New Beer Weekend #127

Just a note: I meant to say more aggressively carbonated for the style not hopped...obviously its hopped to all heck

 

Day 2, the blizzard has ended, and I am in full-on grilling mode. This is the “before the blizzard ended” pic from around 3 pm this afternoon …..



….. and this is the “after the blizzard ended and I dug out the patio so I can grill a big ol’ steak and Ranger can get out to do his doggo business” pic from 30 minutes ago …..



….. and here’s the big ol’ steak before it goes on the grill ….



All that shoveling and thinking about that steak made me REALLY thirsty, so how about an extra special beer to share with my beer nerd friends on Christmas Eve?

Let’s do this.







4.6/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a gorgeous, clear dark mahogany brown with ruby hues on the edges and a sizzling light tan head that is substantial on an aggressive pour, and then goes away to let the beer shine.

The nose features bourbon, oak, toffee, and bitter hop aromas, literally from front to back, with a boozy undertone that works really well.

The taste is led by the oak, toffee, and bourbon notes, with a nice milk chocolate flavor joining the party, and a nice little bitter hop bite at the back of the palate. This is exceptionally well done.

The mouthfeel is big, brawny, and more than a little bit creamy. This beer exceeds my very high expectations, and I’m glad I have a second bottle to see how it develops. World class stuff, IMHO.

 

Lovely post; love the progression...I have to ask @ovaltine will you be eating that by holding the bone?

You and Ranger may be fighting over that piece of meat...but lets be honest; one look from that dog and it'd be all his Maybe he'll leave you the bone..?

 

I am not shy about eating from the bone (this is from August 2020 when Little O came to visit and we did big steaks). IJS. And that’s a Surly shirt I’m wearing, so I am representing Minnesota beer nerds.

 

Final beer for today comes courtesy of @landrewg. This is Porter from Ore Dock Brewing Company courtesy of @landrewg

Appearance is reminiscent of a Coke. Dark brown with slight reddish tinge on the pour. Small amount of fizzy tan head. Aroma is excellent. Plenty of roasted malts and what I would mistake for coffee. Very good smelling beer. Taste follows. Plenty of roast, relatively light and easy drinking. Good porter.

 

Love that beer
Was thrilled to find some here in WMass
Cheers

 

Our sincere sorrow, thats a tough loss
in this shitty year of losses.
Do well
Stay safe

 

I think I had this a long ways back but never reviewed and don’t really remember much about it other than I thought it was tasty.

On this Christmas Eve I am drinking…

Hardywood - Gingerbread Stout



Pours black, light brown head, not much retention but a nice thin opaque creamy layer sticks around.

Nose is ginger and honey forward, a fresh ginger; touch of vanilla, dark chocolate and roast shows as it warms.

The flavors come in waves; first ginger, then creamy vanilla; followed by a gingery cinnamon spice/bite, then out of no where a dark and nice bitter chocolate. Oh then that ginger spiciness lingers away.

Big body, low carbonation, creamy, not sweet, feel; very noticeable roasty bitterness on the finish. This drinks very clean for having all those flavors jammed in the taste, remarkably smooth…this beer is dangerous given its abv.

This beer is exactly what it says it is, the part that caught me by surprise in a good way is that huge hit of bitter chocolate, very good sipper.

Have a nice night everyone! Cheers.

 

Prairie This is the Way BA Imp Stout, 13.6% ABV; 4.45 overall

Pours a near still ebony with near zero mocha colored head. No head retention or lacing

S: Dark fruit, barrel, & dark chocolate, dark fruit fades quickly

T: Dark chocolate, vanilla cream liqueur, a touch of barrel warmth, plus toasted almonds up front. Marshmallow breaks through as this beer warms up, along with dark chocolate, a little booze warmth, some cola notes and vanilla. Finishes with a trace of leafy hops, Bourbon, Marshmallow& Dark Chocolate & Vanilla Cream

MF: Chewy with near zero carbonation. Carbonation picks up once warm, warming booze presence

Great flavor on this, drinks great despite the heft. Despite the price, I am considering pulling the trigger on a 4-pack. This an Imperial Pastry Stout that pretty much checks all the boxes except appearance

 

Store by me had them for $50. I walked in Thursday and they reduced them to $37.99 so I decided to pull the trigger on another bottle so I can age it. Amazing beer

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Well, I survived another Christmas Eve at the liquor store, though, with the Vikings playing today, it was a lot slower than it should have been. I am not a football fan anymore, but I told my my store manager who is, that they tried to lose, but failed again. She, jokingly, acted like she was going to slap me, but she agreed. We had the game on, but since I don't care, I was on the floor, or in the cooler stocking the whole time.

Now on to my new beers, yes beers.

The first one was enjoyed at work, after we closed at 6. It was one from my cellar that I picked up on my last trip to Little Falls, MN.


Wee Marky - Scotch Ale/Wee Heavy - Starry Eyed Brewing - 10.5% ABV

There is a reason I brought this to work today, besides the fact we all needed something to decompress with after this long week. Our GM is named Mark, and he co-stars with the daughter of the owner in the radio ads as Marky Markdown. They're cheesy ads, but they're effective. I was doing my best impression of them after close tonight. Waaa slash WAA WAA!

To the beer.

I was very impressed with it, to say the least. It is aged in whiskey barrels, but it has way more of the oak flavor than the whiskey that was in the barrel flavor. This was very smooth, and I really enjoyed it. Heck, my co-worker, who isn't into beer at all said she thought it was ok. That's the same thing I said about the champagne (yes, from that region in France )that we had right before this beer - I'm not a wine or champagne drinker.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/49542/632341/

4.25/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This review is copied from my UT review, with some edits, and expanded from memory. It was enjoyed with my co-workers on December 24, 2022. I gave it a 4.25 rating.

This beer pours somewhere between a brown color and amber. There wasn't a lot of head on it, but what was there was off white.
The nose was faint. Just a hint of caramel, and maybe oak.
Taste - There's whiskey in the flavor. I also get roasted nut flavors. There's notes of oak in here. The best way I can describe it is as there's more of the oak from the barrel than the whiskey that was in the barrel. There was an earthy and woody flavor.
The body was decent.
This is quite delicious. A co-worker who said she isn't into beer much, said it was ok.


Now, to the beer I'm working on as I write this post:

Ginger Snap Darkness - RIS - Surly Brewing - 12% ABV

I can see why this is divisive. The ginger flavor is not for everyone. It is strong, and some do not like it. I do. It reminds me of when I bought ginger chews in the natural foods section of the grocery store. Very powerful, but it can put people off. The aroma could lead you toward a more sweet beer, but it isn't. since I am a sour and bitter person, I tend toward that. This is good, and I may buy another.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13014/625877/

4.17/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
The pour is pitch black into the glass. The head is tan colored, and 3 finger. The head retention is quite good for a 12% beer, and there's a bit of lacing on the glass.
The aroma is full of ginger. I get a hint of sweetness in the ginger, kind of like a sugar cookie aroma.
Flavor is dominated by the ginger. I am not getting the sweetness I got in the aroma. I've had ginger treats before that I got in the grocery store, and it tastes like them. I do get hints of the barrel (vanilla, caramel) on the back side.
There's a bit of heat from the alcohol in this puppy that comes in on the back. It's not super crazy, but it lets you know it's a sipper. The body is pretty full. The feeling from the ginger really lingers in my throat.
I do like this one, but I can also see why some would not like it.


Since I have to drive to southern Minnesota tomorrow to visit my family for Christmas, I'd better stop here tonight. I'll be back tomorrow for more new brews. Cheers all, and enjoy the holiday as you see fit to do so.

 

Here is a modified cross post from the recent 'blending beers' thread. Both of these beers are new to me as of about a month ago, and I finally found the time to blend them tonight, so the resulting concoction is very new to me.

I'm a chocaholic (and I especially like the taste of Hershey's chocolate) so I'm ignoring the fact that the Chocolate Porter is essentially a chocolatey, watery beer. I couldn't taste the malt, but again, I'm not complaining. The pumpkin beer? Well my comments in the 'blending' thread will tell you about my dislike of pumpkin beers:

The 'suspects' are the Yuengling Hershey's Chocolate Porter and from Grand Armory Brewing, which is located here in Michigan, a beer called Pumpkin Slappuccino which is brewed with espresso, pumpkin spices and lactose, but no pumpkin. It has a nice coffee aroma but no other good qualities for me. I don't even taste the coffee because the pumpkin spices neutralize/mask it. I'm not really liking this pumpkin beer, so I'm hoping to see some improvement from the chocolate in the porter.

I started out with 6 oz. of the pumpkin beer and added the porter in 2 oz. increments until I tasted chocolate. Sadly I didn't begin to taste chocolate until I had all 12 oz. of the porter added, and it wasn't enough for me to say the beer had become enjoyable. I didn't want to open another bottle of it to complete this experiment, so I learned that I shouldn't have started with 6 oz. of the pumpkin beer to find the right ratio before depleting the quantity of porter that I was willing to add. However, as the blended beer warmed I did begin to taste more of the chocolate, and the coffee flavor showed up a little bit. Maybe I'm too sensitive to the pumpkin spices in order to overcome them, so that is likely the core of my lack of enjoyment of pumpkin beers. But if I remove or somehow completely mask those flavors, then I really don't have much of a pumpkin beer, do I? So why try? I'm going to put pumpkin beers on my 'avoid' list once and for all.


...and to all a good night.

Merry Christmas to one and all!

 

Endolith by Jackie O's

Notes: Bourbon barrel-aged barleywine, brewed with Maris Otter, Munich, brown sugar, and lots of caramel malt. Ten malts, a long boil, and barrel aging came together to create a complex barleywine with notes of rich caramel, oolong tea, bruleed sugar, and well-aged spirit.

I specifically picked this one up based on viewing the Barleywine thread and a few notable BA reviews. Nod to @Blogjackets and @Beersnake1

The pour is quite still, virtually sans any kind of head action. Looks like the darkest cola brown, semi viscous, with an oily sheen. One of the more darker Barleywines I have encountered. Fairly well conditioned it seems but on the lower side of carbonation/bubbles.

The nose is a bit muted for me at first however spending some time with this one reveals dark fruits, grape brandy, dark toffee/brown sugar, cherry tobacco and a touch of leather.

The taste ushers in flavors of pecan pie filling, fig/date, nougat, crème brûlée and a dash of warming alcohol spice. Everything is incredibly well balanced for such a massive brew. Subtle, lush, and sticky sweet on the palate. Never cloying. Quite impressive.

My biggest issue is this one is it is so darn drinkable BA! Merry Christmas y'all

 

Greetings all from the great northwest where the winter storm has moved on for the most part, and we are left with warmer temperatures and some freezing rain.

On this Christmas Eve we have Snowblind White Stout from Kettlehouse brewing.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1916/584013/

I don't know how they do it, but it looks like a pale ale but tastes like a coffee and chocolate stout.

Until next time

Merry Christmas!

 

Good morning and merry Christmas. Ommegang always reminds me of this time of year so I’ve pulled one I haven’t yet had… wine barrel aged three philosophers. This is best by 051923 so I think about 18 months or so on it



Pours a touch murky, mocha head hanging around, good bit of sediment unfortunately but I’ll try not think on it.
Smell is sweet, barley sugar, some light tannic character, brown sugar, cherry. Maybe something herbal.

Taste is far superior. Not much booze here, very easy and clean profile with some Belgian yeast character and equal parts malt and dryness. Really nicely balanced. I’m terms of barrel, it’s puckering up just a smidge over time but nothing too robust just yet. Reminiscent of the original but with some tannic, cab sav-y dryness on the back end. Very deceptive, with each sip kind of changing the overall picture.
Nice pour as always from Ommegang.

 

Hard to believe I haven't tried this yet!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/259/39286/



12 ounce can from last year, I think.
9.8% abv.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 3/4 inch tan head over a brown body with red highlights.
Head dissipates rather quickly down to a thin ring surrounding a flat foam island.

Nose is all Christmas-y with spices, cherry, slight malt, and a hint of earthy evergreen.

Taste follows nose closely with a bit of sherry, spice, and a finish of bitter chocolate which reduces the sweetness. As it warms the finish leans more towards the spice (cloves, nutmeg.)

Very nice feel with more than adequate carbonation.

Overall, quite complex, as it should be, and I'm glad I bought a 4-pack for one more after dinner!!
Cheers!!!

 

Bible Stories

12% Stout and barleywine mix by The Lost Abbey.

Poured from a 25 ounce corked bottle, the body pours an opaque black with small initial head. Moderate lacing throughout the tasting.

Aroma is a sweet mix of coffee and chocolate.

Taste follows nose but adds a depth of flavor that features dark fruits and a touch of the barrel. Nothing hot, but the bourbon flavor appears then quickly fades. A hint of bitterness at the end of the swallow.

Good mouthfeel but not heavy; body lighter than expected. Good carbonation.

A welcome drink with an appropriate name for the holiday. Cheers to Dane @Nugganooch for the beer.