New Beer Weekend #202

Welcome to another early start to NBW, probably the second to last one I will do for a while, so enjoy it while it lasts . So pull up a chair, join us at the virtual bar and do tell us a little bit about this exciting new beer you're having, preferably with a picture as well. What does it look, smell, taste and feel like? You can be as short or elaborate as you wish, but please let us know your thoughts!

Finback Brewery - Social Fabric

Double New England IPA with Mosaic and Idaho 7 hops, from America (8% ABV).



Pours a hazy, bright orange coloration with a medium, fluffy head. Smells of light biscuity malt and tropical, citrus hops, with notes of papaya, mango, grapefruit and orange, as well as hints, of floral, earthy eccents.

Taste is an excellent balance of fruity, juicy, slightly floral, earthy and resinous hops, with tropical, citrus and berry notes of papaya, mango, grapefruit, orange and lighter blueberry, as well as hints of black tea and pine also coming through. Finishes with a medium bitterness and some mango, grapefruit, black tea and pine lingering in the aftertaste. Soft mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

This is my kind of NEIPA, being quite juicy, but also having some bitter, resinous and earthy accents to it. Idaho 7 is getting more and more of a favorite of mine. I love those earthy black tea and resinous pine notes to it, as well as expressive tropical and citrus notes as well. The hops generally stand out vibrant and well-defined here, I always love it when Mosaic shows that blueberry side to it. Overall, this makes for a very enjoyable, juicy NEIPA with a great, somewhat bitter and resinous bite to it.

 

I've been starting this thread early for a couple of weeks now, but that is according to German time, so I have been starting it on Saturdays, while "screw it", is not really a great argument, to be honest. This is something that will be ultimately decided by Todd and the mod team.

 

Atelier VRAI - Mute: Post Pandemic

New England IPA with Azzaca, Triumph and Talus hops, from Germany (6.5%).



Pours a hazy, orange coloration with a large, fluffy head. Smells of light biscuity malt and tropical, citrus and stone fruit notes of papaya, pineapple, grapefruit and peach, as well as some floral and woody accents.

Taste is an excellent balance of light biscuity malt and fruity, juicy, slightly floral, woody and resinous hops, with tropical, citrus and stone fruit notes of papaya, pineapple, grapefruit, lime peel and peach, as well as hints of potpourri, pine and cedar wood. Finishes with a light/medium bitterness and some papaya, grapefruit, lime peel and pine lingering in the aftertaste. Soft mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

Another cracking NEIPA from Germany's top maker of the style right now, with some rather juicy, expressive and vibrant hops, with the Talus coming through particularly here with its floral, woody and resinous notes, A somewhat odd variety that certainly brings a unique flavor profile to the table though, while Triumph provides some rather peachy notes and Azacca bringing those pineapple and lime notes. I'm still not sure how I feel about Talus, but this certainly is a very well put together and balanced example of the style that is very enjoyable.

 

Prisoner at the Crossroads by Varietal. This is a barleywine aged in bourbon and rye whiskey barrels for 18 months and then blended. Comes in at 14.3% ABV

Poured at fridge temp. Pours a dark brown with a very thin layer of head. The nose is really nice. Toffee, plums, raisins, rye spice, vanilla, bourbon, and a hint of maple candy.

The taste is definitely on the boozy side, but not over the top. The rye barrel really comes in strong here. Nice spicy backbone. Black pepper. Oak, burnt toffee, vanilla, honey, and some dark fruit. Really nice. Perhaps a tad sharp at this high of an ABV, but I like it quite a bit!

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice oak and toffee aftertaste. Long finish.

4.25/5 rDev +10.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

Well, as far as BA is concerned, the current official ruling is that NBW starts on Saturday 12am BA time, which is equivalent to UTC and displayed at the bottom of the page. So until further notice there will be no more early starts before that time.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-explained.635787/

(PT time is outdated, BA time is the current official ruling)

 

Boerenerf - Muscabella

Fruited Lambic with Mirabel plums and Muscat grapes, from Belgium (6.8% ABV).



Pours a cloudy, deep golden amber coloration with a medium, fluffy head. Smells of doughy malt and fruity plum and white grape notes, as well as some musty, leathery funk and hints of oak also coming through.

Taste is a great balance of doughy malt and notes of white grape and plum, as well as some fuity and slightly spicy esters, with notes of apricot, lemon peel, clove and wet hay, with some musty, earthy, leathery funk and hints of oak also coming through. Finishes arther dry, with a medium tartness and some plum, white grape and funk lingering in the aftertaste. Smooth mouthfeel with a medium body and carbonation.

This makes for a very enjoyable Fruited Lambic that shows of those white grape and plum notes rather nicely, while also displaying some fruity and slightly spicy esters. This rich, expressive fruitiness stands out the most here, although there is a distinct, rather musty and leathery funkiness to this as well, underlined by a good, medium tartness and hints of oak. It's quite dry as well, with only hints of sweetness coming through.

I really like that dry, tart character here, which feels rather refreshing, with the musty funk providing a certain richness. Overall, this makes for a rather well-balanced brew that's feels easy-drinking, yet not without a certain depth of character, making for a very enjoyable drinking experience.