New Beer Weekend #97

Boulevard Space Camper Alpha Vapor IPA, 5.9% ABV; 3.84 overall

Pours a slightly hazed straw with 2 fingers of pearl colored head. Some head retention & lacing

S: Green melon, bready notes, guava once warm

T: Follows the nose, pretty dry, hints of strawberry & tangerine. Green melon & some pineapple, plus dryness once warm. Finishes with citrus & a little tropical fruit, plus dryness & grassy notes

MF: Medium body, pretty firm carbonation; good balance

Easy to drink, kind of middle of the pack for the style

 

Good evening NBW
Last new beer of the weekend for me. I picked up the Warpigs mixed 12 pack this week since I'd had, and enjoyed, two of the beers previously. This is one of the new ones

High Celebrant
12oz can stamped 04/13/22 (47 days ago) poured into a becher glass at just above fridge temp, no ABV listed on label. The beer pours bright dark amber with mahogany highlights and khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring scattered islands leaving a few spots of lace. The aroma is mild with sweet, nutty malt. The taste is semisweet, nutty, toasted malt with good depth and an earthy, lightly bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with just less that average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Cleanly lagered and never goes full sweet or cloying. Overall, very good.

Cheers all!

 

Pipeworks S'More Money S'More Problems Imp Stout, 11. 2% ABV; 3.84 overall


Pours a very effervescent mahogany with a sliver of fast falling tan head. Zero head retention or lacing

S: Marshmallow & a little smoke

T: Follows the nose, very dry, some cola notes & booze bite, plus cinnamon up front. Marshmallow, cinnamon, smokeyness, & a little cocoa as this beer warms.
Finishes warming with marshmallow & cinnamon, a kiss of smokeyness, char & dryness

MF: Fairly thick, subtle carbonation

Not a bad take on the pastry style, nothing tastes over the top or forced here, but the heft is felt

 

First new beer of the day is pretty late, but still probably not the last: The Summoning from The Best of Hands.

16oz can served in a footed pilsner glass. Dated 12/14/21. Bought it at the brewery about a month ago.

Pours black with a very slow-forming head that barely builds up past a skin, and slowly settles back down to a thick skin. Smell is tons of dark roast and anise, maybe a hint of molasses.

Taste is very dark chocolate, very dark roast, moderate anise, not-quite-burnt toast, light creamy sweetness.

Mouthfeel is thick but not sticky or chewy. This is a very good straight up imperial stout.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned on 4/25/22. Pours a very attractive near pitch black with a 2 plus finger sticky mocha head that leaves thick streaks of lace with amazing retention. 4.75

Aroma peanut butter, chocolate, and vanilla. 4.25

Taste follows peanut butter, chocolate, and vanilla one dimensional but very tasty. 4.5

Mouthfeel is big, soft gentle carbonation, maybe a little dry, and at 9.5% it drinks a tad bigger. 4.5

Overall this is exactly what you expect and want. A pretty impressive one dimensional stout. 4.5

 

I usually pull trigger on anything they release unless it is just a style I'm not into

 

Just FYI - that beer is a Heller Bock - a pale Bock. The breweries involved made the common American mistake of misspelling the beer style as Helles Bock. It's not a "Helles" style beer and Bocks can be pale. Heller Bocks often have that pale honey color exactly like the beer in your pic.

 

It was on the cusp of greatness, but so many Pastry Imp Stouts out now

 

The BA ones especially

 

The regular is good, but they have some great BA takes. Like everyone else I am spoiled

 

Dovetail - Kolsch.

16oz can served in a footed pilsner glass. A date was printed on the bottom of the can, but it's smeared around the ridge and completely unreadable. Received from @ovaltine in NBS BIF #14 shenanigans leaking into NBS BIF #15.

Pours clear light yellow with a smallish head. Lots of carbonation. Smell is lightly grainy, lightly honeysuckle, and lightly grassy.

Taste is bright citrus and grass, clearer grain, some honeysuckle or jasmine sweetness.

Mouthfeel is light, clean, and slightly fluffy. Overall, this is really nice.

 

Finally got my sour!
Hidden in the door of the beer fridge (who keeps beer in the door?) I pulled this out and realized it had been there for about 6 months. I really need to look in my beer fridge more often.
Anyway- the pour was red with brown tinting and a pinkish head tried to form and gave up.
The aroma was tart and cranberry and lemon (lemon? They didn’t put that in!) I got none of the currants or spruce tips.
The taste rather follows, apparently the spruce is fleeting, drink it fresh or miss it, But the cranberry sour made for a very tasty and refreshing beer.
I’m not sure why sours are brewed in winter, for me they are a summer beer. Thirst quenching goodness. Better than gator aid.
Cheers all!

 

Last new beer of the long holiday weekend: Hellbent's bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout. This one was a birthday gift from my friend.

22oz bottle served in a sort of tulip-y wineglass. Don't see a date on it. Bottle has 9.8% hand-written with a marker on the blank next to abv.

Pours black, brown along the edges, with very little head -- just a thin ring and a tiny island. Smell is rich chocolate and vanilla. Slight dusty smell.

Taste is super chocolatey, slight anise / roastiness. Vanilla sweetness.

Mouthfeel is thick, rich, and nice. Overall, very nice beer.

 

Hello Again Late Night NBW (the rare Monday edition)
I wish I had another one of these to send as a Mystery Beer.
Funky Foeder Cherry Beer by Russian River

Thanks Neli!
An ever so understated pink tinge to the golden, amber liquid. Fluffy head rises and falls slowly, leaving a thin film. Slight retention, and a delicate curtain of lacing.
Nose is bright yet earthy and funky. The cherry definitely starts off with a tart note. But a nice, wet woodiness comes forward followed by a smooth vinegar note.
Wood and tart cherry, dry white chardonnay tones carry forth the wood again, and the acidity is dialed back more than i anticipated from the nose. Mildly puckering on the finish.
Mouthfeel is light, delicately carbonated, and drying on the finish.
Overall, a really nice one for a long sipping session.
4.04/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4