New Beer Weekend #124

Yeah, I'd say on the whole that Dunkels are my favorite style. Cheers on another good soccer (football) day!

 

Breakfast beer? Why not.
My fridge is well stocked with beer thanks to @foundersasap, this one coming in the first box he sent.

This is Hazel's Nuts - Toasted Marshmallow & Coconut - an "Imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with coffee, coconut, natural hazelnut, and toasted marshmallow flavorings"


The appearance of stouts is getting harder and harder for me to rate, as they all look extremely similar to me. The biggest differentiation is often with the head, and this one has it going in on that category. Finger's worth of thick, tan colored head that receded to a thin cap and persistent ring. Good retention and lacing.

On the aroma front, while I tend to be more of a purist who doesn't always love lots of adjuncts, in this case I have to concede that this beer smells amazing. Aromas of hazelnut and marshmallow come out of the glass in waves. Coffee and very faint roast are present upon closer inspection.

Taste is....interesting. I get an overpowering marshmallow up front that I find too sweet and in your face. That really starts to change over the extremely long finish though. Coffee, roasted malts and hazelnut all shine through once I get past that initial sweetness. I'm still tasting different notes a good 30 seconds after each sip. Full bodied and perfectly carbonated.

Overall, this was a little bit like a movie you start watching and aren't quite sure about, but then by the end you realize you really liked. Glad I was able to try it. Thanks Jeff!

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Hmmm....I may have to head into the basement to see if I have a bottle of this. I think I do, but am not sure. You definitely got me in the mood to try it with your review!

That's the beauty of the NBS BIFs. We all get to try out different beers that we likely wouldn't have been able to and form our own opinions. I've sent beer to people that I LOVE that they are very "meh" about, and also thrown in a few extras that I don't love that they have been blown away by. It's amazing to have the chance to try out different beers from different places....but I also feel guilty when I admit to not loving something I've been sent. It's all good, though. Cheers!

 

Your reviews are spot on Ross, as I read them, I often think “I wish I could review like this, or yes that’s how I remember that one too”.

 

Right on Ross! This is an issue I've been aware of for some time - how can one rate a stout much greater than a 3 - 3.5 when it looks like most of all the other stouts? Like you said - the head. I also use the amount of precipitate or suspended particles and the appearance when rear-lite. The issue of appearance often causes my ratings to be lower than average because I think appearance is too great a part of the final score.

 

Good day BAs! Off to another cold morning (25 degrees F). Winter is creeping upon us! Today's New Breakfast Beer:




Year Around Brown from Grand Armory Brewing. 12 oz can. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Received from @Whyteboar in NBW BIF #16. Reviewed 04/12/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on bottom “03/02/22”. Served at 56.4 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 59.9 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), clear.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, ruby, and translucent.
Head – Average (Maximum four cm, aggressive center pour), beige, high density with a few surface rocks, quickly diminishing to a 0.3 cm crown and complete, rocky cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3.75 – Roasted malt, a touch of char. No hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 3.5 – Chocolate malty with a slightly bitter aftertaste. No hops or yeast. No ethanol (5.9 % ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. No gastric warming occurs. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, short of creamy, soft but lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.5 Decent brown ale in which the bitterness balances out the sweetness.
Rating 3.56, rDev +0.3%

Thanks Craig - a new beer from a new (to me) brewery!

 

Here's a beer in the New Belgium mixed pack at Costco:1554. It fits in perfectly in this conversation about delicious and flavorful lighter dark beers and ales. It's in the Zwert style (Flemish for black) and it is utterly tasty and a crisp chocolate high-toned finish. My new favorite.
Another homage to Christine McVie and her indelible mark on generations past and to come.

 

I haven't had a ton of BBIS -- my first experience with it I think was 2020, I had the regular version and thought it was too hot; I also had the coconut version and thought it was too hot and overwhelmed by coconut. I held on to my second of both bottles, thinking a couple years might improve their situations. They're in the fridge now...

 

Good morning, new beer sippers. I have a beer today that a few have reviewed over the past couple of weeks. I also happened to notice it is pretty high on the Most Popular beer list on this site. This is the list that I have had many from, even if I haven't reviewed them all, with most of those I haven't had falling into the category of not being reasonably available to me.

This beer would fit into that category, given that Black Friday beer chasing never seemed a reasonable action for me. I've highly curtailed my BCBS purchases in past years for various reasons, but my curiosity for the BCBCS variant grabbed me forcefully enough to grab two from the shelf. The fact that the GF ended up paying didn't hurt


Black pour with some apparently viscosity as expected, with a struggling tan leaning light brown head fading on to and off of the surface. A thin ring holds into the first sip, producing a sheen across from my lips that hold the line for a few seconds before retreating to the safety of the group.

There's a familiar aroma that is the tangy, fruity roasted malt of a BCBS escaping the Teku, with wisps of the barrel coming on as it warms. Based on other posts, I was expecting a more distinct coffee aroma, though this might be a case where a side-by-side comparison would expose what I am missing.

The taste duplicates the effect of reminding me of BCBS from my past, but where I recall a little more of a tangy dark fruit (prune and the like) from the regular, this beer holds its roasty nature a little better. I could attribute this to the coffee, but it doesn't specifically seem specifically so - that is until the aftertaste. Not sure I can explain why, but the aftertaste reminds me of the lingering semi-bitter flavors of a dark roast coffee.

Going back to the nose, the roast is starting to come through a little more - whether because I now have the taste to compare to or if the beer is warming to a more proper temperature, I am not qualified to tell. Maybe a little of both, as my next couple of sips sneak a bit of the prune originally noted on the nose into the mid-taste before the roast of the first few sips takes over. I am also starting to get a light licorice bite a little nearer the end.

The beer has quite a thick to perhaps chewy feel, but somehow it doesn't translate into making the beer too heavy. It seems there's just enough carbonation to buoy things, but not enough to cleanse the palate of a light coating.

Overall, I do believe I like this variant more than the base, which I found I didn't enjoy as much as I once did year after year (despite my still high rating of it). I'm glad the GF bought it

Oh, her thoughts:
It's more coffee-y than she'd like; chocolate and coffee but quite tasty, she likes it overall.

 

Good Morning NBS/nbw and thanks @Roguer for the startup this week.
With all thats going on in life here, we were reminded yesterday that only 6 weeks until we fly to see Team #1 and or first grandchild. We had them here this summer, now its our turn to visit.
Its a production but we are ready for it.
Todays offering if from Frost Beer Works, a really good coffee expression, on a well crafted porter.
Cheers all
Coffee Porter

Robust Porter | 6.5% ABV
Frost Beer Works in Hinesburg, Vermont

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.16/5 rDev +1.5% | Average: 4.1
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 16 oz can dated 11/02/22 so a month (ish) from packaging.
A - Dark cocoa color, hides all the iner workings, with that a lovely mocha froth rides the surface.
With each pull, a thin ring shows progress.
S - Dark roast coffee, up front, in that space, char, blackberry, bakers chocolate. Then roast malts, a bit of yeasty esters, and more dark fruit notes.
T - Suprisingly more roast malts, less coffee, A nice flip there! earthy hops (goldings maybe) add another welcome aspect.
M - Soft water or added oats create a luxurious texture, that offsets an almost "thin", but proper body. Starts on the palate on the sweet edge, moving quickly toward the center, just enough bitterness to balance. Finish is a bit sticky/oily in a good way. Linger is all that beautiful coffee/malt tension
O - A very good coffee porter, that beautiful aromatic bouquet is something on its own, then add the great palate pleasure and you have a winner.

 

Thanks for sharing this, I think it resonates with more people than you might think.
I must admit that while I enjoy drinking some of these, they don’t seem like, well, beer.
But maybe that’s the point.

 

Agreed that all three are very good. My personal experience is that Bodhi and Crerper are better to my preferences when they are very fresh otherwise they start to lean too malty… for me. YMMV.

 

Back this morning with another NBS treat. Found in Northern Vt and glad I picked it up
Smoked Helles from Oxbow Brewing, is delicate, not overly smokey. Seems the standard is Schlenkerla Helles, this has a lighter body, and more delicate in the smoked malt area. Clean and dry in the finish. Thankful to have found this delightful offering

Smoked Helles

Helles | 5% ABV
Oxbow Brewing Company in Newcastle, Maine

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.02/5 rDev 0% | Average: 4.02
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 16 oz can dated 10/22/22 into the test glass.
A - Beautiful to look at, goldenrod color, clear as a bell, allowing for clear viewing of the delicate carbonation dancing toward the surface. White pillowy froth caps the offering.
S - Hints of smoked malt, mainly beautiful pilsner malts, grassy noble hops.
T - Pilsner malt forward, biscuit, white toast, some lemongrass, a bit of honey spread on that toast.
M - Delicate, crisp, light, semi sweet finish, bone dry.
O - A very easy drinking, flavorful Helles. The smoked malts are subtle, working in harmony with the base malts. Water treatment is just right, The hops are delicate and pop at the right time and level.

 

Ah yes! With it being now near lunchtime on a winters Sunday morning ; for an early rising man its time for a lager beer.


Winter of 2022. Lunchtime. Canadian version 5.9%

Pabst Blue Ribbon Strong.


An attractive tallboy can, cold from the overnight heavy with navy blue colouring and vintage style writing. Pabst Strong, poured upside down into tall pub glass reveals a body of aureate bronze with a galaxy of large soda pop bubbles. A thick and sticky office envelope white head with large gaping bubbles and more stickiness in its lacing.

Aroma of light caramel malts and saltine crackers. Bit of pepper under the shnoze with cold grain cereal. An earthy aroma coming from hops that I think might be somewhere between Northern Brewer and Galena.

Traditional American lager taste; lots of hints but no clear distinctions. The lager is very well balanced with its malting, a bit of flaked maize. A fairly astringent finish is perfect in deleting any residual lingering sweetness from such a strong version of the style that oversteps its traditional guidelines for alcohol content. A hop bite at the end dries up each finished gulp. A tasty refreshing beer; a tad dangerous given its affordability, refreshing taste and abv percentage.

Overall its a fine beer. I can certainly see this American Lager pairing just lovely with some Teryaki Beef Ribs or a scrumptious plate full of vegetarian lasagna.


3.5 out 5. A good beer.

 

Couldn't agree with you more regarding plastic cups. Hopefully it is a short (very short) hiccup in their growing pains.

 

1554 used to be my go to fridge staple when I lived in Lubbock, TX, which at the time had only just ceased to be a dry county and was truly a craft-beer wasteland. My sister even got me a 1554 tap handle for... christmas or my birthday or something at some point.
Randomly, I also remember when we lived in San Francisco, my roommate chatting up (and ultimately bringing home?) a gal who worked as a New Belgium... rep? distributor? Anyway, fresh out of college I remember thinking that was the coolest thing ever and kind of wishing she'd stuck around so I could pick her brain about it all, ha.
I don't remember the last time I actually drank a New Belgium beer, but they are definitely one of those legacy breweries who had a massive impact on young kemo's beer drinking.

 

Took me about four hours to drink my first 12 oz. beer (am I the only one who will sip a single stout for hours?), now it's time to move onto #2. This also comes courtesy of @foundersasap. I've seen many of your reviews of this beer over the past ~year, and am excited to be able to try it myself.

A few red tinges to the deep brown on the pour, but the red goes away once in the glass. Very thin head that quickly receded to a spotty cap. Aroma has plenty of maple, but what I'm most reminded of are brownies. Overall, the nose is certainly rich, but I would have preferred a little more roast to balance things out.

Thankfully, the taste does exactly what the nose doesn't. Really nice blend of barrel, roasted malts, faint coffee, and some maple syrup on the finish. Amazingly little heat. There's some alcohol warming once it hits the stomach, but on the tongue, this is smooth and does not feel like an 11% beer.

Overall, this is excellent. Thanks @foundersasap for sending this my way.

 

I visited the brewery in April and was blown away. I think I sent a small box of their beers to four participants in NBS BIF #15 (Bodhi, Creeper, IPA, their German Pilsner, and one other, IIRC) after that trip. I ate there and drank a couple of beers at the bar - stellar.

Bodhi had been a long-time want, and it did not disappoint, but my visit and the beers I had were a revelation, because Columbus Brewing Company is a lot more than Bodhi.

 

When I first started beer nerding, Fat Tire was a gateway beer for me, along with Boulevard Pale Ale. By association with Fat Tire, I discovered 1554, and pretty much always had it in my beer fridge for a few years. I'll bet I haven't had it in a decade, a situation I need to address because I always enjoyed that beer.

 

If you qualify that statement with mega/regional brewed American Lagers (e.g., Bud Light, Coors Light, Bud, Miller Lite,…) I would certainly agree with that statement.

However, there are American Adjunct Lagers that are more closely aligned with how these beers would have been brewed prior to Prohibition. Those beers have a much more robust flavor profile in comparison to the popular beers I listed above. We homebrewers refer to these beers via the terminology of Classic American Pilsners.

Some examples for your consideration:

“Examples of Classic American Pilsners

There are few examples of commercially brewed CAP beers. They tend to be only available in limited regions and sometimes on a rotating basis: Straub 1872 Pre-Prohibition Lager (Pennsylvania), Fort George 1811 Pre-Prohibition Lager (Oregon), Short’s Pontius Road Pilsner (Michigan), Austin Beer Garden Brewing Co. Rocket 100 (Texas), Upland Champagne Velvet (Indiana), and Fullstream Paycheck Pilsner (North Carolina).”

https://www.morebeer.com/articles/Pilsen_Beer

Another ‘newer’ example is Iron Hill King’s Gold.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/6045/363514/

Since you made specific mention of decoction mashing you might be interested in knowing that when brewing American Adjunct Lagers using rice or corn in the format of grits that the brewery will mash using the American double mash regime which has similarities to decoction mashing in that grains are boiled as part of the overall step mashing regime:

“The production of a Classic American Pilsner using raw adjuncts is more complicated since a separate cereal mash needs to be conducted using a separate vessel beyond a mash vessel. This is sometimes referred to as the American double mash and is conceptually similar to the decoction process detailed above.”

Cheers!

 

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/40359/629200/Decided to audible today from my planned at home beer to hit a few local breweries to celebrate New Beer Sunday #928.

First stop, my first time at Hop Butcher’s Taproom on Lincoln. Tight and cozy, 50s-60s style music to kick off a Sunday morning. Starting light with an ESB, though draft, not cask (they are considering it down the road).

Hop Butcher Cricket Hill



Taproom Notes: $7 16 oz draft, 5.5% ABV, ESB. Cooler weather and English Style Beers have always paired well. A toasty malt profile lays the base for Centennial and Chinook hops.

Appearance: Draft into a nonic glass. Crystal clear bronze base, minimal carbonation eases quickly. Bright white light head leaves wafer thin spotty lacing. 3.75

Aroma: Caramel, toffee and light bread, mild in strength, higher in appreciation. 4.0

Taste: Bolder than the aroma leads, really nice hops presence delivering dry bitterness and a nice pine lead, working well with the caramel malt presence. Well done. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Light fizzy carbonation unseen but sustained throughout, dry and bitter, suits my preferences. Body watery and light, drinking even lighter, malt and hops deliver a nice balance, with the hops sticking around after last call with bitterness. 4.5

Overall: Not sure if I’ve seen this style from Hop Butcher before, but really digging what they done. More hops than typical for an ESB, but all within reason. Glad they can mail this style, hope to see a cask version here one day down the road. Take a bow, Hop Butcher, and welcome to my old neighborhood! 4.5

Debating whether to have 2 or 3 here before moving to Spiteful.