New Beer Weekend #115

Good day BAs! Thanks @SawDog505 for starting off the weekend!

My New Breakfast Beer, cross-posted with WBAYDN, is:



Angel Food Cake from Hoppin’ Frog. Purchased at Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA, 21/09/22. $ 6.00 (Including tax)/16 oz can ($ 0.375oz). In reefer at store, stored at 40 degrees at home. Reviewed 01/10/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottom of can stamped “BEST BY AUG 17 2025”. Served at 50.9 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King Snifter. Final temperature 55.2 degrees.
Appearance – 3.
First pour – Pale Gold (SRM 4), clear.
Body – Deep Gold (SRM 6), hazy and translucent. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, same.
Head – Average (Maximum two cm, aggressive center pour), floral white, high density but fizzy, rapidly diminishing to a ring of near-microscopic bubbles and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3 – Sweet like cotton candy. No hops, no malt, no yeast.
Flavor – 3 – Follows nose. No malt, no yeast, no hops. No ethanol (9 % ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. Weak gastric warming occurs. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3 – Medium, bordering on syrupy, light carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3. Must be feeling generous this morning. This was listed on BA as a malt liquor and on the can as a pastry stout. Either one works. Sweet with little flavor and medium alcohol content – priced like a stout but easily passes as a malt liquor. Not good. One and done.
Rating 3, rDev +17.2%

A cloyingly sweet malt liquor or a dismal stout - call it what you will. I call it one and done.

 

This is a Publican Service Announcement regarding NBS BIF #16!!!

Do you like discovering new beers?
Do you believe in Secret Santa?
Have you ever played the game Clue?
Do you like beer AND having fun?
Do you participate in this weekly forum?
Do you have to rebuild your porch because it gets crushed by delicious and distant brews?

Answer “yes” to the above and then…reach out to these fine folks

@Roguer
@2beerdogs
@FBarber

Sign-up thread went live on Saturday, September 10. All current and past participants are welcome to join. Any "new" members will have to be vetted by a current members(see above) and approved. New members should already participate in the NBW thread (or establish that they will), and should have an established (not necessarily lengthy) record in trading and/or other BIFs.

Hints and Hauls thread will go live NEXT Saturday, October 8. The time to sign up is now.

The official share date is the holiday weekend of November 11-13

Please do not sign up here…this is simply an FYI…link is below

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/nbs-bif-16-sign-up-thread.668847/

 

Fall Coffee Stout from Maine Beer Company


3.99/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Brewers Notes: As the leaves begin to change and cooler nights prevail, we celebrate the turn of the season with our autumnal offering. Fall, developed from our Pilot Beer program, is a stout made with cold brew coffee selected and brewed with our friends from Coffee By Design.

Dark Cola brown liquid , two finger taupe foam cap , good retention, settles to a pencil thick layer , spotty lacings

Aroma is coffee

Taste is coffee, roast malts

Light mouthfeel, low sudsing

Good beer


Jacks Abby Barrel Aged Framinghammer French Toast

4.23/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25



Brewers Notes: Framinghammer is a unique creation that pays homage to our hometown of Framingham Massachusetts. This is a hard working city that can handle some heavy-lifting beer and appreciates good craftsmanship. The Framinghammer base is perfectly suited for creating decadent, barrel aged versions every year. Each batch spends a lengthy conditioning period in various casks to create a smooth, chocolatey texture that compliments some creative additions. This variety is aged in maple barrels with vanilla and cinnamon added.

Mrs wunderllama is providing her comments on this brew since she has been known to ride with the jacks Abby cycling team….poured into a snifter

“Looks like old fashioned coke syrup on the pour. 2.5” taupe foam head”

Aroma is maple and cinnamon

Tastes like French toast, maple, cinnamon , sweet…mapley and cinnamony..

Lighter body than a stout, light sudsing

Good beer

 

It’s dark and hoppy – a Black IPA or a Hoppy Porter!?!

Today’s new beer (for me) is an intriguing exercise. Lawson’s on the can’s label states: Big Hoppy Black IPA but where do you draw the line between a beer being branded as a Black IPA vs. a Hoppy Porter.

In a past thread (2012) I provided a dissertation by the brewer (Evin) of Kernel Brewing on what distinguishes a Black IPA vs. a Hoppy Porter:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/black-ipa-recipe.32170/#post-405545

There is a thorough discussion in the above linked post but for folks more inclined to know the ‘sound bite’ answer:

A Black IPA should be dominated by the hops (i.e., hop bitterness and hop flavor/aroma) with the dark malts being in the background while a Hoppy Porter will have more hop aroma/flavor from a ‘standard’ Porter but the dark malt flavors will be very evident.

I will keep the above very much in mind as I drink this beer.

Should I use my Spiegelau IPA glass or my Spiegelau Stout/Porter glass to drink this beer? I flipped a coin and the IPA glass won.

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

Black in color with a substantial khaki colored head.

Aroma:

Hmm? There is a combination of aromas here: citrus, fruity and piney from the hops but also quite noticeable dark malt aromas of roastiness with a hint of cocoa.

As the beer opens up there is also a dank aspect.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with that same combination of hop flavors and malt flavors. Does one aspect dominate? It seems to me that both the hop flavors and malt flavors are equivalent here. There is a notable, firm bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

This beer has a medium body with an dry finish.

Overall:

I think this beer is quite good. If you are looking for a balance of hops flavor and dark malt flavors this beer achieves here.

Now, back to the question of Black IPA vs. Hoppy Porter. I am very confident that Evin of Kernal Brewing would categorize this beer as being a Hoppy Porter and I would agree with him here.

FWIW it is not surprising to be that Lawson’s choose to label this beer as a Black IPA since that terminology includes those ‘magical’ three letters “IPA” and as we all know those letters sell beers big time!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH

 

I'm not on the road for football for the first time in a month, so I can enjoy NBW starting early on this autumn Saturday.

Melvin 2x4

Appearance: Cloudy yellow, big head.

Smell: Grapefruit, sweetness.

Taste: Pretty good bitterness, then moderate sweetness and citrus comes through. Fruity, relatively soft feel. Alcohol is apparent but not too strong. Moderately bitter finish.

Overall: Tried Melvin 2x4 in Omaha, but the cans were old, but the beer was still good. Picked up a fresher 4 pack in Denver, seems to be a little more on the NEIPA/sweeter side than old school bitter DIPA, but still quite tasty.

 

Some new-to-me Oktoberfests, courtesy of @Manta200. Thanks, Hans.
First up is MadTree Ziegler.
The beer is a clear amber color with a small off-white head.
Aroma of bread and caramel, touch of hops.
Taste follows the nose. Toasted bread, caramel, a kiss of hops.
Smooth and easy to drink.

 

I've officially bunkered down in my "office" for a weekend focused on catching up on work, watching lots of soccer and football, and catching up on a bunch of other stuff. The weekend got off to a good start with Arsenal defeating Tottenham in the North London Derby (COYG!)

I've also decided that it feels like a lambic / gueueze type of weekend. First up is Oude Gueuze Tilquin a L'Ancienne. As with several of the beers I may end up reviewing today / tomorrow, I can't believe I haven't tried them yet, as they are not new additions to my cellar.

3.93/5 rDev -9.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2016 / 2017 bottle. Pour is lively, with plenty of fizzy white head. Even after a few minutes, the bubbles from the carbonation are quite noticeable, and help to sustain a thin cap. Overall, the appearance reminds me of carbonated apple juice.

Aroma is strong, and all kinds of funky. Tart oak, apple, grass, leather and faint citrus all mix with the earthy funk to make an interesting smelling beer.

On the tongue this is not as tart as I expected (although I have a pretty high tolerance for tartness). Earthy funk leads the way, with each sip landing a little differently. Green apple, lemon, grass & leather mix in. Fairly light bodied, and less carbonated than the pour hinted at. Easy drinking, tasty, multi-dimensional beer.

 

Thank you @SawDog505 for kicking off the weekend!

Have two California Oktoberfest beers planned this weekend from two of my favorite California Breweries.

AleSmith AleSchmidt Oktoberfest



Can Notes: 12 oz canned 7/11/22. Purchased single can at store temperature for $1.99, refrigerated upon my return home until this afternoon. Recommended serving temperature 45 F - 50 F, stein recommended glass. 5.5% ABV, German-Style Marzen Lager.

Clean, Malty, Elegant. This German-Style Marzen lager is our take on a classic Oktoberfest offering. Aleschmidt Oktoberfest is characterized by a clean, elegant and toasty malt and character. Prost!

Appearance: Single pour into a stein. Slightly murky caramel pour, mild carbonation, creamy bubbly head lingers for a few minutes, recedes to leave a light cover and nominal lacing. 3.5

Aroma: Nice aroma of sweet bread, caramel malt. Digging it. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with the aroma and style, sweet liquid bread in proper measure, the caramel malt works well. A nice touch of honey as it warms a bit. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Medium body, light fizzy carbonation persistent throughout. Like the balance with this one, caramel malt shines well. any hops supports and keeps from being too sweet. Very light and easy drinking, clean finish. 4.0

Overall: Beer delivers as promised, Highly drinkable, hard to not finish until I was done reviewing. Sign of a good beer, this delivered for me in a style not necessarily my favorite. Would gladly pick up more of these. 4.0

I'm set with Firestone Walker's Oktoberfest take tomorrow that I'm also excited to try. See you Sunday.

 

It is always a pleasure to drink a new Hop Butcher for the World NEIIPA. This one has a murky baby food-like brown/orange color, with a bright and thick white foam covering. The foam stuck around for some time. The smell is citrusy, with odors of grapefruit, white grape, raspberry, and orange. The flavor leads with white grape and bitter grapefruit. I detect a bit of cucumber. Berry and citrus flavors round out the flavor profile. Bitter fruitiness stands out the most. The mouthfeel is thick, pillowy, juicy, and smooth. The carbonation is light. Overall, this beer is unique in the Hop Butcher for the World NEIIPA lineup. It is not one of the best, but is a solid change of pace.

 

A new to me Oktoberfest. Rock Art’s Rocktober Festival Bavarian Märzen. Canned 8/16. 5.1% abv, 18 IBU.
Pour settles into a light caramel brown with thin white head that quickly disappears. No lacing.
Aroma is barely perceptible malty grains and dough. Taste of light caramel malt. A bitter astringency quickly dominates. Light mouthfeel, prickly carbonation, dry finish. I do not enjoy this one. Hopefully you may.

 

I'm trying a new-to-me Main Beer Co. beer, Little Whaleboat. This is a 6.5% IPA named after a group of three islands in Casco Bay.

4.22/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a ½ liter bottle stamped 19JUL22 to a Nonic at fridge temp.
Body is a light gold with only a slight haze. A three finger white head floats above, but fades in just a few minutes to a single layer. Lacing is medium throughout the session.
The aroma is floral and lemony.
The taste is bitter and hoppy. The lemon takes a backseat but is still there.
There is a light mouthfeel to this and carbonation seems aggressive, but perhaps it's just the overall dry bitterness fooling me.
I enjoyed this. Nice to have a good bitter hop hit now and then.

 

Up next is another beer that I could swear I've had before, but if so I haven't logged it anywhere. I know I've sent it a few times in the NBS BIFs (to @ovaltine most recently?)

Allagash - Coolship Red - Spontaneously fermented ale aged in oak barrels with raspberries


4.12/5 rDev -7.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Bottled January 19, 2017. Appearance is a rusty amber with short-lived fizzy white head. Raspberries are still quite present on the nose, more so than I would have expected given the age of the beer. There's some light funk, oak and implied tartness to the aroma as well. Definitely a nice smelling beer.

Taste is much more complex than the nose. Quick, tart blast up front, followed by an intriguing raspberry / oak funk and a long finish that brings back a second clear wave of tartness. Faint notes of apricot lurk in the background.

Overall, if you like raspberries and are ok with a tart beer, you'll like this. I'm finding if somewhat of a sipper that's not quite as light and easy going down as the Tilquin Oude Gueuze I had a bit earlier, but it's definitely a good beer.

 

Another Coolship beer I would recommend is Coolship Cerise Estate, depending on how you feel about cherries. I'm not a huge cherry beer fan, but there is something about that one that sets it apart. I don't know how different it is versus the non-estate version other than the source of the cherries, but when we asked the fine folks at the brewery if the Cerise Estate was any good they got all giddy and giggly. In my opinion, they were right.

 

You’ve indeed sent it to me.

Twice! I’ve still got the 2nd bottle. Gonna have to fix that, and soon, because I loved it (rated 4.69 - what a shock that I rated it higher ).