New Beer Weekend #85

Bring on the Bocks!!!!!!!

 

I just finished off my last one a few weeks ago. I loved it and it was surprisingly the first year I’ve ever purchased it.

Funny enough I planned to share some gardening and seed starting I did this week.

Bring on the warm weather. I’ll be back with a beer later and hopefully one will be a bock. Cheers.

 

Hoping everything is ok and that you’ll be able to join us tomorrow @Roguer

 

Saturday tasks completed, now sipping a new beer.
Crispy River is a salted lime lager brewed by Resolute Brewing Company that just didn't work for me.

Gold color, slight haze. A 1" white head that disappears quickly. A bit of lace.
Strong lime aroma.
Strong lime taste (too strong), and a little salt.
The lime just dominates throughout, and leaves an unpleasant metallic aftertaste.
Not a drain pour, but definitely one and done.

 

I have a maibock in my refrigerator, but I have had it many times before. I am going to start the day with a beer that I am very excited about. The look is black, though there is a light brown tone in certain light. The smell is strong. Bourbon, vanilla, coconut, chocolate, and graham cracker. The taste is sweet and milky. Strong chocolate and vanilla. Graham cracker definitely comes through. Like a candy bar with coconut, caramel and nougat. Pastry stout seems to apply perfectly to this beer. Bourbon flavor comes through in the finish. The mouthfeel is quite carbonated. It is oily and thick. Almost greasy. Overall, this beer is interesting, but it is a bit too sweet for me. I prefer most of the other Central Waters Brewing Brewer's Reserve beers.

 

I am without any bocks in stock at this time, Larry's Last will have to do for this NBW:

Appearance: Black, dense brown head.

Smell: Roasted malt, black coffee, molasses

Taste: Very earthy, molasses, minimal sweetness. Mild dark chocolate, not bitter, some hints of pine in the finish.

Overall: Bell's big stouts can be hit or miss with me, Larry's Last is pretty good but I prefer a little more sweetness in my big stouts. This is more earthy and has lots of molasses flavor while also not being particularly bitter.

 

The DDH version of the Barry Sanders of NEIPAs. I am so excited to try this. The color is golden honey gold bar golden orange. The smell is a bouquet of tropical fruit flavors. Juicy mango, lemon, honeydew, apple, and orange. The taste is so juicy and flavorful. Mango, orange, lemon, grapefruit, with a light hop bite. The mouthfeel is juicy, smooth, light, and minimally carbonated. Overall, this is exactly what I hoped for. And the price is lower than any other NEIPA of this quality. If I can find this beer relatively fresh, I will always stock up on it.

 

3 New 4-and-quarter-NJ-Originals, New as of 3-5-22
Mad Visionary | Twin Lights | 7.2% | DIPA | Highlands NJ
4.36/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 5
Added by Act 25 of Atlantic Highlands next door to Twin Lights. So glad to see their own page on BA.
a) Crazy perfect white head in a Carton Wine tulip glass that lasts forever like sea foam and glazes with lace.
s) Who lit the reefer? This is hemp with the sooty re-lit smoke too.
t) The wood, hemp is burning (in a good smokey way), someone has thrown spices and cinnomon/cloves on the fire, and is brewing up some passion fruit tea.
f) Smokey, chalky, wet, pungent, astringent, wine like.
o) By far the most unusual, most stoned IPA I’ve ever tasted - let along from the brothers at Twin Lights.

2021 Is Hindsight | Carton | 11% | AIStout | Atlantic Highlands NJ
4.27/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Just gets better and better, from seasonal three pack wax-sealed.
a) Blackest, tan head, long lasting and lacing.
s) Wood fire, roasted, toastedm, and dark chocolate notes.
t) Deep, dark chocolate, think TATES double chocolate.
f) Almost sandy it’s so tangible (like cookie) but creamy in the chew. Hides ABV.
o) Cellar worthy

Context 2 | Carton | 5.3% | Sour | Atlantic Highlands NJ
4.23/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Added by Act25 at the brewer in Atlantic Highlands.
OK, I’m a Carton fan boy,, but stretched on Context 1, back in fall 2019. Sold out! Now for Context 2.
a) Firm reddish amber body with skinny sour head that fades to a peach liquid. 4 for color.
s) Blueberries, berries, fall fruit, orchard perfumes all in bountiful presence with wild yeast.
t) Follow smell and added wine-and-cider-like fall notes.
f) tickle and tease as a great beer should be, kissy, and fervent, and wild.
o) The consummation of years of experimentation, bring this one in a cellarable format please.
I think this was formula:
GRIST:
Bohemian Pilsner, White Wheat, Acidulated
HOPS:
Super Galena
PRIMARY:
Lactobacilus buchneri in stainless with blueberry added pre-fermentation
SECONDARY:
Brettanomyces bruxellensis in oak foeder

 

Do you know whether they've done a DDH of Boss Tweed?

 

I have not heard of that beer being brewed, but if they do, I would paddleboard across Lake Michigan to get some! It is good that I have your attention, as my next beer review is a special dedication to you!

 

Interesting!

 

BA lists 350something beers brewed for Oktoberfest, the only other special event beers that probably come close are those brewed for St. Patrick's Day and most of them are some sort of stout. Even breweries that aren't known for that style will put one out for St. Patrick's Day.

Which brings me to Thin Man's Local Irish. A 6.2% coffee & lactose stout inspired by Irish Coffee and brewed in conjunction with a well known Irish Bar in Syracuse.

BA had this as a retired Porter and the only other review was from 2020, Thin Man's IG page says they "reprised" Local Irish so this might be an old name on a new beer.

Thin Man's only description is "Brewed with coffee and lactose lending notes of dark roast and vanilla."

Local pours out a solid black with a moderate khaki head that laces nicely as it dissolves into an island and ring.

The aromas aren't very strong and are mainly roasted malt with a little coffee and something like condensed milk

The taste follows the smell with roasted malt, coffee with condensed milk instead of cream & sugar, and a bit of dark chocolate. This is also where the vanilla is noticeable, as a background to the coffee flavors.

This is thinner than you would expect with a dry, almost sandy, feel, minimal carbonation, and a coffee bitter aftertaste

Local Irish lacks the richness and creaminess you would expect from a stout "inspired by traditional Irish Coffee", but does make for a very nice breakfast stout

4.02/5
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

@JayORear, careful man, there’s a beverage here! I am a Lebowski achiever. The look is copper, with a light bowling pin white head. The smell is whole milk, cold brew coffee, Luxardo sambuca, vodka, and St. George Coffee Liqueur, garnished with cocoa powder. The flavor is chocolate, coffee, milky, roasty stout, with a touch of vanilla. The mouthfeel is like having a zip-front sweater from 1972 delicately placed in your mouth, but with more carbonation than you would expect. Overall, this beer...abides. If you do not agree, yeah, well, you know, that’s just, like, your opinion, man.

 

Howdy BA's! Let's compare two black IPA's new to me. Both clock in at 7%.

Appearance - Bells has a tighter and more dense head and a tad darker. Bells pours darker, with 512 having a slight brown to it.
Aroma - both give me lots of dark chocolate/dark roast coffee with strong citrus and pine
Taste - lots of dark chocolate/dark roast coffee in both. Bells is a bit tamer with bitter citrus and pine in the back. 512 brings more pine and grapefruit rind to the table. Bells gets watery at the end and disappears, while 512 lingers and coats the mouth more.
Mouth - 512 feels slightly fuller. Both medium.

512 is the winner to me because I get more grapefruit notes. I'm a **** for grapefruit forward IPA's. Both are excellent.

 

Sounds great!