New Beer Weekend #104

One of the FINEST I ever had. Thanks Jennifer for sharing this most excellent beer.

 

Good morning BAs! My new to me beer is Party Wave Pilsner by Lanikai Brewing Company, Kailua, HI. Brewed with Hallertau hops and Mamaki tea. Mamaki is a plant in the nettle family and is cultivated (for brewing tea) and grows wild on the islands as well. From the few beers I’ve had from this brewer, classic recipes meet island ingredients with mixed (imo) results…



We’ve got a gusher! With careful pour a half can (16oz) is white mixed rocky bubbles and pale gold liquid with ok clarity; good cap retention; solid ring and medium heavy lacing. Herbal chamomile tea nose. Herbal, floral taste followed by semi sweet biscuit base; a little earthy bitterness in the finish. Medium light body; moderate carbonation; clean feel, but not crisp. Overall, not bad, just different; dull earthy herbal tea linger - not what I want in a Pilsner, another one and done from this brewer.

4.0 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 3.75
Score: 3.77 rDev 0. I added beer to the database.


The rain continues to pound the island today…on the upside, it is 70° and breezy. Cheers and have a great day y’all!

 

Thanks for the start @ChicagoJ I had a feeling it would be a quiet weekend with the very engaged kölsch tasting going on. With that in mind I'm gonna go against my own rule and crosspost this one cause I enjoyed it so much....I'll be back later tonight with a non kölsch beer.

Carton - Shower



This beer looks the part, very light straw color, verging on crystal clear, white white head with some very nice retention; its a nice semi thick little white cap that is leaving some very nice lacing.

Nose is has a little bit of saltine like cracker to it, pleasant smelling bread notes, some light floral and herbal notes; there is a nice white wine like character to it as well.

The taste is very nice; light bread, subtle white wine, touch of semi sweet graininess on the finish along with some herbal hop notes.

Light body, pleasant lively yet smooth carbonation, noticeably dry finish; an ever so gentle grassy bitterness.

Going into this beer I didn't think it would be this refreshing and delicious. I'm not sure why, because I always have faith in Carton, but sometimes they veer away from tradition and embrace it in their own neat way. This one is so so good and 100% kölsch style.

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Humid as hell here in NJ still so we just set up the sprinkler for the kiddos, i'll sip on this outside and beat the heat. See you all in a bit.

 

A few new beers from yesterday. Added one of these to the Kolsch Online Tasting as well.

Was at Counter Common Beerworks and Kitchen a brand new brewery. Technically in Bellaire, but nobody I knows, knows the actual boundary between Bellaire and Houston ha.

First up Nein Schadenfreude, Kolsch, 4.5% ABV.



Pours a pale yellow color, with just a touch of haze. Almost two fingers of white head forms. Good retention and recedes in a minute to leave some lace.
This has a fairly neutral nose. Some cereal grains and malt poke its head out eventually. In that welcoming bready kind of way.
Taste wise, like the nose, malty and bready. There is not a lot to latch on to here, but the malt character is really rounded and soft. Which makes for a welcoming and enjoyable attempt at the style.
A light body that is ultra smooth and clean. Just enough carbonation to let you know its there and well done, but then just smooth, clean and dry. I had several at the brewery and enjoyed them all.

Maybe I would like a bit more malt nuance, or even just a touch of hops (I can't get any) just to add a bit more depth. Though that might take away from the roundness and plain enjoyability (if that is a word ha). So, I'll take it as is. A nice example of the style right out of the gate for this brand new brewery.

Overall score is 3.83, solid B+ with the possibility of increasing the score on further tastes.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63368/613165/?ba=champ103#lists


Next was Munchin Bier, Helles Lager, 4.8% ABV



Pours with a touch of haze, a pale yellow color. A two finger white head forms with good retention and lace.
The nose is welcoming toasted malts and baked bread. Like walking into a bakery. Just enough earthiness, assuming from some noble like hops, without really leaving any hoppy aromas.
Taste wise, toasted and bready malts again. More of a cereal grainy character here, with some cooked corn. Earthy hops, its all very subtle. I would like it better without the corniness, but still good.
A light body that has really nice carbonation. Crisp, clean, dry, and smooth all at the same time. An easy to drink lager.

Always appreciate a Helles. This is a good attempt, if I didn't get that corn flavor, I would probably bump the score up several notches. Not that it is strong, just noticeable with a subtle beer like this. Considering there are no adjuncts being used here, maybe that is a bit of DMS? Not that that is bad in in of itself in a low level like this, just not a preference of mine. Still, not hard to come back to and drink.

Overall score is 3.8, yep another B+
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63368/613166/?ba=champ103#lists

Then my buddies showed up and I stopped taking pictures. Though we had a ton of food as well. I'm the guy in the hat ha. Looking forward to trying this spot again.

 

It's stouturday for me so I had these new to me Imperial Stouts today:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1432/290275/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28178/584187/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16315/604225/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



Cheers everyone!

 

Good Saturday afternoon, New Beer Weekenders. Sadly, New Jersey has some of the most archaic - and frankly nonsensical - laws in the country governing microbreweries. Unfortunately, many of the ridiculous restrictions and limitations (which are not in effect in neighboring New York or Pennsylvania) were just affirmed by the state's Alcoholic Beverage Commission. New Jersey ranks among the bottom three states in terms of breweries per capita. Perhaps if every beer were required to include Strata hops, the restrictions would be relaxed, lol! So it's always a little victory when a new brewer emerges. Coastal Brew Works is currently a gypsy brewer based in Monmouth County. They only produce a couple of beers about which I've heard good things. So I was excited to secure a pack of its DIPA, Trojan Seahorse, today. It's hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Galaxy - a good, basic recipe. The cans are dated 5/18/2022. I'm snobby enough typically not to purchase local beer 2 months old; but I'm glad I did. Trojan Seahorse is quite good!

Poured into a pint glass. It pours an opaque, bright yellow-orange with more than a half finger of creamy bright white head and soapy lacing. The nose is big and fruity with lemon, lime, pineapple, tangerine, ripe honeydew, and tropical notes. Even at 2 months in the can it's an inviting aroma. The taste is similarly fruity with notes of ripe melon, peach, lychee, stone fruit, lemon, lime, and grapefruit. There are also hints of bubblegum, pine, and herbal spice. The tried and true combination of Citra and Mosaic hops work well. There is moderate, clean hop bitterness throughout. This ale has a nice thick, creamy mouth feel with pleasant carbonation, and the 8.5% ABV gives it good substance. Overall, Trojan Seahorse is an excellent offering from a new brewer without a regular base of operations. The brewers are off to a fine start!

4.14/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

For locals, these guys are worth checking out. Cheers, NBW!

 

Hey what's going on?!

I am taking a break from the Kölsch thread, to switch it up a bit here. The rain has sort of coming in off and on, making for a real muggy day.. ready to put me to sleep.

So this will help!

This one is a near doozy, big stout between Other Half and Toppling Goliath.



Poured from the bottle into a teku glass.

Fudged dark looking brown, nearly black with a real hint of smudge to the body color. There's noticeable carbonation along the edges which makes for an interesting surprise. Very dark mocha brown head, but fleeting, and the edge carbonation barely keeps a collar going.
The aroma is a real nice treat. Big notes of ripping just opened up the coffee bag, large and accented with a good gooey caramel to maple sweetness which a great pairing. The nose really is coffee forward, and a very good one if it seems to mask much of malt and roast character.

Palate doesn't lie on the advertised flavors. Big gooey and silky velvety body, that coats like rich milk chocolate. Large flavors of coffee and chocolate ice cream that go down just like it was melted. Rich coffee notes, heck am I tasting even chocolate sprinkles in here it seems like, with livey cream and vanilla coffee all mixed in.

Big take on a pastry stout, and just like eating ice cream.

look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5 | BA Overall : 4.47

Cheers!

 

Your buddy has a serious beard @champ103 great picture of some beer loving people.

 

What's the issue with cross posting if a beer is "new to you" and also happens to be a beer that is of the style being "promoted" as part of a tasting event? I'd think that cross posting would actually help the site, i.e., more posting activity would lead to more clicks, correct?

Am I missing something here? I understand (to an extent) about not posting the same beer in the NBW and WBAYDN threads because WBAYDN is literally an every day thread, but NBW and tasting events to me are "special" because they're not "every day" events (which is why I didn't really care for the switch from NBS to NBW, but that's for another thread).

I say you let your beer nerd freak flag fly with impunity, Jon, and you cross post those killer kolsch beers here and in the tasting thread!

 

Does two new beers yesterday equate to a new beer today?

I am not an accountant but I am going to respond to that question with "yes"!

Below are two new beers I enjoyed drinking yesterday after a hike:

A nice beer to drink after afternoon hike

My wife and I met up with some friends for a nice hike at Welkinweir Arboretum which just so happens was not too far away from Hidden River brewery so after the hike we decided to quench our thirst at Hidden River.

As luck would have it Hidden River had a Kölsch available; what could be better to drink after a hike?

Below is how this beer is detailed on the Hidden River website:

“SERMON - Kolsch - 4.4% - Hopped with Saaz and Cascade”

Well, with Cascade being an ingredient in this beer this more like an American Kölsch vs. a beer brewed in Cologne (Köln). Will I notice it on the aroma? Let’s find out.

Did this beer meet my requirements that I posted above:

• Flavor: a combination of Pilsner malt flavor and subtle fruity esters (white wine flavors) from the Kölsch yeast √
• Low-moderate bitterness and zero hop flavor/aroma √
• Very light in color: straw colored √
• Mouthfeel: light – medium bodied with a crisp/dry finish √

So, check marks √ all around.

There was nothing in this beer that indicated Cascade hops so they must have been used in a judicious manner.

This Kölsch beer from Hidden River was very good!

Cheers!



P.S. After I drank the Kölsch, I ordered a Pilsner which was poured from a Lukr side-pull faucet. This beer was also very tasty!

 

In my weird mind there was something about trying to keep NBW beers unique and not mix with the tasting; does it make sense, no not at all. Which is why I posted here too…for the exact reason you pointed out.

I figured it was quiet in here so far and maybe people in the tasting, non NBW users would see the NBW and get curious and join the fun. That is after all how I found this glorious thread; during the west coast ipa tasting.

So, in short, I will 100% crosspost tasting threads and NBW beers in the future

 

Luna Mexican Stout by Ravenna

4.33/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25


Beer advocate beer review #2100

Bottle received from @snaotheus and a Smog City glass received from @Beersnake1 both in Bif15

Waxed and capped chilled bottle poured into a Smog City snifter , black motor oil capped by a creamy two finger brown foam cap , good retention, se

Aroma is licorice , vanilla custard, banana pudding , whiff of bourbon

Taste is licorice , cinnamon, cocoa, green Chile ( taste but minimal heat), gentle spiciness on the finish

Mouthfeel is light, soft, fizzy , the 11.2% abv is well hidden

Good beer

 

Um, when was the WCIPA tasting thread????? If I missed that, I gotta reprogram my administrative assistant, because that style is my favorite - by a lot (which is saying something given my appreciation for most every style).

 

2020 West Coast IPA (August 7-8) hosted by mr @FBarber

 

Was that the IPA fest? That timing works.