New Beer Weekend #210

Congrats on 3K!

 

Nice, love this one, glad you enjoyed it as much as I have

 

And now my ideas for future NBW purchases continues to grow

 

Happy NBS!

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

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38773/711218/?ba=Wasatch#lists

Cheers!

 

Yes - we've been caught in that mess a few times. This time, Maine was actually a breeze once we got there. We hit traffic on 24N where they forgot to reopen a lane after night work and went 93 north of Boston which was a nightmare. Someday we'll eat at York River - always seems packed when we go by!

We go to Ogunquit off season after learning the hard way!

Good to hear from you as always.

 

A nice on from @Whyteboar as part of the NBS BIF# 18 LIF

3 Floyds Battle Barbarian BA Imp Stout, 12.0% ABV; 4.31 overall

Pours a thick cola/ebony with one finger of mocha colored head. Some head retention & lacing

S: Dark fruit, a little coffee& cocoa, nice fig & dark cherry notes

T: Coffee, barrel dryness, some hazelnut & woody hops up front. More barrel profile, coffee fades, vanilla & cocoa creep in along with dark fruit & woody hops once this beer is warm. Finishes a little sweet with dark fruits, especially dark cherry, cocoa & coffee, plus barrel dryness

MF: Pretty thick body, minimal carbonation, warming

A very good straight forward BA Imp Stout, hits all the notes, ABV is certainly felt

 

Sierra Nevada/Brauerei Gutmann — Oktoberfest

The 2024 version of the Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest doesn't seem to be grabbing the usual attention as in previous years. Since it is back to nationwide distribution, it is no longer a hot topic. It is also interesting that there are only eight stores within 10 or 100 miles distance, and four of them are within walking distance. Sadly, in the last few weeks, the person who is in charge of beer at my usual spot has been nowhere to be seen, so the beer selection is lacking any new or usual releases.
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The beer is copper brown, with a quickly disappearing head like a seltzer, with almost no lacing.

The nose is yeast with a tiny bit of bread.

The taste is mild, also showing bready notes and a low bitter hop bite.

The mouthfeel is thin and fizzy.

Overall it is a low-flavor unremarkable lager, that hides 6% ABV quite well. Is this supposed to be Festbier or Märzen? Hard to tell...
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I got distracted finishing the beer and let the last sip sit in the glass... Suddenly it smelled like fresh bread, but the taste was still muted. I'm going to get another can and let it warm up after it is poured.

In the second round, it warmed up as a nicer tasting beer, but with low carbonation, and flowery flavor, it was not exactly a Festbier.
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And then there was a third can two hours later. Still not quite getting it, but I'm sure I will revisit it many more times.

 

Off the wagon for a few days for a couple new offerings from Wunderkammer Biermanufaktur and others...

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47666/711232/



500 ml bottled September 2022.
Bottle conditioned for over 21 months.

Moderate pour yields one inch white head which parks itself on top of a hazy golden body for quite some time with sticky lacing.

Aromas come forth fiercely with rhubarb leading the way having floral and herbaceous notes present as well.

Taste is rhubarb, citrus, and ever so slight funk with an herbal, lightly sour, grapefruit-like finish. Quite delicious!

Very good feel, nicely carbonated and worthy of another sip.

Overall, yet another fine offering from Albany, Vermont!!

Cheers!!!

 

They come too early, but this will get consumed in earnest from now until the end of football season.

 

Perfect day today. Finally calm enough to get the kayak out - easy enough to get in but as always an adventure disembarking...my knees sure ain't what they used to be. Most of the afternoon spent floating on a pool noodle in the lake. The grandson didn't leave the water until his teeth were chattering. Big yawns during the nightly reading - in bed at 8 and I think dead to the world by 8:02. Quick night fishing off the dock - creepy quiet on the water and zero action.

Anyway, a new one from Definitive Brewing called Polynesian Elevator Music. The skinny:

Polynesian elevator music
citra & citra hops + phantasm
NEW ENGLAND DIPA • 8.4% • 18.50/4pk
stone fruit, white wine, pineapple

Not a typical style for me but I've heard a lot about Phantasm powder, so as they say curiosity killed the cat...



Pours a hazy deep yellow - wouldn't quite call it gold. Huge foamy head and the glass will need the heavy wash with all the cling. Falls to chunky rafts.

Smell is straight up sweet malts, fruit, and citrus - I get mainly peach maybe apricot, a grape must aroma, and a lot of citrus. Very pleasant on the nose.

The taste is fantastic. Sweet, fruity deliciousness. Nice clean malt base then the Citra and Phantasm kick in and deliver the goods. Strong, ripe sweet peach/apricot, a nice hint of white wine grape, and there's some pineapple in the background. Just enough bitterness to notice but this is one smooth operator- no rough edges whatsoever. The aromatics in the aftertaste extend the fruit flavors quite pleasantly.

The feel is silky and luxuriant - super smooth and it's disappearing from the glass way too quickly.

Really diggin' this one, kids. While I can't read the smudged date code I suspect it was canned within a week or two. I may go back and pick up a couple more. So smooth and just a pleasant delight to the taste buds. This is an easy 4.2. Im not a huge fan of Citra hops and I know Phantasm has its detractors, but don't be a'scairt to try this one. Whatever they did, the result is one tasty, balanced, nicely sweet, brew.

Off to the Kindle and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - a Douglas Adam's work I read many moons ago but I find I have a far different perspective this time 'round. In my opinion, better work than his "famous" book.

 

Wow, gorgeous pic!

 

My final beer from @DoctorZombies - we had a very easygoing trade last weekend and I’m rather sad to be done with them, they’re not ones I would have purchased but they were all excellent.

I had effectively given up on lagers due to my lack of smell, but these were not subtle and if nuances were involved they were not needed for me to enjoy them.
No idea what type of lager this is, but it has a very nice malty, bready base and very light floral notes on the finish.
The feel is light and crisp, ideal for the near 90 degree day we had. My only complaint was it was *just* a pint - I wanted a liter or more.
Cheers!

 

Must agree, while I thoroughly enjoyed the more well known “trilogy” he seemed to be milking it towards the end. Dirk Gently was ended before it was done. Damn I miss his writing.

 

Cheers to @William_Navidson for this Superbowl Squares beer

Collusion Tap Works Betrayal 2023 aged in Lagavulin Scoth Ale Barrels, 12.0% ABV; 3.32 overall


Pours a somewhat effervescent cola/mahogany color with a pinky of caramel colored head. No head retention or lacing

S: Dark fruit, plenty of peatyness, plenty of barrel, chocolate notes once warm

T: Follows the nose, dry; Scotch flavor is beating down stout flavors up front, some leafy hops & chocolate on the edges up front, hints of oxidation. Oxidation first and foremost, leafy hops and peat notes, a barrel dryness once this barrel warms up. Finishes dry, a little more chocolate breaks through, but also way too much peat

MF: Thicky as Hell, minimal carbonation, warming. Carbonation picks up a little once warm

Something is just off on this one, some oxidation, not enough Stout flavor to save this. Perhaps it was also a bad barrel or just poorly blended?

 

The lager was my dinner beer, this was my nightcap.

Had shared this with my SAN group a while ago and was surprised to see I hadn’t reviewed it yet. So before aliens killed off my character in the online game, I figured I’d drink a great stout.
Poured darker than most, even barrel aged stouts, and had a nice brown head which left sparse lacing.
The taste leads with fig infused dark chocolate and some mild coffee. I expected more bitterness but none was forthcoming, allowing me to relax and enjoy this taste treat.
The feel is lightly viscous, rather ideal for the style. I managed to make it last a full 30 minutes. Not that it was hard to drink, just savoring it.
Good night all! Back to work tomorrow for me.

 

Amour Fou, biere de garde from Fox Farm

500ml bottle served in a slightly tulip-shaped wine glass. Batch #2, bottled May 21. Received face-to-face from @Roguer.

Pours reddish-brown, maybe a slight haze, moderate head and non-trivial active carbonation. Smell is hay, wet wood, funk, cherries, barnyard.

Taste is tart, chardonnay butteriness, cherry skin, cherry and unsweetened grape juice tartness, barnyard and wet wood come through really strong here.

Mouthfeel is medium, kind of dry, surprisingly still for as lively as it looks.

Just got back from camping at Colonial Creek