New Beer Weekend #167

Grateful to finally try this IPA from Kettlehead - Pulpy:



Canned 8/9/23. A Tavour purchase. Take away the initial chill haze, and the is no hazy; very good clarity under white foam of mixed bubbles; very good cap retention; heavy ring; bands of medium heavy sticky lacing. Lemony nose with some grapefruit, thankfully no onion from the Mosaic as the beer warmed. Clean citrus lemon lime entry; mild bitter lemon zest; firm malt base; not sweet, not really bitter. Light plus body; moderate minus carbonation; no astringency; the opposite of juicy. Overall a tasty, clean, easy drinking not hazy IPA; a pounder.

4.75 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5
Score 4.46 rDev +7.7%

 

We received a case each Melcher St. and this last Friday.
Big $$$.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30654/556197/



16 ounce can with unreadable date. (09 or 05)

Moderate pour yields a 5/8 inch white head over a very hazy,
light golden body with virtually no lacing at all.

Nose of citrus, mostly orange, with the slightest grape aroma.

Taste is where the sauvignon blanc grape comes forward with citrus there as well.
Finish is fairly dry and wine-like.

Nice mouthfeel with medium carbonation.

Overall, a pretty good stab at an APA and glad for the chance to try it.
Cheers!

 

Does it count as a "new" if I can't remember if I've had it before? I'm gonna take a mulligan on this one.
And more truth in advertising, but I had this last night. Forgot that the BA weekend started on Saturday, not Friday. Anyway...

With the dank and crappy weather we'd been having thought that this would be apropos. Time off from the IPAs.
Huge foamy head, as seen. Had to gulp some off as I wasn't letting a drop of this go over the side. Initial reaction, got a full bloom of the aroma and taste at once. Precursor of good things to come.
Waiting for head to recede to top off the glass and let this warm up a bit.
Taste? Rich, dark and full. Plum and raisins, with just a slight sweet finish. Ostensibly a Strong Dark Belgian this veers well into Quad territory. That's not a complaint. Booze is way up there, but you'd never know it. Until the end.
This is close to a perfect beer, what I imagine Westy12 would be. Minor quibbles: that "sweet" finish; I like it more on the dryer Quad style. And the European 11.2 cl bottle! Not even 12 ozs!
How much did I like it? Went out and got another today. Viva la cellar.

 

Thanks for the opening @LeRose and for inadvertently choosing my beer for the night. Today has been a full one, soccer photos at 7:15 AM game at 8:15 AM then we went to a craft sale at a place amongst the woods; full and fun today.

My beer is from @snaotheus air is a helles bock collab with one cool seasonally looking appropriate label…looks scarecrow like.

Varietal Beer Co (w/ Heater Allen) - Barleywraith (Helles Bock 7.4%)



Nice pour, clear gold in the glass, white head that recedes sort of fast, minor lacing though which is nice.

The nose is honey laden light toasted grain and cereal; some sweetness; there is some leafiness to it and a like alcohol bite that I tend to get from this style.

The taste is quite balanced and rich; really full malt presence, it is quite bread like and lightly toasted in quality, there is an earthy hop presence, lightly grass like.

Mouthfeel is medium; hefty and full but quite drinkable, has a nice snap on the finish, along with moderate dryness and bitterness; slight alcohol warmth on the finish.

This is not my favorite style of beer, I tend to struggle when abv creeps up, in lagers it especially pops out to me and that doesn’t always bode well for me.

That being said this beer in particular is really well made and delicious; it is super drinkable and we’ll balanced. And…it’s 2 months past best by and it is still this damn good. Thanks for sharing Ryan; I got one more I may save for a nice cool weekend.

————

Perhaps we’ll be watching the same thing tonight @Coronaeus, I’ll get the game on when the kiddos go down.

 

Here's another new offering from up the road in Hyde Park, VT.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46703/670406/



16 ounce can packaged on the 249th day of this year. (9/6)

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 7/8 inch white head over a nearly bright, light amber body with sticky lacing.

Nose is citrus with blood orange leading the way. West Coast style bitter aroma is present as well.

Taste is mostly blood orange with a bit of dank bitterness trying to assert itself, but the orange takes charge while finishing with a blood orange pith bitterness.

Very nice full mouthfeel with near perfect carbonation.

Overall, one of their best and would highly recommend!
Cheers!!

 

We really enjoyed that beer. Probably second place to that Mexican Lager from Single Hill. Glad it bucked the high ABV trend (at least a little) for you.

 

3.77/5 rDev -1%

look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 16 ounce can dated 8-28-23 into a teku glass.

Look- Deep gold, moderately hazy, slightly off white creamy head, no visible particulate, average head retention, above average lacing.

Smell- Clementine, pine resin, grapefruit, slightly dank, between weak and medium strength of scent.

Taste- Clementine, grapefruit, pineapple, very slight pine, medium strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, mildly prickly, mildly bitter, average carbonation, mildly creamy, mildly mouth watering finish.

Overall- Appearance was deep gold with moderate haze with average head retention. Bouquet was weaker than desired with clementine, grapefruit and pine, but not much dank character that I would expect from a fresh hop. Flavor was clementine and grapefruit mainly with some pineapple and even less pine. Feel was medium body, but again didn’t have much of the prickliness I expect from my fresh hop offerings. Overall this beer provided a slightly below average experience. The flavors and nose were pleasant, but the fresh hop character was too understated.

 

Cape may pick of the patch pumpkin ale.
...light copper amber appearance
...medium bodied with just below average carbonation.
...aroma is heavy on the spice,allspice to be exact with what comes off as pumpkin puree. Theres a little brown sugar and malt as well.
...Taste is allspice and pumpkin puree,reminds of the smell of pies before you bake them.
...overall its a good holiday beer but definitely spice heavy but at least delivers real pumpkin flavor so I say its a success

 

It did 100% usually the maibocks hit instantly this one is tame, best way I can put it.

 

Sakura stout
...solid motor oil black appearance with zero head
...medium light carbonation but comes off prickly. Body is odd as it seems a hair thin yet still feels a little slick.
..Aroma is wood,bourbon, boozy, followed by a feint amount of coffee and plum.
...overall it is good,interesting, but just doesn't all come together well

 

3.6/5 rDev +0.3%

look: 4.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 12 ounce can dated 6-6-23 into a tulip glass.

Look- Medium gold, plentiful large particulate, moderately hazy, frothy white head, above average lacing, average head retention.

Smell- Grapefruit, pine, lemongrass, weak strength of scent.

Taste- Dominant grapefruit, lemongrass, pine, between weak and medium strength of flavor.

Feel- Between medium and full body, average carbonation, highly creamy, highly bitter, moderately dry finish, mildly astringent.

Overall- Appearance was medium gold with mild haze and enough visible large particulate to make me think I was looking at a snow globe. Bouquet was grapefruit, pine and lemongrass, but weak in strength. The flavor was dominated by grapefruit and was on the weaker end of the scale of flavor strength. Feel was between medium and full body with a high bitterness, but the mild astringency was a detractor. Overall this beer provided a below average drinking experience. Flavor and nose were not strong or complex enough and the astringency was undesirable.

 

Good evening NBW
Adding Spain to my country ticks.

Estrella Galicia Especial
330mL bottle stamped 08.2024 poured into a hotel paper cup at fridge temp 5.5 % ABV 25 IBU per label. The beer pours yellow in color with off white head. Head persists. The aroma is mild with sweet pale malt and grassy hops. The taste is semisweet pale malt with plenty of grassy hop flavor. Mild bitterness. Slight diacetyl. Mouthfeel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, ok.

 

Crazy to see that beer posted here, that was the first alcoholic beer I ever drank. A big chunk of my teenage life we lived in a small town about an hour away from where that beer is brewed.

Galicia is a really really amazing place. Cheers and thanks for sharing this beer.


———-

Back then we preferred kalimocho, coke mixed with the cheapest cartons of red wine, good times we had back then

 

Now that I'm home...hittin' the fresh hops while I can.

No Boat - Wet Hop IPA CLS Farms Centennial

16oz can served in a snulip. No date on the can. Bought it a few hours ago at Chuck's Hop Shop Seward Park.

Pours a murky amber-yellow with about a finger of head, a thick skin with fluffy islands, and tons of foamy lace clinging to the sides. Smell is grassy and vegetal, smells a lot like a recently mown lawn, with some mango and pineapple thrown in.

Taste is super tropical juicy. Cut grass comes through, but dominated by the tropical fruit. Lacks in resin, though it does have a nice firm bitterness in the finish. Has a soft, almost orange-julius (except grapefruit instead of orange) sense to it.

Mouthfeel is soft and pillowy. Overall, this is on the good end, but not a standout.

 

Wild air mehr bitte festbier
...very clear light amber appearance
.. around a medium body with light carbonation.
...aroma is yeasty rolls malt,honey,with cereal and grain.
...taste is identical to taste,a little dry,very mild sweetness.
...overall it was very good,strong on the yeasty bread part but was very enjoyable.

 

I’m in Philadelphia for work this weekend, so some good opportunities for new beers. I chose an Italian pizzeria for dinner (Piertro’s - absolutely AMAZING pizza, IMHO) and was delighted to find this beer on their tap list, a want of mine for a bit now.

This is Tipopils, the OG Italian pilsner from Birrificio Italiano.



4.25/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Beautiful golden color, slightly unfiltered body, with a creamy white head that provides a significant amount of lacing. Grassy hops are forward on the nose, with some citrus for good measure, with grainy malt notes as well.

The grassy hop flavors are forward and delicious, perfectly complemented by a bright citrus flavor and a cereal malt flavor for balance. This is absolutely delicious.

The mouthfeel is very clean and crisp, making for an exceptionally drinkable Italian pilsner that I could drink by the gallon.

 

#2, another beer from Italy, this is Verdi, an imperial stout from Birrificio Del Ducato.



4.17/5 rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a dark cola brown and settles as black in the glass, with a very nice, creamy tan head. The nose has a nice cocoa note, a bit of roasty char, and a slightly vegetal note that I’m guessing is the hot chilies.

The cocoa and roasty char flavors are forward and quite vibrant on the taste, but it’s the chilies that make this beer for me - nothing vegetal at all in the taste, but a very nice chili flavor that has a little heat.

The mouthfeel is a little lighter than is typically seen with an imperial stout, but this is still a very flavorful beer, and very easy drinking. Glad I tried it.