New Beer Weekend #176

Merry Monkey

10% Belgian Strong Ale by Victory

I enjoy several beers made by Victory. This is not one of them.

Poured from a twelve ounce bottle, the body is a golden-brown with white head. Lacing throughout the tasting.

Nose says Belgian and has sweet tones of cherry and cranberry. Inviting.

Taste is not for me as there's a cinnamon blast that dominates and is ore off putting than bitter. Perhaps I have a bad bottle, but there are enough beers out there to try that I'll stop here. YMMV and I certainly hope it does.

 

Well, back again, and I am almost 100% sure I've never had this beer. If I have, it was a LONG time ago, and long before I joined and started reviewing beers.


Warlock - Southern Tier Brewing - Lakewood, NY - Pumpkin Beer - 8.6% ABV

Ironically, this beer is best by my 52nd birthday on June 29th, 2025.

The aroma is totally lacking in this beer, but, the flavor is intense. I am glad I picked up some of it, though, I did give away 3 bottles of it. Well, one is plenty. Pretty good.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3818/99558/


3.8/5 rDev -4.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
From a 12oz bottle - Best by 06-29-25 (what will be my 52nd birthday)

A bit of hiss and a bit of smoke rising from the bottle upon opening. This is a dark pouring beer. I saw notes of brown and amber in the pour. In the glass it's more dark brown, but, when I hold it to the light, I do see some amber hues shining through the glass. There's a 1 finger tan head that forms from the pour. Looks a bit frothy, and fluffy. Retention is decent overall. No lacing on the glass. Very impressed with how it looks.
The aroma is very light. It's not off putting, but it's barely there. Hints or roasted malt, and faint pumpkin spice is here, but so damn faint.
Taste - The flavor is way, way more than the nose let on. I get almost a tea flavor in this beer. I get some cinnamon, clove and nutmeg.
Smooth body, and fairly full feeling.
The aroma is a let down, but the flavor is totally on target. Delicious.

I may have one more in me, I just don't know yet, if not, see you all next weekend!

 

Alrighty, wife's off to work, kids took over the living room with the bounce house in their Grinch costumes/pj's playing, time for a beer review!

I want to preface this one by saying that Proper makes some excellent goses, and really knows how to make their salt stand out. (Maybe it's great salt lake salt?) However they do it, it's superb, so seeing a salted caramel porter, it was absolutely coming home with me.

Proper - Salted Caramel

Postimages seems to be down, so I'll have to do a pic later

Purchased from the local grocer for about $2
Poured at fridge temp into a nonic glass.

Pours a cola brown with ruby hints that shine when the light hits it, and a robust 2F tan head. Slight oil slick left behind and some light lacing. 4.25

Largely dark and sweet chocolate malt on the nose, some coffee roast, and hint of earthy hops.4

Immediate salt on the first sip, followed by darker caramel and subtle chocolate. The salt really balances and enriched the overall character and sweetness. Like how chocolate chip cookies are better w/salt than without. 4.25

Body is creamy, soft, moderate carbo bite, and a hint of those earthy hops on the finish. 4

Overall another brilliant salted beer from Proper and one that will be back in my fridge again asap. 4

 

Salt in a Gose is normal and expected, but I don’t enjoy salt in much any other beer. Obviously many people do though, so I may be in the minority.
Cheers! Glad it worked for you! I have a salty stout that I might just have to send you as I’m not going to drink it.

 

Deal!

Since postimages is back up, here was the salted caramel



Well I got last night's memo about schwarzbier, so here I am with one of my own.

Wasatch - Black Lager


Purchased from the grocer for about $2
Canned 9.13.23
Poured at near fridge temp into a pokal glass

Pours dark black coffee with some cola brown edges. Mocha tan colored head and spongey lacing. 4

Dark bitter coffee and hoppy florals on the nose. Wasn't expecting those but it's really nice. 3.75

Cocoa, light toasty coffee, and light easy drinking malty grains. 3.5

Fully frothy nearing on creamy body, mild carbo, and quick crisp finish. 3.5

Overall a nice smelling and looking lager, but fell a bit flat on taste. Might try it again, but a decent option for a schwarzbier. 3.75

 

"Dark As Day," a collaboration between Embolden and Southnorte, described as a "golden milk stout" with flavors meant to evoke horchata. This sounded like an interesting idea, but I couldn't finish the pint. Cheers in any case!

Pint can, no date - sampled in my Samuel Smith nonic.

Pale jonquil body with a fizzy rapidly vanishing dusting of foam leaving a vague collar. Poor retention, faint lacing.

Toasted sugar, peanut marzipan, and canela greet the nose.

Sweet palate entry with the alcohol and horchata notes suggesting a cheap soju with hints of melon, sorghum, and spice. Low bitterness, non-specific (perhaps a hint of orange) hop flavor, and flaccid malt struggling to emerge from the lactose. Sweet-ish finish, though not quite cloying.

Thin yet oily body with mediocre carbonation and surprisingly warming despite the modest ABV.

Not at all to style; not at all to my taste.

 

alt bier (that's what the label states) by Beer Tree Brew. I am enjoying this excellent American version while watching the Pats game so for now I have a quick review.

Great looks, shiny copper penny, clear with a lasting soapy light biege lasting head.

Bready toasted malt and mild floral hops.

Neutral taste at 1st with bold hop flavor yet mild bitterness. Malty smooth with a quick finish.

Medium-light bodied with carbonation to the end. True to style and highly quaffable for a 5%-er. Prost.

 

I love that one.

 

Went to Concentric Brewing in Portland Connecticut yesterday. Every beer on draft was great. My wife picked up a 4-pack of the Portland Pilsner on the way out.
A 5.1% Pils. However, read on.

Poured from a 16-oz can stamped 10/06/22! Despite being picked up from the cooler at the brewery yesterday. Poured into a pils glass at fridge temp.
Take about a slow pour. Foam was coming out of the can when I popped the top, despite gentle handling from fridge to table. Pouring down the side of the glass produced ⅓ liquid, ⅔ foam. Wait. It took a while, but I ended up with a puffy white head (no surprise) above a hazy yellow/gold body with a hint of green.
The aroma is quite grassy.
The taste is not that great. A little pungent with some grass notes and a bit of a hop bite.
Carbonation is just over moderate, despite the trouble with opening the can and pouring.
There is no excuse for selling a 14-month old can in the brewery that produced it. Drain pour.

 

Surely is an admirable brewery, quite surely

 

At least it looks like you had a damn good plate of food in front of you. Sorry about the beer

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. My first review this afternoon is Ralphius - Dystopia Barrel, from Free Will Brewing in Pennsylvania. It's one of the 2023 Ralphius variants released last week and I'm proud to post the first BA review. Free Will has brewed an American Strong Ale called Dystopias which clocks in at a whopping 20.1% ABV. The ale is aged "for multiple years . . . in many types of barrels, utilizing a unique fermentation technique along the way, with multiple yeast strains and sugar additions." The Stout is aged in Dystopias barrels although, mercifully, the ABV is "only" 15.1%. I can only say, "WOW!"

Poured at 62° The color is a dark walnut with almost a finger of creamy, medium mocha head and film of lacing. It has a big, bold nose with dark chocolate, toffee, raisin, molasses, and whiffs of anise and dark fruit, along with distinct liquor from the Dystopias barrel. The taste is just as good: caramel/toffee, butterscotch, burnt coffee, rich chocolate, raisin, fig, leather, tobacco, and molasses. The barrel influence is strong but not overpowering. There is great depth of flavor but the tastes blend seamlessly. It's definitely boozy and warming and should be sipped slowly. There is a touch of alcohol burn at the finish. The mouth feel is luxuriously plush and creamy with low moderate carbonation. You could easily cork it and open again later. The 15.1% ABV is powerful. Overall, this Ralphius variant is a gem.

I haven't had the opportunity to drink Free Will's Dystopias American Strong Ale but after this hint I surely hope to do so.

4.49/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I'll be back shortly to cleanse my palate with a new DIPA. Cheers, NBW!

 

Fremont + Fox Farm - Little Lies Czech-style pilsner...I was more than a little excited to see both of these logos on one can.

16oz can served in a footed pilsner glass. Can is dated 11/18/23. Bought it at Fremont yesterday.

Pours clear dark golden with a couple fingers of head that collapse slowly into a thick, lumpy layer. Not much carbonation at rest. Smell is light bread dough / yeast, refreshing cut greens, hint of lemon and pine.

Taste is bright grass and pine, breadiness goes into the background a little bit, yeasty dough is still noticeable, a bit of resin late in the aftertaste.

Mouthfeel is light clean and crisp. Overall, this is a very tasty beer that I kind of wish I had a growler of. It would be super easy and enjoyable to drink this in great quantity.

 

Hey what's going on?

So I have had an insane weekend. Long story short, I rescued an abandoned cat, got it to a vet, and found a home for it in less than 24 hours. It was intense but incredibly satisfying.

With that said, it's time for a tasty reward, with some new beers.

Scientist - Third Hill Brewing



Poured from the can into a nonic(k) pint glass.

Exceptionaly clear body, with a crystal appearance you can see right through. Golden brass and orange colored, with just a faint amount of carbonation. Real nice fluffy topped head. Capped tall at an easy three fingers with bleach white color and great lacing and staying power power.

Delicious inviting aroma. Biscuity notes of malt , with a light hop bitterness of pine and maybe a hint of orange citrus like quality. Slight hint of honey sweetness too which adds a nice bit of complexity and layers.

Palate is nice but more hop forward. Bitter pine astringency dominant, taking a bit more out of the malt diversity on the palate. Still a light sweet touch does manage to come out, giving to a good biscuit quality of light cookie dough, with at least matching honey sweetness. Mild pine and herbs with a good biting finish, seems to leave behind any sense of citrus.

This is just a real solid drinking Pale Ale. Definitely one to remember.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 | BA General : 4.09

Cheers!

 

I decided to grab something unusual from the cellar to try this afternoon. This is Stingo 1920 from Brasserie Artisinale Albion in Joliette Québec. It’s a Burton ale from a 100 year old recipe brewed with brettanomyces. Albion is a great little brewery north of Montreal that does a lot of interesting stuff. Lots of traditional styles and historical recipes. I have difficulty getting their beer because they don’t bottle much of it. When I have a chance, I jump at it.



Pours a mahogany brown with a tremendous orange head that builds to an alpine peak, and dissipates very slowly, never really going away.

The aroma is first and foremost brett. There is also lots of fig, prune and other dried stone fruits. The leather mentioned on the label is noticeable as well.

The Brett hits first on the tongue. The leather note is also up front on the initial sip. A melange of stewed fruits follow up as that sip is swallowed.

The body is surprisingly light.

This was a pleasure to try and I’d gladly have it again. If you are in Joliette, I suggest taking the time for visit. A real gem of a brewery that heads in the opposite direction of the current beer trends.

Cheers!

 

I doubt they were thinking about this, but wondering if that is a reference to the Townes Van Zandt song, of the same name, which is one of my favorites...

 

NBS #2 is a local DIPA, Stocking Stuffer, from Magnify Brewing Co., hopped with Nectaron and Waimea. I didn't try this one when it was first released last year but based upon earlier reviews by respected BAs @Latarnik and @hopsputin, it appears that Mag has improved this ale. While not at the top of Mag's game, it's tasty and easy drinking.

Reviewed less than a week after 2023 can release. It pours an opaque, muddy tangerine color with a finger of fluffy, bright white head and thick, clinging lacing. A rather sedate nose with lemon, pineapple, onion, crackery malt, and just a whiff of sweeter tropical fruits. The dry malt dominates the early part of the taste but at mid-palate there is a good balance of tart lemon and grapefruit against pineapple, melon, and some other tropical notes. It's not overly bitter and has a firm malt finish. A good mouth feel: fairly creamy with moderate carbonation, and the 8% ABV gives it good substance without distracting. A second pour is not a issue. Overall, while not one of Magnify's top DIPAS, Stocking Stuffer is solid and provides enjoyable drinking.

3.98/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Cheers and have a great week, NBW!

 

Bonesaw - Silver Queen

12oz can served in a snulip. Can is dated 09/15/23. Got it from @jonphisher because he's a beer angel.

Pours a clear light yellow-gold with a smallish head. Smell is a bit of skunky yeast funk, a little creamy honey sweetness, some corn and grain.

Taste is a little creamy / corny, medium strength pine / cut grass bitterness. Something slightly sour and funky.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and quite lively. Overall, easy drinking and pretty good.