New Beer Weekend #187

Thanks for kicking off the Holiday Weekend, which per custom means this is a three day thread through Monday this weekend!

Also special because Tuesday February 20, 2005 was the first New Beer Sunday ever hosted on Beer Advocate. We will celebrate the 19th Anniversary of this occasion tomorrow!

For the first two days I plan to feature the new Revolution Deep Woods January releases, and finish Monday with a Cellar pull from the West Coast picked up in Vegas.

This one is currently classified as an American Strong Ale on Beer Advocate, but I have submitted a Beer Style Change request to change to an imperial stout, consistent with the brewery's and Untappd's classification. That said, with the blend perhaps American Strong Ale is the most accurate classification.

Revolution & Half Acre Collaboration On and On: Part 3





Can Notes: Picked up as part of my Deep Woods Season Ticket. 16 oz canned 1/5/24 at 6:58:00 AM. 16.60% ABV Double Barrel-Aged Stout brewed in collaboration with Half Acre at Revolution Brewery. Refrigerated at the brewery and at home until this morning. Art by Matt Gordon.

Appearance: Poured the first ten oz into a hand held snifter. Medium thin dark brown to black pour with creamy tan lacing settles into bubble around and above the rim and over about 20% of the rest of the base. Carbonation heavy and persistent. It's Alive!!! 4.0

Aroma: Getting pretty strong barrel at the initial opening and again at the 15 minutes mark, getting strong bourbon, somewhat strong harsh vs. smooth backed by an oak flexing its muscles. The strong malt presence yields a generous caramel backing, and I'm getting some additional barleywine notes in terms of dark fruits. Very nice blend here. 4.25

Taste: OK, this is incredibly sweet and malty. First impression is diving mouth open into a huge caramel vat. The tasting characteristics are definitely closer to a barleywine / strong ale than the stout, so perhaps my style classification concerns on BA were incorrect despite the brewery's classification. I'm getting a little more bourbon nearing the half hour mark, but little nuance or frankly enjoyment with caramel sundae topping curb stomping everything its stubby thick legs can reach. I ma bracing myself with each sip, like some concoction at my Busia's house I was not enjoying buy must finish, or else. 2.5

Mouthfeel: Medium body, feels much thick due to the intense sweetness. Strong as hell, tastes like a double of a sweet bourbon cocktail, stronger than the already strong ABV. Faint gentle carbonation, the finish is fresh sundae poured caramel that, wait for it, goes on and on. 3.5

Overall: I absolutely loved On and On Part one, a mix of a porter with the malt base, stout and ryewine. This beer lies on the other end of the spectrum. I don't necessarily think its a flawed beer beyond the extreme one note sweetness, which is the opposite of what I seek. Would I recommend to others? If you like really strong sweet beers, yes, give it a go. If you want some balance and complexity, or have a strong aversion to cloying sweetness, you should probably pass or get a small sample pour before cracking open a 16 oz can. Trying to score for what it is vs. by biases and preferences, but disappointed based on the strong releases by Revolution, including multiple collaborations with Half Acre over the years. 3.0

I have six more cans after doubling up my allotment to secure more VSOR Select, a collaboration with Binny's using their select barrels. This is my planned selection for the 19th New Beer Sunday Anniversary. Hope to see you all tomorrow!

 

Thanks @Peach63 for starting this weekend's thread! And @ChicagoJ for actually knowing and planning ahead for the weekend - I thought I was doing well just to plan tomorrow's beer! I really wish I was in Revolution's distribution footprint!

Yesterday, I dug back into the guts of beer reefer #1 and found today's selection for Cellurary beer, one I haven't had in a whhhile, one of my old favorites I found sitting on a room temperature shelf at Shangy's:






Original review 4/19/2015

$ 10.99/750 mL bottle at Vintage Estates, Boardman, OH
2014 vintage dated 03/04/2014 at 50 degrees into hand washed and dried snifter.
Aroma of dates and figs
Head large (5.5 cm, aggressive pour), light brown, frothy, diminishing to 2 -4 mm uneven frothy ring and layer.
Lacing spotty: the ring drags and occasional small islands of tiny bubbles are left behind.
Body dark brown, clear
Flavor begins very sweet with dates, figs, and brown sugar, no hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl.
Palate medium, syrupy, soft carbonation
Appearance 4, Aroma 4.5, Flavor 4.25, Palate 4, Overall, 4.25

New review 17/02/2024
Curvee Van de Keizer – from Het Anker. 25.4 mL cork and cage bottle picked up at Shangy’s in Emmaus, PA, sometime in the last couple of years, $14.83 (Including tax), $ 0.875/fl oz. Rereviewed 17/02/24. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on side of label “LO775 12/12/12”. Neck band “Jaargang 2007”. Stored on room temperature shelf at dealer, 39 degrees at home for the last few years. Served at 50.7 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 55.9 degrees F. Label says to serve at 10-12 degrees C (50-54 F).
Appearance – 3.5 There is a slight oxidation ring around the neck of the bottle.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), clear.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. Rear-lite, the entire snifter glows ruby with a very fine particulate in suspension.
Head – While pouring, a few bubbles occur, but don’t outlast the pour – no head forms. Neither crown nor cap remain.
Lacing – None
Aroma –3.5 – Proverbial “dark fruit”. No yeast, no hops, no alcohol (11 % ABV, as stamped on the label).
Flavor – 3 – Begins slightly sweet with “dark fruits”. No yeast, no hops, no malt. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No ethanol. Mild gastric warming eventually occurs.
Palate – 4 – Medium; watery; barely detectable carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.5 Well, I guess nothing lasts forever, not even Belgian beer. This is but a shadow of its former self, a ghost flexing dimly on an over lit stage. At one time, Curvee Van de Kaizer Blauw was my favorite beer, rarely found and mostly too expensive to drink routinely. In honor of those memories, I will leave my original ratings on BA.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned on 1/11/24. Pours a very attractive a hazy orange with a finger sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace, with nice retention. 4.25

Aroma is mandarin, mango, honeydew, peach, and apricot 4

Taste follows mandarin, mango, peach, honeydew, and apricot. 4

Mouthfeel is above average, soft gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 6.5% it has a good amount of flavor, but very easy drinking. 4.25

Overall this is solid, not something that stands out, but a good NEIPA. 4 Cheers all.

 

Good morning BA’s! Today’s new to me eye-opener comes courtesy of @flaba “With Brooding Wings” an imperial Baltic Porter aged in Pinot Noir barrels, then in Brandy barrels. El Catador Club Edition XVII, Cigar City Brewing (2023):



Bottled 2023. Poured at 56°. Dark brown with ruby edges; thin mixed head that disappeared quickly leaving no cap retention nor ring; some small spots on agitation; no legs on swirl. Red wine, port wine nose. Red wine, semi-sweet raisins, figs; spicy oak tannins; a little toffee on backend as beer warms. Medium light body; light carbonation; minimal warmth from 11.9%; dry barrel/tannic tongue coating; mild astringency. Overall, the barrel notes stand front and center; I hardly know I’m drinking a Baltic Porter; long dry semi bitter finish.

4.0 | 4.25 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0
Score: 4.06 rDev 0 I added beer to data base.


The beer tastes very good, yet I wonder if this beer is one barrel too many. Thanks Don! Cheers y’all!

 

BIG Bock vs. Mini Bock (?)

It has been a while since I have conducted a side-by-side taste test so today is time for another.

I inserted a question mark in the title above since the term “Mini Bock” is a bit of an oxymoron. There are a number of Bock substyles, the below is a list from the BJCP style guidelines:

· Helles Bock

· Dunkels Bock

· Doppelbock

· Eisbock

· Weizenbock

What the substyles above have in common is they are stronger beers (e.g., > 6% ABV). The new beer that will be part of this side-by-side tasting is a new seasonal beer from Troegs. A description of this beer from the Troegs website (with emphasis in bold by me):

“Little ‘Nator Springtime Lager

Springtime Lager

We taste: crusty bread, stone fruit, delicate floral hops

Dive into the marvel that is Little ‘Nator. Simple but complex. Contemporary and classic. The rascally cousin of our revered Troegenator. We built this beer using the best malts and techniques for a crisp finish with a touch of hops. Layered with notes of crusty bread, stone fruit and delicate floral hops. It’s a lager-lover’s way to usher in the changing seasons.

ABV: 5.5%

Availability: Seasonal

Color: Light Bronze”

So, at 5.5% ABV this beer is a too little to be a bock per se. Troegs decided to describe this beer via “Springtime Lager”.

And likely by now you have guessed that the other beer in this side-by-side tasting is the BIG cousin: Troegenator.

Served in small tulip glasses:

Appearance:

Little Nator: Light amber with a thin khaki colored head.

Troegenator: Dark amber with a slight reddish hue and a thin khaki colored head.

Aroma:

Little Nator: Faint aroma of caramel.

Troegenator: Mostly sweetish toffee/caramel but with some fruity tones as well.

Taste:

Little Nator: Sweetish caramel flavor. A low – moderate bitterness.

Troegenator: Follows the nose with some toffee/caramel but there is more here: some toasted grains, the fruitiness (e.g., stone fruits) is more noticeable. A low - moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Little Nator: Light body with an off-dry finish.

Troegenator: A light-medium body with an off-dry finish.

Overall:

Little Nator: This beer is good. The flavor profile is one dimensional.

Troegenator: This beer is very good! This is the Doppelbock I drink the most since it is of high quality and reasonably priced.

If I was served Little Nator blind and asked what beer style it was I suspect my response would be a Vienna Lager. I much preferred the complexity of Troegenator.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

 

Surly Nitro Coffee Ale


Appearance: Dark brown, cascading nitro morphs into a solid foam cap. Nice ruby color when held to light.

Smell: Black coffee, ashes.

Taste: A little roasted sweetness and light mocha to start. Light body. Finishes with a burnt black coffee note and ash.

Overall: I really liked Bender and Coffee Bender was fine, but I'm not a big coffee guy. The coffee in this one just straight out reminds me of a dingy diner with somebody illicitly smoking cigarettes in the corner. The beer is fine, just gives me a weird mental image.

 

Had a couple of beers during happy hour yesterday, at Southern Yankee Crafthouse. Which is the "satellite" tap room and restaurant for the brewery. Which is way north of me. So I'm glad they opened this spot a couple of years ago, which is much closer to me. Always solid beers, and the food is great. Though these two beers weren't the best...

Firs is one of their beers...

ReinheitsgeNOT Hefeweizen, 5.2% ABV



Pours with a light haze, a pale yellow/orange color. A small white head forms, that recedes to leave some spotty lace behind.
Aroma of citrus and orange rind up front. Toasted, cracker like malts. That is is, overly simple but not particularly bad.
Taste wise, follows the nose, with citrus and orange rind being the main fruit component. Toasted and cracker like malts. Again, overly simple.
A light to medium body. Moderate carbonation that becomes smooth. OK to drink, but not one I'm looking to have multiples of.

It doesn't have the banana like esters and spicy clove character, but more citrus. Not that that is a bad thing entirely, but with the simplicity of this, it makes it seem more in the Pale Wheat Ale category, than a true Hefe. Easy enough to drink, and something you don't have to think to much about, but Southern Yankee does a lot better.

Overall score is 3.4, kind of a B score for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/54216/470646/?ba=champ103#lists


Then had Project Halo Brewing's High Frequency Baltic Porter, at 7.8% ABV. This was a guest tap that had on, and the first time I have seen this brewery. They are out of Fulshear, TX which is a bit south of me.



Pours a dark brown, near black color, with some ruby highlights around the edges. A one finger beige head forms, and leaves some spotty lace behind.
I don't get much in the aroma, almost neutral in that regard. Light roasted malt and creamed coffee is all I really get. Which is fine, but missing some oomph.
Taste wise, more malty flavors than the nose suggested. Light roast, nutty, bread, and coffee. Which is pretty good.
A medium body and moderate carbonation. This seems a bit light for the style and ABV. Still something that is enjoyable enough to drink.

Glad to see the style out and about. While its not bad in anyway, needs a bit more body and "oomph" for lack of a better term.

Overall score is 3.44, again in that B range.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63714/677677/?ba=champ103#lists

While these two weren't the best representations of their styles, still fairly enjoyable. Though I had their classic Pale Ale, that is one of my favorite local examples of that style. Along with there excellent Fish & Chips...so all wasn't lost

 

Thanks for the great write up comparing the two…this beer has still not showed up locally but I’ve been itching to try it. I’m sure when it does show up it’ll be around for a little and based on your write up maybe a perfect beer for that actual spring/winter crossover weather. Beer outside anyone??? Hopefully soon; come on spring!

 

We seem to be trending toward warmer weather and should hit 70 in the next day or two. The warmer weather certainly makes it more enjoyable.
Today I'm drinking Omen, an imperial stout from Progression Brewing Company.
A very dark brown color. Small tan head that recedes quickly.
Aroma of coffee and chocolate.
Very strong espresso taste, dark chocolate.
Coffee bitterness lingers, creamy mouthfeel.
Very nice.

 

Happy NBW all! Had a chance to go out and see an art show that featured a friend of mine and did lunch at a nearby restaurant.

Decided to try a new “Mexican” lager when we got there and this one was on sale.
The waitress brought me a 12 oz can, a lime slice and a 10 oz frosted mug. Hmmm.
I sucked on the lime after a few sips to see if it did anything for the flavor. Nope.
Any way- poured hay yellow with an off white head which leaves decent lacing.
Aroma still isn’t available to me.
The taste reminds me of a decent Pilsner at first, until I realized that the cracker tastes were actually corn flavors.
That said, it went well with the tortilla chips that were on the table.
The feel was good, eminently quaffable and if not ice cold, probably slammable.
OA, maybe only when eating tortilla chips this is good, but that’s not nothing.
Back later with a new Cellar pull. Cheers!

 

New to me beer today courtesy of @DoctorZombies is from Tripping Animals, Cooler Than Polar Bear's Toenails

A solid pilsner claimed as a Venezuelan style, which rather than an actual style, I think it is merely a nod to a classic Venezuelan beer: Polar Pilsener, seen here from Total Wine:
to the review:

16oz can "canned on 11/30/23" and poured into a pilsner glass shows a pastel yellow body with lively bubbles constantly rising to a fluffy, white head of mixed bubbles that falls to an edge-hugging ring and leaves random webbed and spotted lacing.

Floral aroma hints at lemon and classic noble hops.

Feel and flavor is almost crisp cracker malt set off by flowery citrus and finishes a nearly soft medium.

Overall a solid Pilsner from a solid BA!
¡Salud!

 

Greetings, fellow NBWers,

On this new beer saturday, I am hanging out at the home of a couple who are dear friends of mine that have gone East to visit family for a few days. They have a couple of somewhat high maintenance pets that need looking after, and on top of that, they like the idea of somebody hanging around their house while they're gone. One of said pets, a hound dog named Toby who might very well be the most sweet-natured dog in the world, can be seen in the foreground. Sadly, this evening I'm going to have to corral him and try to put medication into his right eye, and while he will probably be docile enough to accept it, he'll probably be terrified of me for hours afterwards, as he might also be the most timid and genuinely frightened dog that has ever lived.

Yes, thats snow you see outside, but it's not a terribly large amount, maybe something around 2 in or so. It's currently about 30° F and rather sunny. Tomorrow, there's supposed to be some more snow falling, but I'm not sure how much. Hopefully it's not too much, because my friends driveway is kind of a bitch to get up and down with any amount of snow or ice at all!

Part of why I bring up my friends and the fact that I'm house and pet sitting for them is that they were kind enough to leave me multiple tall boys of beer in their fridge as a thank you. Right now I'm hitting one of those beers, PFriem's Strata IPA, which I'm ashamed to say I have not had until now:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29573/632895/?ba=woemad#lists
My review is about 6% or so higher than the average where this beer is concerned. Maybe I just haven't had a beer of this style that was this well made in a little bit, but I freaking love this stuff. This is a really nice single hop West Coast IPA, if that's your thing. While I'm happy to drink a well-made hazy, WCIPAs are what brought me to the hoppy beer table back in the day, so I have a soft spot for them. I will absolutely drink this beer again.

I'll have at least one more new beer this weekend. In addition to the beers that were left in the fridge by my friends, I brought a couple of beers myself with the idea of reviewing and posting them this weekend.
Until then, cheers!

 

Cross-posted in the Porter Appreciation Thread - cheers!

4.17/5 rDev +4.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Packaged January 29, 2024 - enjoyed on February 17, 2024 - poured from a pint can into my Samuel Smith nonic.

Impenetrable Van **** brown body with a low tan cap. Fine sandy lacing; very good retention.

Malty/fruity aromatics with hints of toasted brown bread, coffee, milk chocolate, and cherry.

Fairly sweet palate entry suggesting root beer and malt balls, offset by a low earthy bitterness and a growing toasted malt complexity leading into a dry complex finish with hints of french roast, tea, and tobacco. Vague/fleeting metallic element at times. Yeast seems neutral (though any fruit/floral esters are subsumed by the low roast flavors).

Medium-light bodied, with a slightly "fizzy" quality and mild but lasting astringency.

Better than the sum of its parts, refreshing yet robust, a good showcase of specialty malts. Well crafted; good value.

 

I might've tried this beer on tap many years ago in Krakow, but judging by this bottle, it was possibly a different beer. It is overwhelmingly sweet, especially after warming up, and doesn't have any other dimension besides alcohol. It smells like candy and tastes like cheap caramel. Works well if you want to get an alcohol hit fast.

 

Hey NBWs
I’m drinking a new to me IPA called Beast at the Door from Anchorage Brewing Co. courtesy of @DoctorZombies

Double dry hopped IPA 6.4 abv
Superdelic, Nectaron, and Luminosa hops
Poured from a can dated 12/16/23
Yellow cloudy thick appearance quickly dissipating head to a soapy lacing
Pungent aroma of pineapple, peach and grapefruit and kind of a candy note
Taste is tropical, citrus, pineapple, stone fruits and bright tasting , malt notes
Mouthfeel is soft with low carbonation. Dry tasting and a bit of a resinous finish
Overall it’s a smooth drinking double dry hopped IPA , very enjoyable
4.14. -0.2% rDev
Cheers Dave!

 

4.22/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Picked up a caged and corked bottle from SNBC Mills River 2-1-24 for $20. Based on research, Torpedo was born in 2009. Given this BA bottle marks the 10 year anniversary, this has been aging for 5 years. This could be interesting.

Beer poured orange-brown with a very nice white head.

Nose is nice, when swirled am getting the SNBC fresh hop room along with wood from the barrel.

Taste is very nice. The pale malt base is moderately sized but has grown with the absorption of the bourbon barrels. Getting west coast hop characteristics of grapefruit, orange, and pine. Hops combine with the barrel nicely to lend some coconut and vanilla. Finishes with a balancing touch of pine resin.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, and very soft and smooth.

Overall what a delicious treat from an idea that does not seem plausible!

 

Hey what's going on?!

Let's get down and right into it, it's BOCK time!



Poured from the can into a pokal style glass.

Foamy fine topped khaki head of three easy fingers. Holds with some decent retention slowing down to an eventually bubbly puck. Deep rust and copper red, nearly metallic looking with exceptional clarity, nearly shiny in appearance.

The aroma harks back to just the good basic and really well presented classics of the style. Spicy clove notes and faint hints of phenolic flavor. Light touching caramel, spicy hop herbal angles, and a faint touch of toffee and raisin together. Exceptionally clean, a bit of mineral like action as well.

Considerably above average palate. Chewy body with a good hint of exceptional flavor. Chunky sense of chocolate malt, hints of caramel, and clean finishing with sticky toffee. Herbal hop finish, touches black tea slightly, but peppery clove is the real winner here. Body comes out more like nougat and nutty after some time consuming.

Real nice designed and delicious doppelbock.

Cheers!

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25