What Beer Are You Drinking Now? #3770

Started the day awfully. The company I work for is doing a round of lay-offs. Thankfully I'm not impacted but saddened by all the people leaving.

Felt like opening this one to soften the feelings. Aged in Cognac barrels and 6 years after bottling.

 

Slooowww start on the virtual bar today, eh?

Warm - 64 degrees and really windy today - supposed to get up over 70, crazy warm for mid-February!

 

Today is my Sunday, so here's a new beer, and it's a confusing one to say the least:

Unchecked Hedonism - Lupulin Brewing - Big Lake, MN/Sioux Falls, SD - 11% ABV - Quad?

Ummmm!!!???

It's tasty as heck, but it's not a Quad at all, even though they bill it as one.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/40035/637185/#navigation

3.07/5 rDev -26%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 2.75
This is a dark pouring beer. I get hints of amber when pouring it. When held up to the light I get a deep red color, that looks fairly clear. The head that forms is 3 finger and tan. There's a nice mix of bubble sizes in the head. The retention is pretty good for such a high alcohol beer, and there's a bit of lacing on the glass.
Aroma is quite interesting, and I'm not sure what to think of it. It has faint dark fruit hints to it. I get lots of lactose, marshmallow, toffee, caramel. The lactose really does seem somewhat out of place with the beer style, though, at the same time, I like it.
Taste - I really don't know what to make of this. I am not getting any Quad in this beer at all. No, I somewhat take that back: I get the faintest hint of Quad in here. There's a faint dark fruit flavor here, and it's right away, but also very faint. What I get a lot of is the toffee, lactose, and marshmallow. The toffee could be considered a Quad flavor, but the other two are not. The flavor is tasty, and delicious, but is it a Quad? I think not.
The body is decent, and does seem to be right with the style. There's no burn, though, the lactose really smooths it out.
How do I rate this beer? Do I rate it as a Quad, or do I rate it on how it tastes?
If I rated it as a Quad, it would score VERY low (like a 1), because it isn't a Quad, or barely one. It does look like one, and feels like one, but doesn't taste or smell like one.
If I rated it on flavor, it would rate fairly high, because it is quite tasty. It smells great. It feels great.
I think I'll split the difference on this one. My numbers are all over the place on this one by splitting the difference. If you're looking for a Quad, skip it. If you're looking for a delicious beer, try it. I know I will be WAY off the average with this one, but I feel I must be honest here.

 

36 degrees and snowing this morning. Think I'll skip golf and go to the movies.

 

I'd say it's more in that direction. Even as it warms even more, I'm still not getting Quad here.

 

Saison Du Row
Trillium Brewing Company

 

Half Acre - 2023 Catch Hell (BA IS w/ vanilla beans and cinnamon)

cheers!!

 

Drinking Bud poolside

 

Kronenbourg lager. I think this is a watered down version from the original for the Scandinavian market (so it can be bought in supermarkets).
Cheers

 

Same beer again
What's the ABV on yours? I suspect the Norwegian can is watered down.
Cheers!

 

Cheers y'all!

Holland 1839 lager

 

The beer I'm having now, I first had in 2017, around the time when the brewery first opened:

Peach Me I'm Dreaming - Bad Habit Brewing - St. Joseph, MN - American Pale Wheat Beer - 5.2% ABV

Apparently I'm the only one who has reviewed this beer on here.My review has changed over time. I don't think my palate has changed, but the beer has for the better.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/42984/284038/#navigation

3.99/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
This pours a murky darker golden color. The head was frothy, 1 finger white. The nose is minimal. Slight peach aroma. Taste is so so. There is a slight peach flavor. It is somewhat funky, not so pleasing. Decent body. Not very watery. Overall, so so.
EDIT - Ratings from 2017, at the old location:
Look - 4.75 Smell -3.25 Taste - 3.25 Feel - 3.5 - Overall 3.25

Review on 2-15-2023
Poured from a 16oz can purchased at Westside Liquor in Sartell. My previous review was on tap at the old brewery location back in 2017.

This beer pours a very clear light golden color. There's hints of carbonation bubbles rising in the glass. The head is 1 finger, and white. Ok retention. There's just a small amount of lacing on the glass as the head dissipates.
The nose is quite strong with a peach aroma. This aroma isn't artificial, so they must be using real peaches in the brewing process.
The flavor is peach, as expected. This flavor is quite strong. There's wild notes here, though they don't use wild yeast, or coolships. It is somewhat sweet, though has sour hints in the mix.
The body is light, though not watery. This is expected for the style. Easy drinking and refreshing feeling.

Overall: there's a lot to say here. My first review was around the time when the brewery first opened. They've improved a lot since then. The OG review was also at their old location, and I don't know if they transferred their equipment over to the new brewery. I know they expanded their capacity greatly, hence them distributing now in liquor stores (they expanded their brewery again in '22). Maybe I'm being long winded, but a brewery can change, and improve, if they chose to do so, and this one did. My original rating of this beer is no longer valid, and have re-rated it.

 

Oh hey then so how's it goin' there? Thanks @Ozzylizard for 3770. The crack of noon and a mellow day here on my end. I's dotted and T's crossed with administrative stuff so I will immediately go for this gorgeous Portage North Of Schwarz Oak Black Lager. Damn is it good. Cheers!

 

The Norwegian version is 4,5%. But it is a 500 ml can. I'm no marketing expert, but it looks they have found a creative solution around the Scandinavian alcohol problem

Like you say, for what it’s worth. We used to have Kronebourg around in NL, but I have not seen it for years.
Cheers