New Beer Weekend #188

Thank you David for kicking the weekend off. I'm ending February with more beers than I started, primarily because of a crazy close out sale of Goose Island beers including BCBS. I picked up my two planned weekend beers during the same trip.

Was happy to finally grab this one after seemingly finding a good enough fresh can within three months (date 12/3/23) until I sadly learned this is a best by date (with no BB indicated on the can). Thought maybe I had this on a SWA flight, but don't see any notes.

New Belgium Fat Tire Ale



Can Notes: Purchased refrigerated at Woodman's Buffalo Grove 2/22/24, refrigerated at home until opening this morning. 19.2 oz. Purchased believing the 12/3/23 can date was when it was canned, but I believe this is a best by date would make this beer nearly three months expired, similar to the condition of many others in their tall boy can section. 230709101T indicates it may have been canned July 9, 2023. Whatever. 5.2% ABV, Brewed & Canned by New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins Colorado & Asheville, North Carolina. Marking this as a Colorado tick, but who knows.

Appearance: Poured about half the can over two tries into a shaker pint glass. Generous bubbly head leaves way to a soapy cover and lacing a few minutes in. Clear golden tan pour, medium at first carbonation upon pouring trickles to a few sustained bubbles relatively quickly. 4.0

Aroma: Getting some bready malt, cracker, salt and pepper. Grassy hops lurking. Good. 3.5

Taste: Malt with salt. Tastes like a muddled AAL. Could be stale, could be the way it's supposed to be. Not much complexity here like the aroma. Salty cracker, decent. 2.75

Mouthfeel: It's fizzy and I can not a light steady alcohol presence. Salty the one flavor I'm getting, light and easy drinking, salty cracker lingers like eating a Saltine sleeve. 2.5

Overall: Likely a stale beer that's drinkable is the best I can come up with. Guess these experiences is why I typically never give New Belgium Brewing much thought while considering beers. 2.75

I tried about 2 oz of my planned beer tomorrow at FOBAB. Found it a bit sweet, but perhaps four months later and proper warm up will yield better results.

 

Shouldn’t this beer have been branded the Fourth Glass?

I suppose there is a backstory for why Boulevard branded this beer as The Sixth Glass Quadrupel, but the beer style of Quad has me thinking Fourth.

Below is how this beer is described on the Boulevard website:

“The Sixth Glass

Quadrupel Ale

”Do you know what dwells in a glass?” asks Ole, in Hans Christian Andersen's The Watchman of the Tower. Better known for stories such as The Little Mermaid, Andersen wrote this short, cautionary tale for a somewhat older audience. Our quadrupel ale, also meant for the mature connoisseur, is a deep and mysterious libation, dark auburn and full-bodied, its sweetness deceptive. As Ole describes the glasses in turn, their contents become more ominous until, in the sixth glass...

ABV: 10.2%

Bitterness: 22 IBUs”

Hmm, I suppose I will have to read The Watchman of the Tower to understand the significance of “the sixth glass”?

Anyway, lets drink!

Served in a tulip glass:

Appearance

Mahogany colored with a two finger khaki colored head.

Aroma

The dominant aroma is of dried dark fruits (e.g., figs, raisins,…) but in the background there is some caramel maltiness.

Taste

The flavor follows the nose with flavors of dried dark fruits and as with the nose a hint of malty caramel flavor. The is a low bitterness/

Mouthfeel

Medium bodied with an off-dry finish.

Overall

I think this beer is very good! I really enjoyed drinking it.

An enjoyable beer for winter (cold) weather drinking.

Cheers!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH

P.S. In a few of hours I will be heading down to the city (Philly) with four buddies to once again attend the annual German beer festival at the German Society of Pennsylvania. I reckon this is the sixth time I have attended this excellent event.

https://germansociety.org/PHILLYBIERFEST/index.html

 

Thanks!

Below is a photo from last year's event where there were two German Beers served via cask. I hope they have some this year as well.

Prost!

 

Good day BAs! Thanks @DoctorZombies for starting today's thread! Jack (@JackHorzempa), enjoy today's festival - if it were a month or two later I'd be tempted to attend, but traveling in February in PA is just too problematic for an eight hour drive, particularly when traveling into Philly.

Today's Cellaruary beer selection isn't new - I had it first in 2014 and have rarely seen it since:



Original review 29 Dec 2014
2008 vintage at 52 degrees into tulip
Aroma of fruit
Head small (<2 cm, aggressive pour), white, fizzy, rapidly diminishing to 2 mm ring.
Lacing – none
Body golden, clear
Flavor sweet, raisins and grapes, short lived; no hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl.
Palate medium to full, creamy, soft carbonation
Appearance 3.5, Aroma 3.5, Flavor 4.5, Palate 4, Overall, 4

New review 24/02/2024
Curvee Van de Keizer Rood – from Het Anker. 25.4 mL cork and cage bottle picked up at State Line Liquors in Elkton, MD, sometime in the last couple of years, $15.37 (Including tax), $ 0.605/fl oz. Rereviewed 24/02/24. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Neck band “Jaargang 2008”, otherwise the labeling is entirely in English and otherwise undated. Stored on room temperature shelf at dealer, 39 degrees at home for the last few years. Served at 47.8 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 55.9 degrees F. No label serving directions.
Appearance – 3.5 There is a slight oxidation ring around the neck of the bottle.
First pour – Pale Straw (SRM 2), clear.
Body – Deep Gold (SRM 6), hazy. Under direct light, same. Rear-lite, pale gold (SRM 4), hazy.
Head – Average (Maximum one cm, aggressive center pour), white, quickly degenerating to a 0.1 cm ring and no cap.
Lacing – None
Aroma –3.5 – Fruity with a bit of yeast. No hops, no alcohol (10 % ABV, as stamped on the label).
Flavor – 3.5 – Begins slightly tart with fruit, mostly apples and a ghostly yeastiness. No hops, no malt. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Weak ethanol. Mild gastric warming eventually occurs.
Palate – 4 – Medium; watery; soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Again, I’m not changing my earlier score because an old bottle doesn’t live up to expectations. Besides, I no longer enjoy Belgian blondes as I once did, preferring darker brews in my dotage.

 

I have attended several of these events over the years and I can report that weather conditions can be 'variable'. It looks like weather will be good this year but at one event a few years ago it started to snow just as the event started and by the end there were some nervous people wondering about their drive home (we took the train). And another event the weather was unseasonably warm and one beer rep from Germany was even wearing shorts (I wondered why he had the foresight to pack shorts for this trip?).

The one constant is tasty beer and great entertainment. I enjoy the bands but the highlight for me is watching the German Society folks perform folk dancing.

Prost!

 

Hardywood Gingerbread Porter.



Deep copper with a 1/4" tan head which slowly fades. Has Moderate lacing. Aroma of strong ginger with cinnamon and vanilla. Ginger dominates the taste. Also, cinnamon, vanilla, pepper, a hint of nutmeg, cocoa, molasses. Not getting any bourbon. Ginger is a bit more intense than Gingerbread Stout. Also, a bit more astringency. Has a full body with light carbonation. Dry, spicy finish.

L: 4 S: 4.25 T: 4.25 F: 4 OA: 4.25 4.21 rDev +1.9%

 

Good morning NBW, here's my thoughts on New Belgium Oakspire:

Appearance: Clear amber with a good head.

Smell: For some reason I'm not getting anything but neutral, maybe a bit of metal. Maybe it's my glass? Seems some dark fruit notes come through later.

Taste: Mild sweetness, then gives barrel wood and slight vanilla flavor. More wood as it warms up. Alcohol somewhat apparent.

Overall: Was gifted a bottle by a friend, Oakspire is kind of interesting but mostly seems to give a lot of wood flavor. Maybe the base beer doesn't stand on its own enough?

 

Enjoying a delicious Berkshire Steel Rail Extra Pale Ale, 5.3% - some days beer just tastes better than others, and today is that day! Cheers!



-Look: Crystal clear bright gold with a beautiful fluffy white head.
-Smell: Toasted grains and baked bread with mild grassy hops.
-Taste: Amazingly balanced and smooth - delicious!
-Feel: Soft and round, full and slippery.
-Overall: Very good pale ale that's flavorful and highly drinkable!

*had a test-run of this yesterday - I couldn't wait!

 

Enjoying a Wachusett Quinn's Amber Ale, 4.8% - I've found my St. Patrick's Day beer for this year! It's never too early to start looking. Cheers!



-Look: Very pretty clear deep amber with a clumpy tan head.
-Smell: Toasty malts, slight rye, mild grassy hops.
-Taste: Delicious mild toasty malts and a hint of grassy hops.
-Feel: Smooth and balanced, thin to medium, slippery.
-Overall: A good amber ale - very tasty and drinkable!

*again, I tested this yesterday, you know, for science!

 

Thanks for kicking us off @DoctorZombies, and @JackHorzempa enjoy the beer festival. Sounds amazing!

I've had a productive morning, now I'm settling down to watch soccer and enjoy a beer or two. For my first beer I came very close to opening up a bottle of Utopias barrel aged World Wide Stout that @Ozzylizard sent me, but decided maybe I should keep the 17%+ beers for later! I instead pivoted to a can of Black Hog's Coffee Milk Stout that's been sitting on a door shelf in the beer fridge for years. At 5.5%, this may be an easier start to my weekend drinking!

Canned September 19, 2019. Nice looking beer that pours the expected deep brown / black, with a respectable tan colored head that receded to a spotty cap and persistent ring. Nose has plenty of lactose, with any hint of coffee or roast deep in the background.

Ironically, this is reversed on the tongue. Plenty of coffee and very little sweetness except for a small amount on the finish. Body is a hair lighter than medium.
-
Overall, it's solid, but unspectacular. That said, this is the kind of beer you enjoy when you are hanging out with friend more than one you slowly sip and savor, and there's a definite need for beers like this in the world.

 

Jack, how does 6th Glass compare with St. Bernardous Abt? Spec wise, they seem pretty similar. I was just thinking yesterday that I needed to track those two beers down for a comparison.

 

A nice sunny day. Took the dogs for a three mile walk, and they are resting now.
Taking the grandsons to see Lisa Frankenstein at the movies. They're really excited about this, my wife and I less so. Still, it's always nice to do things with them. I am drinking Jamaican Haze IPA from Hinterland Brewing Company and enjoying it very much.
Hazy orange color. One inch fluffy white head, good retention. A good amount of sticky lace.
Fruity aroma, tropical and citrus.
Taste of orange and pineapple up front, some late earthy hops.
Sweet and fruity, a little bitter.
Very nice.

 

Hey what's going on!?

Taking in the weekend, and definitely need to recharge the batteries.

Here's what is new for me this weekend



Poured from the can into a nonic(k) pint glass.

Great looking dark copper red and brown. Dark amber and gem like quality of shine for a very crystal clear body. Thick rich billowing khaki and foaming tall three to four fingers of big lather. Decent staying power too for a dunkel which is quite impressive.

Excellent aroma to go with it. Clean sensing with a faint hint of nuts and dry leaves interestingly. Touches a bit of earth sweetness, and accents a little bit of dark caramel sensing flavor to go with it.

Richness continues in the palate. Thick touching malt base, giving to exceptional flavors. Dark chocolate slightly, light phenolic action, and excellent herbal hop and spicy bitterness on first sip. More of that nutty almost hazelnut sensing sweetness that balances well with the herbal hop and slightly cloved phenolic touches. Clean and solid finish.

Great crafted lager, really been impressed with the hike the alp series.

4.25 across the board.

Cheers!

 

I personally would give the 'nod' to St. Bernardus since that beer has greater complexity but both beers are joys to drink.

Cheers!

 

Next up is a wonderful beer sent my way courtesy of the generous @Dimidiata. This is A Still Small Voice from The Lost Abbey, and it's wonderful.


Very nice looking and smelling beer. It's a light orange with great clarity and plenty of carbonation resulting in a permanent thing head. Aroma is oak and earthy funk.

Taste is wonderful. Lemongrass, oak and light funk that's hard to describe, but is very, very tasty. Well carbonated, light and lively.

Overall, this is excellent.

 

Just one new brew for me today, The Bruery's The Night Shift Port barrel aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout was a good one:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/674994/?ba=bluejacket74#lists





Cheers everyone!