New Beer Weekend #88

Back to a tripel from Belgium with #2 for the day.

Chimay Cinq Cents
ABV: 8.0%
IBU: 36

2 inch white, billowing, creamy, thick head with very good retention, that leaves sticky lacing around the glass and forms a rocky, uneven surface as it does recede. Hazy golden amber with very active carbonation.

Strong aroma; I can smell it while pouring. Bready, light fruit, and spice. Sweet-ish.

The initial taste carries indistinct fruit - pear, perhaps, bread, floral, and peppery spice. A solid bitterness begins in the middle, along with some citrus, and continues into the finish and aftertaste. This is the most bitter of any tripel so far for me. The finish brings a bit of an earthy character. The level of bittering is in APA territory, which I was not expecting. In fact, the package of flavors, with the citrus, floral, and bitterness, is more APA than any of the other Belgian-style tripel ales I had during the online tasting. It is very tasty, but certainly different from present company. While the aroma seemed to promise sweetness, the finish is quite dry.

Mouth feel has a moderate body with the carbonation bubbles active on my tongue.

Overall, a tasty beer, nothing out of balance, but a bit of an outlier in the company of the other Belgian tripels. It definitely brings more from the hops (citrus and bitterness) than do the others.

L: 4.5 | S: 4.25 | T: 4.0 | F: 3.75 | O: 4.0 | Rating: 4.07

 

haha when you said no tripels I found a double though I thought you meant Belgian dubbel. As I read it became clear…I’ve wanted to try this beer for a while and posted earlier about it. It should be in NJ shortly and your review has me even more excited to try.

 

Dayum, that looks good. I almost stopped at Kane today. I'm hoping this is still available the next few weeks.

 

YES!! I love this one. I need to grab more of it. Hoping they brew it more often because, damn... it reminds me of a stronger version of the original Grapefruit Sculpin, back before Ballast Point descent into ignominy.

Alright, here's the heavy hitter of today. I'm about to try my hand at making homemade poutine with chicken fries instead of French fries, so wish me luck as I potentially bungle my way through the recipe after this monstrosity...



Warped Imagination is a new TIPA from Finback, clocking in at 10% ABV and featuring an intense hop lineup. Strata, Citra, Cashmere Cryo, and Idaho 7 Cryo hops are present in the dry-hop of this bruiser, so let's just get right into it.

Pour is gorgeous. Usually, I'm a bit meh on Finback's pours these days... they kinda tend to all look super-similar, but this one is highly-saturated and a slightly deeper hue than most of the others I've had in the past few months. Additionally, that head is just massive and retains for longer than I figured it would. And, as it settles slooooowly to a half-finger, it leaves behind copious lace and has superior legs. Freaking beautiful.

Nose is bright and intense, leading off with mango and ripe yuzu before heading into sugared grapefruit territory with some slight tangelo undertones. A hint of creaminess (maybe from the Cashmere?) makes its presence known, with a blanket of light grassiness underpinning it all. There is a slight dankness to this, but I think it might just be Idaho 7 flexing its weirdness at times, because most of what is here feels clean and by-the-books.

First sip is waaaay creamier and more well-balanced than I thought it would be given the nose and the hop combo. I'm almost a little let down by that, because I was hoping for a nice citrus/tropical fruit bomb, but this does seem to dip its toes into a more "smoothie"-like direction... to my chagrin, for sure. Eh, it still does have some very nice flavors of bitter tangerine peel, pomelo, grapefruit, and mango with a touch of balanced bitterness in there, kinda peeking out in the finish in my opinion, but... this feels under-par compared to the standard they had set by the appearance and smell. Will have no problem finishing my can, but not a repeat buy for me. Getting a little too picky for some of these strong, complex IPAs, I think. Sometimes I've just been wanting something that settles on a specific note or two and hammers them home with confidence, and this isn't really that.

Alright, time to cook...

 

They put oyster shells in the boil in this stout and you can taste it. Despite being a very small state, South Jersey has a completely different feel from North Jersey and the commercial fishing industry is huge. So a good oyster stout makes sense.

 

Home delivery is always an option, 75$ minimum. That’s pretty easy to hit with barrel aged purchases

 

My wife is really good about my "hobby" but alas she draws the line with home deliveries of beer. I'll have to run down to Kane.

 

I am a huge fan of Vallejo, and will be getting more of it in the future. Very solid west coast IPA.

 

Going to be impossible to top that first one but I will step back to the hazy again.
Foam Brewers Built to Spill DIPA
Pours a hazy lemon yellow with quite a large white head having decent retention and some nice spotty lacing.
Aroma is orange, mango, lemon/lime, theres also a bit of banana/bubble gum.
Tastes follows with tropicals, citrus- a bit of lime, some yeasty esters, very little in the malt category.
Some slickness dries on the medium body finish leaving a little hop burn on the tip of the tongue. Carb presence is prickly throughout. Green bitterness on the back as well. A bit of metallic to the thin edge...
Honestly after what I had before this....
All that said Im not raving about it. Its a good rep of the style except for the fact soft feel is lacking but honestly I like that sometimes. I like it its just not something I would look out for again.

 

Fun read @Roguer, thanks for doing the research.

 

Snow Cone from Single Hill Brewing in the hops capital of the known universe, Yakima, Washington. This one is interesting—flash frozen fresh hops used months later to brew a fresh hop IPA. And, I’m pleased to report, the experiment worked! Very nice indeed. Cheers!

4.25/5 rDev -8.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by draheim from Washington

16oz can into a tulip. Pours a hazy pale yellow with a bright white sudsy head that leaves behind patchy lace.

Aroma is juicy and tropical. The flash frozen fresh Citra and Simcoe hops shine through. Pineapple, grapefruit, peach.

Taste is likewise acidic and hop-forward. Pale bready malt forms the backdrop for citrusy bright hops.

Mouthfeel is nicely balanced, medium bodied, refreshing. Nice crisp clean finish.

Overall a very nice fresh hop beer, especially for March in the Northern Hemisphere.

 

Alright, Day #2, with our son visiting for the first time in 14 months. Special occasions call for special beers.

First up is the only magnum I’ve ever received, courtesy of my friend @FBarber. Wow. This is so special, me, Little O, and Mrs O (in a VERY RARE appearance on NBW) are enjoying this together. Their thoughts on this very special beer:

Mrs O: “Tastes like Beck’s.” This is her default response to anything that isn’t Miller Lite. If this was a BCBS variant, that would be her response.

Little O: “This is pretty good - it’s like Gumballhead.” James love’s Gumballhead, almost irrationally so, so this is the highest praise he can offer.

Me: I’m a trained professional - see below.





3.94/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by ovaltine from Indiana

This pours differently between two glasses - the champagne flutes are almost a crystal clear golden straw color, but in the pint glass, there’s a significant amount of haze. Both pours yield a beautiful fluffy white head that dissipate pretty quickly.

The nose has some noble hop aromas that lend a little grassy note, and there’s a nice lemongrass aroma as well. The lemongrass is most prominent on the taste, but that noble hop flavor is present as well, and there’s an organic malt flavor in the background.

The mouthfeel is bright, but not too much like champagne, which I feared. This is an easy drinking lager that straddles the beer/champagne line really well. So glad I had the opportunity to try and enjoy this.

 

#2, this is courtesy of my friends @snaotheus and @FBarber from NBW BIF #14. I’ve been so excited to try this for the last couple of days, I’ve literally been vibrating.

Let’s GO!!!!!





4.74/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
by ovaltine from Indiana

Pours a gorgeous mahogany brown that is a little cloudy, which fits these big (12.2% ABV) barleywines really well, and there’s a tight, creamy tan head up top for good measure. Absolutely beautiful beer. The nose has a significant toffee note and a HUGE stone fruit aroma that presents as dark cherries, and a nice oaky booze note from the barrel that tosses a bit of vanilla into the mix. O. M. G.

The toffee flavor is upfront on the taste, a rich and creamy treat that sets the tone for this beer. The dark cherries follow, and they are the perfectly delicious complement to the rich toffee on my palate, with some booze and oak at the very back of the taste. Incredible balance in a complex beer.

The mouthfeel is rich and creamy, fitting this beer to a “T.” This is the best beer I’ve had in the last year or so. Magnificent stuff.

 

I have been Mia but since drove deep and taken part of NBS bif, had to double down and post a new beer.

Always find Dg like the goldilocks of wilds it just always hit right. Not too funky or sour


The Boysenberry
de Garde Brewing


4.14/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
by Rub_This_BBQ from Massachusetts

Pours a deep purple looks like grape juice, light purple head fades instantly

Smell is all berries with light brightness


Taste follows nice fruity sweetness upfront with light / bright tartness

Was not sure I would like but really enjoyed it

 

Last Tripel for the weekend, might review something else before bed tonight.
4.26/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
by larryi86 from Delaware

330 ml bottle poured into a goblet

A- A fairly clear golden straw with a small white head.

S- Earthy spice, sweet bread, some apple, banana, floral, nice yeast flavors, touch of cloves.

T- Earthy, floral, sweet bread, apple, touch of bananas, some honey, some cloves s

M- Smooth, light to medium body, dry.

O- A well done and easy to drink Tripel. I will say I enjoy Rochefort 10 and 8 more but this is still a quality example of the style.

As always I really enjoyed this tasting weekend, personally the revisiting of classic styles are always my favorite since they keep reminding me of great self beers I often walk by, cheers!

 

Transferable Skillsets by Brick & Feather

4.15/5 rDev -1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25



Can poured into a stemmed glass

Three finger fluffy white foam cdd add o, good retention , sticky, spotty lacings over a golden liquid with occasional carbonation bubbles

Aroma is faint grassiness

Taste is grassy , hint of lemon citrus

Clean ,crisp taste, slight hop bite that nicely lingers

Good beer

 

Hello Advocates! Here's a big tastin' brew: Dogfish Head 90 Minute Imperial IPA 9%ABV.
I enjoy the 60 Min IPA a bit more as this one is fairly intense but is also excellent. Happy to have it. Cheers!
4.29/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota
12oz can best by date June 2022 into a pint glass.
L: Pours almost crystal clear amber w/a 1" pock marked creamy off white head w/decent retention to a creamy skin. Random lacing and some sticky sheeting.
S: Caramelized malts, grassy hops, orange zest, a hint of bread. It is pungent, fruity & floral.
T: Citrus zest, black tea, caramelized roasty malts, grapefruit, fruit cake, grassy hops, lemon drop candy, a suggestion of brown bread, moderate alcohol. It is somewhat tart w/pine resin in a med-long linger. Powerful malts, bold hops and is full flavored.
F: Sharp, firm & smooth med-heavy bodied mouth feel that is lightly sticky and almost thick. It has a rather drying finish.
O: A full flavored American Imperial IPA that truly delivers an enthusiastic and unrestrained dense punch of malts & hops. It's taste is BIG and it is excellent in it's style.