New Beer Weekend #186

Good Morning NBS/nbw and thanks @DoctorZombies for hosting this week.
We returned home on Thursday night and a few days back now start to feel in sync with
this New England time zone again.
Todays offering is from Burlington Brewing Co
A stout thats big and flavorful, excellent texture, and manages to avoid all the traps.
I will get another bottle to store for "Science purposes"
Cheers all

Incantations (2023)

American Imperial Stout | 10.5% ABV
Burlington Beer Co. in Burlington, Vermont

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.1/5 rDev +5.4% | Average: 3.89
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from the 500 ml bottle dated 2023, into the test glass.
A - Espresso brown, with a thin mocha ring clinging to the glass during the experience. As it was being poured there was a light sheen that almost always points to sweetness, lets see.
S - Cocoa, dark grains, black pepper, maybe from the rye? Touches of vanilla, toffee, char, and the slightest bit of Anise
T - Well all of the above, for certain, add the hint of phenol, alcohol and that sums this offering up
M - Slick on the palate, sweet start is quickly cut by a pepery spicy bite that stays for some time. Finish is semi sweet with the barrel notes keeping things in that camp.
O - A very good Rye stout, treated well in Rye barrels. The offering is smooth and dare I say well balanced

 

Thank you @ChicagoJ for marking the NBS! 10 more to 1k!
No idea if this will work:

So every year a friend of mine has a bonfire on the second Saturday of February. He collects discarded Christmas trees for weeks and we light it off at dusk.
This was the only video I took, I have lots of photos. Hopefully this doesn’t slow down the page load too much, if it does then I will delete it or ask an admin to do so.
Everyone there enjoys in their own way; just enjoy the heat on a cold Michigan night, throwing additional trees into the fire when it begins to get low, and those who hold our beer while we throw the fuel on the fire.
Sadly, no useable photos came out for those but I can tell you about the one “new” one I had- Dragons Milk Coffee and Chocolate.
Many of you likely recognize this variation as one that they have done before, and so they have. But every release is different. This one is more coffee forward, but smooth coffee- not Italian roast harsh. The chocolate is definitely present and amplified the smoothness. As I drank it from the bottle, I can’t really describe the appearance, but if you have ever had DM the day it was released (or really, 6 months after is good too) then you know what it looks like. Stout black, good head, reasonable lacing.
The feel is typically Dragons Milk. Just a little thinner than expected.
This is the only variation that I regularly get, mostly because the additives/adjuncts amplify flavors already present.
But for an evening by the fire when I could literally say the words “Hold my beer, watch this!” it was perfect.
Tonight is the Super Bowl and I will have something to share then too. I think. Might be a cellar pull.

 

Well, the beer is very much citrus forward so....

Cheers!

 

I was mostly responding to you comment of "modern, dank, expressive varietals".

Cheers!

 

Maybe the below video from 11 years ago will remind you? You get to hear Steve Wagner (co-founder of Stone Brewing Co.) describe Stone IPA and you will here him state "citrusy" in that video. Or maybe YMMV?

Cheers!

 

As you commented: "I will definitely try it out when I can be sure I've got a fresh sample."

As the old saying goes: the proof is in the pudding.

Cheers!

 

I was looking forward to the storms passing so I can be out in my courtyard today. Though it is still gloomy and rainy. So, I'll just stay inside

Anyway, I finally found some Aecht Schlenkerla Weichsel Rotbier, 4.6% ABV. I have been wanting to try this since I heard about it. Not that I always love everything from Schlenkerla, I'm actually more hit and miss with them. Though they are always really well made and completely unique, regardless of my personal opinion.



Pours with a noticeable clarity, a dark ruby brown color. A beige head rises ta about a finger and recedes. A foamy cap sticks throughout, with some lace.
The aroma is a big "rauchy" smoke up font, as one would expect from the style and brewery. At first a really enjoy that, but there is an almost fruity ester like quality, that brings in cherries and apple skins.
Taste wise, a meaty smokiness and baked bread mingle up front. The smoke becomes a bit acrid. There is for sure, some cherry like fruits, and apple ester like quality lingering. Which clashes a bit for me.
A lighter body than first expected, then I looked at the ABV and it fits. Crisp carbonation, but this could be just a tad cleaner for me. I will be able to finish the bottle with ease, though more out of curiosity than wanting to have another bottle.

I will try anything from this brewery, as they are always very unique. The smoke is there of course, but clashes with the fruity components I'm getting. Unique, well worth a try, and well made for what it is. Though, I prefer some of their other Rauchbier offerings, which isn't to say there is anything wrong with this.

For me overall score is 3.62, a solid B. Though I think I enjoy this more than the score indicates.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/263/657672/?ba=champ103#lists

Regardless of scores, a nice one to drink on a gloomy, lazy Sunday afternoon with my book, and now pupper sitting on my lap ha.

 

I used to be a big football fan. Naturally, growing up north of Montréal, I am a San Diego (LA) Chargers fan. As a teenager, when I was most engrossed, I’d be forced to watch the Jets and Pats and Giants and Eagles due to the regional broadcasts available to us. If I was lucky, I’d get one Chargers game a year, usually at 4 PM. I lived for the highlights packages at halftime, where I’d finally get to see my team in action, if only briefly. As the years went by, my interest in football slowly waned. I don’t know why. When I had twins seven years ago, I went a whole season without watching a minute of any game. Despite it being easy to watch my team every week nowadays, my responsibilities and other interests seem to have taken over. I watched the Chargers blow their halftime lead against the Jaguars in the playoffs last year, and a few minutes of the Super Bowl. That was it. I think the stars are aligning for me to watch most of the game this evening. We shall see…

While I gently encourage my kids to get their homework done, I’m sitting down to sip on this bottle with one ear tuned in to the Habs game. Afternoon hockey never sits right.



This is Bill in a Barrel from the excellent Aylmer, Québec brewery, 5e Baron.

The beer pours a murky light orange/brown. The head is limited, but there is a slight film that sticks around as the beer is enjoyed.

The aroma is at first woody Wet brown sugar and some general fruitiness follow. There is a hint of red licorice and some floral notes too.

After an initial sweet toffee-like start to the sip, a woody quality follows in addition to a significant floral hoppy finish. Their is a pleasant bitter quality as well. The bitterness develops further as the beer warms. The barrel is present, but mild.

The beer has a nice lighter body that makes it highly drinkable.

This is a really nice American style Barleywine. Bigfoot-esque to a point. I’d gladly have it again, as I would any beer from this great, somewhat under-appreciated brewery. If you are ever in the Ottawa area, make a point of the short drive to Aylmer to stop in at 5e Baron.

Cheers!

 

Great Ape, 10.5% IIIPA from King Cong, at Mojo's.

11.5oz snifter on tap at Mojo's in Sacramento.

Clear brassy amber, centimeter of head, light carbonation. Smell is dank, resinous, honeysuckle.

Taste is right in the same vein, more grapefruit rind in the foreground and a light overripe tropical fruit in the background. Strong bitter aftertaste. Booze is noticeable but far from dominant.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly light and clean, there's a little heft but much less than I would expect from a 10.5% IIIPA. Quite good.

 

And here I am hundreds of miles south with the same game on sitting in garage getting some peace and quiet.

New beer later today, a new to me imported German Pilsner I want to share with my brother in law since I know he’ll appreciate it.

 

A few weeks back I bought a tonne of beer to send your way. Life intervened and it just sat in the fridge. I’m going to replace a bunch of it with fresher options (including a couple local Zoiglbiers from the best local lager makers) and try to send the box off before it gets too warm (!). Cheers!

 

What’s the word on shipping cross border from here? Any success in receiving as of late?