New Beer Weekend #186

Tree House Red Fern. I have learned that this is the 3rd of a series (silver and gold preceded it) and that they all feature Peacharine hops mixed with other varieties. I've had at least one other beer with Peacharine. Citra is pretty familiar, but new to me is Allora. Elegant can art BTW.
Witness another overzealous Woodchipper pour (actually looked pretty cool pouring down the sides of the glass but I couldn't get the shot off quick enough)--

Poured from a 16-oz can simply stamped “DON”T COUNT THE DAYS, MAKE THE DAYS COUNT 1 26 2024”. It was purchased at the Charlton location 3-days ago. Poured to a Nonic at fridge temp.
Typical TH NEIPA body- Completely opaque apricot body, with a micro-bubble head.
The aroma is pretty significant bringing smells of apricot and other stone fruit along with a general mustiness.
Taste is similar with a floral sense adding to the mix. A sip of this beer starts sweet, has a fleeting dryness in the middle, but ends sweet again.
The body is nice and creamy so the significant carbonation works well with that.
A really good beer.

L-4.25, S-4.5, T-4.25, M-4.25, O-4.25

 

Crosspost from the Belgian Beer Appreciation Thread.



Allagash Curieux bottled 10/12/23

First time trying this one and it’s very good, to me anyway. I didn’t get any bourbon character but white oak was present in both aroma and taste. I also found it very easy drinking for its 10.2% ABV. Really wish I had a second bottle to pour.

Cheers NBW!

 

Hofbrau - session lager



Grabbed this is out of state in NY, never seen in CT. It was only 4 bucks for 4x500mls. Thought a nice option for today, slip it in among something heavier.

Anyway, it’s quite tasty. Mouthfeel doesn’t betray anything. It’s rather helles-y. Malt is present, perhaps a lingering yeast quality not apropos for the style but carb offsets that.

Primary notes of apple, caramalt, noble hops, sweet and perhaps a smidge of saltiness in the malt character. Actually, brine is what it is. Finish is short but not too dry. Very good stuff and the context doesn’t harm it.

 

Well that's a crazy price. I always feel like Pilsner Urquell is a steal at $7 for 4 x 500ml and didn't think anything could beat it in the 4x form factor.

Did you grab this upstate or down? Might need to check for it the next time I'm over the border.

 

Good Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. I'm pre-gaming with Can I Kick It? - an American Amber/Red Ale single-hopped with Falconer's Flight, from nearby Twin Elephant Brewing Company. I'm generally a sucker for this style and wish more brewers would make it. It's a very simple recipe: the malt is Pale Crystal which has rye in it, and American Ale Yeast.

Reviewed less than a week after canning. It pours a hazy, reddish-orange color akin to iced tea and sports a finger and a half of creamy, ecru-colored had and lacing. Its smell is rather subdued but offers scents of caramel malt, lite citrus, stone fruit, and floral hops. The taste provides a good balance of caramel malt, earthy, woodsy malt, dry barley cracker, lemon peel, grapefruit, and just a hint of sweeter stone fruit. The Falconer's Flight hops provide mild, clean bitterness throughout. This ale is fairly lite and crisp with appropriate carbonation, and at 7% ABV it is very easy to drink. Overall, it's a simple recipe but it's well-executed.

4.04/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

I might have another of these during the game but I'm about to switch to an Imperial Stout. Cheers, NBW!

 

Back again. Another TH beer, another style. I wish I could have posted a video because the head on this beer changed quickly and was rather hypnotizing.

4.11/5 rDev +2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from a 16-oz can simply stamped “WINTER 2024”. It was purchased at the Charlton location 3-days ago. Poured to a diagonally cut tumbler a little above 50 degrees F.
The pour stream is like a dark cola or rootbeer. Once in the glass it is opaque black. The head is an animated tan mix of large and small bubbles that settle to an extremely thin glass-hugging ring in about 1-minute.
The aroma is obviously Bourbon, but chocolate is there too.
The taste has the Bourbon in the front, but there is more. Chocolate is there of course but the finish is almost all candied fruit.
The body is medium but there is a sticky lip sensation. A bit more carbonation would help this beer.
Overall, a little thin, but very flavorful.

 

Deciccios! And agree on the Pilsner Urquell. Don’t see it in cans as much anymore but whenever I get that diacetyl craving I look for it. They also had Benediktiner helles and Weiss at 4.99. And several close out old beers which can be fun.

 

This one bends the rules a little as I've had it many times before in my pre-BA days. But as I haven't had it for 5+ years and never reviewed on BA (and as I've become a nit of a regular around here and have lost all shame), you get to experience it with me.

This one was a single from a friend and one that I couldn't pass up today thanks to @jonphisher and the classics thread.

Smuttynose Robust Porter

The only disappointment is the new label.



Pours the darkest of browns with ruby at the edges. One-finger tan head dissipates quickly.

Aromas of cocoa and dark chocolate, roast coffee, molasses, burnt black bread, and woody/earthy hops.

The taste starts off with a hit of bitter roast coffee and dark chocolate that then mellows with a sweetness that ranges from molasses up to brown sugar. Everything remains nicely balanced throughout the sip and onto the finish which brings in semi-sweet chocolate, some toffee, burnt bread, and a hint of dark fruit that becomes more noticeable as it warms. While a bit sticky on the finish, roast and hop bitterness linger through a long aftertaste, keeping this well away from cloying territory.

Moderate carb lends some liveliness to this medium-bodied, easy-drinking porter, and that stickiness on the finish really coats the mouth.

Overall, a classic. It's hard to find anything at fault with this beer when you consider how easy-drinking it is.. When you look at highly ranked robust porters on BA with a significant number of ratings, this would be third, as is appropriate.

 

Hey friends, my new beer today is from Germany. Came across it while traveling last weekend, we used to get the dunkel here but it disappeared years ago. Grabbed a single of the Pilsner to give it a go; hungry people grabbing dip behind picture.

Flensburger Pilsener (German Pilsner 4.8%)



Pours brilliantly clear, light pale; big puffy white head, nice thick dense cap persists a while.

Nose is light; mostly very light cereal and grain notes, the hops are lightly earthy with a touch of herbal, but subdued like when you have expired cooking spices; aroma there but very mute, the malt notes actually out shine the hops.

Taste is similar, pale malts outshine the hops, it’s not Helles territory as the hops are still more prominent, just expected a tad more, the malt leans more cracker like here, touch of cereal, hops get a touch grassy.

Light body and incredibly clean drinking, near perfect dry finish with a low moderate amount of bitterness, beers like this define drinkability for me.

Another German brewed Pilsner that I enjoyed a lot, what else is new

That’s l she wrote for me today everyone, I have a few I’m really looking forward to next weekend. Let’s start the countdown!

I hope everyone enjoys their Super Bowl Sunday today.

 

Thanks for sharing. That place looks awesome. I'll definitely need to check them out if I'm ever near one of their locations.

 

I’m hoping this beer shows up around here, I’ll probably try if it does. Our kids are obsessed with that Tribe song because it was in the ninja turtles movie, so hopefully it shows up for multiple reasons.

 

Early in my craft beer life - before we had so many excellent breweries here in North Jersey - I drank a lot of beer brewed by Weyerbacher in Easton, Penna. (on the Delaware River, north of Philadelphia). One of its excellent offerings is a "Belgian Stout" called Tiny. In 2022, Weyerbacher released a barrel-aged version of Tiny called "Enormity." Weyerbacher is known for its big, high gravity, euro-style brews, which I appreciate. So I was anxious to try this year's Enormity. Weyerbacher has learned not to brew/distribute too much of the BA versions of its beers so it's necessary to get them at the brewery, which is an enjoyable experience.

Reviewed one week after 2024 bottle release. Poured at 59° The color is ink black with a half finger of creamy, light mocha-colored head and thick, swirls of lacing. The bourbon barrel is strong on the nose but I also smell roasted malt, toffee, brown sugar, burnt coffee, leather, tobacco smoke, and earthy char. Initially, the bourbon influence dominates but as it breathes the other flavors develop. The chocolate is sweeter and the coffee less bitter. There is also the sweetness of toffee/brown sugar which balances the earthy bitterness. While it's quite boozy, over time the barrel influence is less dominant and it compliments the other flavors. I'm wondering how the bourbon will mellow over time. Finally, I'm noting some of the dark fruit that I remember from the base stout, Tiny. The mouth feel is fairly creamy with lite carbonation. Per the bottle this batch is 11.8% ABV - I'm not sure I'd want to drink the 14.1% version from 2022. Overall, Enormity is a big, boozy Imperial Stout but it has a lot to commend it. I'll be interested in seeing how the other bottles age. Btw, I commend Weyerbacher from bottling it in 12 oz. format.

4.24/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Have a great week, everyone!

 

Cheers @KP7 i love reading your reviews each week, always feel we must have similar taste in beer. We’re all in agreement reviewing a beer you haven’t had in a while or reviewing it first time = new.

Long live the classics of craft beer, now we just gotta keep em alive.

 

While I know that TE names its beers after song lyrics, I'm completely unfamiliar with this one. That's what happens when your kids are 32 and 30, LOL!

 

Oh it’s not a kids song but just a clean classic hip hop song…enjoy

 

Excellent name for the beer!

 

I've probably told this story before, but I first tried Curieux early in my craft beer journey, before I really paid attention to ABV. I sat down with a caged and corked 750ml bottle and more or less pounded it in a few minutes while watching a baseball game. When I stood up, I nearly fell over. Anyway, a great beer for sipping, not slamming.

 

Yes, I think we do. Even for styles that I don't enjoy as much, like the Pils you posted today, when I read your reviews I more often than not think to myself, "Well that sounds good."

And thanks for the encouragement. While I've been drinking craft for nearly 20 years (except for a few years off when some bank thought it was a great idea to give me a mortgage despite a @#$%-ton of student loans), I'm still new to thinking through flavors and aromas in detail and attempting to put those experiences into consistent descriptors. The NBW crowd has been a great and supportive community.

 

Nice! I could definitely see falling into the same trap with that one.
Cheers!

 

The best group of beer lovers in the world; I never would’ve put myself out there with reviews if not for this group. Thanks NBW, alright, sorry all, felt the need to also say the same thing