New Beer Weekend #109

Not only a new to me beer, I have never hear of this brewery before. When I saw it at my local store, I think I might have confused this with Fair Isle. Thinking they were making some "clean" or other styles instead of their wild ale/Saisons they are known for.

Anyway, Fair State Brewing, Hefeweizen. 4.8% ABV.


Pours a cloudy yellow color. A dense two finger white head forms with good retention. With spotty lace left down the glass.
Aroma is big banana esters, along with clove/spice. Husky wheat, and yeast characters. Pretty classic example of the style, which I like.
Taste wise, follows the nose. Banana esters and a clove spice kick. This becomes a bit sweeter, more on the bubblegum side of things as this warms.
A light body. Almost lighter than expected. Not that that is bad, though even at low ABV, Hefeweizens can usually seem a bit more hefty than the ABV would suggest. Not so much here. Moderate carbonation, that becomes ultra smooth. Definitely easy to drink, and something I will come back to.

All the classic notes are there. Not a bad example of the style at all. It doesn't reach the heights of some regional and imports I easily have access to. Though I'll have no problem making space in my rotation for more of this.

Overall score is 3.72. Boarders, but doesn't quite reach B+ territory for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35996/138230/?ba=champ103#lists

I also have a Czech Dark Lager from them I'm looking forward to opening this afternoon.

 

I guess I never even thought of bud when I said I never had a rice lager. This one that was marketed as such was distinctly different but it could’ve been for other reason too…

I stand by it reminded me of an AAL without being as sweet. I’m not sure how much of the grainy lemon bite came from the rice or just hops.

Ill have to try more to get a bigger picture; I really should try asahi and Sapporo to see how they compare to the one I had.

 

Rice has a general reputation of being a flavor neutral grain. I normally use corn (flaked corn) when brewing my annual batch of Classic American Pilsner but a few years ago when I went to my Local Homebrew Store to pick up some flaked corn they were all out. The owner told me the day before a guy came into his shop and bought up all of the flaked corn for a batch of whiskey he was making. I purchased flaked rice instead and that batch of CAP turned out well but the use of rice vs. corn did result in a more flavor neutral beer in comparison.

Cheers!

 

Well, in my strong opinion the so called "Mexican Lagers" are simply AAL beers and in the case of beers like Corona, Modelo Especial,..) they just happen to be brewed in Mexico.

An AAL beer does not have to be brewed in the US. The best selling beer in the UK is an AAL (Carling Lager).

Below is what Vinepair has to ‘say’ about “Japanese Rice Lager”:

“Essential Info

Color: Very pale gold

ABV: 4.5%-5%

Commercial Examples: Asahi Super Dry, Sapporo Premium Beer, Kirin Lager

If you’ve eaten at a Japanese restaurant and had a beer with your meal, there’s a strong chance it was a Japanese Rice Lager. Like certain American or Macro Lagers, Japanese Rice Lagers are made with a large proportion of “adjunct” grain added to the malted barley (in this case, though, rice is used exclusively). The result is an ultra light-colored beer with a lighter flavor profile that might have some residual sweetness balanced by a subtle bite from hops. Higher carbonation is common, as is a drier, refreshing finish.”

https://vinepair.com/beer-101/japanese-rice-lager-beer-style-guide/

Now, from my perspective a beer like Budweiser would be consistent with the above details/description. If we accept the above as a ‘style guideline description’ it sure seems to me that a Japanese Rice Lager is an AAL beer.

But you have more experience here with your ten reviews so....

Cheers!

 

Urban Chestnut Urban Underdog American Lager, 4.7 % ABV; 3.43 overall

Pours an effervescent straw color with 2+ fingers of fluffed up eggshell colored head. Traces of head retention & lacing

S: Traces of citrus & grassyness, sweet grainy notes once warm

T: Lime, grassyness, some soft sweet grainy/cereal notes & dryness up front. Dryness, grassyness & just a touch of sweetness as this beer warms up, just a kiss of lime. Finishes dry, a little sweet & a touch of lemon

MF: Light/medium body, delicate carbonation. Skews a little sweet & the body is a little too thin for me

Was hoping for more across the board, the sweetness & lack of body, just don't quite do it for me. I'd just a soon have a Bud Light

 

Hey all! I had two new beers to contribute but I couldn't wait to enjoy the first one and had it as a shower beer It was Tucher Festbier, which I believe was a new entry to the Oktoberfest game last year. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but there wasn't much to talk about with regards to it anyway, so not much was lost.

That leaves this, Sierra Nevada's Liquid Hoppiness. Picked up a sixer of this at my local store because I realized I didn't have any beer and I have tomorrow and the next day off!



Pour is gorgeous, which is expected from SN at this stage in the game. Looks nice and clear while entering my glass but builds up with a surprising bit of haze once it's all in there. Also, probably hard to tell from the picture but this has a lot of suspended solids, meaning it really doesn't fit the "NEIPA" standard of consistent haze. At this point, I'm kinda over the opaque IPA game and ready to shift back to the days when having "floaties" in your IPAs meant it was "unfiltered" and "raw," which inevitably turned off quite a few people... maybe I'm becoming a hipstery curmudgeon but, whatever... I've earned the right I think.

The nose here is a little understated but not bad. Full disclosure... it was canned on 7/6/22, meaning it's about 6.5 weeks old. SN's IPAs tend to stand up alright despite a bit of age which would obliterate your average small brewery's DDH IPA in terms of freshness-over-time (perceived "freshness," anyway). I'm getting some papaya and candied grapefruit with hints of tangerine and grassiness. Light twiggy berries and some surprising ethanol heat (weird, as it's only 7% as stated on the can) as it warms... which it unfortunately does quite quickly because damn it's hot out on my porch.

Flavor profile is pretty good, but rather generic. Not like I really expect or even want SN to rock the boat much. They're like THE consistently-solid craft brewery making accessible IPAs at this point, so yeah. Biscuity malt with a surprising chewiness to it followed by pithy orange and grapefruit bitterness. Playful sweetness that hints at balance toward the finish, followed by herbal and punchy hops that leave a decent parting gift. Feel is moderate but heavier than I figured it would be. Not the best recent SN IPA, but it works.

Yesterday I built and installed a shelf unit for my Gunpla...



Working on a new one now... no rest for the wicked!




Cheers all!

 

just met my new nephew a little bit ago, my sisters first. I always forget how small newborns are, wild.

Grabbed at OEC last weekend…

Ettaler - Helles



Pours a light crystal clear gold, perfectly white dense compact large head, some great retention and beautiful full glass lacing.

The nose is fresh baked light bread and some subtle fresh malt notes. It is a very simple and yet very pleasant smell.

The taste gives much of the same impression being soft simple and light bready malt. There is hops showing in the taste more so than the nose; in a very low spice way.

The mouthfeel is what gets me most in this beer…it is incredibly bright and refreshing; so much so that it is hard to stop drinking, this beer quenches thirst. It is light in body but full in feel, amazingly clean finish. The carbonation is noticeably smooth and almost creamy in sensation.

This beer is one incredibly easy drinking and refreshing beer. A beer you could drink and drink without thinking twice, very glad to have tried. I would love to try more from this brewery someday.

 

Picked this up at the source, Counterweight Brewing, yesterday. They had it on tap, but I didn't get to try it so I left with a 4-pack.
For those that don't know Riwaka is a New Zealand hop and I think they made a nice little pun out of it. This clocks in at 6.5%.
Sorry for the fuzzy pic. I did better with the backside of the can.

4.05/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from a 16oz can stamped PUGILIST ANDROID 08/11/22 to a Nonic at fridge temp.
A hazy yellow/gold body sits below a 3/4” white head which fades in about a minute. After that lacing is minimal to none.
The aroma is sweet with hints of peach.
The taste is drier than the aroma suggests, but stone fruit is definitely there. So is some dankness.
Mouthfeel is medium to light for a hazy.
I wish I bought more than a 4-pack.

 

Fair State Brewing, Tmave Pivo. 4.4% ABV, Czech Dark Lager.



Pours a dark brown, near black color. Some ruby around the edges. A dense tan head rises with excellent retention and lace.
Aroma is of roasted malts and coffee that takes over. Not a lot of nuance in the nose, but its still enjoyable.
Taste wise, like the nose, roasted malts are big. Though it does round out a little better than I originally thought it would. Dry coffee roast, dark bread crust and chocolate. Lager yeast is faint and in the background.
A medium body. Crisp carbonation that is effervescent and smooth at the same time. Finishes very dry. Not having any problems downing this. Maybe the roast becomes a little too much for my liking, which just means I might not have two in a row. Though can easily see me getting more.

I don't have a ton of experience with the Czech Dark Lager style. This definitely has a highly roasted quality to it. I'm not sure if other examples are this roasted, but maybe some Saaz, or other Nobel hop variety could add just a touch of bitterness to help balance and push this over the top to being really great IMO. As is, still very much enjoyable and glad this style is gaining more traction.

Overall score is 3.98, B+
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35996/585298/?ba=champ103#lists

Its a Randy Newman afternoon, if you want to join me over at the WBAYDN thread, thats what I'll be spinning

 

Bangin' Tin Old-Fashioned Brown Ale

9% brown ale by Hoppin’ Frog

Delicious holiday ale that features a mild brown ale base with nutmeg and cinnamon.

Body puts a basic brown with little head and no discernible lacing during the tasting.

Nose is a pleasant mix of nutmeg and cinnamon. Aroma is clear but not overly done.

Taste follows nose but adds an apple flavor to the malty body making the ale quite sweet (though well paired to the spicing.) The ABV is well masked.

Mouthfeel is heavy and carbonation should be better.

The brew was likely a one off with proceeds benefiting the Akron Rotary Camp for Children with Special Needs. Overall a good holiday beer best imbibed cold to inhibit the sweetness.

 

Hey what's going on?!

I have had a ridiculously insane tiring busy weekend, and I am ready now for my reward.

I am a man of few words....
...
any questions?

right.. moving along.



Poured from the bottle into a teku glass. Vintage 2021.

Deep nearly black with an almost fudge like consistency in color and body appearance. Opaque as can be, with a nice controlled one finger head of light tan color, and very pin point tiny bubbles. Settles to a real nice even thick collar and a whispy top and blackened ring.

Aroma is decent but lacks much barrel character. More of a dominant note of classic dark roast and pepper. Has a bit of a cherry fruit note to it, but this real doesn't come off like it's barrel aged at all on the nose which is disappointing. There's a little lack in diversity of flavor here too.

Finally the palate wakes everything up. Real nice light velvety fudge texture and chocolate flavor. Good hits of Mexican like chocolate and heat, with still that touch of berried fruit. Finishes real nice and spicy and prickly on the tongue and back of the gullet, almost a touch wine like in flavor too. Hits a touch of oak spice with the added pepper and cinnamon really makes for a nice woody hinting stout.

Thought this was going to be a disappointment, turned out way better than I expected. I expect nothing less from this series, it has never disappointed me.

look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 | BA Score: 4.13

Cheers!

 

Goose Island Laser Brain DDH DIPA, 8.8% ABV; 4.0 overall

Pours an effervescent honey/gold with 2+ fingers of cream colored head. Okay head retention & lacing

S: Tropical fruit, that fades a bit once warm

T: Guava, passion fruit, a touch of pineapple & dryness up front. Green melon sneaks in as this warms, along with passion fruit, mango & nectarine, plus dryness. Finishes with nectarine, passion fruit. dryness & a touch of green melon

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, nice balance

A very nice offering from the Evil Empire, this is one I'd buy again

 

Good afternoon NBW
My last new to me oktoberfest for this weekend.

Golden Road Oktoberfest
12oz can stamped BEST ENJOYED BY 11/18/2022 poured into a mug at fridge temp 5.8% ABV per can. The beer pours mostly bright copper in color with light khaki head. The head fizzles away in a few minutes. There are some bubbles rising around the edge of the glass and an island of microscopic bubbles in the center. Not a bit of lacing. The aroma is caramel malt with a hint of bready malt. The taste is semisweet caramel malt with a bit of twang and virtually nothing past mid palate. No hop flavor or bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin bodied, even watery with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Fairly clean lager. Overall, ok. Nothing about this beer in my glass suggests that it is the same beer described on its BA page. Think caramel colored AAL...

This is the last oktoberfest from the mixed case. I would definitely not recommend picking it up as the Goose Island and Golden Road beers are rather weak.

Cheers all!

 

A Czech Dark Lager may have some roast qualities (or barely any all) but heavy roast should not be there. During my two week visit to the Czech Republic in 2019 the majority of Czech Dark Lagers had no/little roast.

It would seem the Fair State people were 'thinking outside the box' with their beer.

It reads like you enjoyed drinking this beer.

Na Zdravi

P.S. I am a Randy Newman fan. I really enjoy the song Sail Away which I suspect does not get played on the radio these days!?!

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. I'm not sure what possessed me to review a BA Imperial Stout on a warm, muggy, late August afternoon but I've been enjoying Bonesaw Brewing's (Glassboro, NJ) high gravity stouts and ales lately. Call Me Chris aged for over a year in Tennessee Whiskey and Rye barrels. This is the 2021 release. And while not a superstar it's rock solid and enjoyable.

Poured at 61°. The color is a dark mahogany with cola hues at the bottom of the glass and it sports a large, foamy, frothy yellow-khaki head and a thin sheen of creamy lacing. Its nose offers whiskey, char, leather, tobacco, and just a hint of caramel. About the only sweetness in the taste comes from the Tennessee Whiskey. Otherwise, it's nicely dry and bitter. The influence of the Rye barrels is noticeable. As it continues to warm and breathe, I also taste baker's chocolate, tobacco smoke, and oaky, nutty char. It has a nice depth of flavor but it remains a very basic (in a good way) Imperial Stout. The mouth feel is not quite as thick and creamy as I'd hoped. The carbonation level is lite-moderate. It appears that Bonesaw has dialed back the ABV; this release is 10.5% and it's not distracting. Overall, Call Me Chris is a well-crafted Imperial Stout. I like it a lot more than Bonesaw's Le Dejeuner, which I thought was overly sweet. It has enough substance to pair with a hearty meal or to sip after it.

4.12/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This will be it for me today. It's going to be a busy week at work and we're heading down to North Carolina on Friday to see son/fiancee and daughter/fiance to plan for upcoming weddings. Cheers, NBW!

 

Bourbon barrel aged affogato by trillium


4.49/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5



Whale hunting

Brewers Notes: Collaboration with J. Wakefield Brewing

We took our original J. Wakefield collaboration Affogato Imperial Stout and aged it in bourbon barrels for 6 months at our Hudson Road barrel house. Affogato Imperial Stout is inspired by a few of our brewers' favorite summertime pick-me-up (& cool-me-down) Barrington's affogato.

Barrel Aged Affogato Imperial Stout is decadent, rich and full. Brewed with a blend of Barrington & Mostra beans, Affogato leads with aromas of vanilla, toasted marshmallows and subtle notes of bourbon. Barrel Aged Affogato has a full, satisfying body and an indulgent palate of vanilla cream, hot cocoa, rich brownie batter, with complimentary doses of smooth coffee and bourbon.

MALT: American 2-Row Barley, Crystal 120, Flaked Oats, Black Malt, Chocolate Malt, Munich Malt, White Wheat Malt, Brown Sugar, Dark Candied Syrup, Lactose
HOPS, ETC: Columbus, Barrington and Mostra Coffees, Madagascar Vanilla Beans

On tap at Trillium Canton, 5oz snifter , black motor oil , thin dark brown big bubbled layer quickly settles to a ring

Aroma is cocoa, brown sugar, bourbon, and yes brownie batter

Taste is bourbon, cocoa, brownies, coffee

Fizzy mouthfeel , rich, decadent , 13.8% abv, this is a sipper

Good beer

 

Time for another new beer.



Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass.

Bright tangerine orange, with a slightly opaque appearance but enough to see some fine rise of bubbles come through. Head is billowing and large. Fistful bright white with loads of fluffy and rocky topped thick bubbles. Huge retention and staying power, a few big pops only lets you get to the goods. Still this is not out of control, and gives a great aggressive appearance.

Hop forward aroma of some neat complexity. Soft juice orange, with hints of spiced zest and tropical fruit notes. Mushed up fruit punch with a hint of thick grass in the mix too.

Palate really goes for the throat. Juiced up and rich tasting, with a feel somewhere between soft milk and juicy fruit creamy character. Palate is a nice hop bonanza of tropical fruit, with mixing creamy flavors, soft earthy tones and light herbal to pine like spice. A real complex forward hop combo that leaves a boat load of room for exploration. Finishes with more spice and earth light bitterness, mixing touches of sweetness fruit hop and cream.

Real neat tasting IPA this might be the breweries best to date as far as I am concerned.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5 | BA Score: 4.4

Cheers!

 

Welcome one and all to New Beer Sunday #913!

Planning in splitting a few new to me beers this afternoon. First one is from one of four styles we will be featuring next weekend.

Rodenbach Alexander



Bottle Notes: 5.6 of 11.2 oz, remainder split with my brother. Poured into a tall wine glass. Aged in Oak Foeders. Flanders Red Ale macerated with juice from sour cherries. Crafted and brewed in Roeselare, Belgium.

Appearance: Rusty bronze base, egg white tan head leaves a cream ring above the wine glass. Fizzy carbonation visible through the murky base. 4.25

Aroma: Tart sour cherries, light vinegar, strong and excellent. 4.5

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, tartness even more intense than aroma leads, vinegar a little stronger. Getting oak I couldn’t pick up in the aroma. Cherry more sweet than sour as this warms. Wonderful cherry experience. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Lightly syrupy, medium sweet body, continues to increase sweetness over tartness. Strength hits you, as does the intense fruit. Light sweetness lingers. 4.25

Overall: This is a very enjoyable beer. I appreciate fruit beers at times in the warm Summer, and this does not disappoint. Will buy this again, really enjoyable beer. 4.5

Another European beer to follow.

 

I did enjoy it, though the more I drank, the more it resembled a lighter stout, and was wondering if that was more of an Americanized trait. I'll have to get another and see if my opinion changes...which can happen from time to time.

And I was listening to Sail Away today as well