New Beer Weekend #137

Howdy NBWs
I saw this beer on a WBAYDN thread and it was well received, so when I saw it in a bottle shop I grabbed it
Pufnstuf from Moon Hill Brewing Co. out of Andover, Ma.
East Coast IPA 6.5 abv. 65 IBU
Pilsner, Munich, Oats and Dextrine malts.Simcoe, Amarillo and Columbus hops.




Poured from a undated can

Golden yellow/orange opaque appearance. Fluffy above the glass rim head, good retention, foamy cap layered lacing.

Aromas of caramelized malts, piny notes, grapefruit rind and citrus

Taste is nicely layered, roasted malt and hops are balanced, grassy, citrus, grapefruit flavors do not overwhelm each out. Hint of spice and caramel, I got a bit of a buttery note.

Mouthfeel is prickly of the bat, some sticky feel, tartness. Medium carbonation, crisp feeling with an earthy feel. Lingering astringency. Chewy

Overall it’s a crisp refreshing beer, billed as an east coast IPA but outside of the opaque appearance it’s more west coast old school IPA feeling. Pretty easy drinking and relatively low abv.
4.25/ 4.25/ 4/ 4/ 4/ 4.08. rDev +4.49%

 

Howdy.

Stillwater - Business



This has sat for about 45 mins before drinking.

Deep, dark black with sandy head, receding quickly with some lacing.

Nose leads with roasted malt, brown sugar, toffee, prune, plum, barley sugar, wood, some effervescent tannins. It smells lighter than the abv (around 13% I think).

Upfront it is sharp and jarring. Malt follows, bouncing atop bitterness from hops. It's herbal and pronounced, stonefruit follows like zywiec porter. There's a tannic quality to the middle, I wonder if it's produced by the hop bill.

Coming back to it, the hop bitterness is still there. Mouthfeel is chewy but nothing oatmeal-chewy. The stonefruit dominates, along with roast malt, coffee and chocolate. It's not decadent, and that's a credit. it's challenging to the palate, again a credit. Oddly easy drinking given the mouthfeel and complexity.

Not you're father's stout, I guess. Have a great weekend! I hope to be back with more later on.

4.23/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

My review just bumped this to 90. Every vote counts?

 

I've been looking forward to this one. The latest speciality release from Jack's Abby: Bohemian Dusk, a dark Czech-style lager at 4.5% I believe this one saw some distribution.


Format and age: 16oz can purchased from the brewery, canned Jan 30, 2023.

Cold chain: excellent. Stored in coolers at the brewery, transported cold, and kept in fridge at home.

Impressions: pours a medium-dark reddish-brown. Lovely earthiness and lightly roasted malt on the nose. The taste is well-balanced with some sweet malt at the start that transitions to dark bread and burnt toast, and finishes with the addition of an almost peppery spiciness and a mild bitterness. There is an earthy, somewhat bitter sweetness that accompanies everything, like a molasses or sorghum syrup. I'm getting a nutty dryness on the aftertaste that leaves me wanting that next sip. Medium bodied and smooth.

Overall: this is my first taste of the style, and I very much like it. With more of these around I wouldn't lament the downfall of brown ale quite as much. There is a ton of flavor here, especially for how easy drinking it is. I find most JA lagers to be very good, but they seem to be nailing it lately with their speciality series.

 

The Heineken archives in Amsterdam contains a logbook of beer analyses containing some analyses of US beers from 1947 (probably taken to Europe as a form of "industrial espionage" to scope out the competition in post-war America). Among which is the beer "Prior" analysed as having 3.47% ABW (so 4.33% abv) and 11.91% original gravity. The color value being equal to that of the Budweiser Lager analysed (at 3.77% ABW, so 4.7% ABV, and 12.23% original gravity). At 4.33% abv and 11.91% original gravity for Prior that's around 68% apparent attenuation, in line with pre-war Bohemian lager (which Prior seeked to emulate no doubt), and Pilsner Urquell in particular.

 

Belleflower Brewing ~ The Sun

An all new beer from an all new brewery to me thanks to the BBQ Pitmaster extraordinaire @tasterschoice62!

Notes: The Sun and Moon share the same origin, the same base beer treated differently. The Sun is dry-hopped with Northern Hemisphere favorites Idaho 7 and Strata.

The aromas are a highlight here leading in with ripe peach, fresh cut mango, and some tropical bubblegum. I pick up a touch of lime sherbet and white gummi bear as well. The flavors follow suit with more of an overall OJ/Mimosa likeness to it. Definitely getting lots of citrus and tropical fruit hop flavors at play. Minimal bitterness with a smooth creamy feel. Somewhat bouncy on the palate with a moderate light fullness. Is the Earth shattering here? No but The Sun is a solid NEIPA brew all around and a great introduction to this brewery for me.

 

Hey what's going on?!

Big busy weekend, but making in some time of course for a new beer!

Definitely Luke.... USE DA SCHWARZ!!



Poured from the can into a pokal style glass.

Creamy and dollop topped head, light tan and milkshake foamy with a real nice soft retention. Lots of holding on here, with a good lift and easy three finger height of richness. Body color is shiny, with a dark nearly black body, perhaps even a touch of dark polished red, and just a faint whisker of movement in the body from carbonation. This is bold, rich, aggressive, and beautiful. Stellar looking brew.

Real nice aroma. Light sensing but with a delicious clean nose. Light touches of roast, and creamy milky sensing coffee. A faint touch of flaked like dark chocolate and with the hinting bitterness that comes out just slightly fruity. Comes with a real dry grain darkness which is lovely.

Palate is the real deal. Big hits of coffee and dryness in the mid palate, with a large roast flavor. The roasty quality does come out with a giant crackery crispness to it which seems to dial up a bit of bitterness. Big sharp and punishing astringency in the finish but tolerable, still comes a bit out of nowhere and can be a bit jarring. Crisp and rich, but also bone dry and nearly numbing.

This is one aggressive schwarz.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 | BA Final Score: 4.27

Cheers!

 

Good afternoon NBW
I rarely pick up a new-to-me IPA these days, but a 16 day old red IPA from Madtree was reason enough.


12oz CANNED 02.16.2023 poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 6.5% ABV. The beer pours bright light amber with khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and layer of multiple sized bubbles. Slight lacing. The aroma is mild with candied citrus and sweet caramel malt. The taste is semisweet caramel malt with bright, moderately bitter citrus throughout. There's an earthy, possibly floral hop flavor on the finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very good example of an American IPA subset that's rarely seen in the current market.

I used to buy SN Flipside by the case years ago when I drank all IPA all the time. I still enjoy the combination of caramel malt and big hops. Cheers all!

 

4.13/5 rDev +5.9%

look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 ounce can dated 11/29/22 enjoy by 3/29/23 into a tulip glass.

Look- Medium gold, white frothy head, moderately hazy, no visible particulate, above average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Tangerine, lemon, pithy, medium strength of scent.

Taste- Tangerine, lemon, herbaceous, mildly astringent, pithy, high strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, moderately creamy, average carbonation, moderately bitter, mildly mouth warming, mildly astringent.

Overall- Look was medium gold with moderate haze and above average head retention and lacing. Bouquet was tangerine, lemon and pith with medium strength. Flavor was tangerine, lemon and herbaceous with a high strength of flavor. Feel was medium body with moderate creaminess and mildly mouth warming. Overall this was a pleasant drinking experience and one of the better gluten removed beers I’ve had.

 

Another new beer from my beer buying adventure in Kentucky this week.

Against the Grain 35K

16oz can will unreadable best before date poured into a nonic pint glass at fridge temp 7% ABV. The beer pours completely black with no highlights and medium brown colored head. The head recedes to a thin cap and completely laces the glass as the level drops. The aroma is mild with earthy, very dark chocolate. The taste is bittersweet roasted malt with more dark chocolate roasty notes and a balancing sweetness from the lactose. Mild bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, very good. No extra ingredients, but very well executed.

Cheers all!

 

Stopped at ypress brewery after an airport run.
Golden pog ale with passion fruit,orange and papaya
...semi clear copper amber
...medium bodied with just below average carbonation
...aroma is orange rind,passion fruit and papaya. Bit earthy and malt
...taste has a very slight amount of sweetness yet also comes off a bit dry. Sometimes papaya has a very earthy aroma and that and what I assume are hops creates a bitter dryness.
...overall it was a very good beer that I would try again next time I stop here

 

Patrik, below is a table from a Brewing Techniques article:



https://www.morebeer.com/articles/Pilsner_Urquell

Pilsner Urquell has an OG of 1.048 (12 degrees P) and a FG of 1.015 (3.8 degrees P) which yields an Apparent Attenuation of 68% (the exact same value of the Prior beer analyzed above). Would you know how in contemporary brewing the Pilsner Urquell brewery achieves such a low attenuation? Do they produce their malt to be quite undermodified and the net results is lots of unfermentables in the wort? Or their triple decoction mash process yields lots of unfermentables?

Cheers!

 

I've really been into the specialty Pilsners lately. From single hop dry hopped versions to specialty hops. Are we seeing a real Pilsner revival. This is Tettnang Pilsner from East Rock Brewing, an exclusively lager brewery in New Haven CT.

4.43/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 16oz can stamped BEST BY 05/20/23 to a Pilsner glass at fridge temp.
Despite a mild pour a significant, persistent pillowy white head makes me pause the full pour. The body is light gold with some haze. Despite the mild haze,nucleation bubbles are visible.
The smell is sharp, a little bready with citrus notes, mildly reminiscent of lemon cake.
The taste has quite a hop feel to it. Soapy and tingly, some citrus, fairly bitter with a very dry finish.
Mouthfeel is clean and crisp even with medium carbonation but there is some hop oiliness.
A great experience.

 

If you enjoyed this one, I can recommend Schilling's Karluv 13 and Cerne Pivo from Notch. I had those three back to back to back. Very close to each other, but I thought the Shilling Karluv had a richer overall flavor. They were all available ag Just Better Beer in Norfolk.

I haven't tried it yet, but I would certainly trust the judgement of @Smakawhat on the von Trapp version.

Cheers!

 

I’ll be joining you shortly with a different czech dark lager; at this rate this has been the winter of CDLs in NBW.

Thanks for the review…I’m surprised I think you’re the first NBW review of this beer. I’ve been wanting to try it but just so many beers around and so little time. Sounds like I have to make room for this in a future purchase.

 

Awesome, thanks for the recommendations! I'll keep an eye out for them.

 

Had a few new to me brews on stouturday, a couple Ohio brews and a good Kentucky one too:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/49339/634051/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35568/588913/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30182/643440/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



Cheers everyone!

 

a big melon grapefruit hop bomb from Drekker. Have been super impressed with their sours in the past and finally had opportunity to pick up this hazy. Big fan. Cheers.

 

So to build off my bizarre we're lucky to be here post last week I'll add this one...remember learning that trees and the rainforest give us oxygen back in elementary school. Yea yea we have those trees to thank but we should mostly be thanking all the microscopic life forms that live in the ocean, all those little critters that gave off the oxygen for the ozone layer are still working their magic giving earth most of its oxygen today so that you and I can all kick it here and drink our beer tonight, and every weekend...

In what has seemingly become the winter of Czech dark lagers I bring another one to the table courtesy of @Whyteboar, one that I really enjoyed...

Griffin Claw Brewing Co - Czech Dark Lager (5.7%)



Dark brown, noticeable around edges; creamy light brown head, nice film persists with denser islands here and there. When held to light shows some great clarity.

Dry slightly over toasted bread on the nose…minor hints of sweetness, a woodsy earthy coffee note, and a slight beeriness.

Taste brings a much more prominent richness, very light but noticeable bit of sweet, and over toasted bread; lingering roast hangs in the aftertaste with damp earthy undertones. The aftertaste is very enjoyable in this beer to me very bold yet balanced.

Light-medium body, pretty soft and creamy on the tongue; low to moderate perfect bit of bitterness on the finish; nice finish too, mostly clean and dry.

A great rich but yet very well balanced dark lager; try this one if you see it. Thanks for sending my way Craig.

See you all again later tonight or tomorrow sometime.

——————

Speaking of Griffins/birds @kemoarps i don’t know if you remember our red tailed talk a while back but another or same family has built a huge next right across the street. I check on it every day, mom or dad was chilling in it today and I’m sure the little one or ones will be born in the coming month or so. I’ll update if I can ever get a decent shot.