New Beer Weekend #105

Czech it out – the summer of Bohemian Pilsners?

A month+ ago I discussed a new brand from Workhorse Brewing: Czech’d Out - Czech Style Pilsner.

And now there is a new brand from Tired Hands: Trendler Czech Pilsner.

Tired Hands is renowned for their Juicy/Hazy beers (e.g., Alien Church) and Milkshake IPAs but they have been brewing ‘traditional’ beers of high quality for a number of years. They have produced a variety of Pilsners and for the first time ever they are now producing a Bohemian/Czech Pilsner (Czech Pale Lager).

I have enjoyed a variety of their lager beers (e.g., Helles, various Pilsner brands, Schwarzbier, Doppelbock, Dunkel,…) and hopefully someday they will decide to add a Czech Dark Lager to that long list.

Below is how they describe this new brand on their website:

“Trendler Czech Pilsner

The latest in our Trendler series. This light lager was created by one of our talented brewers. It is brewed with a heap of Pilsner malt and then hopped throughout the boil with the best Czech Saaz hops. Fermented with our house lager strain and then cold conditioned for six weeks. Notes of- honeysuckle, jasmine tea, fresh bread, lemon, honeydew, and salted pretzels. 5.0%”

For today’s discussion I will ‘kick it up a notch’ and conduct a side-by-side tasting with my homebrewed batch of Bohemian Pilsner (I brew a batch every year).

Served in my Polish Pilsner glasses:

Appearance:

Workhorse Czech’d Out: Golden yellow with a two finger white head. The head retention was OK.

Jack’s BoPils: Golden yellow with a BIG white head. The head retention was excellent forming a beautiful Belgian Lace as the beer is consumed.

Aroma:

Workhorse Czech’d Out: Mostly a sweetish Pilsner Malt aroma but some herbal/spicy hop aroma in the background.

Jack’s BoPils: A vibrant combination of bready Malt and spicy/herbal aromas.

Taste:

Workhorse Czech’d Out: Flavor follows the nose with a combination of Pilsner Malt and herbal/spicy hop flavors. There is a notable bitterness which lingers a bit on the palate.

Jack’s BoPils: The flavors follow the nose with notable flavors of bready and spicy/herbal. There is a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Workhorse Czech’d Out: Medium body with a dry finish.

Jack’s BoPils: Medium body, a soft mouthfeel and a dry finish.

Overall:

Workhorse Czech’d Out: I enjoyed drinking this beer, it is a very good beer.

Jack’s BoPils: This beer is also very good - excellent. In contrast to the Tired Hands beer this beer is better balanced between the malt flavors and hop flavors for my palate.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

P.S. Tired Hands recently installed a Lukr side-pull faucet at their taproom (Fermentaria) and it is my guess this beer is better presented when served on draft from the Lukr tap.

 

Thanks to SawDog505 for kicking NBW off this week. I missed last week due to travel for work and a family reunion, so catching up with a couple Surlys from their latest hoppy mix pack.

Surly Neon Pixels

Appearance: Cloudy yellow, big head.

Smell: Neutral at first, some lemon eventually.

Taste: Soft feel, moderate sweetness, citrusy with lemony-like finish. Low bitterness. Doesn't seem to mesh together well.

Overall: Another from a mixed Surly pack, tastes ok but the flavors just don't seem to go together.

Surly Blast Beat

Appearance: Slightly hazy gold, good head.

Smell: Grapefruit.

Taste: Grapefruit, moderate bitterness, fruity backbone, then a mineraly cherry undertone. Kind of watery feel.

Overall: I'm not too familiar with sultana hops, so maybe they are contributing to the slightly unusual taste of this beer. Old school grapefruit but strange fruit undertones. Interesting stuff.

I preferred the Blast Beat over the Neon Pixels, both are decent but I probably wouldn't go for a standalone 6 pack of either one.

 

Thanks to @SawDog505 for getting us started today.
I was up early to walk the dogs and get some yard work done before the outdoors turns into a furnace. Now I'm sitting in air conditioning and enjoying this beer. Really enjoying!
Parabola from Firestone Walker, 2022 vintage.
This beer is nearly black in color. There is a modest head that persists, and there is a little bit of lace.
Aroma of cherry, chocolate, coffee, vanilla, and a little booze.
Cherry taste, but taking a back seat to chocolate fudge and espresso coffee. Some vanilla in the taste, and some bourbon.
A big, slow-sipping beer.

 

We all have our gripes with the current trends in craft beer and we all long for the old days when breweries did more than brew hazy IPAs. I am happy to say that it appears my favorite brewery, and my most local, is reverting back to what once was. I could go on forever as to why but because this is about new beer, I will use one of their beers they have brewed that finally made it to cans. Just look at it, it so hazy it is gonna be an amazing juice bomb...

Tonewood - Trail Beer (5.7%)



Oh and gosh this damn can label with no info other than cool artwork...




Clear, slightest chill haze, foamy ever so slight off whitehead, no lacing; nice thin layer of head persists for most of the glass. Crystal clear as the chill haze left.

Pungent and bright sappiness, some grapefruit, along with some less noticeable but nondescript fruitiness; nice little bit of very light toasted maltiness.

Taste is more nice pine cone sappiness, touch of something fruity and citrus rind quality; mild malt again as in the nose, it lends a nice canvas for the flavors of this beer.

Light to medium body; a pleasant tongue coating yet so smooth pleasant carbonation; resiny hop bite on the tongue paired with a noticeable drying finish; the bitterness is medium but the dryness amplifies the sensation for me.

I really enjoyed this beer, it sort of reminds me of some Lawson beers a step in the present but also in the past. However; this beer is more in the past than present which I personally welcome. The present part being that underlying fruitiness which I'm guessing is the strata for the most part.

I'll rant more about Tonewood in some other thread at some other time. I'll leave it on this I cannot wait to see them continue to grow and do the same thing they've been doing the past 6 years.

---------

It is gonna be a wild two days here at the phisher household, leaving for vacation early monday. Trying to pack, organize the house and control two crazy boys all in a heat wave makes for great fun.

Hope everyone has something good in their glasses today; I hope to be back with more tonight if I have the chance. May not tomorrow with our very early departure in the wee hours of Monday AM, got a lot to get done on Sunday.

 

Worthy of a thread in the US - Northeast forum? Perhaps start up one like exists for Notch, Tree House, Jack's Abby, Oxbow,...?

While I am able to purchase some Tonewood brands at my local beer retailers those brands are typically of the hyped/popular type (e.g., Fuego which is an IPA). I have yet to see a Tonewood lager brand at my local beer retailers (too much PA competition here?).

Cheers!

P.S. I wish you and your family a great vacation. Hopefully you don't have to fly.

 

Hey what's going on?!

IT is HOT down here... and tomorrow is really going to be a peak in the DC region for the Summer.. still a long way till that ends...

Until then I have some tasty beer at the ready. Mixing it up a bit I am having this right now.



Poured from the can into a Libbey style pilsner glass.

Real nice mahogany like brown and red, with lighter chestnut colors along the edges. Nice rich and frothy khaki head, reaching an easy three fingers, with some surprising retention also. Settle to a fine puck and tall collar with a hint of lacing, making for a surprising pretty looking dunkel.

Nose is crisp and filled with excellent touches of clean minerality and light toffee like aromatic grains. Exceptional clean aroma but hints slightly wet and just really light bodied which isn't a surprise at the advertised low abv.

Quite a nice palate. Light hints of sweet toffee and caramel, with a super clean finish. Lots of herbal and almost licorice like bitterness on the finish, which brings and excellent sweetness to the palate as well. Clean and real nice light bodied but very supportive , flirts with cola sweetness which hints at almost soda character.

Really hits the mark between mass market sweetness and traditional classic flavors.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4| BA Score: 4.09

Cheers!

 

Enjoy your vacation!

 

I have thought about a thread Jack but they don’t garner regional hype, thank god. Their slogan is really true “beer for life” I think about that a lot when I drink their beer on my porch at night; just good amazing beer paired with well…living.

I think the beers you see in PA are what allows them to be them. They brew just enough crowd pleasers but almost just as much, if not more, every day drinking beers.

Their lager “poolside” sells out constantly at the brewery; it was the first beer they brewed and they still brew it, better than ever, as with many of their OG beers. I cannot wait for fall and winter to drink Barrington brewed dreadnaught, their yearly dunkel, and blackbird, their yearly schwarzbier.

Thanks for the travel wishes… @JackHorzempa and @lordofthewiens

Driving to our yearly Vermont trip; with stops and taking our time it’s actually not half bad. Still not fun but way better than flying

 

Thanks for the opening @SawDog505

German Afternoons by Notch



Bayern Munich plays tonight in Cheeseland


4.25/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Canned 7.6, opened 7.23 poured into Nordic ipa , served with a plate of nachos ( mozzarella and taco blends) accompanied with Trader Joe’s autethentic Salsa. Jimmy Buffett on the sonos served at poolside waiting for @woemad to show up , Mrs WunderLlama reading a book whilst on the float

Clear golden liquid with several active carbonation , frothy two finger big bubbled foam cap , occasional lacings, settles to a solid island and ring

Aroma is crusty white bread, hint of florals , whiff of lemon

Taste is biscuity , bready malt, crackery, hint of florals ,

Good sudsing with an ever so gentle peppery hop nibble on the finish

Good beer for a hot summer day between Boston and Cape Cod

 

Hi NBWers. This is Siren Noire by Heavy Seas. Don't see much of Heavy Seas dark beers round these parts anymore, but I've never had a bad offering from them. This was picked up on closeout a week ago, it's a 2016 vintage.



Pours a nice dark black, there was a feint caramel head lingering but its receded. Nose is boozy and maybe a touch hot. Doubt that'll carry over at 9.5% and with several years on it. There's some scorched oak there too.

Nice thick mouthfeel. A lot of licorice and dark roasted malt, maybe some vinous fruit. Unexpected for the style, expected for a dark beer generally though. There's some mild barrel character, just a kind of sweet oak to the body and the finish is quite short. Not much residual sugar at the end. Not dry but not sweet. Nicely balanced beer with a healthy does of barrel character.

Enjoy the weekend!

 

Juice Machine

8.2% New England style IPA by Treehouse

Poured into a tulip glass today from a pint can dated 7-12.

The body pours a dark pineapple yellow with a fluffy head. Very good lacing throughout the tasting.

Magnificent aroma. Pineapple, Orange, passion fruit, lemon notes and a dankness provide a pleasurable experience. This aroma is the feature of the NE style that I like most. Use a tulip glass and enjoy the aroma throughout.

The taste begins with a slight bitterness that quickly dissipated into a light dankness. Easy finish as the light bitterness reappears. Super easy drinking.

Mouthfeel is good, soft but not oat soft.

A magnificent NE style IPA from one of the masters of the style.

 

Good morning BAs! Another cool rainy day here on the north side of the island. Today’s new to me breakfast beer is “Detective Stout #4” by Broken Boundary Brewing, Honolulu, HI. The brewer does not reveal the ingredients (the detective part) and invites imbibers to post their guesses on the brewery’s Instagram account. Not for me, but a clever social media ploy nonetheless:



Pours dark brown with ruby see-through and ok clarity; fizzy dark tan head; poor cap retention leaves pockets of micro dots afloat; thin plus ring; thin legs at best. Chocolate nose with a touch of anisette. Cocoa nibs, roast malt; mild bitter roast coffee; semi sweet vanilla in the finish. Medium light body, moderate minus carbonation; no warmth from 9.9% abv; dry dusty tongue coating. Overall a pretty average imperial stout; thin for abv; well balanced between bitter and sweet notes; chocolate linger.

4.25 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 3.75 | 3.75
Score: 3.78 rDev 0 I added beer to database.


A one and done for me. Glad I tried it, and would not turn down if offered, but would not seek out. Cheers and may your Saturday be awesome! Aloha y’all!

 

Thanks for kicking things off @SawDog505 !

@JackHorzempa - Thanks for your comparative review of your home brew and Tired Hands. I typically find when hype brands around here dabble into traditional styles their products are too hoppy, not consistent with the style and not as good as those breweries who consistently brew, tweak and perfect their beers over time. Still worthwhile to explore.

Starting off the weekend with a final Kolsch purchased for the tasting last week. I'm typically good with one beer a day at home (and not much more if drinking out), and four Kolsch in two days was overly ambitious. This Kolsch is brewed by a brewery which does typically cover the gambit of styles well over the past decade (RIP WIld Program).

Half Acre Kolsch



Can Notes: Purchased 7/6 at store temperature from Beer on the Wall ($3.75 single can with tax), refrigerated upon purchase. 16 oz, 5% ABV canned 5/26/22 @ 13:24. Banishment is the one word canning message. From their Continental Series.

Appearance: Clear straw base, light to mild carbonation, white head short and dissipates quickly, leaving nominal lacing throughout. 3.5

Aroma: Faint aroma, malt, mineral water. 2.5

Taste: Grainy cracker, light salt, a bit grassy. Tastes light and dull, lacking the sharp crisp taste of typical Kolsch. 2.75

Mouthfeel: Light, nominal body and carbonization. Drinks below ABV. Lightly dry and bitter overall, lingers a bit on the finish. Dull, not crisp. Lifeless. 2.25

Overall: Perhaps this was an off low fill can, but this was not up to Half Acre standards. Just a meh unexciting beer on my end. Perhaps I'd try 1-2 oz on draft to see if this was a bad one off, but wouldn't seek out packaged in the future. 2.5

Glad I didn't end the Kolsch tasting on this down note. Have a West Coast Collaboration IPA I've been looking forward to trying planned for tomorrow.

 

I am a sucker for nostalgia stubby bottles, and I haven't given this a proper review so this is long overdue.



Poured from the stubby bottle into a Budweiser shorty sham glass. An honest day's work might take days from the bottle cap message.

Pale to straw colored gold with real nice clarity, and reams of fine carbonation. The head is straight up styrofoam but actually has real decent retention and some staying power. Lingers with a big bright white fine bubbled top off three fingers for just a short enough bit to stay interesting.

Aroma has a real cereal grain flavor, and somewhat muted dextrose corn like sense. There's a whispy like clean quality to this, but doesn't have a sense of big sugar either. Comes off in a somewhat balanced way, but also strangely smells a little like burnt vegetative notes.
Palate is actually charming in some ways.

Light bodied definitely wet but holds just enough and doesn't go for a syrupy corn rush either. Palate has a light sweetness and non existent hop content. Mild sweet corn finish but also a simple clean touch that makes for real easy drinking. Manages to stay away from just enough of the bad qualities enough of mass adjuncts, pappery, watery. Syrupy, overly sweet and sugary this isn't.

Fairly good quaffable mass market lager, in fact if this was served even colder it might even be better.

look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Cheers!

 

I’ve wanted to revisit this beer to, I wanna say I had one can like 15-20 years ago.

I agree with you too, something beautifully nostalgic about that packaging and label.

 

Slow thread so far. It's definitely summer. I've been in, or next to the water all day, which has been an excellent place to be given the heat. It's been a great day and I figured I'd cap it off with the #1 rated Gueze on BA and #40 overall beer.....Duck Duck Gooze from The Lost Abbey.

4.47/5 rDev -3.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.75
Received from @Dimidiata. Pours a bright golden color with a small amount of short-lived white head that receded to a thin ring. Fully translucent, almost clear. Aroma has tons of funk, well complemented by complex wine and barrel noted. along with lemon & dandelion. Overall a wonderful smelling beer.

Taste picks up right where the nose left off. I get apricots, wine barrel, apple vinegar, lemon, hay and general barnyard funk. Acidity is spot on. Tart, but it doesn't beat you over the head, allowing all the other wonderful flavors their time in the spotlight. Light bodied, bright, crisp and clean.

Overall, an absolutely wonderful beer.

@Dimidiata I can't thank you enough. Absolutely loving this. I'm glad my wife doesn't like beer. I get the whole 750ml to myself!

 

Emperor Julius

8.8% New England style IPA by Treehouse

The body pours a faded orange with a nice fluffy head. Excellent lacing throughout.

Nose is a wonderful hoppy orange, peach and mango. Taste follows nose with the flavor muted a bit compared to aroma. Just enough bitterness to balance the beer, but not bitter as a sister beer like Juice Machine. A nice hop flavor rides the taste to an easy finish.

Very good mouthfeel and carbonation is perfect making this one dangerously drinkable given its ABV, which is felt but not tasted.