New Beer Weekend #89

Good Sunday afternoon, folks. I don't get as many new beers these days, and many that I do are local or known one offs that I don't think anyone will gain much from my review in this thread. This week, I found a beer that might fit the bill that also interested me, and it turns out it might be a somewhat limited release. Oh, well, I'll throw my thoughts out there, anyhow

Today's brew is Ruekeller: Dunkel from our friends at The Bruery, an offering seemingly coming from their east coast Innovation brewing system (which I think is in DC). I couldn't find much about the Ruekeller series, I guess you'd call it., but the other offerings I saw with this moniker were German style lagers.

The beer streams a clear medium brown, darkening in the liter glass I chose. Beige head formation was solid, as was the cap that topped the clean, would-be-clear-if-not-for-color, liquid.

Nose has some dark caramel leading medium toasted grain, making this beer seem to me like it might be a bit rich for what I'd expect from a dunkel. There's also the lightest hint of tang on the edges.

The first sip does show a degree of richness, but it's not from an above-expectation amount of residual sugar. The beer isn't light, but settles in on that side of medium. The taste it what wins me over, though...

My first impression were that of a thick, dark pretzel like those my family enjoyed in bunches when we visited family in Pennsylvania. Then, on another sip, the distinction my mind made of the grain-influenced memories was that of pumpernickel bread. Deciphering my gut impressions, the opening note is lightly pretzel-like, but the back end, especially the lingering flavor, is definitely pumpernickel.

Looking at the brewer's notes - maybe I can get a touch of caramel at the very beginning; perhaps I could see a nuttiness vibe in the beginning of the pumpernickel notes, but I'm not getting any chocolate.

That said, I am much more glad I got the sensations I got than what they claim. I'm quite happy with this beer. It's dry and has some bitterness, but not much. When I think of comparisons, I think it might be a little more malty and robust (though not in a sweet sense) than von Trapp's. I think good German versions would show as much malt, but in a little more sweet fashion, and have a certain mineral note where the more locally brewed version shows a tiny bit of fresh bitterness (lightly grassy if I were forced to choose something not neutral). Maybe I can find something to side-by-side at the store this week.

 

More Swarez for me today. I'm reviewing Qualify on the left in the picture. My wife has blown through all the Palatine we had except for this can and she wants this one too. I did about 3oz of comparison before handing it over to her (then stole another sip later).
I have very little background information on these two beers. The Swarez website simply lists them both as "hop-accented German-style pils". I refuse to read BA reviews until I do my own (don't want to induce unconscious bias).
All in all, I would say Qualify is slightly stronger in both hops and malt. I suspect these beers use different Noble hops, but I am far from good enough to say what hops. Palatine is lighter in all respects but not by much. I'm not sure I would be able to differentiate if I did not compare them on the same day.

4.03/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by woodchipper from Connecticut

Poured from a 16oz can stamped “CANNED ON 03.02.22 DRINK BY 07.13.22” to a Pilsner glass at fridge temp.
An obligatory super-white 2-inch head sits on top . The body is clear, light gold and nucleated bubbles rise hypnotically.
Aroma is grassy and light.
The taste is clean with hops and malt both playing together well. The malty biscuit flavor is in the front of the taste and the hops finish with a bite that's fun for Pilsner.
The mouth feel is medium-light. This Pilsner does not have the slight oiliness I have sensed in other German pils.
A fine execution of a style that gives brewers nothing to hide behind.

 

Howdy NBWs
I’m drinking a Barrel Aged Imperial Stout called Hypersurface from Holmes in collaboration with Equilibrium courtesy of @BigIronH, thanks Harley, it’s awesome


4.25/ 4/ 4.50/ 4.50/ 4.50. 4.37. rDev + 1.4%

Poured from a bottle dated 5/26/21
Into a tulip glass no head to speak of floating particles of maybe sugar or nuts, dark thick motor oil color

Aroma of vanilla, bourbon, nuts and chocolate, hints of coconut and caramel

Taste is chocolate, vanilla, roasted almonds and sugar. Not overly sweet but the sugar comes through nicely

Mouthfeel is slick starting and then sticky finishing. Low carbonation and silky smooth. Chewy flavors and no alcohol burn.

Overall it’s a awesome BA imperial stout, big flavors, smooth full notes and really easy drinking. Sweet but not overwhelming, nice layers of flavors. I love it.

 

You mentioned NBS #892 yesterday, and today it's NBS #893 today. Why are all you thread openers trying to speed up time? I'm old enough already

Hmmm... maybe the term "sparkling" had a certain influence in the style choice. The company's website now clearly indicates American Ale yeast was used, so maybe a style change request is in order.

 

FYI if it matter to you - it's Suarez.

 

I probably would not have picked this up of my own accord at a store, but it showed up in the fridge at work alongside some other "St. Patrick's Day"-esque beers... I think our ops director bought or was given a bunch of that type of stuff around the middle of last month. Earlier last week, I was told by my boss to take as much beer from our fridge as I wanted, so I grabbed the three of these that were left after I noticed they were brewed by Lamplighter.

This is a 7.5% export-style stout, which is basically a stronger version of an Irish dry stout. I do love me some Guinness Foreign Extra, but plain-ol' stouts just aren't what I tend to reach for these days. Anyway, this pours a pretty solid dark brown/black-ish color with a decent head of light brown/khaki foam that settles to a half-finger after some time in my glass, leaving a ring of foam behind. Nice legs on this one overall, too. Interested to give it a shot.

Nose is earthy and roasty with obvious chocolate malt influence. There is some woodiness here, too, along with hints of toffee and cream which back up the roasted coffee and cocoa notes quite well. Not even a hint of ethanol in this one, which is definitely dangerous. Smells very clean and well-made. Probably going to be impressive.

First sip is robust and even more chocolate-driven than I thought it would be. Chewy and robust with intense creaminess and smooth coffee flavors, with all of this being helped out nicely by a firm yet understated note of herbal and earthy bitterness. Sneakily strong stuff, I should mention... as I touched upon before, the ABV is not really flaunted; instead, this goes by the merits of its simple but effective character... a well-made export-style stout with excellent balance. Glad I got a few more, and nothing beats free beer at the end of the day... can safely say I'm satisfied.

I have two more actually... I had an additional new-to-me beer around that I think I'll tackle, so stay tuned.

 

You know, I spelled it correctly in my reviews yesterday. Today, with my "computer glasses" on, looking at the stylized script on the can, I swear I read Swuarez. Never been good at speling (sic), especially proper names.
Thanks, I'll never forget now.

 

I'm glad you liked it! The Black IPA, Knockdown, is very good. Not quite Carton Epitome but still really good. They brew it in October or November. There were some packs at the brewery last weekend but they had them on $10 clearance which scared me off. I should have bought one anyway. If it's still good, then it would be a bargain. Cheers

 

Happy Sunday, NBWers,

Cross post w/ the NBS BIF #15 thread:
Breakfast consisted of chocolate strawberry waffles with real 100% maple syrup. I decided to follow that up with a stout. Space and Time, from Tree House, courtesy of @Rub_This_BBQ :

A pastry stout, right?

Wrong.

If you're a fan of Old Rasputin, this will appeal to you. Reminds me even more of a local blast from the past, Thor's Thunder, brewed by long gone Lang Creek Brewing specifically for the old Viking Tavern. Bitter, and sweet, but in a Baker's chocolate kind of way. Slightly briny in the nose, with just a tad of soy sauciness, and with a full, luscious mouthfeel, yet also conveying a sensation of dryness. Boozy as it warms, but distinctly not in the manner of something aged in a booze barrel. Great stuff! I really dig it.

 

Funny you say this. After my experience last night I went out and grabbed a six of the black ipa. Doing recon on Facebook it just won a medal in early march, no way they used old cans so I’m assuming/hoping these cans are newer. But if it tastes good I won’t even know or care. I’ll tag you tonight when I crack it open. They will be on my watch list for anything new that shows up in stores from now on.

 

I’m gonna go with swarez from now on

I don’t think I’ll ever encounter their beer or pay the price from half time but hey if I do swarez it is.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. I'm still excited over last night's Carolina-Duke game. I'm a lifelong Tar Heel fan so I'm happy with the outcome. But more than that it was one of the best college basketball games I've ever seen - particularly the last 5 minutes. Honestly, neither team deserved to lose. Props to Coach K! And a great start for Hubert Davis's coaching career.

Magnify probably collaborates more than any of our local brewers. Sometimes it works well and sometimes it doesn't. This week, when I saw that Mag released a TIPA brewed with Abomination Brewing I was intrigued because I thought it played to both of their strengths. Abomination is a gypsy brewer based in East Stroudsburg PA (just across the Delaware River from New Jersey) which brews a really good TIPA called "Rare Fog." Magnify has excelled at plush, flavorful triple IPAs. I stopped at the brewery on Friday and was told that despite being 10% ABV, Big Foggy was outselling everything else in the taproom. So I was doubly intrigued.

It pours an opaque, muddy orange color with 2 fingers of foamy, eggshell colored head and lots of thick lacing. The smell is big and bold with lemon, grapefruit, earthy, grassy malt, and fragrant hops. Its taste opens, dank, bitter, and piny with tart lemon and bitter grapefruit rind balanced by ripe cantaloupe. The Citra hops shine. The Pacific Jade hops contribute an earthy, herbal flavor. The Nelson and Enigma hops add strong notes of white wine. The resinous pine and hoppy bitterness persist throughout. This is a complex and very tasty ale. It's medium-bodied - less thick and creamy than most of Magnify's TIPAs. The carbonation level is just right and it drinks very easily for 10% ABV. I like it a lot!

4.46/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Cheers, NBW!

 

Good afternoon NBS/nbw and thanks @ChicagoJ for hosting this weekly treasure.
My siblings and I got together and did a spring cleanup of our parents house today.
A productive and rewarding endeavour. Home now enjoying this delight from our dear friends at Hill Farmstead. I find the push - pull between the coffee and the bourbon barrel treatment enthralling.
Cheers all
Earl (Bourbon Barrel Aged)

Stout - American | 8% ABV
Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro Bend, Vermont

4.19/5 rDev +3.2% | Average: 4.06
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
by SABERG from Massachusetts

Poured from the 500 ml bottle into the test glass. This is the Guatemalan coffee and Mexican vanilla bean version.
A - Bottle opened with a nice solid hiss, pour yields a quick to recede mocha cap. Color is a bit of cobalt black and bakers chocolate brown. During the experience a solid ring of mocha clings to the glass interior.
S - Coffee forward, with a bit of dark nougat, vanilla, toasted pecans, Dark cocoa, like 70+% Madagascar, Bourbon barrel treatment adds that hint of char, added vanilla depth touches of toffee, candied chocolate dipped orange.
T - With all thats going on in the nose, the flavors also include a beautiful spicy element, I suspect from the coffee, a bit of black pepper. The barrel treatment shines on the palate with all the usual suspects, toffee, vanilla, a bit of fusel alcohol.
M - Medium in body, stays on the dark bitter chocolate track most of the sip. There is a full coating of palate, a bit of an oily mid, with a quick clear nod to the bourbon. Then an esspresso dry wave rolls through. The linger is forever.
O - A beauty on all fronts. the base coffee stout is a treat in itself, the additional treatments build off of that treat. Adding depth and complexity.

 

Hello NBS!
I know you early starters are probably finishing up but for me Im cooking and just getting started. Im going to to start light and work my way up to a big bomb so here it goes. Beer #1 is:
Koshihikari Echigo Beer, Japanese Rice Lager.
Pouring a crystal clear pale yellow with quite a large snow white head descending to a thin ring with spotty lacing.
Aroma is rice krispees, some bread dough and lemon zest.
Taste follows sweet bread notes, crisp clean rice, a touch of bitterness and some lemon.
Sweet up front rapidly deteriorates into a drying simple finish on the light body. Nice carb throughout.
As you would expect nothing mind blowing but absolutely brewed to be an accompaniment to food, particularly spicy. After the first couple gulps I kept thinking how well this would pair with wasabi (sushi) which can be challenging. Yup its a higher quality than many AAL's I would suspect. Now, is worth 3.69 a can?
Absolutely not but Im glad I tried it.
Its hitting the spot and quenching right now. Back to prepping dinner. I'll be back soon. Cheers!

 

Greetings all from the great northwest where we are sunny but cool and a little breezy. Not a bad day.

So today we have No Bad Days IPA.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/43866/210833/

Like today it's not bad. Not great but not bad.

Until next time