New Beer Weekend #128

Don't know. I'm hoping to get down there by the end of January. We're renovating our condo and it's been a construction zone. When I find out I'll PM you. Cheers, Jon!

 

This is a nice drop.
Bunker Machine Czech Pilz. 5.2% ABV
3.82/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
16oz can into a tall Pilsner glass.
L: Pours straw light pale yellow w a massive 3+" foamy sudsy bright white head w a giant cap, VG retention, large carbo bubbles, semi-thick soapy lacing.
S: Light grass, herbs, bread, a wisp of lemon, honey.
T: Gently sweet malts, a hint of cereal grains, light yeast, crackery biscuit, spicy hops, a layer of zest citrus fruit, a touch of honey, wildflower.
F: Crisp, clean, fast med-light body, fast finish w a very light linger. Lightly dry. Water is soft.
O: Took 5 min to pour. Looks excellent and is great tasting as well. It has a mildly zesty short-lived linger. A fairly traditional take on this Pilsner. It is very good in its style.

 

I recently won a LIF hosted by @Dimidiata , and I'm finally dipping into some the spoils of victory. Dove right in with Context and Proportionality from SARA. The label says "A blend of Barleywine aged in select bourbon barrels from 9-14 months". very smooth and drinkable, but the carb is a bit on the low side: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28019/610854/?ba=BBThunderbolt#lists

 

Mikkeller San Diego '21 Barrel Aged Ol Nagelfar (Barleywine aged in bourbon barrels for over 3 years).

Pours a deep, very dark brown color with a ruby red tint. Produced a 3/4 finger dark tan soapy head that dissipated quickly. 4.25

Aroma is dark fruit forward, bringing notes of boxed raisin, fig, and plum. There's a big tobacco note, as well as caramel, molasses, some brown sugar, and a slight nuttiness. The extended aging in barrels brings charred oak, bourbon, and some slight vanillin. 4.25

Taste follows the nose quite well, with an amplified sweetness and barrel character. Significant boxed raisin, fig, juicy plum, tobacco, nuttiness, brown bread, bruleed brown sugar, caramel, some toffee, charred oak, smooth bourbon, vanillin. Reminiscent of bread pudding with a dash of bourbon in it. The age in the bottle on this has done it very well, as you get the 3 years of saturated bourbon barrel character without the hot booziness. 4.5

Light medium to medium body. The extended aging has thinned this one out a bit, which is expected. Slick, sticky, oily. 4

This is a treat to drink. The base barleywine flavors are on point and the extended aging in bourbon barrels adds a depth of complexity and complements the base extremely well. The barrel character is absolutely on point and the age in the bottle allows it to show off without too much booziness at all. Barleywine is life. 4.5
Overall: 4.38

 

Deschutes Catharina Guava & Raspberry Fruited Sour, 5.5% ABV; 3.59 overall

Pours a hazy gold with 2 fingers of eggshell colored head. No head retention or lacing

S: Plenty of raspberry, some lemon notes

T: Guava & Raspberry, plenty of tartness & a touch of salt up front. Guava, dryness & tart Raspberries as this beer warms up. Finishes tart, dry, salty with lemons & raspberries

MF: Medium body, pretty firm carbonation

Nothing special about this beer, alright drinkability, but just not a ton going on flavor-wise

 

Well, the missus likes these, I think they are fun drinks. So when she opens one, we share.



This is Thyyk Hydra from Mortalis. Passion fruit, mango, blackberries, funnel cake...

Pours like they all have, but this one is much less slushy that the others we have had. Not as deeply purple, but still purple. Not as much floating sludge, either. No head, lots of foam.

Smell is strong passionfruit, some resinous mango, a vague berry smell and just a tiny whiff of waffles. Passionfruit definitely dominates.

The flavor is the same. There is a strong and decently acidic bite from the passionfruit, and the bit parts are exactly that - supporting cast. The mangi, blackberry and funnel cake all temperature the passionfruit and provide some complimentary sweetness.

The mouthfeel is thinner than other Mortalis smoothies and I think that's fine. The flavor delivers and fades quickly.

Overall, it's a bit different compared to others in the portfolio. The flavor, while good, is slightly less balanced and bordering on one dimensional. The waffle-like taste adds an interesting twist and I'd like more of it. Sticking within this weird genre, I am thinking around 3.8. Not as high on the fun-o-meter as their others.

 

Day 3, a couple from Chicago-ish. This first one got behind some stuff in the “main” beer fridge, which is a shame, because I was really excited to try this one when I picked it up late in the summer.

And what is that lurking in the background …..





4.1/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a beautiful golden color, nearly clear, with a soapy white head that provides modest lacing. The nose is packed with noble hop aromas of grass, some lemon, and a bit of herbal spice, with some crackery malt notes as well.

The grass and lemon notes are forward and substantial, with that bit of herbal spice and crackery malt creating that classic German pilsner flavor profile that I really appreciate.

The mouthfeel is medium and very crisp. This is just a wonderful pilsner that I will gladly visit again and again.

 

Cheers to @ovaltine for this BIF 16 Mystery beer



& here's what it is

2021 Revolution Cuv'ee De Gra'ce BA Ale, 15.0% ABV; 4.65 overall.




My notes

Here's my Blind Tasting notes

Pours Chestnut with a finger of tan head. Some head retention & lacing

S: Dark fruit, cofffee, maple syrup

T: Toffee, Booze barrel, dryness & maple syrup.

MF: chewy, restrained carbonation

A sipper for sure, guessing a BA Barleywine or Old Ale

Additional notes:

S: Figs, Maple syrup, superb nose.

T: Barrel& Maple Syrup sweetness & dryness, a touch of leafy hops up front. All flavors pich up as this beer warms up. Finishes dry, sweet, with plenty of Maple candy & the booze fading a bit to the background

I am feeling this ABV, very warming; great blend of flavors. Much to love here; feel so lucky to get to try to try this

 

#2, Prop is a “Chicago only” BCBS release that is highly anticipated and usually ventures into interesting directions with flavor profiles.

This year’s version has ratings that range from ….. really low (@FBarber) to in line with other Prop iterations. Let’s see where this one takes an old beer nerd.





4.01/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours black with an absolutely SIZZLING dark tan head that evaporated before I could snap a pic. That doesn’t happen very often. There’s also a bit of a “floatie film” on the top of the beer, something I’ve never seen with any BCBS beer over the decade+ that I’ve been drinking this magnificent series of beers.

The nose is led by the barrel, with oak and coconut following, and what I’m assuming is the banana and pineapple at the back of the nose. There’s also some of the base beer, with chocolate and a bit of roasty char. I’m very intrigued.

The base beer is (thankfully?) forward on the taste with some chocolate, roasty char, and boozy oak flowing into the coconut, banana, and pineapple. This is very approachable, if a bit “overdone” with that pineapple flavor.

The mouthfeel is actually bigger and more like the base beer than I thought it would be after the pour and the sizzling head that JETTED away. This is definitely an interesting beer to drink, and worthy of a try, but as a “Prop BCBS,” I think that pineapple took it a step too far.

 

I've had a lot of new beers this weekend, but it's the first review I'm writing (this weekend, and this year!). Our friends came up from Oregon to spend New Year's Eve with us, so the drinking has been with more focus on social interaction than detailed consideration of beer. Unfortunately, right now we're watching our friends' daughter while they wait at the emergency room for a doctor to see them.

16oz can served in a pint glass. Can is dated 11/30/22. Received it from the extremely generous @jonphisher.

Pours a clear light yellow with a fairly small head. Some active carbonation. Smell is grainy, bread-yeasty, a little bit of sweetness.

Taste is a little corny, moderate sweetness, some grassy bitterness. Yeastiness is still there. Clean.

Mouthfeel is light, clean, super effervescent. Overall, this is a nice, light, clean example of an AAL with good, clear flavors.

Happy New Year, BAs!

 

I forgot I sent that to you! That’s an all-timer for me. Glad you liked it, Russ.

 

So, Three Magnets is not among my favorite Washington breweries. A friend recently gave me a can of their Common Man (and I quote) "Generic Pub Ale". After drinking a bunch of their murkbombs, I will vouch for the fact they are very capable of producing a generic beer experience. Oops, they did it again: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/36113/635447/

 

It's cool that got to try many of the base beers prior to trying that. Revolution dies some great BA beers to be sure. Mahalo!

 

Glad you enjoyed it, the effervescence it has is quite enjoyable and perfectly to style. Well said there at the end; very true.


I was gonna join tonight but honestly my mind needs a break from thinking…so no reviews tonight just sipping on a beer I enjoy and calling it a night while reading all your lovely reviews. I hope you all in enjoy whatever is in your glass tonight. Cheers everyone!

 

Hey, NBWers,
Just got done doing dishes after watching the Seahawks beat the Jets. Jets fans have my commiserations. That team is almost there.
Pretty wild how much the weather has changed around here. Thursday before Xmas it was -9 when I went to work. On Tuesday, when I got back in town after a weekend with my folks & my brother's family, it was 44.
My New Years Eve was not particularly suited towards reviewing new beers, so it's only now that I'm popping one open this weekend, a Saison, courtesy of @Roguer:

<Edit: apparently BA again dislikes Postimage, as it would not allow me to use it to post a pic, saying it was spam, despite it not appearing to have the usual spam link slapped on the end that has sometimes been a problem with Postimage.>

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45832/421721/?ba=woemad#lists
This was outstanding. Although I drank enough alcohol yesterday that sessioning anything isn't something I'd like to do today, I suspect I could have several of these, particularly on a warm day, when not recovering from a holiday. Thanks, Andrew!

 

Tonewood - Shadow Work, a rye stout.

16oz can served in a nonic pint. Can is dated 12/09/22. Received from the illustrious @jonphisher.

Pours black with a smallish head, leaves a thin, slightly uneven light tan skin across the surface. Smell is roasty, coffee, anise, some dark-toasted rye bread.

Taste is again roasty, lots of anise, and more of a dark rye bread and coffee flavor.

Mouthfeel is fairly light, not particularly active. Overall...I have little experience with rye stouts. This is definitely the best one I've had, but I'm don't think I'm a huge fan of combination. It's good and well made, but I think I'm not personally a big fan of the rye and anise combination that I get out of this.