barley cracker and burnt, nutty char. As it warms there is a hint of honey which I assume comes from the East Kent Goldings hops. The Fuggle hops contribute a clean, mild bitterness akin to an English pub beer. What's intriguing is the hint of dark fruit - almost a sour black cherry - in the background. The flavors blend very nicely. For a Milk Stout it has a rich, creamy mouth feel with low/moderate carbonation. While the 6% ABV gives it good substance, it's very easily drinkable. It's big enough to pair with pub food but lite enough to drink a couple of pours casually.

4.19/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend. Cheers, NBW!

 

Recent Sloop Bomb stuff I've had has slightly let me down, but these are definitely two of my favorite modern hops, and I don't know that I've had any beers that have focused specifically on the two of them used in tandem before. So, yea, I am tentatively excited for this! Canned 2/2/22.

Pour is awesome. Hazy as hell, of course, but the head builds up with a mountainous quantity of prodigious foam measuring almost four full fingers, and lingers that way for about 5 minutes before slowly receding to a finger-and-a-half. Incredible sudsy lace and ridiculous islands of chunky foam still hanging around in my glass, kinda blending in with the legs here and there. Just a massive appearance. Alright, I'm ready!

The initial sniff I take actually seems a bit less intense than I thought the beer would be, but I'm starting to pick up some interesting notes now after a few minutes. Motueka is for sure known for its lime characteristics, and there is definitely a bit of that here, along with musky starfruit and mango. Light, sweet white grape skin from the Nelson and a surprisingly malty-seeming backbone in here. Ripe mango and guava coming out as it approaches a warmer temp slowly but surely.

Flavor profile is the midpoint between grainy and satisfyingly-hoppy, but I will say that this doesn't feel quite as saturated as even the original Juice Bomb did to my tastebuds. However, I am enjoying the spritzy flavors of dragonfruit, tangelo, and yuzu that mingle well with the sparkling wine-like character brought in by Nelson. Crisp and refreshing finish. This feels like it could maybe be pushed a bit more, but I am enjoying sipping it.

 

Poured into a 16 tulip glass canned on 12/3021. Pours a very attractive hazy orange with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves a bunch of thick lace with excellent retention. 4.25

Aroma is blackberry jam, guava, mandarin, papaya, stone fruit, apricot, and white grapefruit rind. 4

Taste follows blackberry, mandarin, guava, papaya, apricot, and grapefruit. 4

Mouthfeel is big, soft gentle carbonation, maybe a tad sticky, and at 11% it goes down easy enough. 4.25

Overall this is a big NETIPA that hits in the face, but is also a very nice and impressive brew. I recommend. 4.25 Thanks @jzeilinger for this brew.

 

@MacMalt do you think bull n bear is big enough to eventually start distroing their stuff? They have caught my eye thanks to your detailed following of them.

 

Good afternoon NBW
I basically never pass up an opportunity to buy a quad. Like ever. Don't judge me...

Brewdog & LaTrappe Practise What You Preach

750 mL cork & caged bottle coded L15L20 poured into a LaTrappe chalice at 53° Fahrenheit 10% ABV. The beer pours dark amber to chestnut depending on the backlight. The head rises quickly on a gentle pour then falls to thin ring and island leaving a web of lacing behind. The aroma is fairly strong reaching my nose during the initial pour. Notes of candi sugar, honey, plum and caramel are most prevalent. The taste is semisweet with pronounced honey influence along with caramel, dark fruit and subtle citrus. Mild balancing bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with above average carbonation and a semi dry finish. No alcohol notes in the aroma or taste. Overall, excellent.

I knew I was going to enjoy this one the minute I started pouring. There should be more quads and less B.S. in the world, which makes this collaboration all the more ridiculous. I have capped the bottle and will enjoy the rest tonight before bed. Cheers all!

 

Courtesy of @sulldaddy Suarez Family Brewery Quality Pils, 5.5% ABV; 4.78 overall

Pours an effervescent gold with 2+ fingers of eggshell colored head. Above average head retention & fantastic lacing

S: Bready, floral & soapy hops
T: Hawaiian King Bread, a little lemon, grassiness, & a little soapiness, mineral hoppyness plus dryness up front. Bready sweetness, lime, soapiness & a touch of dryness as this warms. Finishes with mineral hoppyness, bready sweetness, lemons & dryness/crispness

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, great balance

Super drinkability, top rung Pilsner > most I had in Germany

 

They self-distro locally to Bottle Kings and a couple of other stores. Hopefully, they'll be able to expand geographically. But it's a pretty small (10 barrel) brewery so unless they expand to new space it will be hard to brew and can enough to distribute beyond parts of New Jersey.

 

Mason Ale Works Down With The Thiqqness Imperial Pastry Stout, 13% ABV. Pours thick and black with a 3/4 finger medium brown head that left no lacing. Nose is graham, vanilla/marshmallow, and chocolate. Taste follows, plus coffee, quite sweet, slightly bitter. Excellent thick and smooth mouthfeel with decent carbonation. Overall an outstanding to near-world-class s'mores stout.

4.49/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Took a bit of a chance on this one, buying a $30 pack with no reviews, and it didn't disappoint.

 

Afternoon NBS hope everyones enjoying their Sunday.
Got a couple Tenderloin steaks in sous vide tub right now and preparing a red wine/mushroom sauce. In the meantime I went out of the box today and grabbed this Jester King Rare Corals Farmhouse Ale with a bunch of weird fruits.. sounds kind of lke a disaster buy hey you never know.
Pours a burnished hazy gold with a foamy but short lived off white head with nary a lace.
Aroma is mild and the first hit I get is strawberry, then the melon, some green apple, hay, grass.
Taste is opening as the beer warms.
Starts with strawberry and cantelope and as those flavors fade Im getting a touch of banana towards the back and a touch of coconut, drying with the herbal chamomile on the finish. Theres a vinous green apple like thing going on as well. (No apple in the ingredients but almost everything else). Body is medium/light, more sour than tart, light carb fades rather quickly and its really bone dry on the finish.
Lets be honest this is out there all over the place. I mean its not bad. Its well made it just doesnt have an identity in the flavor. Its hard to figure what they were going for. A bit of a letdown coming from JK but you cant win em all. Still, glad I gave it a shot.
Cheers enjoy your evening!

 

Whipped up a nice pot roast in the crock pot this AM, nine hours of cook time later, the perfect meal to warm up with after spending time playing outside. Now I am finally enjoying my first beer of the day, another Russian River courtesy of @beergoot



Pours a slightly cloudy yellowish straw color, nice white head with nice retention and very good lacing. I have noticed the great retention and lacing in all the RR beers I was sent.

Aroma is lemon and orange candies, a slight rind/grass note, and some grassiness combined with a slight bread like note. Taste follows in the same manner; first candied citrus notes followed by some grassiness and then the nice little bit of malt. As it warms I also get more fruity notes, to me coming off as almost coconut like.

Clean drinking medium bodied beer, it has a drying sensation on the tongue; almost has a sweetness that slowly shows itself with each sip. Least bitter of the RR beers I've had too.

This beer leans more traditional but it shows definite signs of a new school ipa. There is a subtle underlying fruitiness that shows itself the duration of the beer. The citrus is very present but not in the bitter rind way, more in the sweet candied type way. Glad to have tried all these RR beers thanks to @beergoot. Out of all the three my vote goes to Pliny as the one I enjoyed the most.

May be my last beer of the day but I will continue to linger and maybe even open another new beer later. If I do not I sincerely hope everyone has a great work week. If you have off tomorrow like I do then enjoy the day off.

 

Greetings fellow NBSers! A mixed day here in the Fourth Corner, sunny earlier, rain for a bit, and partly sunny now. Watching Daytona where that meatball of a punk Keselowski is still being a punk-ass meatball.

Starting with a new brew from out on San Juan Island, by San Juan Island Brewing; Belgian Winter Ale. The label says it's a Dubbel, but it seems more like a Belgian Strong Pale to me:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50376/590977/

 

Have you ever been to that brewery? I looked up pictures of San Juan island, looks like a pretty neat place. Then again the idea of living on an island still does not sound all that appealing to me.

 

Yeah, it's a pretty nice place. Friday Harbor is pretty busy/touristy during the summer, and it's pricey, but it makes a nice day trip from where I live. A nice ferry ride out and back too.