New Beer Weekend #151

Thanks, @JackHorzempa for getting us started. Everybody must be sleeping in this morning. Sunny and heading for the 90s, so the pool will be used today.
I am drinking The BockBreaker from Broken Bow Brewery, a bock measuring in at 6.5% ABV
The beer is a dark cherry amber color with a quickly disappearing beige head.
Aroma is malt-forward, with some fruit.
Taste of caramel and toffee, a bit of fruity tang.
Medium-bodied.

 

Westbrook Waves IPA
Westbrook released an 8% "Imperial IPA" last year called Waves On Waves, which I enjoyed. Now we are getting Waves, a 7% IPA dry hopped with Citra, Galaxy, and Simcoe.
I thought this was a fine WCIPA, as good as any of their other IPA's.
4.57/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Like their other IPA's, this is a $16 for 16 oz. four pack from the brewery. More when it makes the arduous journey from Charleston to Columbia.

 

Modern Times Spirit Foul NEIPA, 6.3% ABV. Pours hazy orange with a 4+ finger off-white head that left lots of foamy lacing. Aroma is berry and citrus. Juicy citrus taste, some berry, slight pine, slightly sweet, moderately bitter close. Dry mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.08/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

This might have been better if it hadn't gotten lost in the back of my fridge for eight months.

 

"This is Armageddon!" So begins one of the most important albums in the history of music. Nemesis Divina by Satyricon. 2nd wave black metal from Norway. When I saw this beer in WBAYDN, I had to find it and review it. Warpigs Brewing Nemesis Divina. A dry-hopped porter. I set the tone by listening to the album, while wearing the shirt. The color is pitch black, with a thick light brown foamy top, which leaves nice lacing behind. The smell is coffee, brown bread, chocolate, and cream, with a light nuttiness. The taste is dark roast coffee. Almost exclusively. Which I enjoy. Light chocolate, cream, and nutty flavors make an appearance on the back end, and there is slightly bitter finish. The mouthfeel is light, smooth, and full, with medium carbonation. Overall, this beer tastes like a nice chilled roasted coffee. It is not a beer I would drink frequently, but it is a nice option to have to change things up, every so often. "Open the gate to immortality. I stand proud awaiting the glory of a new morning. Darkness."

 

Thanks @JackHorzempa for opening the Taps
My new beer is….
IPA by columbus brewing company




4.29/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Brewers notes: True to form and always consistent, IPA sets the standard for the India Pale Ale category with an impeccable blend of hops from the Pacific Northwest. IPA pours with a lofty white head and light copper hue with aromas of freshly-peeled orange, grapefruit and soft tropical notes.

Can received in bif17 from @ovaltine , thanks !!!

Poured into a pretentious beer glass , clear golden liquid, craggy two finger white foam cap, good retention, good lacings

Aroma is piney , citrus orange. Mrs windrrllama claims to smell onions . I have never found that in a beer and applaud her recognition of that scentv

Taste is pine, citrus orange

Smooth not bitter, clean , crisp , hop kiss on the finish



Good beer

 

Verboten Brewing & Barrel Project Angry Banjo. A Kentucky common ale. Courtesy of @beergoot. The color is copper, with a bright white foam ring on top. The smell is fresh brown toast, with chocolate and caramel. There is a slight coffee scent. The taste is creamy. Roasted coffee, brown bread, chocolate, and caramel. The mouthfeel is smooth, creamy, and thick, with low-medium carbonation. Overall, this is a refreshing, roasty, creamy, and smooth beer. It is nice to drink on a warm day like today. Thank you, @beergoot!

 

Whatever Happened to the Brooklyn Dodgers? A 7.2 ABV West Coast IPA brewed at Twin Elephant Brewing in Chatham NJ in collaboration with. Around the Horn Brewing in Groveland CA. Don’t know how 2 breweries 3,000 miles apart got together but am glad they did. This beer is brewed with Pilsner malt and white wheat. The hops used are Strata, CGX, Simcoe, and Citra. Fermentation is done with American Ale yeast. Served on tap at Twin Elephant it’s a cloudy gold with a lasting white head. Nice aroma of citrus and other fruit. The taste is the same except the malt and wheat work well together to balance the brew with a grain presence. The mouthfeel is medium/full. The finish is off dry. Overall an excellent WCIPA a very enjoyable brew.

 

Thanks for kicking things off this weekend @JackHorzempa !

Reviewed my beer list again to attempt at max freshness for IPAs so going with two from The Alchemist generously sent by @Ocalafox . I actually had 8 month old cellar versions of each a few weeks ago, so not totally new to me, but this is my first attempt at fresh cans, and I'm so excited to see if there are any significant changes. First up, their Single IPA.

The Alchemist - Focal Banger



Can Notes: Obtained via trade from @Ocalafox . 16 oz canned 4/25/23, refrigerated upon receipt on May 31st. 7% ABV

Focal Banger is an American India Pale Ale. We have a real love for IPAs here at The Alchemist and we strive to offer you the best hop experience that we possibly can. The beer is brewed using Citra and Mosaic hops and our favorite British malts. Truly an abundance of malty goodness.

Appearance: Poured the first half of the can into a shaker pint glass. Golden straw orange murky blend, bright white creamy head lasts or minutes, leaves clumpy lacing. Light carbonation. Second half of pour, full including sediment yields significant sediment floaters, though this does not interfere with the flavor or mouthfeel. 4.25

Aroma: Strong citrus lemon and grapefruit aroma, dankness backs after my first few attempts. Enticing and steady. 4.25

Taste: Same wonderful flavor as the aroma, though perfectly balanced by a nice pine dankness. Really hits my sweet spot in terms of full flavor and balance, the pine and bitter end wins out which is my preference for this style. 4.75

Mouthfeel: Really hits my sweet spot in terms of pine and bitterness ruling over the sweet fruit flavors, but still allowing them to shine. Gentle faint pillowy carbonation. Drinks light and easy, hard to type these notes and not gulp it down. Some may find this too bitter, but it works for me through a wonderful bitter piney finish. 4.5

Overall: Was hard typing this review without gulping this all down. Just a wonderful beer, hype and praise throughout the beer universe well deserved. Smells and tastes great, pine dank bitter, checks all the boxes. Well done Alchemist. 4.5

Comparing this version (6-7 weeks old) vs. the 8 month old version (link here), there was little to no noticeable drop off, despite the significant difference in time. Reviewing the cellar notes, I got more grapefruit out of the older version, flavor and drinking strength felt a bit more elevated, but other than that, I would drink both versions with confidence.

Cheers!

 

Happy Saturday all. I’ve got another one that is new only to me—a vintage 2013 bottle of SN Barrel-aged Narwhal. Supposedly best by April 2014 but it tastes fine to me. Will look for this again if they are still making it. Preliminary review below.
__________
4.18/5 rDev -3.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

750mL (vintage 2013) into a tulip. Pours a deep dark brownish black, not the most opaque imperial stout I’ve ever seen, but very clean-looking if that makes sense, with a thin khaki head and moderate carbonation

Aroma is roasty and chocolatey with strong notes of bourbon and vanilla. A nice nutty quality on the swirl.

Taste is likewise dominated by dark roasted malt, chocolate, and espresso balanced by bourbon, vanilla, and caramel. Really nicely integrated flavors.

Mouthfeel is slick, creamy, medium-heavy body. Highly drinkable.

Overall a very nicely balanced BA imperial stout, wish I had gotten to it sooner but it has held up quite well.

 

Good afternoon NBW
I waxed an entire F-150 this morning solo, so I have no ambition this afternoon past grilling and drinking beer. This is a good one I picked up in Cincinnati a few weeks ago.

Wooden Cask Corruption
A self proclaimed barrel aged Scottish stout
12oz can PKGD ON 01/27/23 (4 months ago) poured into a perfect pint glass at fridge temp with no ABV indicated on the label. The beer pours opaque dark brown with minimal light brown head. The head recedes to a thin ring and island leaving no lacing. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring sweet bourbon, dark chocolate, caramel, vanilla and oak. Very nice. The taste is semisweet, bourbon forward, lightly roasted malt. Light char, dark chocolate and oak can be found deeper in the sip. Moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with just less that average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. If the ABV is the 11.7% listed in the BA database, it drinks a little lighter. The bourbon is real up front throughout and these might be great after a year in the fridge. Overall, very good.

Cheers all!

 

Dire wolf mexicanus.
Motor oil black appearance
...light carbonation with a smooth body but has a bit of thickness to it.
...aroma is coffee,malt,roasted coffee beans, with some spice.
...taste is bakers dark chocolate, malt,roasted malt, dark roasted coffee beans. The spice is subtle but then suddenly after a few sips it builds and leaves heat that lingers.
...overall it seemed like it wasn't too complex but after warming it hits all the right notes. Spice is done in an excellent manner that can almost be ignored until it sneaks up on you.
Many thanks to @Blogjackets

 

I’m plowing through the massive hits (yes, plural) that @Roguer blessed me with in NBS BIF #17. I have a triumvirate of beers today, a combination of styles I doubt you’ll see anywhere else in our beer nerd corner of the interwebz.

Let’s GOOOOOOOO!!!!!



4.21/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a tea brown color that is nearly clear with a soapy light tan head. The nose features a hefty amount of English toffee and earthy hops, with a bit of tea as well. Lovely nose on this one.

The taste is led by the toffee notes, with the tea following, but it’s the slightly bitter, earthy hop flavors that carry a bit of spice along for the ride as well. The drinkability of this ESB is off the charts.

The mouthfeel is medium and drying, adding to the drinkability. This is very well executed and a beer that I’d sit in a pub and drink all night.

 

For my stouturday I had a couple good barrel aged Bruery Black Tuesday variants:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/616870/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/331672/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



Cheers and happy NBW everyone! Should have at least one new beer for tomorrow too.

 

#2, also from @Roguer, I really enjoy chile beers that pack some heat. Let’s see where this one lands.



3.85/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Pours a fairly hazy golden straw color with a creamy white head. The nose has a bit of malt and a substantial vegetal aroma from the jalapeño.

The jalapeño flavor is forward, with minimal heat, and is accompanied by a vanilla malt flavor that provides a nice balance to provide a very nice drinking experience.

The mouthfeel is medium and a bit softer than I thought it would be. This is a very drinkable chile beer, a little more heat from the jalapeños would elevate this, IMHO.

 

Heirloom Rustic Ales Miles From Nowhere IPA, 6.7% ABV; 4.29 overall

Unfiltered, unfined & unpasteurized beer

Pours a somewhat hazed gold with one finger+ of cream colored head. Never drops bright, nice head retention & lacing

S: Bready, grassy & peppery hops

T: Follows the nose, some grapefruit hops as well, plus dryness up front. A little bit of sweet cakeyness & green melon comes through as this beer warms up, plus some mango & lemon, plus some dryness & a little pine. Finishes with green melon, tangerine, a kiss of pineapple & a touch of dryness

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation; great balance

A real well done old school/new school IPA, superb drinkability. Really need to visit their brewery soon

 

Last one this evening from @Roguer, I’m a big fan of milk stouts, so this is right up my beer nerd alley.



3.92/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Pours a dark cola brown color and settles in the glass as almost black with a luxurious tan head. Beautiful beer. The nose is full of milk chocolate, vanilla, and sweet pastry aromas. Very nice.

The taste features the aforementioned aromas, and is very tasty, with the cocoa nibs and cannoli flavors working very well, but the mouthfeel is surprisingly (dare I say shockingly?) thin for a milk stout.

This is a very tasty beer, but could’ve been so much more with a mouthfeel more commensurate with the style, IMHO.

 

Art History Brewing Varitace. A Czech-style dark lager. Courtesy of @GrumpyGas. The color is deep, dark brown, with crimson highlights. There is a slight light brown foamy cap. The smell is malty and nutty, with brown bread, brown sugar, and maple syrup aromas. The taste is brown bread, salted pretzel, nuts, spices, and caramel. The mouthfeel is soft, smooth, and light, with medium carbonation. Overall, this is an excellent beer. Very unique. It is a pleasure to drink. Thank you, @GrumpyGas!

 

Hey there NBW, another Texas beer I got in a trade that I've seen lots of people post about, but never gotten to try: Live Oak's Hefeweizen

12oz can dated 02.14.23.

Pours moderately hazy, with a fairly small, foamy, short-lived head, which settles to nothing at all. There's a little bit of active carbonation that I can see. Smell is spot-on, yeasty banana notes, a little spiciness that makes me think of cloves.

Taste is also spot-on, reinforcing what I got from the nose. There's also a nice grainy characteristic.

Mouthfeel is leaning toward thin, feels pretty still. Overall...tastes good, smells good, needs some head retention -- it looks indecently naked!