New Beer Weekend #121

Glad you liked it. When I clicked the link to your review I noticed that my review wasn't there which surprised me. Looking further, I realized that this beer has two separate BA profiles. Its actual name is Collaboration Without Representation. I think the name may have changed from Imperial Milk Stout. Here's a link to Deep River's website describing it:

https://deepriverbrewing.com/limited-edition-brews/

Maybe the two profiles should be merged. Cheers!

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!! - early edition.

Thanks to @Roguer for starting us off this weekend.

Today is Veterans Day here in the US. This 11th day of the 11th month is also the day that the Great War - WW 1 - ended. Today we honor those who have served. For me I raise my glass to my Marine Dad, my great aunt who was an Army nurse in the Philippines in WW II (she shot a Japanese soldier who tried to break into the nurses barracks wanting some "fun"), my Navy WW II uncle (he got called up 1 month before the end of the war in anticipation of the land invasion, that didn't happen, of Japan), and my 5th great grandfather who served in the Revolutionary War.

I raise this glass for you all. It is thanks to the kindness of @Beersnake1 .


California Love - Smog City Brewing - Torrance, CA - Imperial Red Ale - 7.7% ABV

For what this beer lacks in the aroma, it more than makes up in flavor. It's a 1 - 2 punch of hops, with berry flavors, with an earthy/woody/oak flavor thrown in for good measure. Very pleased with it.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27922/111030/

4.02/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Beautiful dark amber pour with a 2 finger tan head. The head retention is amazing, and it clings to the glass like superglue with beautiful lacing.
Nose is minimal. Just a faint hint of rye bread.
Taste - A hint of the hops hits right away and fades, only to build again on the backside. I get multiple berry flavors that kick in after the first hop blast. I also get a malty flavor, not really rye - don't know where I got that aroma - more bread. I get an earthy, woody, oak flavor in this beer as well. The hops kick in on the backside again, and the flavor and feeling lingers in my throat.
Decent body. The feeling from the hops lingers in my throat.
Delicious and complex beer.


I'm sure I'll be back later today with the next round.

 

When is a Stout not a Stout?

Well, in this instance it is when it is a Pumpkin Beer. Today’s beer is Elysian Dark O’ The Moon Pumpkin Stout.

And I want to say “thank you for your service” to all of you veterans out there on this Veterans Day.

How this beer is detailed on BA:

“Spookily smooth and chocolatey. A perennial favorite and 2010 Silver medalist in the Great American Beer Festival Field Beer category, Dark o' the Moon is brewed with Great Western pale, Crisp 77° Crystal, Munich, Cara-Vienne, roasted, chocolate and Special B malts with roasted pumpkin seeds in the mash. Pumpkin in the mash, kettle and fermenter. Bittered with Magnum and finished with Saaz and crushed cinnamon.”

One of my favorite beer blends is a beer my wife calls a Chocolate Pumpkin which is half Pumpkin Ale and half a chocolatey Stout (e.g., Young’s Double Chocolate Stout). I wonder how much this beer from Elysian will taste like a Chocolate Pumpkin.

Served in my Spiegelau Stout glass:

Appearance:

A very dark brown approaching black with a big khaki colored head.

Aroma:

There is a pleasant combination of pumpkin pie spicing and to a lesser extent dark malt aromas of chocolate, licorice and some toffee.

Taste:

The flavor follows well balanced between the pumpkin pie spice flavors and the dark malt flavors of chocolate, licorice and toffee. There is a low-moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is very good. Given the notable pumpkin pie spices in this beer it is indeed a dark colored Pumpkin Beer.

This beer is no Chocolate Pumpkin given it’s more subtle chocolate aspect but an enjoyable beer in its own right.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

 

Up next is from the opposite side of the country, and thanks to @Roy_Hobbs . I was his sender in a previous BIF, and he so kindly sent me some beers as a thank you. Well, I thank you for sending me them.



Queen Machine OG - Tree House - 8% ABV

I am somewhat burnt out on this style, but, when I have one done right, I do love it. I am still on this one, and I'm burping melon. That flavor I have seen in this style of beer before, but I was surprised how much it dominated it. I also get some tropical, but tons of melon. Soft and juicy. Delicious.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28743/567299/

4.29/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Hazy murky golden pour. The head is 2 finger, white, long lasting, and there's nice lacing on the glass.
The nose is quite tropical, as expected. Mango, guava, pineapple is what I get on the nose.
The flavor surprised me, I get cantaloupe and honeydew coming in. There's some tropical citrus in here. Some pineapple and mango going on.
There's little bitterness in this beer. It is quite soft and juicy. The body is quite full.
This is an interesting and delicious beer.


I will be back later for another beer.

 

First can of Sip thanks to @tolar111

Awesome beer I'm really digging it. More bitter than I thought it'd be but thats a plus. I can understand how its 1 of the best IPAs. Straight old school to me. Has a nice malt presence up front, lots of grapefruit then smoothes out to a strong lingering bitterness.

Cheers y'all!

 

I love that all of the reviews for this beer come from this little group of beer lovers . One or two more may be added soon...

 

I'm on my next one, and it was from a generous trade with @MonDak_Joe1953 . I am thankful to try it.


Centennial IPA - Black Leg Brewing - McKenzie, ND - American IPA - 6.4% ABV.

Pretty clear pouring IPA. Some pine and bitterness, but, not over the top. Some citrus and melon also come into play. Fairly easy drinking, and I will be looking for a 6 pack the next time I'm in North Dakota.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/60662/628246/

3.92/5 rDev +5.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Clear golden amber pour. The head is slightly off white and 1 finger. The head retention is good. The lacing on the glass.
The nose isn't too strong here. It is slightly dank from the hops.
The flavor is the hops as expected. The flavor is somewhat citrus and melon up front. The back gets more toward pine, and some bitterness that lingers.
Crisp body, the feeling from the hops do linger in my throat for a long time. Maybe a bit sticky feeling.
Tasty IPA overall.


I think I've got another few in me today, so see you all later.

 

Another tasty beer

 

Well, on my 4th of today, and yet another gift, this time it's from @WunderLlama . He kindly hit me for getting 2nd place in his contest over at the NBS BIF 16.


Kolsch - Von Trapp Brewing - Stowe, VT - 5% ABV

Very interesting beer. It's not a traditional Kolsch. It's lower ABV, but it has a ton of flavor. Quite delicious, and tasty.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22512/285770/

4.02/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Lemon looking pour with a white 2 finger head. The head retention is decent, and there's a bit of lacing on the glass.
The nose is a light citrus aroma.
Taste - very complex for a kolsch. I get some lemon and citrus in here. There's a good deal of bread and biscuit. Then I also on the back get a pleasing hop finish, with a decent bitterness.
The body is lighter, but not watery at all.
While this isn't a traditional Kolsch, it is an interesting take on it, and delicious.


I may be back for one more later today. Cheers all.

 

@Roy_Hobbs is the sponsor of my next beer in the NBW


Whisper - Oktoberfest - Tree House - 5.3% ABV

Very hoppy start, but a beautiful roasted malt backside. Great take on this style. I am actually surprised I am so much lower on the average, but I liked this beer a lot.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28743/509298/

3.92/5 rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Clear amber pouring beer. The head is slightly off white and 2 finger. The retention is quite decent, and there's a bit of lacing on the glass. Very malty looking.
Nose has a hint of caramel on it, and some bread/biscuit.
There's some bitterness up front from the hops hitting. The malts then do come in. Lots of caramel, and biscuit. There's also a bit of a roasty flavor that kicks in from the malts on the finish.
The body is quite decent, though lighter in general. The hops bite up front, but smooth on the back.
This is an interesting Oktoberfest, and a pleasure to try.


I think I have at least one more today.

 

Busy weekend ahead of me, but I hope to be able to sneak in several beers, especially since this is our official share weekend for our NBS BIF. I was lucky enough to have @foundersasap as my sender, and I'm confident this will not be the last beer from him that you'll see me post this weekend.


Received from @foundersasap. Interesting looking beer. There's plenty of foamy white head with good retention and lacing, and there's a nice brightness to it overall, but there's a slight tinge of green to the otherwise straw yellow color that's throwing me for a little bit of a loop. Maybe it's my imagination.

Aroma is really nice bready malts with hints of cracker and hay. The nose is very inviting. Taste is pretty consistent with the nose, with the same cracker / bread coming through. Crisp with very little hop bite. Super easy going down.

Overall, a good, approachable beer that is perfect if you want knock back a few without getting wasted. I could drink this all night.

 

Up next is a beer from my trade with @MonDak_Joe1953


copper Ale - Copper Leg Brewing - McKenzie, ND - American Pale Ale - 4.9% ABV

There's nothing off about this beer. No bad flavors, no skunk. That all being said - there's not much in the way of good flavors. There's not a lot here. Pretty bland to be honest.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/60662/539104/

3.26/5 rDev -8.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Clear darker golden pour with a slightly off white head. The head retention is pretty good, and I like the lacing on my glass.
I really don't get anything on the nose. At least nothing off putting.
I don't get a lot in the flavor, to be honest. Some malt, some sweetness, caramel, that is ok. There's not a lot of flavor in here.
Body is light.
Interesting beer, but really lacking I am afraid.

I think I can do at least one more today. Cheers

 

Dave, I personally have never seen this beer but I think you are correct here with the beer developed by Green Cheek brewery:

“Green Cheek West Coast IPA Is Dead!

Green Cheek head brewer Evan Price calls this 2018 GABF bronze-medal winner a “clear IPA, brewed without crystal malt, to keep the color light and malt flavor low—and to allow those Simcoe and Citra hops to shine through like crazy. Clean. Bitter. Hoppy.”

https://beerandbrewing.com/recipe-west-coast-ipa-is-dead/

Cheers!