New Beer Weekend #194

Eagle Park Brewing Bowie's Space Suit HBC 630. A hazy IIPA with Citra, Galaxy, and HBC 630 hops. Eagle Park Brewing is the premier hazy IPA brewer in Wisconsin. I met up with @Danmullens1 for this release, but have not tried it until now. The color is beautiful hazy sunflower yellow, with a light white foam top. The smell is lemon, orange, mango, grapefruit, and white toast. The taste is a clean and fruity combination of grapefruit, lemon, lime, guava, banana, and Triscuit. The mouthfeel is thick, juicy, soupy, and smooth, with light-medium carbonation. Overall, this is in the top 10 of hazy IPAs brewed in Wisconsin. Which Eagle Park Brewing dominates. If you decide to visit Milwaukee, Wisconsin, this year, for Milwaukee Metalfest, the NBA Finals, or the Republican National Convention, and want to visit this brewery, I suggest the downtown location. The suburban location does not have the same uniquely Milwaukee, Wisconsin, personality.

 

Had no idea Forest & Main distributed anywhere, let along to your neck of the woods. Curious to see what your impressions are. I've only had maybe a dozen of their beers, and while none fell into the world class category, all were above average. The kind of brewery I love based on their willingness to brew a bunch of different styles and to do all of them well.

You had me at the image of the beer...looks / sounds great.

The best approach to deal with wind is to drink beer.....It's science.

 

Prost to @FBarber for this NBS BIF#18 brew

Art History Brewing's bauhaus German Style Pilsner, 5.2% ABV; 4.42 overall

Pours an effervescent and bright gold with two fingers of eggshell colored head. Good lacing and better head retention

S: Bready with some soapy hops, some floral hops. Great nose

T: Follows the nose grainy sweetness and a touch of lemon up front. Grainy sweetness grassiness and a touch of lemon as a spear warms up. Dryness in the finish, grassiness and slightly bitter grain along with bready sweetness

MF; Medium body with light carbonation, good balance

Well-made highly drinkable Pilsner

 

Drekker/Falling Knife Collab Live Laugh Lurk DNEIPA, 8% ABV. Pours hazy pale orange with a three-finger white head that left great lacing. Aroma is tropical fruit. Taste is citrus, tropical fruit, and zest. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.17/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Wind gusts up to 48MPH now. Luckily it's an East wind, because with West winds we get dead branches from the state park all over our yard.

 

Advice accepted. It's not supposed to let up for another 30 hours. Gonna hafta raid the cellar more...

 

Just a couple new to me imperial stouts today:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/697075/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1146/666470/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



Both were pretty good, but I tend to like the higher ABV stouts in general. Cheers!

 

SUPERBOWL SQUARES haulage from @2beerdogs Cheers!

Almanac Beer CO. Cherry Sournova, 5.1 ABV;, 3.97 overall

Pours like an effervescent Chablis with a thin layer of eggshell colored head. Somewhat murky with below average head retention and lacing. Great color clears up pretty well

S; Tart cherries grassiness

T: Tart cherries sourness and dryness up front, also a little salt and lime. More tart cherry a little lime and Oaky dryness as this beer warms up. Finishes tart sour dry with cherry and lime and a touch of saltiness plenty dry I was just a kiss of coconut too

MF: Medium body very low carbonation

Solid sour ale with the distinct flavor pretty easy to drink

 

Damn, I almost picked up a bottle when I was at Casanova a few weeks back instead of The Wolf. I'll be headed back over there eventually, and I hope a bottle is left.

Now back to another new beer from the amazing @Whyteboar .


Mango Gold - The Mitten Brewing Co. - Grand Rapids, MI - Fruited Kettle Sour - 4.5% ABV

Damn. The flavors work so very well together. I am happy drinking this, though it went down stupid fast.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30575/290007/


4.06/5 rDev +7.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From a 12oz can with no date.

This is a murky looking, golden colored beer. The head is 1 finger, white, but not too long lasting. No lacing on the glass.
The nose is just packed with mango. There's a faint yeasty smell that also shows up in the aroma.
Taste - Wow. The mango is strong and powerful, but doesn't overpower the wheat flavors. The mango, banana, and cloves all work together to produce a delicious flavor.
Smooth, lighter bodied.
Damn tasty beer, and goes down very fast.


I've got at least one more in me today. Cheers!

 

Since this is a Minnesota-dominate NBW thread, I will review a World Beer Cup Gold Award winner, from Minnesota. Dual Citizen Brewing Mayhem and Mishief. An American barleywine. From St. Paul, Minnesota. Courtesy of Minnesota's beer godfather, @cheeseheadinMinneapolis. Served in a glass I purchased when I met up with @Victory_Sabre1973 in Cloud City, Minnesota. The look is a rich, deep, mohogany color, with a light off-white foam cloud cover. The smell is brown sugar, burnt toast, honey-ham, campfire, and pumpernickel bread with butter. The taste is spicy, with a light bitterness, and it features brown bread with trufflebutter, smoke, toffee, vanilla, cocoa, ham, and spice. It is a delicious, unique, and enticing combination. The mouthfeel is electric, bold, and crisp, yet sparkly. With higher carbonation. Delightful. Overall, I prefer English barleywines, and believe it is best when barleywines are bourbon barrel-aged, but this is a delicious beer. Worthy of its accolades. As @Mdog knows, when you get together with @cheeseheadinMinneapolis, you will walk away with some incredible beers. Way more than is necessary. And barleywines will be well represented.

 

3 Sheeps Top Shelf Collaborations Legend Has It

Appearance: Black, starts with a good head but fizzes like a soda and it disappears, a little strange.

Smell: Chocolate, plenty of barrel vanilla, booze.

Taste: Starts with some chocolate, then the barrel comes in strong with a lot of cherry alcohol. Medium-heavy body. Finishes with a mix of chocolate and wood.

Overall: An interesting BA stout, pretty weird appearance with the cola-like disappearing head. Thought there might be an infection, but the taste was fine, if a little barrel-heavy. Nice to have the opportunity to try it.

Thanks again to @cheeseheadinMinneapolis !

 

I believe the best solution would be if we do an NFC North bottle share at 3 Sheeps Brewing. We can create all kinds of cuvees. But beware, BeerAdvocates always get served uncut bourbon, poured from the barrel. Then we eat bratwursts.

 

Evidence suggests I have a psychic connection with my Minnesota BeerAdvocate brothers.

 

The beauty of a beer it forward is that you get to nary beers front different breweries band across the country ( world) curated by a certified beer nut. In the case of BIF18, my beer nut is @Victory_Sabre1973 who gifted me several Minnesota (Ah!) brews. Here is my mystery beer beer from this round

Moose lake Black Forest German Lager

3.77/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Beer recieved in bif 18 from @Victory_Sabre1973, new brewery for me

Chilled 16 oz can of South German style fest bier

Style per BA , “ Festbier is the modern day "Oktoberfestbier" that's served at the official Oktoberfest in Germany, as governed by the Munich city committee. Traditionally, the majority of the beer served was the dark, rich Märzen lagers that we've all come to love and associate with Oktoberfest, but that hasn't been the case since the 1990s. Now, it's all about Festbier, which is a bright and golden beer that's akin to an export-style (slightly stronger and maltier) Helles lager. Paulaner Brauerei is credited with creating the style back in the mid-1970s. According to many sources, their brewmaster wanted to give the people something "more poundable." Gotta love that.

Drinkers can expect Festbiers to showcase a clean, but strong malty backbone, light hop profile, and incredible drinkability.

And you might see the style referred to as Wiesnbier, Wies'n, or Wiesn. The latter is what locals in Munich call Oktoberfest, based on Theresienwiese, which is the meadow/fairgrounds where it's hosted. This is not to be confused with Weissbier, Weißbier, or Weizenbier (wheat beer).”

Clear golden amber liquid, one finger off white foam cap recedes after 2 minutes to a ring and layer

Aroma is tart, floral

Taste is tart, crisp, apple cider

Slight sudsing, hop nibble on the finish, semi dry

Good beer

 

Marty McFly??? Biff?? You got that magazine around? I could use some free cash.

Forest and Main popped up here too, haven't bought any of their beers but I have seem them around.

 

Well, I am back again with another beer from the great state of Michigan, and again thanks to @Whyteboar


Rix Robinson - Gravel Bottom Brewing - Ada, MI - American Porter - 6.4% ABV

Porters aren't stouts, and aren't as flavorful as them. This one has good flavor to it. The only thing lacking was the aroma, in my book. It is tasty, and I am honored to try it.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32452/624419/#navigation


3.75/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
From a 16oz can. No date on the can.

Damn dark pouring beer. Almost pitch black, though, when I hold it to the light, faint amber hues shine through. The head is a 2 finger, long lasting tan color. There's some lacing on the glass as the head dissipates.
The nose is really not strong at all. I am not getting much besides a faint malt hint off of it, and I did let it warm up a bit.
Taste - The beer has a nice pleasing nuttiness to it. I am getting a bit of a roasted malt flavor from it. I get a bit of a toast flavor from this beer. A bit of smoked malts.
Smooth body. Pretty standard feeling for a porter.
Tasty and delicious. Fairly easy drinking overall.

Be back later for more, I'm sure.

 

Going to try a new beer to start my weekend Driftwood Brewery 'Fuzztone' American Brown Ale @ 5.1% , served from a squealer purchased for $7
(A-4) pour is chestnut brown from the squealer to a very dark brown in the glass with a small size beige head leaving a spotty lace along the pint ,
(S-3.75) roasted rye malt with some caramel & chocolate upfront with hints of dry hopped Cascade in the background ,
(T-4) roasted rye malt dominates , caramel & chocolate contribute with a slight bitter finish ,
(MF-4) ok carbonation , medium body
(Ov-4) decent addition to the core lineup = (3.94) , prost

 

This is a mystery beer sent from @sulldaddy in NBS BIF 18, pours a medium brownish red, almost no head, aroma of wood, barrel initial taste was a barrel aged stout, but then the sweetness of cinnamon comes and I begin to wonder, no hops, medium body. No idea really, but going down smooth.


Now I get it, a Barlywine, aged in Willet bourbon barrel, for 12 months and 20 days, bottle 569 of 900, Barrelled Souls, ABC 2.0, brewed with apples and cinnamon, at least I got the cinnamon correct. Very interesting beer, thanks Sully!

 

European Pale Lager from Ukrainian brewery Obolon — one of the biggest breweries in Europe. My expectations from this beer were low, but my curiosity was high. A sweet, but hoppy smell and quickly disappearing foam more appropriate for a soft drink was not promising, but the taste was enjoyable with a slight hoppy bitterness, pleasant mouthfeel, and bready aftertaste. Will buy it again.

 

I have a couple of beers from my friend @snaotheus and the ongoing NBS BIF #18. He sent me a container ship full of beer, so you all will see a LOT of beers from him over the next few weeks.





4.17/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a hazy orange color (but not NEIPA hazy) with a fluffy white head that provides a significant amount of splotchy lacing. I know that doesn’t sound good, but it looks very nice in the glass, IMHO.

The nose is all oranges - candied orange, pithy orange, and orange juice - plus a bit of sweet oat (maybe). If you don’t like oranges, I have a feeling the nose will scare you, because there’s a LOT of orange on the nose.

The taste is indeed an orange triumvirate of candied orange (sweetness), pithy orange (a bit of bitterness), orange juice (breakfast), but there’s enough oat flavor to provide the requisite balance I’m looking for, especially as the beer warms a bit.

The mouthfeel is medium and soft, so it does lean to the NEIPA side of hoppy beers. I was worried on the nose this would be a bit cloying with all the orange, but my fears were unfounded - this is a beer I’d gladly try again.