New Beer Weekend #117

Elk Valley Defender Ale, ABV & Style unknown. Guessing Kolsch; 3.84 overall

As near as I can tell this is a Kolsch. Their website is no help. So, I am rating it according to that style

Pours an effervescent gold with a sliver of cream colored head. Near zero head retention & lacing

S: Pears, some perfumy/floral hops
T: White grape & pear with a little grainy sweetness & a touch of lemons. More of the same as this beer warms, a little dryness & grassyness as well. Finishes with a hint mineral dryness, a touch of lemon & pear

MF: Medium body, delicate carbonation

Drinks very easy, no regrets on picking up a sixer of this. Supports the Folds of Honor Charity

 

Treehouse “Yellow” courtesy of @WunderLlama. A fantastic way to wind down this weekend after an eventful week and some big overtime this weekend.

Pours an absolutely stunning glowing gold with a few fingers of bright white rocks. Nose is pineapple, over ripe melon, and bitter/earthy hop.

Taste follows suit to a tee with a silky smooth feel. No burn on the finish.

An excellent beer from Treehouse and probably an even 4/5 for me.

Cheers all!

 

Here's one that I'm sure I haven't had in a bottle, but may have had a taste on tap.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/428302/



Bottled on 09.10.21.

Moderate pour yields a one inch tan head over a black body with sticky, sheeting lacing.

Nose of dark roasted malt, bitter chocolate, malted milk, and a bit of coffee.

Taste mirrors nose with flavors of bitter chocolate, slight milk chocolate, very slight vanilla while finishing with a bitterness from the bitter chocolate, espresso beans, and slight hops.

Feel is adequately good, but hoped for a bit more.

Overall, why thank you, I will have another!

Cheers!!

 

I hope everyone had as great a Sunday as we did. After dinner we started a fire, threw around the frisbee and had a little ice cream. Just feeling all warm and fuzzy this evening, sorry…figured I’d open something warming I’ve been holding onto an imperial brown ale brewed with maple syrup and molasses aged in red wine barrels used to finish Jim Beam legent bourbon and buffalo trace Blanton's bourbon barrels.

Kane - Bourbon/Red Wine Barrel Driftwood



Pours black, decent head forms considering the abv, but as with most of these beers it dwindles to a little ring around the glass.

Nose is rich chocolate, bourbon, touch of heat, and a raspberry blackberry like note from the wine; looking for it I perceive a hint of maple syrup.

Taste is an oaky bourbon, chocolate, very subtle maple, leathery char, and a neat dark berry like fruit note on the finish. It really lingers in the aftertaste and is very pleasant almost like raspberry.

Full body beer, low and appropriate carb, oak tannin bite on the tongue, minor red wine acidity; no real bitterness, very well hidden abv with the slightest warming in the throat and nasal canal.

This is a really neat beer, it is quite unique much like my last one today. If I didn’t know I’d say this had raspberry in it possibly; the red wine after taste really has that vibe to it. Really neat beer.

Cheers everyone, let’s do this again next weekend ok? OK good, see you all then. Have a great week, be well, cheers everyone.

 

Another weekend winding down and a new beer in the glass. It's another from Canned Heat, Fest on Ferry, a festbier (duh).



It pours a deep gold, maybe a bit dark for the style, very clear. Ample tight white head that falls to a lasting complete cap with strong lacing.

The smell is slightly sweet, bready malt - a little bit toasty. The hop presence is very light - a bit floral and herbal, but it is minimal.

As expected, the taste opens with a bready malt that is a bit toasty and slightly sweet. The hops that hide in the smell are more assertive in the taste, but are not packing a huge punch. There's a floral and herbal taste, then a small bit of pepper spice comes in on the finish. There's a decent level of bitterness, but it serves to keep the malt in check.

It is medium in body, smooth and just a tad creamy. Carbonation is medium.

Well, it is darn near a poster child for the style, and it's a good drinker. Easy all the way round. Nitpicking, the color is a bit dark...maybe. Maybe the hops could come out a bit more on the nose. Feeling 3.8 - 4.0, strong marks for being on point for the style in my opinion. Nice to have a brewery nearby focusing on highly drinkable beers and a decent variety.

Notable conversations with brewers...we were at the Mystic taproom one day sitting at the bar and a conversation starts with some guy. Starts with what do ya think (of the beer me, the missus, and he were drinking) but it gets into processing, microbiology, and other science/engineering/brewery stuff. Talked for 45 minutes or so and he says "here's my card" and it says Bryan Greenhagen...owner. About the same thing happened when we met Danny McGovern at Lake St. George, including all the family who were there that day. Dann and Martha Paquette we met at a store tasting. We told them how much we loved Grampus and him immediately telling us to stock up since they would probably never be able to afford brewing it again just due to the grain bill (I remember Martha was kinda giggling a bit at that). Most memorable was Father Isaac from the defunct Spencer Abby - technically not a brewer, but what an extraordinary ambassador and incredible human being.

 

Grains of Wrath - Fresh Hop Built for Speed

16oz can served in a big snifter. Dated 9/23/22.

Pours clear light yellow with a small head. Pretty still. Smell is piney and darkly vegetable.

Taste is west coast piney, not super intense on the bitter side, a surprising amount of floral sweetness. Bitterness builds on the back end.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, clean and pleasant. Overall, it's a very nice beer.

It's been an unusually busy weekend. I got up at 5 yesterday morning so I could work on my car before my kids' rehearsal started, then we were photographers for most of the day (with a short break to make a job offer during lunch), and then we made Beef Wellington and hosted a friend for the first time. I got up this morning at 5 again to finish preparing communication for an international software conference (sounds fancier than it is) I'm helping organize, and went straight from that to a few hours at a local pumpkin patch with the kids.

 

Took the pic after a big pull.

Can art is a play on the STL Blues infamous mid 90's jersey.

Poured a golden yello hue with a medium white fluffy head. Some suspended yeast specks throughout.

Nose is sweet malt with light resiny notes. Tastes of malty pine, with a hint of pineapple. Not super bitter. Light carbonation. Not bad but nothing to write home about.

 

Sierra Nevada Narwhal - Believe it or not this is my first time having this beast even though I enjoy Imperial Stouts (which I have been noticing are not as prevalent unfortunately, along with Stouts and Porters). I saw a six pack of it and took a chance, as the reviews are good and it's going to age well.

Pours from a bottle (09/02/22) a very dark black with a decent head but not as much as I would expect (but it does linger). Smell is nice and picking up on some chocolate/burnt Cocoa, a hint of coffee, a touch sweet from the malts, alcohol, and the usual SN smell. Taste is really good and a lot going on here and follows the nose and the sweet and dry plays well together. There is a hint of alcohol warming but at 10.2% I would expect that (but it's still fairly well hidden for this big of a beer). As it warms the flavors blend together well and the small bite mellows a lot. This would play well with a side of Bourbon

This is a great non BA Imperial Stout and I am glad that I picked up a six pack and I will try to age one or two. Budmo!

 

Soul & Spirits Brewing Hoochie Coochie IPA, 7.1% ABV; 3.85 overall

Pours a hazed gold with way too much cream colored head ( restrained pour ). Nice head retention & lacing

S: Citrus, green melon,

T: Fairly bready, a little pine, tangerine, lime & a little dryness up front. Pine, dryness & lime as this warms, a little bready sweetness as well. Finishes cakey, a little dry with tangerine & lime

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, pretty good balance

A solid, straight forward take on the style, drinks easy enough

 

Day 2, still in Austin, this amber ale is local and hitting the spot after a long day working a show.





4.02/5 rDev +12.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a beautiful amber color with a soapy light tan head. Gorgeous amber ale. The nose has biscuity malt notes and a nice fruity hop aroma.

The fruity hops are forward on the taste with that delicious biscuity malt following for balance. The medium mouthfeel is a bit dry and works well with this beer.

This is my first beer from these guys, and I’m really digging this amber ale - and I’m a big believer in the amber ale as a style that doesn’t get the respect it should receive in the beer nerd world.

 

Structures - Amarillo Fresh Hop West Coast IPA

16oz can served in a footed pilsner glass. No date on the can (or really any information besides the name and "Fresh Hop West Coast IPA).

Pours a dark honey color with a medium sized head and moderate carbonation. Smell is honey, flowers, and sweet grain.

Taste is earthy west coast IPA. Bitter, vaguely dank. Bitterness builds up real quick with subsequent sips. After a little while I get some slight unidentifiable fruity notes.

Mouthfeel is light, very dry. Overall...it's unusual to me to find a Structures IPA I'd describe as just, "Good."

 

Flying Dog Double Doge 18; 18% ABV; 3.84 overall


Pours an effervescent honey/orange color with one finger of cream colored head. No head retention or lacing, very viscous

S: Jammy notes, green bananas, candied oranges & treacle. All fade a bit a room temp

T: Cakeyness, pine, boozeyness, a little pineapple up front. Cakey, pineapple boozey, piney & some woody notes once warm.

MF: Chewy, low carbonation, skews mostly malty, but there are hops balancing things out

These Hi Octane IPAs are never going to be must drink for me, but I have no regrets about picking up a 4 Pack of this. Wasn't a struggle to drink, but for sure a sipper

 

Their Bucket Head IPA is a very solid old school high IBU and malty IPA. Grab it if you see it. I've grown to appreciate it as a change of pace.

 

Thanks for the tip, I really enjoyed the amber.

 

Hello Late Night NBW
Well I am not technically hitting a new beer tonight, more of a revisit. But I feel my transgression is warranted on 2 fronts:

A) I received this beer once in NBS BIF #9, from the generous @foundersasap . Loved it then.
and now I am hitting it again due to the friendly fire incident in the more recent shenanigans of NBS BIF #14 or #15 by @FBarber (It's hard to keep track). So basically I wanted to mention this as an example of the pure beer joy that these BIFs entail.

B) How great this beer is. It holds up with age gracefully. I remember 8-10 years ago being so grateful for landing a trade for the original Expedition Stout. To me, one of the finest out there. But in the NBS BIFs my midwestern friends were including this gem in their assaults. What fun!
Here's my first writeup:
Expedition Stout Bourbon Barrel Aged
4.4/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Thanks to foundersasap for sending me this beauty in NBS BIF #9
Poured into my 18th Street snifter.
Deep mahogany hued jewel. Absolutely transfixed by how this graces the glass. Cafe con leche colored head rises just shy of 2 fingers then slowly descends into perfectly ringed repose.
Aromas of warm bourbon barrel lead, not aggressively marching, more of a purposeful stroll. Notes of vanilla, roast, freshly caramelized sugar, brown bread, molasses, prune and leather all contribute to the menagerie.
Flavor begins as a bourbon-kissed RIS. It literally comes off as an old school RIS, toasty, malty, earthy nuances, but with that sweet-warm bourbon omnipresent. Sweet notes are of dark fruits-prunes, dates, figs, some cocoa and molasses. Coffee roast, charred wood, and a peaty earthiness comes through as well. It really does represent the RIS style well with the bonus of BBA notes. Finishes warm and slightly boozy.
Mouthfeel is silky smooth. It sashays around the mouth, really inviting the entirety to actively commit to the experience. It finishes with a warm, slightly assertive bourbon "adieu."

And tonight I would say that most of these words aptly describe my current sipper. The only change for me on this current bottle (10/16/2018) from @FBarber is no discernible vanilla and the boozy warmth is scant in comparison. Still a true gem.
Thanks to you gents for this one at different times. And thanks to all who participate, even if sporadically, in our little chaotic corner of BA known as the NBS BIFs.

 

Trap Door - Co-hop 100,000 KVA edition fresh hop IPA

16oz can served in a big snifter. Crosby Strata, 9/22/22.

Pours a mostly clear yellow-gold with a fairly small head. Smell is lemon zest and honeysuckle.

Taste is pretty similar, although I think I would list the honeysuckle before I would list the lemon zest.

Mouthfeel is light, crisp, dry. Overall, nice beer.