New Beer Weekend #177

3 Floyds Alpha Klaus (Sorry about the crappy picture)


Appearance: Black, good head.

Smell: Dark roast, almost burnt smell.

Taste: Heavy roasted malt, high percentage dark chocolate throughout, bitter hoppy finish.

Overall: Really hoppy and really roasty porter, low sweetness. Reminds me of some years of Surly Darkness, when they amp up the hops, but not quite as heavy as that one. Good price (2023), only $12 for a 6 pack.

 

Lunch at Creston Brewery. Olive Burger and Creston Coitconut Porter.
Porter finished on organic coconut flakes and cold brew coffee from Littlefoot Roasters.
The appearance is appropriately dark; not quite “stout black” but close.
The beige head leaves reasonable lacing.
The taste when cold is more about the roast and coffee, the coconut is very faint.
It came out more after I let it sit for a bit to warm up, the coffee and roast were still present but didn’t dominate.
The feel was eminently quaffable. Fits the style quite well.
Back in a few with the others…

 

So. Saugatuck Brewery has an Imperial Neapolitan Stout that was early pastry in the sense of the additives but it was seldom sweet. This year, in addition to the original BBA version (10 months in Buffalo Trace barrels) they have 3 separate infused versions; chocolate, vanilla and strawberry.
They have the “original” and strawberry on tap so that’s what I ask for.
The original is decadent in richness with strawberry being a bit more noticeable than the chocolate or vanilla but really it’s a nice treat as all are present.
The Strawberry infused version is no less decadent and the Strawberry is more front and center. It seems to lack some of the complexity of the original, but I would think that is almost expected.
The OG is preferred but the Strawberry was nice to try.
Cheers all!

 

Here is Nectaron Chroma from Other Half, a 6.3% IPA made with a single New Zealand hop - Nectraron.

3.6/5 rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Poured from a 16-oz undated can to a Nonic at fridge temp.
It pours out with a hazy light yellow body and a puffy, persistent pure white head. While drinking the first two inches of beer, the foam was a complete white sheet of lacing.
I smell a background of general citrus with musty wet leaves and onion layered on top.
The flavor is more tropical and stone fruit. Sweet in the front, hop bite in the back.
Carbonation is moderate, same for the tongue coating.
Not the best Other Half beer, but still quite good.

 

Almost every BA that has commented on this beer has done so positively. I’ve notice every pic it is quite a pretty looking beer with great head.

So many positive comments I plan to buy a single if I come across it as such

 

Drekker Chonk Tropical Creamsicle Sundae Sour, 6.7% ABV. Pours opaque bright-orange with a big-bubble head that left puree residue. Aroma is vanilla ice cream, orange, and pear. Taste follows, quite sweet, moderately tart. Decent mouthfeel with adequate carbonation. Overall excellent to outstanding adjacent.

4.26/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

Looks like Micah (@GreenBayBA) is having a blast at KBBS Release day.

 

I can never find Industrial Arts Wrench or Power Tools when I visit New York, but those beers somehow showed up in a shop here, if you have the coin,

3.98/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

The beer looks great, very clear and abundant head. There is something in the aroma and taste that is a little funky which I'm not used to in an AIPA. Maybe I am having an off day. I still enjoyed it and look forward to trying it again.

 

Joy and I are heading out to dinner with our lake friends, so a quick one and done for me this scarily warm (51 degrees) December evening in Northern Indiana, but it’s a doozy of a dark lager from one of my two favorite lager-centric breweries ….. anywhere that just happen to be 90 minutes from me.

Dovetail is the realio dealio, IMHO.





4.35/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a rich mahogany brown color, unfiltered body, and a creamy light tan head that lingers as a cap on the beer and provides moderate lacing. Beautiful beer. The nose is a mix of chocolate, wheat bread, and roasty char. I am drooling.

The chocolate and roasty malt flavors are forward and exquisite, with the wheat bread flavor at the back of the palate, providing a smooth finish that is world class, IMHO.

The mouthfeel is medium and on the crisper side, but soft enough to allow the malty flavors to shine. This is absolutely delicious and so well executed. Just a pleasure to drink.

 

Thank you for kicking off the weekend @AzfromOz with your excellent selection. Glad Micah @GreenBayBA was able to have a focused experience with KBBS after facilitating the share including inviting his local friend who gave most of us the opportunity to enjoy a shared bottle of this for the very first time. Also nice to see @tolar111 join us with his Cold IPA review.

Originally planned for two Treehouse bangers this weekend, but the double digit ABVs were intimidating after enjoying several beers the past two days, so starting this weekend with my lone under 10% ABV beer on hand, and will rest up to enjoy one of the stronger beers tomorrow.

Goldfinger Baltic Porter



Can Notes: $4.25 single can purchased 12/8 at store temperature at Beer on the Wall. 16 oz canned 11/13/23. Baltic Porter, 7.1% ABV. Brewed and packaged by Goldfinger Brewing Company, Downers Grove, Illinois.

Roasty, Chocolaty, Malty. This naturally carbonated lager is rooted in family tradition. Brewed like our ancestors did in 19th century Krakow. Na Zdrowie!

Appearance: Poured all but a few ounces into an imperial pint nonic glass. Dark clear ruby bronze base, bubbly egg white tan head yields soapy lacing and a creamy base cover. 4.25

Aroma: Roast malt, cocoa. Buttering hops yield a balanced aroma. Just as expected and advertised. Medium to high strength, similar level of enjoyment. 4.0

Taste: Consistent with the aroma with enhancements. Sticky fresh caramel and toffee lead, roast chocolate malt follows. Sweeter than anticipated, enjoying despite my aversion to excess sweetness. Tastes largely like a caramel chocolate sundae. 4.25

Mouthfeel: A bit chalky, drinks light and easy we’ll under the ABV. Negligible carbonation, very sweeter, tastes more sweet as I continue. Strong caramel notes on the finish. 3.75

Overall: Caramel sundae, or a Twix. If you like that, you’ll like this. This is a departure from the listed style, but I’m digging this and it would make a nice post meal dessert beer. 4.0

Cheers!

 

Phillips - Dino Sour Stone Fruit

16oz can served in a little snifter. Bought it in Vancouver BC in August. Date, which I assume is "best by", is JAN 18 24.

Pours clear light yellow with a slight darker amber tinge, very little head. Smell is tart, peachy, with a distinct kettle-sour note.

Taste is dominated by kettle sourness, though it does have a very noticeable peachy / stonefruit character.

Mouthfeel is light and dry. Overall...it's probably a pretty good kettle sour, and just not really my favorite style.
7 minutes ago Edit Delete

 

New Belgium Voodoo Ranger Cryo Ranger Golden IPA - This looked interesting so I grabbed a single, BB 11 Feb 2024, canned on 09/11. Pours from a can a clear golden color (duh) with a thick head. Smell is nice and there's a creamy thing going on with some hops in there but it's inviting. Taste is good, smooth and creamy with just the right amount of hops and bitterness for my palate (this may be due to the age but it certainly didn't hurt this beer) and the 7.8% is very well hidden and this drinks much lighter than that; and there is a "cold" and crisp taste to this beer even as it warms. Good beer, glad I gave it a go.

https://www.newbelgium.com/beer/voodoo-ranger-cryo-ranger/

 

4 brand new East Coast IPAs
Escape | Carton | 8.1% | IPA | NJ
4.16/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Added by Act 25, Zoomy, creamy, Double NEIPA, Hops: Azacca, Citra, El Dorado, Mandarina Bavaria, Yeast: Bavarian, built around Azacca as a coconut, pineapple, smooth through and through hazed DIPA.
Quite a great nose, the best of the sum of its parts. Gets better as it warms.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cy1IB6sJMsj/

Juicy Pebbulls | Bolero Snort | 6% | NEIPA | NJ
4.09/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
4th review. Great suprise. Another minerally jersey IPA, this one from Carlstadt.
a) Lots of lace over classy wheaty yellow haze bomb body.
s) I get the late addition lime, and myriad hop punch bowl. Michigan hops evident in the red- and citric candy and floral notes.
t) Metallic, minerally - in a good way which is helped by the lime and the citric hops
f) Silky, mineral, wine-like.
o) Lots of Cashmere, Lotus, Michigan Copper and Citra - and late-addition lime!

Venomous Villains | KCBC | IPA | 6.9%| Brooklyn
4.08/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Welcome copper, mostly clear body as west coast is my preference.
S) Ample earthy pine and grass with hints of candied orange.
T) Marmalade meets pine and earthy grass, sun baked herbal coastal path.

 

Here's the first of a couple real fresh offerings from Mt. Holly Beer Co.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/60182/681900/



16 ounce canned packaged 55 hours ago at 11:47 AM 12/07/23 (two days ago!)

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a nearly two inch white head over a hazy golden body with sticky lacing.

Nose of citrus, slight strawberry, and a bit of passion fruit.

Taste follows nose fairly closely with the berry coming forward.
Finish is a cross between citrus pith bitterness and berry bitterness.

Nice soft feel with medium carbonation.

Overall, a crushable IPA that really quenches your thirst!
Go find this one and you won't be disappointed!!
Cheers!!!

 

Neshaminy Creek Young Pumpkinstein Marzen-Style Lager w/ Allspice, Candied Ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg - I'm a fan of NC and they're one of the top local breweries in my book. I'm also a big Marzen and Pumpkin Ale fan and do enjoy spiced beers IF they are the right spices and the mixture is just so. This beer has some age on it (it's an August release) but outside of most IPAs I really don't mind a little age on a beer.

Pours from a 16 oz can, no date (one negative about this brewery is that they still don't date individual cans and instead put a sticker with the Julian date on the plastic pack holder) a nice dark copper color, nice head. Smell is delicious and all of the spices are there but not overly done. Taste is excellent and I am really digging this, the Lager aspect works well with everything going on and the Marzen base is there with the spices but it's not overly done; a beer where you can taste every ingredient but it doesn't lean in any one direction. And at 5.2% this is not too big of a beer.

This is an Autumn beer but if they shifted the marketing it could be a nice Winter beer. I'm glad I gave this a shot and this is very good, would gladly drink again and I'll be looking for this in the future.

https://neshaminycreekbrewing.com/beer/young-pumpkinstein/

 

Every time I see this beer I here Step Brothers..."Dale!!! No power tools...what? no power tools...that is not your toothbrush"

You make this one sound like quite the tasty beer, I've seen it around but never realized it had ginger in it too. I tend to enjoy all things ginger, especially if not overdone, and this one seems be nicely balanced based on your take.

 

I'm a big ginger fan also and it sounds like you'd enjoy this, give it a go if you still see it around. I'm about halfway through the glass and enjoying it more with each and every sip, I don't know why I slept on this beer for so long but it's really a standout and I would gladly have another if I had one on hand.

 

Hello friends! I really enjoy this simple Ale. No hint of alcohol and is EZ drinking. I may raise the Look rating a bit. Cheers!
Dubuisson Cuvee Des Trolls 7% ABV
3.94/5 rDev +9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
11.2 oz bottle date code G 4 29 1-16 into a tulip glass.
L: SRM 5 Bottle foams out a bit upon opening. Pours a lightly yeast hazed apricot gold color with steady churning carbonation and an actively growing pillowy & frothy white head with a large cap, very remarkable head retention, some dark yeast off the bottle bottom colors the cap, light soapy lacing. 3 slow pours to empty bottle.
S: Yeast, grains, light caramel malts, background fruits, a hint of apple.
T: Gently sweet grains, light citrus, orange, a hint of pale wheat, has wheat in the aftertaste and a hint of water crackers.
F: Very brisk, lightly juicy medium bodied feel with a fairly clean middle and a medium length finish that has a roast & lightly crisp drop-off and is gently drying.
O: Delicate and delicious. Lightly sweet and very well balanced. Retains its brisk feel quite well. Remarkably easy to drink and has very little aftertaste apart from light wheat notes. It is a lightly expressive Ale that is a nice everyday beer and it is lightly hopped for its style. It is very good.

 

Probably their tastiest beer, for me, anyway.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/60182/681914/



16 ounce can packaged 11/28/23.
Eleven days old.

Moderate pour yields a two inch white head over a cloudy straw colored body with clumpy, sticky lacing.

Nose of tropical fruit, blueberry, sweet citrus, and white grape with a bit of floral attributes as well.

Taste is just as complex with very little bitterness until the finish. Fruit forward flavors of tropical fruit, white wine, strawberry, slight raspberry, and other indescribable nuances. Finish is mostly citrus pith and a bit of pine bitterness.
I need to share with another's palate for more input on this gem.

Nice, soft feel with slightly low carbonation.

Overall: just go find this!
Cheers!!!