New Beer Weekend #173

how did your partner take to it? i know you said she expressed some displeasure at the site of all the barleywine bottles before you got to opening the box with the cans in it?

cheers!!

 

Not quaffing a beer quite yet, but hat tip to @Roguer and his partner for leading us off on this auspicious occasion! Not only the first share date weekend for the inaugural (there will be future ones, right @Beersnake1?) Stouts and Barleywines BIF but also a the annual occasion to remember the heroes who served and fought and those who continue to serve and fight to protect us and our freedom. I salute you!

 

Huzzah! Well said @Whyteboar !

 

Unfortunately I am at work right now so I can't join in the fun just yet, I am quite excited to get in on some of the fantastic beers that @Whyteboar sent my way!!

Also, as mentioned above, a special thanks to all of those who serve(d) in our armed forces for your sacrifices and hard work in service to our country.

 

I already consumed the few sub 10% ABV beers that @Rug crushed my porch with so will likely be starting today with something else and get to his mystery beer this evening when my wits are no longer required for dealing with coworkers and legacy code.

 

Great to see that we can start a day early this weekend to honor our veterans and the sacrifices they've made so that we have the safety and leisure to enjoy new beers.

I had a shifted weekend last week and completely missed out on joining in, so I've got a couple mid-week new beers to share before jumping into the last new beer in my fridge at the moment. First up is...

Jack's Abby Black Lager
5.0% Schwarzbier



Pours, unsurprisingly, black. Completely opaque with no hint of brown around the edges and a two-and-a-half-finger dark brown head.

Aromas of chocolate, dark roast coffee, and freshly-baked black bread.

I went into this one thinking it would be Smoke & Dagger without the smoke, as a previous JA Schwarzbier was, but that's not the case here. Other than the obvious lack of smoke on the aroma and taste, this black lager has a lot more roast flavors than S&D, coming through as baker's chocolate, pumpernickel bread, coffee, and burnt toast. The roast characteristics overshadow any malt sweetness until it warms, when molasses, burnt sugar, and milk chocolate come in to balance things out. Finishes slightly sweet and with some stickiness.

Gentle carb and a light body make this way too easy to drink. I often think that dark beer flavors don't go well with a light body and result in a watery feel. But somehow that isn't the case here, just a non-filling flavorful lager.

Overall, I'm impressed. I thought this would be a bit of a place filler in the haul I got from the brewery earlier this fall, but it turned out to be a highlight. In what has become a familiar refrain for me, this is another high-quality beer from JA's small scale pilot line. They're really dialed in on the pilot line to a level above what they are doing at full scale on their main line.

 

Being a huge Schwarzbier fan, this is one that I am looking forward to trying

 

Lupulin Night Witch 2023 BBA imperial Stout, 13.2% ABV. Pours black with a ring of brown bubbles that left no lacing. Nose is bourbon and faint chocolate. Taste is roast malt and bourbon, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, with a pleasant bourbon burn. Excellent thick mouthfeel, overall outstanding. No add-junks here.

4.39/5 rDev +63.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

 

Well since we started early I'll share this one...we just got back from our family farm in Lewes, DE area; long line of Navy veterans in my family including mom and dad so I always think about the active duty families on Veteran's day.

While at our farm we went to Dogfish for the first time in about 10 years, it is only 10 minutes away It was some great family time on about the perfect evening. I had this beer there and wanted to share cause it was very Dogfish of year ago like, a really cool unique IPA and well made beer with unique ingredient, old school and classic with white sage in it, Mrs. Phish and I loved it!!!

Dogfish Head - Exit...Sage Left (AIPA 6.2%)



Pours a dirty light brown, very cloudy, not the longest lasting head; but above average lacing. Not too pretty to look at but it makes up for it...

Nose is heavenly; it literally smells like an aromatic Christmas tree; think balsam, subtle lightly caramelized malt presence, lightly toasted vibe.

The taste leans into the balsam, with some sappiness too, light grapefruit citrus and nice malt backbone, lightly sweetened and caramelized, little bit of spice.

Medium body, finishes mostly dry with residual malt presence, a biting sappy bitterness on the finish.

I'm not sure what sage alone smells like but I'm sure all the extra balsam/pine notes could be attributed to it. Like it was a piney IPA but just really enhanced.

This really reminded me of the DFH beers of old, unique and experimental but still beer like and oh so good. Really nice to know they are still doing beers like this, even if it is for brewery only stuff.

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I'll be back with regular Saturday contributions tomorrow, looking forward to seeing all of you, both new and old. It seems we may be getting some extra posts here thanks to you dark beer lovers

 

I think you'll enjoy it. This one had the flavor of a porter but drank like a festbier.

 

Remedy P.V.C. BBA Imperial Stout, 12.3% ABV. Pours thick and black with a 3+ finger brown head that left foamy lacing. Aroma is chocolate, vanilla, nutz, and bourbon. Taste follows, faintly sweet, faintly bitter, slight bourbon burn (as if that's an issue). Decent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.27/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

It was a bitch to open. Hate it when they try so hard to protect you from an outstanding beer you spent good money on. I have no idea why it smells like someone spilled BBA beer on the floor. I think the cat did it.

 

I'm not 100% sure, but this might be my first Friday New Beer Sunday beer in the weekly thread that has evolved over the years. Another thing I am not !00% sure about - that this is my first time trying a Roggenbier. According to this site, I haven't rated/reviewed one though I thought I had; even if I did, it might've been re-styled at some point. I'm guessing Reuben's Brews Roggenbier will not suffer that fate.


Drinking with my eyes first, and they are saying the color definitely fit in with the scenery. The orbs continue by saying the earthy brown color is sort of expected from rye, though they aren't sure if the tinge of rust and copper follows suit. The froth atop the hazy body is solid, if not voluminous. I get the impression they are searching out nice things to say, though so far they have avoided talking up the beer's personality.

Next, my nose chimes in by saying it smells a bit like brew day, asking if I could still remember when I did that. I'm not that old, I mention, and remind it that it is the sense that is most often responsible for evoking memories. It replies that remembering back to the bread on the Rachel sandwich I had for lunch isn't impressive. I ignore the comment, though there is a bit of the marbled rye I used in the aroma. My proboscis indicates it's not my sour attitude that is infecting my brain, but a tangy note from the beer that the front of my face is relaying to the gray matter just north of it.

My tongue starts to contradict its partner it discerning flavors, but eventually has to agree - there is a slight tang to the beer. Its initial thought was that it was sweeter than expected. An argument is made after the taste bud committee reaches a consensus that the nose might have been mistaken about the rye bread, though. There's not a bready aspect at all, thought there might be a hint of rye spice in the back end (and sneakily, if faintly, still present in the linger). This core aspect of the beer does inch forward as I drink down the glass.


After collecting all the information, my brain had an initial thought that this beer initially reminded it of Tucher's Rotbier. It walked back that thought after some more sips. In the end, it decided it liked the darker (that pale malt) grain flavors, but did want a slightly drier beer with a little more obvious rye notes.

 

This morning’s breakfast beer - “You’re Mine” by Anchorage Brewing. A double oak imperial stout aged 7 months in Heaven Hill barrels, then 16 months in Woodford Reserve barrels. Finished on hazelnuts, raw coconut and Madagascar vanilla beans:



No bottled dated. Purchased from Tavour May 2023. Poured at 56°. Fizzy reddish brown head vanished immediately; no cap, ring nor lace; small flecks and an oil slick from the coconut; heavy legs on swirl; black with ruby edges. Bourbon, coconut and chocolate nose; boozy retro nasal. Bourbon, chocolate, coconut followed by oaky vanilla; hot alcohol bite on tip of tongue; sweet bourbon finish; some nutty notes as beer warms. Thick almost chewy feel; heavy body; light carbonation; dry oak barrels tongue coating; full on mouth warmth from 15% abv. Overall a decadent powerhouse BBA stout with layers of chocolate and coconut swirls in bourbon; sweet but not cloying.



4.0 | 4.5 | 4.75 | 4.5 | 4.75
Score: 4.62 rDev +7.9%

I only poured half the bottle. At the typical premium price level, I want to savor another glass tonight. Cheers!

 

Hey all! I’m partaking in the NBW thread with a “mystery beer “ from the BIF! This is courtesy of @ronricorossi !

I’m going to infer by the look and pour that I’m indulging in a Barleywine.

L- Hazy dark brown color. Fairly thin head.

S- Stone fruit aroma. Possibly barrel aged.

T- Butterscotch and bitter orange flavors
upfront.Boozy heat, too. Flavor then
progresses to an almost burnt sugar
caramel flavor.

F- Quite viscous. Very very fine carbonation.

O- This is a burley bear of a beer! Quite
impressive!

 

While not participating in the stout/barleywine BIF, seeing what others are drinking made me want to crack open the last new beer in my fridge. I grabbed this one a couple months ago at Total Wine and went in not expecting too much after it had sat on the shelves at room temp under fluorescents for nine months (and I recall reading some less-than-impressed reactions here on BA to this year's release). Happily, I was proven wrong and this ended up being great value for money at $14 for the pack. A slow sipper for me today to try to keep the bac down despite the high abv.

Lagunitas Willettized 2022
13.1% barrel-aged stout



Pours black with no head and just a hint of carbonation leaving a ring around the edge.

Strong aromas of coffee and dark chocolate, sticky sweet brown sugar and molasses and vanilla, with charred oak lending some earthiness. Whiskey and alcohol pervade all. Is there a hint of rye spice as well? Maybe, but maybe only in my mind.

Even after 9 months of ill treatment, the taste is still phenomenal. Layers of flavor reveal themselves and then retreat as the liquid traverses the palate. It starts off with sweetness as it hits the tip of the tongue, brown sugar, vanilla, and caramel. As it spreads, the sweetness morphs to molasses and burnt sugar. Then comes bitterness to put things back in balance, dark chocolate, roast coffee, charred oak. Unlike the nose, the rye whiskey and alcohol hold off until later in the sip when they blend with the other flavors to build a nearly-medicinal melange. As it warms, this is also when dark fruit makes an appearance along with additional coffee. Slight alcohol burn on a dry finish leads to a sweet and sticky aftertaste.

Medium-bodied and smooth, with a slight carb and alcohol prickle on the tongue.

Overall, a really good ba stout. I don't have them often due to the high abv, so it's a pleasure to have such a good one when I do.

 

Well, I got the barrel aged Barleywine wine part correct! This is Cellarmaker Brewing Company, “Simmer DIM “ Barleywine aged in scotch barrels from Highland Park Single Malt Scotch Whisky Barrels! WOW! This is my second Cellarmaker from @ronricorossi ! Oh my, a killer BA Barleywine and at 14.5% abv it is a heavyweight!