New Beer Weekend #140

Central Waters Brewing 4-Year-Aged BA Barleywine. @thebeers said this is the best selection of their recent BA barleywine release. The color is black with crimson highlights. It had a tall light brown foamy top. I am not sure if that happened because I opened the can outside during a blizzard with strong winds. The smell is vanilla, fig, dark chocolate, molasses, leather, and bourbon. Very pleasant. The taste is strong with alcohol. The flavors that come through are raisin, fig, vanilla, bourbon, dark chocolate, caramel, and graham cracker. The mouthfeel is thick, smooth, and full, with medium carbonation. Overall, this is a very complex, delicious, BA barleywine. One of the best I have ever experienced. I only purchased this and the 5-year of the recent Central Waters Brewing BA barleywine release. Maybe I should also get the 1-3 year varieties. I am going back to Central Waters Brewing next Saturday for a special release. We'll see if more BA barleywines are involved when I blow up my credit card there.

 

Fernson Ears Up Lager, 5% ABV. Pours clear and golden, with a slight head that left great lacing. Nose is sweet malt, taste follows, lightly sweet, equally bitter. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent. I don't drink a lot of lager, but this is good.

3.91/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Had this while waiting for take-out. Best burgers in town.

 

Poured into a 20 oz giant tulip glass canned on 3/16/23. Pours a murky red with a massive 3 plus finger sticky off white head on a rather eager pour. Slowly settles leaving tracks of lace all over the sides of the glass. 4.25

Aroma is caramel, toffee, apricot, brown sugar, pine, mandarin, peach, and a hint of grapefruit rind. 4.5

Taste follows but for me mandarin, peach, and apricot starting with caramel, toffee, brown sugar, and a little kiss of grapefruit in the final act. 4.5

Mouthfeel is rather big, soft carbonation, maybe a tad sticky but not dry, and at 8.5% rather large flavor, but very easy going down. 4.5

Overall this one is not going to be for everyone, but I am a sucker for a hoppy red in the Spring and they are hard to come by. 4.5

 

I've picked up the groceries and walked the dogs.
Today's new beer is Korbinian, a doppelbock from Weihenstephaner with an ABV of 7.4%.
The beer is a dark red/brown color. Small, quickly dissipating tan head. No lace.
Aroma of dark fruit and sweet malt.
Taste of molasses, plum, and raisin.
A little more than medium-bodied. Very drinkable.

 

Titletown Brewing Tundra Tropics hazy IPA. Expectations are low. Some things never seem to happen in my city. Two things that come to mind are good hazy IPAs and Chicago Bears victories. Today is a perfect spring day in Titletown, USA, to drink a tropical beer. The look is nice. Apricot hazy orange color, with a lucious, thick white foamy top. Nice can. The smell is mango, lemon, malt, and buttered white toast. Very nice. The taste is lemon, apricot, grapefruit, white bread, and white grape. Surprisingly good. The mouthfeel is clean, crisp, light, bready, and smooth, with medium carbonation. Overall, this beer is a pleasant surprise. Titletown Brewing has a nice taproom. This would be a good beer to drink there. If they decide to serve it at Lambeau Field, I would purchase it there for sure.

 

Hello NBW. I bought this last year but haven't gotten round to cracking one until now. I buy these stouts and they go into the cellar cos I reach for lagers and IPAs. That and after a few lighter beers I tend toward whisky anyway and so these get ignored.

NEBCO - BBA Imperial Stout Trooper 2022



Dark, no light bleed. Tan head, full thin film hanging around now as I type.

Nose is apple, brandy, oak, coffee, demerara, malt, some booze.

Full, and punchy upfront. Malt sugar. Toffee, coffee, caramel. Dark fruit stewed with brandy. Rum filled chocolates.

Finish is initially short, booze upfront makes what follows feel sedentary. This quickly changes though and each sip compounds in measure of oil and malt, back and forth. Ultimately, after about 5 sips now, warming and I can feel the booze softening my edges.

Just about perfect? If that's okay to say. For me, anyway. I'll clarify by saying perhaps if I drank imperial stouts all the time it wouldn't seem as exceptional as it does. And, well, that's just fine by me. Cheers!

4.77/5 rDev +18.1%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

 

Having survived a birthday party with my twins at a place called Epic!Planet!Fun!, I feel encouraged - nay - entitled to a new beer while we wind down from all the fun and the sugar.

I stopped in at brewery a little northeast of me yesterday. It was my first visit, but I’ve ordered their beer before. It’s generally very good, so I bought a couple of most of what was on offer. First up is this IPA called Rougetar hopped with Riwaka and HBC-1019.

Rouge River Rougetar IPA



Pours an opaque orange juice orange with ample white pillowy head that dissipates slowly and leaves substantial lacing as the beer is enjoyed.

The nose is tropical with lychee fruit poking its head through most dominantly. Slight dank note.

Taste follows closely. Lychee, tropical fruit melange. A tiny hint of coconut. Dank. There is a citrus note that lingers well after the sip is swallowed too.

The body is full, creamy and finishes with a sharpness. No bitterness to speak of.

This is a solid hazy IPA. On par with hubdreds of others available regularly. I’d certainly drink it again if offered a glass.

Cheers.

 

UT Warriors Rugby kicks off in an hour, didn't buy tickets to this game since we got ~10in of really wet snow yesterday and it's still cold.

Luckily I have this to keep me warm!

Ladd & Lass Brewing - Year One





Thanks to @snaotheus for this one.

Canned 1.2.23

Poured at fridge temp into a weizen glass

Pours a dark nutty brown with some light amber around the edges when held up into the light. Head was reluctant as I was pouring but sprang up in a tightly packed sandy pillow, settled down into a thin but persistent ring. 4.25

Aroma is bourbon heavier with some nice malty tones and earthy backbone. A touch of syrup sweetness rounds it off. 4

Strong and soft bourbon up front on the tongue. No trace of alcohol booze until a tease of it at the end. Rich and dark maltiness. Some light and buttery biscuit notes, but then overwhelmed by thick caramel. 4

I couldn't tell from the pour, but this is thick! Almost chewy thick! Full rich and rounded body that is very syrupy. Lighter on the carbo as well and leaves a noticeable oily residue on the glass. Definitely a sipper. 4.25

Overall a delightful 12.5% Barleywine that would make for an excellent meal or dessert. 4.25

 

Had a couple good new to me Imperial Stouts today, Goose Island Bourbon County 30th Anniversary Reserve and Lupulin Brewing Lateralus:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1146/628262/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/40035/471571/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



These are probably the last of my new beers today, but should have another one or 2 for tomorrow. Cheers!

 

Not to pull away from beer but I'm curious, do Major League Rugby teams play at football scale stadiums, or I suppose, at large stadiums or not really? Also, are the teams mostly comprised from youngsters or is it full of older pros getting ready for retirement? I don't follow US rugby but I'm excited to see if there's good growth and development ahead of 2031 like happened with Japan.

Though, perhaps most rugby watching folks in the US are probably just going to support All Blacks, maybe Saffas, probably a few Wallabies fans, Ireland and the home nations.

 

TRIED it once, failed to impress me.

 

903 Brewers P'Nut Butter Crunch. A cream ale. There is only one true cream ale, and it involves cows, but this sounds intriguing. The look is peanut butter, clear, clean, pristine, golden, caramel, orange. It has a full light white foamy top. The smell is Peanut Butter Crunch. They nailed it. The taste is Peanut Butter Crunch. I sipped over and over. Nothing else comes to mind. Well-executed. The mouthfeel is light, crisp, and easy, with medium carbonation. This beer is what you hope it would be. Very unique. Yet very familiar. The one obvious error. "Pairs with" "Sunday morning cartoons." Didn't y'all watch cartoons on Saturday morning in Texas? Based on feedback from my cousins in Ennis, Texas, I thought kids in Texas do chores, go hunting, go to church, play football, watch wrestling while wrestling your siblings, then have breakfast with your family on Sunday morning. There was never really time for cartoons.

 

Happy NBW friends, just like that we’re back where we all love to be…todays beer is for you @TongoRad. He mentioned this beer in tennis format over in the 19.2 oz can thread. It’s a cold dreary day here so when I saw this today I grabbed it.

I remember buying a six pack of this one time on a st Patrick’s day over 10 years ago, never reviewed or had since…a classic that is as good as new to me.

Guinness - Extra Stout




Pours black, but shows great ruby brown clarity when brightly backlit; a very dense and cohesive tan colored head…amazing retention, settles into craggly terrain and just lingers forever with top notch lacing as well.

Nose has a slight bit of sweetness with a creamy tanginess to it, bitter chocolate powder with some damp earthy qualities to it.

Taste mostly mirrors the nose, a semi tangy semi sweet chocolate powder combination with some more prominent roast than anticipated, low but noticeable dark fruit tastes on the finish. I can’t get over the pleasant balance of bitter and sweet, it’s very nice.

Body is medium low; really smooth and creamy sensation on the tongue from the carbonation, it semi drying on the tongue and has a nice bitter kick on the finish.

This beer was a pleasure to drink, especially while breakfast for dinner cooking on a cold dreary day. If you haven’t tried this or haven’t had in a long time I suggest getting some. Cheers everyone!

 

Here at home they play on a women's soccer stadium, though I think they play some larger ones as well, just limit seating to a few sections at a time.

Again, locally, it's the full Zions Bank Stadium that is typically dull on both sides.

I've only followed for a year or so, and can only speak for the local team but it's a good mix of locals (went to school with/grew up with the center, originally from South Africa) and international players. Some of the best on the team here are international players.

I feel like a good number of them are fairly young, and come from different minor league and also go onto some bigger places.

 

Planned on buying two new to me March Beer Madness beers today, but The Beer Temple only had one of the two, which I am refrigerating now and will pull out tomorrow.

Going light and easy for the selection today, this a local brown ale which is hard to find these days.

Midwest Coast West Town Brown



Can Notes: Purchased at room temperature from Beer on the Wall on 3/2/23, refrigerated at home until this afternoon. Canned 1/12/23 per the plastic holder stamp date, single 12 oz can purchased for $2.22. ABV 5.3%, American Brown Ale. Brewed by Midwest Coast Brewing Company in Chicago, Illinois.

A beer that helps The City of Broad Shoulders take a break & catch it's breath. Made for the moment. Both coastal and communal on the back porch or with the people next door. Bring your own shade.

Appearance: Single pour into a 20 oz nonic glass. Generous tan bubbly cream head lingers a bit before leaving soapy lacing clinging to the glass, and a cover over half the clear when held to light brown to dark brown base, slightly murky, nominal carbonation after a hot minute. 4.25

Aroma: Malty brown sugar, light toffee, white toast, mild in strength. 3.75

Taste: Taste duller than the aroma leads, dark rye bread to pumpernickle, malt, brown sugar. Getting lemon as well. Light flavored, alright, more feel than taste for this offering. 3.5

Mouthfeel: Dry and bitter to keep the sweet flavors in check. Light and easy drinking, below the abv. Faint fizzy carbonation sustained, dryness lingers in the finish. Like the balance, lack of pronounced sweetness. 4.0

Overall: This works for me with the sweet flavors held in check by a pervasive bitterness and dry take throughout. Could have used the flavor to shine through more, since it smelled stronger than what I could gather. Overall a nice brown ale, glad I opened today. 3.75

See you all tomorrow, will try to catch up with the thread this evening.

Cheers!

 

A famous (but now closed) Philadelphia restaurant used to make snapper soup. I heard that the soup you were able to get at the restaurant was very good. The closest I ever got was their canned version and while I enjoyed that one can it wasn't something I would buy again.



I wish that I could have tried the restaurant's version.

Cheers!

 

It was something my Cousins in Maryland that lived on the farm would eat back in the 70s. I think they would take them from their pond to benefit the fish they also ate.