New Beer Weekend #85

I'm finally getting around to one of the Christmas presents @jonphisher sent me: Winter Warmer from Lancaster.

12oz can served in a tulip. Bottom of the can says "THaT TiME 13622" but I don't know what that means.

Pours a dark, murky brown with a smallish head that collapses to little more than a ring. Edges of the beer are surprisingly clear light brown. Might be fair to call it a very dark tea color. Also, seems like there is plenty of active carbonation. Smell also has something tea-like about it, but my first thoughts were dates and plums. Fairly mild aroma overall.

Taste is definitely leaning in the dates/raisins/figs direction. Has an earthiness that cuts the sweetness pretty effectively. Alcohol is noticeable but not dominant.

Mouthfeel is thick and chewy without being sticky. Overall, nice beer.

Thank you, Jon!

 

Round #2 Another new one to the data base
Orange Energy
Stamped "2-17-22 WHOA OH"
POURSTATS:
Style: Double Dry Hopped Pale Ale
Hops: Mosaic, Galaxy, & Huell Melon
Muted gold, very clear, light & fluffy head. Decent retention. Slight lacing.
Nose carries a mildly sweet malt note that makes way for a slight candied orange flavor.
Flavor is mild. Biscuity malt, dry herbal pepper, some nuanced orange zest, and a hint of wet grass.
Mouthfeel is just shy of medium, low carbonation, slick but slightly dry bitter finish.
Overall, I like this for a sessional summer day.
3.58/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

 

An old beer but new to me so I guess that's what counts:

2014 Vintage

Appearance: Black with a small, dark, beige head that quickly faded. Age probably took a big hit on the head size.

Smell: Fairly prominent bourbon aromas and moderate coffee aromas. Not bad, but again age is a factor here as well as the appearance.

Taste: Bourbon notes, prominent coffee notes, mild brown sugar notes, and mild tannic oak notes. The coffee comes off a touch bitter but considering the age of the beer it's not bad and provides a nice counter to the bourbon notes.

Mouth-feel: Mediuml-bodied with a fairly low level of carbonation. Not a bad mouthfeel but age is a factor.

Overall: While the beer wasn't bad, I get the feeling I'm only getting a glimpse of how good the beer was fresh. hopefully it's rebrewed and I can get my hands on a fresh one.

 

Freshness is important IMHO for lactose brews but Xoco Tres Leches is really awesome with spicy hot food. I put ghost pepper dust on many different things and it can really enhance and "flip" the sweetness vs pepper that's inherent in the beer. I do enjoy that beer. Cheers!

 

Glad you enjoyed it!

Schell's Bock is slated to make a guest appearance tomorrow in a side-by-side.

 

This is likely my last one for the evening... Lone Pine's Holy Donut: Coffee Cake. I have enjoyed the majority of LP's Holy Donut collab beers so far, and this one seems more like a "traditional" dessert stout in that it isn't fruited in any way. Probably gonna be good stuff!



Pour is definitely quality. Deep brown beer that appears black in the glass. Quickly-forming head of dark brown foam that settles to a finger-tall ring of tannish foam. Nice rings of lace present after a few minutes, and legs seem good too. It's a stout, ya heard?

So, according to the label, this beer features coffee, Vietnamese cinnamon, vanilla, and coffee cake donuts from HD. The nose is strongly cinnamon-forward with a hint of metallic-ness, some very light coffee that comes across earthy, and some roasty maltiness. The vanilla hits slightly more once the beer warms, bringing out some slight marshmallow undertones. Growing on me a bit, but something about this is just too cinnamon driven. It's making everything else take an unnecessary back-seat, and, in the process, hurting the "coffee cake" element. Coffee cake really depends on a lot of elements being blended in a specific fashion, and I'm thinking this won't do that even on the palate. Hopeful, but... being realistic. Ya know...

Tastes, hmm... like a decent cinnamon-vanilla stout, I guess. I get some of this boring, overly-roasty, nondescript coffee flavor that feels like it's a second-thought, and the finish is all earthy cinnamon. Mid-palate is a bit lost; feel is moderately-chewy but there isn't anything to grab onto in there if you know what I mean. It's not malty or rich in any traditional way, in other words. It just feels like adjuncts vying for space, and the spice wins out at the end of the day, but the spice itself isn't superbly well-done. Surprisingly, this is maybe my least favorite LP HD beer. I have one more, but it'll probably see this thread tomorrow. I'm tired!

 

@WunderLlama apparently sent me 22 beers (and a t-shirt) as a thank you for three that I sent him. This man is insanely generous. Also just insane. I could fit my eight-year-old son in the box he sent the beer in.

Here's the first of those beers: Post Shift Pilsner from Jack's Abby.

16oz can served in a footed pilsner glass. I can see only half a stamp on the bottom, so I don't know the canned on date.

Pours very clear, maybe with a slight haze, with a gigantic head that collapses into a webby cavernous labyrinth. Smell is grassy and lemony with a yeasty aroma.

Taste is definitely following the lemon, maybe clarifying to lemon pith and lemon zest, adding in a clear and strong grainy flavor. A little bit of honeysuckle sweetness. Moderate bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is pretty light. Overall, it's a pretty good pilsner -- maybe a bit more on the bready side than I typically look for, but certainly tasty.

As I keep sipping on it, the the hops keep building, making it seem less and less bready. I'm enjoying this.

 

Had some good times there. Enjoy!

 

The older I get, I just want the Oysters maybe little something, something, Raw or grilled. Nothing fancy

 

I will never begrudge someone their own preferences. I indicated to you that I disliked it, and I will say here why - it always seemed way too hot - in a singe your tongue kin of way.

My experience is my own, but I always enjoy when others make me revisit prior thoughts...

 

I am in the same situation myself - plenty of bocks in the cellar but most are not new to me. But there is one that I stumbled across today that is - Einbecker Mai-Ur-Bock. I'll have to try that tomorrow. I had already cracked my beer for tonight b4 I saw this thread - Founders Backwoods Bastard.

 

I don't think that I have ever had Ayinger's Weizenbock from a tulip. I typically use a weizen glass like you show from Ayingers site or an oversized and stemless Pinot Noir glass.

 

Cool glass. Great beer.

 

What does bog myrtle smell and taste like? I have never had a gruit beer.

 

It's too bad that Cultivator had to discontinued in bottles. That was one fine Maibock. I used to do similar to you - pick up a bunch when it appeared and then consume it throughout the spring. I still find myself checking the shelves for it starting in February.

 

You can never go wrong with a Dogfish 60/90/120 Minute IPA! Or a background WWS!