New Beer Weekend #146

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. Three weeks ago, Magnify released two big, BBA Stout collaborations with Bottle Logic Brewing in California. Today, I'm reviewing Breakfast for Dessert, a "S'mores Inspired Imperial Stout" brewed with three cereals, Cocoa Puffs, Golden Grahams, and Lucky Charms, and aged in 12 year old Elijah Craig and 7 year old Weller bourbon barrels. This monster clocks in at 15%. While it's very well-crafted, flavorful, and achieves the brewers' advertised intent, its sweetness is overpowering.

Poured into a snulip glass at 64°. It pours a deep, dark walnut. The modest, medium-mocha-colored cap dissipated almost immediately. Its nose is huge with lots of graham cracker, cocoa, and vanilla. As advertised, the taste really does simulate s'mores with strong notes of graham cracker, milk chocolate, and toffee. I'm not sure why it was conditioned on Lucky Charms. On the other hand, the bourbon barrel aging was handled deftly. Its influence is delicate and doesn't overwhelm the other flavors. The mouth feel is amazing; it's motor oil thick and chewy with low carbonation. The 15% ABV is very well-hidden. Overall, Breakfast for Dessert is highly flavorful and the bourbon barrel aging is skillful. It would pair well with a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Anyone who enjoys Pastry Stouts will give it high marks.

4.26/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Ten ounces is all I can drink which is a shame because it's a very good (and not inexpensive) Stout. I'll be cleansing my palate with a very different new beer shortly. Cheers!

 

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

Aroma is passionfruit, mango, tangerine, and apricot. 4.5

Taste follows passionfruit, mango, tangerine, and apricot very well balanced. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, not sticky or dry, soft gentle almost creamy carbonation, and at 8.5% plenty of flavor, but really easy sipping. 4.75

Overall Other Half is as good as anyone at this style. Pretty amazing stuff. 4.5 Cheers all.

 

Prosit to @sulldaddy for this Fox Farm The Cotage Helles Lager ( with appropriate Dimple Mug! ) 5.2% ABV; 4.18 overall

Pours an effervescent gold with one finger of 2 fingers of eggshell colored head. Averagehead retetion & lacing

S: Bready, grassy, lemon notes, some perfumy hops as well

T: Follow the nose, a little lime & dryness as well. Sweet grainyness with lemon/ lime & just a little dryness as this beer warms up. Finishes bready, a little grainy with some floral & citrus notes

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation, nicely balanced

Nice drinkability, makes me think I am back in Germany

 

Lawn and yard work done. Back is killing me so I need a beer.
Proclamation German Style Maibock
Pours with a chill Haze a beautiful golden amber with about a 1/2 creamy white head with good retention and rings of lacing....interesting.
Lots of bread dough, honey/mild caramel malts, orange blossoms, grass.
Taste follows with citrus and bread/pretzel? And boy maybe I'm just thinking how well a sourdough pretzel with German mustard would pair with this. White pepper spice in the finish with a mildly sharp hop bite. Nice carbonation keeps it lively, drying on the crisp clean finish. Just a hint of alcohol at 6.7%
Good beer. I'm no expert on Maibocks but as a comparison to Ayinger this seems not as close to style. Dont get me wrong it's good, but I think a bit more sweetness and this would be closer. Hope you all are enjoying your day. It's perfect weather here.
Cheers!

 

I’m having one more this afternoon. The kids are behaving, my wife is out galavanting in Stratford, Ontario, and I’m going to open a BBA stout. And, nice lady that she is, my wife is going to grab some beer for me at a couple breweries in Stratford from which I’ve yet to have a sip. I’m looking forward to posting a haul picture later!


This is from a recent box received from a long-time trade partner out in BC. This is Twin Sails Brewing Catching Moonlight, a maple syrup bourbon barrel aged stout.





Pours a deep dark brown with minimal head that recedes to a thin partial film over the beer’s surface.

The aroma is largely maple, wood and booze. There is a hint of liquorice in there too. The maple is on the lighter side.

Taste is sweet maple, whiskey, dry wood and some very faint coffee notes. This is boozy.

The body is medium, bordering on thin.

This is ok. The maple has more of a sap taste than a syrup taste. The beer isn’t as sweet as expected, but is very boozy. I’m not a huge fan of overly boozy BA beers. This was good, but not in my wheelhouse.

Cheers!

 

NBS #2. I rarely drink American Pale Ales because I generally prefer DIPAs. But our new local brewery, Autodidact Beer, released cans of its APA "Daylily" yesterday and I decided to buy a pack without having it on draught first. I have to say, I'm impressed!

It pours a hazy, bright golden-orange color with two fingers of fluffy, eggshell-colored head and lots of thick, soapy lacing. Very attractive! A fruity nose featuring lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, and soft floral hops. The taste pops with tart lemon peel, lime, and grapefruit rind, balanced by just a kiss of sweeter tropical fruits, over a solid biscuit malt base. There is sharp but clean hoppy bitterness throughout. Autodidact doesn't publicize the hop bill of its beers. If I didn't know it's a Pale Ale I'd think it was an American IPA. The mouth feel is crisp and refreshing with pleasant carbonation, and it packs a lot of flavor for 5.8% ABV.

4.15/5 rDev +5.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Autodidact is off to a fast start. And I'm thrilled that it's less than a 5 minute drive from my house (that is, if I make the traffic light in the center of town). With so many good local options, including Magnify, Twin Elephant, Untied, Bull N Bear, and Glenbrook, I rarely buy beer in stores these days.

Have a great week, everyone! Next weekend we'll be in Chapel Hill, NC, to see our daughter receive her doctorate from UNC. Cheers, NBW!

 

Greetings all from the great northwest where we are shaking off a couple of days of rain.

This weekend we have Batsquatch Hazy IPA from Rogue Brewing.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/132/369987/

Just an average beer I'm afraid. Kind of a medicine bitterness.

Until next time

 

Saltfire A Series of Singularities: AAAHHHROMA. I'm finally sitting down with this beer, sent as part of a massive porch assault by @colts9016 that I'm still recovering from. Aaahhhroma is a new-to-me hop from Glacier Hops Ranch in Montana, and spoiler alert: it's really, really good. Appearance is clear, light gold, very much WCIPA; I'm reminded immediately of Blind Pig, which is a high bar to clear. One-finger head dissipates fairly quickly, but intricate lacing clings throughout the tasting. Aroma is a biscuity citrus + pine, with that distinct lime I caught from the first Saltfire beer I tasted from Jammin, 12 Monkeys. Taste is more complex than that, with the lime acting as a back note against bready herbalness and pine. What's absent is the cloying fruitiness that I find weirdly common in WCIPAs not actually brewed in CA, which is a good thing! Mouthfeel is lively but full, a nice blend that, again, reminds me of Blind Pig (!) Overall, this is a very well-crafted, gulpable brew that I keep comparing to Russian River; if you know my preferences at all, you know this isn't a comparison I make lightly. I'm excited to drink more brews made with Aaahhhroma hops. Cheers!

 

Social Project Cosmik Debris Double Hazy IPA, 8.0%; 4.08 overall

Pours a very hazed gold/honey color with one finger of cream colored head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Catty/weedy, passion fruit & a little citrus

T: Piney, dank, grapefruit, passion fruit, sweet orange up front, plus a little green melon. Some pineapple, & sweet orange, green melon, passion fruit & lime, plus a little dryness. Finishes with guava, passion fruit, sweet orange & pineapple

MF: Medium body, subdued carbonation, nice balance

Nice offering that just got better as this beer warmed up

 

Next up a brewery that has been doing some high quality brews for a very reasonable price.
Tox Brewing Muscaria DDH IPA
Pours a hazy orange with a nice creamy head that has some staying power. Lots of lacing.
Big aroma of melon, pineapple, mango and tangerine with some crushed pine on the end.
Taste follows with tropicals, melon, mild grapefruit and orange.
Feel is creamy, a bit more carb than expected, some hop oil that dries out on the bitter, mostly rind but a touch of pine, finish. It's fairly soft in the mouth as well. Its a very good DIPA.
I haven't had a brew I haven't enjoyed yet from Tox. Had some great beers that were collabs as well. Fugo for 11 bucks is one of the best hidden gems on the market.
Cheers

 

Happy NBS all! I finally get to play.
Found Lunch in Colorado and it was about 5 weeks old. But I have wanted to try it for years so I purchased it.

Poured unfiltered amber color with a huge billowing near white head that left curtains of lacing.
The aroma is lost on me, Covid jacked up my smell.
The taste is really quite good, in a balanced sort of way. The hops feature light pine and some floral notes with a hint of bitterness. The malts are biscuits and grain and just keep this from being one dimensional. The balance is real and the flavors accentuate each other well.
The feel is very good, just enough body to not crush it, which in this case was important as I’d worked up a thirst.
OA, I think if this was more widely available it would knock Two Hearted off its lofty perch.

 

A beer I should really revisit sometime soon, I’m gonna check the dates next time I see it.

 

Another new beer, and another collaboration. Didn't set out to have a theme, but here we are.



(Haven't posted a rating yet. Still working on the numbers.)

Ecliptic/Ravenna Juicy Lager
16-ounce can purchased at Uptown Beer Co. Canned on 04/18/23. Poured in a nonic half-pint glass.

Look:
Juicy Lager is a pale, perfectly clear yellow-gold beer. A measured pour raises a finger-tall head of bright white foam that is rich and creamy and slow to dissipate. It leaves plentiful, intricate lace on my glass.

Smell:
Pretty standard lager profile. A mild combination of dry, somewhat crackery malt, some delicate earthy and spicy hops, and a touch of sulfur. This is brightened by well-integrated citrusy notes (orange and a bit of lime zest).

Taste:
Crisp, grainy malt leads the way. Not too sweet. An appealing combination of unobtrusive fruit notes make an appearance through the middle: orange peel, a bit of lime zest, a note of red Swedish fish candy. Subtlety is the word here. The dry, crisp finish has some satisfying toasty malt flavor. A nice and unexpected bonus.

Feel:
Light-bodied with bracing carbonation. Clean and quenching.

Overall:
Not gonna lie: I was a little worried about this "juicy lager," mostly due to the near-overwhelming fruitiness of my previous beer (Great Divide/Boneyard Great Bones IPA). But I know the two breweries involved here are reliably good. And New Beer Weekend demands New Beers. I was pleasantly surprised to find a clean, well-made lager with just enough zesty fruit character to make it interesting. Nice one.

 

Gotta love a good lawnmower beer!

 

Haha that great. Thank You!

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

I am going to be a 1 and done tonight, and, well, it's not quite a beer.

Corona Non- Alcoholic - Low Alcohol beer

I was somewhat surprised by this one. It wasn't skunky at all. Decent malty flavor, as good, if not better, than the real thing.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/75/646184/

3.51/5 rDev +17%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
From a bottle:
Nice hiss upon the opening and a bit of smoke came out of the bottle. Very clear golden pouring beer with some carbonation rising in the glass. There's a 1 finger white head. Head looks a bit fluffy. Retention is decent, but there's no lacing on the glass.
Nose is grainy and malty. The aroma is somewhat light, but not too light.
The flavor starts off really light. It does get stronger and you can taste the biscuit/grain malts in this beer. There's really no skunky flavors, like I was expecting in it. Slight floral notes to the beer.
Very light bodied, but that's expected. Not really watery.
Well, Trying this makes me wish I would have bought a lime to throw in it this morning before work. This is as good, maybe better, than the real deal. Surprised.


See you all down the road. Cheers!

 

Hello Not Quite Late Night NBW.
Been a bust weekend here. Had to go straight from work on Friday to the opening session of a weekend training. Just got home a few hours ago. The training was solid, but a bit draining. And now I am getting ready for the week. No rest for the wicked as they say.

Well, a bit of rest...Thanks to @FBarber who sent this in our little chaotic corner of BA, NBS BIF #17
Good Morning Munich Bavarian Style Helles Lager from Art History Brewing

Canned date illegible.
Pours a amber-side-of gold. A tad darker than I think is typical for style but sure is pretty. White fluffy head pops up to two fingers in height and tapers off to a thin ring. Light lacing.
Aromas of flowery herbal spice jump off, followed by a nice wet grain note that waltzes back toward a grassy hint and then finishes mildly spicy.
The taste is a really nice, balanced meandering through Helles territory. Herbal spicy hops walk hand in hand with a doughy grain bill. Light, almost citrusy, grassy notes are smooth at first and then return to a confident spiciness. As soon as the sweetness seems to almost shine, it gets tamped back to equilibrium.
Mouthfeel is between smooth and crisp, lightly carbonated, and mildly herbal hops finish the sip.
Overall, solid. This would be a regular at Casa Dos Perros Cervezeros.
4.09/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

Well, I liked reading this. I could've sworn you have been with us before, but then again maybe I am just used to seeing you in other threads.