New Beer Weekend #196

So, this is NBS #1000, according to @ChicagoJ - an advocate who seems to be on the ball with tracking things. Maybe something will happen to change my mind about this by NBS #1001, but I doubt it. A quick bit of math means we are heading towards the 20th anniversary of NBS early next year (to be honest, it was rough math and then recalling we previously figured that the first NBS occurred in late Feb or March).

I had purchased a beer on Wednesday to post here without knowing the decile-based milestone was looming, but now I am even happier to have something to share my thoughts on.

As background, we started getting Jack's Abby beers in my area about 2 years ago. I liked most of what I tried, but I really liked Sunny Ridge - a Czech Pilsner. I am usually near the average more most beers, but I have a very high rDev on that beer.

I did not see Sunny Ridge this year, but we did get an apparently new beer from Jack's Abby that is in the Czech realm of styles, so I snatched it up, hoping it will replace the hole of the missing Czech Pilsner. So, my impressions of Bohemian Dawn, a Czech pale lager from Jack's Abby:


The can yields a pretty pour - clear to near clear as it filled the glass, gaining a little haze as I topped the beer off from the bottom of the can that wouldn't fit due to the solid build up of white foam. Light to medium golden in color, the white top thins as I typed up the intro to this post, but doesn't break until I take a sip.

The wide-topped mug isn't the best for concentrating aromas, but Bohemian Dawn offers them up without forcing me to assemble a search party. What I get mostly is a grass hop profile with a hint of spice. Secondary is a doughy malt profile, rounding out the hops and building my expectations that I am going to really like this beer. Sometimes I notice a little bit of orchard fruit, but it isn't a consistent note.

Time for a first sip, and the beer is a notch or two more bitter than I expected from the nose. And a bit dry. We'll see how these evolve as I get used to the beer, and as it warms from its fairly cold state. Each sip contains a bite that I think is the peppery side of the hop bitterness, but it could also be the cold. Another possibility is carbonation, but it doesn't really diminish as quickly as I'd expect as the bubbles exhaust themselves. Probably, it's a combination of the three.

After a few sips more sips, I start to realize the dough / bread I noticed in the nose is not very present in the taste. Its absence yields is a cleaner, less soft feel than I was expecting. This is perhaps one of the biggest differences I note versus my memory of Sunny Ridge, which I found to have a great, soft feel.

The bitterness holds up as the beer warms. The grass is in the fore, with an arugula-like pepperiness in back. In between, there's a bit of mineral and/or metal - at least that's how I describe this note that is somewhat familiar to me. It has been too long since I've had Prima Pils (billed as a German-style Pilsner) to claim a direct similarity, but the level of bitterness in Bohemian Dawn reminds me of what I felt about the bitterness level of that classic Victory beer.

As I get near the bottom, there is still a light haze to the beer, a medium thick collar, and a moderate amount of lacing. The opening bite has softened slightly, and I am thinking more and more it's the peppery spice that is its main driver. The beer is fairly light, though the bold grassy / peppery bitterness beefs up the overall a tad. I like this beer quite a lot, and it puts me a step closer to thinking the Jack's Abby brewers have me in mind when they make a Czech-style beer.

 

Good Sunday morning and happ NBS#1000. Thanks @Beersnake for hosting this week.
A grey cool Sunday here in the 413, I got to assist yesterday at the 69th annual Westfield Rive r Canoe race. I had a great time and saw many happy racers.
Todays offering is from Tilquin, a lovely Mirabelle plum blend, sharp, mildly acidic and with really good plum presence.
Cheers

Oude Mirabelle Tilquin A L’ancienne

Fruit Lambic | 7% ABV
Gueuzerie Tilquin in Rebecq-Rognon, Belgium

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.09/5 rDev -5.1% | Average: 4.31
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from the 12.7 oz green bottle into the test glass
A - Opaque deep yellow/orange color, gently carbonated. A thin ring of white clings to the glass
S - Stone fruit, with some green apple skin, as it warms, more rustic threads arrive. That wet hay, touches of young oak barrel, a kiss of tannin
T - Plum, shines through here, with again the funky elements in supporting roles. There is a mild grapefruit element as well
M - Round on the palate, with the moderate acidity acting as gatekeeper, finish is quick and dry

 

I made my first post in the NBS series in NBS #527 on 3/29/15, so about halfway through the life cycle of this recurring thread. The hosts were @cavedave and utopiajane, although @lordofthewiens inexplicably kicked off the thread that Sunday. I reviewed Old Guardian - Extra Hoppy by Stone, a since-retired big ol' Hoppy barleywine, and of course I overrated it.

You, @Roguer , Dave, Jane, @Ozzylizard , @TongoRad , @2beerdogs , and @superspak amongst others liked my post, which was reassuring, because I remember being pretty nervous before posting in that thread - I still think my reviews stink. There were 193 posts in the thread that week - all in one day, which is about double what we now see in this thread, which now spans the weekend, so it's definitely a different thread than it was nearly a decade ago.

But so is "craft" beer, which is a lot different.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-527.274037/page-9

 

Yes, things have changed and will continue to, I am sure. The thing that seems fairly consistent is that there are a core set of people (beyond the hosts, whomever they might be) who really enjoy the thread and have kept it positive as long as posters were giving earnest attempts to review the beer. Here's hoping "craft beer" doesn't change so much that this thread can't continue on with that vibe.

Cheers!

 

I figured I'd open a beer that has been sitting in my cellar for years waiting for just the right occasion to open it. NBS #1,000 seemed as good of a reason as any.

This is Works of Love, a collaboration between Hill Farmstead and Tired Hands. It is described as a "Farmstead Ale brewed with spicebush and fermented in an oak tank"

4.38/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Bottled July 21, 2016

Appearance: Bright, light yellow with incredible clarity and oddly mesmerizing carbonation. There was a small amount of fizzy white head. Overall, an excellent looking beer that does not translate to photos.

Aroma: Am I sophisticated enough to pick out distinct, nuanced aromatic notes? Absolutely not. What I can say is that this has a wonderful aroma with lemongrass and oak, but more than anything the general funk that marks some of my favorite beers.

Taste & Feel: Herbal & earthy, with plenty of oaken funk. Tart, but not overly so. Taste really evolves on the finish, with different funky notes with almost every sip. Very clean and fairly dry. Very refreshing (unlike many beers, this one quenches my thirst vs. adding to it)

Overall: As somebody who absolutely loves a good saison, I'm in heaven. Totally digging this beer, and I'm glad I finally opened it.

 

Happy NBS #1000!

I am a bit later today, because I had some errands to do, but here it goes. This is from a BIF a long time ago from @azuelke

R&D Champ Rouge - New Glarus Brewing - Wild Ale - 10% ABV

I am not the biggest grape fan at all, and knowing grapes are in this beer is probably why I've been avoiding this beer till now. I shouldn't have been scared, because this is tasty as heck. The right balance between funk and sweet. I am so happy to have tried this delicious treat.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/590/303187/
4.47/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
From a 500ml bottle.
Nice bit of smoke wafting out of the bottle upon opening, though, not much of a hiss. This is a very dark red pouring beer. There's not much light shining through it. Nice amount of carbonation bubbles rising in the glass. The head that formed is a red/white color, and 1 finger. The head doesn't last long at all, and leaves no lacing behind. The head doesn't completely dissipate, but is kept around a bit by the carbonation rising in the glass.
The aroma is off the charts wild and funky. It is earthy, grassy, wild, tart smelling and grapes.
Taste - The beer is actually a lot more mellow than the nose suggested. It has a slight malt hint right away that lasts for a moment, then the funk kicks in. The grapes are tart, yet sweet at the same time. There's a grassy backbone to this beer that hits on the back end.
The beer is thick for the style. It in no way drinks like it's 10%, and there's no burn at all. It is bubbly feeling, and smooth drinking.
This is damn tasty, and holy heck, a pleasure to try.

I'll be sipping on this for a while, but will be back for at least one more today. Cheers!

 

Glad you liked that one. On another note. My condolences to you family for Aunt Jean.

 

All things evolve, except for a few that devolve , but I respectfully disagree with "my reviews still stink."

I loved this part of your aforementioned review:

Taste (4.5): caramel-ey goodness, with toffee overtones. But the hops - the hops take this up another level or two. Stone's website names them as Azacca, "a dwarf variety." Well, I'm now officially the Snow White of this varietal, because I love the fruity flavors it adds to this brawny beverage.

And I love your reflective note:

Feel (4.25): well-carbonated, with a warming, boozy finish (I will be the first to admit that, after a 1,000+ reviews, "Feel" is my least comfortable, um, feeling category).

 

Hello NBW, or NBS 1,000!
Here is a decent offering to share:

The Perfect Balance by the esteemed Kern River Brewing
16 oz can
Pretty enough. Straw to gold in color. Bountiful white fluff holds on for the first few minutes and then settles into a nice, stubborn 1/2 finger of foam. Layered lacing. Solid retention.
Nose is a smooth and steady. Floral melon, citrus zest, and a generic tropical air.
Flavor Starts off with an overall floral approach to berry, mild citrus zest, grass, and a mild spice.
Mouthfeel is n the lighter side, good carbonation, and finishes a bit dry in its bitterness.
Overall, maybe the "balance" in the name indicates that this one does not punch you with hops. It is on the smoother, subtle side.
3.53/5 rDev -8.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

While not quite "perfect" it is balanced.

 

Welcome everyone to the 1,000th edition of New Beer Sunday! A weekly Sunday tradition began on February 20, 2005, and has carried on for 1,000 iterations, and will hopefully continue for another 1,000 and beyond! @cjgiant - We confirmed this date a few years ago and celebrate the anniversary on the closest Sunday, typically George Washington President’s Day Weekend.

Starting the day on my end with a special beer which I wasn't aware of until seeing the recent rerelease after a long hiatus. It is the highest rated Illinois beer under 10.0% ABV, and one of only two in the Top Ten I haven't tried (The Double Rainbow Henna variant my final holdout after this pour). Really glad they came back with it (or I finally noticed it) and hoping it lives up to the hype.

Pipeworks Emerald Grouper



Can Notes: Purchased March 16 at store temperature at Beer on the Wall for $5.00 all in, refrigerated at home until opening now. 16 oz canned 2/28/24 at 11:45:15 AM, 9.3% ABV. Imperial India Pale Ale with Honey. Label art by Beejay Oslon, Brewed and Canned by Pipeworks Brewing Company in Chicago, Illinois.

Appearance: Poured about half the can into a large tulip glass, generous bubbly egg white head leaves heavy soapy lacing in its wake over the clear bronze tan base yielding steady medium carbonation. 4.5

Aroma: Pine, citrus and grapefruit really drawing me in from Go! Exploring further, I get pineapple and a taste of honey. Aroma and pleasure both very strong. 4.75

Taste: OK, this beer tastes like the malt bomb I suspected with the appearance and Imperial IPA ABV, and while this isn't my sweet spot in the IPA space, it works well with the heavy hops presence delivering both flavor and balance. Caramel malt and pine battle for supremacy, grapefruit, citrus front and center, with a significant honey experience similar to the 50/50 Eclipse series which I adore. This is a very special, well crafted offering. 5.0

Mouthfeel: Significantly dry and bitter, the latter balanced with significant sweet flavors of pine, citrus and honey. Malt presence balanced, especially for this style of beer. Medium plus body, honey and heavy malt dose give this a sweet creamy contrast, with gentle carbonation. Nice dry bitter pine finish if you are into this type of scene. 4.75

Overall: Really glad I noticed this release. I typically shy away from Imperial IPAs beyond perhaps a single due to their tendency to be heavy on the malt side. This is one of the few I really love unconditionally, and highly recommend to all who like an old school IPA flavor with a nice honey twist. Might finally make my way down the The Dojo for the first time ever after their lengthly close to pick up a four pack plus a few additional Pipeworks breweries. One of my favorite Chicago breweries, this one delivers at a level even I did not anticipate. 4.75

I type these reviews live, so don't know going in if the beer I saved for "Prime Time" New Beer Sunday will be the best of the weekend, but got this selection right and glad I finally got to try this banger. Looking forward to enjoying the rest of the Sunday reviews!

Cheers!

 

Greetings - here's my modest contribution this Sunday - cheers!



3.92/5 rDev -9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

2024 batch (julian code was rubbed off). Poured from a 12oz bottle into a snifter.

Slightly cloudy orange peel liquid with a low magnolia cap. Dense, soapy lacing; decent retention.

Potent citrus aromatics with orange and grapefruit joined by a touch of pine and marijuana.

Sweet, almost cloying palate entry suggests cotton candy, honey, and caramel. Citrus and tea-tree oil follow along with an abrasive wave of persistent herbaceous bitterness. Neutral yeast; crackery malt. Dries out a bit in the finish, but some residual sugars remain.

Medium-full bodied, faintly oily, though not syrupy. Good carbonation; moderately warming but not hot.

Nice classic WC imperial IPA - a little bit sweet overall, but the unapologetic bitterness balances this out.

 

Hey what's going on?!

Great weekend so far, it was gorgeous yesterday. Temps really plummeted out of nowhere though so happy to lay low and recover.

Getting a bit excited about the start of NHL playoffs, which is like the only time I ever pay attention to hockey... can't be beat!

That said, let's have a brew!



Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass.

Fluffy topped white head with fine bubbles. Somewhat soapy looking but a little bit creamy looking in consistency though. Pale lemon yellow and opaque but a bit of a shine to it. Slight visibility of rising carbonation can be seen also.

Solid hop aroma. Green herbs, even a little dill pickle like smell hiding in the background. Light touches of fruit, not as obvious on the citrus angle but still manages to poke out a little bit of orange in places.

Palate makes a very good impression. First hit on the mid palate is a real nice herbal sense, then some classic juiced up orange hits in. The finish is all the more surprising, with lots of creamsicle and vanilla like flavoring, mixing with a real soft and warm body. There's a surprising lightness to this as well, and there's hardly any hint of high abv expected boozy quality for the 8% it is set at. Herbs and mint flavors round out with a great aftertaste almost like chewing gum and breathe mints.

What's really impressive on this is the mouthfeel full of creamy vanilla goodness which touches the orange just nicely. Very well crafted IPA.

look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 | 4.18/5

Cheers!

 

Happy NBS #1000!
My new beer for today is Lost River Lager from Sawtooth Brewery.
Clear gold color, small white head, a little bit of lace.
Grainy, bready aroma.
Taste of bread, sweet. Light hops late.
Crisp and clean. Very easy to drink.

 

Lupulin BA (wine/rum) CPB (Chocolate & Peanut Butter) Imperial Porter, 10.5% ABV. Pours black with a half-finger light-brown head that left some lacing. Aroma is chocolate, peanut butter, rum, and wine. Taste follows, with rum up front, wine at the close, moderately sweet, slightly bitter. Decent mouthfeel, if a bit thin. Overall excellent. Not a fan of the wine, which detracts.

4.05/5 rDev -3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Real nice spring day, perfect for lawn mowing, etc.

 

Three years ago I had the privlidge of visiting Mortalis. This was before they were on my radar, it was just a brewery on the way to another destination. I was floored with the stout I had there. I don't remember the name and I always regret not buying beer to go that day.
Fast forward to the present and I have this amazing Mortalis stout, Prometheus. It is courtesy of @TCgenny.

4.52/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from a 500ml undated bottle to a snifter at 58F.
The body is opaque black and there is minimal foam, but tilting the glass shows a brown foam. The liquid itself coats the glass with like 5W10, quite impressive.
Sniffing brings alcohol and almonds.
Most things on the label come through in the taste. There is almond and coffee. The maple really comes through at the end. Alcohol seems to be just about the 10% listed. Real truth in advertising here.
The body is phenomenally tongue coating and lip sticking.
This is a really good beer.

 

As a newcomer to NBW, I can't claim any profound feelings about hitting the NBS 1000 milestone except to say that I'm glad it continues and happy to be a part of it. This is definitely my favorite corner of BA; I don't recall reading a single post where anyone was other than nice and welcoming, which is pretty remarkable on the Web these days. Oh, and I'm always up for a celebration!

A quick side note for @cjgiant: I'm glad you like Bohemian Dawn as my understanding is that Jack's Abby replaced Sunny Ridge with that brew.

Now on to today's treat. As I noted yesterday, I've been wanting to try this beer for some time but just never make the connection to get my hands on it. That changed this month with the solar eclipse and I happily brought a can back with me. I'll now be making sure I get a 4-pack or two whenever I see anyone from northern Vermont. @jonphisher your guessing skills are quite honed, as this is indeed:

Alchemist Luscious
9.2% British Style Imperial Stout



Pours black. Really black. Completely opaque to the point that you can shine an LED light from behind and not see any difference in appearance. An aggressive pour leads to an attractive one-finger brown head.

If the sight doesn't pull you in, the aromas will: semi-dark and milk chocolate, a hint of sweet red wine, roast coffee, dark fruit, cocoa, licorice, earthy hops. The interplay between sweet and roast, elegant and earthy is just wonderful.

The taste is the real deal. Everything from the aroma but dialed up. The front of the sip is the milk and semi-dark chocolate and cocoa trio. Quickly following is espresso, dark fruit, licorice, and red wine veering to port. From the middle to the end of the sip, roast bitterness picks up strength as roast coffee, pumpernickel, and near-char, however, it never overpowers or replaces the previous notes, everything blends together in layers of flavor like the layers of sound in a symphony. Earthy hop bitterness shows at the finish and builds through the aftertaste, keeping this well away from cloying.

And now we get there. The eponymous characteristic of this beer is the feel. You first notice it on the pour: it leaves the can as if it were some how more slippery than other beers. Then you feel it on the palate: it seems to behave differently than other beers, being everything nitro wants to be. It has the finest carb I've ever experienced, dancing on the tongue at the beginning of the sip and then contributing to a frothy feel throughout the remainder. There is a ring of micro-bubbles that persist and coat the glass with each sip. It takes an already excellent stout and elevates it to another level.

World class. The way the flavors blend together and build on one another, and that feel, push this above many of its peers.

 

Thanks. Now my Wife & her Cousins are the Old Guard.

 

Cheers to @MutuelsMark for this Superbowl Square Pay out.

Country Boy Brewing Shotgun Wedding Brown Ale aged on Vanilla Beans, 5.5% ABV; 3.9 overall

Pours an effervescent hazel with a thumb of tan head. Average-ish head retention & no lacing

S: Nutty, leafy hops, vanilla once warm

T: Follows the nose, dryness, a touch of vanilla & woody hops up front. Flinty dryness as this beer warms up, plus leafy hops, nuttyness, & vanilla sweetness. Finishes dry with leafy hops, vanilla, brown bread & nuttyness

MF: Medium body, light carbonation

A solid Brown Ale, not sure if the vanilla really does much to help the cause, perhaps balance it out a bit. Drinks easy enough