New Beer Weekend #166

Last day. Back to USA tomorrow.

 

I also met @WunderLlama, and confirm that he is in fact a myth, an unbelievably realistic animated caricature of the stereotypical BA: knowledgeable, generous, warm, and fun.

 

Saison Victoria from Lost Forty Brewing. 6.3% ABV. I picked this up at the brewery last week when stopping at Little Rock for a little bit. An underrated brewery I think, hope they get more exposure around here.



Pours with a bit of haze. A golden/yellow color with a dense white head that rises to over two fingers. Retention and lacing for days.
A big aroma that goes from floral, to musty basement like, and grassy herbal tea. A bit of fruity apple esters, and this is great.
Taste wise, like the nose, big flavors here. Though everything is so well balanced at the same time. Grassy, herbal hops that become lightly floral. Musty basement like "funk" and a wonderful fruity ester character. Apples, pears, with just enough tartness and a nice bitterness even. Again, this is great.
A medium body with effervescent carbonation. That is crisp, and beautifully dry. Which makes this all very moreish to drink. I can come back to this with ease.

A spot on example for an American version of a Saison. Plenty of yeast character to go around, with a decent amount of hops and everything is really well balanced. Well done.

Overall score is 4.33, bordering on an A+, which is very rare for me, this is excellent.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38015/465903/?ba=champ103#lists

 

Let’s go to the Catskills!



Thanks to a generous benefactor I am able to imaginatively travel to the Catskills via today’s beer: Catskill Ball Lightning Pilsner.

I have never had a beer from Catskill Brewing so I did a bit of web research:

“What They Are about

The Catskill Brewery is considered one of the premier breweries in upstate New York, standing out from the crowd of breweries that have been established in the mid-Hudson region in recent years. What sets them apart is the quality of their ingredients and the caliber of their staff, which combine to make their fresh ales and lagers outstanding and popular among locals and those who come a distance to visit and sample what’s on tap.

Their beer is sold in establishments from Manhattan and Brooklyn to all over the Hudson Valley.”

https://www.hvhappenings.com/directory/catskill-brewery

And below is how Catskill Brewery details their Pilsner:

“A crisp, refreshing Czech Pilsner made with 100% Saaz Hops. An easy drinker with a little hop bite.

2022 GOLD MEDAL Light Lager/Traditional Category – New York State Craft Beer Competition

2017 SILVER MEDAL Light/Dark/Strong Lager – TAP NY”

https://www.catskillbrewery.com/beer/ball-lightning/

Well, maybe Catskill Brewery has captured ‘lightning in a can’ with this beer?

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Golden yellow with a BIG white head.

Aroma:

A sweet-ish Pilsner malt aroma with a subtle herbal/spicy hop aroma.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with a combination of sweet-ish Pilsner malt flavor plus herbal/spicy hop flavors. A moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied, soft mouthfeel with an off-dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is very good! The highlight of this beer for me was its soft mouthfeel.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @RobH

 

Is this @WunderLlama:



If so, it appears that he had the mannerisms to be a member of the Lollipop Guild!?!



Cheers!

 

Good morning everyone! This weekend’s new to me beer hails from Bottle Logic in Anaheim, CA - “Space Trace” (2023), Batch 003. A BBA Imperial Stout finished with Cacao Nibs and Coconut…sounds right up my alley so let’s go:



Poured at 56°. Tight dark reddish brown head with rocks; poor cap retention leaves thin ring that quickly disappeared too; small dots of lace and tiny flecks of coconut on agitation; no legs on swirl; pruney black body with ruby edges. Nose is coconut, chocolate and bourbon, in that order; some heat n retro nasal. Entry is sweet bourbon followed by bittersweet dark chocolate a toasted coconut; oaky vanilla as beer warmed; sweetened coconut milk ending with swirls of chocolate and bourbon. Full minus body; viscous minus feel; boozy bite on tip of tongue; light carbonation; warmth in mouth from 12.7% abv; dry barrel finish. Overall an outstanding BBA coconut Imperial Stout; drinks like a coconut macaroon dipped in dark chocolate and soaked in bourbon; base, barrel and adjuncts meld seamlessly; a little on the sweet side, but the oaky barrel notes and cacao nibs keep the whole from going over the edge into cloying.

4.0 | 4.5 | 4.75 | 4.25 | 4.5


If you like coconut stouts, this beer is a winner. Cheers y’all!

 

Glad to see you got to Munchen for Oktoberfest! I've been there for several Starkbierfests but never O-fest. I'm not big on crowds. Yes, Augustiner is readily available in many of the tied biergartens and bierhalls as is Paulaner, my personal choice. Enjoy the selection of foods available - if you like it, Munchen has a restaurant with it and the city is very easy to get around in.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned on 9/11/23. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow orange with half finger off white head that leaves thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma is cantaloupe, passionfruit, mango, tangerine, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows cantaloupe, passionfruit, mango, tangerine, peach, and apricot with maybe just a hint of alcohol. 4.25

Mouthfeel is way above average, soft gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 10.31% it goes down for too easy. 4.5

Overall this is actually very well done. I feel like I will be grabbing more. 4.5 Cheers all.

 

PM Dawn with Cold Brew Coffee
9% stout by Trillium

Black body with small initial mocha colored head. Light lacing.

Nose is coffee and chocolate. Enticing.

Taste follows nose and adds a malty element that boosts the coffee. Added sweetness is present and is expressed in light vanilla notes. A light bitterness works to slightly counter the sweetness.

Soft mouthfeel and good carbonation.

A delightful stout that's very easy drinking but be aware of the deftly hidden ABV.

 

Lucky dog! Enjoy

 

Bringing any back?

 

Miss that food for sure

 

Coop Ale Works Schooner All American Blonde Ale, 4.7% ABV; 3.59 overall

Pours an effervescent gold with a pinky of fast-falling eggshell colored head. Minimal head retention & lacing

S: A little bready, some grassyness

T: Follows the nose, hint of lime & crackery dryness up front. More lime, grassyness & malty sweetness as this beer warms up. Finishes a little grainy, grassy with a little bready sweetness & limes

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, good balance

I don't ask much of a golden/blonde ale & this doesn't deliver much more than that. Drinkable, but let's see the Coop Boomer Sooner DIPA next! They will sell a lot just because of the can art, no brainer

 

They had little available to go, but bringing a bottle of some crazy barrel aged imperial red or something home

 

Stone Cloud Hazy Pale Ale, 6.5% ABV; 4.06 overall

With Citra, Idaho 7 & Cashmere hops

Pours a very hazed gold with floaties & a pinky of tight beige head. Great lacing & head retention

S: Tropical notes, a touch of cattyness, some oranges show late

T: Pineapple, limes, dryness & a little pine up front. Guava, pine, lime , grassyness & dryness as this beer warms up. Finishes with sweet orange & lime, with much dryness & a little pineapple acidity

MF: Medium body, subdued carbonation, good balance

Nice flavor & easy to drink, juice monster

 

Hey what's going on!?

Laying low as the rain just rolls through. Great time to crack this open and curl up with.



Poured from the bottle into in a teku glass. Bottled May 30th 2023.

Inky dark brown coming out of the bottle, and barely making a sound filling the glass. Creates a real beautiful mocha dark brown head of a finger, while slowly settling to an excellent 3mm collar and light oiled top. Slight hint of carbonation, and a real nice looking presence.

Aroma is just decadent. Fudge like but with whisps of shaved dark chocolate, and big dry cocoa notes. Good hinting mix of roast coffee, and a heated pepper angle that is slightly tinged sour. Giant cake like aroma coming off this, with vanilla and a fluffy baked sweetness matched in. Very impressive.

Palate really brings the goods. Milky but full bodied feeling stout, with a hint of creamy texture on the tongue at first. The mid palate opens up strong, but in unexpected fashion. Black tingling pepper at first, followed by soothing dark creamed chocolate and chili roasted warmth. Burnt pepper skin, with cocoa rich dryness particularly on the finish makes for a wonderful experience. Coffee angle seems a bit muted, but the other flavors are just exceptionally put together.

Wonderfully flavored non barrel aged big stout, even with muted sense of coffee.

Look: 4.5 | Smell: 4.5 | Taste: 4.5 | Feel: 4.25 | Overall: 4.5 | BA Generated Score: 4.48

Cheers!

 

The last few mornings have been very nice, with temperatures in the low 60s. We are enjoying our morning coffees outdoors. In case we get nostalgic for summer, we're still hitting the 90s in the afternoon.
Today's new beer is Why Buy the Cow, a milk stout with coffee brewed by Four Fathers Brewing, part of a recent Beer Drop order.
A very dark brown/near black color. Large light brown head that dissipated quickly.
Aroma of coffee, chocolate, and vanilla.
Taste of espresso, dark chocolate, and vanilla. Slight sweetness.
Medium-bodied.
I enjoyed drinking it.