New Beer Weekend #190

Brewery?

 

Good descriptive review.

 

Though I will not be posting just yet I would like to (un)officially dedicate this weekend to @beergoot and his beautiful pours, @snaotheus you prompted this idea last week with your posts. Last weekend he gave us a little tutorial, I call on all NBW participants to attempt such a pour and see if we cannot make our good friend @beergoot proud...directions posted last week by the one and only.


HOW TO:

...however, until I walk-the-walk, it's goes much like this:

• have a generally decent quality beer to begin with (not absolutely necessary, but it certainly helps)
• start with an 45° cant to the glass and pour aggressively (sometimes raising the bottle higher as I pour) until about it is half to 2/3 of the way full of beer and foam
• right the glass to let the foam rise and then settle bit
• top off the pour with an additional straight down (somewhat aggressive follow-up if need be) pour
• admire your work, photograph it, and post it for the thirsty sots on BA
• enjoy your beverage

Let's see what you all got this weekend, I will repost again later today in hopes of making this a fun, foam filled weekend...Cheers to the @beergoot pour

---------------------

To add to the fun maybe we can declare a winner somehow, consensus, and/or chosen by the master himself. That's have some fun this weekend, those quads usually get quite the head on them if poured right, so cross post away.

I will be visualizing my pour until later tonight. Cheers friends!

 

It is good to have friends!

There is a bit of a backstory to today’s beer so I request your indulgence here.

Last weekend I go together with some buddies for a Pliny the Younger event at a local craft beer bar/restaurant & bottle shop: Capone’s in Norristown, PA. Over the years I got to be friends with the beer person, Matt Capone. We got to Capone’s after 1:00 pm which was likely a good thing since for this event it was a madhouse earlier on. I spoke with a person at the bar (Brian) and he informed me he showed up at 10:00 for the opening at 10:30. He said there was already a long line outside and it was raining. He waited in his car (and stayed dry) until the doors opened.

Well, since we were there during the lull period, I was able to have a nice chat with Matt and catch up on things. Matt is a great guy and very knowledgeable about beer. One of our discussion topics was about a relatively new ‘brewery’, Trauger Brewing, and I asked how well the beers were selling for him. I used single quotes around ‘brewery’ since this is a gypsy brewing business.

A short biography of Jeremy Myers who is the owner/brewer of Trauger (some of this information from my conversation with him at the Logjammin’ Lager beer festival a couple of years ago). Jeremy was one of the founders and head brewer of Neshaminy Creek Brewing which opened in 2010 and Jeremy brewed their beers until he left in 2019. Jeremy was involved in a number of brewing ventures upon leaving and now he has dual roles. He travels to Germany on a regular/rotating basis to brew beers: head of production at Bach’s Braumanufaktur in Neunkirchen, Germany. When he returns home to the US, he brews beer at Broken Goblet Brewery:

https://breweriesinpa.com/broken-go...at-forming-mutual-respect-brewing-collective/

Jeremy is one hard working dude!

To circle back to the friend theme, my good friend Matt gave me a can of Trauger Helles which I will be discussing today.

As can be seen below in the photo this beer is labeled as Newert Helles – German style Pale Lager. With the tagline: “German Inspired, Pennsylvania Brewed”.

From instagram:
“Many people see Helles as your standard German Lager, but to me it’s anything but. It’s a very nuanced beer that can easily be titled in one direction or the other that just throws it completely off balance. It’s not as malty as a Maibock and the hop forwardness of a Pils would surely be out of place, especially a North German-style Pils. Balanced, yet complex, Newert is a single decoction mash with imported Pilsner malt from @bestmalz and hopped in the kettle with my favorite Old and New World hops in Tettnanger and Mandarina Bavaria. Floral with a hint of earthy spice and notes of clementine and orange on the backend from the Mandarina, this beer is more than an everyday drinker. Its simplicity is what makes it esoteric in a world of craft beer today that that can be so over the top.”

Served in my Spiegelau Lager beer glass:

Appearance:

Golden colored with a white head.

Aroma:

The aroma is mostly a sweet-ish Pilsner malt.

Taste:

A notable Pilsner malty flavor. On the mid-late palate there is a subtle hint of white grape flavor. There is a low bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall:

I enjoyed drinking this beer, it is very good. It is malt forward with the quality that German’s call süffig (has great drinkability). When I finished this can of beer, I wish I had a second can to drink.

Cheers!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH @nosferatu48

 

Lakefront Brewery Brewers' Reserve 2019 Barleywine Ale. Canned 1/24/24. 15.9% ABV. Courtesy of @cheeseheadinMinneapolis. The look appears black, but is very dark brown, when held up to the light of the sun. There was no foam when pouring it. The smell jumps out of the can. Vanilla, raisin, dark chocolate, spice, bourbon, and caramel. It is a wonderful bouquet. The taste is vanilla, bourbon, raisin, dark chocolate, caramel, spice, dates, and graham cracker. The mouthfeel is a bit hot, but smooth, silky, and full, with low-medium carbonation. Overall, this is a special beer. Lakefront Brewery is near and dear to my heart, since I grew up in Milwaukee, WI. Many of their beers have great nostalgic value to me, but I don't think of their beers in the context of the modern craft beer scene. This beer is an example of why they should remain in the conversation of top craft beer breweries in Wisconsin.

 

This weekend is going to be a little in-beer-only trip to Illinois, pretty much the north side of Chicago, if my quick look at a map didn’t mislead me. My local shop got some beers from two breweries I’d heard of from that area, one of which I have not had the opportunity to sample, with the other one being why I made the trip. This is the former, Mikerphone’s Cuff & a Crease.


This is listed as a west coast IPA, using mostly 2-row and 4 classic C-hops (plus some Amarillo). A quick sample sip didn’t show me much, but I downed the remainder after the GF tried it and it showed promise. So the glass you see above was ordered.

Clearer and more golden than my picture shows, there is some lacing sitting above the thin ring of white head as I type. Froth is anxious to return, bringing a funky, vegetal, catty dankness to a nose that needed the agitation that brought both.

A beer of medium heft that has a clean opening and a pretty clean finish. Each sip seems to clean itself up, though there is a lingering evergreen and fresh cut grass bitterness that builds with a few sips uninterrupted by water. In this way, Cuff & a Crease comes to me as sitting near the moderately bitter IPA / overly bitter APA border with each sip, but easily in the old school IPA camp with more intake.

For my tastes, I’d want a little more non-bitter character from the hops, or just a little more body from the malt and bitterness to counter this.


Almost worthless bonus track:
The GF had a Fonta Flora beer called Bzzzz - we think. FF’s website had a tap listing with some extra z’s and cans that looked to match what the menu board says here. The website has no mention of said board’s claim that it is a collaboration with Trillium. Hmm… that’s more info than I have for tasting notes, which basically center around the word “juicy.”

 

This is one of the most revered beers in Minnesota. Selected for me by @cheeseheadinMinneapolis. I have driven by August Schell Brewing in New Ulm, MN, countless times. My family is from southwestern Minnesota, and I grew up in southeastern Wisconsin. The tradition and heritage is special. The look of this beer is pitch black. There is a slight light brown foam presence. The smell is smokey. Honeymustard ham, dark malt, brown bread, black licorice, and pepper odors create a nice ambiance. The taste is smoked malt, peat, burnt toast, toffee, vanilla, black bean, and rice. A pleasant, and unique, combination. The mouthfeel is heavy, yet crisp, thick, and slightly syrupy, with medium-heavy carbonation. Overall, this is a unique beer. I really like it. I believe that if you are from Minnesota, this beer will be more meaningful than if you are not. But I would not drink this beer before a Minnesota Twins game. It is not an easy-drinking beer. It is quite complex. It would be best experienced minutes after yet another inexplicable Minnesota Vikings catastrophic failure.

 

Does that mean the Map Room is next!?!

A pretty exciting beer list there:

https://maproom.com/beer-list/

Cheers!

 

Maybe one day when I’m physically in Chicago. I got cans from the other brewery I will be virtually visiting later today / this weekend. I used to see them come up a lot in threads on BA, but haven’t seen them as much recently (though part of that may be due to me not being quite as active, myself).

 

Happy to review another delicious beer courtesy of @DoctorZombies , thanks, Doc.

Charlestowne Fermentory Vistula Baltic Porter


To the notes:
16oz undated can poured into a pint glass shows a deep, dark, ruddy, cola colored body and briefly supports a 1/2" head of chestnut brown mixed bubbles that dissipates to an edge ring and an otherwise clean glass.

Vanilla, cocoa, and roast malt aromas entice a long quaff rewarded with roasty bitterness that leans more on cocoa than coffee bean. I was reminded of the importance of serving temperature here. As I was first enjoying the beer, right out of the icebox, I was thinking it was a nice, maybe lighter, milk stout, if not pastry even. Roasty notes were clearly in the cocoa and not coffee realm, and the vanilla highlighted some sweetness. This was odd to me. I was looking for some edge, maybe carbonation, but something.

I had to look at the guidelines to be reminded that dark chocolate aroma is allowed, but it was the fruitness I was missing. Thankfully for both this beer, and my memory, warmth and time brings stone fruity notes that help to steer clear of pastry land.

Mouthfeel is creamy and smooth and tries to dry, with mixed success.

Overall an easy drinker that toes the sweet/bitter line, but remember to let it breathe.

Thanks, Dave. Quite a good beverage.

 

Ah, a virtual trip? I think I get it now.

Sort of a "state of mind" thing?

Cheers!

 

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend - Cheers!

4.11/5 rDev -4%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 4.75

2013 vintage - poured from a 12oz bottle into my Westvleteren chalice. Served at 47F.

Clear garnet body with copper and carmine highlights. No head or lacing; thin fast running legs.

Dense aromatics suggest leather, figs, prunes, burgundy, and a hint of sherry. Toffee, and candied ginger along with a hint of clove emerges as the ale warms.

Sweet boozy palate entry - flavors follow the nose with additional vinuous qualities and a touch of chocolate torte, ganache or buttercream. Complex medium finish, moderate oxidation, hints of ceylon tea and Turbinado sugar.

Medium-bodied, nearly still, oily, warming (not fusel) and moderately astringent.

Superb contemplative beverage that pushes the boundaries of what a "beer" can be (making it dificult to rate to style, let alone as a clone of Pannepot Reserva).

 

Loving all the great reviews this week, Jack’s story about how he obtained his selection, and hope you enjoy your next Chicago area selection @cjgiant

I’m going to stay within Chicago City limits as I like to do in real life. Selections this week from breweries within a few miles of each other. The first is from Goose Island alumni John Laffler who has created an awesome brewery which just celebrated their tenth anniversary. I was really happy to attend their celebration last Fall.

Off Color Crispy Beer For Pizza



Can Notes: Purchased 2/22/24 at store temperature for $2.25 from Beer on the Wall. 12 oz canned 2/5/24, refrigerated upon returning home until opening this afternoon. 5.0% ABV, Italian Style Lager. Malts: Pils, Munich. Hops: Select, Chinook. Secret Techniques: Whole Cone Hops. Brewed & Canned by Off Color Brewing Chicago, Illinois.

Appearance: Crustal clear light golden straw base, about half the can poured into a flute before topping off about ten minutes in. Very bright white head yields soapy lacing and a nice creamy cover over the base. Medium plus sustained carbonation. Looks great. 4.5

Aroma: Bursts upon cracking open the can, a solid traditional Pils bouquet of cracker, nice pepper salty aroma, lemongrass, getting buttered popcorn as well. Very nice for my preferences. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with aroma, slightly less strong but very steady yield of Pils flavors, plus lemon grass, mineral water, getting a bit of buttered popcorn. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Slightly dry, light and easy drinking. Carbonation seen more than felt, very gentle. Slightly more hoppy than a typical Pils, though yielding a more balanced treatment and not the overkill I've experienced from other "Italian Style" Pilsners. Nice cracker lemon grass finish leaving good memories and vibes. 4.25

Overall: This is a solid beer, and my only regret is this isn't a 16 or 19.2 oz can. So light and easy to drink, packed with flavor. Thank you John for another great creation and need to buy more in the future. 4.25

Going to a 16 oz can from a brewery I haven't explored much in the past.

 

Old Stove - Barrel Aged Imperial Hell Hawk. Not the best match for an attempted @beergoot pour, @jonphisher, but I did try. Looking forward to seeing what you can do with that rye lager!

22oz bottle served in a curvy Fremont glass. If there's a date, I don't see it.

Pours very dark black, with a smallish, short-lived head despite a pretty aggressive pour. There's a moderately thick ring that goes most of the way around the glass, and a surprisingly-high-for-the-style level of carbonation. Smell is moderately boozy, lots of vanilla, strong coconut and chocolate.

Taste is boozy, with a ton of chocolate that almost mixes with the coconut to make a Mounds kind of flavor. Vanilla is pretty strong, too. Sweet, but not too sweet. Maybe a bit of a caramel tone to it, too.

Mouthfeel is not super thick, but it triggers that thickened saliva sensation that I associate with milk. Maybe that's the lactose, that's an interesting thought. Overall, it's pretty good. If the coconut and booziness were toned down by about 50% and the texture thickened a bit, this would be great, to my preferences.

 

As a long-time Lawson's fan I was happy to grab this yesterday.

4.24/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 16-oz can stamped “CANNED ON 01/24/24”. Poured to a snifter at 50 degrees F.
There is a nice deep tan head of micro bubbles as expected for a nitro canned beer. I did not have the patience to get the full 16oz into the 16oz glass without stopping to drink. The body is opaque black, obviously.
The aroma is dark roasted malt goodness- chocolate and a hint of coffee and dried fruit.
The taste is similar (how cliche). Mild up front, bitter at the end (that’s a good thing as far as I’m concerned). That dried fruit sensation comes in on the finish also.
The body is pretty light for a stout and so is the ABV BTW. This combination makes it as easy to drink as a lawnmower beer but with a wallop of flavor. Drinking through the foam is a treat.
A “light” stout that is very flavorful, what a good idea.