New Beer Weekend #99

Sorry all, internet issues. Here’s the actual post.
Happy NBS! Didn’t post yesterday as I went to a local beer fest (Bridge Bash 22) hosted by Citi Built Brewery. Featured 10 other breweries like Transient, Arvon, Cross and Beam, Batch, Speciation, and a few others.
Tickets allowed for a couple pints or a bunch of “5” oz pours. Tried the variety method first but the pours were 3 oz at best and pointless for getting a decent impression.
Tried the Nordic Table beer from one place (apologies for not taking notes) and it was about what one would expect- mild, no hop presence, mild bread like malts and a very faint spice I couldn’t define.
The next one was a Saison from Barrel and Beam- with spelt. That had flavor and zing but no funky or malty impression, just undefined zing.
Gave up on the samples and dove into a Czech Pilsner from Transient (Again, apologies for not remembering or taking notes) and this was a pretty good representation of the style but not one of my top 5. The last one was a WCIPA from Citi Built, Werewolves of Michigan, and it was really pretty good.
Or maybe I was just happy to have a beer with very noticeable flavors.

One of the reasons we didn’t take notes is we were looking for stouts. Not a one. No porter or even Brown Ales. Not even a Cascadian. Lots of mead and sours though.

So we went up the street to the brewery and ordered dinner (good gumbo!) and the only stouts on the menu- 3 Hour and Aztec Death Wish.
Both were black with very short tan heads and no lacing. Neither had hops in any amount. The 3 Hour was deep and warming and breaded coffee dipped in chocolate. Very good. The ADW had adjunct in it but though I didn’t expect to like it (cinnamon is easy to overdo) I really liked it, the extra flavors just melded so effectively (BTW, what is Mexican Hot Chocolate in reference to beer?)
Any ways, after those were down, we headed home so I could crash.

I’ll be back with today’s offering!

 

Wise Man - Winter Wave, from @superspak in NBS BIF #15, a spiced winter ale with cinnamon, ginger, and allspice.

16oz can served in a footed pilsner glass. Canned on date starts with 11/1...but the rest is illegible. Received in NBS BIF #15 from @superspak. Currently the listing calls this a Belgian Dark at 4.9%, but the label says it's a spiced winter ale at 6.5%.

Pours a light cola color with pretty large head, creamy, settles into a thick layer. Smell is spices -- allspice and a little ginger more than cinnamon. Little bit of a yeasty/bready (gingerbread dough!) aroma.

Taste is again lots of spice, bitterness coming from somewhere, maybe it has a hint of a cola flavor, but I think I get more of a toffee nuttiness. Something odd about this that I can't place and that I don't like a lot. Kind of a burnt flavor, almost a burnt plastic. It's faint.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly light, smooth. Overall, it's not bad, but it would be much better if I wasn't getting that weird burnt note.

 

CBC Czech Dark Lager
Venn Brewing, Minneapolis
4.8% ABV stated on 750ml crowler, website states 5.0%, canned on 5/17/2022, Limited Release.
Recipe written by Bent Paddle for CBC 2022
Nice looking almost black body, nice head.
Smell: strong roast
WOW on the first sip you get hit by a sharp roast, but after your taste buds recover you get some black licorice and maybe anise. Then you get some semi dry chocolate. There might be some caramel or dark fruit in the background. Rather smooth. It has both sweet and bitter elements.
Nice malty mouth feel, not thin. has some carbonation in it.
It's a little different, I like it, hard to put numbers on it but I would put it in 4.0 to 4.12/5 range.
I would not call this mellow.
https://untappd.com/b/venn-brewing-company-cbc-czech-dark-lager/4794696

 

@jonphisher
You people and your sexy smoked doppelbocks

 

Flying Fish is an OG New Jersey craft brewery and it is very local to me. I used to frequent it early in my early beer days. Like many of the older breweries they seem to be in an odd spot and have trouble being relevant. They seem to have rebranded and added some new flagships this a blonde, based on taste but no where does it say it. Just says "crisp ale" I figured I owed it to them to try so I grabbed a single.

Flying Fish - Crisp Ale



Pours a relatively clear honey like color, quick fading head into thing layer of white bubbles with no lacing.

Nose is fruity and sweet, like the sweet side of orange mixed with some sweet grapes or white pear.

The taste mirrors the nose little bit of fruity sweetness, and an almost honey like wafer taste to it. The same generic grape like fruitiness is present in the taste as well.

Nice light body beer that is quite easy to drink and very refreshing. The sweetness is just a tad too much IMO but it isn't anything offensive either. Clean finish, moderately dry which leads you to want the next sip.

This isn't my favorite style of beer but I enjoyed drinking this one. It is refreshing but to me its sweetness gets in the way of being even more refreshing. I probably will not purchase again but I could see the masses enjoying this. It is a simple beer with enough nuance to make it interesting.

Back with my regular Sunday Night Sipper later tonight...cheers everyone.

 

Hey what's going on!?

I am drinking a new beer, diving into many of the new ones from the nearby local brewery in my area. Nice to be back and the new beers are great as well.

So what's new ?

Interislander - Astro Lab - New Zealand Pale Ale



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

Pale orange bodied with a bit of lemon like color and opaque. Real nice forming large fistfull head, bright white with IPA like retention and clumpy light chunks of lace while settling. Bold and big pale ale for sure.

Very interesting nose. Real dank spicy quality, that hits with like a smoke note, and then some mixing tropical to citrus fruit. Good touches of grass like earth and big pungency that hits some real exotic character.

Palate give a simple but satisfying rush. Juiced up flavors of orange and mango, but with a much more earthy and spicy note. Dank mid palate that is contrasted by a real creamy sweet malt bill that adds a real nice touch. Sweet cream mixing with dank and earth smoke, almost a whipping cream like flavor and texture on the finish, with grass and herbs, and a sharp woody punch.

Very nice pale ale.

4.25 Across the board Cheers!

 

My final beer for the weekend is another one from Forest & Main, Wall of Time, which is "Inspired by Kolsch".

3.78/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Pours a slightly hazy light golden color with plenty of dense, white head that showed excellent retention and lacing. Aroma is various grains with some lemon notes mixed in. Taste follows. Cracker, light lemon with not a lot of hops showing up. Well carbonated, very clean drinking, and very easy going down. Good beer.

-----------------
@FBarber I still haven't tried that one, despite sending it out to several of you. I love smoked beers, and will have to try one soon (I know I have one or two cans of it sitting around).

 

Goose Island Devil Baby Imperial IPA, 8.5% ABV; 3.58 overall

Pours an effervescent & bright gold/honey color with a thumb of pearl colored head. Average head retention a little better lacing

S: Pineapple & citrus, a little pine as this warms

T: Follows the nose, pretty dry as well, some grassy notes. Dryness, a little honey crisp apple, & pineapple as this warms, plus leafy hops & a touch of caramel. Finishes with leafy op notes, pineapple, sweet apples & some catty notes

MF: Medium bodied/chewy with restrained carbonation, skews a little too sweet

Not one I would buy again

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass canned on 5/31/22. Pours a very hazy orange with a half finger sticky white head that leaves webs of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma is stone fruit, guava, peach, mandarin, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows stone fruit, guava, peach, mandarin, and apricot huge flavor but goes down easy enough. 4.25

Mouthfeel is big, soft gentle creamy carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 8.8% it might drink even bigger. 4.75

Overall really excellent, but I expected to love it even more. Still highly recommend, but my expectations are always off the charts with Tree House. 4.25

 

Drowned Lands Mad River. Dessert Style Fruited Sour. Strawberry, Banana, Coconut, Vanilla White Chocolate. Whew.

I think I'm out of my depth here. Not really a Sour fan but will enjoy a Rodenbach Grand Cru maybe once a summer. I see many BAs posting fruited kettle sours and I'm...intrigued. Keep thinking they'll drink like a pastry stout...but that's just me.
So I finally come across a likely candidate, take a flyer.
It starts out with a finger of foam, gone in an instant.
Served in a snifter, and the nose is hard to grasp. Mostly the Coconut, but there's something behind it, maybe a combo of all the rest.
The taste and mouthfeel kind of jumble together. It's creamy and tart at the same time, but not really very tart. As expected (not sure why) but still surprising.
As it finishes the White Chocolate makes its presence felt.
7.4 %, but only know that from the label. Not sure what I would place it at.
I think I'm the wrong person for this. It's actually fascinating, but that's not what I look for in my evening relax. Lincoln is quoted as supposedly saying "You will like this if this is the kind of thing you like". Me too.

 

Day 2, another in the Goose “Hug” series, let’s see how this one fares.





3.75/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
by ovaltine from Indiana

This iteration of the “Hug” series pours a gorgeous yellow/straw color that is absolutely crystal clear and sports a dense white head that sticks around for more than a bit. Beautiful beer in the WCIPA style.

The nose is sweet and fruity, with a discernible citrus component and some
berry notes, and the taste follows suit, with a nice bit of tangerine and the berries, but it feels a bit ….. by the numbers. There’s nothing that stands out - but it fits together pretty well, it’s just that “brew another IPA” profile.

The mouthfeel is on point, medium and drying. All the boxes are checked with this beer, but it seems like it could’ve been much more.

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass not sure when it was canned but as always coming from a master trader like @jzeilinger I trust with in the month. Pours a very attractive hazy orange with a 2 plus finger sticky white head that slowly settles leaving thin streaks of lace. 4.5

Aroma cantaloupe, mandarin, peach, mango, and apricot. 4

Taste follows melon stands out, mandarin, peach, mango, and apricot. 4

Mouthfeel is above medium, not sticky or dry, soft gentle carbonation, and at 11% it drinks big, but still very approachable. 4.25

Overall this is really nice, a tad sweet I am sure for some but I am digging. Thanks @jzeilinger for this can as always. 4.25

 

Time to close out another great new beer weekend with a slow sipper, I will always think of making you proud now @snaotheus. This one I actually purchased myself There are few things I love more than maple syrup, seriously, always have a half gallon in the fridge for pancakes every weekend. Maple creemes, don't even get me started. I wish more breweries did straight up maple beers (thank you Sean Lawson!) they always seem to get mixed with other adjuncts these days; well Kane finally did and resisted the urge to throw anything else in it: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/26676/604084/

Time to sip this one away into the night...

Kane - The Great Maple (Maple Double Barrel, bourbon then maple barrels)



Pours nice and viscous without being super thick and sludgy, the head is medium brown and actually lingers for quite some time. Settles to thin films of swirly islands and a nice thick ring around the glass. Very nice looking for a barrel aged beer.

The nose is actually not really complex at all; it is mostly bourbon masking some woody char and dark chocolate notes. Swirling it around actually releases some really nice, but subtle, maple notes.

Taste brings out a lot more than the nose that was masked by the bourbon. Definitely taste the bourbon and char but the dark chocolate note really shines and lingers nicely; the maple really shows nicely after the sip is gone and lingers pleasantly along with some bitter dark roast coffee notes.

Big body, nice and creamy without being thick, a nice sweet sensation coats the tongue. Char/roast bite on the back of the tongue with a little bit of heat, mainly sinus canal, and a building warm sensation in the throat.

Overall a very well balanced beer that is more straight up barrel aged stout than one would assume. The maple is actually more noticeable in the aftertaste and feel than anywhere else. I'm glad I bought this beer, I'm really going to enjoy sipping on the rest of it.

Hope you like yours to @Coronaeus

-----

I hope you all have a great week, see you all back here on Saturday. Cheers everyone!

 

All right, next time you're in town, I'll bring you a maple bar from Chuck's Donuts. Which maybe you can eat at Chuck's Hop Shop. I doubt Chuckanut would make a maple beer, but if so, that would be ideal. But maybe we could find a Double Stack for you. That would be a Great Notion.

 

You actually sent me double stack right after our trip along with some fresh hop beers.

My biggest gripe with maple beers is they’re almost never just maple. No one can seem to fight the urge to add coffee, or other stuff to it. Not that those aren’t enjoyable sometimes I just love when it’s all maple and nothing else to steal the show but beer.

Maple bar from Chucks Donuts, you had me at maple then again at donuts.

 

Leather Bound Books from Mayflower, one of many beers that @WunderLlama sent me in the chaos between NBS BIF #14 and #15. This one's a baltic porter. Spoiler: Quite good.

16oz can served in a tulip. Dated 01/13/22.

Pours a dark oily-leather color (see what I did there?) with a small ring of head and a small dusting of very fine head. There is a tiny bit of active carbonation if I look closely with sufficient lighting. Smell is roasty coffee and chocolate. Moderate sweetness and a little yeast.

Taste is nice. A little anise, dark roasted coffee, unsweetened chocolate bitterness, with a mild sweetness that I can't decide how to describe. Somewhat date/raisiny? Slightly maple syrupy? Sweetened coffee?

Mouthfeel is on the light side of medium. Overall, this is very nice.

 

Really good review. I feel as if I knew that beer. Thoughtful.