New Beer Weekend #90

And Postimage is working, but it’s too late to edit…

 

Up next is a new one from San Juan Island Brewing, in Friday Harbor (Downtown Friday Harbor had a big fire the other night, they even had to bring fire trucks in from neighboring islands, just at the start of tourist season. Let's wish the folks out there well), San Juan Island, in the San Juan Islands, Washington, Earth. Sabroeka is, as you've no doubt guessed, an IPA made with Sabro and Motueka hops. It wasn't the trainwreck I was expecting: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50376/598160/

 

The haze look seems to be invading more styles - here we have a hazy, Kolsch style from an oddly named brewery, DSSOLVR, in Asheville, NC. This one is quite an "American" interpretation besides the haze: noticeable hop presence and some dankness in the mouthfeel. The tropical fruit flavors are unique for a Kolsch, but all in all, this one is very flavorful and quaffable; however, for style, it misses the mark.

 

Happy Saturday, everyone one. I have a couple of beers this gorgeous evening in Northern Indiana, the first from my favorite brewery - by a lot. The fact that they’re an easy drive for me (less than 40 minutes) is an added bonus.





4.35/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by ovaltine from Indiana

Pours a beautiful golden orange color with a fairly translucent body and a creamy white head that laces the glass very well. Definitely NOT a hazy, a first for the Juice series.

The nose has loads of ripe, juicy tangerine, a bit of grapefruit, and a substantial caramalt aroma, something the hazy Juices do not feature (a malt component).

The taste is led by that ripe tangerine flavor, and it is indeed juicy and delicious, with that bit of grapefruit providing some tropical bitterness - and then there’s the caramalt, which provides body and balance to this DIPA that doesn’t drink that heavy.

The mouthfeel is dry, spot on for the style. I’ve enjoyed all iterations of the Juice series, and this is my favorite - I’m gonna buy enough to make this my fridge DIPA for April.

 

#2, this magnificent beer is courtesy of my friend @jonphisher and NBW BIF #15. My first beer from Human Robot, I could drink this until it came out my ears.



4.35/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by ovaltine from Indiana

Pours a dark cola color that settles as mahogany brown with a light thread in the glass. Absolutely lovely beer. The nose has some cocoa notes, and noble hop aromas (grass is most noticeable, as expected), and there’s some roasty notes and a bit of stone fruit. Wow.

The noble hop flavors are forward, with the grassy flavor bouncing off of the cocoa and roast for a very rich flavor profile in a low ABV (5.2% ABV), with that bit of stone on the finish for the dark cherry on top of the sundae (pun intended).

Medium mouthfeel that is crisp and creamy at the same time, a difficult thing to pull off, but something Human Robot does exceptionally well with this beer.

 

@jonphisher sent me a box of beer for Christmas because he's a gentleman and a scholar.

500ml bottle served in a footed pilsner glass. 2021 release. 9.1% abv.

Pours with a surprisingly large light tan head, maybe two inches with a vigorous pour, which fades into a stable looking half-centimeter of dense, creamy foam. Small amount of active carbonation. Black in color, completely opaque. Smell is screaming chocolate and marshmallow (which I assume is the vanilla), if I think about coconut it comes across as a Mounds bar. Coffee is noticeable, too, but you have to kind of look for it -- it's hiding behind the chocolate.

Taste is also dominated by the chocolate and coconut, the vanilla is more of a background. Coffee is clearer here than in the nose. Sweetness is moderate, balanced fairly well by strong roastiness, somewhat boozy.

Mouthfeel is thick and chewy. Overall, this is a very nice beer.

Thank you, Jon!

 

And like that were back, busy weekend for us. Celebrated my moms birthday today and were going to the Camden aquarium with my brother and his son to celebrate our sons 3rd birthday.

I had this brewery for the first time last week and was so impressed I went out and grabbed a six of their Irish red.

Slack Tide - Paddy’s Hole



Pours a nice brownish red, slightly opaque, big fully and billowy had that never ends, pretty nice lacing.

Nose is a nice mix and nutty malts with a little bit for dark fruit sweetness.

Taste has a lot going on and it’s all nicely balanced. Some toasty bread, dried dark fruit, nuttiness and spicy hop note on the finish.

Light body, almost with some sort of twang to it; thanks to those dark fruit notes. subtle bitterness on the finish rounds this one out nicely.

This is a very good beer and wow will I continue to buy this brewery. Great stuff.

 

I am wishing you a speedy recovery. Any type of illness sucks.

 

I couldn’t resist this one tonight…Switching it up, I love double sunshine and have wanted to try the grapefruit one for a long time so when it showed up down the street I happily purchased a four pack.

Lawsons - Ruby Red Double Sunshine



Pours a beautiful crystal clear dark gold, head settles into opaque white with a bigger bubble ring around the glass. Some splotchy lacing.

The nose on this beer is beautiful, the grapefruit is instantly noticeable but in a perfect non overpowering way. Underneath is a slight dankness and some tropical fruit.

Taste is similar to nose but the grapefruit really meshes well with the dank note, playing off each other perfectly. A nice malt presence is there to hold it all together.

Medium body, you can definitely tel this is a IIPA and not a single. The grapefruit again really shows itself in a nice bitter slightly acidic way, almost as if there is a dash of grapefruit in it. Nice lingering bitterness.

This is exactly what I hope’d it would it’s double sunshine with a perfect refreshing kiss of grapefruit.

 

New Trail Modern West Coast IPA - I've had Broken Heels and Double Broken Heels and enjoyed both and figured that this would be good too. Poured from a can, they really need to clearly date these things and if it's on there I can't find it; but in checking the site I think this beer is on the older side. Pours from a can a clear lighter orange color with a decent head, low carbonation. Smell is hops, a touch of the malts, a bit of yeast and a touch of alcohol. Taste is pretty good, hops and then sweeter malts at the end and it ends balanced and then dryly. Lives up to the description and a WCIPA with an ever so slight hint of a more modern NEIPA hiding within the profile. Good stuff. I prefer the Broken Heels beers but this is definitely drinkable. Budmo!

 

Bale beaker German Pilsner

Thanks to @snaotheus in bif 15 and below is pic of the beer as I try to rebuild my porch from his 3rd and 4th hit of the bif coming on the same day.




3.86/5 rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
by Rub_This_BBQ from Massachusetts

12oz can
Pils look to a tee clear bright yellow white fluffy head

Upfront is Sulfur which i enjoy in pils

Taste no sulfur bready light roasts notes not missing a little of spicy noble hops notes i was search for in German pils


Overall crushable beer and would happy to drink again

 

Good evening all. I've seen about ten beers I want to try so far in the thread...some good looking and sounding brews.

We discovered a new beer shop this morning - it's called Just Better Beer and that is the literal truth. No BMC. No liquor. No wine. A few ciders, couple of meads. Well curated, knowledgeable and friendly owner and staff.

So...this one followed me home as part of a small herd.



Allagash Swiftly...an IPA from Allagash. What?

Beautiful reddish amber pour, crystal clear, nice tan foam that lasts and clings. Good first impression.

The smell opens malty sweet bready, then some resin/pine, and grapefruit rind citrus. There's a hint of their yeast spiciness, a deft touch of coriander in there. Not strong, but very nice aroma.

The taste simply shines. It is malty, slightly caramel sweet. The coriander is a bit hotter than the smell suggests, but it fits nicely between the initial malt and the hoppy goodness that follows. The pine/resin is not super strong, but is assertive enough to balance the malts. There is some citrus but it flies a little under the radar in a complimentary role. There's some of the Allagash signature "Belgiany" yeast going on, but it's not the dead giveaway it can be. The coriander does build up a little, but not to a great extent.

Ultra-smooth, a little creamy, semi-dry finish with pleasant bitterness and that little spice tingle.

This beer is just a well-made drinker. Super smooth, fully flavored, clean, restrained. Nothing in excess, it is nicely constructed and harmonious. Maybe leans toward being a hoppy red than an IPA, but that would be style police nitpicking. This is a 4.2 - 4.3 all day long, maybe higher. If you see this one, try it.

 

I had this one recently too @LeRose very much enjoyed it as well.

 

American Solera I Didn't See You There, a Pilsner dry hopped with cascades, 5.0% ABV; 3.86 overall

Pours a slightly hazed gold with 2 fingers of tight eggshell colored head. Nice lacing, above average ( barely ) head retention

S: Bready, grainy, grassy

T: Dry, grassy, lime flavor & a touch of aspirin up front. Dry with lime and grassy/soapy bitterness once warm. Finishes with a little sweetness breaking through the bitter & plenty dry

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation; skews bitter, but in line with the style

Drinks easy, true to the style