New Beer Weekend #197

I like a lactose beer now & again. This one is really tasty and has excellent milk chocolate qualities. Cheers!
New Galarus Thumbprint Milk Chocolate Stout. 6.9% ABV
4/5 rDev +1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
12 oz can into a Becker.
L: SRM 37 Pours very dark brown with a little light showing at the bottom. Has a 1" creamy light beige head that fizzes down to froth & edge foam, good fine steady carbonation, med-light lacing with light banding.
S: Chocolate milk, molasses, chocolate covered malted milk balls.
T: Chocolate malts, chocolate milk, white chocolate, suggestions of coconut , vanilla, toasted grains, subtle dark fruits, dark berries, a hint of citrus zest, aftertaste is sweet milk.
F: Gently brisk then smooth & creamy medium to med-heavy mouthfeel with a medium long drying finish.
O: An excellent tasting beer that lives up to its name. Plenty of flavor with a wet feel and a sweet finish. Severely easy drinking at 6.9% ABV as the alcohol is hidden. Even though the can and packaging have neither mfgr or expiration date nor the ABV it is very good in its style.

 

I have to agree with that. I was never a fan of Fat Tire though. But strangley where did NB go? I mean kudos I guess because they just decided to take a trend and ride it for all it was worth - which prob put some $ in the bank for a brewery that may have been falling behind a bit. But Holy hell they've put this juicy fruit thing through the ringer! For me personally it's terrible as well. They went from elite to gas station buzz balls. Weird. The OG I can deal with but how many fruited force IPAs can you make?

 

Awesome! I don’t know why, but I didn’t except that to be your first choice, but glad you jumped right into the deeper end

Also happy you seemed to enjoy last year’s bronze medal winner for smoked beer in the World Beer Cup - for whatever that is worth.

I saw a few Port City beers in the Wegman’s near the hotel, though only one that I gave one (their flagship).

 

Good evening all. We celebrated our 40th today with a visit to our little Indian restaurant. We discovered the place by accident years ago and talked today about how amazing it is that it's still open and a favorite. A lot of our haunts from our younger days are long closed or have changed hands. This place endures - we have had things we don't like, but never bad food or service.

Tonight's beer ticks a third new style in the last two weekends for me:



Definitive Brewing Cabin Beer is an ESB, 5.4% abv.

It pours a clear, gorgeous copper color with an inch and a half light tan head. The bubbles fall to a thin cover of little bubbles that cling nicely. Good looking beer - kinda looks like a beer oughta look.

It smells of toasty caramel malt and is quite fruity. There's a touch of citrus, but the main fruit seems like a mixture of apple/pear/plum. Slightly sweet smell with some grassy and herbaceous hops.

Malts lead the taste- they are rich and toasty. Strong taste of caramel. Then the fruitiness kicks in just a bit - taste isn't helping unravel that any. It's like a mixed jammy fruity flavor and while not potent it carries throughout the taste. Very slightly sweet with a bitter finish that almost but not quite quashes the malty aftertaste. A nice hop level - seems old world in that regard, but very mild and nicely balanced against the assertive malts. There is a bit of citrus, but it's barely there.

The feel is medium bodied and I think that is due to the style-appropriate lower carbonation.

Overall this is a nice drinking beer - it's just "beery". It seems mostly in line with the style description. It's pretty well-balanced between the malt and hops and it's just bitter enough to give a wake-up call to the taste buds. I'm thinking 3.8-ish on the score.

 

I was gonna go Monumental but then at the last second I changed my mind…why, who knows? but it worked out nicely.

And yea it’s funny I noticed that too last time I was there. Either way, I didn’t buy and have never had, so I’m pretty excited about that bottle you gave me, especially given my wheat streak as of late. The bottle I’m most excited about from them all I think.

 

Huge congratulations @LeRose that is a beautiful thing.

 

Victory berry monkey
...an almost perfectly clear amber appearance with a lasting thin white head
..aroma is mixed berry jam, sugary fruit candy, an almost dry tart sherry or cooking wine.
...taste is definitely mixed berry jam,berry candy but not too crazy with the sweetness. Theres a sweet tart sour candy element with some mild medicinal alcohol
..overall its really good,different in an indecisive not sure what it is way

 

Going to catch up with two posts covering three beers from Tonewood. The first two were excellent, the third good to solid after it warmed a bit.

This first was a gift from @cjgiant after a very gracious ride touring Pennsylvania to get to the brewery.



Tonewood Lumberyard Lager



Oaklyn Brewery Notes: 16 oz draft. Helles Lager, 5.2% ABV, German Malts and Noble Hops, Honeysuckle and Lilac. Crispy!

Appearance: Draft pour into a flute glass, crystal clear golden blonde base, strong heavy sustained carbonation throughout, bright white head lingered for a few minutes before leaving a nice creamy cover over the base. Well presented. 4.5

Aroma: Freshly baked bread, cracked pepper, sea salt. Grassy. Quite strong and drawing me in. 4.25

Taste: Pepper and salt cracker, cracker, mineral water, grassy floral. Bold flavors, loved ever sip of this one. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Light and easy drinking, carbonation mild to gentle adding to the depth. Very easy crushable drinking, slightly dry, nice pepper cracker finish. 4.5

Overall: This is my favorite brewery offering about a day into the trip. I typically enjoy this style, and this one’s is one of my favorites based on memory and likely score. Thank you @cjgiant and special thanks to @jonphisher for recommending / coordinating a great day here. Very happy this was my first New Jersey beer! 4.5

 

Yeah, very sad

 

Great times earlier today; so glad you enjoyed this beer so much. Funny enough after our visit I had to get to in laws for dinner, my brother in law gave me a can of…Lumberyard that I will enjoy later this week.

 

Part of the Wichita Haul, Nightmare Brewing Gunga Rao Imperial IPA ( is it really? ), 8.3% ABV; 3.61 overall

Pours a chill hazed amber/orange with rapidly falling cream colored head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Orange, coconuts, passion fruit, fairly tamped down

Follows the nose, a little sour tinge to it, look like it is intentional, also lime & mint, plus dryness up front. Sour oranges, pineapples, green tea & a little coconut as this beer warms up. Finishes with sour oranges, green tea, assertive lime & mint

MF: Medium body, almost devoid of carbonation, a little sticky/acidic

Such an odd duck of a beer, terrible IPA, passable sour; I can see this working in the heat

 

Congrats on the 40th. I love Indian food myself. Glad to hear you found a restaurant that does it that has stayed that consistently good.

 

@ChicagoJ reminded me. I forgot I said I’d do a from memory write up from our visit…I only had one beer during our long hang out together and it was the following…

Tonewood - OG Lager (4.6%)



This one was pretty; it was bright pale and lightly gold; white puffy head. It was very zippy and clean; the finish had a super snappy with a spicy bite, little grassy as well. It just drank super light and soft but still somehow had a bite on the finish; nice touch of bitter.

Talking to bartender I was told this or a similar version would be canned for their anniversary in June. Can’t wait…

Oh and that’s @ChicagoJ and his Lumberyard lager in the background.

 

I convinced my Alaskan math teacher friend to join me on a voyage to Fremont to pick up an order that included some Brew 8000 and this hazy DIPA collaboration with Weldwerks (details coming along shortly in Hauls). I lured him in with Fremont's flight of NA beers (porter and stout were good, orange wit was good but not beer-like at all, and the IPA was OK). I think it's going to be a long time before medical status is not the primary topic of conversation, but I'm OK with that. It felt really normal and good to sit and taste beer at a brewery with him.

Fremont + Weldwerks - 2424 Hazy DIPA

32oz crowler poured in a large stein. Crowler was filled 5 days ago, when I ordered it online. Picked it up at the brewery today.

Pours a mostly clear amber-gold, with a big chunky head and lots of carbonation. Smell is citrus zest, citrus rind, light crackery malts, some floral notes. Lemon is probably dominant.

Taste is a little boozy, lots of pine bitter, moderate sweetness, crackeriness is gone. Orange blossoms and cut leaves.

Mouthfeel is on the heavy side of medium, slightly chewy, not sticky, maybe could use a bit more carbonation (but, it has been in a crowler for five days). Overall, pretty good.

 

I actually did not bequeath you with that. But we did try it at Windsor Homebrew (across the street from Bottlework). Medianoche is an elegant lass.

 

Are you accusing me of violating the sanctity of NBW?

Man, that visit was a fuckin' blur...you are a dangerous, dangerous man

 

Will place my two additional beers in one post to grab a picture of each.

Tonewood OG Lager



Brewery Notes: $6 16 oz draft poured into a mug. 4.6% ABV Wheat Lager. Rabbit Hill Wheat and Pils Malt. Hallertau Mittelfruh & aged noble hops.

Bartender Note: Named OG to honor the brewery (Oaklyn) this was brewed at. Photo shows the wood aged barrel used.

Appearance: Golden Sun Yellow clear base pour into a large mug. Generous bright white creamy head lingered for several minutes. Mild sustained carbonation. 4.25

Aroma: Cracker, salt, pepper, lemongrass, biscuit, minimal to no wheat. Enjoyable, medium plus strength. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with the aroma. Biscuit, hoppy, more like a mellow Gumblehead than what I picture a typical wheat beer. Savored this a long time. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Light easy drinking, balanced, drinks at below ABV, gentle pillowy carbonation, nice cracker finish. 4.5

Overall: Another solid option from Oaklyn Tonewood. A very enjoyable modern take on a wheat beer which mostly resembled wheat in the appearance. Well done. 4.25

Tonewood Trail Beer



Brewery notes: $6 16 oz draft pour, 5.2% ABV. American Pale Ale brewed with Two Row Barley, Munich, Vienna & Biscuit Malt. Hopped with Chinook, Citra, El Dorado & Strata.

Appearance: Clear blond light tan base, nice steady carbonation throughout, bright white head leaves just a razor thin cover over part of the base when he dust clears a few minutes in, minimal lacing lingers briefly before mostly sinking back. 4.25

Aroma: Really sweet Citra the predominate aroma, light pine hangs in the back. 3.5

Taste: Consistent with the aroma impression the first several minutes before warming up a bit with more of a balanced presentation, with grapefruit and pine coming out. Faint caramel malt the way things should be. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Sustained carbonation adds to a mild medium bodied Pale Ale. Drinks at the ABV, balances out after the initial burst of Citra first sips in. Nice light Citra finish with a hint of pine. 3.75

Overall: This is a good pale ale, one of the few that took a sharp swing mid stream. Would like one or two more to give a definitive take, but would definitely like to check this one out again. 3.75

Great day in the books, might close with a LNNBS selection or two. Nice to see our side by side comparison of OG Lager, and glad you were given a Lumberjack for post Monday drinking @jonphisher !

 

OK, have two gift beers and they are cool after typing up my previous reviews. This is a generous gift from @jonphisher featuring another New Jersey brewery he likes in Wildwood.

MudHen Brewing Holly Beach Wheat



Can Notes: Can DOB 2/21/24, refrigerated at home and then after I returned to the hotel. Belgian-Style Wheat Beer, 5.5% ABV. Wildwood, New Jersey.

MudHen Brewing Company is named after the first passenger train to come through Wildwood, New Jersey. In its early years, visitors began to call our five Mike stretch of land, Holly Beach. Wild trees opened to white sand beaches where ocean breezes and crashing waves satisfied the senses and aligned with the soul. With your feet in the sand, or daydreaming so, enjoy this Belgian-Style Wheat Beer with notes of citrus and spice. Tim, Brewmaster

Appearance: Orange juice hazy pour, white creamy head hangs for a bit before leaving soapy lacing and a creamy fine bubble cover over the base. 3.75

Aroma: Nice traditional banana clove lead, citrus and spices back well. Yes please. 4.25

Taste: Same taste components as the aroma, though more of an even match with citrus catching up to the traditional Belgian yeast banana clove profile, pepper cones in as well. This is a very nice blend. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Light and easy, body medium, creamy with faint gentle pillowy carbonation. Sweetness prevails, but in proper balance, citrus, banana pepper on a nice clean finish. 4.5

Overall: This is a solid Belgian Style beer that can keep both fans of traditional offerings in the class and perhaps new adherents or haze bois happy. This is a solid representation of this style, and took longer to savor beyond the time to type these notes. Thank you so much @jonphisher for this thoughtful selection and gift! Hope I can hit this brewery in a future visit to the area. 4.25

Pulled one final beer today to try in a hot minute. Cheers.