New Beer Weekend #98

Next up is another from @Roy_Hobbs , Fox Farm Avalonia - Apricot. yet another really nice brew from these folks: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45832/423042/

 

Originally, I was going to try a sour from J. Wakefield for my next beer, but...



Yikes. And that was the tiniest pour ever, at a very conservative angle. Maybe I'll come back to it... time to call an audible cuz I did put that other one in the fridge and it seems cold enough to go with it instead. Maybe I can revisit the aforementioned JW beer in a bit and draft a review before I get to my pre-workweek routine of sadness and depression (kidding, my life is fine).

Anyway, uh... this is Finback's A Matter of Perspective, a 6.1% ABV IPA dry-hopped with Citra and Vista...? No idea what that is, but you know I'm gonna look into it before we jump into the review proper! By the way, this was canned on 5/23/22 (~2 weeks old)



Pour is a pale and rather sickly-looking straw-colored beer topped with a modest, fairly-unimpressive head of soft foam measuring about a quarter-finger. Retention is fine, but since the buildup wasn't impressive in and of itself, it's kind of a moot point. Lacing is alright; drippy patterns that slowly form as I sip. Not the best Finback IPA I've poured...

Nose is mostly Citra-like with hints of pomelo, mango, and lemon zest. However, I'm picking up a lot of... marshmallow? Let's look into what Vista is. Usually, I'd say "let's look into what Vista hops are," but I was recently burned by thinking that something listed among dry-hop varietals was actually a hop (that would be Phantasm, which is a proprietary thiol-derived compound I won't cover here), so I don't want to assume.

*Google searches "Vista hops"*

Oh good it's just a hop varietal, I can treat it normally and not be a weirdo about it. Anyway, Vista is a USDA-bred hop (same program that brought us Cascade and Centennial back in the day, and Cashmere more recently, FYI) and I can't find too much about it other than that it's only been commercially-available for 6-7 months and that it might present with elevated green tea, herbal, tangerine, pear, and stone fruit notes. That sounds decent. Not sure why I am perceiving a lot of sweetness here, and I don't really get any stone fruit or green tea, but I do get a weird amount of what I can totally understand to be pear. Which I don't like. Meh. So much research and consideration just to be "eh" about a beer. Maybe it tastes good?

It's... fine. I think they did what they set out to do, which is highlight a new hop and make it play well with an incredibly well-known (and versatile, I will give Citra that) hop. The flavor is very much focused on grassy, herbal, lightly-fruity undertones with hints of orange and some light grapefruit. It's super-dry and very lithe of body. I do get some of the pear-like notes, and I can't say pears are my favorite thing ever, as I mentioned above. Maybe someone else would enjoy this more than I am right now, but something about it is just too plain. Meh.

*looks in kitchen at JW sour beer*

Maybe I can pour a bit more now... and eventually write something about it? We'll find out!

 

Back on a beautiful beautiful Sunday high of 80, zero humidity and a nice breeze. Could sit out in the shade all day. Cooking burgers for dinner, seemed like a good combo with this beer…my first eisbock if memory serves me correct. Courtesy of @FBarber sent in the current BIF

Pollyanna - Jötunheimr



Pours a nice dark leathery brown, overall clear; deep brown head that dissipates to see through thin layer, no lacing.

Nose is a beautiful combination of Christmasy spices, toasted bread crust, a little bit of coffee/chocolate combo and some minor dark sugary sweetness.

The taste is an amazing combination of rich, perfectly sweetened and spiced bread. My first thought when I sip it was rich caramelized sugars. That was followed up by what to me, tasted exactly like Christmas time. Just like a rich bready treat with gingerbread like spice followed up by sugary crust. To bring it all home the coffee/chocolate like notes come out again in taste as it warms up. A seriously enjoyable combination of flavors...

The body is big but it goes down very easy. It has a slight rich and warming sensation that reminds you not to drink it too fast, a good warning to have, otherwise I'd be in trouble. There is a minor sweetness on the finish and an almost tannin like bitter note on the finish.

This is my intro to eisbock and what a pleasant one it was, thank you for sharing Frank. A seriously enjoyable drinking experience. I may be back later with a sipper if I can employ help from mrs phish. I may just milk this one the rest of the night and keep it in the fridge, we shall see.

 

Congrats on having the family moving to your (new) side of the country.

 

After writing my review I read yours @FBarber I'm always curious to see how reviews compared...in this case we noted a lot of the same exact things which I found interesting.

We definitely picked up on a lot of the same things, the one that catches me most is the oaky finish you note, which I almost used the exact words but went "tannin like". I also underlined others, I'd say we experienced the same beer for sure.

 

Whelp, looked outside, and it's November-type raining out there. So, why not a November-type beer? Shockingly, it's from Fox Farm, via @Roy_Hobbs and NBS BIF #15, and is a blend of Barleywine and and Stout, aged in Rye whiskey barrels; Mantel. It's really fucking good: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45832/565577/

 

My (likely) only new beer today came a few years ago courtesy of @FlintB, who I don't even think is active on BA anymore. I participated in a "Rookies" BIF which led me to this amazing group of beer nerds.

Gaia Hypothesis - Sour wheat ale with 2nd use cherries, pink peppercorns & thyme, from Speciation Artisan Ales

Pours a semi-translucent ruby red. Minimal fizzy, short-lived head. My first whiff made me cough....not sure what that means, but maybe not the best sign. Close inspection reveals funky cherry and a mixture of other notes that aren't quite working. I think this beer has about 3 years on it...hoping it hasn't spoiled.

Thankfully the beer has held up. I think what I was getting on the nose was just loads of cherry, because that's certainly what I'm getting on the tongue. Funk, cherry and some other flavors that might be the peppercorns & thyme used, but I'm not sophisticated enough to know for sure. Fairly light bodied with medium carb.

Overall, solid brew. Probably better fresh, but I'm still enjoying it plenty.

 

Beer number two of the day comes courtesy of @jonphisher from his surprise box as part of the NBW BIF 15 insanity!



Pours a hazy straw gold with a moderate head that dissipates slowly to leave a thin film around the top edge of the beer.

Light cereal and grassy hop aromas. Gentle aromas. There might be a hint of lemon peel in there as well.

Taste follows but more strongly. Light bready start with some grassy/floral notes that lead to a lingering finish. A nice long finish on this beer.

The body is medium with a good degree of welcome carbonation.

This is a very nice Pilsner. Another easy to choose daily drinker type of lager that I’d gladly drink again.

Cheers and thanks Jon!!

 

Yay, it's finally calmed down. This is Krone Küchen from J Wakefield Brewing. A "German cake-inspired sour" featuring raspberry, black currants, hazelnuts, lactose, and vanilla. It clocks in at 6% and was canned on 1/31/22 (maybe this has something to do with how it was pouring? Hmm).



As I previously mentioned, this thing was out of control when it first showed up in my glass... to the extent that I had to leave it in "beer time-out" for an hour or so and pour small amounts of it at regular intervals to get it to inhabit the glass correctly. Pretty sure it re-fermented at least a bit. Anyway... very saturated red/maroon color with an endlessly-present head of off-pink foamy suds. Surprisingly good lace when all's said and done. Took some time to get here, but okay. Maybe the journey will be worth it!

First few sniffs are lactic/yogurt-forward as hell but I can pick up some creamy raspberry and blackberry elements crossing with hefty marshmallow-like sweetness. One thing, however, that I typically find is lacking with these "pastry"/dessert-inspired beers is a sense of malt balance. I want to smell/taste the crust, dang it! This is giving me none of that essential graininess, and I fear for how it all translates to the palate. Regardless, the fruitiness is definitely on-point and if you care more about that than anything else with stuff like this, I'm sure you'll find something to enjoy here... provided you can wait like an hour after you pour it to slowly get it decanted without having it erupt from your glass, of course.

Flavors of jammy berries and sweet vanilla abound while hints of tart cherry and cranberry peek out around the corners of each sip. I would really prefer that this had some malt to it, but I think that's too much to ask considering it essentially gushed as soon as I poured a half ounce into my glass. That said, the sweetness from the lactose/vanilla addition plus the hazelnuts does at least give me something. It's not quite a substitute, but the general profile of this is quite enjoyable. This is fun stuff. I don't buy a lot of fruited sours anymore, cuz, well... they kinda just taste like this. But, I'm not upset I gave it a shot.

 

Bell's Uberon BA Imperial Wheat beer, 11.3% ABV; 4.02 overall

Pours an effervescent gold with 2 fingers of beige head. Minimal head retention & lacing

S: A touch of dark fruit & boozeyness, plus honey notes

T: A kiss of Bourbon, dark dry fruit, woody hopes & dryness up front, plus leafy hops. A little sourwood wood honey, boozey warmth & dryness, plus leafy hops once warm. Finishes dry with sourwood honey, a little Bourbon & some leafy hops

MF: Medium/chewy body, toned down carbonation, warming

I remember cracking on of these a few months back & found it too rough. I believe this has now mellowed into a very nice beer

 

Back home after returning from the lake …..



….. I have a couple of beers to share today that are both TOTALLY related to NBS BIF #15 (beer and glassware). The first is from @BBThunderbolt and features a very good beer and maybe the coolest glass in my collection.

And I have a LOT of glassware. IJS.

Let’s do this.





This beer pours a beautiful copper color that is nearly clear and sports a creamy, substantial light tan head that lingers and provides significant lacing. Gorgeous beer. The nose is malt-forward, specifically caramel, and there’s a nice citrus note and a bit of pine.

There’s a nice balance between the caramalt and citrus flavors and the pine provides some welcome bitterness to a WCIPA that has a medium mouthfeel and is nicely drying, making this a really nice “fridge IPA” that I’d drink on the regular if I had access to it.

And the glass I received with this beer is world class - squared.

 

I mentioned this somewhere (prolly the NBS BIF thread) that that label was created by my bosslady/co-worker/buddy Savannah. She's the lighting director at the theatre I work at, and I see her around town at the various breweries often. She was recently awarded a residency to solely work on her art. Shes awesome, and, shockingly, has an Etsy where she sells her art (for not enough money IMHO, but..): https://www.etsy.com/shop/savannahp...785Xm-ANHm2DB94tinqf0E2epGtk-ngGQcKCsWLC35cos

 

Absolutely gorgeous weekend in PA, and I was fortunate to spend almost all of it outdoors: two-day hike on the Appalachian Trail, the rest of it working like a dog in the yard. But hey, I was outside!
Kicking back with a Fat Orange Cat "All the Kool Kats on the Back of the Bus" Imperial NEIPA. Although it's a relatively manageable 8.4%, I have a feeling that I'll be spending the rest of the weekend right here on the couch.
Can dated 1/27/22 (going on 4 months old...) into pint glass. Pours a very hazy honey-gold color with a nice off-white head. Good lacing. Initial impression is juicy orange, pineapple, and caramel. Mouthfeel is thick, soft, and sticky. Finish fades to sweet, but not cloying. Overall, another very enjoyable DIPA from FOC. Wish I'd bought more than a single.

 

Beer #2 (and glass #2) is from @jonphisher. I actually yelped when I pulled the beer from the box because the Double Double Cask from Cane (a traveshamockery of a barleywine) was part of the EBF box and BY FAR my favorite.

Yes, I yelp when I see a beer that excites me. I also dance a little, and pump my fist. So goes the life of a beer nerd.

PS: any glass that can hold a 500ML beer with ease AND look cool is officially into my heavy rotation. IJS.

PPS: for the waxers crowd (see the big board), I got this waxed cap off in approximately 20 seconds with a good serrated knife and a better bottle opener. Bring on the wax, baby!!!





4.58/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
by ovaltine from Indiana

Pours a dark cola brown from the 500ML bottle and settles black in a proper glass with a dark tan head. Absolutely gorgeous beer. The nose is boozy and milk chocolatey and roasty and stone fruity and decadent and rich. Wow.

The rich milk chocolate flavor is immediately up front on the taste, and quickly engaged by the roast and stone fruit - aggressively so. It is the stone fruit that makes this beer for me, as it flows into the warming alcohol at the very back of the palate and doesn’t permit the sweetness to become cloying. Double wow.

The mouthfeel is rich and creamy, substantial enough to match the gravitas of this beer. It is a truly magnificent flavor journey and a truly magnificent beer.

 

Pouring that beer into a lager mug is such an "I'll do whatever the F I want" move...I think this may be the first time I have ever seen one do such a thing and it is a very pleasings site. Cheers and glad that one was enjoyable, I bought one for myself too but I've been busy drinking other barrel aged beers some crazy guy from the midwest sent me...

I will definitely compare notes when I do get around to opening it, and it will be new to me so I'll be posting it here when I do.

Oh and on the topic of wax, I never have issues luckily. Never use a knife either; my brother gifted me a super heavy duty bottle opener years back. I just scrape around a couple of times and then pop it right off and crack all the wax.

 

Barrel-Aged Barleywine from Buoy.

500ml bottle, no date that I can see, aside from 2022 vintage. I think I bought it at Beer Star.

Pours a muddy dark brown with a small head and, surprisingly, ton of active carbonation. Smell is booze, toffee and caramel, vanilla, smells very appetizing.

Taste is pretty standard BBA barleywine, though a bit heavier than most on a woody bitterness, which I think works pretty well, helps keep it from seeming to syrupy sweet. Toffee, dates, caramel, vanilla.

Mouthfeel is fairly thin and surprisingly dry, odd for the style. Overall, it's good and enjoyable.

 

Sierra Nevada Cold Torpedo - I have wanted to try this but only enough for a single and not enough to buy the mixed pack that it's in with beers that I have had dozens of times and truth be told, are enjoyable and classics but still aren't really my favorites. But lo and behold I came across one single (as in it was the last of its type on the shelves) and scooped it right up.

First and foremost this uses Lager yeast, SN even confirms that on their site, so I'm torn on the usage of IPA here because of the whole oh you know, "Ale" thing in "IPA". But at the same time IPA tells me that hops are going to be dominant so at least there's that, and they fermented it at a warmer temperature than usual for a Lager. And since "IPA" is now a requirement for beer in general it seems, how long will it be before all beer is called IPA? Or maybe shift to something like Lager IPA?

Pours a nice yellow, slightly hazy, nice head, very carbonated. Smell is fruity and malty and just a touch hoppy.

Taste is fantastic for my palate and fruity, crisp, hoppy but yet not too much and ends just about perfectly balanced. Crisp and refreshing this most certainly is. I think I prefer this over regular Torpedo but that doesn't say much, as while I enjoy Torpedo and respect it's staying power, it's just not my favorite.

Good stuff. If this became a regular or seasonal beer it would be a purchase from me. But if that were to happen maybe drop the whole IPA thing. Budmo!

https://sierranevada.com/blog/what-is-a-cold-ipa/

 

Lemon Hefeweizen
5.1% Hefeweizen by Great Lakes Brewing Company

Twelve ounce can with a best buy stamp of 8-21-22. The body poured a hazy bright yellow with a small initial head that quickly dissipated away. Mouth feel was average, as was carbination.

The first name of the beer is Lemon, and there’s truth in advertising here. Lemon dominates the nose and taste.

The taste is nearly all lemon with only hints of wheat, but you’ll need to search for it behind that tartness of the lemon.

Despite the lemon barrage, it’s an easy drinker. I can envision this beer being very nice on a hot summer day as a thirst quencher.

If you dn’t ike lemons, steer clear of this one. Frankly, only big fans of lemon should try it. I’m in that category and only find it okay. A bit too one note. The adventurous amongst us might consider adding a stronger beverage to this one. I can definitely see gin or vodka going well with this beer to pump up the ABV.

 

Back for round 2, now that I'm home from work today.

And, I picked this up as part of a 12 pack at work today, because I hadn't had 3 of the 4, and it was on sale.

420 Imperial IPA - Sweetwater Brewing - 9.1% ABV - 60 IBU

The aroma of this beer is lacking. That being said, the flavor is not. I am surprised how malt forward it was. The hops kick in on the back, and kick in hard - and delicious. Quite happy with it, and happy I've got 2 left.


Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/273/562041/

3.76/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by Victory_Sabre1973 from Minnesota

This beer pours a clear amber color. The head is off white and 2 finger. The head retention is decent, and there's just a bit of lacing on the glass.
The aroma is quite faint. Just a very slight hint of hops, but no where near what I expected from an imperial IPA.
Taste - surprisingly very malt forward. This malt forward turned into hops on the back end. The hops started out toward tropical - mango, guava. The hops then finished up pine and bitter.
Decent body for an imperial IPA. Slightly sticky and the bitterness feeling from the hops lingers in my throat.
While the aroma was lacking, the flavor is there. Delicious!


I do have 2 more from the 12 pack, and I'm sure I'll do at least 1 more tonight. Cheers all.