New Beer Weekend #128

Another ‘wood beer!

Firstly, Merry New Year everybody! Do you remember that line from the movie Trading Places?



A few weeks ago, I discussed a beer from Hazelwood Brewing (Lexington, SC) and today I have another: Neuroscience Hazy IPA. There is a depiction of the human brain on the label (see photo below). For you Trekkies out there:



But back to today’s beer: Hazelwood Neuroscience Hazy IPA.

From the brewery’s website:

“Neuroscience IPA - New England

6.5% ABV

30 IBU

Hazelwood Brewing Company

Strata/Citra/Idaho7. Oats/Wheat”

Let’s see how this hop blend tastes.

Served in my Spiegelau IPA Glass:

Appearance:

Straw yellow in color with a big white head. On the initial pour this beer is not the least bit hazy.

Aroma:

Vibrant aromas of tropical fruits and citrus. It even smells “juicy”.

Taste:

Flavor follows the nose with a combination of tropical fruits and citrus but unfortunately also some hop burn. There is a low-moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel

Medium body, a bit of smoothness and a dry finish. But also a noticeable harshness (hop burn) on the backend of the sip.

Overall

With the exception of the hop burn aspect (I personally dislike hop burn) this beer is pretty good. The highlight of this beer for me was the aroma.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

 

Another long one!!! I didn’t think we’d get this two weeks in a row…see you all later today

 

Good morning, BAs and thanks for the kick-off @Roguer. I'm hoping this crew busts out some good beers this weekend. I know I plan to, and I have plenty on hand thanks to the generosity of many of you who participate in this thread (the NBS BIF continues to be my lifeline to exceptional beers I otherwise wouldn't have been able to try).

It always seems appropriate for a breakfast beer to come courtesy of @Ozzylizard, so that's where I'll start my day. This is Brick Kiln, a Barley Wine style ale aged in bourbon barrels from Jackie O's. Clocking in at 13%, I'll have to take this one slowly, as I'm technically working right now (albeit I don't have any meetings today and am generally just catching up on things)



Slight reddish tinge on the pour, but deep brown / black in the glass. Minimal head, no lacing but some nice legs. Aroma is wonderful. Molasses, caramel, toffee etc. create a very rich aroma that burst from the glass. Some fig & vanilla notes round things out.

Taste is similar to the nose, but the barrel makes an appearance here and I didn't get it on the nose. The effect of that barrel is to create more depth than I got on the nose. I still get the molasses sweetness, but the barrel adds just enough oomph to give this a little bite. Nice alcohol warming, but I don't actually taste the alcohol on the tongue.

Overall, this is an excellent beer and a great way to start the last weekend of the year.

 

Whoa! Starting off the day:



Cheers to you!!

 

Sweet Repute by Founders, a 12.8% maple and bourbon barrel aged wheat wine.

I’m not going to add review scores as it’s clear this beer is not for me. I find the bourbon too harsh. To my tastes, the base beer doesn’t mesh with the bourbon.

I’m not one to age Founders beers, but there are exceptions. One Founders beer that I did not like for the same reasons noted above was Curmudgeon's Better Half. That beer became great with some age. I’m hoping the same for this one.

I’m sure there will be some/many who love this beer now. Cheers.

 

I had this a few weeks ago, also courtesy of @Coronaeus and I agree completely with your "I could drink this all day any day" comment. As much as I love a good stout, barleywine etc. there's so much to be said for a well done lager.

 

There’s a rye variant of this great beer which is also fabulous. Cheers!

 

One day I’ll have to send you both this one. Their best beer in my opinion.

 

I share your sentiment here Dave. I had that beer in their Advent Calendar last year at which point it was 2(3?) years old and I was blown away.

 

Agreed on the mouthfeel, and I'm never a fan of undated cans, but the shop I bought it at said they got it just the week before, so shrug. Anyway, it was their last 4-pack, but I would have gone back for more otherwise, for sure. Cheers!

 

This is my first time posting on NBW, but I got an amazing surprise courtesy of @jonphisher

Founders French Toast Bastard - it was a shock to open my trade and see that there!

I'm by no means an adept reviewer, but these were my thoughts on it.

12oz bottle poured into my standard 19ish oz glass with a dark brown color and thin head.

Strong maple and sweet aroma

Tasted exactly like a rich, thick, syrupy slab of French Toast.

Fairly thick body and very very warming.

 

When I saw this status post…

I had to get one to you. Cheers and thanks for joining us; sharing new beer here together is the best. Glad you enjoyed the beer!

 

I thought that Sklepník Ve Dřevě is an intriguing name and according to Google Translate it is “Cellarman in wood” in English.

I am guessing this beer spent some time in wood? Well, Untappd to the rescue:

“Inspired by trips and tastings in the dark cellars under Pilsen, Sklepník Ve Dřevě Old Pilsen Inspired Pale Lager - Wood Edition is our humble homage to the original pilsner. A portion of Sklepník both fermented and spent three months conditioning in two French oak barrels. The beer was then moved into stainless where it was krausened (read: naturally carbonated) with fresh fermenting wort.”

During my tour of the Pilsner Urquell brewery when they took us down to the Cellar brewery the tour guide emphasized the wooden vessels are constructed from oak trees grown in the Czech Republic; this is for both the fermenters and lagering tanks (which are lined with pitch). See photos below.

I am not an arborist/tree expert but maybe French oak and ‘Czech’ oak are similar?

I took note that this beer is categorized as being retired on BA:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/49615/535614/

Has Godspeed rebrewed this brand?

Cheers!

P.S. Since we are chatting about Bohemian Pilsner (Czech Pale Lager) beers, two days ago I homebrewed my annual batch of Bohemian Pilsner which is happily ‘bubbling away’ in my basement right now.

 

Inspired by some of the above posts, I thought I'd go for something lighter for beer #2. This is Rubikon, and Italian style pilsner from Old Nation received from @foundersasap in our latest BIF.

Appearance is a bright, clear yellow with a half-inch foamy white head that had excellent retention and spotty lacing. Aromas is lemongrass and biscuit and very appealing.

Taste largely follows the nose. There's plenty of herbal grass with just the right amount of hop bite to keep things interesting. Very light, crisp and easy drinking. The type of beer I'd love to have on hand at all times. Super refreshing and easy going down.

Thanks for sharing this one, Jeff. Very good.

 

One of the 2022 additions to 12 days of Milkshake Stouts from Rochester Mills. I buy this more out of tradition than anything else at this point as I prefer these flavored stouts to be much thicker, and higher ABV than this box provides. Most of these are under 6%. Anyways…

Pours a pitch black, cola consistency liquid with a two finger mocha head which reduces to a thin ring. Nose is milk chocolate, light coffee and subtle roasted grain. Taste follows suit, not providing any “wow” flavors. Feel is thin. I used to like these a lot more than I do now. 2.75/5

 

There is an ongoing thread about beer glasses right now and I think that maybe your glass is the 'winner'!



E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!

Cheers!