New Beer Weekend #155

Wow Bob, super-specific color match! I wonder if the beer lost something in transit because I was getting a significant coconut flavor out of my tasting.

 

Greetings denizens of NBS!
Today I start light, a tropical lager-

fitting after mowing the lawn.
Poured very pale gold and the white head was short and short lived.
The taste is definitely fruity, not sure if it’s from the hops or additions, but tropical fruit is definitely in there.
The feel is just a little bit more viscous than expected, rather marzen like. Interesting.
Sent to me by a friend I met on Imgur.
Cheers all! Hopefully back soon.

 

Leinenkugel Juicy Peach
4.4% Berliner Weiss


I drank from the twelve ounce bottle. The bottle was brown with a nice painting of kayakers on a lake

Nose was a light peach.

Taste follows nose though the peach flavor is lighter than the nose. A malt flavor pairs nicely with the peach. No hop bitterness and despite the peach notes this is not an especially sweet beer. A notion of sour at the end.

Carbonation is good and mouthfeel light.

Easy drinking and refreshing on a summer day.

 

Greetings. My week at the lake has come to an end, and now it's back to reality. I have a ton, ton, ton of work to catch up on, so what have I been doing today now that I'm back home? Everything but work. It reminds me of being in college when the only time I'd clean my room was when I had a test the next day that I should have been studying for instead.

Anyway, today's beers is Party Jam Apricot, a kettle sour wild ale with apricot from Hermit Thrush.

3.69/5 rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
Canned February 8, 2021. Beer is the color of apple juice, with fizzy white head that lasted about a minute before fully disappearing. Nose has held up surprisingly well given the age. Very fruity, with apricot clearly noticeable and a tiny bit of mustiness lurking beneath. Not the most complex, but it smells very nice.

Taste is similar to the nose, with the apricots leading the way. Unlike many kettle sours I've tried, this one is well balanced. The taste is natural, with just enough acidity to make things interesting, but without being over the top. Beer is a little under carbonated, but it doesn't take away from the fact that this is well done and very easy going down.

Well done by Hermit Thrush.

 

Finally. Tapping into America and the NBW thread. A dense wknd in my camp but dammit, I'm packin' in as much as I can. Gladly enjoying this offering courtesy of @cheeseheadinMinneapolis from Annandale hook up. Just love it! Beautiful malt profile. Cheers!
Modicum Apis Honey Ale 6.8% ABV
4.23/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Crowler with nucleated pint glass.
L: Pours honey gold with a thin creamy pock-marked head that has excellent retention in a nucleated glass, good fine carbo, good lacing with sheeting and light rhythmic banding.
S: Sweet malts, honey, lightly floral, cereal grains.
T: Sweet malts, lightly bready, honey, bready again, gently bitter with pine resin, lightly fruity in the middle, yeast, cereal grains, suggestions of orange.
F: Lightly brisk med to medium-light bodied with a medium-long moderately drying soft finish.
O: Great tasting, EZ drinking, moderately bready, gently bright with a succulent malt profile that has a honey halo. An excellent summer beer with beautifully balanced sweet/bitter. It is excellent in its style.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. I'm trying another new IPA from our local brewer, Autodidact Beer. I didn't even need to make the 4 minute drive to the brewery. The Morris Plains Farmers Market is held on Saturday mornings across the street from the diner where we have breakfast every week. Autodidact has a booth so I literally had only to cross the street to buy cans of One Way Trip, a New Zealand-style IPA collaboration with Gearblock Brewing (about 30 minutes north, in Bergen County). This one is brewed with Citra Incognito and Phantasm on the hot side and is dry-hopped with Motueka and Riwaka. The cans were released for the 4th of July weekend.

It pours an opaque, slightly dirty tangerine color with two fingers of fluffy, bright white head and lots of thick lacing. The dank nose features lemon, grapefruit, and white wine grape. The taste follows although there is also a strong, crackery malt base. The use of Phantasm and dry-hopping with Motueka and Riwaka produces strong notes of lemon, lime, and white wine grape. But as it warms in the glass there are sweeter hints of peach and melon. The overall flavor is sophisticated and very good. There is soft, clean bitterness throughout. This ale is a bit fuller and creamier than some of Autodidact's other IPAs but it drinks very easily at 6.4% ABV.

For a brewery open less than 4 months this is a very good offering.

4.04/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

I was also going to review a fruited Saison but I'll leave that to a sunny day on the deck.

Cheers, NBW, and have a great week, everyone!

 

Hey what's going on!?

Hope everyone is well, having a good weekend... even though my A/C is dead! makes for fun times!

Always tasty beer around! so let's dive in!



Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass.

Creamed top with a thick head appearance of easy three to four fingers in height. Clump, dumpy stick your finger in it you'll never get it back. Truly thick as a brick with off white color, this is just not budging at all. Base body has a simple pale amber, hints more towards lemon than amber tones, slightly hazed but with some noticeable carbonation. Controlled and not too crazy, which I like, in a great aggressive package.

Soft bodied hop with hints of floral and a nice almost taffy like malt sweetness hanging back as well for the aroma. Doesn't quite pull a punch but does have some distinction to it. Flirts a little bit with pickle like brine flavor on the nose too.

Palate gives distinction, but not too many surprises. Chewy rich body with leafy like hop bitterness, mixing with floral and tropical hinting qualities. Doesn't quite pack a punch but has nice soft perfume and light astringency on a chewy and delicate but full malt backbone. Mid palate giving to leafy herb, slight touching indistinct tropical fruit, and floral chewy hop flavors.

Very interesting beer, but doesn't quite get the wow factor, but delicious in its own right.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4 | BA Generated: 4.04

Cheers!

 

Afternoon NBSers
Another hot and humid day but cloudy so decent.
Picked up some stuff to make Shwarma and stopped at the beer place...
Belleflower folk magic IPA with honey.
Pours a very hazy pale yellow with a large white creamy head with nice staying power and lacing.
Interesting nose with passionfruit, peach, sugary grape, tangerine and grapefruit.
Taste is mild tropicals, lemon, tangerine, lime, melon. Not getting honey.
Soft feel, smooth, sweet to grapefruit bitter, dry on the finish (honey?)
Another tasty beer from these guys.
This reminds me of Kaleidoscope a bit with honey added. I liked that one.
Actually I've enjoyed all their beers so far. Cheers

 

Replying to my own post because I can't stand when people misspell Shawarma.....

 

Grimm 5th Anniversary TIPA
Pours a semi transparent burnished gold with a large white head and lots of sticky lacing.
Overipe mango, bruised peach, pine, floral, toasty.
Full taste of overripe tropicals and stonefruits, Blanc grapes, sweet gum(for some reason I get this from Strata), tangerine, banana? There's alot going on here.
Lightly roasted malts support this banger without providing any unnecessary sweetness. Big fruity mouth, med/hvy body. Well balanced and highly drinkable for barely noticeable 10% - until 20 mins go by.
Lingering fruit in finish. Finishes semi dry with a pleasant mild hop oil.
Good one!
Cheers

 

Happy Sunday beer nerd friends! Today I bring a beer courtesy of my dad's fridge, we’re still here two more nights. I may have had this beer before but honestly I do not remember if I have or not. If I have I have never reviewed it or gave thought until now that is and that is why we love this little corner of the BA universe. Storms are starting to roll in and we are hunkering down for a quiet night.

Modelo Especial (AAL 4.4%)



Pours very light straw color, crystal clear, quick bubbly white head forms and then just as quick as it came it is gone, there is minimal retention; just some white splotches here and there and a translucent ring; eventually these too fade to nothing.

Nose interesting to me, combination of an astringent like sweetness, some mineral or metallic character, stale white bread, touch of hops.

Taste is lightly creamy and sweet, watered down with some slight metallic character on the fnish; there is a noticeable generic hop presence that shows itself more in feel that taste.

Light body, nicely effervescent and actually quite smooth and easy to drink, mild sweetness, low bitterness; dry but as stated above a little lingering sweet remains.

Glad to have sat down and pondered this one on this stormy day in South Jersey.

My dad's fridge is full of insanely old beer so who knows I may be back with some interesting small pour reviews to help him get some fridge space. May not though, it has been a long long week and I may just need to chill tonight but either way I will linger and enjoy all your beer thoughts.

Have a great week everyone!

 

Day 2, everything I offer in the two beers I’m sharing is tied to NBS BIF #17 - both beers are from my friend @Roguer and the glassware I’m using is from my friend @Coronaeus .

And both beers are mystery beers, which I’ll review “live.”





First, you’ll notice the label, which is handmade by Andrew.

How awesome is that - and he’s kind enough to provide the ABV, which I really appreciate. If I’m tackling two 16.9 oz beers, I’d prefer them both not to be ABV howitzers. This one is 5.5% ABV, so let’s dance!

A fairly aggressive pour reveals a dark cola colored beer that settles black in the glass and sports a creamy tan head. Beautiful beer. The nose reveals a nice cocoa note and some roasty coffee.

Me likey.

The taste is led by the rich cocoa flavor, accompanied by a nice roasty flavor that draws a bit of a coffee flavor, and a very nice stone fruit flavor of slightly tart plums, which I did NOT expect, but gladly welcome. After a few drinks, that cocoa flavor proudly sits with the plums at the back of the palate. Delicious stuff.

The mouthfeel is medium and nicely carbed, commensurate for the ABV. I’m guessing this is a coffee porter/stout (leaning to porter given the mouthfeel) with plums or another stone fruit added, and put this firmly in 4.25 range. The reveal after I finish this really nice beer.

 

I had that a couple of weeks ago with some Mexican food for the first time in years, and liked it. Your review is spot on, IMHO, Jon.

 

Welp the wife's cousin's wedding went LATE last night (and there was no beer... Or booze... And they weren't even mormons!)

Finally making good on joining @JackHorzempa here's my Christmas In July ale.

Red Rock - Griswald's Holiday Ale (2022)



500ml bottle purchased 12.22.22 for about $4

No bottling date and cellared since

Poured at fridge temp into a willi glass

Pours a Barleywine deep amber/toffee, I'd say between a 16-20 SRM. Head was surprisingly pillowy and tall sandy color that settled into a 1/4 finger ring. 4

Aroma has mellowed with some age on it, the cinnamon, coriander and cardamom are not as heavy or strong, but are still present and balance better with the orange. I'd still call it festive smelling though. 4

Still a holiday-bomb that is well spiced and warming, but not overwhelming (compared to a relatively fresh bottling) orange has faded perhaps the most, but slight citrus aftertaste complete the spice medley. 4.25

Body is nearly full, more than moderate but not syrupy or a meal in a glass. Carbo is fairly light and slightly prickling. 6 months of age certainly hasn't hurt it. 4.25

Overall I enjoyed this much more with months of age on it as I think it allowed the spices to better mingle and mute which made for a delicious overall ale. 4.25

Making this a new tradition and planning on buying (and sharing) many this December for next July!

 

The reveal …..



Midnight Oil from Beer’d Brewing Company, an oatmeal stout aged in Maker’s Mark bourbon barrels with vanilla and coffee added. I didn’t get any hint of barrel in this, but otherwise there’s no surprises here. Really good beer.

 

Dang. That right there is a MOOD, and it rings true even though college was many, many years ago for me.

My theory is that a huge task is somewhat easier when you have a modicum of control over your environment. Cleaning your desk/room is a useful/valuable step in that direction, and time well spent.

 

I gotta say, beers like this, especially when cold really can hit the spot. I think I would enjoy it more out of the can, much like heady

Next time I have one I will not pour to test out, for science.

 

#2, this is also a mystery beer from @Roguer - a big one at 12.9% ABV.

I am officially terrified.





A slow pour reveals a brown colored liquid that is THICK - like brown tomato juice with a light tan head. I gotta say, this ain’t the prettiest beer I’ve ever seen. Now I am really intrigued.

The nose is straight up licorice, so I’m thinking I’ve stumbled onto a big beer packing anise. That is literally the only aroma I’m getting, outside of something that vaguely resembles applesauce.

So I’m at anise and applesauce. Got it.

The taste has lots of anise - as in pretty much all anise, with what is now definitely applesauce on my palate as the beer warms - but that may very well be my beer nerd brain saying to beer nerd me that there’s got to be something here besides anise.

And yet, I’m digging this. The mouthfeel is complementary of a big beer, very full and almost drying, not that I see how that’s even possible. I’d put this in 4.1 range, but I will admit, I have no idea on the style. None.

The reveal after I finish this magical, mysterious beer that is starting to hammer this old beer nerd.