New Beer Weekend #94

Beautiful picture, capture last that beer so well. All this tiny bubbles…

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass canned on 4/21/22. Pours a very hazy orange with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves thin webs of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma papaya, peach, pineapple, mandarin, cantaloupe, mango, and apricot. 4.25

Taste papaya, peach, pineapple, cantaloupe, mango, and apricot well balanced. 4.25

Mouthfeel follows it is sweeter than most, soft gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 10.5% big flavor but easy going down. 4.5

Overall this is real good, I almost find them sweeter than most and this is no exception, but still a real nice NETIPA. Cheers all. 4.5

 

Good morning BAs! Today’s new beer is from Angry Chair - Double Stuffed Fudge Bucket (2022) imperial sweet stout:



Released and purchased at the brewery 5/4/22. Poured at 54°. Dark brown with ruby edges; dark tan head; poor cap retention; small island of micro dots; solid ring; thin legs. Chocolate fudge nose. Chocolate with vanilla swirl; Oreo cookie dunked in chocolate milk. Medium plus body, not adjuncty; moderate minus carbonation; smooth almost slick tongue coating; no warmth from 10.5% abv. Overall a delicious non-barrel aged pastry stout; I’ve had variations of this beer, but never the base; loads of fudgey chocolate with enough vanilla to give it that Oreo cookie flavor; and the lactose provides the creamy feel. Angry Chair is one of the masters in the craft of pastry stouts, and this base beer is outstanding.

4.0 | 4.5 | 4.75 | 4.5 | 4.5
Score: 4.57 rDev +4.8%

The temp outside is already in the mid 80s…the dogs don’t want to sit on the patio with me…I’ll probably take it easy today. Cheers!

 

First and possibly only beer for today is Mindfulness, a quadruple IPA from Little Log Cabin (Tired Hands).

3.39/5 rDev -14%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25

Glowing orange with loads of dense off-white foam and excellent retention and lacing. The aroma is bursting from the glass (as one might expect with this being a QIPA), with loads of tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, orange etc.) It's almost too strong from up close, but from a couple feet away it smells amazing.

Taste is too much for me (and I admittedly am not a huge IPA fan). It hits you in the face with the same tropical notes as show up on the nose, but there's an intensity to it that I'm not digging. Some notes are sweet, but the lingering bitterness in the aftertaste is strong and not my favorite. As a general rule, I'm not a huge fan of beers that make me thirsty, and this is definitely doing that. After every sip, I have the urge to take a sip of water. Glad to try it, but not my jam.

 

So this next one I got at my local Meijer as 1) it was a stout, 2) it was a new beer and 3) it is a new local brewery. Brewery Nyx Stout.
The fact that it’s gluten free wasn’t a plus, but their beer guy highly recommend it.

It is about what one expects from a low abv stout; full of flavor and easy to drink (Guinness standard is sessionable, right?) and I very much expect some people to really enjoy it. I’m just not one of those people.
Poured like Dr Pepper with an impressively brown colored head and reasonable carbonation.
The aroma was almost like cold coffee but 4 days old. Please know that my sniffer is chemically damaged and not everything comes across accurately.
The taste was reminiscent of the aforementioned Guinness and yet not nearly as malty. Not sure what they roast as they don’t use barley, but while passable, it tastes sharper. Not bitter, but an edge I cannot define.
The feel was good, again, I wasn’t expecting much and that is pretty much what I got.
Still, some people who need gluten free might have a palate adjusted for the new flavors and really dig this.
Next one will be better, I promise!

 

Gonna be another 90 degree day. Got our dog walking done earlier, so I'm going to kick back and drink some beer. First up is Cambodge, a Cambodian Saison from Diebolt. It's a saison with red dragon fruit, tamarind, lemongrass, and chile pepper. ABV of 5.5%. Quite a nice brew!

The beer is a dark pink color with a one inch pink tinged head. A tiny bit of lace.
Aroma of sweet fruit, syrup, pepper.
Taste of lemon, molasses, syrup, and pepper.
A nice take on a saison.

 

Well gang... are we officially done with this relenting rain?

Might be a bit colder but at least it seems to have tapered off luckily.

Going through a few new beers, and enjoying a day of re-couperation

Trying another Secret Machine variant.



Poured from the can into a nonic(k) pint glass.

Deep orange and peach colored, with a bit of cloudy and opaque character. Not too muddled or chunky looking but a bit muddy with at least a nice foamy off white head of about three fingers and little retention.

Aroma is a bit too grocery store juice. Large amounts of juiced pineapple mostly that dominates, and doesn't seem to provide much other fruited variety. Minimal tinge of sourness, and nicely it seems a small sweet biscuit malt note just barely picks through possibly.

Palate brings much of a fruited flavor, almost exclusively in favor of everything else. Large amounts of pineapple, but the mid palate does get a bit more fruit varied with hints of oily citrus zest primarily. Finishes with a bit of tinged sourness, and more of a sense of fine flattened soda like carbonation in mouthfeel. A bit of supermarket carton flavor, a bit of malt presence just brings things around enough to remind you there is still a beer in your hand.

For a fruited sour, it gets a bit too juice like and has just barely enough sour and beer character to stick with enjoyment. Otherwise it reminds me more of fruit soda than anything else.

look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75 | BA Generated score: 3.69

Cheers!

 

Messorem Bracitorium Il Était Une Fois: Il Diavolo Italian Pilsner.



Pours a very slightly hazy light gold with a thick, pillowy head that sticks around forever. Light lacing.

Fresh grains, floral hops and the ti jest note of pear greet the nose.

Taste follows nicely. Light malts, floral and grassy hops notes. Moderate bitterness. Very crisp/sharp finish.

Lighter body.

This is another solid beer from Messorem. Always worth trying.

 

This piqued my curiosity, since I do have some family members who have celiac disease.

The brewery's web site is basically just an uninformative banner ad, but I was able to find this:

"True gluten-free beer like Nyx’s is made with quality ingredients and “alternative” grains like rice and millet, along with a hefty dose of experimentation and trade secrets."

-- Brewery Nyx: When Less Is More (West Michigan Revue)

I the article, they also state they don't like how using sorghum makes the beer taste, so presumably not sorghum.

One thing I do know... Celiacs are nearly obsessive about reading ingredient lists, so if they are going after those who must avoid all gluten, they won't get very far with them by being cagey.

Paraphrasing some of their quotes in the article:
"Trust us, we're gluten free. We're not certified. We're better than certified! Trust us!"
Yeah. No.

 

Picked up a bottle of Madame R. Galle from Fair Isle yesterday.

From the bottle: Fermented with a house blend of Wild and Feral yeast, with bacteria.

6.2% ABV, Wallonian Style Saison.



Pours slightly hazy, a pale golden/yellow color. A spritzy, foamy white head forms and rises to over two fingers. Excellent retention and lace.
Aroma is lemon rind, earthy hay, grassy. A great Nobel hop, mixed with hay field aroma. Really fresh and vibrant. Peppery spice and light fruity esters of peach and apricot. Oh yeah, this is great.
Taste wise, up front again is lemon and citrus rind. Grassy/Nobel like hop varieties going on. Dusty hay field, tart and lightly acidic. That peppery spice, almost grape and peach esters. Just a touch of acidity lingering. Wonderful.
A medium body, with beautiful carbonation. Effervescent, crisp, and even refreshing. That finishes with a great puckering dryness that just makes me want to come back to this again and again.

A wonderful example of a Saison. All the tart lemon rind, Nobel hop, hay field, and acidity mingle perfectly together. This is the second offering and Saison I have had from this brewery, both are excellent.

Overall score is 4.33, easy A for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/57519/493738/?ba=champ103#lists

I also have another can of their Fay Fuller, which I reviewed here a few weeks ago and loved. I plan on opening that later today as well. Going to be a good Saison day for me

 

Yesterday I went taproom traveling, Stopped at 3 of them.
Modicum in Altoona, WI, next was Brewery Nønic and Lucette, both in Menomonie WI. I had some new beers to me.

At Modicum I drank 2 pints of Sweet William, a honey helles lager. It was tasty . Mild honey and some lemon with a hint of floral hops mixed in. Clean and easy drinking. Not really sweet or bitter. Just slightly sweet overall.
https://untappd.com/b/modicum-brewing-sweet-william/3115037

At Brewery Nønic I had a full pour of there new beer : May Pole Maple MaiBock @ 6.9% ABV.
I bought a 750ml crowler for home, plus a 750ml can of RauchBock.

And I am a drink'n the Lederhosen Bass Solo RauchBock now. 7.8% ABV. No longer on tap but on clearance for $7 a Crowler. (This still might be on tap at the Zymurgy brewery taproom nearby)
Nice Looking beer with a caramel color body with a ok fine head.
Smell: sweet malt, hint of smoke,
Taste is Caramel malt, mild but not weak smoke, and maybe a micro hint of rye that doesn't distract. Very smooth and tasty. Rather sweet. ABV is totally hidden. Tastes fresh, no off flavors.
Body: Malty not thin. Low carbonation which I think is better for the style
I will give it a 3.96/5 overall

A tasty brew, if I knew it was this good I would have bought another crowler for at the low price of $7
https://untappd.com/b/brewery-nonic-lederhosen-bass-solo/4552762

 

Released for the first time in 2022. Concord Craft Brewing Belgian Tripel with Blackberries and Black Currants from New Hampshire. 9% ABV. Don't know the IBUs but I imagine they are in the 20's or 30's since the bitterness is low. I had to add this one to the BA database. I thought it would fit in with this weekly thread.



I enjoyed it quite a lot because it has those toasted bread and Belgian spicy characters associated with a traditional Belgian style Tripel. But then you get this overwhelming although not offensive berry explosion both on the nose and in the flavor. The booze is buried. Or I should say it is not very forward. The berries bring out this reddish color as you can see in the photo.

This beer is only available in New Hampshire. It was released in March and if you come here to visit you might be able to grab it at one of New Hampshire's better beer stores.

 

Utepils is one of the top lager breweries in the Twin Cities. I picked up their winter sample pack (an 8 pack of 4 beers) because I wanted one of their seasonals and I could only find it remaining in the sample pack (I'm visualizing all you freshness fiends recoiling in horror at the thought of someone intentionally buying "old" beer ).

Anyhow, there was one other new-to-me beer in the pack, which is the one I am having today.

Utepils Minnator Doppelbock
ABV: 7.8%
IBU: 20


Clear ruby-brown body, nicely carbonated. A 1 to 1½ inch light tan head forms from a very gentle pour. The head is thick and creamy with very good retention. Gorgeous looking lager. Thick and attractive lacing follows the beer down as I drink.

The aroma is not very strong. I get baked bread and plums / prunes.

The initial taste is smooth and baked-bready. The fruits follow shortly, becoming more prominent in the middle. By the finish, the interplay of the bread and the prunes (perhaps raisins) is nicely balanced with both prominently displayed but neither dominating the other. Excellent flavor. There is no bitterness at all, and the finish is somewhat sweet. The aftertaste pleasantly coats my tongue. No hint of alcohol other than in the inevitable buzz.

The mouth feel is smooth and the body is a touch on the thin side of moderate.

Overall, a very good true-to-style doppelbock.

L: 4.5 | S: 3.75 | T: 4.25 | F: 3.75 | O: 4.25 | Rating: 4.10

This is an excellent example of the style from Utepils.

According to my ratings of doppelbocks, (and leaving out one-ofs) it comes in at #4, behind Andechs, Ayinger, and Samichlaus. Not bad at all.

 

Brewery Nønic. May Pole Maple Maibock.
Look: a slightly murky orangeish gold body. A head that fizzes and disappears rapidly leaving no lacing.
Smell: Bread, a little sweet malt
Taste: White Bread, then a micro hint caramel and floral hops. A faint hint of maple later on.
Smooth and slightly sweet. But really lacks flavor overall.
Fell is just OK, slightly malty.
Oh well I will give this one a 3.47/5 overall

 

Red Poppy, from Lost Abbey. Sharing with wife and BIL at parents-in-law's place for Mother's Day.

Skinny can served in a little glass.

Pours dark purple-red. Small head, lots of carbonation. Smell is moderate wood, a little cherry skin.

Taste is tart, cherry, tannic. Some fruit skin bitterness.

Mouthfeel is light. Overall, pretty good.

 

Untitled #5 (2020) from Trap Door. Sour with raspberry and vanilla.

Pink-amber, effervescent, fairly carbonated. Smell is mild berry tartness and vanilla sweetness.

Taste is pretty tart, lots of raspberry jamminess, vanilla is present but well balanced. Moderate to light woodiness.

Mouthfeel is dry and smooth. Very nice.

 

Trying another Canadian Beer. The "Olli". Not sure what an Unfiltered Lager is, this one is clear to brilliant. Sweet corn, some rice, and lightly toasted malts for the primary flavors. The secondary flavors are hints of herbal and floral This is close to BMC beers, but way better. Does have a little bit of corn DMS, but not enough to distract you from enjoying it. Refreshing lager, and would drink again. 4.03 @Coronaeus

 

I’m glad you enjoyed it. They use an heirloom variety barley from Alberta in this. Muddy York does a lot of this kind of thing. They have done some historical recreation beers as well which you will have a chance to try once the next box gets to you!