New Beer Weekend #208

Hello NBW!
I finally made my way over to Pfeiffer Brewing, a new local.

Yes, many of you will recognize the name, particularly in the Upper Midwest.
https://pfeiffersfamous.com/pages/the-history-of-pfeiffers-famous-beer

While I don't believe the purchase of the name included recipes, they are producing some good stuff all the way out here in California. And the owner, Joe, definitely recruited some people with some seriously reputable brewing credentials locally, specifically veterans from the Bruery's origins.

I enjoyed Gonna Ruin The Tour a hoppy red ale.

Pretty one. Amber hue, sandy head, good retention, layered lacing.
Nose has a smooth, dry bitterness with hints of caramel malts and pine needles.
Flavor is fairly hop forward but not to the pint of allowing the malt to keep your attention. Caramel, brown bread still swim with the slightly stronger pine resin and gentle citrus rind.
Mouthfeel has a decent heft for style.
3.64/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

Going back, maybe today...

 

Phew. I wasn't sure IF I sent that to you so I am glad you figured that out. Christina is crazy generous and I always love seeing what she sends to people.

 

That's pretty country. My buddy had his wedding near Wimberley. Nice to see there are some breweries (and British sausage rolls) available now.

 

Sounds and looks like my dream beer right there, lucky you.

 

Fayetteville's own Mad Rooster Beer Co. Hens on Parade Barleywine ( English according to me ). 9.7& ABV; 3.51 overall

Pours a little hazy hazel/orange with a sliver of eggshell colored head. Stays effervescent, remnants of head retention & lacing

S: Some figs, cakeyness, cherries

T: Follows the nose, some leafy hops, a touch of leather dryness & woody hops up front, just a kiss of booze. Candied figs and cherries, a little woody hops as this beer warms up, a kiss of oak. Finishes a little dry with toffee, candied cherries, figs & a little bit of leafy hops

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, nice balance

Easy to drink for the ABV, spot on style-wise; a little more depth of flavor needed & way more nose

I need hit this place up more often

 

There was a lot of beer brought and consumed during the tailgate but the homebrew supply got depleted quickly.

Some folks were reticent to ask for seconds (and thirds) but I told them all: i brought these beers to be enjoyed.

Cheers!

P.S. This trip to the game was 'affiliated' with Sly Fox Brewery and several cases of Sly Fox beers were brought; I enjoyed a couple of cans of Sly Fox beer (e.g., Helles, Slugger Pilsner).

 

Finishing the meat in the oven. Son has to work at 0300. Probably has enough smoke any way.

Fly Kamikazed in the last 3 ounces of my beer He paid for it with his life.

Tough luck England; I was believing

Down South in Songkhla, where my Boy's Baby home was. Could've spent more than two days down there

 

Wooly Pig - Rustic Helles

500ml bottle served in a curvy Monhegan pint glass. If there's a date, I don't see it. @beergoot sent it to me.

Pours a hazy light amber with a roughly one finger head that settles slowly, moderate to high active carbonation. Smell is lots of grain and yeast, some hay, some lemon rind.

Taste is grainy and refreshing. Moderate sweetness, moderate grass and lemon. Nothing flashy here, but very tasty, refreshing, and incredibly drinkable.

Mouthfeel is light, smooth, bordering on creamy. Overall, very nice.

 

Double Summer by Vitamin Sea




4.44/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brewers notes: Our signature hazy DIPA Dry Hopped with Citra Cascade and Columbus

Fresh , chilled 4 pack picked up at Vitamin Sea Plymouth

Hazy orange liquid topped by a one finger white foam , cloaking lacings , poured in a Carlsburg Champions League 25 ml glass whilst watching Euro 2024 finals

Aroma is tropical fruits, mango , pineapple, orange

Taste is orange citrus , mango , pineapple , grapefruit pith

Smooth, creamy , full mouthfeel , slight hop tang on the finish

Good beer

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. Time to review an unusual brew. Our daughter and son-in-law recently returned from a trip to Turkey and Greece. While in Greece they visited Chios Microbrewery on the island of Chios in the Aegean Sea. One of the local products on Chios is Mastic, a resin obtained from the mastic tree. Mastic gum has been used for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. The resin is also used in cooking and certain liqueurs. Chios Brewery uses it to brew a Wheat Beer. The kids brought me a bottle of Chios Beer Wheat with Mastic, as well as a bottle of the Amber Ale. They also provided the glass.

To review this beer I had to add it to the BA database which requires a BA-recognized style. On Untappd, it's described as "Wheat Beer-Other." I think the closest BA style is American Pale Wheat Ale but that's probably a stretch. If anyone has a suggested change, then I'm open to it.

It pours a hazy, bright honey-orange with a very small, ecru-colored head and soapy lacing. The smell of the Mastic dominates and is unique; it's earthy and herbal with a hint of anise. There is also a slight aroma akin to Pine-Sol. As the ale warms there are also some sweeter citrusy notes. The taste is very difficult to describe other than earthy - almost like dirt. It's slightly acidic. Behind this odd flavor is pine resin and some bright citrus - lemon and just a hint of tangerine. The taste isn't bad; it's just unusual. The ale is not overtly bitter but it does leave an unappealing after taste that is somewhat acidic. The mouth feel is surprisingly viscous and the carbonation has held up well during the bottle's transatlantic travel. The 5.5% ABV makes it almost crushable although I cannot imagine wanting to drink a second bottle.

3.47/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

I'm grateful to have the chance to sample this unusual beer. Cheers, NBW!

 

#2 for today
I don't review many IPAs anymore, because I've found i prefer the old recipes and spend my IPA dollars as such. A fresh mix pack of Fat Head's will get me to branch out though.

Sunshine Daydream

12oz canned 06/26/24 poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass at fridge temp 4.9% ABV 50 IBU per can. The beer pours hefe-hazy dull yellow amber with nearly white head. The head recedes to a short rocky cap and leaves a trail of streaky lacing. The aroma is mild to moderate with a fruit basket to the nose. Peach predominant. The taste is semisweet caramel malt with moderately bitter, earthy fruit salad on the finish. The feel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, decent session IPA, which is actually high praise from me personally, since I'm not a big fan of the substyle.

Cheers all!

 

My last beer of the weekend, and this is thanks to a former member here.

Hop Offering - Appalachian Brewing - Harrisburg, PA - American IPA - 4.8%

If the flavor of the beer was in line with the nose, it would be off the charts. It's ok, and I would drink again, but it's not a world class beer by a long shot.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1336/432889/

3.61/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
From a 12oz can. There's a 24115 on the can so I'm guessing the 115th day of 2024.

This beer is murky looking and has a golden color. There's a 1 finger white head that is frothy looking and has great retention. There's a bit of lacing on the glass.
There's just an amazing hit of pineapple here. I also get some mango.
Taste - The flavor isn't as strong as the nose suggested, by a long shot. It's very muted and muddled. I do get faint hints of pineapple and mango.
Light body. Clean.
If the flavor was as good as the nose let on, this would be an amazing beer. It is ok, and I wouldn't mind drinking again, but it's not off the charts.

See you all next weekend. Cheers!

 

Happy NBS!

Having a very tasty/juicy NEIPA from a CO brewery (Weldwerks).

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38773/709682/?ba=Wasatch#lists

Cheers!

 

New to me, albeit not to this thread - cheers!

3.82/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Packaged May 30, 2024 - enjoyed on July 14, 2024 - poured from a 12oz can into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Murky hunyadi yellow body with a fat papaya whip head. Sloppy/rocky lacing; good retention.

Tropical candy nose suggests papaya, kiwi, and star fruit. Mellow and sweet.

Bubble gum, cotton candy, and guava on the palate. Interesting malt bill with Munich contributing some honey-like sweetness in addition to color and wheat adding a touch of tartness/complexity perhaps. Medium-dry, fruity finish. Vague citrus and resin notes. Mild but lasting bitterness (32 IBU). House ale yeast. Decent balance.

Medium-light bodied, creamy and soft; not chalky, ABV neither hidden nor hot.

Pretty good, though not as complex as one might expect given Mosaic, Comet, Crystal, and El Dorado making appearances.

 

That looks like a fine roster of styles you're bringing.

 

Is Narragansett another legacy label, like Rainier in the PNW, that's contract brewed by the modern PBR folks?

 

It is not owned by PBR, I only know this thanks to @tasterschoice62 sharing this site with me during the AAL tasting: https://www.narragansettbeer.com/pages/our-story-details

 

Epic - Big Bad Baptist Coquito...you folks may or may not remember my "love" for cinnamon beers. This is on the upper half (quarter?) of that curve.

16oz can served in a tulip. #1983666 appears to be stamped on the bottom, along with 12.8% abv. Sent to me in a trade with @NorsemanOne.

Pours black, not still but not lively, small head. Smell is coconut, cinnamon, some umami. Lots of coconut.

Taste is hot, lots of coconut, (thankfully) moderated cinnamon with strong dark, bitter chocolate, rum spice. Herb and wood bitterness.

Mouthfeel is moderate, a little oily and slick. Overall...it's tasty, though the one pint serving is probably about twice as big as I really need.

 

Bourbon Barrel Rye
11.6% rye beer from Great Lakes Brewing Company



Poured from a pint can, the color is a dark black. Nice initial head that quickly receded to the edges. Not much lacing.

Aroma is a light sweet rye and bourbon barrel.

Taste follows nose with the barrel stepping forward. Not as much rye as I was hoping. Not much sweetness so the flavors are mostly barrel and malt, and the flavor is underwhelming.

Mouthfeel is okay (perhaps a bit light) and carbonation was a low.

Great Lakes is a fine brewery whose record on barrel aged beers is mixed. This beer unfavorably compares to Ryeway to Heaven by Revolution even though that one is sweeter then I'd like (as it approaches cloying), there's an abundance of rye flavor that I want. Will not seek out this one unless I see it on tap at the brewery.

 

Another new beer!! Let's get this done!



Poured from the can into a stange glass.

Bright brass color with exceptional clarity. Fluffy topped bleach white and bright head that gets easily three fingers. Really good retention for a kolsch too, real impressive looking.

Great aroma. Bakery bread, from white dough to a baugette like crust. Exceptional almost lager like clean smelling. Dry sensing champagne like crispness and light herbal hop action. Excellent.

Palate is pretty good. A somewhat neutral malt backbone, which with everything experience beforehand comes out a little underwhelming, but still passable. Honey like flavors and a lighter touch of malt, weakening some of the bready flavors. However, much diversity here for a kölsch, with white dough, herbal green like hop and a light touching honey sweetness as well for a surprise. Comes out a bit fruity on the finish which is to be expected and takes some of the clean edge off.

Very neat tasting kölsch and a real pound-able one too.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25 | Final score: 4.29

Cheers!