New Beer Weekend #155

I’m very curious as to what this beer is now too.

 

You and me both, Jon. I have no idea. None.

That doesn’t happen very often.

 

Happy Sunday, New Beer people. I combined errands with a bike ride this afternoon, and wound up with another New Beer.

(No photo, unfortunately. The beer was crisp and quenching, and I sank it before I could think to get a pic.)

Zoiglhaus Kefir Lime Kölsch
On draft at John's Marketplace in Beaverton, OR. Enjoyed in a John's-branded pint glass.

Look:
Pale yellow-gold with a slight haze, capped with clean white foam that leaves thready lacing.

Smell:
Semi-sweet malt with a drop of honey and a light fruity character that sketches out a fuzzy Venn diagram of pears, apple skin, and a bag of dried mixed fruit. There's also a delicate floral/spicy hop aroma floating on top. I don't get much in the way of lime, per se, but a tangy citrus note shows up as the beer warms.

Taste:
Leads with the lightly-honeyed malt promised by the nose. It's semi-sweet, a little toasty, and satisfying. The middle is dry and crisp, and a little grassy and spicy. Mild pear and red apple notes linger underneath and lead to a hit of lime zest as sharp as the "PING" that introduces Pink Floyd's "Echoes." The finish is dryly malty with hints of spicy hops and an echo of tangy lime.

Feel:
Light-bodied with a subtle chewy texture. Moderate carbonation combines with the lime notes and spicy hops to leave a tingle across the palette.

Overall:
A well-made kölsch enhanced with mild lime character that plays well with the fruity elements from the yeast. Clean and light, but still satisfying. Delightful on a warm afternoon at the end of a bike ride.

 

The reveal …..







Plum Honey Pot, a wheatwine with plum from Barreled Souls Brewing Company in Saco ME. I never, EVER would have guessed this, but I really enjoyed the journey through this beer. Thanks Andrew!

 

Good evening NBW
I'm not normally a huge fan of the American style barley wines these days, but I trust Jackie O's to deliver, so I picked this one up while in Ohio.

Bonneville

12.7oz bottle dated 2023 poured into an oversized snifter at just above fridge temp 12.7% ABV per label. Label also states this is an American barley wine aged 19 months in bourbon barrels. The beer pours opaque medium brown with light brown colored head. The head recedes to a pencil thin ring and nothing else. No lacing. The aroma is mild with predominant caramel and lesser notes of bourbon and oak. The taste is semisweet caramel and vanilla up front before the bourbon and barrel roll in to dry things up. Mild bitterness. The mouthfeel is creamy & full bodied with less than medium carbonation and a semi dry finish. No harsh ethanol, but a gradual warming of the mouth and belly tip the hand on the ABV a bit. Overall, excellent. Decidedly less bitter and lacking the hop presence of most American style barley wines, but I'm good with it. Delicious sipper.

That will be it for me this weekend. Cheers all!

 

Tonight's volunteer:



Zero Gravity Jaws, a Czech pilsner. Let's see what gives. Are we gonna need a bigger boat?

Huge whipped cream head, I suspect helped along by the glass. Crystal clear, deep gold in color. The head falls to a persistent quarter inch. Foam clings like mad to the glass.

Smell is sweet, bready malt up front. The hops are herbal and floral and it strikes me as green. There is a little hint of resin. There's a toasty or maybe toffee-like note suggesting maybe some specialty grains were used.

The taste opens with mildly toasted bready malt. Slightly sweet. Pilsner malt. Then a surge of floral/grassy/herbal hops washes through along with a little offsetting bitterness l. I get a little hint of oily resin. The bitter reasserts itself at the end. In the aromatics, there's a mildly pepper spice that builds a bit.

Medium body, a little creaminess from the inescapable foam. Medium carbonation.

Overall, very nice beer here. Clean and simple flavors. It's not quite as crisp as it could be, to nitpick. Right in the 3.8 - 4.0 region.

 

Round Tower Ale by Craftroots Brewing of Milford, Massachusetts. An Altbier, Prost.
Sorry about the crappy picture.



3.77/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

A 12-oz pour at the brewery. An off white head above a reddish copper body, new penny copper in sunlight. Average retention with streaks of lace.

Toasted bread and biscuit greets the nose with a blend of floral and herbal hops. A hint of stone fruits and Graham crackers in the rear.

Neutral taste, almost semi-sweet at first with mild bitterness. Toasted bready malt with touch of roasted grain, hop flavor is a bit above average with slowly rising bitterness. The finish is sort of quick and semi-dry, doughy bread and peppery bitterness lingers briefly.

Medium light bodied with average carbonation, well balanced and easy going down. Alcohol is well hidden.

 

Cruise Control by Craftroots Brewing of scenic Milford, Massachusetts. A Kölsch for a hot summer day, this is the 2nd review for this newbie. Prost.



4.01/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

A 12-oz pour at the brewery. A bone white head on top of a dark straw body, golden in sunlight. Decent retention with drooping arches of lacing.

Bready and crackery malt greats the nose with assertive floral hops.

Neutral taste with above average hop flavor yet mildly bitter. Cracker and warm biscuit leads the taste with dough and additional herbal/earthy hops. The finish is quick and drying, bitterness reaches above average. Hops and bitterness lingers briefly.

Light bodied with appropriate carbonation, soft and smooth. Alcohol is barely noticeable. Missing is a grape/wine taste, still on spot to style guidelines.

 

Another new one. This is a fine example of a Kölsch named Kölsch by Bravo Brewing of scenic Pascoag, Rhode Island. Prost!



4.29/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

A 16-oz pour at the brewery. A soft and creamy white head on top of a clear golden straw body. Small rising effervescent bubbles support a cap throughout. Irregular blotches of lacing remain.

Biscuit and bread dough greet the nose with mild herbal hops.

Semi-dry with lowish bitterness, plenty of hop flavor though. Bready malt leads the taste with a hint of white wine and green grapes. The finish is Lager-like quick, almost crisp, the aftertaste lingers a while, hoppy with some grape and a bitter end.

Light bodied with bountiful carbonation, soft and smooth easy drinker. True to style in every way.

 

Good evening NBS!
Pulled another of the heavy hit from @Roguer for my dinner beer:

Poured a rustic orange color with a very short, near white head that managed to leave rings of lacing.
The flavor was astoundingly difficult to describe as nothing stands out! It has some tropical essence and some almost honey tasting malts; and they work quite well together but curiously challenging to define.
The feel was a touch more viscous than expected, but that didn't slow me down in the least as I was taking bigger and bigger gulps trying to figure it out.
Tasty and interesting beer; thanks Andrew!

 

Paulaner Hefeweizen
5.5%



Poured from a 12 ounce bottle, the body is a slightly hazy orange yellow. There is an initial fluffy head which quickly retreats to the glass edge. Modest lacing.

Nose features clove, banana, and honey. Delightful.

Taste follows nose but is toned down. Less honey (malt) in the taste. The clove and bubblegum flavors are light, not overdone. A wheat presence balances the flavors. Finish has a trace of bitterness or spice.

Good carbonation and mouthfeel. Soft and easy drinking.

Not just an awesome Hefeweizen, but a great beer.

 

Have a good Sunday. Slept in till 5 PM and we have been chilling well on my birthday. I ended up passing out when Julia was making the AMAZING pizza casserole at 8PM last night. I had it when I woke up right into the microwave like a casserole cube. Soo good. I love pizza things. Will be going to the Dr this week to get my HBP meds back on track. Went to the weed store and got some edibles for a while. Got a birthday discount and all that as well. I go there at least once a month to the Hemp XR .

I was supposed to go get cake mix for a swedish strawberry cake that Julia will be making, last night. Going to be similar to the cassata cakes of the past 2 birthdays together.

I got a tiny carvel ice cream cake and we split it since we didn't get the cake mix til tonight. We are watching South Park again. I downloaded The Prestige, so we probably will watch it soon. Want to see more Christopher Nolan Movies.



From a NBS BIF from @Ozzylizard . Trails to Ales Bossa Nova Imperial Coffee Stout. This was awesome. Great head retention and spotty soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big dark roasted coffee, dark chocolate, cocoa, dark bread/crust, smoke, charcoal; light molasses, raisin, tart fruit, wood, peppercorn, pine, herbal, grass, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate pine/woody bitterness on the finish; with a light yeast tang/tartness. Full bodied creamy/silky malts; with lingering chalky roast and resinous hop drying after the finish. Very mildly acrid and astringent on the finish. A very rich experience that reminds me of some Russian Imperial Stout or English yeasty style characters. Plenty of dark roasted coffee presence and hop balance. 4.25


Cheers

 

That pizza casserole looks amazing.
Happy birthday!

 

Tweak. My nightcap.
I look longingly at these at my local bottle shops but hesitate when they are priced at over 13 bucks a bottle. Then I see them when I visit my mom in Colorado for around 6 bucks. So I shipped some home to myself.
Poured stout black and had a nice light brown head that not only took its time dissipating but left a solid sheet of lacing on the glass.
The taste was bourbon forward, which surprised me a bit. The coffee showed up very quickly and playing second fiddle were the dark fruits and cacao flavors. For all the hype around this one (maybe mostly in my head) it was not as balanced as I expected. It was very good, no doubt, just not as balanced as I expected.
This one had 13.1% ABV, but no bottling date.
This one will do it for me this weekend, I hope you all have a great evening and that your Monday morning doesn’t suck.

 

Capping a Birthday with a beer from my good brother @GreenBayBA at metalfest. New Glarus 30th anniversary quadruple. Amazing lacing and head retention. What a world class beer. Aromas and flavors of big raisin, prune, fig, date, caramel, toffee, brown bread/crust, wood, pepper, herbal, grass; light pine, molasses, char, and yeast earthiness. Light pine/woody bitterness and yeast spicy/tang on the finish. Medium-full body; very creamy/slick malts; with sticky/light resinous hops dryness, a touch of chalky roast? No cloying/astringent lingering flavors. Yeast character is wonderfully complex and the malt backbone of 10.5% is rich, but not overbearing. mildly warming and smooth sipper. 4.4



I got 2nd place with me and my 7 YO nephew duos on Fortnite. It was the old mexican standoff in a tiny ass storm circle.


Cheers

 

That was a fun Mystery Beer!

 

L- very dark with a thin rapidly dissipating head. 4.25

S- sweet candied fruit 4.50

Taste - fruity esters that finishes dry 4.25

Feel- slight tingle on the tongue and finishes clean 4.25

Over all - very enjoyable scotch ale. One of the best I've had and certainly the best non BA one. 4.25

 

Happy Birthday!
Cheers to many more