New Beer Weekend #161

In the Mid-Atlantic we're fortunate to have Kane's barrel-aged stouts, barleywines, and blends.

 

Hadn't hit here yet, but will wait for a single based on what's been posted here

 

Alaskan Brewery Grizz Coffee Brown, 5.5% ABV; 4.01 overall

Okay, how am I the first to rate this???

Pours a dark amber/light hazel with one finger of tan head. Some head retention & lacing

S: Coffee & cream

T: Follows the nose, certainly a sweet cream follow up, plus nuttyness, dryness & woody hops, plus some roasty notes up front. Plenty of roasty coffee, dryness, hazelnut cream & woody hops as this beer warms through. Finishes dry, roasty & plenty of coffee & a little vanilla hazelnut sweetness

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, skews roasty

If you like your beers coffee-forward, this is a good mash-up. Not a quick drinker by any means

 

Greetings all from the great northwest where we are smokey. Wildfire broke our about 40 up the road Friday afternoon. I-90 has been closed since Friday causing detours on rural highways in the area. I think I'm done with summer.

Today we have Tropical Terps from Belching Beaver Brewing.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30923/643794/

I think I am done with this style as well. In fact I'm starting to question whether these are really IPAs or not? This one is an average representation, if hazy IPA is your thing.

Until next time

 

After my rant about the Blueberry KBS I wanted to finish up NBW on a positive note so I popped my last North Carolina IPA on hand, Dress Rehearsal from Funguys Brewing in Raleigh. This one's a little old (I bought it in May) but it's single-hopped with Citra so I figured it would hold up. And it has.

It pours a cloudy, bright yellow-orange color with an enormous, fluffy, milk-white head and lacing. I cannot tell the age but the smell is still vibrant with lemon, grapefruit, melon, pineapple, stone fruit, and floral hops. The taste follows although it's on the dry, tart side. The grapefruit dominates with some balancing notes of ripe melon and stone fruit. It finishes with a welcome dose of bitterness. The mouth feel is pleasant with appropriate carbonation, and the 8% ABV gives it good substance without overpowering. Overall, I'd love to try this fresh on draught but I'm nonetheless enjoying this can.

3.9/5 rDev +6.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Have a great week, everyone!

 

All I know us I need to see the shipyards in Newport News and elsewhere in the harbor. There are so many being built I could see. Even the general dynamics shipyard was across the river from the museum. I love engineering.



Wasserhund party time. A great fruit lager. Aromas and flavors of big coconut, lemon, pineapple, pear, apple, bread dough, herbal, grass, light peppercorn/pine. Lt med pine, herbal, grassy, peppery bitterness. Medium high carb and light med body. Crisp clean refreshing finish. Very clean lager flavors. Minimal warming 6.7%. Reaching lotiony notes on coconut, but the base lager is refreshing and not too sweet. Minimal complaints. 4/5


Cheers

 

Maybe I was a bit harsh but I just expected more for a KBS variant.

 

You're not the first to sound a warning

 

From better days, so gutted for Maui.

 

Day 2, this is from @Roguer in NBS BIF #17. Every time I drink this style (Belgian Strong Pale Ale), I think, “I need to drink more of this style” and this beer just reinforces that feeling.





4.17/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a slightly unfiltered golden color with a foamy white that lingers and provides a nice cap on the beer. The nose has that spicy phenol note that I really enjoy in the style, with a bit of clove and the slightest smidge of banana.

The taste is really focused on that spicy phenol flavor, especially as the beer warms, and there’s more clove and banana on the taste than on the nose, providing a very flavorful and balanced beer.

The mouthfeel is a little softer than expected, but this is still a beer I’d gladly revisit. Really enjoying this.

 

There were enough things I needed to go grab from the store that I could justify a trip outside in the hideously smokey air and stop by Huckleberry's and grab some new beers.

This is my first beer from Ferment, a brewery in Hood River, Oregon, that I've heard about but whose stuff I've never physically encountered before.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/53606/499075/?ba=woemad#lists
It's not a typical Pilsner, which is why whoever added it to the database here didn't classify it as a Pilsner at all, but instead went with Japanese rice lager.
Basically it was brewed with European hops and toasted rice, along with some more traditional style malts. If you don't mind a relatively sharp herbal and citrusy bitterness up front, it's a nice beer for a hot day, as it is extremely crisp and light. I'd hit it again.

I've decided to head over to an impromptu Beer Fest being held at the Grain Shed Taproom. Several other local Brewers have donated kegs, and 100% of the proceeds are going to the folks being affected by the local fires.

 

Wishing you clear skies & breathable air soon.

 

Thanks, Russ.
Well, the air quality has slipped from Hazardous to merely Very Unhealthy! Also, when outside, if I tilt my head all the way back and look straight up, I can see a little bit of blue sky. We are supposed to get rain in a couple days. I'm okay with it being fairly heavy at this point.

 

Meant to post this on WNBAYDN...

 

Alright I had planned a new pumpkin beer from Cape May for tonight but it got to gross again heat wise. I know 10 day forecasts are dicey but next weekend looks promising. So instead a beer I had legally for the first time on Friday night…it kept coming up in beer haul thread so I grabbed a big can.

I remember this being the beer as the beer I’d find littered here and there at the tree farm I worked at for years and years. The cooler older guy drank it along with my good friends brother. Now almost 20 years later I give it a go.

Coors Banquet (AAL 5%)



In terms of reviewing these beers are always weird to me. Their purpose goes against dissecting and finding notes, I did write a review, linked at the end but I’ll say this…

Looks were meh, great clarity but complete lack of retention; as I was drinking I thought “man this is a beer I’d love to just drink out of the can/bottle.” And I will..

I found it to be a very well balanced not overly sweet beer, very minor but noticeable hop note which I went as far as describing as floral. The beautiful thing about this beer, it’s crazy drinkability…it has a refreshing pop to it and finishes quite clean compared to my memory of Budweiser. I just wanted to keep sipping it and that is the point of a good AAL I guess.

I liked it so much I grabbed a six pack of 12 oz cans for the grand total of $7.40. I may just keep this in the fridge semi-regularly; a tasty macro AAL. Todays mini haul…oh and I also grabbed a six of that Flannel Friday from yesterday




https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/306/1276/?ba=jonphisher#review

With that have a wonderful Sunday night, see you all next week with that fall beer I’m looking forward to.

 

When I see @SawDog505 recommend an IPA I know its a never fail like 99% of the time. So here we are. It's a new beer but I'm into cooking not reviewing right now.
Speaking of cooking steaks tonight for a change. I make a compound butter I call Bernaise butter to drop on the steaks off the grill. Headed to the farm down the road so native corn and a tomato salad with fresh basil and truffle buratta....
Anyhow back to the beer - Treehouse level here in IMHO. Thanks Tim!

 

#2, also from @Roguer and NBS BIF #17. I don’t drink many sours, so I’m excited to try this.





4.1/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a mostly clear ruby color with a sudsy white head that dissipates quickly, as is common with the style. The nose is tart raspberry, cherry, and maybe a bit of apricot as referenced in the beer’s description.

The taste is focused on the tart raspberry and cherry flavors and is delicious, with a more pronounced apricot flavor in the background. This is a really good kettle sour, IMHO.

A bright and spritzy mouthfeel fits the beer well. I don’t drink much of this style, but is a beer I’m really glad I had the opportunity to try.

 

Last one, a rare NBS trifecta for me, this is from the Extreme Stout box, a magnificent box curated by @Todd that I still have some remnants of in my beer fridge.





4.35/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours pitch black with a dark mocha colored head that takes a few seconds to gather itself, reaches critical mass, then dissipates quickly. Lovely imperial stout.

The nose is roasty malts, rich milk chocolate, and a nice vanilla note. Those unique flavors are where the taste ends up, with just a smidge of dark cherry stone fruit as well and some creamy oats, with a nice residual warming alcohol note at the back of the palate to remind you of the 13.8% ABV gravity of this imperial stout.

A rich and creamy mouthfeel caps off this beer that was part of the extreme stout box. It is a worthy addition to that magnificent box, IMHO.

 

Samuel Adams Flannel Fest Munich Dunkel - Pours from a bottle (BB Jan 2024) a very nice dark ruby color. Moderate carbonation, head quickly dissipates. Smell is malty and a little maple syrup-y to me. Taste is okay and the malts are decent but outside of that it's kind of bland, thin and typical SA-ish, which may not be a bad thing depending on your preference. Ends a little sweet and a bit of the syrup comes through to me.

As I sip on it there's just not a whole lot going on here and it tastes like a darker macro to me. I'm not going to say it's a miss completely because it is an enjoyable, easy drinking beer but in my area for the money there's just better things to choose. I would drink it again if handed one but this single will suffice in the meantime. Budmo!