New Beer Weekend #101

Central Waters, Mai-waukee, Helles Lager
Tested from a 32oz crowler, brewed in Milwaukee , sold to me in Amherst (no longer on tap in Amherst it appears)
Look. Rather transparent dark gold body, nice tall white head, The head hangs on leaving plenty of lacing.
Smell. bread, aroma is not strong.
Taste: Bread, grain, hint of floral hops. Maybe a hint of cracker/noble hop spice. slightly malty, slightly sweet. Smooth easy drinking. Crisp and clean.
Feel is good, slightly malty, carbonation is on the low side after the pour settles down.
This is a good beer, but it is not a Maibock. it's a helles lager slightly on the heavy duty side.
I will give it a 4.06/5 as a helles lager
https://untappd.com/b/central-waters-brewing-company-mai-waukee/4795790

I still have a beer or two left that from the taproom run that I haven't rated yet. I should have bought more for home, but I have plenty of other beers in stock I and haven't even tried yet, overstock problem.

 

From tap at R Shea's original location, Double Whirlpool Party with Nelson, Motueka and Simcoe. My initial thought was this beer was the first New England style beer I’ve had in Ohio that is in the ballpark with the heavy hitters from the actual New England area (e.g. Treehouse) that I have sampled from trades.

32 IBUs and 8.5%. ABV is completely hidden. The mouthfeel is ethereal. Luckily, I chatted with a brewer when there. I’m not sure being recognized is a good thing, but he stopped by to say hello

The hop bill of the beer: a wonderful lime and lemon Moteuka nose and Nelson-Simcoe providing their magic in dry hop. Super light mouthfeel, juicy taste and clean finish. Really great beer. I don’t believe this one has been canned, so get it on tap while you can. Highly recommended.

 

Horse & Dragon Midnight Stallion Bourbon/Rye BA Imperial Dark Lager, 8% ABV. Pours thin and light black with a one-finger tan head that left a foam cap. Nose is malty with toffee. Taste is toffee, chocolate, rye, roast malt, slightly sweet slightly bitter. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent. I liked it more than I expected, dark and BA, but not a stout.

4.24/5 rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

After two plus weeks in my cellar, I noted today it says to keep refrigerated. Wasn't sure if it was safe to drink, so only one way to find out...

 

@Dimidiata has been kind enough to send me many, many West Coast beers I otherwise never would have been able to try. It's summertime, which for me often means saison / farmhouse / wild ale season, which in turn means I should be enjoying several of the aforementioned beers over the next couple months.

This is Supplication (#7 rated wild ale on BA), from Russian River. More detailed description in second picture below, but it's a brown ale aged in Pinot Noir bottles.


Bottled 7/2/17 and received courtesy of @Dimidiata. Fairly clear, amber color coming out of the bottle, settling to a deeper semi-translucent caramel once in the glass. The aroma initially struck me as typical wild brett funk, but upon closer inspection the cherry and wine barrel notes revealed themselves in a pleasantly discreet way.

Taste is wonderfully........different. This is unlike any beer I can recall in recent memory. The cherries are remarkably present after 5 years, but the wine barrel combined with the earthy funk is what's really making this one interesting. Plenty of sweet malts up front, but then the funk emerges mid-palate and into the aftertaste. Fairly full bodied and lightly carbonated.

Overall, very interesting and very good beer. Thanks, Christine!

 

Coming live from a near empty Revolution taproom. Their seasonal Belgian Pale Ale A Little Crazy is my favorite Winter release, so excited to try this new to me taproom release with a Brett twist offering on New Beer Sunday #905!

Revolution Lip Ring



Brewer Notes: A Belgian Pale Ale brewed with Brett, 7.2% ABV. $7 + tax, 13.25 oz draft served in a tulip glass.

Appearance: Clear orange base, mild sustained carbonation, bright white head leaves generous lacing. 4.25

Aroma: Light aroma, slightly funky Belgian yeast leads, citrus backs. Not getting Brettanomyces notes. 3.75

Taste: Bolder taste notes than the nose leads, starting with clove, pepper, backed by floral notes and grass. Enjoyment increases as I continue. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Light, refreshing and easy drinking. Light to medium sticky body, persistent fizzy carbonation lasts throughout. Easier drinking than the stronger ABV would lead, lightly dry, clean finish. 3.75

Overall: This is an enjoyable offering. I wasn’t able to pick out the impact of the Brett specifically vs. the memory of A Little Crazy. I do enjoy this version and hope they continue brewing this while A Little Crazy is off the menu. 4.0

See you back in a bit.

 

American Solera Extra Anchovy Pale Ale, 6.0% ABV; 3.79 overall

Pours a hazy gold with a pinky of cream colored head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Breadyness & lemons, fairly subdued

T: Saltyness? Plus grapefruit & breadyness, & a little green melon up front, Lime, dryness, some pineyness & grapefruit as this warms, some salty notes as well. Finishes dry with grapefruit, saltyness & a little lime

MF: Medium body, pretty subdued carbonation, good balance

Nice drinker certainly works with the hot weather

 

Two new single-hop DIPAs on order today, both from Spyglass Brewing, and both quite fresh. This is Mosaic Singularity, canned on 6/14/22! It clocks in at 8.5% ABV.



I have typically enjoyed most of Spyglass' NEIPA output, so I have faith this will be at least "pretty good." Pour is about typical for the style with a nice, saturated orange color topped off by a generous cap of foam measuring about three fingers at its apex. Retention is pretty good, though the head does sink to about a finger after five minutes in my glass, leaving behind uneven but appreciable lacing patterns. Good surface coverage despite the receding suds, which means the legs follow suit. A nice pour.

Nose is a good amount more restrained than expected for a Mosaic DIPA. I'm picking up some dankness, orange/tangerine citrus, green onion, and a good bit of overripe mango. Not much (if any) of the berry undertones Mosaic can throw out. Hints of honeyed graham cracker and some grassiness. I think that, despite my common misgivings with this varietal in bigger IPAs, I could use a bit more of it here.

Flavor profile is a bit more expressive than the nose led me to believe, but it's still kind of oddly-passive. I typically expect to get palate-slapped by Mosaic in bigger IPAs like this, and even though I am getting some more dankness and intense earthiness upon sipping at this beer, I am slightly underwhelmed by how it doesn't seem to be making a big splash. Flavors mostly stick in the citrus and light tropical fruit realm with the green onion from the nose making a fairly-prominent appearance, backing up the dankness with more greenery. Mango and tangelo push through here and there, but it really does seem that the earth/grassy/dank aspects are the most focused things going on here. Feel is soft and appreciably-carbonated, as is typical for the NEIPA style, and the finish feels plush. That said, the softness doesn't really help the lacking "oomph" this one has. Not super impressed, but it's not bad either.

More soon... I have to work on giving my poor Gundam Kyrios some legs...

 

Returning with a collaboration between two Chicago breweries. Missing the Base (WCIPA) this year, grabbing the returning Maintains and Shapes for home, may also grab this one to go depending on how this works out.

Revolution Brewing & Hop Butcher Shapes and Maintains



Revolution Brewery Notes: A West Coast-Style Pilsner, 5.25% ABV. Brewed with Hop Butcher. $7 + tax.

Appearance: 16 oz draft pour into a Pilsner glass. Clear golden pale base, persistent medium to heavy carbonation throughout. Bright white head leaves cover above the base and lacing slinking back throughout. 4.25

Aroma: Smells like a dank IPA. Full Stop. Don’t expect a Pilsner aroma, but if you like dank, continue forward. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, dank as a Grateful Dead show meets a Cheech and Chong film. I’m digging this, but not sure how they landed on “Pilsner - Other” as the style. Searched the web to see what they used, and this was the result:

Mosaic, Citra, and Saaz express with crystalline clarity and incredible volume.

I’m not getting the typical citrus or Saaz Pilsner taste at all. Still enjoying this, but not what I expected. 3.5

Mouthfeel: Significant dryness, light and easy drinking, dank is all I get here including on the finish, so not balanced or what I expected from a Pilsner. Dinged score wise for no semblance of a Pilsner. 2.75

Overall: In some ways this resembles their lager, Maintains and Shapes, which I definitely intend to bring home as I’ve loved their prior release. I do enjoy this beer, and perhaps I am missing the nuance or understanding of what a “West Coast Style Pilsner” means. I’m glad I tried, but sticking with Maintains and Shapes for carry out, this is one and done on my end. 3.25

Heading to the Beer Temple for 1 or 2 new to me beers. Stay tuned.

 

Bourbon County Classic Cola Stout 2021 showed up in beer stores here early this year. I bought one and stuck it on a pantry shelf. I drink no beer before its time.

I like this, and don't usually like bourbon and Coke, so this must not taste like Coke.
4.36/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Sweeter and much more molasses and vanilla than BCBS. Doesn't drink like 14.1% ABV, but I'm sure not testing that. Didn't think I'd be drinking this on a summer afternoon, but you do what you have to do.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. It's a beautiful early summer afternoon in North Jersey. It's hot but without the normal June humidity and there's a cooling breeze. Perfect for reviewing a couple of new beers.

First up is yet another Wild Ale, Merci (Blend #5) from Side Project Brewing in St. Louis courtesy of @FBarber's avalanche of beer during last Fall's NBS BIF. My first introduction to Side Project was a Flanders Oud Bruin I received from @swenny916 in a BIF box in 2018. Frank sent me four more Side Project sours, as well as the cool Lambic style glass. All of these ales have been terrific!

It pours a cloudy, bright golden-orange color with almost a finger of foamy, bright white cap and modest lacing. The smell is highly floral with lemon peel, green apple, oak, white wine, grasses, and a fairly sweet, biscuit malt base. The initial sourness belies the sweetness on the nose. The lemon and green apple are puckering at first and the white wine grape has an acidic quality. However, as the ale warms and breathes in the glass the sourness mellows and I begin to notice increased sweet fruity esters, including a hint of apricot or berry, as well as and increased oak presence while the biscuit is dryer than indicated by the smell. The Brettanomyces add lots of musty funk. It's sour, dry, and quite bitter and acidic at the finish. The mouth feel is crisp and fairly viscous and the carbonation is lively. It's 6% ABV is barely noticeable.

4.31/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Merci beaucoup, Frank!

 

Von Trapp Bohemian Pilsner


The last can of my self-made Von-Trapp Variety Six-Pack. Or really 5-pack.
I tend to prefer German Pilsners to Bohemian/Czech ones, so I approach this one with some hesitancy.


look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
3.9/5 rDev +0.5%

12 oz can
Best by: 04/04/22 (04 April, 2022)
Consumed: 26 June, 2022
ABV: 5.4%
Glass: 12 oz Pilsner Glass
IBUs: 42


Look:
Bright and clear straw yellow with a 2.5-finger foamy white head. The head lasts _forever_, eventually settling to a 1-finger creamy cover. The lacing is tremendous.

Smell:
Crackery bread dough with a good dose of lemon, including the rind/zest. Spicy hops.

Taste:
Lemon zest and spicy hops dominate the flavor, but are not really overpowering. A sweet bready note comes thru from the background and hangs around through the aftertaste with the zesty hops. The finish is dry (but not bone-dry) and bitter/spicy. The bitterness of each sip does accumulate to a point, but a sip of water resets that slate.

Feel:
Crisp and cleam and yet (as long as the head lasts, which it has through this review) also creamy. Decently carbonated with the aforementioned dry and bitter/spicy finish. Body is light-medium.

Overall:
I was prepared to not like this beer very much because I expected it to be too bitter. But it isn't. It is bitter for sure, but not overwhelmingly so. Everything here is in balance, especially when considering the style. Czech/Bohemian Pilsners really aren't my thing, but this beer is one that I can enjoy. It is quite well-done.

Side note: the head _still_ exists. I have consumed 1/2 of the beer and written and posted the above. Impressive.

 

Finally able to play this weekend!


Poured golden amber, not transparent but not cloudy either. Unfiltered?
The head was nearly white and fleeting but that may be due to the age of the beer.
The aroma was mostly cloves and, oddly, banana. At least the impression of banana.
The taste, wow. Cloves are prominent but not overwhelming, banana is more an essence than flavor, and the malts are balanced, tasty and rewarding. So good, I think I need more of this one for the summer.
The feel was smooth as the carbonation was slow and sparse, but present. Didn’t detract from the experience at all.
Not sure why I waited so long to try this, it’s really good!
Cheers all, I’ll be back later!

 

Tupps Brewing Full Grown Scallywag Imperial Stout, 12,5% ABV; 4.09 overall

Pours an effervescent mahogany with 3 billowy fingers ( aggressive pour ) of caramel colored head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Coconut in spades, some roastyness, vanilla late

T: Plenty of coconut, some vanilla & a little mocha up front. Coconut & a touch of warming booze once warm, plus a little mocha & dryness, plus a little cola. Finishes a little dry with toasty coconut, plus a little Rum & Cola

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation, warming, feeling & tasting some coconut particles

I liked this one, need to see a Rum BA version from these guys