New Beer Weekend #110

Hello NBW.
Greetings and salutations. Busy, busy, busy. But thankfully I popped over to a new local brewery in Santa Ana, CA. Cerveza Cito
It's what I would call an establishment that is "Chicano-centric." Very cool.

First surprise was a solid collab.
Raymond Reddington a nice take on an Irish Red.

On tap at Cerveza Cito. So solid. Gorgeous amber hue, milky sandy colored head.
Great nose. Nicely toasted crystal malts and a mild fruitiness.
Flavor again brings that smooth roasted crystal malts and a nice dry, smooth bitterness. The fruit notes give me a baked apple hint. But the overall experience is very full and round. Solid.
4.12/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had a few others that were decent, but this one definitely stood out.

 

Glad all is ok, Frank.

 

Dirty Couch - Donut Return, wild sour with donut peaches

500ml bottle served in a pair of WABL sample glasses. Don't see a date anywhere on it. This one says it's 7.6% abv.

Pours a slightly hazy copper-amber with a smallish head. Smell is tart, oaky, vaguely fruity.

Taste is more oaky than tart or fruity -- peaches definitely come across, a little bit of a chardonnay vibe.

Mouthfeel is medium to light, kind of still, could be a little lighter and a little livelier. Overall, it's a pretty good beer.

 

I'm glad it's nothing serious, but yeah...that's some scary stuff. Take care, both of you (and the kids).

 

This is Modestman/Stoneface Mass Appeal, an 8.5% ABV DIPA. Weird to call your beer "Mass" Appeal when you are both NH breweries featuring the Old Man of the Mountain on your label. Kinda seems like a crappy name or maybe I'm missing the point, or over-thinking it?

Pour is significantly better than the previously-reviewed Mega Dreamstate. Brighter and more vibrant, more saturated, with an intense head of bone-white foam lingering for several minutes. As it settles, it leaves behind fantastic, detailed lace patterns with a bit of surface coverage to boot.

Nose is more aggressive and intriguing than the Kettlehead collaboration beer, that's for sure... where that one seemed to hedge its bets on intense tropical fruit, this is heavy on the grape-like and orchard fruit overtones mixed with heaps of powerful dankness piled on for extra interest. Most of the time, when it comes to "grape" in IPAs, we tend to think of white grapes, such as the notes and suggestions that hops such as Nelson Sauvin and Hallertau Blanc can bring to the table. This beer, however, seems to be putting out a more Concord grape aspect that feels a lot like "grape candy" to me. Alongside that, there are lots of subtle herbal and spice-like things happening... feels like Ella to me, plus probably some other new designer hops I am unaware of (I can feel myself slowly but surely losing touch with the current hop scene, haha).

First few sips are definitely redolent of intense spice and even some rye-like maltiness in the background. Flavors of dark berries and red grape mingle with a subtle dankness and some light citrus in the finish. Sharp and powerful bitterness in here as well, which is kind of a sensory shock from a pair of breweries not quite known for "bitter" IPAs. Feels a bit more like a classic East Coast IPA to me, in a way. Fun stuff. A bit grainier than you'd expect, as well... I appreciate both of these beers. It's wild how insanely different they were despite being in the same overarching style. I can't quite get as excited about beers these days as I used to, but I still ran out to grab these two so that must imply something about my dedication. Might be waning a bit but it's still there at times! Have a good week, all.

 

Here's a new offering from just up Rt. 100 in Mo'Vegas, VT.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1805/619028/



16 ounce can; canned 08/16/22.

Moderate pour yields a one inch light tan head over a bright amber body with lacing.

Nose of malt, a bit of caramel, some biscuit notes, and a slight roastiness.

Taste is mild caramel sweetness, mild hop bitterness, and quite easily crushable.

Feel is light to light medium.

Overall, a pretty good stab a Märzen from Morrisville, VT.

Cheers!

 

I saw this beer on a trip to the beer store last week and remembered the review posted by @FBarber a few weeks ago, so I grabbed this and ran to the register like it was on fire. Let’s see how Frank and I compare on this one.



4.74/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Pours a dark cola brown and settles in the glass as pure black with some mahogany brown on the edges and a sudsy mocha brown head that makes a hurried exit.

The nose is led by a bit of booze and oak, then a significant char note and rich dark chocolate and some coconut. This is gonna be great.

The taste has that toasty char and decadent dark chocolate up front, with the oak and roasty coconut flavors mid-palate before settling into a warming finish that is extraordinary.

The mouthfeel is full and creamy, and more than a little oily. I know that sounds weird, but in this case, it’s a good thing, because it adds to how drinkable this massive (15% ABV) beer is.

There are a number of breweries with great barrel programs. Rev is at the tippity top of that list, IMHO.

PS: Frank rated this 4.78 - I’d say we both enjoyed this magnificent beer.

 

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/51090/448776/



16 ounce can.
Both cans I have show smudged date as either 3/01/22 or 8/01/22.

Moderate pour yields a one inch tan head over a black body with some lacing.

Nose of roasted malt, chocolate malt, coffee, and a bit of rye whiskey.

Taste mirrors nose somewhat, bitter chocolate and bitter coffee up front with a slight finish of the rye barrel.

Feel is just okay and below average for me.

Overall, pretty tasty and will drink my 2nd can someday soon.

Cheers!

 

Where were you able to find the Weihenstephaner cans?

 

Ale Apothecary - Fierce Turtle, American Wild Ale aged in oak barrels with huckleberries and bottle fermented with honey

750ml corked/caged bottle served in a tulip. Dated 4.15.21.

Pours slightly hazy, dark amber, biggish head that settles into a smooth, creamy skin. Smell is tart, lemon and oak, vague fruitiness, slightly peachy.

Taste is tart, fairly tannic, vaguely fruity -- just a bit of a jammy character, definitely some chardonnay-ness.

Mouthfeel is light and very dry. Overall, another very good sour from Ale Apothecary.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned on 8/24/22. Pours a cloudy orange with a solid finger sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace, with excellent retention. 4.25

Aroma is peach, mango, mandarin, apricot, and grapefruit rind. 4

Taste follows peach, mandarin, mango, apricot, and a little hint of grapefruit bitterness. 4.25

Mouthfeel is bigger than average, a little dry, plenty of carbonation and at 8.1% it goes down really easy, but big flavor. 4.25

Overall this is good stuff. I would recommend for sure. 4.25

 

Wait, have I been drinking all these wild ales without even realizing there was a wild ale tasting going on?

 

My last new to me beer, and likely last overall, for the Sour/Wild II tasting.

New Belgium Brewing La Folie Grand Reserve: Fernandito



Bottle Notes: 25.4 oz, 8% ABV. Sour ale aged in fernet barrels with cocoa husks. Bottled on nitro on 1/21/21. Brewed, aged and bottled by New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, Colorado.

Purchased at The Beer Temple on Thursday for $19.83 at store temperature, refrigerated upon reaching home until opening this Sunday evening.

Our pioneering sour brown, La Folie, was matured in Leopold Brothers fernet barrels and finished with single-origin Ghana cocoa from Nuance Chocolate in Fort Collins. Enjoy.

Appearance: Close to half the bottle poured into a large tulip glass. Dark near pitch black base, creamy white with light tan head, leasts a bit before leaving a creamy layer over the base and creamier ring around the rim. 4.25

Aroma: Starts with a sweet cocoa and fernet aroma, backed by a tart cherry. Like a beautiful desert. Want to keep smelling this, its just so nice. 4.75

Taste: A lightly tart and sour cherry leads, complemented well by a backing milk chocolate flavor. Cocoa comes out stronger as this warms, but I like the cherry more so I put the bottle back in the refrigerator, as this is too good to leave for later and risk degradation. 4.75

Mouthfeel: Medium slightly creamy body, negligible to no carbonation, ABV felt about 1/3 way in, I'd say punches a bit strong than the 8%, though that may be because I've already had 10 oz, and am heading to pour the rest of the bottle into the tulip shortly. Lightly sweet cherry, minimally tart lingers wonderfully. 4.25

Overall: You don't come across these beers everyday, but it is a rare and awesome treat to enjoy a well crafted beer, sweet though within proper measure, the cherry and cocoa complementing throughout. So easy to drink, less sour and tart than the typical straightaway beer in this style, but I'm loving it and having trouble drinking the rest very quickly. For a 25.4 oz beer, you know the brewer did an excellent job. Will pick up one or two more bottles for the holidays or a special occasion. 4.5

Hope one day I can come across La Folie, which I could not find for the tasting. Hope your final weekend beer is as good as this one! Cheers!!!

 

Hey, kids. Back with more Maine goodness, and in the Ziploc photobomb is the remains of 16 pounds of pork shoulder. I did grilled vegetables in a rotisserie basket on the gas grill, and while I did not have much hope they were damned tasty. Mushrooms absolutely stole the show.



Oxbow Zeitpils, a German style pilsner using noble hops and European malts. And we could end things right there - that is exactly what this beer is to a "T".

Slightly hazy golden color with a substantial foamy head and awesomely messy cling to the glass.

Aroma is Pilsner malt, bready, a little sweetness, a mild touch of lemon, floral/herbal hops with a little grassiness.

Definitely liking the malt here, slightly sweet, bready. The hops aren't shy - big impact of herbal and floral, a bright note if lemon, then fading into a slight spiciness. Bitter comes on mid-taste, fades a bit then finishes with a decent smack to the taste buds. Once that fades, there's some more peppery spice that lingers pleasantly.

Medium bodied, fairly robust carbonation, soft except for the bitter.

Overall, another Oxbow offering that screams to be paired with foods - its just meant to be. It's a solid Pilsner with the slight nitpick on the bitter finish.

 

I know, right? It’s like pigs are flying.

And I agree wholeheartedly - it was magnificent.

 

Oktoberfest

6.1% Marzen from Tröegs

Twelve ounce bottle. The body pours a beautiful amber. Good fluffy initial head and lacing throughout. Good looking beer.

Nose is malty with a touch of sweetness.and a passing hop note. Taste follows nose with a good dose of malty goodness. Sweeter than the nose, but not overly sweet. Hallertau hop notes balance the beer providing a nice crisp finish. Good mouthfeel and carbonation.

Super easy drinking beer and a fine addition to the Tröegs offerings.

 

A busy busy day and finally a beer in peace and quiet: candle burning, lights out…relaxation.

I hope everyone else is having a peaceful night as well.

Here a beer from our yearly Vermont trip; a really awesome beer a smoked Baltic porter. I love the name of this brewery; the play on words and the fact that it is in the Northern wooded mountainous state of Vermont.

Freak Folk - Soothsayer



forgot pic at initial pour but this this had a beautiful dense creamy light brown head that lasted for quite some time; when it does disappear it leave a dense ring and some opaque island. Black as night.

A meaty smoke, with intense burnt toast notes; rich bitter smelling dark chocolate and/or burnt dark roast coffee. This beers nose is all about burnt and bitter but it is not overpowering.

The taste sort of pivots on the burnt because a richness comes out that you would not expect from the nose. This is like sucking on a piece of very dark chocolate in a very clean beer form. There is is a nice bite of piney like hops on the finish as well. The smoke is present in the smallest amounts once the palate adjusts.

This beer has a nice big and creamy feel to it; medium body, with a low soft and again creamy carbonation, intense roasty and hoppy bitter finish. A slow warming sensation builds, no heat per se but I can’t sense alcohol.

Ok I realize I used the work intense a lot this beer is all about it: but the richness keeps it in check. This beer is a bitter charry roasty rich and very drinkable beer.

Have a beautiful week everyone…until next time.