New Beer Weekend #126

Ready for Christmas around here, three more work days before being done with work until January 3rd.

Plank Brewery Heller Weizenbock

Appearance: slightly hazy gold, good head.

Smell: Bananas, yeasty

Taste: Sweet, moderate banana flavor, yeasty, a little alcohol heat. Solid but not too heavy feel.

Overall: I'm always up to try a weizenbock, and saw this one on the shelf. I like it, it has a pretty big banana flavor, which I really enjoy in weizenbocks. A little pricey for a 4 pack but I'll probably pick it up again.

 

I'll be joining you today in reviewing this beer, Jack. I actually thought I'd had this years ago, but it was the Abt 12 that I enjoyed in 2012 or so. Your review of the Christmas Ale has me even more excited to try it than I was (and I was VERY excited to try it).

 

Founders French Toast Bastard.



Ebony with a 1.5" tan head, lasts. Heavy lacing. 4.25
Aroma of vanilla, maple, cinnamon, caramel. 4.5
Taste: vanilla, maple, cinnamon, caramel, chocolate. 4.5
Full body, light carbonation. Semisweet finish. 4.25
This does taste exactly like the French toast I make. 4.5
4.46 rDev +5.9%

 

A new beer from the king of stouts in Wisconsin. I am hoping for a lighter version of Cassian Sunset. The look is black with a mocha brown tint. There is a light brown foamy top that quickly goes away. The smell is milk chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, graham cracker, and coffee. The taste is much lighter than barrel-aged stouts from this brewery. Mocha frappe is correct. Light flavors of coffee, milk chocolate, cream, and cinnamon come through. The mouthfeel is thin. It feels like an iced coffee beverage. There is virtually no alcohol bite. Overall, this beer is about what I expected. It is a nice beer to drink during a cold winter beer-drinking session, but it does not have the intense flavors that barrel-aged adjunct stouts from this brewery typically deliver. I feel like if I decided to purchase a couple cases of this beer and walk around Lambeau Field on Monday afternoon, I could sell a lot of this beer to LA Rams fans from California, at a ridiculous markup, who are attempting to tailgate in single-digit weather before Monday Football. I assume people from California go to Starbucks before LA Rams games, take an Uber to the game, arrive during the 2nd half, then leave early. If my assumption is correct, I could use this beer to help afford a very nice ticket to the game on Monday night at Lambeau Field.

 

I was browsing the shelves of my package store the other day and came across this barleywine. I like barleywines and I have had several enjoyable beers from Ex Novo, so I bought a can. And I'm glad I did. One of the best beers I've had the pleasure of drinking this year.

Never More is a barleywine brewed by Ex Novo in Corrales, NM, with an ABV of 12.1%
The beer is a very dark brown, near black. Tan head that reduces to a rim around the circumference of the glass. No lace.
Nice aroma. Chocolate, booze, fig, sweet malt, and a little smoke.
The taste followed the nose. Caramel and vanilla, bourbon.
Medium-bodied.
Fantastic sipping beer!

 

Thanks for kicking things off this weekend @JackHorzempa . Have two Christmas / Year End beers to cross post and celebrate this weekend, both introduced to me in previous years in the NBW / Christmas Beer Tasting / WBAYDN threads. Both are brewed annually with perhaps slight changes each vintage.

Starting out with about half a bottle (poured a few more ounces since the OG pour).

Trader Joe's Brewing Company Trader Joe’s 2022 Vintage Spiced Ale



Bottle Notes: Purchased when first seen at Trader Joe's for $5.99 + tax, refrigerated upon taking home. 25.4 oz, 9% ABV. Dark Ale Brewed with Spices. On Lees. BB 08-30-25 (presumptive bottle date 8/30/22). Brewed and bottled by Unibroue, Cambly, Quebec, Canada. Imported by Unibrew USA, Tarrttown, New York,

Unique and limited edition, this Belgian Style Spiced Ale is crafted once a year as a special treat for those of you who appreciate flavorful, bottle-conditioned ales with character.

Our Vintage Spiced Ale is a rich, dark and full-bodied ale with a fine and generous coffee-colored beige foam. It's ready to enjoy right away and you may also wish to cellar a few bottles. It will evolve interestingly well, developing more complex flavors as the years go by. Keep the bottle upright in storage.

Brewed with a delicate balance of noble hops, roasted malts and spices, this is a remarkably smooth ale with a wonderfully complex finish. It is best served slightly chilled, around 53 degrees Fahrenheit and pairs exceptionally well with grilled salmon steaks, curried lamb, beef or tuna au poivre.

Appearance: Multiple pours of approximately 12.4 oz into a chalice. Dark beige impenetrable base, creamy rich luxurious creamy head lasts throughout the pour, with a nice thick cover remaining after the head recedes, and generous fine lacing throughout. 4.5

Aroma: Clove strong and pleasant, followed by cinnamon and light citrus. Digging this. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, the clove banana yeast dominating the proceedings, the cinnamon stronger than the aroma leads, provides a nice complement, and also brown sugar as this warms a bit, now 15 minutes after opening. Enjoying this version. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Creamy rich mouthfeel, nominal carbonation felt. Medium to full body, lightly sweet, but is balanced and very tasty. The ABV hits you right away, this is a strong beer, so I'm likely drinking the second half later today or tomorrow. Somewhat dry, easy clean finish. Very decident. 4.75

Overall: Overall, I'm really liking this offering. Unibroue makes great beers and this is no exception. Would have to review prior vintage ratings, but off the top of my head this is my favorite vintage yet. Really strong flavors, enjoying each component, the mouthfeel is quite excellent. I will hopefully be able to grab a few more and cellar for the first time for "beer science". Well done Trader Joes / Unibroue. 4.5

 

Dad

6% holiday red ale by Rheingeist

Body puts an opaque dark brown with nice fluffy initial head. Good lacing throughout the tasting.

Aroma is a mix of malt, fruit, and light spice. Taste follows nose and the piney hops provide a nice bite. Swallow dries up nicely with a light lingering bitterness. If allowed to warm, the hop bite softens (but the finishing hops still do their job) and the biscuit malty flavor steps up.

Pleasant mouthfeel with good carbonation.

 

Wanted to share this one with anyone who isn't on the holiday thread...today is our oldest sons 6th birthday, and I can't believe it. I was looking forward to Christmas beers and fun this weekend but now I'm 90% sure my strep that I just got over 1.5 weeks ago has returned so now its off to urgent care for possibly another round of antibiotics...I want to cry, not really but man is it annyoing, if I'm able I will join you all later this weekend, time will tell. Until then this was a good beer I enjoyed last night. Cheers NBW fam. If my throat can't handle a beer tonight I will drink vicariously through you all.

Breckenridge - Christmas Ale



Pour slight ruby hued brown, crystal clear nice light brown dense head with some staying power; no lasting lace; think film sticks around as head.

On the nose rich malt; caramelized, slight toasted character; and some earth and woodiness as it warms.

Taste yields the same caramelized malt character; toasty quality becomes more apparent, subtle bread like character; woodsy hop character on the finish.

Super creamy carbonation; silky, medium body, low but noticeable bitterness on the finish. Clean and very easy to go down, high drinkability for the abv.

Highly enjoyable beer for me the malt is so rich and it has a unique taste on the finish that I quite enjoy.

Cheers everyone!

A little Christmas funk for your Friday night (I guess it is Saturday afternoon now)…

 

Pulpit Rock - BOCKman Turner Overdrive (BTO)

my notes:
poured from a 16oz can into a willi becher pint glass. pours a light amber with two fingers of off-white foam. a fine looking beer. heavy dark bread grains and subtle earthy hops on the nose. i almost get a bit of rosemary. taste is bitter rye bread. malt-forward. perhaps a little bit of hops in the finish. medium-full mouthfeel. nothing to complain about. carbed about as expected. not a bad beer but definitely a little one note. very heavy on the rye bread-like maltiness. it does drink well for over 6% with a bit of warmth to it.

4, 4.25, 3.75, 4, 4
overall: 3.96
rDev: +10.6%

cheers!!

 

Howdy folks. Thanks @JackHorzempa for the thread. This is a lovely beer from good ol' VT. Cheers!
Von Trapp Helles Golden Lager. 4.9% ABV 20 IBU
4.01/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
12oz can stamped best by 2/28/23 into a tall lager glass.
L: Pours straw pale bright yellow w a thin white head to holds its edge foam well, VG carbo w very large & fine bubbles to the end, no lacing.
S: Bready doughy malts, herbal hops, a bit floral. Clean & simple.
T: Gently sweet and bitter, bready malts, a short pale hop sensation, fresh clean and bright, very light lemon, lightly floral throughout, light grains.
F: Pleasantly straight ahead for the style, crisp, clean w a med-light body and semi-fast moderately drying finish.
O: Winning taste & great feel. Extremely well balanced and crushable year-round. An EZ drinking American made Helles that is excellent in its style.

 

LOL! great anecdote! i dig the name too.

cheers!!

 

Howdy NBers
I haven't had a new to me beer in a while, I tend to drink the same beer but every once and a while I pick one up. Today we were doing some non Christmas related errands and stopped in at a winery not too far from our house for my wife, It's like 3 wineries to 20 breweries in this area of Massachusetts. I stopped in a bottle shop and grabbed a 4 pack of these while she was tasting wine.

Four Quarters Brewing LLC Winosoki.Vermont
Phaze 6.5 % abv IPA



Poured from an undated can yields a thick fluffy white head and a cloudy pale yellow colored body. Thin veil and slight lacing

Aromas of peach, mango and citrus

Taste is mainly citrus rind, it almost overwhelms the stone fruit nose

Mouthfeel is soft and rich with a slightly bitter finish that lingers

Overall, it is an easy drinking IPA and drinks a bit like a double with the citrus rind bitterness. I liked it and wouldn't hesitate to buy it again.

4,5/ 4.25./ 4/ 4/ 4/ 4.09 rDev -1.02%

 

IPA's from The Veil Brewing in Richmond VA are available in stores here now. The state does not allow beer shipping, so we haven't had access to them.

Cat Cat Nap Nap
DDH variant of Dirt Nap, Citra, Galaxy, Mosaic, and Nelson hops. Can dated 11/18/22.
I think this is the first beer that I have had from The Veil. Nice hop combination. Strong dank and citrus aromas and taste. At $5 a can I won't buy it regularly. Just an occasional treat.