New Beer Weekend #213

That might well be the most unusual beer posted on this thread this week. Maybe I'm a greenhorn, but I don't think we see Polish wild ales that often on NBW.

 

Firestone Walker — Oaktoberfest

Sometimes doing things differently doesn't yield better results. Here is an example — an Oktoberfest aged in oak barrels.

The aggressively poured beer appears light brown, with a light seltzer-like head that completely disappeared a few seconds after the pour.

The nose is of light spicy chemical malt.

The taste is a light sweat tea, with no traces of the oak.

Thin mouthfeel with not much aftertaste.

Overall, it is a boring light beer that is not qualified to be called an Oktoberfest, but I guess it is not called one...

 

Good Sunday afternoon NBS/nbw and thanks to our host this week @Whyteboar.
Its cool and rainy here in the 413, my favorite kind of August day! Windows are open the house is cool and comfy.
Todays offering is from OEC brewing in Oxford Ct.
If you get a chance and can visit the brewery, the equipment is beautiful.
Cheers

Oktoberfest

Festbier / Wiesnbier | 5.9% ABV
OEC Brewing (Ordinem Ecentrici Coctores) in Oxford, Connecticut

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.1/5 rDev +0.5% | Average: 4.08
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from an undated, 16oz can into the test glass.
A - Light copper color, very good clarity, thin loose knit cap is quick to exit.
S - Tettnang hops, up front, a bit of lemongrass, with an earthy thread. Add a hint of roasty malts and touch of caramel
T - All the aromatics for sure, with a bit more of the malt on the palate. That Tettnang hop thread is lovely
M - Well balanced, semi sweet start, nice shift from the bittering hops, excellent attenuation. Nice dry finish
O - A very good Festbier, one that i will keep around while its the season

 

Wanted to tell you that your Von Trapp Oktoberfest post, I forget which thread; prompted me to buy a six pack for the first time in 3 years or so. Loved it so much, I went back for another before they sold out of the case they ordered. I'm good for marzen now

Hoping to bring back some of Lawson's Festbier from our Vermont trip this week; they said it will see distro so be on the lookout for it if interested. Cheers...and now I know FW no need to seek out

 

My taste have changed as I’ve gotten older (48) and recently I'm been focusing on more nuanced beer styles. My taste buds get easily over saturated with strong flavors (I'm looking at you IPAs and all variants of your brethren!).

This has led me down a path of exploring small batch saisons (seen here), and BA's top 30 beers within Kolsch, lagers, AA, etc. Technically this one is a "wild ale" and is a little tart from my liking (strong grapefruit) But I can tell the delicate balance they are going for. I also like the backstory of this small brewery and I’m looking forward to trying the other bottles I saw in my local bottle shop here in NC. Distribution is hard for these outside the North East so I feel lucky!

 

I'm glad you liked VT Oktoberfest. I like most of their beers, and this one is not an exception.

I saw Lawson's announcement on IG, but I'm not holding my breath because I'm not a big fan of their lagers, and the price will probably be prohibitive compared to other options.

Where in Vermont are you heading to? It's the first summer in many years when I'm not there.

 

Tröegs — Oktoberfest

Yet another new to me Oktoberfest.

Pours brown with a healthy foamy head and nice lacing.

The nose is all bready malt.

The taste is sweet roasty malt.

The finish is dry with a pleasant aftertaste.

Overall, it is a decent Märzen, fairly straightforward and traditional. If I didn't know better, I could've been fooled that I was drinking a German import.

 

We go to Waterbury area every year and stay with good friends for the week. Shooting for 4 AM departure, can't wait for the first beer that evening. Lows for most of the time looking like low 50s!!! I cannot wait for a cooler week, little fall preview. Very appropriate Oktoberfest weather!!!

 

I was honestly surprised I didn't have to add the brewer to the BA database!

 

I had to drive two hours to cross the state line of South Carolina to buy this. I’ve become a huge Kolsch fan And this one is ranked 6th.
The first can I opened, I thought it was more of a wild yeast-tasting beer than a kolsch. Almost Saison like.

But a few days later when I started putting them in the freezer for 10 minutes, I got a completely different reaction. I now think this belongs in the top 10.

 

Good afternoon NBW
I have bypassed this beer for years assuming I'd eventually buy a gift pack with the iconic glass included, but I decided to pull the trigger.

Tripel Karmeliet
330mL bottle stamped 16/03/23 (best before 2 years from packaging per label) poured into a teku glass at just above fridge temp 8.4% ABV. The bottle gushed on cracking the cap and chunks of yeast were visible riding the intense carbonation upward. I managed to pour a little and let things settle, then decanted the rest. The result is a slightly chunky, hazy pour, amber in color with off white head. The head is persistent, hanging out about half an inch above the fluid. Aroma is typical sweet malt with notes of bubblegum, banana and clove in that order. The taste is more of the same with clove, apple, pear and banana before subtle herbal hop adding balancing flavor and mild bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with above average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, excellent tripel. I'm assuming this bottle was mishandled in it's journey to Kentuckiana and it was purchased at room temperature. Would love to try a bottle without the gush or chunks...

Haven't yet decided if I'll save myself for another new beer or dive into the abundance of festbier and distilled treats at my fingertips. Either way, cheers all!

 

Triple Kipisz from Zemia Obiecana

 

Last week I had my first Berkshire Brewing beer in over a decade. This week I found a collaboration with one of my favorite Connecticut breweries, Counter Weight.
I was in a hurry picking up beer Friday and did not check the date on my designated NBW choice. I was disapointed when I check the date at home, this was canned in May. But I was pleasantly surprised, read on.

4.25/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 16oz can stamped “BORN ON 05/10/2024 to a Nonic at fridge temp.
The body pours a murky light apricot. A proud ultra-white head sits on top and single layer in due time. Lacing is strong with 3D formations.
The aroma is orange/tangerine/apricot.
The taste is a wonderful take on what was smelled, but the finish brings a hoppier impression. There is an ever so slight hop burn at the end, but I’m caulking it up to the age of the can.
The mouthfeel is nice and creamy. Carbonation is just about right.
Overall, impressive, especially given that this can is 14 plus weeks old.

 

I went to Saint Arnold's Brewery, Restaurant and Beer Garden this afternoon for lunch and to try their new lager.

Pioneer Lager, 5% ABV, with Vital and Saaz hops, This was inspired from the Saint Arnold brewers visiting the Czech Republic. They went to Pioneer Brewing in Zatec. Served from a traditional slow-pour, Czech-style faucet.



Pours a clear yellow color, a dense white head forms initially. Recedes a little quicker than expected, with some lace left behind.
The aroma is simple, but spot on. Zesty, spicy, lemony, grassy hops all the way. Less is more here.
Taste wise, like the nose, all the spicy, lemon rind, grassy hops up front. More malty flavors are noticeable. Baked sourdough bread, with a light honey like sweetness. Then a lingering bitterness dries it all out. This is excellent.
A light to medium body. Crisp carbonation at first, but that becomes ultra smooth as this breathes. Super clean, and finishes wonderfully dry. I can come back to this a lot, and drink it in big gulps.

This is just a really well made lager. I hope this sticks around, cause this is an excellent new offering. Well done, and highly recommended.

Overall score is a 4.25, an easy A for me.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/337/713548/?ba=champ103#lists

This was so good, I had another with their excellent burger...



And yes, I'm on the last few pages of my Joseph Heller novel

 

Last beer of the night and weekend. 99% chance of new-to-me Polish beers in Poznan tomorrow, though.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. English Barleywine is one of my favorite styles and when we visited Columbia, MO last month my son-in-law was kind enough to give me a bottle of Newton's Cradle, brewed by Broadway Brewery in Columbia. It is aged for 3 months in Rieger's whiskey barrels. J. Rieger Co. is a distiller in Kansas City.

It pours a dark reddish-brown. The modest ecru-colored cap fizzled away quickly leaving just a thin ring. The aroma is big with raisin, brown sugar, caramel, and pronounced whiskey. The Barleywine flavors are more subtle than the nose - soft brown sugar, toffee, caramel, and raisin. It's sweet but not cloying. The effect of the barrel-aging is unmistakable with big flavors of whiskey and and oak. And the taste is quite boozy. Its mouth feel is thinner than I'd hoped. But the gravity is very well-hidden. While I can taste the alcohol it doesn't feel like 15% ABV. Overall, Newton's Cradle is an excellent English Barleywine. Sip it slowly and let the flavors develop.

4.21/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Mine is the second review on BA. I read @zeff80's review after posting mine on the database and I was surprised to see that we had the same numerical rating in every category. Great minds drink alike. I don't know how easy it is to find this Barleywine outside of Columbia but it is well-worth seeking out. Cheers, NBW!

 

Wow, back-to-back. Our hometown brewery, Autodidact Beer, has a Pale Ale hopped with Citra and Mosaic, called Daylily. It is a fine brew but I typically go for the IPAs. Last week, Auto participated in Tin Barn Brewing's "block party" up in New York and brewed up a 7% NEIPA version of Daylily, called Garden Eyes. And it's superb!

Canned on 8/9/2024 so 9 days old when reviewed. It is an opaque, dirty tangerine color with a half finger cap of creamy, bright white foam and lots of thick, clinging lacing. A big aroma of pineapple, lemon, grapefruit, berry, and soft floral hops. The taste is big, bold, and fruity with lemon, lime, peach, pineapple, melon, and red berry. Citra and Mosaic may be a tried and true combo but Autodidact has coaxed a lot of fruit flavor! It is mildly bitter throughout. As expected, the mouth feel is thick and creamy, with pleasant carbonation, and while not quite crushable, it's very easy to drink at 7.0% ABV. Overall, this is stellar drinking. I know it is a bigger version of Autodidact's house Pale Ale "Daylily," but GAuto needs to put Garden Eyes in its regular rotation.

4.35/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Auto should put this one in its regular rotation!

Have a great week, everyone. Cheers, NBW!