New Beer Weekend #96

Wife and I have been trying to do a weekend beercation to the Burlington area all spring, unfortunately I don't think it's going to happen before her Sunday farmer's market begins next month.
Zero Gravity was right up there on our to do list. My son came home (late) from a party with this last night. (New Beer Weekend is saved for the busy Woodchipper).
The can art looks simple but it is subtle. The beer clocks in at 6.0 ABV and the dial hints to tune to 60 kilocycles. Can't quite figure how the brewery deserves 30 on the dial.

4.12/5 rDev +11.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
by woodchipper from Connecticut

Poured from a 16oz can ambiguously stamped “2B CANNED ON 04/29/22” to a Nonic at fridge temp. (Well, was it canned then or not? Do they pre-stamp their cans?).
There is a bright white 1/2-inch head. The body is a medium gold and opaque hazy.
The aroma is of canned peaches but there is a malty, musty background (canning syrup?).
The taste is quite peach from front to back. Alcohol is barely noticeable. This beer is not sweet like canned peaches, it finishes medium bitter.
The mouthfeel is fairly light for an NEIPA..
I enjoyed this. It's almost a crusher..

 

The weather here has been something other than warm. Snowing in the mountain and freezing windy rains in the valley.
Putting Eddy Money on to get into the vibe of this beer.
Barncat: Two Tickets to Paradise DIPA
Thank you @Coronaeus
A solid NEIPA, the nose is stronger than the taste. I thought the hops kinda fell flat on the taste. Other than that great flavors. 3.96

 

Have you had other beers from Giesenbräu?

 

Last new beer for the night is Equilibrium's solo TIPA, single-hopped with Strata. It's called Straight Outta the Laboratory and it was canned on 4/18/22 just like the previously-reviewed collab with Dancing Gnome. Must've been a busy day over there at EQ.



Pours a bit less intensely-hazy than expected, but it's still quite saturated. I guess the proper way to describe it would be that it's "less murky" than you'd think for them. Regardless, it looks pretty good. The head is thin overall but it retains well, has great legs, and leaves behind some solid lace patterns here and there. Definitely have seen worse!

Nose is a good bit more biased towards the tropical side of things than some of EQ's other strong IPAs have been, and I much prefer that way of doing things so this works for me! I pick up ripe papaya, passion fruit, and some slight deviations in grassy citrus-type aspects that pop out at times. I don't catch quite as much dankness as I tend to with Strata, and I have probably had more than a few Strata-only IPAs in my time, so it could have something to do with the brewing process or the higher-than-average ABV of this one, but I will say I do sorta miss that element of this hop being present, as it seems to sort of become less specifically-reminiscent of Strata due to that element lacking. Oh well.

Flavor profile is a bit better... I get more of the dank element here, weirdly enough, as it mingles with the slight graininess in the mid-palate to some extent and feels more "Strata-ish." I think this hop needs just a slight bit of help getting to its highest potential, and most of the time that has seemed to be a job for Citra, at least in my experience given how many breweries have paired the two varietals with at least some decent amount of success. As it stands, I get some passion fruit, mango flesh, and soft papaya on the tongue with very little bitterness and almost no citrus-type leanings. This beer feels like it's kind of on the edge of greatness to me, but it also seems to be missing a certain je ne sais quoi which I am naturally having some trouble placing. It's perfectly drinkable (especially for its ABV, which is a solid 10%) but it isn't superbly inspiring or impressive in its profile. It seems kind of oddly "restrained," and I think it could be more impactful if the Strata were bolstered by another hop. For some reason I'm thinking Simcoe or something even weirder like Topaz or Enigma would kill here. Triple IPAs should be nuts, in my opinion, and single-hopping feels strangely antithetical to their entire purpose. I want maximalism when it comes to TIPAs, in other words, and this seems so... safe?

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned recent for sure. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow with a solid finger sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace with excellent retention.

Aroma is orange starburst, guava, peach, and apricot. 4.5

Taste follows orange starburst, peach, guava, and apricot really tasty. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, soft gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 8.2% big flavor but easy sliding down. 4.75

Overall I like this one, the orange starburst thing is all I could come up with. Really worth a shot. 4.5

 

Yeah. MN alcohol laws are a bit backward. But some are finding creative ways around them.

 

Sky Blue Kolsch from Carolina Brewery, more NBS BIF #15 goods from @superspak.

12oz can served in a footed pilsner glass. I think there was a packaged on date printed on the bottom, but it's not legible.

Pours crystal clear golden with a short-lived finger of head, leaving a thick even skin, and a moderate amount of active carbonation. Smell is honeysuckle sweetness and grain. Little bit of mild grassiness.

Taste is actually kind of AAL-y, but without the funky tang I get with many of them. Honeysuckle sweetness is still there, grassiness comes across as more bitter now.

Mouthfeel is very light and clean. Overall, this is pretty good.

I was reviewing this beer and wondering why it seemed to get such low scores. I looked through some of the reviews and I discovered that at least Ian and I agree that this is pretty nice!

 

Graf Vienna

4.8% lager from Noble Beast

This lager pours a murky dark amber. A little head after pour, but scant lacing throughout.

Nose is mostly toasty malt with perhaps a waft of caramel. No sweetness in the aroma, but a bit of popped corn in the nose.

Taste follows nose at the malt bill is front and center without bringing sweetness. A bit of hoppiness on the back end, but nothing extreme. The hop brings a crispness to the finish. Minor caramel taste again without a sweet flavor. Reminds me a bit of toasted bread. Nice.

Mouthfeel is solid and this lager is a nice crisp clean finishing Vienna.

 

Day 2, a couple from my local, this first one is a collab with another local (Bare Hands and Evil Czech - they’re probably 15 minutes apart) in a style you don’t often see (at least I don’t).

Ladies and gentlemen, the imperial saison.



3.81/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
by ovaltine from Indiana

Pours a beautiful orange color with the haze I associate with a saison and a sudsy off white head that actually provides some lacing, which surprised me a bit coming from this imperial saison.

The nose has a bit of citrus, a lot of estery notes, and a significant booze component. This may be listed as an imperial saison, but it reminds me more of a tripel.

The taste features a bit of tangerine, especially as the beer warms, but I get more of the estery flavor and a significant warming from the alcohol. I just wish there was ….. more from this, because while it’s fairly tasty, it’s a bit one note.

The mouthfeel is very full and drying. This was a fun beer to drink, and an adventurous take on a style you don’t see often from my local.

 

Hey NBWers


From the Trillium Daily Serving series Berliner Weisse called Tropical Punch

Poured from a can dated 3/25/22 3.8 abv
Pours cloudy thick apricot color no head or cap to speak of. Very vivid color.
aroma is a bit thin, Guava ,mango and kind of a over ripe (by a lot) pineapple.
Taste is defiantly tropical, follows nose but has a lemon lime note for some tartness
Mouthfeel is a bit chewy medium bodied and easy drinking. Finishes a bit prickly and tart
Overall it's a nice version of the Daily Serving series. Great warm weather beer nice balance of tart and sweet stickiness

4.24/ 4/ 4/ 4.25 4/ 4.04/ rDev -8%

Trillium does these beers really well.

 

Uh oh... I have a couple of 2019's in my cellar!

 

Ya, I also a had a full pour of Doppel the Hutt (DoppelBock) this stop too. It was ok, kinda boring.
I was there once for the release of "doppel the hutt". that was maybe 3 or 4 years ago. The new born twins came in for there first taproom visit while I was there. Major excitement amongst the regulars. The beer is name after the twins. And that batch was very good, lots a stonewashed dark fruit. A few other beers I have had have been so-so.

 

Greetings all from the great northwest where we are back to spring-like weather.

Today we have a winter seasonal, Powder Day from Sierra Nevada. They might still be skiing up there.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/140/582606/

A good IPA, balanced flavor with mild sweet bitterness.

Until next time,

 

#2, also from my local, Bare Hands does big stouts really well, IMHO. This is no exception.





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 dark cola brown from the can, but settles in the glass as black in the glass with mahogany brown on the edges and a dense, creamy tan head that sticks around for the duration of this beer.

The nose has rich milk chocolate notes, a nice amount of char, and a healthy dollop of hops (citrus AND pine) for good measure. This is a style Bare Hands does really well, and the nose suggests that is the case again.

Rich milk chocolate flavors greet you on the taste, with a bit of char and a surfeit of hop flavors that are warming and welcome at the same time, because there’s no evidence of the 10.5% ABV anywhere during the journey with this imperial stout.

The mouthfeel is full and creamy, spot on for the style. I am a fan of the brewery, and this beer illustrates why this is so.

 

Rainhard Armed ‘n Secret Dry Hopped Pale Ale.



Pours a bright unfiltered gold. Moderate head with good staying power. Lovely lacing from first to last sip.

The aroma is candied tropical fruit. Papaya in particular. Nice.

The tongue follows, but the sweetness suggested by the aroma is not present. Lots of tropical fruit notes. Ever so slight bitter finish.

Body is light to medium.

This is a nice showcase for the Vic Secret hop from which I always seem to get papaya distinctly. Good beer.