New Beer Weekend #128

25th Anniversary Ale
9% Belgian strong ale by Ommegang

Poured A 12 ounce bottle, the beer is a lovely red amber color with a creamy two fingers of head. Modest lacing. A good looking beer in the glass.

Nose is malt, coriander and orange peel. Very pleasing floral aroma.

Taste follows nose and runs lightly sweet but that sweetness is cut by a welcome bitter hop flavor. A background of booze adds to the mix.

Well carbonated and good mouthfeel.

A strong ale that embraces its name and offers a boozy Belgian ale fit for a winter's night.

 

Thats a favorite in this house!
Cheers

 

Starting early again today, this time with a beer from @landrewg. This is White Coffee Stout, from Eastern Market Brewing Co.

I've never tried coffee, but if I ever do, I imagine it will taste substantially similar to this beer. Perhaps the most coffee forward beer I've ever had (and that's not a bad thing!)

Pours an interesting bright amber with excellent clarity and minimal head. Aroma has plenty of sweet chocolate along with clear coffee notes. Taste is all coffee, to the extent that I can't pick out anything else. That doesn't result in the most complex beer I've ever had, but it does make it a perfect Saturday morning sipper. I'm quite enjoying this.

 

Wait. You've never tasted coffee?

 

Time for another gift from @Prager62. We discussed having morning beers and the various reasons for having them, and today it is because I am on vacation and have limited packing space for the beers he bestowed me.

The beer is from Greenbush, and I have had and quite enjoyed at least one other beer by them (at the very least, one is documented on this site). This morning’s brew is a barrel aged cream stout with blueberries called Cabra Perdida - Barrel-Aged. The bottle has a date of November of ‘20, and I think this one has aged pretty well.


Pours as expected in color from the bottle, with a modest tan head. The bubbles multiply a bit if one is patient, yielding a thick collar with peninsulae and islands emanating from it. A swirl consolidates these into hot chocolate-like foam.

The nose is timid at first, as a bit of tart fruit jam cuts through muddled stout notes. I can’t say it’s distinctly blueberry, but knowing what is in the beer, I can sense that it is. Reading other reviews, it doesn’t seem that this is something that has necessarily aged out, assuming the other reviewers were having fresher bottles.

The aforementioned swirl brings about chocolate roasted malt and the barrel that held the beer. So the barrel takes a little coaxing, something that may not have been necessary on a fresh beer.

An above medium thickness helps the creamy impression I’m getting from this beer. The thing I like is that this fairly luscious feel comes without the heaviness I can get in big, flavored beers. I really liked this component of the beer, but seem an outlier for it.

My taste buds perceive this stout as having a large chocolate lean without being too sweet, more like a good dark chocolate. The barrel is integrated well, I get a tinge of booze and spice, but not much. The blueberry is again not distinct, but provides a lighter thread that runs through this beer.

I can’t say if the flavors were as well put together on a fresh beer, but I’m pretty happy with them. Irrespective of age, I could see a little more barrel working for me, but I’m fine with the blueberry as it sits now. Thanks, @Prager62 for this opening beer of the last day of 2022. Cheers!

 

Oops on the Cabra Perdida! I'm fairly certain I bought that at the brewery in July when I was there. I must have been lax on checking the date in my excitement? I better get moving on the other 3 in the fridge!

 

No need to apologize in general, let alone for a beer I quite enjoyed

 

Up next is another beer from @landrewg, this one an oatmeal stout from One Well Brewing in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I continue to be thankful for all the great beers I've been able to try from around the country thanks to generous BAs.

Cola brown on the pour then the deepest of browns (basically black) in the glass. Roughly one finger of beige colored head with decent retention that eventually receded to a thin ring and spotty cap. Overall a good looking beer. Aroma is understated, with faint malts and some fruitiness.

Taste brings plenty of raisin & fig, along with mild roasted notes. Not much hop bitterness at all. Body is much lighter than I would have anticipated for the style, albeit the happy effect of this is that it makes it light and easy drinking. It will not take long to put this one away.

------------------------------------

Correct. I'm confident I would like it, but don't see any real benefit in starting to drink it. Easier to never try it in the first place. I've taken the same approach with smoking. I've never smoked anything (or even come close to for that matter).

 

Bearded Owl - Campfire Rituals

7% stout with maple and marshmallow


poured from a 32oz crowler into a willi becher pint glass. pours cola brown but gathers in the a dark brown with some shiny black in the middle and a finger of mocha brown foam. see through edges. roast and some hops on the nose. kind of dull to be honest. even as it warms i detect little to no marshmallow or maple. taste follows and as it warms the maple surfaces but it’s mellow and in the background of dark malts, hops and a touch of smoke. medium-full mouthfeel with a nice malt presence. this wasn’t bad but i was hoping for more pronounced maple.

4, 3.75, 3.75, 4, 3.75
overall: 3.79
rDev: 0%

cheers!!!

 

When it's New Year's Eve and you have a beer in your cellar titled "Happy New Year's Eve", the decision of what beer to drink next is more or less made for you, right?

Hoppin' Frog - Happy New Year's Eve - 2018 - received courtesy of @Ozzylizard

Good looking beer. Amber in color with good clarity and a decent reddish beige head. Aroma is wonderful, with plenty of toffee, caramel and molasses and not a hint of booze.

Taste is nice and sweet with caramel and toffee taking the lead. As with the nose, the alcohol is amazingly well hidden except for some nice warming in the stomach. There's no bitterness at all, yet the sweetness is not overwhelming. Overall, a very enjoyable beer.

 

Wax Wings - Coffee Heights

14% imperial stout aged in bourbon barrels with fresh-roasted coffee added.


poured from a 500mL red-waxed bottle into a perennial snifter. served close to room temp. pours a very light brown but gathers in the glass with a thin sandy brown foam cap. decent lacing and a thick collar around the rim of the glass. spicy bourbon and spicy coffee on the nose but as it warms the coffee offers a more fruit forward expression. chocolate covered oranges even. i also get cherry and plum flavors too. quite complex even if it leans in that direction as supposed to a richer, chocolatier bean. it was a fairly thick and full mouthfeel. barrel and oak on the finish and that’s one thing i will say this beer has a lot of from aromas and flavor to finish is a good bourbon barrel presence. really good intro into this brewery for me and already can’t wait to try more!

4.25, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5, 4.5
overall: 4.49
rDev: 0%

cheers!!

 

My New Years Eve afternoon project is an 11% ABV TIPA from The Veil Brewing

REDREDBUGATTIBUGATTI What does The Veil say?
redredbugattitbugatti is a double dry-hopped Triple IPA with the freshest Mosaic and Galaxy possible. Drenched with juicy hop flavors of overripe fruit, a freshly opened bag of Mosaic pellets, blueberry, and melon.

Amazing aromas to start: grapefruit, onion, orange, cat pee.
Layers of favor: pine, blueberry, lemon pith, bitter melon, pineapple.
Smooth coating mouth feel, light but noticeable alcohol heat, dryish finish with a bitter aftertaste.

Big in all senses.

 

A nice sunny day here. The dogs have been walked. I noticed our 14 year old is really slowing down and really didn't want to walk her usual distance. She is otherwise alert and eating well. Have to keep an eye on her.
My new beer for today is Project Dank Winter Edition from La Cumbre. Quite likable.

Gold color, small white head, some lace.
Aroma of sweet malt and pine.
Taste of biscuit and dank pine. Nicely bitter.
Medium-bodied. The bitterness lingers and really makes this a special beer.

 

Poured into a 20 oz Snulip glass not sure when it was canned but the last 2 weeks most likely. Pours a very attractive plum purple with a 2 finger sticky pink head that leaves a thick streaks of lace, with very nice retention. 4.75

Aroma is blackberry, raspberry, black currant, vanilla, and blueberry. 4.25

Taste follows blackberry, black currant, raspberry, blueberry, and vanilla. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, plenty of life, maybe a tad dry, and at 6.6% it has huge flavor but easy going down. 4.5

Overall another amazing sour from Deciduous Brewing. I highly recommend. 4.5

 

Christmas Pancakes

9.2% milk stout by Hardywood

Poured from a pint can, the color is a dark maple syrup brown. Small initial head and modest lacing.

Aroma is a holiday mix of spices, maple syrup, gingerbread, and honey.

Taste follows nose as the sweetness is strong. Though a milk stout, I don't taste lactose as the honey and gingerbread dominate. The high ABV is barely noticeable in taste.

Mouthfeel is average for style though the honey brings it close to cloying. Carbonation is strong.

A nice holiday stout for a winter afternoon.

 

Enegren ~ Maple Baltic Porter

Notes: This rich Baltic-Style Porter has a complex malt profile with hints of toasted bread, caramel, and mild smokiness. Naturally carbonated with maple syrup and lagered on sugar-maple wood spirals, this beer will keep you warm during the cold winter months.

Dry roast coffee with coco powder accents on the nose. Brown bread with maple sugars. Touch of dark toffee.

Dark brown breads lead with a cocoa powder dusting. Coffee meets some vinous dark fruit elements. There is a brown sugar, vanilla, and maple sweetness layered throughout but this is not very maple forward in that regard. Since the maple was used for fermentation purposes and thusly is aiding more so in the attenuation and mouthfeel department. Soft campfire notes flicker on the backend as if there was a deft hand of smoked malt used in the mash here. Checking the Enegren website confirms this notion. Pretty excellent use of restraint if you ask me. Semi-sweet with some earthy bitterness and light warming alcohol presence. Easy drinker, medium heft.

This one is a bit of Porter meets Rauchbier and strikes a great balance overall. Somewhat subtle and delicate while also being very rich and complex.

A lovely offering. I would say on the same wavelength as some of the Jacks Abby lagers I have sampled.

 

For the last new beer of 2022 Loantaka a 5.5% ABV American Lager from Twin Elephant Brewing in NJ. Loantaka poura a pale gold color with a white head. There is a nice malt aroma. The taste is also malt with a nice hop bitterness, light to medium mouthfeel with a slightly bitter finish. a very refreshing and enjoyable brew, I have no idea what hops are used but the barley is 100% Idaho grown.

 

The first of three Barrel Aged Stouts to close out 2022 and celebrate the arrival of 2023. This from another beloved California brewery, before I shift gears to two Chicago Heavyweights.

I've loved this base beer for a very long time. It's my first shot at the BA version.

2022 AleSmith Barrel-Aged Vietnamese Coffee Speedway Stout



Bottle Notes: Single 12 oz bottle purchased at store temperature for $8 including tax at Beer on the Wall on 11/28/22. Refrigerated until the afternoon. 14.2% ABV. Imperial Stout aged in bourbon barrels with Vietnamese Coffee. Distributed the week of 11/4/22, no noticeable bottle date. Proudly brewed and bottled in San Diego, California. Serve in a goblet at 50 F - 55 F. Complex Chocolate Coffee

We traditionally brew gallons of Vietnamese coffee with a Phin-style filter that gently percolates water through ground coffee. The result is a chocolatey and bold tasting coffee that perfectly complements the notes of oak, vanilla, and bourbon barrel in this massive barrel-aged stout, a true AleSmith legend.

Appearance: Single controlled pour into a large snifter. Pitch black base, luxurious creamy tan head leaves a nice creamy layer over the base beer and fine lacing throughout the experience. 4.75

Aroma: Let this sit for 15 minutes to arrive at a proper temperature. Light chocolate cocoa aroma, tried for more but that is all I am getting. It is pleasant, but not as varied as I hoped. 3.25

Taste: Much more flavor than the aroma would lead, leading with a sharp and somewhat harsh bourbon running wild over a nice blend of dark roast coffee, milk chocolate, vanilla and hints of oak. As this warms further, about 25 minutes in, the bourbon mellows in strength and potency, providing warmth but better complementing the overall beer. Definitely leave this to warm to get maximum taste and pleasure. This was a slightly above average rating until the wait. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Creamy, rich chocolate sensation, persistent light fizzy carbonation throughout. The ABV, it's strong and you feel it straight away. Medium to full creamy body, Dry and a little chalky finish. 4.25

Overall: The barrel shines well after the proper wait / temperature is reached complements the overall excellent base and Vietnamese coffee. This is a sold offering, like about the same as the non-barrel aged version, though Thai remains my favorite variant to date. Worth a purchase if you like a solid BA coffee stout. 4.25

Likely the 213 and final New To Me Beer in 2022, a 23.1% decrease from my 277 count in 2021, primarily the function of less traveling and the months of COVID shutdowns and restrictions to start 2022 in Chicago.

Music accompaniment is Nancy Sinatra to curb-stomp 2022 into oblivion.