New Beer Weekend #133

Honestly @AzfromOz you get it going early and you do a great job. Thank you. Currently -17 outside and I am ready to sip some new beers. I stopped at Belleflower in my work travels this week.

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass not sure when it was canned. The color is actually yellow, with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves plenty of thick streaks of lace, with excellent retention 4.5

Aroma is mandarin, mango, a little dank aroma, peach, apricot, and maybe a little grapefruit rind. 4.5

Taste follows mandarin, mango, a little weedy, peach, apricot, and grapefruit really tropical and bold flavor. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, not sticky or dry, soft carbonation, and at 8.2% easy going down but body and flavor is big 4.5

Overall this one is pretty darn tasty. I would grab again for sure. 4.5 Cheers

 

Good day BAs! And thanks to @AzfromOz for starting this weekend's thread! And real men ate their beer with a fork. Damn! That made me laugh and feel nostalgic! And "Happy Days" was total BS.

Anyway here on the tundra of NW PA (6 F, -15 C)it feels like time for a second cold beer of the morning - Founders' Mas Agave Clasica Grapefruit - by far the weakest of the three. However, today's New Breakfast Beer is:



Another excellent gose-style (sort of - double the ethanol of a real gose) that's been sitting on the room temperature shelves of my local distributor for nearly two years.

Mas Agave Clasica Prickly Pear from Founders. 12 oz bottle. Purchased from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA, on 30/01/23 for $ 14.50 (Including tax) a four-pack ($ 0.302/oz). Stored on room temperature shelf at store and 34 degrees at home. Reviewed 04/02/23 (Review 3030). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Printed on back label “BOTTLED ON 03.26.21 0602 6” and “2021 Release”. Served at 35.7 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 43.3 degrees.
Appearance – 3.25
First pour – Deep Gold (SRM 6), clear.
Body – Atomic Tangerine (SRM 12), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, same but translucent.
Head – Average (Maximum one cm, aggressive center pour), white, high density, short retention, quickly receding to a 0.0 – 0.5 mm bubble ring, and a rocky partial cap.
Lacing – Fair. Torn bands of very tiny bubbles much past torn curtains, leaving an archipelago of linear islands.
Aroma – 3.5 – Faint whiff of prickly pear fruit and salt. No hint of tequila or mezcal. No hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 4.5 – Acidic, very lightly smoky, slightly sweet but refreshing with a bit of salt. No ethanol (9.7 % ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. No particular barrel flavors. Slight gastric warming occurs. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Tequila/mezcal most prevalent in the aftertaste.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, slightly syrupy, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Nearly two years old but still carries some prickly pear flavor. Actually quite tasty – not as good as the lime version but still better than any other prickly pear beer I’ve consumed.
Rating 3.94, rDev +0.5%

Yes, a rare two-beer morning!

 

@AzfromOz another brilliant opening to the thread!

I'm going to sneak one beer in early then hope to be back with at least one more later this afternoon. Today's breakfast beer is courteous of @Ozzylizard. Vanilla Coffee Bourbon Barrel Dark Apparition from Jackie O's.

4.31/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Super dark brown / black in appearance with a small amount of tan head that receded to a thin ring somewhat quickly. Basically, it looks like a stout. Aroma is glorious. Vanilla leads the parade, but chocolate, barrel and coffee are all there as well. Very inviting.

The taste has the same elements as the nose, but in different proportions. The barrel is more pronounced, and helps balance out the sweetness of the malts. The vanilla is a little more subdued, and I'm not getting any coffee. Nice, full mouthfeel.

Overall, this is a very good beer. Well balanced and a joy to drink.

 

Poured into a 16 ounce Snulip glass not sure when it was canned. Pours near pitch black with a 2 plus finger light brown head that leaves plenty of thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.25

Aroma is dark chocolate, dry coffee grounds, bourbon, vanilla bean, and toffee. 4

Taste follows dark chocolate, bourbon, coffee, vanilla, and toffee 4

Mouthfeel is above average, a tad dry, gentle carbonation, and at 12% huge flavor but it goes down plenty easy. 4

Overall this is tasty, not for everyone, but I would recommend. 4

 

Brrr! It feels like Winter today!!



With the exception of a couple days around Christmas we have been having a pretty mild winter (so far) in the Philly area. But yesterday and today it is indeed wintertime. Right now the air temperature is 18 °F and with the wind chill it feels like 10 °F. A good time for a Samuel Smith’s Winter Welcome Ale.

From the brewery’s website:

“Winter Welcome Ale

This seasonal beer is a limited edition brewed for the short days and long nights of winter. The full body resulting from fermentation in ‘stone Yorkshire squares’ and the luxurious malt character, which will appeal to a broad range of drinkers, is balanced against whole-dried Fuggle and Golding hops with nuances and complexities that should be contemplated before an open fire.

LIMITED EDITION SEASONAL BREW

6% ABV

Best served at about 51°F (11°C).

Ingredients • water, malted barley, yeast, hops, carbon dioxide.”

To the best of my recollection this is the first time I have read a brewery explicitly list “carbon dioxide” as being an ingredient.

So, what does a beer which ‘includes’ carbon dioxide taste like?

Served in my tulip pint glass:

Appearance:

Amber colored with an orange-ish hue and a khaki colored head.

Aroma:

I am picking up mostly candied fruit but there is also some toffee and a slight hint of biscuit.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose but the flavor is dominated by the malt flavors: caramel-like sweet-ish flavors. There is a low/moderate bitterness

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a creamy mouthfeel.

Overall:

This beer is good - very good. I enjoyed the flavors but the highlight for me was the mouthfeel. A nice beer to enjoy during today’s frigid weather.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

 

Well, the maps may forget but everybody knows about Tasmania due to it very famous mascot:



Cheers mate!

P.S. And please keep up the good work in starting NBW; to box out those Europeans and Kiwis.

 

Shouldn't the greeting be G'day BAs?

Cheers!

 

Surly You Want This Smoke

Appearance: Clear yellow, slight chill haze, good head.

Smell: Barley, whisp of smoke.

Taste: Mild barley sweetness, then a little bit of smokiness and slight grassiness. Light smoked ham in the finish. Light feel, easy drinking.

Overall: Saw that Surly had a smoked helles on the taplist, so headed over. Brought home a crowler for review. Good stuff, they are going for the Bamberg style and I think they hit the target. Nice and balanced, with apparent but not overpowering smokiness. Yum!

 

Sounds like that beer was in the Goldilocks 'zone'.



Cheers!

 

Remember to bundle up:



Cheers!

 

Zero Gravity Little Wolf Pale Ale, 4.7% - sipped through chattering teeth on this frigid sunny day. Power went out at 3am, back now, but it was -11 outside and 51 inside this morning! Cheers!

-Look: a deep-orange color with a fine clumpy head.
-Aroma: candied orange, mango, apricot, mild pine.
-Taste: sweet candied-orange, light citrus, one pine needle.
-Feel: sticky, slightly chewy, low carbonation, round and soft.
-Overall: a very enjoyable orange-dominated pale ale!

 

Bonfire Brown. Smoked brown ale from Saugatuck Brewing Co.

Pours a very nice cola brown with some amber hues in the light. A full oatmeal head present itself and retains a one finger depth. Sheets of lacing are left behind. Nose is nutty, smoky, roasted malt, some lemon rind, and a touch of subtle vanilla. Taste follows suit with a smoked almond profile followed by an overtoasted piece of raisin toast. Feel is soft, velvety, and delicately mouth coating. Overall, I’m very happy with this. Maybe as much as I’ve ever been with a beer from Saugatuck. Cheers NBW.

 

Thanks @AzfromOz for kicking off another weekend of New Beers!

If my flight goes well, my New Beer Sunday will occur in Las Vegas, Nevada. Picked a light and easy style for today’s new local selection brewed here.

Goose Island No Plans



Can Notes: Purchased single 12 oz can at store temperature from Beer on the Wall for $2.00 after tax, refrigerated upon return home until opening. No canned date, 4/15/23 listed as best by, not sure what GI 0802 code means. Tasty Time Pale Ale. Classically Relaxed. 5.6% ABV. Contains Wheat. Brewed and Packaged by Goose Island Beer Company, Chicago, Illinois.

Appearance: Pour and than top off pour into a pint nonic GI MBA glass. Clear light yellow straw color base, light carbonation, creamy generous bright white head leaves soapy lacing and significant cover over the base. 4.0

Aroma: Nice biscuit bready combo leads, pine, ground black pepper and citrus backs nicely. Nice strength, enticing. 4.25

Taste: Hops lead here, citrus and a light pine. Biscuit malt flavor follows, mild floral grassy backing as well. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Very light and easy, light to mild carbonation adds to the watery light base. Drinks super easy, light to mild bitterness contains any sweetness, brewed well, clean finish. 4.25

Overall: This is a solid offering by the folks at the Fulton brewery. Would pick up a six pack of this for a nice, clean refreshing pale ale that hits my preference for aroma and taste. Pick up that Fulton / Clybourn brewery taste with this selection. Well done! 4.0

 

Thank you, @AzfromOz for getting this thread off to a great start. You write well and I enjoy reading what you have written.
It's a nice day here, with temperatures hitting the upper 60s. Seeing what the weather is like in New England just reinforces our decision to move from Maine.
Today's new beer is Weihenstephaner Hefeweissbier Dunkel. My daughter recently bought me a mixed 4 pack. She did good!
A medium brown color. One inch off-white head, with some lace.
Aroma of banana, sweet malt.
Taste of banana, brown bread, caramel.
Medium mouthfeel.
Very nice beer.

 

Harpoon New England Pale Ale, 5.5%, Limited Release - pretty can! Cheers!

-Look: deep orange with a large-bubbled foam.
-Aroma: bright orange citrus, musty pith, dry grass.
-Taste: full orange and mild lemon, shortbread cookie - nice!
-Feel: Moderate carbonation, thin, a bit watery.
-Overall: I must like Harpoon's yeast, because this is pretty good!

 

I'm sure I've had a few bombers of this (on Amtrak's Pacific Surfliner) many moons ago without any critical consideration (though I preferred Arrogant Bastard), but this reboot may as well be new to me. Pretty good, but much like their recent anniversary Imperial IPA, I consider it a poor value in my market ($15.99/6-pack):

3.83/5 rDev -10.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Packaged on 12/21/22 - consumed on 2/4/23. Poured from a 12oz can into a goblet.

Clear Hunyadi yellow body with a thin off-white cap receding to a lasting collar and surface slick. Very fine sandy lacing; faint, sticky, glossy legs. Decent retention.

Tangelo, candied ginger, and faint forest floor notes in the nose. Subdued (possibly more potent when super fresh?).

Resinous, grassy, herbaceous, hop-forward palate entry. Slightly tart/grainy center leading into a medium-dry, faintly woodsy finish. Citrus (grapefruit, orange, with a touch of lime) grows stronger as the ale warms up a bit. Slow, lumbering, persistent earthy/grassy bitterness throughout. Hints of caramel and cotton candy at times.

Oily yet a little thin with soft carbonation. ABV well concealed, though I wouldn't go so far as to call this refreshing.

More than the sum of its parts in some ways - a show-case for traditional American hops, though presumably in such large quantities during the main boil that the contributions of any late additions (flame-out, whirlpool, dry hopping) are obliterated, though you don't pick up this beer for subtlety.