New Beer Weekend #208

Founders Brewing KBS Chocolate Espresso. Likely the most NBW'd beer of the last couple weeks. I will add my thoughts, as I take this beer down quickly. The look is pitch black, with thick brown foam. The smell is espresso, chocolate, vanilla, and bourbon. It has a very nice aroma. The taste is about what I expected, and it did not disappoint. Espresso, chocolate, graham cracker, caramel, vanilla, and bourbon. The flavor is familiar, yet unique. I really like it. The mouthfeel is oily, thick, silky, and smooth, with light-medium carbonation. Overall, this is a top-three KBS formula. I can't immediately tell you what the other two would be.

 

It was a joy to drink on tap, but the canned version, while delightful, wasn't quite the same - seemed to lack the "it" factor just a bit. I don't know how long its been out - possibly an older can? Just seemed a bit less lively to me, but I'm still glad to have bought more than one.

And I agree - hard to describe the gestalt of this beer. Nuanced is a great word for it.

 

Hah - among the best beers consumed, no doubt!

No new ones this weekend. I'm really happy they shut down the boilers for two weeks of maintenance starting today - we cleared our schedule and have nothing during this next heat wave. Perfect timing!

The missus had some dental work done and she's a hurting unit right now. Couple new beers in the stash but I know they are ones she wants to try, so I refrained. I sang at church this morning - summer we get to do different solo stuff. It wasn't bad outside when I got there, but by the time I left at 10:30 it was 89 degrees and 99% humidity. Real feel tapped 103 this afternoon - looking at the two foot tall grass and just don't care...

Will be checking in from Maine the next couple of weeks - hopefully with some excellent new treasures.

 

Alaskan Kolsch 5.3%


Poured from a 12 ounce can, the body is gold with fluffy white head. Good lacing. Nice looking beer.

Nose is a lightly sweet fruit, grape perhaps describes it best.

Taste is more grape with some grain. A pleasant hoppiness appears providing a welcome bitterness. Happily there's not too much grain sweetness. The mix is quite refreshing and easily to drink.

Mouthfeel is medium with solid carbonation, and finish dries up quickly.

A solid kolsch that was perfect on today's hot summer day.

 

Does Alaskan distribute in Ohio @Blogjackets ?

 

Paliata Italian imperial stout
...solid black appearance with a lasting thin tan head
Almost medium carbonation which felt a bit high for the style a body that felt about average but had a little heavy feel
...aroma is a mix of a few things but none that dominated.malt,coffee, wood with something that reminds me oddly of wine
...taste is almost dry, coffee bakers chocolate and again something that reminds me of white wine.
..it is good and has many positives yet it doesn't push any flavor out in a strong way

 

Larry, I look forward to 'hearing' from you.

And I hope your wife feels better real soon!!

Cheers!

 

While not a full bill of beers, we do see them here and there. I’ve had their Husky IPA several times.

 

Thanks. I won't say she looks like a chipmunk with a mouth full of.sunflower seeds, but... Have to keep the end game in mind!

 

From @LehighAce06 Forest & Main House Lager ( Helles ), 4.8% ABV; 4.17 overall

Pours a slightly hazed gold with one finger of cream-colored head. Fairly average head retention & lacing

S: Some breadyness, floral hops

T: Follows the nose, some grassyness & hints of lemon, plus dryness up front. Breadyness becomes a little sweeter as this beer warms up, crackery notes, a little lime & more floral hops also. Finishes grassy with floral & perfumy hop, dryness & a cracker like dryness

MF: Medium body, soft carbonation, good balance

Easy drinking & on point

 

Finally, I had several beers today, just no time to post them.
It was quite a day, started out with a long kayak trip down about 8 miles of the Grand River, culminating near our local brewery.

Apologies for no photos of the actual beers that were new to me (Double Dock Dive and Rumble Brown) as we were helping get the place ready for the dozens of people about to show up after being on the same float.
The DDD is an Imperial Pilsner, one that I could actually taste the elements of the style in, with biscuits and floral flavors and just a hint of hops. It was way too crushable as it didn’t last long at all.
The Rumble Brown I slowed down a little for as it was a malty brown ale with a hoppy finish and it took me half the glass to work out what I was tasting. More biscuits and really light coffee, maybe some milk chocolate, but just as that element came to bear, the hops seemed to elbow it aside.
Still trying to decide if I liked it or not.
The third beer was one that I did get a photo of, mostly because it was consumed with my lunch:

Rix Porter, not new but always good. The boil was pretty tasty too!
Any way, those are two of the three, back in a few with the third.

 

My gaming beer this week was another ESB, still trying to find “the one”. Sadly, this wasn’t it.

Poured with an impressive light beige head and the beer was the color of amber, semi transparent and inviting.
The taste is likely ideal for the style, malt driven and a definite hop profile that balances it out, but it seemed almost muddled instead of crisp. Rather a shame as I really wanted a good ESB. The taste isn’t bad at all, quite the opposite, just not my preference for the style.
The feel is light and easy quaffing, very crushable.
OA, it’s a very good ale, just not my ideal ESB.
Good night everyone, and cheers!

 

Equilibrium Nuclear Nectar DIPA with Pineapple, 8.0% ABV; 3.93 overall


Pours a hazed gold with 2+ fingers of fluffed up ivory colored head. Okay head retention & lacing

S: Plenty of pineapple, a little vanilla &green melon late

T: Follows the nose, some vanilla, a little dryness, hints of green melon up front. Powdery dryness, tangerine & pineapple as this beer warms up. Finishes with an acidic pineapple bite, some sweetness to, cryo hops & a little green melon

MF: Medium body, fairly smooth carbonation, good balance

Not bad, just need some more complexity to elevate it

 

Thank the gods I forgot you didn't 'love' cinnamon and sent one that was good!

 

Hudson Valley Brewery - Theta

A very tasty IPA hopped with Citra and Nelson Sauvin. It reminds me of a hazier, sweeter, juicier version of Half Acre - Vallejo

Cross-posted in WBAYDN #4285 and What Mid-Atlantic beer are you drinking now? (2024)

 

Every once in a blue moon someone gets this correct, but rarely IMHO

 

I wouldn't have tried it if you hadn't sent it to me, and I'm glad I tried it. Thank you!

 

Evening all,

Got up to 97° today, and supposedly it will be hotter tomorrow. During the middle of last week it got up to around 105°. It would seem that this is a hot summer. I put in my notice at my long time job. Starting at the end of the month, I'll only be working at the new job and will have weekends off again. That way, I'll actually have enough time to find a new, better place to live.

I'm only checking in with one new beer this weekend. It's a collaboration between Fast Fashion, of Seattle, and Human Robot, of Philadelphia. Curious how it came about:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/59987/709741/?ba=woemad#lists
I don't know much about the style, but from what I've read about it, it seems a well-done example of a Czech Amber Lager.
Cheers!