New Beer Weekend #135

A local friend gave me this as he thought it was pretty good. He wasn’t wrong.
The beer is definitely in the brown category as far as the color goes, but the reddish tint when back lit was interesting.
The taste is the star of this beer, malty with a hint of coffee for starters but it keeps going.
It’s not mentioned but it is kinda sweet like you get with lactose involved, and the chocolate flavor rides on top of that sweet taste.
The feel is really nice, no real viscosity and easy to slam. I remember thinking that I could drink a lot of these one after another.
Good beer, thanks Matt!

 

This made it into dry February's Top 5!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50985/365503/



12 ounce can.
Best By May-03-2023

>0.5% abv
10 calories
0 carbs!

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 3/4 inch white head over a bright amber body with lacing.

Nose of cereal (rice krispies?)

Taste of slight hops.

Feel is surprisingly good for what it is!

Overall, a great refreshment for those on a low carb/ alcohol-free diet and would recommend highly.
Cheers!

 

Another single tonight, this was part of the excellent “BIG STOUTS” box. At 7.2% ABV, let’s see if this peanut butter oatmeal stout fits the bill.





3.98/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Pours a dark cola brown and settles black in the glass with a light tan head that evaporates pretty quickly and leaves minimal lacing. The nose has some char, dark chocolate, and some creamy peanut butter notes.

The taste is led by the peanut butter, with the dark chocolate and char following, creating a nice, balanced beer that drinks more like a porter than an oatmeal stout.

The mouthfeel is medium and a little “light” for an oatmeal stout. This is a nice beer and one I’m glad I tried, but I don’t think it really checks either of the “Extreme” or “Big Stout” boxes as one of the beers included in the “Extreme Beer Box: BIG STOUTS.”

 

Crooked Stave Juicy West DDH New West Coast IPA, 6.0% ABV; 3.75 overall

Pours a hazed gold with oner finger of pearl colored head. Very nice head retention & lacing

S: Tropical fruit & citrus

T: Passion fruit, green melon, pomelo & a touch of nectarine up front. A little dryness, grapefruit & lime as this beer warms up. Finishes with dryness, nectarine, lime & tangerine

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, pretty good balance

Serviceable take on the style, nothing really pops though

 

Well, technically it’s a 3 day weekend for some of us..,Happy Presidents Day! Cheers

 

Back with a new to me beer

Kettlehead Brewing Co. Quest DIPA 8%abv.

poured from an undated can, the ink on the four pack was smudged.

Murky amber color nice fluffy head, sudsy lacing and a thick white cap

aroma is strong and has stone fruit notes, pineapple kind of floral kind of musky.

Taste is bright nice peach, pineapple and mango layers. Hoppy, clean and crisp

Mouthfeel is medium thickness feeling, medium carbonation and west coast tasting. smooth but sticky finishing with a little bite on the back of the tongue. Very easy drinking and refreshing

overall it's a nice tasting beer that's easy to drink more than 1 of. I found it crisp and clean tasting, I'll definately get more.
4,25/ 4.25/ 4.50/ 4,25/ 4.25/ 4.35/ rDev +1.4%

 

Another in my dry February top 5.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50985/338506/



12 ounce can.
Best by June-30-2023.
>0.5% abv
2 g carbs
10 calories

Vigorous pour yields a 1.5 inch white head over a bright golden amber body with sticky lacing.

Nose of tropical and floral hops.

Taste is quite bitter with hops on the palate.

Good feel for what it is.

Overall, another no/low carb 10 calorie beer from these guys that, for me, hits the spot.
Cheers!

 

Oh I know, Im a teacher…

 

I can't remember missing a Daytona 500, so my afternoon was spoken for. Typical with periods if interest alternating with snoozefest. I think the grandson and I will be visiting our local short track this summer. My son and I used to go every Saturday - time to renew a tradition.

Similar beer to the Jack's Abby Czech dark lager, but I think this one exes out as the winner:



Notch Brewing Czerne Pivo - a 4.5% Czech dark lager - the can says black lager - double decocted, naturally carbonated, open fermented, layered forever. Let's see how it is, even though I've given it away already.

Pours root beer color, clear but light blocking. Nice tight khaki head that lasts several minutes, then falls to a cap with a nice island in the middle. Lots of cling to the glass.

The smell is light chocolate, almost stout-like malts, a bit of char, caramel, earthy and spicy hops. Some nuttiness, a hint of dark fruit. This all combines into an enticing aroma.

The taste is extremely smooth, delivering flavor above that 4.5% weight class. The roast flavor is substantial, but the malt also brings some sweetness as well as chocolate, char, caramel. It has enough char that if emulates smokiness. There's a decent bitter hit on the finish and earthy hops with some spicy licorice and pepper in the aftertaste. Clean taste.

The feel is light to medium body, slightly drying, quite refreshing. The lingering hop notes pleasantly counteract the bitterness.

This beer is very good, as @JackHorzempa would say with an exclamation point! Dark Lager weekend here apparently. I prefer this one to the Jack's Abby Bohemian Dark I had yesterday, but not by much. I can see this beer pairing well with BBQ, most non-poultry meats, or even a robust cheese plate. This is a good one - well made, flavorful concoction that I need to keep an eye out for. I think I like this style, and Notch has set a pretty high bar here - @AlcahueteJ

 

Winter Warmer 9.5%
K2 Brothers Brewing

Poured from a pint can, the body is a dark brown with little head and no lacing.

Malty nose with light notes of maple.

Taste is a malty mix of vanilla, cinnamon, tart cherries and maple syrup. Some flavor from Chinook hops.

Mouthfeel is a bit slick and with minimal carbonation. Flat as a pancake.

An amped up Scottish ale with a lot going on. Hard to believe the carbonation is ordinarily this low. I’ll not rate given this issue.

Either way, a better mouthfeel would help and perhaps some age to get the flavors to blend into a cohesive taste. Too bad as I normally enjoy a winter warmer.

 

Larry, reads tasty!

In another week+ I will be bottling my annual batch of Czech Dark Lager.

Woo-Hoo!

Cheers!

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!
Late to the party yet again, but my weekend has finally begun. I'll start off by thanking @AzfromOz for the wonderful opening to this weekend's virtual bar.

Next up, I'll thank @GreenBayBA for inspiring me to pop open this beer tonight.

Cuvee Blend 2022 - 3 Sheeps Brewing - Sheboygan, WI - 12.4% ABV

Now I didn't list the style in the title (it's listed as an American Imperial Stout on here), because it's a blend of 4 different styles of beer. It has a Belgian Quad, Russian Imperial Stout, Imperial Stout, and Barleywine as it's bases. These 4 styles you would think would work against each other, and probably would if not done right. Well, this beer is done right. These base beers do compete, but it's friendly competition, and my taste buds win the battle here.

Amazing beer.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28879/586333/

4.58/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
I believe I picked this up at Casanova in Hudson in 2022. This beer is a blend of 23% RIS, 18% Barleywine, 18% Belgian Quad, and 41% Imperial Stout from the bottle label. It is aged with figs and molasses. The parts were aged in bourbon barrels (RIS, Barleywine, Imperial Stout) and rye whiskey barrels (Quad). It is served at room temp.

There was a bit of smoke when popping the top. The beer looked like it was a thick pour from the bottle. The color is pitch black, even when held up to the light. The head that formed on the first pour was 3 finger, and brown. It looks a bit frothy. The retention wasn't the best, but not too surprising considering the alcohol content. There's no lacing on the glass as the head dissipates.
The nose leans toward the imperial stout/RIS. It smells more like one than a barleywine or a quad, though hints of them are there. Lots of fig, plum, raisin, caramel, toffee, chocolate, molasses, and brown sugar. Very complex aroma.
Oh, wow. The flavors of all the parts are trying to come into play here, and they are fighting for the top, but I would say the Imperial Stout/RIS wins here. Now while the competition is fierce, they competitors are very friendly and work well together. I get so much fig, plum, raisin, dates, caramel, toffee, chocolate, brown sugar, and molasses in the mix. Since it's aged with figs and molasses, I can see why they seem so powerful in the mix of tasty flavors.
The body seems thin at first, but gets thicker as it lingers in my throat. There's a hint of a soft creamy feeling, and There's a bit of a burn from the alcohol that hits on the back.
Damn! I am so glad I bought this. It is so delicious and very well made. 3 Sheeps really know what they're doing.


Well, this will close out my entry in this NBW thread, see you all next weekend. Cheers all!

 

Seeing how I'm retired I have time for another new beer!!

Battery Steele Flume 2. 8% ABV Double India Pale Ale

Nice murky light copper appearance.
Not much of a head but retained nice lacing.
Aromas of fresh orange juice and tropical fruits.
Medium body with a soft chewy mouthfeel.
Taste is loaded with fresh fruitsranges,tangerines, pineapples and peaches.
Beer definitely has a touch of sweetness, but not overly sweet.
The fruity hops linger at the finish.
No alcohol, no bitterness.
Very good double IPA!! Wish this beer was available locally.

 

Hi @Blogjackets

Does K2 distribute to your area? Only asking because they are only about 5 miles from my house and would be surprised if they distributed out of state.

Thanks!!

 

This is part of the IPA mixed pack from Sweetwater. Enjoyable beer.

Pours a deep orange with medium head, minimal lacing, lots of cloudy haze.

The smell is tropical, mostly mango and passion fruit.

The taste follows with tropical flavors including underripe mango on the finish and a hint of floral.

The mouthfeel is medium body, slightly slick with a long, bitter finish.

Overall, this is a decent beer, with a variety of flavors although none of them super bright. Still very enjoyable.

 

Anyone know if postImages is down? Trying to post my new stuff, but can't!

I think I'm just smoothbraining

First new one (from last night)

Arizona Wilderness - Skull Valley Vol.2



Huge thanks to @highdesertdrinker for this one! I could taste every bit of black tea, blueberry, blackberry and black currant and it was beautiful and delicious.

And Kiitos Barrel Aged Imperial Red(bonus drink courtesy of my kiddo, who insisted it needed a picture lol)



Strangely enough this one reminded me of a Narwhal, but with a ton of barrel and caramelized sweetness with plenty of vanilla. Highly recommend this one as well.

Cheers NBW!

 

Found a Christmas beer in the back of the fridge,Hardywood Christmas pancakes,
...almost solid black,black, cola like appearance
....light carbonation with an above average body.. bit of q slick,oily,,creamy feel to it
...aroma is mixed spice,maple,pancake,malt,coffee,pancakes,malt,coffee and roasted malt
....taste is ginger,maple, cake,.although and coffee
...overall its a very good dessert beer. Heavy and filling so its not one to pound a few

 

Goose Island Bourbon County Coffee Stout, 13.2% ABV; 4.19 overall

Pours an effervescent mahogany/ebony with a sliver of mocha colored head. Some lacing & head retention

S: Coffee, cocoa, vanilla

T: Coffee, a touch of caramel, dark chocolate, dryness, a little oakyness & just a whisper of booze up front. Caramel & vanilla note meld with coffee as this beer warms up, a little dark chocolate as well. Sweetness dominates the finish more than coffee, which is okay by me, a trace of barrel & dryness on the edges

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, warming

Glad I got to try this variant, I liked, can't say that I love it. I certainly wanted it more barrel-forward. This almost makes me think of Vietnamese Coffee, except for a little boozeyness

 

I haven't seen a ton of their stuff around here lately.

 

I don't usually see much but this mix pack was fairly fresh. Easy purchase decision.