New Beer Weekend #175

Good evening all, I may not be over whatever ailed me last week but when Bell’s has something named “All Stouts Day” I had to go.

Last event I went there for was Black Note day and they were out of stock by the time we finished lunch and went to buy some, fortunately @PapaGoose03 saw my wails of disappointment and traded one of his so I could try it, and I will long remembering his generosity. All that and then they have 2023 back in stock!
I asked when Third Coast Ale was going to be released and was informed that they didn’t brew any this year. Say what?!?
But they had BBA 35th Anniversary Expedition Stout available and that alone would have made it worth the trip.
Didn’t try it this time in the flight as I was trying to try new ones, and partially succeeded.
Sorry no pictures of the beer, but take my word for it, they all looked like stouts, almost the same.
Back tomorrow with a proper entry for the thread, cheers!

 

That lineup looks like trouble...

 

No Third Coast!!!!!!??? That’s not good.

Enjoy

 

This went down real fast...
Arcobrau Grafiches Festbier 5.7% ABV
4.27/5 rDev +17.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
500ml bottle production code 23152 into a dimple mug.
L: SRM 2 Pours clear light gold with a 1/4" rocky bright white head, steady carbonation bubbles, head recedes to edge foam, random spotty lacing.
S: Bready malts, a light hop notes, very lightly floral.
T: Gently fruity hops with light zest, sweet apple hints, soft doughy Vienna bread notes, lightly sweet malts, a hint of honey, has a trace of a metallic taste.
F: Lightly crisp medium-light bodied with a medium-fast clean finish that is very lightly drying.
O: An excellent German Festbier overall. It has been severely underrated. It is crisp, bready with gentle sweetness and is very easy drinking. Quite clean and traditional with non-existent ABV. IMHO it is outstanding in its style.

 

Day three of four, this one from one of my favorite suburban breweries. Also beer three of ??? in this Polish Pils Series.

Goldfinger Polish Pils Series #3: Lubelski & Princely Hops



Can Notes: Purchased at Beer on the Wall, shelf temperature, for $4.00 on 10/30/23, refrigerated until this morning. 16 oz canned 10/17/23, 4.6% ABV. Brewed and packaged by Goldfinger Brewing Company, Downers Grove, Illinois. Herbal, Coconut, Apricot.

This beer is part of our rotating Polish hopped pilsner series to pay homage to our brewery's Polish origins and to showcase the beauty of hops that come from there.

Appearance: Poured the first half of the can into a pilsner glass, yielding heavy carbonation, a generous white creamy head that takes a while to settle leaving a creamy cover over the base and generous lacing. Base is a crystal clear golden yellow straw pour. Looks great. 4.5

Aroma: Traditional pilsner yeast and flavor profile, fresh backed bread/cracker, salt and pepper, getting lemongrass and hay. Bold, strong, and enticing. 4.25

Taste: Pretty close to the aroma (bread, cracker, light salt, more pepper, grassy) plus getting a bit of mineral water. I do not get the coconut or apricot listed on the brewery's taste profile printed on the can, but I do get a bit of a sweet flavor, perhaps a peach or pear, though to be honest only searching for this aspect based on the can notes. This is a traditional pilsner flavor, with the portions I prefer highlighted and quite excellent. 4.75

Mouthfeel: Thin, crisp, light, clean refreshing. For my warped salt pilsner issues, this selection works great for me. Drinks light and easy, carbonation sustained throughout mildly prickly, getting a nice cracker salt finish. Carbonation feels heavy / bloating. 4.5

Overall: This is a great Pilsner. Honestly didn't get the hinted taste characteristics, but this delivered on all aspects. Wish this was a regular release, one of my favorite Pilsners I can recall by memory. Well done Goldfinger! 4.5

@FBarber

 

Good day BAs! Off to another cold, drizzly start to this NW PA fallintowinter day. I've been home almost a week and everyday (except one) has been like this. It's too wet to bring my snowblower from the shed to the garage or to deal with the six inches of oak leaves in my yard (I have NO oak tree but my upwind neighbor with the clean yard does!) Usually the afternoon wind reverses and the smoke from the smoldering leaves returns home.
Today's New Breakfast Beer is one I brought back from TX:




Incantations (2022 Vintage) – from Burlington Beer. Acquired 06/11/23 from Spec’s #100 SAT, TX. $ 14.90 (Including tax)/500 mL bottle, $ 0.88/fl oz. Reviewed 25/11/23 (Review 3178). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Only date on bottle is “Vintage 2022” on one end of the label, but the opposite of end of the label has embossed “120722”. On room temperature shelf at the store, stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 57.0 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 59.9 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Amber Brown (SRM 18), light barely penetrates.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same but looks slightly oily. When rear-lite, same with light penetration at the edges only, red amber.
Head: Average (Maximum 1.5 cm, aggressive center pour), brown sugar, high density and fizzy, dropping to a 0.15 cm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – Poor - three prominences of extremely tiny bubbles.
Aroma – 4 – Weak whiskey and oak, chocolate. No hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 4.5 – Begins slightly sweet with chocolate and whiskey, some peppery background, becomes slightly bitter almost immediately. No yeast, no hops. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Moderate gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Full; creamy; moderate carbonation. None of the oiliness noted in the appearance is present.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 Very good rye-based impy stout! Next time I’m in TX, I’ll look for more of this VT beer since it’s not available here in NW PA.
Rating 4.25, rDev +1.9%

 

Truth by Tree House Brewing Company

4.47/5 rDev -2.8%

look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brewers notes = Truth is our Barrel-aged Imperial Stout. Featuring a blend of three standout barrels brewed and barreled in 2018, Truth is the purest expression of barrel-aged beer that we make.

In the glass, we taste potent but balanced flavors of chocolate bourbon candy, sweet vanilla-like oak, tootsie rolls, and baker’s chocolate. Though the flavors are intense, they are beautifully balanced making Truth a joy to enjoy and savor as it warms up.

We are proud of this beer, and being the first time we’ve been able to enjoy it in almost five years, we are feeling very nostalgic.

Ranked #25 American Imperial Stout and #123 overall on Beer Advocate

Silver waxed and capped 12 oz bottle

Pours a thick black syrup , no foam or head

Aroma is bourbon, chocolate , sherry

Taste is a chocolate bourbon tootsie roll, umami, cocoa powder

Thick mouthfeel , syrupy , one of the thickest beers I have ever had

Good beer

 

I know, right!?! I am currently blaming the new owners but trying to keep an open mind.

Related BA story- so @Bishop reached out and asked for some and I was happy to help. Had 21 and 22 in the cellar and they were both bottled in October of their respective years. So late November I figured Bell’s General Store would be the place to find it first. So I asked. And a woman who gave me the impression she was the manager told me that they didn’t brew any this year.
This of course prompted a conversation about how and why they could do this! I was incredulous.
So the guy I was down there with was perplexed at my emotion and asked later “Is the Third Coast Ale something you like that much or was it to send to someone?” He apparently knows me well.
I answered “both”.
Okay, not really funny, but definitely BA related.
Cheers!

 

Back again and in Dallas, WI, and probably for the last time.


Queen Victoria's Secret - Valkyrie brewing- Dallas, WI - English IPA

Delicious old school English IPA.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/683/11511/

3.59/5 rDev +33.5% look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75 From the tap at the brewery. Somewhere between clear and murky pouring. Golden in color, looks somewhat like a hefe. The head is a frothy 1 finger white color. Beautiful lacing on the glass. Nose is very minimal. Just a very faint hop aroma. Taste is more malty. Lots of biscuit and honey in the beer. Slightly earthy flavor. There's a faint hop presence on the back that has a slight bitterness. Full and smooth body Not a typical American IPA, but it's not supposed to be. This is very old school and I like it.

Be back some time today or tomorrow

 

Received a Batch #1 750ml bottle from @Mikexw 11-4-23 as part of the Barleywine/Stout BIF #1. Presumably bottled sometime in 2013; consumed 11-25-23. Pairing this with the greateast college football rivalry in America, Go Blue!

Beer poured reddish-brown with a nice tan head which is surprising for such an older beer.

Nose is dark fruit forward with toffee and brown sugar. Not getting any bourbon.

Taste is sublime as the larger malt base gives notes of caramel, toffee, figs, raisins all topped with a touch of brown sugar. Finishes with a nice warmth and some balance provided by the subliminal bourbon barrel. So damn easy to sip on!

Mouthfeel is medium to large bodied with each sip being creamy smooth.

Overall this is such a treat to enjoy something that is 10 years old. Thank you, Mike, for the opportunity to enjoy; this is a home run!

4.51/5 rDev +10.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

 

Horchata Bourbon Barrel Brick Kiln


12.6% Barleywine by Jackie O’s aged for 19 months

Poured from the brewery’s familiar 12.7% bottle, poured is a dark black body with a momentary head that quickly disappears. No lacing.

Nose is sweet bourbon barrel, light cinnamon and dark fruit.

Taste follows nose and adds wee bits of oak and vanilla. The barrel is present and taste is sweet but not hot. The ABV is well masked. Finish is luxurious and the oak meshes well with the barrel here.

Mouthfeel is good: a bit sticky but soft and smooth with light carbonation.

A good barleywine that just misses the mark given the horchata designation. A bit too subtle on those flavors. Nonetheless an easy drinking delicious barleywine.

 

Just a scrumptious beer! Cheers!
Headflyer/Elm Creek Friend Of A Friend Hazy Pale Ale 5%ABV
4.13/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
16 oz can canned 11/6/23 into a nonic pint glass.
L: SRM 3 Pours hazy medium-dark orange gold with a thin cookie-like rounded white head, very light carbonation, OK head retention, has a few large dark sinking sediment chunks, head gets frothy, medium-thick lacing with loose sheeting and banding, leftover sediment in glass.
S: Slightly vinous dank notes, papaya, pineapple, stone fruit, light citrus, a lazy hint of coconut.
T: Lush mango, pineapple, papaya, citrus pith, a trace element of coconut, light grain notes, wheat, oats.
F: Very gently punchy medium-light feel with a sunny middle and a fast extra luxuriously soft finish that is moderately drying. Has a touch of creaminess.
O: A bit redolent of a mimosa. Quenching and refreshing, subtle sweetness, fruity and lightly bright overall. Has a tropical halo. It is excellent in its style.

 

Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Eagle Rare 2-Year Reserve Stout (2023), 14.5% ABV. Pours thick and black with a nice one-finger brown head that left no lacing. Aroma is bourbon, chocolate, toffee, and vanilla. Taste is a moderately sweet chocolate, toffee, vanilla, roast malt, and bourbon. Excellent mouthfeel, overall world-class. My highest rated beer.

4.88/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 5

Since this is now my highest-rated beer, I'll be rounding up a few more for the cellar.

 

Visiting my sister-in-law and her husband today, so a quick one for me. My bro-in-law was an inveterate Coors Light drinker - until I got ahold of him.

Now he’s one of us. I’m so proud. This magnificent beer is from his stash.





4.5/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a very hazy pineapple color with a creamy white head that coats the glass. Gorgeous hazy. Big, dank citrus notes on the nose, including ripe oranges, pineapple, mango,, and passion fruit make for a mouth watering nose.

The oranges and mango are most prominent on the taste and delicious, complemented by the pineapple and passion fruit flavors and a smidge of sweet oats. Really tasty stuff here.

The mouthfeel is full and soft, perfect for this beer. Other Half rocks.

 

Yum. I've been eyeballing a bottle of 2021 GIBC cherry wood I got 12/15/21. Well cellared and I put it in the fridge Feb. 4th of this year. Itching to have it. Cheers to your highest rated beer!!

 

Good Saturday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. I've sampled Free Will Brewing's Ralphius a couple of times during bottle shares but I'm excited for my first proper review. I attended the release yesterday and purchased a half case of bottles, including various variants which I'll review over the next few months (if I'm disciplined).

2023 release. Poured at 64° It's a dark mahogany-walnut color with a half finger of creamy, dark khaki/light mocha head and thin film of lacing. Great head retention. Lovely, fragrant nose with dark chocolate, burnt coffee, toffee, molasses, tobacco smoke, and nutty char. The taste follows, delightfully, with bitter chocolate, acidic coffee, caramel/vanilla, leather, and earthy char. There are also notes of anise and a hint of black cherry and other dark fruits. It is boozy but not in a distracting way. The tastes blend beautifully. The mouthfeel is luxuriously viscous and creamy with low/moderate carbonation, and I can feel the 14.5% ABV. It's warming but not overpowering. Overall, I'm grateful to finally have a full bottle of Ralphius. It's big, complex, and thoroughly enjoyable This RIS deserves its World-Class reputation.

4.43/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I can't wait to try the variants!

 

Thanks! Cherry Wood ought to be aging well. Be sure to report back how it's doing.

 

Alesmith - Barrel Aged Lost Prophet: Duvalin Edition

750ml bottle served in a smallish snifter. Vintage 2022. Bought it at Alesmith sometime around May.

Pours black with a late-forming head, very slow carbonation, looks thick and viscous. Smell is tons of booze and vanilla. Some barrel char, dark molasses, burnt toffee.

Taste actually balances out the booze. Screaming chocolate and hazelnut, luscious vanilla, a creamy note that makes me think of milk chocolate and vanilla ice cream.

Mouthfeel is big, soft, heavy, but not oppressive. Fluffy comes to mind. Overall...this is a really, really good stout.