New Beer Weekend #107

Nice story! Thanks for sharing.

 

Started and finished my new to me stouturday brew with a 19.2% ABV brew: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/464241/?ba=bluejacket74#lists





Cheers and happy NBW everyone!

 

I'm going to channel my inner Ian a bit here. We left the house in Windham and moved on to Norway, ME. This house is quite literally on the lake:



The house is 90% beautiful with scraped hardwood floors, new sheetrock, and rustic but expertly done woodwork. Two docks and the deck. The kitchen, however, is the last ten percent that needs revamping and its somewhat of a disaster, but we will prevail.

Our first stop was Norway Brewing Company and I forgot food pictures. The food was excellent. The missus had smoked wings and I had a concoction called Cowboy Breakfast that was a potato pancake kinda thing topped with pulled pork, onion rings, and eggs. Both were outstanding, but what about da beah?



From left to right, Berliner Weisse, Mr. Grumpypants oatmeal stout, Little Bear Farmhouse Ale, and Maine State of Mind Pilsner. The losers bracket the winners. The weisse was insipid at best, and the pilsner while nicely flavored lacked the clean crispness I'd expect. The stout was outstanding and is brewed with an excellent coffee with the oats lending a nice smoothness. Perfect beer for brunch. The Farmhouse Ale was very interesting. It was brewed in 2018, aged on blueberries in oak for I forget how long, then blended back with the fresh base beer. Tons of flavor, very deep and tea-like blueberry and just short of too much oak woodiness. So two for four with great locally sourced food.

Stop 2 generated by the need to kill time before check in was Side by Each Brewing, a CSB that includes a coffee roaster/bagelry and an indoor food truck called Pinky D's (well, not really a truck - just a facade but still cool - featuring all sorts of poutine, and I mean some wild combinations. We will be going back to sample for sure. Carb overdose all on one setting.



Great space, kinda like a junior version of Jack's Abby, brewery visible through interior windows and it is spotless. Their model relies largely on subscriptions, and they only offer 32 and 64 ounce growlers to go plus 4 ounce and full pours on site. They feature fifteen beers on tap virtually all the time, a Cider, and a hard seltzer. Interesting model like a CSA where you can buy shares.



So here from left to right. Sonoran Sunrise a wheat sour with prickly pear and tangerine that was clean, crisp, nicely flavored and refreshing. Next is Liminal Time Only, a 3.8% milk stout with very little lactose sweetness and really more like a dry Irish stout, quite tasty. Next is Wicked Cunnin' that they call a red ale which I guess is an American amber? Very tasty, generously hopped nearly to the point of resembling a WCIPA - liked this one a lot. Last was a minor disappointment Sunshine on My Shoulders brewed in the Kolsch style - it seemed a bit "dirty" to me but the flavors were on the money. A bit of white grape, nice hop character, mildly bitter.

So we are settling in for charcuterie and Allagash Curieux. I hope the lake quiets down some - lots of boats, a yahoo on a jetski next door, more touristy than we are used to. Water crystal clear, sandy area around the docks, so should end up being nice.

 

Another beer from VT, this one, and several others, given to me by our great friends we stay with up there when we go. I've had a few Black Flannel beers before and they were all good, let see how their hazy ipa is.

Black Flannel - Disco Montage



On first pour this is a very attractive looking for the style, its just slightly more murky then I'd like but it has a beautiful orange hued look to it. Great dense white head that leaves some substantial lacing, it also has some great retention.

The nose is quite enjoyable too; it has a tropical fruit salad like smell to it but it has a noticeable pungent kick of orange citrus fruits to it as well, along with a pineapple like bite on the back end.

The taste follows the nose but to me the orange citrus and pineapple steal the show with the tropical vibe becoming much much less noticeable. This is not devoid of malt either, though it is nice and soft.

Great mouthfeel, part of my dislike for hazy ipa is the sweet and sometimes cloying overly thick mouthfeel. This one drinks incredibly clean for the style; it verges on finishing dry and the bitterness is noticeable and nice and clean as well; no hop burn nonsense just old school clean IBUs.

As far as hazy IPAs go this is to me almost as good as it can get, it hits the extra look notes and isn't overly fruity or sweet and it still tastes and reminds me a lot of beer. It is also what I think is the IPA sweet spot of between 6-7. This is a good enjoyable beer as far as hazies go; I would recommend to anyone who likes the style.

 

Started and finished!!! Now that is impressive. Cheers!

 

Nectarous yellow watermelon by Tree House


4.5/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5




Brewers Notes: Nectarous Yellow Watermelon is an American IPA brewed with a studious selection of fruit-forward American hops, yellow watermelon purée, and a touch of milk sugar.

Pouring a vibrant orange color into the glass, it carries delicate notes of juicy watermelon, summer melon, watermelon candy, honey, and apricot.

Meticulously brewed to be incredibly flavorful yet deliciously drinkable, Nectarous Yellow Watermelon is a delightful beverage with wide appeal—Enjoy!

Contains Lactose.

Canned 7.27, opened 8.6.22, “beach day beer”

Indeed, this beer tastes like summer

Poured into a tree house teku glass hazy orange liquid, streams of micro-carbonation crowned by a two finger creamy egg shell white foam cap, excellent retention, settles to a one finger thick layer after 10 minutes , some lacings

Aroma is melon, honeydew, watermelon , sweet florals, whiff of peach

Taste is juicy melon, yellow watermelon, honeydew

Soft and smooth mouthfeel , the watermelon taste nicely lingers , ever so slight hop nibble

Another fine Tree House beer

 

Sounds and looks like a magical time there so far...keep the stories and pictures coming.

 

Poured from a 12 oz, undated can and since it is named for Winter, I imagine it isn’t fresh. So take this with that in mind.
Poured orange colored and translucent with an off white 1” head.
The aroma was more malts than hops, which is perplexing. Not horrible, just unexpected.
The taste kinda follows, the piney bitterness was present but didn’t feel like it was from the hops. Hard to define why, just an oddity.
The feel was appropriate for the style, no issues there.
OA, it’s worth trying just to try and figure it out. Fresh may make a difference.
Cheers all!

 

We’re at the lake for today’s NBW and Ranger has decided to commandeer the boat …..



Fortunately, it was a peaceful commandeering, so Mrs O and I could proceed to happy hour and this beer as my offering for this evening without interference from our furry sweetheart.

Bring on the Tree House!





4.6/5 rDev -0.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a very hazy pineapple color with a creamy oatmeal colored head that laces the glass nicely. Beautiful beer. The nose is crammed with pineapple, mango, and orange creamsicle aromas. Salivation has begun.

The taste is all about that pineapple/mango exacta, which leads perfectly to that orange creamsicle flavor that really elevates this beer. Delicious stuff. The mouthfeel is full and on the softer side, fitting the style.

This beer illustrates the Tree House playbook exceptionally well - flavorful, juicy hop bombs that drink oh so easily, drawing you back for sip after sip, until that 8.4% ABV decides to whop you upside the head.

Consider me a fanboy.

 

Good afternoon BAs! I found today’s new to me beer on a shelf in a liquor store in Hilo, warm and no canning date…but what the heck - Flying IPA from Echigo Beer Co., Niigata, Japan:



Pours deep gold with very good clarity; tight white one finger of foam; very good cap retention; solid ring; spotty lacing. Lemon grass nose. Light bitter Meyers lemon; firm malt base; no sweetness; dull bitter earthy hop finish. Medium light body; moderate minus carbonation; no warmth from 6% abv; no astringency. Overall a very good American-style IPA; I’d drink again if ever given the chance.

4.5 | 3.75 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0
Score: 3.99 rDev +11.5


Cheers and have a great weekend y’all!

 

In Little Rock, once again. On the way back from my lake vacation in Southern Illinois.

Visited Flyway Brewing in North Little Rock. I have been here a few times before. I always thought they were fairly average. Though I had their Peregrine Pale Ale last time through town, and thought was excellent. So I gave the brewpub another try this time round. Apparently this was on that Diners Drive Inns and Dives show, and now its packed to the gills. So to speak (got to try and work those fishing jokes in somehow )

Nine Killer Imperial IPA, 9.9% ABV


Pours an orange/reddish color. A one finger white head forms and recedes after a minute. Light lace is left behind.
Aroma is of citrus, pine and resin up front. Plenty of caramel malts as well. Fairly restrained, but the classic DIPA notes are there.
Taste wise, like the nose, citrus and pine resin. Caramel malts, sweetness, and maybe just a touch buttery (can't say for sure if it is the dreaded D). There is a light lingering bitterness. While not bad, could have some more umph.
A medium to full body, with moderate carbonation. A sticky, chewy, sweet malt body. I wish this was a bit more heft flavor wise, and the hops brighter. Though not hard to drink at the brewpub.

An average DIPA. This didn't really grab me, I kept thinking I wanted a brighter hop profile. Not that this doesn't have the classic citrus and pine of old, just not very vibrant for me. Decent, and fine to drink at the brewery, but not particularly noteworthy.

Overall score is 3.47, B
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45706/339099/?ba=champ103#lists

Next is their Magdelene Tripel. 9.6% ABV.



Pours a pale yellow color. A one finger white head forms, but recedes quickly. Light lace left behind. This is a Belgian Tripel. there needs to be big foam and lacing.
The nose is a mix of white grape, and plastic phenols. Some nondescript malt character in the finish.
Taste wise, the grape character is almost gone here. What is left is plastic phenols, and sweetness. Maybe a touch of lingering grassy bitterness.
A medium to full body. Moderate carbonation that becomes smooth as this breaths. Wish it was less sweet though. Certainly not hard to drink one at the brewery.

An OK example of a Belgian Tripel. Like a lot of Americanized examples, a plastic phenolic like character takes over. There was just a whiff of grapes and maybe esters, but that vanished quickly. If that played a bigger part, this would have a better score from me. Just OK as is.

Overall score is 3.4, another B
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45706/339105/?ba=champ103#lists

Had a Greek Flat bread as well, which was pretty good.

 

Here's a new offering from Mt. Holly, Vermont.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/60182/616032/



16 ounce can.
Canned 7/29/22.

Hops//Mosaic, Nelson.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a near one inch white head over a quite hazy,
light golden body with a bit of lacing.

Nose of oranges, oranges, and more oranges.

Taste of white grape, citrus, and a bit of stone fruit.

Nice, near full mouthfeel.

Overall, a nice first effort on an Imperial IPA and one to look out for, as I thoroughly enjoyed this.

Cheers and LFGM!

 

I get heaps of grief from my family when I position my beer shots but I agree with you, i really liked the way this image came out. Gorgeous spot on the harbor

 

Poster or poser?

 

Poured into a 16 oz steel pint glass not sure when it was canned. Pours an attractive hazy yellow with finger sticky white head that leaves thick streaks of lace, with solid retention. 4.25

Aroma is white grapes, peach, mango, mandarin, and apricot. 3.75

Taste follows white grapes, peach, mango, mandarin, and apricot well balanced. 4

Mouthfeel is above average, maybe a tad dry, soft gentle carbonation, and at 8% it goes down easy enough. 4.25

Overall this one with Nelson, Citra, and Galaxy is solid for sure and worth a try. Cheers all. 4

 

Canned on 8/5/22 a collaboration with Long Live and Belleflower. Pours a very attractive near pitch black with a 2 finger sticky mocha head that leaves massive gobs of lace with excellent retention. 4.75

Aroma is exactly what you expect hazelnut, cocoa nibs, and vanilla bean. 4.5

Taste one dimensional but insanely tasty. Cocoa, hazelnut, and vanilla balanced and pretty darn amazing. 4.75

Mouthfeel is above average, not sticky or dry, gentle carbonation but spot on, and at 12% it goes down far too easy. 4.5

Overall this is a pretty insane stout, with a wow factor for me. I wanted to love especially with the adjuncts and really pretty darn dazzled. 4.75

 

Seems like it's a pilsner kind of weekend...

Anyways I finally got some Warsteiner Pilsner for my Warsteiner Pilsner glass. I'm not as much of a poser anymore hooray! Anyways it's what you'd expect: crisp, refreshing, drinkable, hand has a decent hit of bitter hops before a nice bready maltbill. It's good and I'd drink it again but it's a bit of a benchmark for the style.

 

My 2nd beer of the night and also my 2nd new beer of the weekend, some Fuller's London Pride. I've seen it at the total beverage a few times but I never picked it up because it only comes in a 4pk for 10 bucks before tax, but tonight I couldn't resist since nothing in the Craft beer section caught my eye, and it's damned good too. Super balanced, hoppy, and malty. I don't know why this one doesn't get too much love.

 

I guess this is my 3rd post here in a row, but hey it's a new beer. Mississippi Mud Black & Tan contract brewed by the F.X. Matt Brewing Co, commissioned by who knows what company.

Despite the contract brewing and the odd 32oz format it's pretty dang good. Nothing off and it's pretty refreshing, but everything about it is lighter than I wanted. The flavor and aroma is perfect I just wish there was a whole lot more of it. Blackadder tans are kinda the way to go it seems.

 

JK also made a cornbread kvass - I'll watch for it next trip to SAT.