New Beer Weekend #150

Let me know if you need a refill, after they get themselves up and running in their new location (should be any time now)

 

Another weekend in the books. Another damp day with a chill that goes to the bone. Went to the yard with good intentions but it ended with mindless, undirected puttering, so I eventually gave up. One of those if i keep at it inspiration will strike...well, it didnt. Did burgers on the gas grill just as it started to rain a bit.

This one has been around for a while. It takes 2 years, 3 months to make and my bottle says filled on Mar 28, 2018...



Allagash Pick Your Own, oak aged for two years and rested on a berry melange for three months. Cherries, strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries.

I have to learn to take better pictures. This beer is a beautiful, clear pale red. This is remarkable given what I know about the instability of fruit pigments. It is just extraordinary in appearance.

On the nose, oh my...a delightful melding of berry notes, more or less indistinguishable as individual contributors. At work we used to use the term "generic red berry" and the phrase comes to mind here in a good way. Kinda like a mixed berry pie thing where it all tastes great but its impossible to separate individual components so masterfully unified. A very nice funk, pleasing oaky woodiness, mild vanilla. The berry smell - every sniff seems a bit different likely reflecting the berry mixture.

The taste is excellent. The berries are probably a bit muted compared to fresh, but it is a taste bud pleasing berry jumble. I get a tea note from the blueberries and raspberries, a darker note that is likely cherry, and a brighter flavor that's strawberry. There's a sweet vanilla over-ride going on here that tempers the berries just a bit. Oaky tannins. The funk is tame, but certainly contributing. The sour is mild and kind of two- phased. There's a rounded, berry-driven sour and a bit sharper acidity that I think is from the process and microbes.

The feel is light, bright, and a little tingly. The tartness is not overwhelming, but it never let's you forget what you are drinking, either.

Ya know, I bitch about these beers every time my wife convinces me it's ok to spend that much on one 375 ml bottle. But at the end of the day I can't remember being disappointed. I think all the time in the bottle for this one has just let everything come to a fantastically integrated and mellow resting place. This is another wonderful wild from Allagash - even at 5 years in the severely neglected bottle, this is going to be in the 4.5 region.

Good omen? Hope so...I found a couple more vintage Allagash bottles huddled in the dark with this one!

 

Here's another one from Lawson's.
Brewed and canned at Two Roads, Stratford, CT.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17980/648590/



16 ounce can packaged 09MAY23.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a one inch white head over a very hazy light golden body with sticky lacing.

Nose of tropical fruit and sweet citrus.

Taste follows nose, mirroring it very well with nice sweet citrus juiciness.

Very nice feel with medium carbonation and not thin at all.

Overall, this should satisfy the juicybois among us as I really can't find anything negative about this offering as others have. One negative thing might be that it's not brewed in Vermont?
Still tasty nonetheless.
Cheers!

 

Dwinell - Lookie Loo

16oz can split between a pair of WABL sample glasses. Can is not dated as far as I can tell. Not sure, but I think we bought this at Beer Junction a few weeks ago. BA's listing says it's 7%, but my can says it's 4%.

Pours a mostly clear dark purplish-red, initial pour has a bit of head that leaves a healthy ring behind. Smell is cherry with a saison-y funk, something herbal/vegetal, almost a mint or maybe menthol note.

Taste is heavy on the barnyard funk, that vegetation note comes through pretty clearly too, though it doesn't seem minty/menthol-y anymore. Cherry is very clearly there as well -- a little cherry juice and a bit of cherry tartness. Something about it reminds me of stems.

Mouthfeel is fairly light, fairly dry. Overall, it's pretty good.

 

Think this was from @Whyteboar, at least I'm fairly sure.

Austin Brothers - Woody Wheat



Canned 11.18.22

Poured at fridge temp into a willi glass

Pours a cloudy gold with a very thin white head. Sparse lacing clumps. 3.75

Huge vanilla sweetness and wheat aroma. It's seriously good. 4.5

Grainy wheat, soft and vibrant vanilla, and the barest touch of gentle earthy hops. 4

Smooth and very very body. Soft and crushable. 4

Overall a incredible blend of a hef and cream ale that is exactly my style of go-to beer. 4

 

The label art is frickin' adorable.

 

That's so true. We repurposed as much original material as we could, even under the gun with no appartment, 6 months pregnant, dead of winter, and no place to go. Our house originated in the 1850's and was added to a bit haphazardly. We have true to dimension lumber - so a 2 x 4 is 2 x 4 - hardwood studs that dull saw blades like nobody's business. I'm told it is a local oak. What was very cool - some of the wood trim had the address where it was rough cut (our house) and the address of a long-defunct local sawmill like self-addressed lumber. We found a pair of Civil War Era spectacles wedged between lathwork behind horsehair plaster. The original pantry had a shelf atop cabinets - 11 feet long, 24-ish wide, 1.5 inch thick - single piece of wood. I had no idea - it was covered with growth layers of contact paper my Nana put on it. Regret that I did not pull that out myself - guy helping me took it out by Sawzall.

 

That is really cool stuff @LeRose

I wanted to mention on the hardness of the wood. Im assuming in both cases it is old growth wood, I’m guessing this would explain its dense rings and the hardness.

Wood that will likely never have time to form here again until long long after us humans are gone; nature is wild.

 

About 80% of what I drink is new to me, but I reserve reviewing for those that stand out. Here is one of those.

Hair of the dog Matt 2022
L: Flat, zero carbonation, possibly on purpose? Rich brown like expensive teak flooring.
S: Like stepping into a humidor with a worn leather chair to sit in. Light color cigars.
T: Toasted tabaco, dark Mexican chocolate, whisper of anise, hot coco that was slightly burnt.
O: The lack of carbonation was worrying, but in the end it didn't matter. Like an awkward uncomfortable moment where your best friend accidently goes past protective into flirtatious and then realizes it too late and you both shiver. It's ok though, the beer just is a beer and wasn't trying to hit on you. This beer is different in good ways. It's a beer like a cigar, but only the good notes you'd want from that cigar. It's a cougar and wants to talk to you after school. Warm comforting, wrong, a bit too much tan, but what a great experience. I have one more and will be saving it for a cigar day in a year or three.

 

Have a great Sunday. I woke up around 2pm. We watched Bill and Ted for the first time last night, and it was a great but weird stoner film. A lot of the plot diversions were a bit too generic lol. I tried some legal shroom bars and it was a great mix for chilling out and watching movies.

Anyways, we hiked 8 miles on copperhead trail off Battleground. Very fun and flowy. Even Julia could ride most of it. Not too rocky.












We are at tap room gso for dinner. Got a lost coast stargaze wit. Really nice! Aromas and flavors of big banana, bubblegum, clove, peppercorn, lemon, pear, red apple, wheat, cracker, herbal, floral, grass, yeast earth. Lt med herbal bitterness, yeast spicy, and tart tangy yeast finish. Lt med body. Balanced bready grainy malt and sticky lt resin hops. Crisp clean refreshing finish. Slightly watery feel but spot on style. Lots of great yeast flavor character. Delicious. 3.95


Cheers

 

Good evening NBW
Another international offering purchased recently. A Polish Euro Strong Lager.

Helevius Kaper
500mL bottle Best Before L2119616P22:25
poured into a becher glass at fridge temp 8.7% ABV. The beer pours bright medium amber with light khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. Minimal lacing. The aroma is unpleasant frankly with a strange sweetness and dusty grain. The taste is fairly sweet caramel malt with apple & pear before the mildly bitter, ethanol soaked finish. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with average carbonation and an undry & sticky finish. Overall, not great, but I suspect age could be an issue. Not looking to test the theory though...

Cheers all!

 

Amazing apps hnnnggg



Ecliptic sour carina peach. This was awesome as expected. Nose of peaches and lacto. Taste of big sour peaches, fuzz/skin/pits, lemon, lime, green apple, white wine, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, bread, lacto funk. Med tart/sourness and fruit tang on the finish. Lt med body. Crisp clean refreshing finish. Balanced grainy malt, lactic acid, fruit tang/tannins in mouthfeel. Lingering acid drying. Minimal puckering. Nicely jammy feel with balanced lacto and Brett flavors. Loved it. 4.15


Cheers

 

Other Half - Ideal Wave

16oz can served in a big snifter. Can is not dated...it's unlike me to buy an undated IPA unless I have a reason to believe it's fresh, and I don't remember why I bought this. I remember I got it at one of the Bottlecrafts I visited around San Diego a couple weeks ago.

Pours pale yellow, whitish, very murky, light dusty head. Smell is tropical, exotically fruity, lots of citrus pith mixed in.

Taste is similar, mostly bright, with a little bit of an overripe note. Fairly sweet in general to go along with the juicy fruit theme.

Mouthfeel is creamy with a slight grit. Overall, unsurprisingly, it's a good murky IPA.

 

Surprised some didn't ask to ban it because they think it it marketing to kids... Although I think most people have a grip now & are worried about Meth or Fentanyl more so...

 

My evening beer for NBS is one that I got from @BigIronH - he sent an incredible selection from a Michigan brewery that I had never tried. This one is called Mr. Sinister and is their Belgian Strong Ale.

Poured the color of iced tea and ended up with a distinct reddish hue when in the snifter. There was a bone white head for a split second or so, no real lacing.
The taste was, Essentially a malty red wine. Not sure how else to describe it
The feel is thinner than expected but not bad. Too easy to drink quickly.
OA, not sure if I’d want this often, but it would definitely be good on some occasions.

 

Station 26 - 303 Lager- Final Tally = 3.87 or very good.

L- Nice pale yellow with decent foam and surprising lace. Head is gone in a NY minute.
N- Fruity produce dept yeast with freshly baked white bread
T- Wow what is this fruit that first hits the palate? Apple? This is really not what I was expecting. A light honey note along with the mystery fruit and just a touch of the bread I smelled early on. Also not much in the hop dept. just a tad, yet balanced and not sweet in a corn adjunct way.
M- Light carbonation and body, slick and smooth, not crisp. On the verge of being cloying.
O- I am really impressed with this beer. I have had their IPAs and they are bold, this is like a summer walk in a park. Maybe a bit more crispness with the carbonation would be my nit.

 

Stonecloud Motuek Yaneck ( or is it Ya Neck ? too late already entered one way ) Hazy DIPA, 8.0% ABV, 4.04 overall

Pours a super hazed gold with a finger of tight cream colored head. Above average head retention & nice lacing

S: Some tropical fruits, green melon, pineapple stands out once warm

T: Pineapple, guava, passionfruit, dryness & green melon up front More pineapple, oranges, limes & guava as this beer warms through. Finishes with plenty of pineapple, nectarine & a little Kiwi fruit, plus a little dryness

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation. Carbonation becomes more assertive as this beer warms up. Pretty good balance

Solid, easy drinking hazy DIPA that isn't quite dialed in for me. Would still buy it again, much to like here