New Beer Weekend #101

That is awesome @Beersnake1 I didn't know you were going over there. Have an awesome trip and don't drink too much!......just kidding

I look forward to reading about what other goodies you try over there. Cheers.

 

Treehouse Curiosity 125. Full disclosure- I had this on draft at the source Tuesday when I picked this up. Wasn't even going to have a beer, but I couldn't resist. Did not review then, just posted a pic.
The can has some pretty cool can art. Seems to include many themes from other cans. I'm sorry I didn't do a 360 photo shoot, but too busy enjoying the beer now.


Poured from a 126oz can stamped I THINK I”LL HAVE MYSELF A BEER 06/13/22 to a Nonic glass at fridge temp.
There is a very opaque yellow-orange body sitting below a ¾ inch white head. Lacing is pretty medium.
The aroma is of mango, papaya, guava and there is a hint of spicy hops.
As the cliche says- Taste follows smell. It really applies here. But the aroma can’t predict the sweetness. The spicy hops are a nice finish.
The mouthfeel as always for TH juice bombs- unparalleled.
Another good one from these guys.

L- 4 S-4.25, T-4.5, M-4.75, OA-4.5

From the brewery-
(Double IPA , 8.2%ABV, 1 Pint) Curiosity One Hundred and Twenty Five is a celebratory milestone for our Curiosity Series featuring a host of characters from our past. The beer itself melds our past with what we aspire to be in the future through focused brewing application and continued experimentation. Brewed with Comet, El Dorado, Citra, and Huell Melon hops, it is intensely fruity with a deep hoppy complexity that is unique and indescribable to our palate. Enjoy!

 

3 Floyds Brewing Dismembers Only. Hopefully you can zoom in on the bottle for the description. The look is pitch black, with no head. The smell is enticing. It has a strong chocolate scent, along with bourbon, cherry, and banana mixing together just right. The taste is quite unique. Quality milk chocolate is the primary flavor, with just enough cherry and banana flavor to be noticeable. Bourbon flavor is present, but slightly so. It has the perfect amount of sweetness for me. The flavors blend together very well. The mouthfeel is silky-smooth. It is oily, but light. Carbonation is minimal. Overall, this is a delicious treat! I would drink this beverage even if there was no alcohol in it. Very impressive!

 

Did you add that? It was previously released as Higby Hoppy Helles as a fund raiser for the Max Higbee center. Their largest fundraiser of the year, April Brews Day has been wiped out the last 3 years.

https://maxhigbeecenter.org/

https://aprilbrewsday.org/

 

Late Saturday start for me between heading out for beer and waiting for the rain the clear.

Live at The Chipp Inn, drinking a brand new Pale Ale brewed in their honor by my favorite smaller Chicago Brewery.

Lake Effect Brewing Chipp Inn Pale Ale



Can Notes: 12 oz can, no can date but released in mid-June, so within 10 days. 5.5% ABV.

Brewery Notes: Experimental pale ale brewed with oat and new hops - HBC472 gives a coconut/citrus accents- very easy drinking. The beer is made for the legendary Chipp Inn, one of Chicago's oldest bars and last remaining neighborhood taverns.

Appearance: Single can pour into a shaker pint glass. Brown bronze base, medium carbonation, egg white bubbly head leaves nice layer above base for a few minutes, soapy lacing thereafter. 4.0

Aroma: Nice hoppy malt aroma, dank pine and coconut from the hops, caramel malt flavor backs, strong and enticing. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, full flavored pale ale. Nice dank pine and coconut leads, breads caramel malt backs well. Loving this old school pale ale. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Dry, light to medium body and carbonation, balanced to bitter, bursting with flavor. Drinks heavier than the 5.5% ABV, though within proper context. Light dry pine aftertaste lingers enjoyably. 4.5

Overall: Really digging this one, nice local release that sold out quickly at the brewery. Solid Pale Ale bursting with flavors I enjoy, mouthfeel on point. Reminds me of SNPA in many ways. Need to pick the next batch up. 4.5

Plotting my next place after perhaps a second beer here.

 

Had some good new to me brews today:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/370796/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/593507/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28178/106162/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



Cheers everyone!

 

I wish that more of the American craft breweries hazy IPAs were more of this sorta hybrid. For my palate I would prefer some more bitterness to these hazy beers. Needless to say but most other craft beer drinkers seem to prefer non-bitter Juicy/Hazy IPAs.

Haze Bros do not like bitterness? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cheers!

 

Tree House - Project Find the Limit Number 10, a ninja strike in NBS BIF #15, launched by the notorious (and infamous) Der @WunderLlama

16oz can served in a big snifter. Can is dated 06/09/22.

Pours a totally murky whitish orange with about a centimeter of dense creamy head that fades into a thin skin with a foamy ring. Smell is powerful and and lovely. Hop resin and ripe tropical fruit. A little boozy.

Taste is similar. Powerful hop resin and leafy green bitterness, undercurrent of tropical fruit. Fruit skin bitterness, too.

Mouthfeel is full and a little chalky. Overall, very good. I'll admit Tree House knows what they're doing with this style.

Prosit!

 

Since you know them...Tonewood does a very good job with this, I don't drink them much at all but when I have they always have a cleaner and bitter kick than most hazy counterparts; fuego their flagship is a perfect example. Of course being the great brewery they are they also brew straight up old school IPAs too. Since they opened their new brewery they haven't brewed a single new hazy (unless I missed one)

I haven't enjoyed a beer as much as their new Czech Pils in a really long time, in fact I drove down the street today to buy more ($10.65 with tax, I know you'll appreciate that ) since their site said "low stock." I also had a mug full of it via side pull that was one of the best beer experiences I had in a very very long time.

 

Next up is a beer I picked up from Plan Bee two or three years ago. It's a great little brewery that I hope to get back to some time relatively soon.

This beer is Pepper, a wild ale made with 8 peppers that they grew on their farm, including Habanero, Jalapeno, Ghost, Thai, Cherry Bomb, Cayenne, Hot Portugal and Tobasco.

I don't like spicy foods or beers, so this may be interesting.

3.46/5 rDev -8.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pours a fairly clear bright yellow with half a finger of fizzy white head. Aroma is funky and tart, but I'm having trouble picking up any specific notes other than general earthy funk. First sip was mostly standard wild ale funk, with a little bit of spice on the finish. With the second sip, the spice really kicked in. Clear peppery spice on the tongue that's mostly balanced with the funk. That said, holy crap does the spice show up on the way down. I'm sensitive to spice, but my chest feels like it's on fire. Good carbonation and clean.

Overall I think this is likely exactly what they were going for, so I'm not going to be overly harsh with my scores, but this is not necessarily my thing. If you love peppery spice, you'll probably really like this. If you're a wuss like me, maybe not so much. Will be interesting to see if I can finish the whole beer.

 

Next stop Great Central. Really enjoyed their Dunkel during the Dunkel tasting earlier this year, so wanted to broaden my range with this brewer. They contract for Maplewood, Middle Brow, Cruz Blanca, Old Irving, Illuminated and other local breweries, but also have their own line of house beers on draft and also packaged.

Asked for a water, the server took this as an order of their Lager (didn’t see the self serve water), so took this as meant to be.

Great Central Lager



Brewer Notes: $6 Helles Lager.

Appearance: Golden faint tan clear draft pour into a large nonic. Light carbonation, bright white head leaves nice lacing. 4.0

Aroma: Excellent grainy and peppery bread malt leads, floral grassy hops backs well. Traditional style shines through well. 4.5

Taste: Consistent with aroma, bread and pepper malt, light rye, lemongrass and follows. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Dry, faint carbonation, medium body, BA listed ABV 5.5% matches experience. Clean crips and refreshing. Lightly dry aftertaste. 4.5

Overall: This works very well, a solid refreshing Helles bursting with flavor, light and easy Summer drinking. Another excellent beer by Great Central. 4.25

Going for a Pilsner next.

 

I’ve decided I need to make a dent in the now ridiculous number of beers I’ve accumulated in ‘the cellar.’ I was poking around the other day, and there are beers from 4-5 years ago I never intended to save and age. They just didn’t get consumed. I’m at the point where I’m estimating by the hundreds for the bottle count. It needs to stop!

So, today I grabbed something at random from the back of the top shelf. Collective Arts x Siren Origen of Darkness Rum Barrel Aged Baltic Porter with Raisins, Dates and Prunes. 2019.



Pours a near black with a tiny little head that forms fast and disappears just as quickly. Minimal lacing.

The aroma is muted. I’m guessing time hasn’t helped this beer. I get a little wood, some booze. Nothing else at all.

The taste has more going on. Dry wood, stewed fruit. A little brown sugar. A slight boozy quality to the finish. Obviously barrel aged, but without the label, you’d be hard pressed to say rum.

Thinner body, fairly quick finish. Drying.

This can’t be as it was when released. The add-junks have likely faded and the beer is now dry, dry, dry, a little fruity, dry and boozy.

C’est la vie!

 

American Solera Good Time Greg's Got The Blues IPA, 7.5% ABV; 4.24 overall

Pours a very gold with one finger of eggshell colored head. Above average head retention & alcing

S: Tropical Fruit, a little citrus & nectarines. Great nose, but only a little of this shows up flavor-wise

T: Green melon, tangerine, some dryness & catty/grassy hops up front. Pineyness lime, a little dryness. plus grassyness once warm, a touch of caramel. Pineyness, a touch of grapefruit & green melon, just a kiss of dryness in the finish

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, good balance

Looks & smells like a Hazy IPA, drinks like a West Coast IPA.

 

Project Find the Limit #10 by Tree House

4.5/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5



Canned 6.9.22,opened 6.25.22, poured into a tree house teku

“Hops on hops on hops”

Can Notes: Fortuitously, we have arrived at number 10. Curiously, we did not plan for this. And graciously--we'll take it!

Now a distillery, coffee roastery, farm, cidery, brewery, and experience, we have the same child-like wonder for the brewing sciences that we did beginning in a kitchen many years ago.

Project Find the Limit No. 10 not only represents the most recent and most intense of our hoppy beer offerings, but at its core represents the very spirit of Tree House Brewing Company. There is an insane amount of lupulin oil in this can.

At Tree House we often say that we are never satisfied, and at Ten Years, with the weight of our history behind us, we feel more inspired by what the future holds than ever.

Murky pale orange liquid capped by a two finger soapy off white foam cap , very good retention, settles to a pencil thick layer , lacy lacings

Aroma is tropical , pineapple , whiff of juicy fruit

Taste is tropical, pineapple , hint of peppery spice on the finish

Smooth , hop nibble, no bite

Good beer

 

Tried a sample of the Pilsners, but like most in that style tastes salty to me. Really love this style but my salty perception, thankfully limited to this style, has impacted most pilsners I’ve tried for the past 9 months.

So going with another Helles Lager since I really enjoyed the last one. This one brewed by Great Central for Maplewood, the fastest growing local here the past few years.

Maplewood Brewing Tiger Mountain



Brewery Notes: $6 16.9 oz draft pour. Drinking at, and brewed by Grand Central Brewing on behalf of Maplewood Brewery.

BA Note: 4.5% ABV.

Appearance: Light golden clear base, mild carbonation, bright white head. 3.75

Aroma: Bread peppery malt, light grassy back. 3.75

Taste: Pepper malt than aroma leads, feel the hop bitterness but not grabbing a taste profile. 3.5

Mouthfeel: Mild carbonation, medium body, BA listed ABV 4.5% matches experience. Clean crisp and refreshing. 3.75

Overall: Tastes and feels like a lighter version of their house Lager. Probably not fair to try right after, but it’s an ok light Helles Lager. 3.5