New Beer Weekend #163

Daze by Tree House


4.25/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Brewers notes: Notes: Daze fills an enormous hole in our line-up by presenting you with a single IPA rendition of Haze.

Like its sister beers Julius, Green, Alter Ego, and Sap, Daze is in the absolute sweet spot for maximum flavor, enjoyability, and drinkability. Not as light as a pale ale and not as heavy as a double IPA, Daze presents with all of the wondrous flavors of and character of Haze in a slightly less alcoholic package.

Daze pours a glowing yellow color in the glass and puts forth flavors and aromas of peach nectar, orange juice, and sweetened grapefruit. It is balanced by a soft and thirst quenching bitterness that gently graces your palate with tropical hop oils.

Canned 8.31.23, opened 9.2.33

“Alright, alright , alright”

Chilled can poured into a tree house teku

Deep orange hazy liquid crowned by a one finger dense silky foam cap , cloaking lacings

Aroma is peach , apricot , grapefruit

Taste is peach, apricot , grapefruit

Smooth , soft beer followed by a hop kiss at the end

A solid beer addition to the Tree House stable. Not a ground breaker but a solid add

Good beer

officiated in my college season opener today ….they played Jimmy Buffett during the warm ups…really appreciated and liked his music…grew up listening to him…had a college roommate who would play one Buffett album side every single night after dinner …that sort of embeds the music into your psyche …enjoying this beer by the pool and listening to margaritaville on Sirius … raising a glass to the son of a son of a sailor ….were your sunscreen while enjoying life

 

Decided to open this bottle that I’ve been sitting on for more than a dozen years. So no, technically very much not a new beer, just new to me. Preliminary review (subject to slight modification as I drink the rest) below. Cheers!

4.26/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
750mL (original 2009 vintage) into a chalice/goblet. Pours a clear cola brown with a soft mocha head, good carbonation sustains a steady film of foam on the surface.

Aroma is fruity, malty, and sweet. Brown sugar, figs, dates, vanilla, caramel. All the hallmarks of a dark Belgian/quad.

Taste is likewise sweet with tons of brown sugar, molasses, and dark stone fruits. Bready malt, vanilla, black cherries. A subtle sour aspect comes in as it warms.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, made somewhat lighter by the lively carbonation. Very drinkable at 12%.

Overall, not surprisingly, a solid offering from the Bruery that seems to have aged as intended. An excellent rendition of the style.

 

New beer #2
I suspected I would enjoy this one, but not enough to buy a four pack. Picked up the Imperial Red single on sight, but passed on the lactose blonde...

New Holland Dragon's Milk Crimson Keep

12oz bottled 05/02/23 poured into a New Holland signature chalice at fridge temp 11% ABV. The beer pours opaque brownish, reddish amber with khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. Lots of lacing. The aroma is mild with hints of caramel, oak and bourbon. The taste is semisweet caramel malt with subtle bourbon and barrel along with some earthy hops and moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. ABV is fairly well disguised with just some heat on the tongue and tummy to give it away. Overall, very good.

I'm a fan of New Holland's Solera series and (just like nearby Altech), I realize if you use a bourbon barrel 3 to 4 (or more) times to age beer, the bourbon punch is going to diminish. As long as the pricing reflects the cost cutting, I'm a fan.

Cheers all!

 

I’m bock!

@NorsemanOne was correct - I did still have a lager in the cellar from his NBW BIF assault on my porch.
Poured a lovely deep amber color with a manilla colored head that reached over an inch and left copious amounts of lacing.
The aroma was lost on me, stupid Covid.
The taste was a fine example of a doppelbock - plenty of biscuits and caramel flavors from the malts, the whisky is present but subtle, I was concerned that it would overpower the base beer but no, it added some layers of flavor and a touch of rye bite.
The feel was a bit more viscous than expected but not too bad at all, I certainly had no issues drinking this almost like a session beer. Maybe not my best move but it really hit the proverbial spot at the time.
Cheers all! Glad I could finally weigh in properly.

 

3 Sheeps Brewing Pumpkin Spice Veneration. The annual tradition. Each year is different, so I will review this as a new beer. The look is dark brown with crimson highlights. There is a light white foam ring. The smell is so amazing. Pumpkin pie, sweet potato, brown sugar, figs, molasses, vanilla, and camp fire. Absolutely wonderful. The taste is pumpkin pie, rye whiskey, molasses, vanilla, chocolate, figs, brown sugar, and graham cracker. A delicious combination. This is as good as any edition has been. The mouthfeel is thick, but smooth. Full, silky, and rich. Very nice. Overall, this is my favorite pumpkin beer. Pumpkin beers are divisive. Not for everyone. But this is a different category. This is fall in Wisconsin, in a glass.

 

One and done on a gorgeous Labor Day weekend in Northern Indiana from my local featuring the delicious Citra hop.

I’m so happy I could cry.





4.25/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a slightly unfiltered orange color with a Cream of Wheat colored head that is fluffy and provides moderate lacing and a nice little cap on the beer as you drink it. Very nice look to this single-hopped IPA.

The nose is ripe oranges, grapefruit, mango, and a bit of lime, certainly in line with the nose of most Citra-hopped beers.

The ripe orange and mango flavors are forward and deepen as the beer warms, with the grapefruit and lime flavors a nice touch mid-palate, and a nice caramalt flavor at the back of the palate. Very flavorful, balanced beer.

The mouthfeel is and drying, placing this firmly in WCIPA territory. Really glad I had the opportunity to try this very nice beer from my local.

 

Excellent Festbier, probably the best I tried this year so far. And dangerously easy to drink.

 

Went along 84 (ugh) to NY to grab Schlafly pumpkin. Happened across this.

Tucher - Rotbier



Very pretty in the glass, deep copper, maybe amber. Head is just off white, it’s clear but there’s some feint haze.

Nose is malt and some herbal hops. Sharp and lively.

Taste is clean and even. Mouthfeel definitely is full and almost feels like an ale. The malt is upfront but is quickly evened out by some light punchy herbal hops. It’s very even-keeled and sessionable. There’s a fair amount of healthy rye-like spice.

4.27/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

Eggenberg pilsner
...clear light amber appearance with a lasting white head
...plenty of effervescent carbonation that dissipates a bit with about a medium body.
...aroma is cereal,grain, malt, with an almost mild molasses earthiness.
...taste dint blow me away at first but as it warms it is really nice. Malted cereal is what I think stands out for me and makes the strongest impression. Has some dry bitterness that lingers in the aftertaste.
...overall for something I got on a whim and seemed low priced in comparison its a really nice beer

 

A new brewery opened around me this weekend. First impressions below...

Ovinnik Brewing.

English Pub Ale, 5% ABV


Pours a reddish orange color. A very small cap forms and recedes in a second. No lace is left behind.
Not very aromatic at all. A touch of malts, like biscuits and caramel. The faintest whiff of hops, maybe grassy, but hard to tell.
Taste wise, again, simple biscuit like malts and caramel. Toasted and caramelized sugar. Though it doesn't become too sweet. Just enough grassy hops to be noticeable.
A medium body and moderate carbonation. A bit watery, but fine. Easy enough to drink. I can have a few without really thinking about it. So good enough for that.

This is a little too simplistic. Though a nice enough reddish/amberish beer. I guess it vaguely fits the Bitter category. Inoffensive, but good enough of a pint or two.

Overall score is 3.38, B- territory for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/66245/669296/?ba=champ103#lists

Next is Alpha King Pale Ale, 5.3% ABV



Pours an amber/orange color. A two finger white head forms, and recedes quickly, with lace left behind.
Hoppy up front in the nose. Citrus fruit, and floral. Simple and enjoyable.
Taste wise, that nice citrus, floral hoppy note again. Balanced with a bit of biscuit like malts. A lingering bitterness is nice as well.
A medium body, moderate carbonation. A bit on the watery side for me. Though an easy drinking pale ale. I can have a few.

This isn't a world beater by any means. Just a simple slightly hoppy, slightly malty and balanced pale ale. It is not going to replace SNPA or anything like that, but nice enough for a new local version. I will get it again, if I see again out and about.

Overall score is 3.73, solid B
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/66245/669361/?ba=champ103#lists

General notes of the brewery, it is in an un air conditioned warehouse in an industrial part of town not far from me. In Houston, man that is rough. I don't know why, but there are several breweries that still are in warehouses, I thought we should have moved passed that phase like 10 years ago ha. Nice enough owners and people that work there. Only going to be open on the weekends, and both beers I had were short pours. Taken all together, I wish them luck, but probably not on my regular rotation. I'll certainly check out some of their beers again if I see them out at other bars, but first impressions is kind of average and a fear they are going to get lost in the sea of breweries around.

 

I don’t remember if I received this in the recent Canadian cellar BIF, or if I’ve had it for a while. This is Tempest Bourbon Barrel-Aged Mexicake, a chili pepper and chocolate Imperial stout. This is from 2021.



Pours a deep black/brown with generous mocha head that dissipates to a light film on the top of the beer. Minimal lacing.

The chocolate jumps out first in the aroma. A little more careful sniffing adds the barrel and a light vanilla note. Nothing from the chilies.

Taste follows closely. The chocolate is dominant, and the bourbon barrel is present as well, but subdued and light. I don’t get a sense of the chilies until I get to the swallow. A mild heat follows the beer down my throat.

The body is light to moderate for the style but satisfying.

I like this. I’m not a huge fan of spicy beers. This one has a mild spiciness to it which I prefer. The chocolate is creamy and milky. It’s a nice stout that I’d drink again. Thank you to the BA that sent this my way…

 

Good evening NBWers. Couple of beautiful days here, but we can already feel the humidity creeping up. Not that there's anything to complain about. Spent the morning working on soap box derby cars, grandson's first attempt and he did pretty well. Kid tendency to swing the steering wheel side to side, so a steering limiter will be installed.

In the glass is a very nice beer:



OEC Yuzu Pilsner. German pilsner, 5.2%, pilsner and cara-pils malts, step infusion, yuzu and hops during the boil, coolship, cool open fermentation with lager yeast.

Pours a very slightly hazy light yellow. Pretty dense head, persists nicely ending as a decent cap, moderately clingy.

The smell is quite subtle. Clearly an "old school" classic pilsner smell - grainy cereal and earthy, a little mineral tang. The yuzu is deftly used here - seems to blend in with the mild hoppiness as a kind of combo grapefruit and lemon, but very mild. Crisp, clean.

The taste is equally restrained and kind of comes thru in layers. You get the grainy cereal foundation, a little mineral salt, then the very pleasing yuzu just rides over the top. It's fresh and mildly juicy. Following is a very mild spiciness. Zero bitterness, no noticeable acidity from the citrus juice. This is a nicely rounded beer delivering great flavors without the sledgehammer approach.

The feel is light, crisp, refreshing with a salt like tang. The citrus does accumulate a bit and there's the peppery hit left on the tongue. Incredibly drinkable.

Overall, subtle but quite flavorful beer that I think is skillfully executed. Nothing is over the top - it all seems just right. Will land in the 4.0 - 4.2 region.

 

I was just looking at Wally’s info online @FBarber you weren’t kidding that is a serious rest stop. It’s pretty cool they got their own beer too, that style fits a rest stop pretty well too.

 

Have a good Saturday. I slept in to 2pm and then we watched Mythbusters on the science Channel. We booked in best Western Wilmington. I also found an amazing hemp store called Hemp Garden here and the owner is opening a new store in Greensboro in November! I got some amazing products. I'll be tripping all weekend.

I'm proposing as soon as we get to Belgium need to make it epic.




At rebellion NC. Downtown is bustling. Got a broomtail galloping gose strawberry. A great gose. Taste of tart/sour lemon, lime, green apple, white wine, strawberry, wheat, bread dough, sea salt, lacto funk, hay, straw, grass, light wood/pepper. Medium tart/sour and lightly bitter/spicy finish. Crisp clean refreshing light body finish with lingering grainy malt, salinity, and sticky hop after the finish. Mild puckering. Spot on style, not a ton of strawberry, but solid. This is usually one of the fruits that can go bad with souring IME on off flavors, but none are in this one. 4/5


Cheers

 

Buckstin Birdie Bock, 6.3% ABV. A Texas brewery I have never heard of till now, their page has a lot of beers, so they seem to be doing good.



Pours a dark brown, ruby read color. A two finger beige head forms with good retention. That gently recedes and leaves light lace behind.
The nose is all toasted and bready malts. A bit of dark fruit. All malty, simple but inviting.
Taste wise, malty and basically liquid sweet bready flavors. Toasted with caramelized sugars. The sugary character starts to take over and is just the other side of cloying. Though still an enjoyable malty Bock.
A medium to full body. Moderate carbonation that becomes ultra smooth. A good malty offering, and I can come back to this easily.

Did I say this was malty? Yep, certainly is. The sweetness just becomes a bit too much, a touch of Earthy or grassy bitterness would make this great. As is, still pretty enjoyable and glad I got to try it.

Overall score is 3.84, solid B+
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/58421/669378/?ba=champ103#lists

 

Greetings all from the great northwest where we are getting our first look at the 2023 WSU Cougars. So far so good.

Today, in keeping with the cat theme, we have Fear Movie Lions Imperial IPA from Stone Brewing.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/334028/

A drinkable imperial IPA with a soft fruit flavor.

Until next time

Go COUGS!

 

Okay rebellion NC has epic sharables. Best Bavarian pretzel I've had. Very dense and soft. Sheet nachos for 15 bucks and you get amazing coney chili and pulled pork on em. best deal I've seen at a upscale beer bar.


Leland Brunswick brown. Outstanding brown. Aromas and flavors of big caramel, brown sugar, cocoa, coffee, chocolate, nuts, toast, biscuit, brown bread/crust, wood, peppercorn, pine, herbal, floral, grass, yeast earth. Medium pine/rind/spicy bitter finish. Medium carb and body. Creamy bready malts, sticky hops, and lingering resin drying. Min acrid/astringency. Minimal warming 5.5%. Spot on American style brown, but a bit more chocolate/coffee heavy than I expected. Super clean beer. Love it. 4.1


Cheers

 

Thanks for the BA PSA on the previous beer.

If you haven't tried it, the Hydra Melted Gelato is fantastic. I find a lot of their slushy things start to taste the same, but the Melted Gelato is like a fruit beer ice cream.