New Beer Weekend #174

Back at it again, we are…I guess I’m channeling my inner yoda today. I’ve enjoyed following along and now time to join the fun.

A beer I was particularly excited to try cause I love the style and I love nitro cans. Found a four pack this week and snagged it. Here we go:

Lawson’s - Nitro Stout (Irish Dry Stout 5.4%)



Pours very dark brown, clear when backlit; typical nitro head, though a tad more airy than some; I’d describe it as fluffier, not much lace compared to other nitro beers.

Nose is more vibrant than other nitro stouts of had, still a tad subdued but I do pick up a dry tame roast presence; it’s both lightly blackened toast and lightly browned toast…light husk character and nondescript light bittersweet note.

The taste leans heavily into the roast but it is still quite tame; it morphs into a bittersweet chocolate and finishes with a touch of burnt toast.

Mouthfeel is leaning towards medium and has a sweetness to it, light syrupy quality; finishes with some tangy dryness and light bitterness…carbonation is a touch more lively than many nitro beers.

So, I wanted to love this beer but in the end just liked it. To me it fell a little on the heavy syrupy side of things; I’m probably on the minority here and maybe my opinion will shift after finishing the four pack, guess time will tell. See you all tomorrow with a Dogfish beer I’m looking forward to a lot.

 

Happy NBW weekend and here's part 1 of my stouturday brews:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47598/679214/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/54377/626090/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



Tasty brews from Wooden Cask and Sonder Brewing, cheers!

 

And part 2 of my stouturday beers:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/37453/626276/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50137/297100/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



A couple good ones from Sycamore Brewing and VBDCK Brewery, should be back here tomorrow for some more new beers. Happy NBW everyone!

 

Samuel Adams Cold IPA - If you check out the SA Winter Pack and Old Fezziwig threads you'll see that I picked up singles of the Winter Classics beers and was disappointed with Old Fezziwig and Winter Lager, and the Oaked Vanilla Porter was just alright to me.

Pours a crystal clear light yellow, high carbonation, not much head and I had to swirl it a little to get some decent head. Smell is nice, some hops and fruitiness. Taste is good, crisp and clean and enough hops to keep it interesting but not too bitter at all. For me this is the standout of the pack but yet also doesn't really scream out "Winter" to me. But that's probably just splitting hairs at this point and I would be okay with this being one of the standalone seasonals vs the other stuff they have on the shelves right now.

And in typical poor SA marketing I went to the site to get the stats on this beer but they aren't there; I also noticed a few inconsistencies between the site and the bottle labels of the other beers. But anymore this seems to be par for the course and it's just not the same brewery to me

 

Last of the steam powered trains from Grimm Artisan Ales.

thanks to @Braunmeister_1943 for this one. never been much of a kinks fan but dig the reference.

listed as an american bw but seems way more english-style to my tastebuds. malt forward, almost zero hop presence, not a lot of barrel for being aged a full year but extremely enjoyable and very drinkable for 11%.

lower carbonation on the pour and the mouthfeel. toffee, chocolate and dark fruits on the taste and smell. only when it reaches room temp does the barrel-aging make itself known. as it warms i get a cherry / amaretto type aroma and flavor. very good stuff.

4.34 overall.

cheers to new beers!!

 

Here's a new one from my little town!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46317/679090/



16 ounce can packaged 11/08/23.

Vigorous pour yields a two inch tan head over a red highlighted black body with sticky lacing.

Very interesting nose of tropical fruit, roasted malt, and a bit of pine and a slight earthiness.

Taste is where some hoppy bitterness comes through while a bit of caramel flavor tries to keep the hops in check.
In the end the malt and caramel can't quite keep the bitterness from taking over at the finish.

Mouthfeel is quite full, as always from The Alchemist, with more than medium carbonation.

Overall, (ahem) this offering needs to be put in semi-regular rotation along with its brother El Jefe!
Find it, buy it, enjoy it!!
Cheers!!!

 

We don’t all work a stones throw away sir…

 

Thinking good thoughts for you as you wade through this shitstorm. Grab a beer, put on your wellies and breathe deep. We’ve all been there, and it fucking sucks now, but that flicker of light off in the distance is better days ahead. Cheers Ryan.

 

I’ve had several new to me beers today, this beer, sadly, is what I’m drinking right now - Arkane Aleworks’ “haze runner” DIPA, made with Strata, Mosaic and Galaxy hops, no canning date, purchased at the brewery yesterday:



Deep gold/apricot color; tight white head; poor cap retention; solid ring; some soapy lace; more murky than hazy. Sweet tropical fruit juice nose with a whiff of coconut. Here’s where things fall apart…Over ripe tropical fruit; the entry is pronounced unpleasant fruit flavors like rancid dragon fruit and/or pineapple; semi sweet base, yet not good tasting. Astringent green hop burn; dusty Cryo like tongue coating; medium light body; moderate minus carbonation. Overall, an awful, dusty, bad fruit linger in my mouth; it’s been a minute since I disliked a beer this much.

4.0 | 4.0 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 3.0
Score: 3.3 rDev - 12.2%


A rare drain pour…I just could not finish the can…

 

What did I find today? Is...yes it is an actual new beer from Ommegang that is a Belgian style. How about that

Belgian Essence, Tripel 8.4% ABV

Collaboration with New Belgian.



Pours a hazy golden/yellow color. A dense white head rises to the point of being difficult to pour from the start. A sheet of lacing is left behind.
Aroma is great...oh I love the spicy yeast and ester punch right up front. Pears, apples, pepper, doughy bread. Love it.
Taste wise, again, that spicy yeast and ester quality. Which leads to pepper, pears, apples. More citrus this time as well, doughy biscuits, and honey that leaves some sweetness in the finish. Lots going on here, and really well done.
A medium to full body. At first crisp carbonation, but that becomes ultra smooth as this breaths. I can do more than sip on this. Dangerously drinkable.

A great example of a Belgian Tripel. Which I would expect with a collaboration between Ommegang and New Belgium. Seriously wish they both stuck to these styles. All around excellent.

Overall score is 4.24, this is solid A territory for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/42/660756/?ba=champ103#lists

I bought a four pack of this immediately. So, I'm probably going to get another very soon, and probably compliment that with a New Belgium Tripel as well. If Ommegang wants me to start buying their beers again, seriously make stuff like this again.

 

Victory Layered Up Wintertime Stout - I was very happy to see Victory going with a Stout this year instead of an IPA/Hazy. Storm King is a classic, Dark Thunder (SK with Coconut and Coffee) is great and I wish that Stout/Porter was a style that wasn't fading away like it seems to be

Pours from a bottle (6.5%, IBU 33, BB 04/19/24) black as night with a thick, frothy head. Smell is dark chocolate, coffee, roastie-ness and a touch of sweetness. Taste is fantastic and it's everything a Stout should be and ends perfectly dryly; I would have guessed a little higher than just 33 IBU. As it warms up more of the dark chocolate and coffee-ish notes come through and it smooths out quite a bit.

If you're a Stout fan and have access to this try this, you won't be disappointed...it is basically a baby Storm King to me, which I'll assume is what they were aiming for.

 

Squared Circle by Vitamin Sea


4.19/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Brewers notes: This hazy IPA hopped with Nectaron delivers a tropical paradise in every sip. Bursting with luscious flavors of ripe passionfruit, golden pineapple, and juicy mango, As you take a sip, waves of citrus dance on your palate, with vibrant notes of grapefruit and tangy orange. A subtle sweetness reminiscent of peach and apricot adds depth and complexity to this tropical symphony. The resinous nature of Nectaron hops creates a velvety mouthfeel, leaving a pleasantly lingering bitterness that keeps you coming back for more.

Officiated a boys HS soccer state final , clippers 2- titans 1 , that has decided in the 10th round of penalty kicks …the crew opted for celebratory beers afterwards at the tinkers son

On draft poured into a snifter , hazy creamy orange capped by a soapy one finger white foam cap

Aroma is orange citrus

Taste is tangy orange citrus , mango, peach

Smooth , almost creamy ,soft

Good beer

 

Barrel aged reserve release from Living the Dream courtesy of @beergoot via the barleywine etc BIF Thanks Dave!



This an abrasive American barleywine and I'm digging it. Intense caramel, aggressive oak, strong whiskey, and pithy hops are lightly punctuated by vanilla and dates. Not subtle just damn good.

 

End times 2022 by Transient






4.24/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Brewers notes: Imperial stout with Tahitian vanilla beans aged in BLiS maple bourbon barrels & Weller whiskey barrels

Beer received in bif17 from @ovaltine

Black sludge poured into a snifter, thin brown layer quickly fades

Aroma is sweet bourbon

Taste is sweet vanilla, maple , bourbon, black licorice

Low sudsing

Good beer

 

Cross post with Imperial Stout/Barleywine BIF #1 thread.

Many thanks to @Beersnake1 for another beer treat!

J.W. Lees 2021 Harvest Ale, 1986 Yeast variant. May be my first true English Barleywine. According to the label, to celebrate the 35th anniversary of this beer, they fermented with yeast from the OG version bottled in 1986 when I was a Freshman in college. How friggin’ cool is that?



Poured into a tulip from a 9.3 oz bottle, burnt orange, slightly hazy, with a half finger of white head and serious alcohol legs. Lighter than most American barleywines I’ve had.

Nose is malt forward with no hops detected. Orange marmalade, caramel, toffee, butterscotch, some stone fruit. Smells absolutely amazing.

Palate is toffee, molasses, butterscotch and brown sugar highlighting the decadent malt characteristics. Sweet in the perfect way. Again, getting an orange and/or apricot marmalade, super unique to me for a beer.

Full bodied mouthfeel–smooth, thick and syrupy with mild carbonation.

What a great beer. I can only imagine this with some barrel or a little more age on it. May have to seek out more! 10.5% is not detected. This was another immensely enjoyable beer from the BIF. Thanks again, Tim!

 

This is actually the second @Jasonja1474 BSBIF drink tonight: A wiseacre discernible something summinabish… Or chocolate astronaut status. I thought Leonid meteors were out tonight, but I am seeing nothing. The beer is nice. Cacao nibs dominate, but have a nice liqueur vibe from the rum. Many ounces, enjoying this crisp night by the fire outside.

 

My wife and I instituted a tradition on the day after our wedding. We were both sick as dogs with covid (We tested positive at the wedding. I barely remember that week. I had a big enough fever that my awareness/memory was... iffy. I've been told I said, 'yes.' I have no desire to push back against that theory, because according to reports, SHE said 'yes' as well!!). Anyway, I half woke-up to my blushing bride and her younger sister on the couch watching some mediocre netflix movie starring, among other people, David Duchovny. We then watched Zoolander. Then Evolution. Thus we decided to dub it Duchovny Day. That evening we started watching The X-Files. I'd never seen a single episode before that day. I tell this tale to set up tonight: We have finally reached the end. After 11 seasons and 2 movies, we are ready to set into the very last X-Files episode of all time. This show always remind me of an old roommate that my sister had when she lived in LA who was obsessed with it. Pretty exciting stuff, I know.

Anyway, I'll also be dipping into my first ever Trillium brew tonight.



Trillum - Pot & Kettle - Vanilla

The pour is lovely. Rich dark brown bordering on black. A small khaki head of fine bubbles . Dissipates pretty quickly back down to just a ring with a galaxy.

The nose... is vanilla. It's VANILLA. Rich sweet vanilla bean. It's hard to get much else behind it. Digging deep, I can find some roasty malts and a bit of coffee, but it's the vanilla channel, starring V. planifolia.

Flavour, thankfully, gives some room for the rest of the profile to breathe, at least a little bit. Dark, rich, bold. These are the descriptors that first come to mind. Dark roast running into burnt malts. It brings to mind dark roasted coffee beans and extra dark chocolate. It's all drizzled with a coating of sweet vanilla. Kind of reminds me of condensed milk, in the quality of sweetness.

It's not as smoothe as I want out of an oatmeal porter, and teh finish does go into some bitter, but carries an almost tart element that again reminds me of condensed milk, or lactose of some sort.

Overall... there's an intriguing dark roasty/burnt malt porter base lurking in there, but the vanilla is a bit overdone and the sweetness doesn't really balance/blend so much as just kind of stand in opposition to its bold dark sinews.



Cheers y'all, and, uh... Believe? In something, maybe I guess?
Believe in beer, at least!