New Beer Weekend #125

Voodoo Brewing - Blanton’s Barrel-Aged Black Magick

bottled 6-30-21

dense, oily black with a thin dark brown foam cap. 4.75

big bourbon and oak on the nose. some light fudge in the background. 4.5

taste offers the big bourbon barrel presence of the nose but lacks a lot of the fudge i got on the nose. more earthy and tobacco flavors. 4.25

thick, full mouthfeel, which is pretty standard for this series.

overall, beyond solid bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout but also not as impressive as some of the other black magicks i’ve had recently (Elijah Craig, Double Oaked Old Forester, Weller). 4.5

final score - 4.42
rDev +0.5%
cheers!

 

A couple of beers tonight from my friend @woemad and NBS BIF #16. This first beer is part of a series of hazies from Fremont that utilizes different hop varietals. I had versions 3 and 4 a few year’s ago, and this is version 42, so let’s see where it takes me.





4.35/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a hazy golden straw color with a beautiful, creamy white head that provides ample lacing. This beer utilizes Mosaic and Citra hops amongst others, and that is readily apparent as soon as you pop the top, because dank citrus aromas immediately hurl themselves your way, especially ripe tangerine, passion fruit, and lychee.

The taste mirrors the nose, with that tangerine, passion fruit, and lychee triumvirate joined by a subtle creamy oat flavor, which fits the medium mouthfeel that is on the softer side, per the style.

I will be the first to admit that this beer is my “beer nerd” sweet spot - I absolutely LOVE Citra/Mosaic hopped IPA’s, hazy or otherwise, and this one is very well executed, IMHO, which is my expectation from a brewery of Fremont’s caliber.

 

Carton Regular Coffee. I don't know where to start. Had been on a mini- search for this, figured it would take weeks/months, and then found some at my local today.
I don't have a lot of experience with cream ales in general, so this is extra confounding. Plus, I've got multiple dinner preps in media res, so maybe should have contemplated this in serenity. But here goes.
First impression, aroma like a stout. But that's gotta be from the coffee component. Pours clear in the glass, so even more confusement.
Taste? Geez, I still can't get my head around it. Okay, it's like a stout cut with an IPA. Am i crazy? But, like Gene Kelly in Xanadu, "I like it!"
Will have to revisit this in a more scientific mode, but, hell this is a beast. 12%. Now I see why it came in a 12 oz. can.
Anyone I've met who had this raved about it. I Agree.

 

Name Game by Bearded Iris

4.24/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25



Brewers Notes: Simcoe + Citra + expressive English yeast form this intensely aromatic and playful DIPA. Pithy pineapple on the nose, soft and sweet at first sip, with vibrant notes of ripe cantaloupe, peach, and rock candy quickly following.

Received in a trade from BI brewer Paul Vaughn , dated 10.3.22, open 12.10.22

“Lock Bobster” printed on the can

Can poured into a pint glass , hazy pale orange liquid, two finger fizzy off white foam cap, good retention, settles to a ring with islands , no lacings

Aroma is tropical fruit, pineapple, orange citrus

Taste is pineapple, followed by orange citrus

Smooth , light mouthfeel, 8% abv well hidden, fizzy, semi dry finish

Good beer

 

Macro or not, it's not terrible...

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/54572/625944/




Sample can from Labatt rep.
No discernible canning date.
16 ounce can.
4.5% abv.
Labatt, USA.
Rochester, NY.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 1/2 inch white head over a very bright, light amber color with some lacing.

Nose of slight hops and even slighter malt.

Taste is very mild, smooth , and highly drinkable with a slightly sweet, malt finish.

Very good feel with low to medium carbonation.

Overall, this did exceed my expectations by quite a bit!

Cheers!!

 

Agree fully, I’ve never had this one before but seems to get plenty of praise year after year. I could not get my palate around this, very different beer. I had the same experience with Dark Horse Elf something, both of these winter warmers did not do it for me!

 

It's funny - I went out of my way to find a 4-pack, and then later stumbled into a local shop not mentioned on their beer finder website that had several cases and found myself wavering.

Compared to some things it is a terrific value (e.g. Prairie; Jackie O's; Bottle Logic; Fremont), but I decided I'd be happier with another bottle of cask strength Willett rye and standard Speedway stout.

 

#2, also from @woemad, I’m excited to try this imperial milk stout from Lumberbeard.





4.46/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Pours black with a substantial tan head that sticks around for a bit. Looks lovely in the glass. The nose features rich milk chocolate, graham cracker, some peanut butter, and a little bit of char, which I didn’t expect.

The milk chocolate leads on the taste, but the char follows quickly, with graham cracker, a bit of peanut butter - and a nice little bit of hop bitterness at the very back of the palate. Wow.

The mouthfeel is full and edges toward creamy, fitting the beer. There’s a LOT going on with this beer, and it’s exceptionally well executed, IMHO - it would’ve been really easy for this to be too sweet, but the char and bit of hop bitterness removes that from the equation. I need more of this in my beer nerd life.

 

First beer in a week, after a mild touch of Covid, trying to recalibrate here. Tree House Vanilla Bean Catharsis, American Porter 7.2 abv. This should fix things. Pours pitch black, excellent head generation, quickly disappears, good looking, faint vanilla aroma, taste is sweet vanilla up front, fudge, cocoa, but the dark malts win out dominating and lingering, nice chewy coating feel, overall well done and enjoyable. Thanks to @Roy_Hobbs for the opportunity

 

This is one of my Top 10 beers of all time, and while it's a special treat due to pricing here (looking at $18-$22), it's still worth the occasional plunge it is so good. The richness and broad range of fruits, the sweetness held in check by the funk and oak. Simply perfection.

So cool you were able to enjoy one tonight, and hopefully you have access down the road to many more!

 

Another new Tonewood beer; we’ve been treated this past week with two new ones from them. The AAL last week and now this one…

I haven’t been this excited to try a new beer in a long time; I mean there are so many 5.5% stouts brewed with rye and hopped with chinook and centennial…around here they’re everywhere, seriously…

Does anyone else think of Mordor when they read the name and see the label??

Tonewood - Shadow Work…



Beer info…



Black in color; creamy light brown, thin film remains and leaves some pretty nice lacing.

Nose is rich and deep; like dark chocolate laden with little notes of dark roast coffee; there is an underlying earthiness with hints of smoke.

Taste has the same depth; rich dark chocolate, less dark roast coffee; earth and smoke remain slight hint of rye like spice on the finish.

Mouthfeel is interesting; it has a light body but it is slightly viscous, just a tad. Creamy carbonation; and less so…nice little dry and hoppy bite on the tongue; moderate bitterness on the finish.

Beer like this is what I live for; just a beautifully built well balanced and flavorful beer at the perfect abv. What a beer!

I blindly bought two four packs and I couldn’t be happier; assuming this sticks around this will grace my fridge all winter.

 

Toppling Goliath - Barrel-Aged Knock One Bock (BBA Doppelbock)

review:
poured from a 500mL bottle into a CW snifter. pours that barleywine puddle water brown with minimal foam. no lacing or cap. basically like a port wine. at room temperature for the entire pour, i get a faint spirit barrel on the nose along with raisins, prunes and toffee. more toffee and dark fruits on the taste along with dark bread and an extremely strong barrel presence. medium-full mouthfeel that borders on syrupy. really good beer. it’s missing a little bit of maltiness that i would expect given the “style” (BBA Doppelbock) but other than that, this rocks. huge oak bourbon flavors and plenty of toffee, caramel, raisins and other dark fruits. very much enjoyed!

4, 4.25, 4.5, 4.25, 4.25

overall: 4.34
rDev: +1.9%

cheers!!

 

Ghost Proton

13.5% rye bourbon barrel aged stout by Bottle Logic

Body pours black with a dark brown head. Not much lacing.

The aroma is a delicious mix of rye, marshmallows, Graham crackers and cacao. The rye stands above the others, but isn't hot.

Taste follows nose with the adjuncts moving forward to stand with the rye. A bit of malty goodness is present but in the background. The body still is boozy but the rye doesn't quash the others. Finish dries up a bit but this is a heavy beer. Thankfully

Mouthfeel is luxurious and low carbonation doesn't detract here. Avoid the impulse to gulp this monster. Savor and enjoy.

I definitely would not have purchased the stout based on the ingredients, and that would have been my mistake. A hugely delicious, heavy hitting yet expertly masked just enough rye dessert stout.

 

Thanks to @jonphisher for this long time want. We get SNPA up here, but that is really all, so it was a treat to receive this in a recent box from Jon.



Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA.

Pours a deep reddish-copper with a substantial head that sticks around and laces beautifully.

Bright pine on the nose. Some citrus rind in behind. Cereal. Some caramel. Lovely.

Taste follows closely. Resin-y pine, light citrus and floral notes. Roasty grain. Moderately bitter finish.

Medium body. Highly drinkable.

This was excellent. An IPA like you’d get 10+ years ago in a manner I love. Thanks Jon!

 

Loire by Living waters brewing

4.59/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brewers notes : Introducing Loire (pronounced like Noir), a Marshmallow and vanilla imperial Milk Stout. Sweet toasty marshmallow upfrontwith enough malt structure to dry it out and end with a clean finish.

Special release in a 3 pack of Barrel aged beer Living Waters assortment 750 ml bottles. presented in an open window gift box/ case



Imperial milk stout aged for 22 months in a 7 year old buffalo trace bourbon barrel then rested on marshmallow and Madagascar vanilla .Matte black bottle, waxed and capped, poured into a stemless wine glass, pours a dark cola liquid , one finger brown fizzy foam cap, no lacings



Aroma is bourbon, tobacco , roast malts, vanilla

Taste is vanilla, sweet marshmallow , bourbon

Mouthfeel is ligh, not syrupy, low sudsing

Very good beer, delicious

 

Glad you liked it, it is such a treat each year; I’m glad I could share it with you. Cheers.