New Beer Weekend #201

First up for today is Zyto, a "Kvass inspired" beer from Fox Farm


4.04/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Batch #1

This is a lively, light copper colored beer with excellent clarity and a persistent cap & ring. Aroma is bready, with faint lemongrass. The taste mostly follows, but with the grassy notes taking the lead and the rye bread taking more of a back seat. This is extremely light and refreshing....it almost has a shandy vibe to it.

Overall, very easy to drink, and a perfect beer to enjoy on a warm late spring day by the water.

 

It is indeed a very enjoyable beer style to drink.

I suppose its lack of popularity is that smoked beers tend to be very polarizing? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Cheers!

 

Well, if you and I continue to support the Grodziskie beer style maybe it will make a 'second' comeback!?!

Cheers!

 

Hmm...isn't that word trademarked by Schlitz!?!

 

It looks like a lazy holiday weekend for us. We are meeting one of my golfing buddies for drinks later . He is three weeks post back surgery and recovering well, although he is at least a month away from swinging a golf club.
Today's new beer is Whole Leaf, a farmhouse ale brewed by Oxbow Brewing. Oxbow got a lot of action from me when I lived in Maine, and it's been a while since I had one.
Clear gold color. Big white head that recedes quickly. No lace.
Herbal, floral aroma.
Herbal, floral taste. A little taste of lemon.
Clean and crisp mouthfeel.
This really hit the spot when I drank it after walking the dogs.

 

Stolen from Amerigo!?!

Saluti!

 

Up next is a 2017 bottle of Interlude, by Allagash. As much as I loved the beer I had earlier today, this one is at the opposite end of the spectrum.

3.1/5 rDev -26.4%
look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3
2017 Vintage

This beer is definitely not much of a looker, pouring a rusty, murky reddish brown that I don't find appealing at all. The aroma improves on things a bit. It's very strong up close, with loads of acidic funk backed up by plenty of wine barrel notes.

Taste is brett, brett and more brett, with some wine barrel coming through on the finish. Some Belgian quad-like note also emerge, and add an interesting dimension to the beer. Overall, while I love Allagash, and generally love saisons and wild ales, I'm not a fan of this one. Only about 24 more ounces to go!

 

Structures/Gold Dot Rauch Helles

 

This beauty from @FBarber as part of the NBS BIF#18 haulage. Prost!!!

Goldfinger Pilsner, 4.9% ABV; 4.49 overall

Pours an effervescent gold with fingers of pearl colored head. Tiny bubbles continue to dance in my mug throughout the tasting. Better than average head retention & lacing

S: Bready, soapy hops, grassyness, plus perfumy hops once warm

T: Follows the nose, dryness, limes & lemons plus grassyness up front. Bready sweetness, grassy bitterness & lemony hops all meld together nicely as this beer warms up. Finishes dry, with grassyness, limes & a little bready/grainy sweetness

MF: Medium body, lively carbonation, nicely balanced

No real faults with this beer, superb drinkability & tons of flavor delivered. Got better as it warmed up

 

Dovetail Dunkel Lager


4.24/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Brewers notes : Once upon a time on a trip to Bamberg, at the base of limestone cliffs overlooking the Danube, brewers Bill and Hagen came upon a fairytale-like brewery. There, they drank one of the best dark lagers they ever had. Here is Dovetail's version, inspired by the monks— it delivers a rich and chocolaty roastiness.

Chilled 16 ounce can pour into a 16 ounce plastic cup with a taupe foam cap over a dark cola brown liquid

Aroma is sweet malts, nutty, bread

Taste is sweet malts, bread, hint of nuttiness

Mouthfeel is low sudsing and is an easily quaffable beer

Very nice rendition of Munich dunkel lager

 

Had a couple new to me Imperial Stouts earlier today:



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47802/643154/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/703153/?ba=bluejacket74#lists

Cheers and I should have another new brew or 2 here tomorrow!

 

Pipeworks Galactic Shiver Hazy IPA w/Talus, Cryo Simcoe, & Galaxy Hops. How was I the first to review this here??? 7.8% ABV; 4.43 overall

Pours a hazy gold/honey color with a thumb+ of cream-colored head. Great lacing & above average head retention

S: Tropical fruits, melons, peaches & strawberries

T: Passion fruit, guava, pomelo & green melon, plus pronounced dryness up front. Pomelo with hints of vanilla, green melon & much dryness as this beer warms up. Finishes pretty dry with limes, tangerines, pink grapefruit & green melon

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation; good balance

Very drinkable, not a world class take ( close ) on the style, but no real complaints either, maybe a little less dryness? Cryo hops just hit me this way

 

Good evening NBW
I've got an Alabama tick I grabbed at Buc-ees earlier today.

Straight to Ale Brother Joseph's
12oz canned 04/02/24 and just above fridge temp 8% ABV. The beer pours bright light brown with chestnut/ruby highlights. Minimal head that settles to a thin ring. Aroma is mildly sweet with prune and red grape juice. The taste is semisweet, clovey malt with banana, more clove, burnt sugar caramel and dark dried fruit. Minimal bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with below average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, drinkable dubbel. It lacks the drying, satisfying nature of its imported brethren however.

 

Let’s get this thing to ten, I mean eleven, pages this weekend…perhaps with amazing RIS tasting @ChicagoJ is hosting maybe some newcomers will see this thread. If you do see this thread please consider pulling up a chair with a new beer and telling us what you think, it’s a good time. And now…

Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone, it’s always welcome to have an extra day off, especially cause summer is in the air. Took the kids fishing earlier then visited my sister’s house and we all had pizza together while the kids played. Fun times we’re had by all. Now time for a beer…

This one comes courtesy of our friend @cjgiant from a brewery that is new to me as well. How about we see what it’s all about?

Ocelot - Sunnyside Dweller (Pilsner 5.1%)


Pours a cloudy mix of straw and lemonade, sitting on top is a perfectly white head, bubbly, initial collapse leads to nice lacing that dissipates as its drank down.

Nose is instantly herbal in nature, some light yellow citrus, there some water cracker quality to the malt.

The taste is more pale malt focused than the nose implied, water cracker again comes to mind, it’s like and snappy; herbal veers towards earthy and slightly resiny hops; the citrus noted is there but more as a light pop on the finish.

Body is light-medium; it has some thickness to it and some lingering pale malt on the tongue, moderate bitterness but tamed by the residual malt on the tongue as well as a chewy hop feel.

Thanks for sharing this one @cjgiant quite refreshing on this warm Saturday.

———————

If we’re getting this thing to 11 I need to grab a single or two tomorrow, otherwise, I have failed you all and I apologize

Keep em coming tonight everyone.