New Beer Weekend #179

Brouwerij Corsendonk (Belgium) ‘Agnus’ Tripel

3.77/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

33cL bottle (beautiful bottle too., gold band, cool art, bright.,) poured into a snifter. The fantastic cap narrows up out of the glass (reminding me to lift a Real Belgian Glass, soon.,).
Aroma is sublime; herbacious, fruity, malty.
Taste rides along, but the groove tones down quick. There’s a peppery accent. Brief, but it’s there. Hardly a peep from the 7.5% ABV.
Mouth is really light for a Tripel, high carbonation lingers on through the finish.
Overall, I hoped this brew would be as beautiful as its bottle. It’s good, and would probably be a fine meal accompaniment.

 

I'll just say this after observing your beer postings over the years - you drink good beer, Doc. Always. Merry Christmas to you and yours.

 

Homebrewing is Great!

Firstly, Merry Christmas everybody!



Today’s beer is Xocoveza which has a history with homebrewing:

“This is a beloved stout. When first introduced as a limited special collaboration release with San Diego homebrewer Chris Banker (after his recipe won our annual homebrew competition) and Cerveceria Insurgente, it was an instant hit and fans began clamoring for its return. Seeing as how its amazing flavor profile is evocative of Mexican hot chocolate, featuring coffee, pasilla peppers, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and a generous amount of chocolate, we concluded it was the perfect stout to re-release in celebration of the Holidays and the entire winter season. This is now a highly anticipated yearly tradition that we are pleased to present from us to you, and makes a perfect wintry gift from you to your friends, loved ones, or simply to yourself. Cheers!”

And this beer is part of a Christmas present I purchased for my wife. I ‘borrowed’ one can from the six-pack.

Served in my Tulip beer glass:

Appearance:

A very dark brown approaching black color with a thin tan colored head.

Aroma:

A subtle combination of spicy (from the peppers), coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, dark chocolate, etc. aromas.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with a combination of spicy, coffee, cinnamon, vanilla, dark chocolate and a very slight hint of heat from the pascilla peppers. A low/moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with an off-dry finish.

Overall:

I enjoyed drinking this beer, I think it is very good. For my palate this beer would have benefited from a bit more body and while I enjoyed all of the flavors provided by all of the stuff added, additional flavor intensity would have created a better drinking experience for me.

Cheers!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH

 

3 Floyds Brewing Trolls Trolls Trolls. A bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout, with vanilla beans added. This is a surprise gift from @Danmullens1. Last weekend on WBAYDN, I expressed my desire to acquire this beer, after seeing it on the thread. @Danmullens1 immediately got to work, then launched a toboggan full of beer, from the peak of Mount Wisconsin, directly to my house. Thank you, sir! The look is blacker than a troll's heart. There is a thick brown foam top, which remained for some time. The smell is powerly vanillational. Vanilla overpowers everything, but it is a pleasant odor. Chocolate and bourbon can be detected, but you must breathe it in deeply. The taste is overwhelmingly vanillary. The vanilla flavor is strong, but not too strong. Bourbon flavor emerges from the vanilla armada, and is followed by chocolate, graham cracker, and caramel. It blends well. The mouthfeel is thick, oily, full, and smooth. Very nice. Overall, this is an excellent BA imperial stout. I prefer others from 3 Floyds Brewing, but not by much. The art on the bottle is possibly the finest piece of beer-art available.

 

Thanks for getting us started, @DoctorZombies. Never would have thought it was your first one.
My new beer for today is Bagel & Schmear, a double dry hopped IPA from Other Half Brewing Co.
Very hazy orange color. Small white head that leaves a good amount of lace.
Very fruity aroma, Orange juice and tropical fruit.
Taste of orange juice, pineapple, and mango. A little bit of bitter hops late.
Medium-bodied. Very drinkable.



Merry Christmas to all!

 

Yeah, they decided to go 'old school' with their depiction of the trolls vs. today's cutesy version:



Cheers!

 

Dave thanks for getting us started.Poured into a 20 oz tulip glass, canned on 11/22/23. Pours a very attractive hazy orange yellow, with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace, with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma is maple, peach, mandarin, blueberry, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows the beer is very balanced, maple, peach, mandarin, a hint of blueberry, and apricot. 4.25

Mouthfeel is is above average, soft gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 8% very easy going down. 4.5

Overall I went in a tad nervous, but as always Tree House delivered a very interesting and well crafted NEDIPA. 4.25 Cheers all.

 

Upon This Earth
New England style IPA by Fidens

Poured from a pint can, the body is an opaque light yellow with white fluffy head. Good lacing throughout the tasting.

Aroma is a citrus delight with the Nelson and El Dorado doing the heavy lifting.

Taste follows nose but the citrus flavors are muted. Perhaps muted too much. The light dank and cannabis of the strata is lurking but not prominent. No bitterness as style suggests.

Very soft mouthfeel and good carbonation.

An enjoyable NE IPA and easy drinking at 6.4%. I could imagine crushing these beers, but I can also imagine a better beer with the present flavors amped up. Cheers.

 

Trolls used to drink too much mead, stayed out until the sun came up, and got turned into mountains. Now they dye their hair beautiful colors, and have beautiful voices. Both are delightful, but I prefer the old guard.

 

Thanks for kicking things off @DoctorZombies

My first beer of the weekend comes courtesy of @Coronaeus. Peter is crazy generous with impeccable taste in beer, so I'm always excited when I crack open one that he has sent me. This particular beer is Bumo VII from Burdock.


4.11/5 rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Interesting beer both in appearance and aroma. It looks like a thin red wine, or maybe even a cranberry cocktail, with an earthy funk on the nose that's more wild ale than wine. Overall, I'm intrigued.

Taste is wonderful. Wine, but not too much. Funk, but not too much. Barrel, but again, not too much. Capping it off is a wonderful smokiness on the finish. Really, really enjoyable beer.

Peter, you've done it again. Really, really enjoying this. Now if Arsenal can just eke out a win against Liverpool in the last 30 minutes, all will be right in my world!

 

Thank you for kicking off the Christmas Weekend Thread. I'm assuming this thread go through Christmas Day on Monday? @beergoot I had slight trepidations about that Wafflebanger gifted by Adam @Qu3st but really enjoyed it as did all my beers in that exchange.

Very nice gift beer package for Micah @Danmullens1 ! Speaking of nice beer packages, I have a Central Waters beer planned over the next three days, the first two from @GreenBayBA . This one is the most adventurous of the three based on the listed flavors.

Central Waters Brewer's Reserve Rum Barrel Aged Fantasma Cosmico Chocolate Stout



Bottle Notes: Obtained via trade via BA Micah @GreenBayBA on 5/12/23, refrigerated upon returning home until this afternoon. No listed ABV or bottle date found, but per social media detective work, the taproom listed ABV for this beer is 11.6%, and it was added as a new beer to both Beer Advocate and Untapped on May 1, 2023 and May 4, 2023, respectively.

Rum barrel aged imperial stout with cocoa nibs, cinnamon sticks, vanilla, ancho and guajillo chilli peppers.

What you have in front of you is a beer that exudes both passion and richness. Colombian cocoa nibs and vanilla bean bring notes of chocolatey fudge, while the cinnamon, Ancho, and Guajillo peppers provide a smokey and complex heat. We made this beer as a tribute to both Space Ghost and our world renowned barrel aging program. We love it and we're sure you will too!

Appearance: Nearly full single pour of entire bottle into a snifter, finished the rest after the initial pour settled. Aggressive carbonation floating to the top, tiny bubbles visible above the very dark ruby nearing black base with larger carbonation bubbles floating t the top along the rim. The head is tan white and lingers about 30 seconds before fading and then leaving with nary a trace beyond the firm sold ring rolling around the edge of the glass. 4.25

Aroma: OK, this has warmed a bit, and there is a lot going on. First is the chocolate cocoa nibs leading the way, followed by some peppers and cinnamon. As it warms, the rum barrels emerge and form a nice blend drawing me in. Flavors held on well over time. 4.25

Taste: Shift in emphasis here, with the rum barrels front and center close to 15 minutes upon pulling from the refrigerator. Rum isn't my favorite spirit, but this one works well for me, potent but smooth. Cocoa nibs following lending warm chocolate fudge vibes. Peppers and cinnamon are mellow as well, though likely faded with around eight months in the bottle, with vanilla faint, well blended. Not sure if either or both were stronger at the release, but liking their contribution at this stage. 4.0

Mouthfeel: This has a medium body, perceiving a thicker blend than the typical Central Waters offering. Pretty potent, the rum smooth and enjoyable but the strength hit me early in. This has a solid balance between the sweeter flavors, the rum, keeping everything in proper measure with no excesses. Could be age, but chalking this up to Central Waters' expertise. Rum and fudge linger on the finish. 4.0

Overall::Admitted intimidated coming in with the rum treatment and all the adjuncts, but as usual Central Waters pulled this off well. Everything in proper measure, assertive but civilized, smooth, relaxing, enjoyable. Some offerings with similar blends punch you in the face, but like with nearly every CW offering I've come across, their expertise and experience yielded a very enjoyable beer. Well done, and thank you Micah for picking this selection for me! 4.25

I've been really looking forward to the Barleywine aged for 4 years, as I don't believe I've ever enjoyed an offering aged beyond 3 years.

 

And let's not forget the Mountain Trolls which apparently have a vulnerability of their nostrils:



But they are snappy dressers with their vests!

Cheers!

 

My DNA, according to 23andME, IS 91% western Norwegian, with the traditional small percentages of British Island DNA that came with the Viking age. But my relatives all chose the treacherous boat to Minnesota, over that Mountain Troll brown vest.

 

Received a can of East End Gratitude from @DIM

4.43/5 rDev +4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Beer poured a tea-colored brown with a very nice off-white head that is leaving some lacing behind.

Nose is very nice, getting a very nice combination of dark fruits and fresh citrus.

Taste is very well executed! The large malt base gives me notes of caramel, figs, and brown sugar. Hop bill is giving a strong dose of orange and grapefruit with the finish giving a nice pine bitterness; 8/10 on my scale.

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

Overall this could be an Imperial Bigfoot IMHO. Much "Gratitude" for the opportunity to try, thanks Dan!

 

Have you ever read the Michael Crighton book Eaters of the Dead (the movie is called The 13th Warrior)?

“The year is A.D. 922. A refined Arab courtier, representative of the powerful Caliph of Baghdad, encounters a party of Viking warriors who are journeying to the barbaric North. He is appalled by their Viking customs—the wanton sexuality of their pale, angular women, their disregard for cleanliness . . . their cold-blooded human sacrifices. But it is not until they reach the depths of the Northland that the courtier learns the horrifying and inescapable truth: he has been enlisted by these savage, inscrutable warriors to help combat a terror that plagues them—a monstrosity that emerges under cover of night to slaughter the Vikings and devour their flesh . . .”

“Crichton explains in an appendix that the book was based on two sources. The first three chapters are a retelling of Ahmad ibn Fadlan's personal account of his actual journey north and his experiences with and observations of Varangians. The remainder is a retelling of Beowulf.”

I really like the book and I enjoyed watching the movie.

Cheers!

 

I devoured all those works of art. They contributed to my appreciation of my heritage, and to my appreciation of other heritages. We are all so different, yet we are the same. I wish to drink beers with you in-person. We would have quite an experience together.