New Beer Weekend #209

Good morning, fellow NBWers,

88° here in the increasingly smokey wilds of Spokanistan (thanks, Idaho). Supposed to reach anywhere from 99 to 102 today, depending on which weather app you use. Predicted to be another 7-9 degrees hotter tomorrow. I'll soon be shuffling off to my next to last weekend shift at my soon to be relinquished now-secondary job.

Last night I drank and reviewed a Czech Dark Lager from Central Washington:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50306/686907/?ba=woemad#lists
When I went to post this one on untapped, I discovered I did actually have this beer before, so it's technically not a new beer to me. This was, however, the first opportunity to give it a proper review. I'll be back with something genuinely new to me either this evening or tomorrow night.
Anyway, Czech Darks have become one of my favorite styles, and while this one falls short of my favorite of the style, it was still quite nice, if just a tad bit roastier than what I believe is appropriate for the style.

 

Have skipped over this one several times, but it performed very well in a blind tasting I recently read (sorry, not finding the link at the moment), so decided to try it. I didn't find much to recommend it over MadeWest's cheaper offering (which I generally skip over as well) - cheers!

3.87/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Packaged on June 5th, 2024 - enjoyed on July 20th, 2024. Poured from a pint can into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Murky peach-yellow body with a low lasting papaya whip cap. Excellent retention, creamy lacing.

Pencil shavings, orange, vanilla wafers, and a hint of passion fruit in the nose.

Mild, creamy, sweet palate entry with a potent but fleeting bitterness. Juicy, slightly herbal, abrupt, medium-dry finish.
Faint esters from yeast.

Silky medium body with no hop burn nor much warming from the ABV.

Well balanced and a decent value, but unremarkable.

 

Texture from Treehouse. Unfortunately, thier choice of silver printing on a light gray label does not come out very legible in the photo.
They catatgorize this as a hoppy Pilsner. They do not list the hops, but I can tell you they were heavy handed with them. For some reason they do mention that it's made with their Lager yeast, duh.
We're making a variety of tempura later today, this beer will be excellent with that.

4.53/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Poured from 12oz can simply stamped “SUMMER 2024” to a Pils glass at fridge temp. Purchased two days ago at Charlton.
The appearance of this beer is classic Pilsner, medium-gold body and a white 4-finger head but the bubbles are mixed, not all small or large. Lacing is medium to low.
This is one of those beers you can smell as you pour it (and I poured it outside on a day with mildl wind). The hop aroma is strong with this one. And citrus sneaks in also.
The taste is just what the aroma hints at. This is a hoppy, dry beer with notes of rind, maybe even a little pine. If you like West Coast IPAs, this is a Pilsner you will like.
Mouthfeel is very Pils-like with a mild oiliness.
Excellent beer, my highest rating in a quite a while.

 

Von Trapp & Live Oak — Smoked Helles

The appearance is light yellow with a white head which is gone immediately.
The nose is fruity smoky Helles.
The taste is light, and refreshing with a touch of smoke, sort of Shlenkerla-like Helles
The mouthfeel is an easy-going lager with a light fizz.
Overall it is a great summer beer, reminiscent of Von Trapp Helles (what a surprise).

 

A visit to Equal Parts Brewing this afternoon. Which use to be called Sigma Brewing, they changed their name some years ago now. With that change, I think the quality of brewery as a whole really increased.

Amgis IPA, 6.8% ABV. Centennial, Citra and Simcoe hops. Amgis is Sigma backwards...get it, of course you do



Pours a clear orange/reddish color. A dense white head forms with good retention and plenty of lace is left behind. As a favorite saying of mine goes, this is a looker.
Oh man, big aromatics billowing out of the glass. Citrus, pine, resin, floral, earthy and dank. A really nice hop aroma.
Taste wise, follows the nose. With big citrus, even grapefruit, pine, resin, floral. There is a chewy malty sweetness in the middle. Though a substantial bitterness lingers on, and dries this out.
A medium to full body. At first crisp carbonation, but that levels out. There is just enough weighty, stickiness, that gives this some heft. I can drink a lot of this.

Obviously a play on their old name, Sigma. While I think, I enjoyed their basic Sigma IPA well enough when it first came out. I think this is on another level. Really well made, classic old West Coast style. Very much recommended.

Overall score is 4.08, easy A-
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/44383/609669/?ba=champ103#lists

 

In the southern hemisphere Summer of January 1999 I was based in Adelaide on a wine brands acquisition mission. Naturally I was drawn to the local breweries and Cooper's was a no-brainer, just walking distance. I sat at the bar at the brewery on many days drinking Sparkling Ale with the friendly Aussies. The daily temperature was 100F+. I developed a fondness for the Cooper's SA immense drinkability. USA availability has always been sporadic.

 

With the continuing hectic work schedule, another shorter review for me today.

Today's new beer is a Pink Boots collaboration brew. From the brewery:
Our team came together for a Pink Boots Collaboration Brew Day! The Girl’s Room is a sweet, malty, sessionable dark amber lager. 10% of the proceeds from this beer will be donated back to the Pink Boots Society, an organization that supports education for women and non-binary individuals in the fermented/alcoholic beverage industry.

There is a little more detail on the can but I'm not clear whether this was brewed only by women at JA. It does say that it was led by Holly, the pilot brewer. So we now know who to thank for all these brewery exclusives we seen on this thread from me and a couple others over the past months.

Jack's Abby Girl's Room
5.0% Vienna Lager



Pours a dark amber nearing brown with limited off-white head the dissipates almost immediately.

Aromas of caramel and toffee predominate with some pleasant grass, earth, and pepper hops.

Taste is superior to the nose. Big hit of caramel and toffee upfront that's grounded in toasted brown bread. Those hops come through again near the finish to tie everything together and there is just a hint of roast like the lightest possible coffee.

Standard Jack's Abby here: moderate and fine carb, medium-light body, overall great feel and easy to drink.

Overall, this is everything that I wish Shipping out of Boston was. Really well done.

 

Here happening in Old Town Prague at Pivovar Cvikov gastropub.,.

First up is a fantastic plate of smoked sausages in a tomato-beer reduction, topped with pickled onions, hot peppers.,
Pivovar Cvikov Luz 10 Lager is the perfect accompnient.,.



Dessert is Apfelstrudel with sweet cream, mint, strawberries., and paired up with Cvikov 13 Spiced Ale.,

Really good dining and drinking xperience!

 

Thanks for taking us to Prague with you @MadMadMike beer and food look awesome

 

Quick review, as I'm out and about quite a bit today. This is Little Ripper, a pale ale from Tree House

3.56/5 rDev -12.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Cloudy yellow with a finger + of medium density white head. Some lacing. Aroma and taste are heavy on the citrus notes. Medium bodied. Overall, easy drinking, solid pale ale.

 

Had a couple new brews today, first was a tasty Imperial Stout from The Bruery:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/300317/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



And then had a nice lager that was a random purchase earlier this morning:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/61182/704267/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



Happy NBW everyone, not sure if I'll have any other new to me brews this weekend or not. Cheers!

 

Big oyster brewery
Atlantico
...very clear pale orange/gold appearance
...medium carbonation with a close to average body.
...aroma is corn,corn chips,malt,honey and some citrus
..taste is typical Mexican lager,slight sweetness with mild citrus and a slight dry hop finish
...overall it may not win any awards but its one of the better mexican lagers I've had,very enjoyable

 

Could not find my Sierra Nevada glass. (I have way too many beer glasses) new Sierra Nevada offering hits at 8% and it’s a hazy double IPA. Not bad not great would not turn one down.

 

Bells or the distributor has seriously decreased the variety of what we get here the past few years. They don’t even send regular Expedition any more. I can get it in Erie PA, but I haven’t been making that drive for any Tavour orders.

 

Moon Lark Brewing (Poland) ‘Marble’ Imperial Stout.

Fresh 330 ml can poured into a Czech pilsner glass, of all things, in Prague, CZ.
Small burp of dense brown foam atop super dark black brew that shows brown underwear under light.
Tar nose of blackend, not burnt, wheat, rye and barley grains.
Taste is a complex development of the malt mix; the rye lifts itself above, giving the impression that there may actually be hops under the black blanket. Rolling flavors. I get no suspicion of adjunk here. A little lingering sweetness makes me declare this a Super Euro Stout.,.
Mouthfeel is comforting.
Low carbonation.
Overall, an impressive Eastern European Imperial Stout worth checking out..
if you can find it.

 

My local Retail Beer Distributor regularly has Coopers but it is quite pricey. From memory $18 per sixpack.

Cheers!

 

I was never a fan of Cooper's imports, but . . . In the early 80s we were having a hombrewers club meeting at Fadeley's. A new guy walked in with his first homebrew. He told us it was a malt extract Stout, made with two cans of Cooper's Stout Wort. It was a very good stout that impressed us all.

 

The veil thorn lager
...cloudy pale gold with a lasting thick white head
..medium carbonation that borderline prickly with a slightly thin body
...aroma is yeasty grainy bread,cereal,earthy honey and malt
...taste is grain, cereal, sweet bread with a dry earthy bitterness.
...overall its really well done