New Beer Weekend #141

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass canned on 3/16/23. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow with a finger plus sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace, with nice retention. 4.5

Aroma peach, papaya, mandarin, apricot, and some pink grapefruit rind. 4.5

Taste follows mandarin, peach, papaya, apricot, and a hit of grapefruit in the bold lingering finish. 4.5

Mouthfeel is big, soft gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 9.4% ABV huge flavor, but still very approachable. 4.75

Overall another excellent hoppy beer from one of the best in the business at brewing them. 4.5 Cheers and enjoy your Sunday.

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass canned on 3/30/23. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow with a solid finger sticky white lace that leaves thin streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.75

Aroma toasted coconut, pineapple, peach, and apricot. 4.75

Taste follows coconut in the lead roll without a doubt, with some pineapple, peach, and apricot really tropical. 4.75

Mouthfeel is above medium, soft almost creamy carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 8% really easy going down. 4.75

Overall if you like coconut, you will love this NEDIPA. Really impressive stuff. 4.75

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass says canned Spring of 2023. Pours midnight black with 2 plus finger sticky mocha head that leaves a thin wall of lace, with excellent retention. 4.75

Aroma is peanut butter cup, cocoa, coffee milk, Oreo, caramel, and toffee. 4.75

Taste follows peanut butter and chocolate dominates, with some roasted coffee, caramel, toffee, and vanilla bean. 4.75

Mouthfeel is above average, not sticky or dry, soft gentle carbonation, and 9.1% ABV it goes down extremely easy. 4.25

Overall this is a very tasty stout, I still wish it had a little bigger body, but still really impressive. 4.5

 

Welcome one and all to New Beer Sunday #945. Planned on enjoying this beer until March Beer Madness disrupted my plans. Either beer can win at this point, so if you have or can get Bell's Two Hearted Ale or North Coast Old Rasputin, you have a chance to make an impact on our Beer Advocate Champion Beer for 2023.

Hoping this beer was as good as my tournament entry Delirium Tremens enjoyed yesterday.

Allagash Hop Reach IPA



Can Notes: Single 12 oz can purchased at room temperature at Beer on the Wall for $2.48. 6.8% ABV, canned 2/14/23 @ 8:53 AM. Ale brewed and canned by Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine. From Maine, with Love. Citrusy Tropical Refreshing.

Higher and higher, hops reach for the sun filling with citrusy and tropical flavor. Hop Reach IPA blooms with these lush hop notes, making for a beer that's both full-bodied and refreshing.

Appearance: Single pour into a nucleated tulip pint glass. Generous creamy white lacing lingers for several minutes, leaving soapy lacing and cover over the golden orange slightly foggy base. Light carbonation throughout. 4.25

Aroma: Mango, citrus, grapefruit, mild in strength, pleasant. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with aroma, but much fuller in strength. Pine, citrus, tangerine, tropical and old school pine / citrus combine for an enjoyable experience, though edges tropical / juicy. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Dry and slightly bitter, hop bitterness prevails over the sweet flavor profile. Drinks light and easy, minimal carbonation, watery light to medium body, refreshing clean finish. 3.75

Overall: While I do prefer an old school WCIPA, this IPA delivers as advertised. Appreciate the full flavors and the way they are balanced / contained by the bitterness. These types of IPAs have become popular over the past few years, as folks have looked for a more balanced treatment to juicy sweet sugar bombs. Allagash delivers, and while this won't be a go to beer, I will be pleased if future pours are available down the line. 4.0

Will be saving my beer muscles to close out the rest of the tournament, but new beers linger in hopes of being cracked open next weekend. Cheers!

 

Good afternoon BAs! My new to me post brunch beer is Firestone Walker’s XXVI Anniversary Ale:



Bottled fall of 2022? Poured at 54° straight out of my chiller. Tight khaki head dissipates fairly quickly leaving an island of micro dots yet a heavy ring and some spotty soapy lace; brown body with ruby hues; thick legs sheet the glass on swirl. Nose is sweet bourbon and oak; booze on exhale. Bourbon entry with sweet milk chocolate behind; charred oak; vanilla middle; no coffee but I do get a splash of white grape; oaky bourbon but more chocolate shows up as beer warms. Silky feel; medium body, not at all adjuncty; some warmth in mouth from 11% abv; dry barrel/oaky white wine tongue coating; very dry finish. Overall a tasty complex beer - lots going on here from sweet to roasty to boozy to dry; drinks thin and the barrel notes are a step or two ahead of the various bases; very dry, but I would gladly drink again.

4.25 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5
Score: 4.43 rDev +2.1%

Cheers y’all!

 

My first (and possibly only) beer for today comes courtesy of @Haze. This is Bright Light, a dry hopped barrel aged saison from Union Craft Brewing in Baltimore, MD.


4.11/5 rDev 0% (first review)
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a hay colored yellow with hints of orange. Lots of visible carbonation, but a thin, short-lived head (consistent with my expectations) Aroma is a wonderful mix of grass, lemon, hay and earthy funk, with a hint of red wine. Very enticing in look and smell.

Brett is quite noticeable on the tongue, and is definitely the first thing I notice. Behind it lurks some lemongrass and plenty of earthy funk. Light and lively.

Overall, this is very well done. Great to see a small brewery crank out something on this level.

 

Decided to do a little side by side tasting with 2 variants of Collective Arts Origin Of Darkness, one a collab with Cloudwater and the other a collab with Burial. There used to be a side by side thread though I'm not sure what happened to it. Figured that's a good enough excuse to post here instead lol. It kinda surprises me that these can be considered the same beer, as the adjunct and barrel treatment on each are wildly different, port barrel aged with Vidal Ice Wine vs Madeira whiskey barrel aged with pecans and coffee. Also I did this at like 1 AM but was too lazy to post after drinking both of these, oops



The beers poured pretty similar, though the Cloudwater version had a larger, slightly lighter colored head. (C=4.25 B=4)

In the nose, they are just wildly different. The Burial version seems more in line with a standard Imperial Stout, lots of chocolate, earthy whiskey, dark fruit, coffee, and oak. The Cloudwater version was insane in the nose and much more ambitious, bringing notes of port wine, assorted fruit jams, oak, cocoa powder, and a bit of leather. (C=4.5 B=4.25)

Unfortunately in taste the Cloudwater was a bit too aggressive with its wine notes. Blackberry sorbet, port wine, dry oak, and coffee up front, tannic wine, stone fruit, caramel, oak, and a little touch of booze on the swallow. Burial again played it safer, but it worked out better, and some of the wine notes actually came out which were not present in the aroma. Dark chocolate, toasted pecan, red grape, oak, and caramel up front, dark chocolate, sweet wine, oak, burnt caramel, and light coffee on the swallow. (C=4 B=4.25)

The Cloudwater was a bit more abrasive in feel, lending more of a biting boozy experience compared to the relative smoothness of the Burial beer. (C=4 B=4.25)

Neither one of these beers were anything amazing, but were fun to try side by side despite their wild differences. I respect the absolute insanity Cloudwater was going for, but Burial took the slight lead. (C=4.25 B=4.25)

Final Cloudwater:
4.19/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Final Burial:
4.24/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

Nice day today. Getting ready to open the pool up, now that it's April.
My new beer for today is Pause For Effect, a hazy DIPA from Modern Times.
The beer is a gold color with a faint haze. Small white head, some lace.
Tropical fruit aroma, hint of citrus.
Taste mostly mango. Some pineapple and a tiny bit of grapefruit.
Mostly sweet mouthfeel.

 

Hop Butcher Dun APA (Amarillo, Citra, Galaxy). A smaller version of their popular Dun Dun Dun DIPA.

Pours a fully opaque golden orange color with three fingers of a dense, fluffy head that dissipates slowly and leaves some nice glass lacing behind. Definitely looks the part of a hazy pale ale. 4.25

Aroma is ripe tangerine, apricot, pineapple tidbits, juicy mango, passionfruit, and some earthy vegetal notes. Little vanilla wafer and dough from the malt. 4.0

Taste is ripe passionfruit, tangerine, orange peel, dried mango, floral, slight papaya, and earthy pine. Little dough from the malt. Stays quite dry throughout with a dry and nicely bitter finish. 4.25

Medium body. Soft and fluffy, yet has an ample carbonation that, in tandem with the dryness of the beer, make this one very drinkable and refreshing. 4.5

I've steered away from Hop Butcher's double and triple IPA's, as they're just too sweet for what I prefer nowadays, but I'll gladly still pull the trigger on their pale ales and single IPA's, as they tend to be a lot less sweet. This one is very enjoyable. 4.25
Overall: 4.22

 

One more local crowler before going back to my new stuff from @Whyteboar

Uinta - I am no man
Cascadian dark ale


Canned 3.31.23

Poured at about 40° into a nonic glass

Pours dark with some reddish hues when held up to the light. Soapy tan head. 3.75

Aroma is pine, some berry and hops. 3.75

Dark maltiness, berry and smooth pine, some pumpernickel and then pine on the finish again. 4

Mouthfeel is lighter carbo, but plenty filling due to the breadiness. 3.75

Overall a good black IPA, but not my favorite and nothing really stood out other than the pine, which I believe is standard. 3.75

 

Afternoon NBS.
I actually have 5 new beers in my fridge so I'm starting earlier than usual. Will I get to all 5? Doubt it.
I'm starting with this a brand new to me brewery Eridita.
This is a single hopped Nelson Sauvin brew. I find most of these to be let downs. Many are good beers I just cant ever get those full Nelson (ha!) characteristics. Prob spoiled from my remembrance of Alpines version....
Zeal DIPA Eridita Brewing
Pours a very hazy orange/gold with a creamy biege head that drops to a thin cap, spotty lacing.
Oops maybe I spoke too soon because right off the bat I get that Sauvignon Blanc, gooseberry, herbal, grassy, earthy, lemon, pineapple....damn nice!
Taste follows with white grape, minerality, green herbs, citrus rind, crushed pine, pineapple, melon, apple..
There is alot going on here. Really interesting.
Nice medium body, tiny crisp carb, drying and bitter with citrus rind, green herb/hop on the finish.
Man o man this is a good beer.
Open mouth insert foot.... No letdown here. The best expression of Nelson I can remember. Can't wait to try the others. If this is your hop find this.

 

First time I've seen it reasonably fresh in the valley.

Moab - FMU
double IPA



Canned 2.17.23

Pours a dull golden with a tall creamy and dense head. Leaves a thin sticky lacing and thinner ring. 4

Strong hop blend(makes sense with the contents), and some tropical aroma 3.75

Boozy, HOPPY, herbal. Simple as that. 3.75

Moderate body, some alcohol burn. 3.5

Overall while not my favorite style I can appreciate the hops used and that is certainly this beers stand out feature. Have refused to buy it before now because it's always 5+ months old. 3.75

 

What a great start!

 

Hello Late Night NBW. (by way of Australia-)
My first contribution for today will be seeing a few days in a box soon...MNS BIF #17 Haul Hint.

Praguer

On tap at Gamecraft.
Pours a beautiful straw to golden in color, fluffy white head picks up two fingers high. Good retention, slight lacing.
Nose is a beautiful mix of slightly dry, peppery notes, a hint of grass, and grain.
Flavor follows the nose nicely. A mild biscuity base, some herbal grass and lemon blossom.
Mouthfeel is light, crisp, mildly active in carbonation, and finishes with a nice dry bitterness.
3.81/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

 

This next one my raise a few eyebrows for Monkish gets a LOT of hazy love.

Dry In Drums

On tap at the Anaheim location.
Yes, I know Monkish is one of those breweries that people chase for all the hazies, but sometimes one can go too far with a good thing.
This definitely qualifies as a murk bomb. A muddy, straw to yellow hued, roil holds up a decent white cap. Good head retention with scattered clumpy lacing.
The nose is nice with with papaya, mango and zesty orange rind. Hints of grass polish the edges.
Flavor tries to follow the nose but is overwhelmed by the gritty texture. This is where the mouthfeel dominates what the flavor tries to show.
Overall, some people might be okay with chewing their hazy beer. And I’m down for an assertively spelty or oaty component, but this one’s a bridge too far.
3.47/5 rDev -21%
look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.25

 

A bit late, but glad to finally make it to the NBW party. This will likely be my last new beer post for a few weeks as I've got a packed April. Definitely a "counting the days til May" kind of month.

Anyway, on to the beer! I picked this up the week after it launched and finally had a good weekend for it. Uncovered the perrienial beds, did some repairs on the house, and looking for a spring beer.

Jack's Abby Brighter Than Hell
Munich-style export lager.

This is a remake of the beer they brewed last year with Bierstadt, but this one is on their new pilot line.

Format and age: 16oz can purchased from the brewery, canned on Jan. 31[?], 2023.

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

Impressions: pours a bright, straw gold with a three-finger white head that slowly dissipates to a frothy topping. On the nose we've got honey, bread dough, orange citrus, and some floral hops. The taste begins with a short bite of orange citrus, but the malt quickly comes to the fore with white bread, biscuit, and honey sweetness, with more toasted malt on the swallow. Bitter and spicy hops on the finish balance out the sweetness nicely. A light to medium body with moderate carbonation creates a wonderfully smooth beer.

Overall: I've never taken to calling lagers crisp. To me, crisp is a texture during chewing, and the only way to get something close in a beer is via carbonation. What defines a good lager to me is a clean, well-defined flavor profile. This beer nails that criterion and is a good reminder of the pleasure in balance and subtlety. JA continues to up their game with the small batch brews coming off the new pilot line. While essentially the same beer as last year's collab with Bierstadt, this is a superior version in pretty much all aspects.

 

Deschutes Framstand Fresh Mango IPA, 6.4% ABV; 4.04 overall I like it more than most

Pours a very hazy gold with a thumb of pearl colored head. Nice head retention & lacing

S: Tons of mangoes, some citrus, fades a little over time

T: Mangoes, tangerines, green melons up front. More of the same as this beer warms up, mangoes tail off a little. Finishes with mango sweetness, a little grapefruit, some green melon & a kiss of dryness

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation, good balance

Easy to drink, needed a little more depth of flavor, certainly didn't match the nose. This sixer will disappear quick, worth a go



I later remembered there are Mangoes in the house

 

Settled down in front of the computers doing some work and watching the NCAA Women's basketball championship game. I lived in Iowa for ~7 years and the best player in the nation (Iowa's Caitlin Clark) is from one town over, so I'll be rooting for Iowa today. (Side note....Clark is insanely good) Refereeing has been awful so far...hopefully it gets better.

Anywho, according to my storage notes, this bottle of Pomona comes from @2beerdogs, which is interesting given that Derek is in CA and this was brewed in Pittsburgh.


Pours a bright ruby red with nice clarity and loads of fizzy white head. Aroma can best be described as funky fruits & berries. I can't necessarily pick out individual notes, but it's clear that plenty of berries and fruits went into this.

Taste is a funky mix of flavors. I get pomegranate, and what I think are the peppercorns, but the various flavors combine into one amorphous entity, much like the nose. Light and lively with plenty of carbonation.

Interesting beer.