New Beer Weekend #184

Focal Point, a 3.8% Czech Pilsner from Tonewood, via @jonphisher.

16oz can served in a nonic. Dated 12/13/23.

Pours a clear light yellow with a slight brassy tinge, moderate to modest head on the pour with lots of visible carbonation that sustains a pretty thick skin. Smell is lager yeast funk and a little grass and earthiness, more grass and a little lemon rind when I think a bit deeper.

Taste is...I can't decide if it's dominated by lager yeast and breadiness or grass and earthy floral stuff. Some of the floral notes turn into a sweet honeysuckle. Balanced, surprisingly flavorful.

Mouthfeel is light, maybe thin, with an unusual slightly oily slickness. Overall, this is a nice, flavorful, easy-to-swig beer.

 

well, damp January for me was just to mellow out: still have a beer out socially but forgo when home, me to shed a few pounds also.
When I became positive I did not want to risk any taste diminishment so I called the end to damp Jan. I’ve had it completely mild and I credit all the covid boosters I’ve gotten. I test sick people everyday at work, I’m prolly most safe at work, shocked I finally succumbed. Also, TH should leave dry January alone.

 

That's calling for a side-by-side. Along with this one, I bought their BBA Porter in the peated and unpeated versions. That's calling for a side-by-side, either yet tonight or during the superb owl.

 

We should lobby @Todd for a new BA style: easy-to-swig

 

Hope your birthday gets better

 

Happy NBS!

Very tasty, juicy/citrusy.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24659/688276/?ba=Wasatch#lists

Cheers!

 

Day 2, this beer has been sitting atop the “Trending Beers” column on this magnificent site for a couple of weeks and finally showed up at my local last week.

I love the brewery (this will be my 131st beer reviewed/rated from SN), so I am PUMPED to try this. Let’s GOOOOOOO, NBS.





4.29/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
Pours a nearly clear copper color with a creamy white head that lingers a bit and leaves thin ropes of lacing and a ring around the edge as you enjoy the beer. Absolutely gorgeous WCDIPA.

The nose is fruit forward, with orange marmalade, grapefruit, and some berry notes. There’s also a bit of sweetness from a caramalt aroma that fits a beer of this style and gravity.

The caramalt is more pronounced in the taste, appearing at the back of the palate to provide balance for the delightfully bitter hop flavors that include the aforementioned orange marmalade, grapefruit, ripe berries, and some resiny pine as well. Delicious stuff.

The mouthfeel is full and crushingly dry, fitting this beer perfectly. This beer and style is my sweet spot as a beer nerd, and one I’ll grab anytime SN brews it. Exceptionally well done, IMHO.

 

Closing out a low key weekend with a double barrel aged stout, Rested Reserve from Boulevard.



I generally love Boulevard but this is an odd one. The base stout seems pretty mellow, lightly sweet milk chocolate and very little roast character. I don't get a lot of brown liquor, in fact if tasted blind, I'd swear there were wine barrels in the mix. There is vinous note towards the finish and I typically appreciate jammy or wine elements in stouts but there is a touch of vinegar here that isn't working for me. Drinkable, sorry I got a pack instead of a single though.

 

Happy Sunday friends, been quite busy today but tried to stay on top of reading all of your posts. Weekend is coming to a close, cold, dreary and oh so soppy wet out; as has been the case most of this winter. I just want the ground dry again This is a beer I was really excited to read about when the news was shared here. Asked my brother in law to bring back from London when he used to go there, he never was able to find time to search but now, I was finally able to find down the street. Here we go....

Theakston - Old Peculier (Old Ale 5.6%)



Pours a beautiful deep dark brown/ruby red, very clear; a vigorous pour left some great lacing and a substantial cap of creamy dirty white head.

Nose is rich in dark malt; lightly toffee like, backed by light dark red fruit character.

Taste is again very malty and rich, not overbearing or sweet; toffee again but more darkened maybe some light toast character and perhaps a touch of raisin, the dark fruit does show again on the finish.

Medium bodied beer, very soft, smooth and creamy as it goes down; some light bit of bitterness on the finish; nicely drinkable for such malt forward beer.

This is a really good rich and malty yet super drinkable and smooth English beer; very glad I bought a four pack. I may grab another once this pack is gone. Give this one a try.

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Have a great week everyone, heading to sister in laws in MD for an overnight next Saturday so I may be posting from the road come time

Cheers everyone!! Thanks for sharing your beers as always, see you again in a few days!!!

 

Hello NBW.
I want to thank @Rug for sending me this one to challenge my senses. I truly do. So I hope he understands that this one just isn't in my wheelhouse.

Sonoma Farmhouse Brett Stout
I'm really trying to rate this based on what Lagunitas was "trying to do." Yes this is very unorthodox. And kudos to them for stepping outside the box to do something novel. Having said this, it's not my cup of malts.

Looks good for an imperial stout.
Nose carries the funk and red wine notes assertively forward. A mild chocolate note whispers, but tart cherry, wine barrel, leather, and funk abound.
Flavor follows. Tart, Bretty, old wine barrel with a background of chocolate trying to chime in.
Mouthfeel is heavy enough, low carb, and only mildly warm.
Overall, I think this one will be intriguing to some, but not for me.
3.33/5 rDev -18%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.25

 

Glad you liked it. I agree, good not great. Got that from my brother @hophound

 

My newest beer for this weekend is Sierra Nevada's Hop Bullet Magnum. Good IIPA, but I thought it would be better, especially on the backend. It was missing more of the bitter bite I hoped for.

 

Sorry for the lousy photo, but I think most of you will recognize this one anyway-

I held off trying this one because of the cinnamon that so many people said was very prevalent. My loss.
The pour was stout black with a 1 finger beige head which left very good lacing.
No aroma to report, stupid Covid.
The taste was actually very good; if it had cinnamon, it was kept in check somehow.
Got the chilies and white pepper and coffee and cacao, all of which didn’t overwhelm the stout which was good in its own right.
The feel was lightly viscous, just enough for reminding me to sip it gently.
OA, I think I will be getting this annually when it makes its appearance. Good beer.
Cheers all, I will be back in a few with my nightcap.

 

Another weekend winding down. Had a great supper for a cold, dreary day - we did a mild jambalaya and it definitely warmed the bellies. Mild because of varied spiciness tolerance amongst the eaters. I can always amp my bowl up from the hot sauce library.

So maybe keep that warmth going with this beer:



From 2022, Jack's Abby BA Framinghammer Espresso variant. They may run out of things to try...someday...

Pours pretty much cola-colored deep brown leaning toward black. Nice beige head that didn't last very long, falling to the ring and huge island thing. Tiny bubbles do cling heavily to the glass.

Bourbon and the familiar Framinghammer greet the nose then there's coffee. That's really all there is.

The somewhat subdued aroma doesn't indicate the taste. Excellent coffee immediately on the sip but it's followed closely by a bit of bourbon and the base brew. While the coffee is definitely assertive, it plays harmoniously. Toffee/caramel, a bit of oakiness, milk chocolate, vanilla. A tad bit sweet and the vanilla, milk chocolate, and coffee combination is quite pleasant - like a spoon of Swiss Miss in the morning cuppa. Just a touch of char in the aftertaste.

Feel is medium and the flavor lingers a bit. Carbonation is not intrusive - just enough.

Overall this is one of the better versions in the series. High quality coffee used judiciously and combining with rather than dominating the base FH. Coffee forward, but not coffee dominant. In the 4.2 ballpark.

 

I could have used some jambalaya this evening @LeRose. I did go the other route and made a nice warming dessert for us tonight, apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.

We should get together next time and pair the meal/dessert together

 

I like the idea of a hot sauce library. I think my city should establish one.

 

Fortunately, I go thru the hot sauces faster than beer but I'm still an accumulator between what I make, buy, and receive as gifts.

There's a hot sauce shop near me that comes pretty close - you can taste anything they have in the store. Talk about a double- edged sword, though. I've overdone it more than once. Some you have to sign a waiver, but those don't really interest me much anyway - one dimensional

 

Thanks to @The_Kriek_Freak for this Von Trapp Trosten Rauschbier, 6.0% ABV; 4.36 overall

Pours an effervescent chestnut/mahogany with a thumb of tan head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Smokeyness, brown bread, some molasses & anise notes once warm

T: Brown bread, smokeyness, dryness & a touch of anise up front. A little caramel & brown sugar mixes in with the smokeyness & brown bread notes as this beer warms. Finishes dry, smokey & a little carob sweetness & a little bit of woody hops

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation

Great take on the style, so easy to drink

 

Hidden Springs - ZFG

16oz can served in a snulip. No date that I see on the can. Got it in a trade with @Mr3dPHD.

Pours murky light orange with about a centimeter of dense head, visible carbonation, chunky foam left on top. Smell is lots of citrus, pith, and some tropical fruit. Smells really nice.

Taste is a good followup from the aroma, adds in a little bit of a biscuit undertone, maybe a little bit of floral / grassy stuff.

Mouthfeel is thick but not heavy. Overall, this is a really nice murk-bomb of a pale ale.