New Beer Weekend #110

I selected this beer in honor of our host, @Mdog. I desired a beer that is very different from the last beer I drank. The look is light orange/gold murky honey. There is a light white medium-size lacy foamy firmament. The smell is bready orange juice. Grapefruit and pineapple. Slight white grape. The taste is yeasty tropical juice, primarily mango and grapefruit. Slightly bitter. There are some Iemon and grass flavors. The mouthfeel is smooth, juicy, full, and lightly carbonated. Overall, this is a good, Kirk Cousins-level, DDH NEIIPA.

 

Starting my beer day light. This is a "Kolsch inspired" ale from Grey Sail Brewing. Canal street is where their brewery is in Westerly RI. It's in a 100+ year old pasta factory. I've been there a few times pre-Covid. The tap room is in what was the Italian family's "mansion" next door and there are some original murals of Italian landscapes on the walls. Very unique.
The label says Crushable, 3.9% and 110 calories.


Poured from a 12oz can stamped STREET KÖLSCH 04/28/22 to a Nonic at fridge temp.
A light yellow translucent body sits below a 3/4” white head which fades in about a minute. After that lacing is minimal to none.
The aroma is bready with a hint of grass.
The taste is Kolsch-like with a nice Noble hop flavor and a little bit spicy.
Mouthfeel is quite thin, but this is a slammer.
A good beer for fishing, mowing and summer sports.

 

All right, New Beer Weekend folks, time for a fun one for me and I'm going to run long with a post for a change . I debated adding it to this thread, because it's likely only to be available in Virginia; feel free to pick some up if you are heading to or through here (independent of how I review it below). "Is it for a good cause?" you may ask.

No. But if you have followed WBAYDN through a collegiate sports tournament within the past half dozen years or so, you might recognize a certain affinity I have for a state university. This beer, made by Starr Hill (based in Charlottesville) is made "in partnership" with the University of Virginia.

The beer is called Wahoowa - which is an exclamation meant to represent a support and cheer for university (as well as a key component of the ending to our "fight song") in Charlottesville who's students bear the moniker of "wahoo" (much debate as to why, oft referencing the marine animal bearing the same name).

Starr Hill makes an IPA called Northern Lights that was one of my favorite beers in my early explorations into craft, although over time I grew less fond of it. It's been a while, might need a revisit, but I digress. I've not had many Starr Hill beers recently, though we've been meaning to head to the new tasting room they opened in Tysons Corner. So let's see if Wahoowa can live up to the high level of excellence of its partner (if you ignore that gridiron sport)

This is listed as a pale ale (APA), likely in an attempt to appeal to a wider swath of people, so maybe the style doesn't have to die. Starr Hill claims:

First off, it pours a lot more pale than I expected. Not 100% sure why I expect an APA to have more toasted malts that would bring a more amber color, but I do (must not be to much Vienna malt?). The prestige of Jefferson's university must being filling the beer's head as much as it does its graduates, since the froth builds up nicely, falls with grace, and leaves its mark on the world it inhabits.

The nose has an edge of spent grain, but a fairly lemony note that pairs with a dry grass to hay note that might be familiar to a few beer drinkers as well as someone wandering in central Virginia during summer. There's a hint of sweetness countering the herbal citrus note that teeters between sugar and honey.

The beer is soft on opening, but with a firm bitterness as the ending draws near (I'll avoid another reference to our football team). The grains and initial bitter notes evoke a dry cracker with a dirty metallic topping that might not be unlike the red Piedmont clay I recall from my youth. A little honey patrols the sidelines like Coach Bennett with his never salty disposition. I'm also getting a little bit of watermelon in some sips, oddly enough.

Relatively, the lemon is quite muted in the taste when compared to the nose; the taste brings more peel replete with pith versus a lemon wheel sprinkled with zest. I'm guessing Wahoowa took a brief stroll down The Lawn to pick up some grassy notes before heading to the conifers in the woods of the Blue Ridge mountains.

The GF claimed, "It tastes like a beer." Of course her palate isn't as sophisticated as that of many a UVa graduate, but I also can't disagree with her on this one. I felt the vibrancy of the hops in nose and taste indicated a pretty fresh beer, but even I was surprised to find it is under two weeks old (like I wouldn't have bought a six pack of this beer at any age). Also, can't argue with the clarity Starr Hill provides in their dating:


So, fairly shortly after graduating from the fermentation tank and into the can, this is a lemon/grass mildy but distinctly bitter pale ale. It's lighter in body and though not as crisp or bready as a German Pilsner, it comes to me as a cousin (probably second) of that style. It'll be curious to see how it holds up after a few weeks. Regardless, I'll definitely be buying more and do hope it sells enough to make it through its First Year with honors.

 

Trying to attempt to Flanders Oud Bruin selections for our Brett Beer / Flanders Oud Bruin / Flanders Red Ale and Wild Ale tasting this weekend. Hope you can join us. Staring out with a Flanders Oud Bruin from Norway. WOF contestants would end up owing Norwegian Pat Sajac money if they had to buy a vowel.

HaandBryggeriet Haandbakk



Bottle Notes: Green Bottle purchased at store temperature at The Beer Temple 8/24/22, $16.53 with tax. 12.7 ounces, 6.7% ABV (1.8% lower than the BA 8.5% ABV), no bottle date noted, despite the "Best Before: See Bottle" notation, but at least a few years old as it was imported by Shelton Brothers. Nordic Oud Bruin aged in oak barrels.

Ingredients: Water, malted barley, malted wheat, hops, yeast, lactobacillus.

Haandbakk is our take on a sour brown or oud bruin. A beloved classic, this was the first commercial sour in Norway. Brewed and bottled by Haandbryggeriet AS, Jacob Borchsgate 6, 3012 Drammen - Norway.

Appearance: Dark dirty plum bronze base, egg white bubbles last a split second before receding, despite the aggressive pour into a tulip glass. Looks somewhat ugly, but consistent with style expectations. 3.75

Aroma: Sour cherries lead, backed by a pleasant oak scent. Vinegar follows and becomes stronger with a few additional attempts. 3.75

Taste: Flavors more intense than the nose leads, starting with a sour cherry which makes me pucker. Mild to strong tannic acid, oak nice and grows in prevalence with each new sip. Very sour, makes this a slow journey, at least a few ounces in. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Light body, no carbonation, drinks stronger than the listed ABV, tart and sour predominant features here. Sipping / slowly working through, enjoying all the while. Light sour aftertaste, a little dry as well. 4.0

Overall: About halfway through and my body is getting adjusted to the sour and acidity. I am enjoying this, but 12.7 oz may be the limit in terms of my stomach tolerating the acidity and sourness that my mouth is currently enjoying. This is a solid beer, I would order again, but splitting the bottle or ordering a 5-8 oz draft pour would be the perfect serving size for me. 4.0

Will see how I feel this evening in terms of whether a second beer is in order, and if so the style.

 

Still need to visit that brewery. I'm just a little daunted by how long a drive it would be to get home from there after drinking there.

 

I have a handful of new beers from local breweries today, kind of per usual as I make my rounds around town.

Visited Holler Brewing as they have a new "Cold IPA". This might be the first one available in Houston, certainly the first one I know about.

Freeze Frame, 6.6% ABV


Pours a yellow color with a light haze. A one finger white head forms and leaves some lace behind.
A fairly simple, but fruit hoppy aroma. Citrus, peach, pineapple. That is about it, decent if a bit one dimensional.
Taste wise, like the nose, fairly straight forward and one dimensional. Lightly "juicy" with citrus, peach and pineapple that becomes pretty sweet. Just a touch of bitterness lingering.
A medium body with moderate carbonation. A bit thicker and sweeter than I was expecting, but finishes smooth. OK to drink. Not something I'm really wanting to come back to though.

Yeah, this is just an IPA. Not sure where the "Cold" or even lager part comes in? Maybe this does use a lager yeast, but no real reason to call this anything other than a regular modern IPA. With juicy fruity hops to boot. Not bad overall, but Holler use to have a legit great hoppy lager series..that they just called The Pale Lager Series . This is far from that, and I doubt Holler will get back to those highs anytime soon (as they have new owners and new brewer).

After the last few new beers from them, I'm not sure if I'm going to be going back often...what once was my favorite brewery in the area is kind of a shell of its former self.

Overall score is 3.47, B-
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45647/618642/?ba=champ103#lists


Another new IPA, from Bailson Brewing. No marketing for this one, just a straight forward West Coast IPA.

Humble Beginnings, 6.7% ABV



Pours with a slight haze. A golden/orange color. With a one finger white head that eventually forms as this settles, and recedes to leave some lace.
Aroma...Oh this is dank up front. Legit weed dankness. Which I enjoy to an extent, but becomes a bit over the top. Some citrus and grapefruit eventually comes out for some balance. Interesting.
Taste wise, like the nose, that dankness is up front. While still strong, but not as over the top. Citrus and grapefruit like hops, and a lingering bitterness pulls this all together. Simple enough, but still has a lot of character.
A medium body with good crisp carbonation. Finishes dry. Maybe not as easy to drink as I would like, basically because of the dankness. Though enjoyable enough at the brewery, and this is an interesting interpretation of the style.

I can see the appeal of this. Again, that dankness is like weed. Which in equal parts, I enjoy, and kind of cringe at. If that makes sense. Not a perfect IPA for me, but can still enjoy it for what it is, and can see me coming back to this on occasion.

Overall score is 3.79, just at the B/B+ cut off for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50448/618645/?ba=champ103#lists

 

And the last of my new beers for the afternoon. Stopped by Equal Parts Brewing. They just tapped their Munich Dunkel Lager for only the second time. Very happy to find this.

Neo-Noir, Munich Dunkel, 5.7% ABV



Pours a dark brown, with some ruby highlights around the edges. A two finger beige head forms with excellent retention and lace left behind.
A malty aroma for sure. Toasted malts, bread and cereal grains. Maybe just a touch of earthy hops in the finish. Simple but enjoyable.
Taste wise, oh yeah. The malt character here is excellent. That is rounded, nuanced, and welcoming. Toasted, baked dark breads, Light chocolate, with some sweetness. Just enough earthy hops in the finish to give the allusion of light bitterness and balance. Excellent
A medium body with crisp carbonation. That becomes ultra smooth as this warms and breaths. The malt gives the perfect amount of weightiness, and while there is some sweetness, finishes dry. Which makes for a very easy to drink example of the style. Downed in big gulps and am looking for another quickly (and had multiple at the brewery).

One of the better American craft examples of the style I have had in a long time. Really well made, and hope to find this more often. I can't recommend this enough.

Overall score is 4.27, easy A for me.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/44383/589504/?ba=champ103#lists

 

Industrial Arts Week 312, a cold IPA.
Well I'm back with a much heavier hitter. Yea, it's 7%, big deal, what I mean is flavor, flavor flavor. This thing packs a mouth punch.
My first Cold IPA. We're all led to believe it's the coming thing. Well I hope this one is representative because then I'm boarding the Cold IPA train.

4.23/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 16oz can stamped 07/20/22 to a Nonic at fridge temp.
A golden translucent body sits below a 3/4” white head. The head fades to a ring, but will lace the glass mildly with a swirl through most of the session. Tiny bubbles neuclate through the glass, Pils-like, but just a little more restrained.
The aroma is quite hoppy with a dank musty grape background.
The taste is considerably bitter but in a good way. I would say the Galaxy dominates and the Nelson is hidden, but you can find it if you concentrate. There are no off flavors but you can sense the alcohol.
Mouthfeel is on the light side, but I think that's great. Sure feels like a Pilsner if you can ignore that powerful flavor for an instant.
My first cold IPA. I hope this is a good example because I really like it. Like a powerfully flavored west coast IPA that drinks like a Pilsner.

 

A rare NBSaturday for me!
Couldnt resist grabbing this today.
WCTIPA 10.8% wowzer. And the hop schedule- Im in.
7 Saws Brewing out of Holden MA. Never heard or saw any of their beers before today...
First lets talk about appearance.
Pours a clear copper color with a huge beige head that has excellent retention and leaves ring upon ring of sticky lacing. Beautiful.
Aroma classic WC pine, grapefruit, some toast, damp earth, peaks of orange and some light tropical pineapple. Nice.
Taste follows, citrus, pine, honey to caramel malts.
Some sweetness up front that ends in a very bitter drying finish. Incredibly balanced and highly drinkable. This is 10.8?
Medium body, almost quenching for a big beer, perfect carbonation.
Yup this ones a real Triple, a real WC style and for me an excellent beer.
Love it 7 Saws!
Cheers.

 

Sounds great. Ive always been a fan of IPLs. Prob first one was from Jacks Abby one of the originator. Have some Hoponious in my fridge right now.
The thing I dont get with this "new style" is why they call it an India Pale Ale and then right below it call it a Lager...which is it. If they are not using Lager Yeast and not Lagering it is it a Lager? Im thinking no.

 

I have to find some Wahoowa for my bother- a '69 UVA grad and retired doctor. I saw many games in the old Scott Stadium and was recruited by Hoot Gibson, but ended up at Richmond. I dearly love UVA.

 

Great minds think alike! I don't recall ever having this beer and it gets such rave reviews so I've been meaning to try it. It's on the expensive side in my area and the IPA style is one I can't gamble on because I have a love/hate with the style so I've been on the lookout for a fresh single and found one today, canned on 08/03.

Your review sums it up well so I'll just cut to the chase: do I like it? I do, and it's pretty well balanced for a DIPA. Is it something I'm super impressed with and would pay a premium for? I would not. I give it a nod for its staying power and popularity but for a hit or miss IPA drinker such as myself whenever I'm in the mood for hops there's plenty of cheaper options and that would still give me my hop fix. Budmo!

 

Next up another rarity in these parts -
Hop Butcher For The World
Mega Bite DIPA
Pours a turbid yeller with a big creamy head that falls to a thin cap with plenty of sticky lacing.
Aroma is big fresh squeezed OJ, overripe peach, green onions and dank cannabis.
Taste follows with OJ, peach, some notes of mango, juicyfruit
Medium/full body, a touch creamy, tiny solid carb, no hint of alcohol, bitter drying finish.
Good hoppy beer.

 

Thats one of my top IPAs. Around here its also one of the very fairly priced IPAs so I have no problem going to it when I feel the need. Cheers my friend!

 

The marketing seems to me as if it will be fairly available, at least in areas of Virginia where one might find a fair number of UVa fans. I'd assume the area of your college days would be one. Speaking of, Hardywood, also from Richmond, brews a beer for the hated in-state rivals . Too bad their barrel aging program is the best (IMO) in Virginia, so I couldn't really consider a boycott

 

I'm digging through my on hand bottles to see what I've grabbed the last while, hoping to find a wild ale for the tasting. Spotting a few, in any event, here OEC's take on a Festbier. Or so the can says.



This is step infusion mashed, and cooled in the coolship before it's cooled with whatever the device is called and open fermented. Not sure if lagered in the same vessel. It sure looks more like a marzen and I consider the distinction more evident thant in other styles. This looks amber if copper rather than gold but not a problem.

Nice soft head is receding but there's a huge amount of lacing. Smells good, spicy, malty, a hint of sweetness, soft bready character, smoke - which is exciting, maybe some Connecticut broadleaf at the end (the way the tips of your fingers smell after a robusto or similar).

Taste's great but different. I foremost get malt sugar and a hint of hop bittnerness but it quickly shifts to malt sugar and herbal bitterness. There's a lot of tettnang at play and definitely a good bit of smokey, roasty character. I would argue the caramalt/vienna is perhaps playing a touch darker than usual. Easy drinker, quite mature, very rounded.

A good option for someone who enjoys decoction or step mashing. Really complex hop bill keeps drinkability up because you're searching for the next note hidden in the box, trying to pull at whatever string presents itself in what is a rather ornate tapestry.

Also, I found weihenstephaner festbier cans, cannot wait! Cheers

 

Yeah people seem to love it but at $16.99+ in my area I have many cheaper options that I enjoy just as much if not more (but this is coming from a picky only semi hop head ).

 

Hello NBW friends. I have a beer that is from an iconic brewery in our beer nerd world that I approached with some trepidation because who messes with a Marzen?





4.19/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a beautiful copper color with a slightly creamy light tan head that provides a bit of a cap down the glass. The nose is sweet caramel, some bread, and a bit of booze from the barrel.

The barrel actually helps cut the sweetness of the caramel flavor a bit, as does the slightly doughy bread flavor to provide a very balanced, flavorful beer. The mouthfeel is actually on the crisp side, which was also a pleasant surprise.

I was concerned this would stray far away from the traditional Marzen style to satisfy the “big BBA beer” side of things, but it really drinks like an amped up Marzen because it captures the malty deliciousness of the style while maintaining the crispness (and drinkability) Marzens are known for and which I most appreciate.

 

Another new offering from Tunbridge, VT!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46275/618070/



16 ounce can without a canning date, but we just received a case last week.

As per can's instructions:

"Shake Well and Pour Hard!"
2-3 inch off-white head over a hazy amber body with sheeting lace.

Nose of malt and hops.

Taste of semi-sweet malt, caramel, and honey with a finish of hop bitterness.

Nice and creamy feel; a bit slick and silky.

Overall, this makes me want to sit down at an English pub and enjoy a few cask pours!!

Cheers!!!