New Beer Weekend #153

I am probably wrong, but I don’t recall seeing a stout offered by you in this recurring thread, Jack. Your review made me want to try that beer. Very well done.

 

Good start. Sighting the Gray Man is a warning of a bad storm or Hurricane according to local lore

 

Good day BAs and Good Morning Jack! Thanks for getting us started! Nothing so exciting going on for me today - just trying to stay dry. Have to chop up the watermelon rinds for the baby groundhogs and visit my garden and verbally encourage the plants if it stops raining or at least tapers off. Enjoy the game (or at least the beer)!

Today's New Breakfast Beer:



A delicious entry from @2beerdogs in NBW BIF 17!

Arcane Rituals (2022) from Bottle Logic. 16.9 fl oz bottle from @2beerdogs in NBW BIF #17. Reviewed 24/06/23 (Review 3128). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Label stamped “RELEASE 2022” and “BATCH *003*”. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 59.1 degrees F (Label suggests 58F) in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 62.0 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Amber Brown (SRM 19), faint haze.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, light penetrates at the edges only – ruby at the bottom and gold at the top.
Head: Average (Maximum 2.1 cm, aggressive center pour), buff, high density, quickly diminishing to a 0.5 mm broken ring of bubbles and a small island.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4.5 – Caramel and toffee. No yeast, no hops. No ethanol (12% ABV according to the label).
Flavor – 4.75 – Begins sweet and caramel-ly with some brown sugar. Perhaps a little dark fruit. No yeast, no hops. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No ethanol flavor but mild gastric warming. The barrels are individually indistinct but blend well together to form a supporting stage.
Palate – 4.5 – Full; tending to syrupy; soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.5 Still another excellent bottle from Bottle Logic! I LOVE barleywines in general and this one in particular – so smooth you absolutely do not notice the ethanol!
Rating 4.59, rDev +1.8%

Thanks again Derek - another delicious brew!

 

Another beer I brought back from Texas, Saint Arnold Summer Pils:

Appearance: Clear gold, some particles? Big head.

Smell: Lemony, grassy.

Taste: Moderate sweetness, honeyed bread. Light to medium mouthfeel, finishes with the honeyed bread, which lingers.

Overall: Another 6 pack from Texas, I knew going in that this is actually a helles and not a pils. I'm pleasantly surprised anyway, I really like the honeyed bread aspect of this beer, quite tasty and refreshing.

Looking forward to meeting some fellow BA's in Annandale, MN this afternoon!

 

4.89/5 rDev +4.7%

look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

2022 vintage:

Poured from a 16.9 ounce bottle into a snifter.

Look- Black, medium brown frothy head, plentiful visible particulate at margins, average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Coffee, cacao, bourbon, oak, cherry, high strength of scent.

Taste- Bourbon, coffee, cacao, oak, high strength of flavor.

Feel- Between medium and full bodied, moderately mouth coating, average carbonation, highly mouth warming, high bitterness, smooth.

Overall- Black with plentiful visible particulate at the margins. Strong bouquet of coffee, cacao and bourbon. Vibrant flavors of bourbon, coffee, cacao and oak. Body was between medium and full with high mouth warming properties. Dynamic flavors and bouquet made for a fantastic drinking experience!

 

Today’s new to me lunch beer as I continue to pack the RV for my return to Florida - “Varitace”, a Czech-style dark lager by Art History Brewing, Geneva, IL:




Poured at 56°. Creamy khaki head; excellent cap retention; heavy ring; some soapy lace on agitation; black body with ruby see-through clarity. Baked brown bread/malt nose. Dark chocolate malt and brown bread; no bitterness. Light body, moderate minus carbonation. Easy drinking; I would gladly drink again.

4.5| 4.0 | 4.25 | 4.0 | 4.0
Score: 4.18 rDev -2.1%

I believe this beer is from an IP trade with @GrumpyGas last month in Sheboygan. Thanks Kevin for the beer and latest BA tic!

 

Prairie Artisan ‘Stuf’t’ Imperial Stout with vanilla, cacao nibs and Oreo cookies.,.

12 ounce bottle poured robustly into an MIA Beer Co. snifter at about 60°. Hard dump yielded a dancing fizz that calmed down to just an oily rim on darkness.
Gah dam this smells like a boozy Carvel ice cream cake. Love it.
Taste is as described: Imperial Stout, bourbon barrel, vanilla, cacao nibs, Oreo Double Stuft fkn cookies. Lil bit of ‘natural flavor’. Rich creamy dreamy goo. Lip smackin’ resin on the mustache. A fine alcohol rip tricks the senses to Oreos dipt in a milk free booze Bomb. (See what I did there?) Warmed a bit and I get graham crackers, kinda s’mores, which is cool.,.
Feel is greezy thick and decadent. Enough fizz to wake up the tongue.
Overall, a playful and effective not-overly-sweet treat that actually works when not thought of as ‘beer’.
But it is.
Excellent sippy one hitter.,.

 

Hey NBW Fam, I'm letting you all down this weekend; last weekend I only added one and I won't have time to participate proper this weekend. Off to visit our friends in Vermont for a week, today will be full of last minute packing and prepping before leaving around 4 AM or so tomorrow. Doubtful I will be grabbing any new beers between the driving and unpacking upon arrival tomorrow afternoon.

I'll catch up when I can and hopefully I'll be back next Saturday or Sunday, though those are both travel days as well so we shall see.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, fill those cups with something new and enjoy

Cheers everyone!

 

Had lunch this afternoon at one of my favorite spots in Houston. Hughies, a great Vietnamese beer bar.

Surprised they had this one, and even more surprised I haven't reviewed it yet. I'm pretty sure I have had this in the past at some point, but can't really recall at the moment. Definitely have not reviewed it till now, so here I go.

Tucher Dunkel Hefe Weizen, 5.2% ABV.



Pours a dark amber brown. A dense tan head forms with good retention and lace left left behind.
A simple, but enjoyable aroma. Banana esters, light spicy clove, and baked brown bread.
Taste wise, like the nose, the banana esters and light spice are up front. It becomes like chocolate covered bananas after a while. Baked brown bread mingles in there as well. Love the balance, its pretty classic for the style.
A medium body with moderate carbonation. Just enough crisp bite, but becomes ultra smooth as this breaths. I can come back to this with ease.

I always love a good Dunkelweizen but they are hard to come by anymore. Glad I came across this. Well done, and spot on for the style as far as I'm concerned.

Overall score is 4.15, an easy A- for me.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/129/370/?ba=champ103#lists

For lunch...grilled shrimp Vermicelli. Real Ale Swifty in the glass, an underrated Pale Ale that I always enjoy when I see it.

 

Another from the BA West Coast IPA box-

4.23/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 16oz can stamped “5/10/23 LOVE YOUR LIFE” to a tulip glass at fridge temp.
This beer has a clear gold body and puffy white head that fades in a few minutes but remnants provide reasonable lacing.
The aroma is hoppy but with a berry smell sneaking through.
Taste is similar- plenty of resin-hop goodness with a background of strawberry/raspberry or similar. Despite the berry illusion the finish is very dry.
The mouthfeel is medium with some hop oiliness.
This beer is pretty good.

 

A lager focused brewery opened up a while back just around the corner from where my mother lives (3 minute walk). They have limited bottle shop hours, at times that I’m never around, so I haven’t been able to grab anything until today. I’ve been looking forward to trying their beer for a good while now so am quite excited to crack into these.

Here is what they had:



I bought one of each for science. I decided to start with the lightest one, the Table Helles Schankbier. (3.4% ABV).



(My daughter insisted on ‘stage lighting.’ )

Pours a bright yellow gold with a full pillowy head that dissipates slowly to leave a thin film on the surface and light lacing as the beer is enjoyed. Nice appearance.

Soda cracker, herbal and grassy notes on the nose with just the faintest hint of lemon alongside.

The taste follows closely. Biscuit, grass, light herb and flowers notes. Very flavourful for the ABV. Light bitterness. I’m drinking this quickly and wish I had purchased four pack or more. (Canned two days ago).

The body is not nearly as light as expected. Surprisingly full with a crisp finish. Really enjoyable. Crushable, as they say.

This is an excellent light beer. I’m so glad to have finally grabbed some True History and will be trying a couple others as the weekend progresses. If they are all this good, I have a new brewery to add to my list of favourite Toronto breweries.

Recommended!

Cheers!

 

Props to your daughter for breaking the beer picture mold around here.

 

Here is a collaboration between Abomination and Tox Brewing, Toxic Earth. It's a 9.3% double IPA with coconut and Matcha (a green tea).
I bought this beer by accident about 4 weeks ago. I went to grab a different Abomination 4-pack, was distracted on my reach into the cooler and checked out at the cash register with this. I've been avoiding it for weeks. Buckle up.

3.15/5 rDev -8.4%
look: 1.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3
Poured from a 16oz can stamped “04/03/23” to a Nonic at fridge temp.
Green, green, green. Did I say Green? Green and opaque with lots of floaties and zero head. (The wife asked if those floaties were yeast or coconut). Honestly, I can't tell.
The aroma is very herbal, grass, coconut, and machete debris from the jungle (what?).
Taste is surprisingly okay. Coconut and tea (as advertised) but it's quite pleasant. The coconut has a processed taste, almost like in a Mounds Bar, but not quite that sweet.
The mouthfeel is fairly thick. There is carbonation, but I think it could use more.
This beer is quite a trip. If you don’t like coconut it's not for you. If you have nightmares about Soylent Green it's definitely not for you.
Interesting, but I drain poured half (somewhat due to the ABV because I have more beers to go).

 

Nice to be able to drop in, fellow beer nerds. First NBS post in ~3 months. Life has been crazy busy the last few months. This is my first weekend home in 2 months and after a very busy morning / early afternoon I'm happy to be able to sit back and enjoy a beer or two.

My first new beer for the weekend is Coquito from Cap May Brewing Co. My brother-in-law gave me this after deciding he hated it. Not a ringing endorsement, but who am I to say no to free, new to me beer?

3.18/5 rDev -11.4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
Appearance is reasonably pleasant, but largely forgettable. Bright gold with a moderate amount of head. Decent clarity.

Aroma is an interesting mix. Cinnamon leads the way, with vanilla and lactose singing backup. Not getting any of the coconut notes that perhaps will show up on the tongue. Overall, it smells oddly similar to some key lime pie beers I've had.

Taste also leads with cinnamon, and as often find, it's a little too much for my liking. I think I'm just overly cinnamon sensitive, as I like just a hint of it, but I don't like it to take the lead. That said, there's an interesting melange of notes underneath. The lactose and vanilla are both there, and another flavor that I don't place as coconut necessarily, but is "coconut inspired". Nice warming from the higher (9.3%) ABV and rum barrels. Creamy mouthfeel.

Overall, I didn't love this, but it's an interesting beer. The can says it's inspired by a traditional Puerto Rican Christmas drink, and that totally makes sense. Not sure I'd seek it out again specifically, but I love trying different beers and am glad I got a chance to enjoy this.

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@Coronaeus tell your daughter she has a better eye for photography than the vast majority of us!

@woodchipper you may have been generous at 1.5 on appearance. That is one ugly-ass beer!

 

Good afternoon BA
@DoctorZombies was gracious enough to send a couple beers from West Virginia this week, which brings me to 50 total states of at least one beer reviewed.

Mountain State Brewing Company Miner's Daughter

12oz can with no dating or ABV printed on it poured into a mug at fridge temp. The beer pours opaque dark brown with khaki colored head and root beer highlights. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. Minimal lacing. The aroma is mild with roasted malt, cocoa and a touch of sweetness. The taste is bittersweet roasted malt with hints of coffee and earthy medium bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, good oatmeal stout.

Cheers all and thank you Dave for the beers and karma boost.

 

Sipping some SN Summerfest

 

Wasn't sure how a 9 month old fresh-hop ale would hold up, but this was superlative. deGarde remains one of my favorite U.S. producers of these wild/farmhouse styles:

4.57/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Bottled September, 2022 - enjoyed on June 24th, 2023. Poured from a capped-and-corked 750mL bottle into my Drie de Fonteinen tumbler.

Clear jonquil body with a fat active papaya whip fist. Vague lacing; average retention.

Arresting aromatics suggest myriad stone fruit and wildflowers. A secondary layer of mild complex barnyard funk and Brett. kissed pepper is in there as well as a mineral-laden white grape note. Low herbaceous hop notes with a hint of summer/tropical/citrus fruit as well.

Peach, honeydew, and orange blossoms immediately give way to feed-store and horse-blanket notes. Mild tartness and bitterness in equal measure. Light characterful malt base - long, subtle, medium-dry finish with white-wine notes punctuated by hops and apricot/melon/etc. Very good.

Medium-bodied, somewhat low carbonation, yet crisp and zesty.

Somewhere between a Wild Ale and a Saison, this is so fruity/floral that it almost seems like it was aged on fruit. Wonderfully balanced, aromatic, and flavorful.

 

Threes - Volition

No reckless or willful volition necessary in purchasing this, it was on sale. Many of my
NBW beers are sale beers I realize. Suppose it allows me to gamble though not really necessary when it’s a lager from threes I would argue.



Dark. Some light bleed. Effervescent with tan head.
Nose is roast malt, brown sugar, earthy coffee grounds (from a local roaster haha)

Taste is clean and easy. There’s a little bit of koztrister here as too there is CDL. Sweetness initially bleeding into malt, dry earthy hops and a sharp but even finish. Very easy drinking albeit robust. It plays a smidge sticky at instances. Dry at others. Not challenging at all but I’d put that don’t to the herbal and measured finish.

Like watching a favorite movie again, you’ve experienced it all before but you can’t help loving it all the same.


4.3/5 rDev +9.1%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5