New Beer Weekend #114

4.45/5 rDev +4.2%

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Poured from a 16 ounce can dated 6/14/22 into a tulip glass.

Look- Burgundy, opaque, plentiful visible particulate, below average head retention, granular above average lacing.

Smell- Blackberry, plum, granola.

Taste- Blackberry, plum, granola, sweet, tart, slight cinnamon at finish.

Feel- Full body, smoothie like, highly mouth coating, average carbonation, sweet, tart.

Overall- This was a delicious fruity beer with robust body. This is the first beer of this style I have had, but I now look forward to further exploring the type.

 

Wasn't going to have any beer today after a couple days of hitting it pretty hard (which thankfully included the decision to not open the Black Tuesday last night), but then figured one beer won't hurt me.

This is Combover, from Resilience, which is Schilling's side project for American Ales. I've never been to the brewery in Littleton, NH, but have heard great things and hope to rectify that next month. If things go according to plan, I'll be able to pick up some of their beer for my TBD BIF target.

3.58/5 rDev -12%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Canned September, 2022. Pours a cloudy yellow with a finger of dense white head. Aroma is pleasant, but slightly unremarkable. Subtle grapefruit and miscellaneous citrus notes are present up close, but muted from even a few inches away.

Taste is a little more complex than the nose, with plenty of tropical fruit flavors, mango in particular, shining through in addition to the grapefruit. The highlight for me is the mouthfeel. Very soft and full, and very, very smooth going down.

Overall, a well done beer, but nothing groundbreaking.

 

Welltown Brewing's ( Tulsa ) Fellowship of the Hop Hazy IPA, 7.4% ABV; 3.47 overall

Pours a hazed gold with 2 fingers of ivory colored head. Below average head retention & lacing

S: Green melons, peaches, nose fades as this warms

T: Follows the nose, some dryness & passion fruit & a little guava & lime up front. Lime, passion fruit, pine as this warms, plus more dryness & a little pineapple. Finishes dry with passion fruit, pine, lime & nectarine

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, decent balance

This features New Zealand hops, this isn't wowing me, favors aren't popping, but is drinkable enough. Flavors get better as this gets warmer

 

Evening NBS.
Outer Range In The Deep Steep.
Citra, Galaxy, Mosaic, brewed with Phantasm.
Pours a milky, hazy yellow with a bright white head that has good staying power leaving nice sticky lacing behind.
Overipe pineapple, juicy orange, lemon-lime, passionfruit and cannabis on the nose.
Lots of juicy orange, tropical fruits, herb, and a small bit of sweet fruit that appears briefly before a piney and grapefruit bitter finish.
Rather smooth with light carb throughout. Leaves a fine hop oil tingle on the tip of the tongue. Medium/heavy with hints of alcohol.
Good beer. Enjoying the addition of Phantasm on beers Ive tried so far.
Cheers.

 

Root + Branch The Second Discourse on the Method of Rightly Conducting One's Reason and of Seeking Truth in the (Brewing) Sciences DIPA. The only thing more complicated than the name of this collaboration with Hudson Valley Brewery is its ingredient list, which includes "NYS Raspberry Honey" along with a variety of hops. To my mind, this kind of name and recipe for a beer can only redeem itself by being spectacular and, I'll have to say, it is.

Appearance is sort of Platonic-ideal for an NEIPA, opaque but not murky/chunky, pineapple juice colored with a super-pillowy head that leaves the craziest lacing I've seen in a long time. Aroma is citrus+vanilla+an undertone of something I can't quite place: something between dank and piney, maybe the "raspberry honey"? Something even a little diesel-y, but not off-putting like that note can be when prominent.

Taste, even before warming, is unexpectedly complex, even bracing. This isn't your typical orange juice NEIPA, there's something pithy and astringent, almost tannic that reminds me of a very dry wine. Warming, the honey rises to somewhat more prominence, but never overpowers. Taste keeps changing as it warms, from citrusy and sharp to berry-like and round, leading to a rather cerebral drinking experience worthy of its name. Unlike other beers of this sort, though, it's really enjoyable, even gulpable, and I have to slow myself down so I don't rush through it. As with the other Root + Branch beers I've been enjoying this weekend, the mouthfeel is a straight-up 5, reminiscent of Swish in that regard.

Overall, obviously, this is a banger . . . very sophisticated and surprising, even to someone who drinks a lot of NEIPAs. It's been a while since I've felt like I'd go to great lengths to obtain a brewery's beers, but Root + Branch has me considering them. Thanks, @TheIPAHunter, for the hookup!

 

Sounds awesome!

 

Ok, X-post from WBAYDN, I thought it would take two beers before I reviewed this but BOY-O was I wrong. So... onward.

Lawson's Hopcelot IPA. 7%. Canned 8.17.22

4.49/5 rDev +3.5%

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

L - Clear as day, gloriously clear. Nice head for a bit, good lacing as it went down in a high altitude stratus cloud kind of lacing up top.
S - Wow, pith and bitter pine forest floor scents, grapefruit, lemongrass.
T - Mouthful of west coast hops with some tropical, new hop additions to keep interesting, great taste with a nice bitter kick but nothign ridiculous. You know what this reminds me of...? It has STRONG hints of the original La Cumbre Elevated IPA recipe prior to 2014. This is delicious.
F - There's nothing wrong with this mouthfeel and there is zero alcohol burn or booziness to it; maybe I'm being conservative here. Dangerously smooth beer.
O - I think I may have found my replacement beer for ca. 2013 Cumbre Elevated IPA. This beer rocks like a wild cat (?). Yeah, that's a poor conclusion. It's just a damn good beer and the highest rating I've doled out in... what... 8 months? Dang.

 

Welcome everyone to New Beer Sunday #918. Switching gears from the Oktoberfest celebration to try a brand new release that has hit several surrounding states last week.

Chicagoans add an s to the end of several non plural words, including Jewel Osco (going to Jewels), Soldier Field, and other cultural and commercial institutions. Lived here my who life, never knew Garrett of Garret Popcorn fame didn't have an s at the end until this beer release, a collaboration of two Chicago icons.

Revolution Brewery / Garrett Popcorn Collaboration Caramel Crisp



Can Notes: Four pack, 16 oz cans ($11, comped via Revolution Points) canned 9/8/22 @13:15:54, purchased refrigerated at the brewery and once again upon returning home until this morning. 7.0% ABV, Caramel Popcorn Ale. Malt beverage, natural flavors, contains lactose.

Creme Brulee-Like Sweetness Lightly Salted Finish

Appearance: Multiple pours into a shaker pint glass. Bronze brown clear base, medium carbonation, cream white tan bubbly head lingers for about two minutes before leaving a light dusting over the base, any lacing slides sheepishly down the glass. 4.0

Aroma: Light in strength, caramel and cinnamon. Pleasant but hard to gather. 3.25

Taste: Caramel light and subtle, hops work well to reign in any sweetness from the malt and added Garrett popcorn. Getting rye as this warms, which is a good thing, followed by toffee, similar to a Heath bar. Solid brown ale. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Very heavy creamy body, would say that is the signature of this beer. Faint light fizzy carbonation, heavy body and sluggish drinking, alcohol light versus the high ABV. Clean finish. 4.25

Overall: Nice idea and enjoyable beer. Glad the sweetness was contained, nice cooler to cold weather offering, would be too heavy to contemplate in the Summer. Glad I picked this up, and look forward to enjoying the remaining three cans. 4.0

Hope all goes well with your home purchase @FBarber ! Moving far away or staying local?

 

One of the things I love about fresh hop season. No-name brewery Binary made a knockout fresh hop. Never heard of them until a couple days ago, never tried a beer until now, and it's great. Fresh Stratagies.

 

Rustic Heirloom Ales Nightjar Dark Czech Style Lager, 4.9% ABV; 4.02 overall

Pours an effervescent caramel/brown with a pinky of eggshell colored head. Near zero head retention & lacing

S: Roasty & toasty, brown sugar once warm, some caramel notes as well. Best part of this beer

T: Molasses, chicory, roasty up front, dryness & woody hops up front., just a trace of brown sugar too. A touch of caramel as this warms. Finishes roasty, dry & sweet

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation
A little roastier than the beers of this style I tried in Europe, but still pretty drinkable

 

What can I say. Very first time for me, so those who know, know.
I saw this on a shelf at a local grocery store a few years ago but was put off by the price. Don't know how many times I've woken up thinking about it, ruing the day. BAs, you can relate. Flash forward last week l see it at a local, even more expensive than then. Beer gods smile, guy gives me a break, and I go for it.
This one's bottle date 10/19. Not sure if that's one of the good years, but its mine.
Once poured I get a whiff of bourbon and coffee but nicely complemented. Maybe the years have taken off the edges? I'm not a huge fan of either, but appreciate them in their place.
First sip, and the smell belies the sweetness of the taste. This is what I think an RIS SHOULD taste like.
It was cold here today, and didn't think an O-fest beer or IPA would do the trick. This did. I now have 3 bottles left will hoard them like Midas anf his gold.
Side note: Founders rep told me KBS Mackinac sholud be avail in November. Who said there's nothing to live for?

 

I have a couple of beers on this rainy evening in Northern Indiana. The first is from a brewery that makes arguably one of the most iconic beers in our corner of the beer nerd universe.

This beer is not in that family, but is a single-hop IPA featuring the hop varietal that is probably my favorite for hoppy beers, along with the ubiquitous Citra hop. This is Mosaic Stack.





4.13/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a beautiful crystal clear golden color with a sudsy white head that laces the glass with a firm grip. The nose is that bitingly dank aroma that Mosaic-hopped beers are known for, with tangerine, berries, mango, and papaya most prominent. Wow.

The tangerine and berries are forward on the taste, with some mango and papaya as well. The mouthfeel is medium and surprisingly on the softer side, almost watery, which I didn’t expect.

This is a good, flavorful IPA that I’m glad I tried, but it was definitely a little on the “one note” side. I’d love to try this on tap and see how it compared to the bottled iteration.

 

#2, nothing to see here with this light beer, kindly move along.





4.5/5 rDev +2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours black as 3 am with no sign of leakage anywhere and a dark mocha colored head that sizzles, as often happens with these big (14.4%ABV) stouts.

The nose is boozy from the rum barrel, and there’s a significant milk chocolate aroma, with a bit of coconut and marshmallow sweetness.

The barrel is prominent on the taste as well, but that rich milk chocolate flavor and marshmallow is the star of the show for me, with coconut at the back of the palate. Absolutely, magnificently delicious stuff.

The mouthfeel is full, rich, and creamy, a perfect fit for this world class imperial stout.

 

Another new-to-me from UPBC.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46275/596024/



16 ounce can with no date; probably 7-10 days old.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 5/4 inch slightly off white head over a cloudy yellow-orange body with lacing.

Nose of tropical fruit, white grape, and gooseberry.

Taste mirrors nose fairly closely with grape/gooseberry flavors throughout.
Very unique and rather tasty.

Mouthfeel is adequate for the style.

Overall, another nice offering from Tunbridge, VT and should be on everyone's radar.
Cheers!!!

 

Good Sunday evening. Super low energy day here. Church and a few easy chores, easy grilled chicken thighs for dinner. Yawn....

Tonight's beer is from Notch:



This is their Festbier. I can't find much about it, but in an article I read it was Voll Projekt: Fest Bier originally and was treated separately from Notch's line of session beers because its higher than their usual ABV at 5.7%. This can does not refer to Voll Projekt, so maybe it's just an annual release now?

It pours a deep golden color, quite clear with a beautiful dense white head that hangs a while, then lands as a decent foamy cap with a bit of cling.

The smell opens with almost a honey-like sweetness, a little citrus, then toasty bready malts. Floating over that is a fairly floral aromatic layer.

The taste is initially slightly sweet and establishes that bread maltiness as the anchor. I'll stick with a honey-like note, yet not the same sweet intensity as honey. There's a decent mineral tang as a surprise here. There's an orange peel taste that cuts through but isn't super intense. Floral - and for some reason I'm feeling it is lavender-like. The orange builds a bit, and there's a decent bitterness at the end. Carryover of the aromatics is significant - orange, floral/herbal and that honey flavor all linger pleasantly. It does have the depth of flavor that makes me think this goes through decoction.

Fairly light body, a bit more than medium carbonation, clean and refreshing.

Overall, this beer is very good and I think the word @JackHorzempa uses - suffig - is perfectly applicable. Certainly a good drinking beer and I'm glad I grabbed a four pack. Smooth, nicely made, on style, easy on the palate, thinking right around the 4.0 mark.

 

Larry, does the can state where the beer was brewed/canned? Was it Notch or Zero Gravity brewed?

Sounds like a tasty beer to me.

Cheers!

 

It actually says brewed and canned by Notch Tap Room LLC Burlington, VT.

This is the article I found from 2018 - interesting read.

Very tasty, enjoyable beer, indeed.