New Beer Weekend #214

Sounds like a fun vacation

 

Thank you @JackHorzempa for kicking off the weekend for us!
My first beer was a gift from the amazingly generous @Ozzylizard who muled this (and 4 other beers, two liquors and a cool glass topper to keep the flies away from the beer.
Anyway, it was from a place that wasn’t a brewery, but it brewed beer to show off its wares.

Might be the first beer like this I’ve had, and it was better than I expected.
The pour was reminiscent of a white wine, with just a bit of carbonation. Similar color and quite transparent.
The taste leads with the grape musk, when cold, but when it warms a little the beer comes into play - not strong, but still present. Light, very light biscuits and cereal. The white wine flavor never goes away.
The feel is light and not quite crisp.
OA, I could see drinking a few of these on a hot summer day, no problem. Almost refreshing.
Thanks Bob, this was a treat.

 

Well @JackHorzempa we are currently wrapping up our yearly trip to Vermont. I planned to share a couple beers I’ve had this week as well so what better time than now. I wonder if you had the following? I guess I will have to wait and see

Hand Pulled Heady Topper



A short more comparative review as opposed to a regular one, I think most of us have had regular heady topper so I wanted to just highlight the differences that as I perceived.

Photo courtesy of Mrs Phisher, from Wednesday.

————

One of the prettiest pours I’ve ever had; the froth was just so dense and creamy and lasted for an eternity.

The same beautiful hop explosion of heady topper but the resin and sticky quality of the hops got magnified for me; a “wow” out loud after my first sip, the hops really coat the whole palate and it sticks around a while.

The feel is smooth and softer; the stinging bite of regular heady topper is slightly tamed on the cask version.

Overall this was such a cool beer to experience and I look forward to it being part of our yearly trip. If you go to the brewery just do yourself a favor and try this beer.

Hope to share a few more from this week and/or weekend if I have time.

Cheers everyone

@ovaltine

 

This early in the evening & already posting to the wrong forum!

 

Stonecloud Smooth Hoperator IPA w/Chinook, Cashmere, Belmont & Strata Hops

Pours a very hazed gold with 2 fingers of whippy ivory colored head. Nice head retention & lacing

S: Some citrus, tropical fruit, nose could be better, guava comes on once warm

T: Follows the nose, dry, guava, pine & bready sweetness, plus grapefruit notes. Guava, grapefruit, dryness, a little bready sweetness & pine as this beer warms up. Finishes with guava, passion fruit tangerine, lime, a little grassyness & pine

MF: Medium body, smooth, creamy carbonation, great balance

Great drinkability & flavor

 

I’m so very envious, Heady Topper is really good, I can’t imagine what it would be like (okay, without your description) hand pulled. Sounds worth the trip.
Cheers!

 

How now? You are most welcome here!

 

Thank you @JackHorzempa for your open, plus you and @jonphisher sharing your selections from your respective excellent Vermont breweries. Your pour looks perfect Jon, thanks for sharing your experience. I thought about flying up and getting a car, but think I'll wait until I have a chance to also hit Quebec and perhaps the Maritimes.

I have been on self-imposed beer purchase time out, but did head out both to Pipeworks for their BA release and The Beer Temple for their annual / semi-annual drop of Beachwood Amalgamator, along with PtE my favorite WCIPA beers in regular production. Was too crowded to stick around The Beer Temple which was my original plan for this evening, so back home with my backup plan of the first of three More / More collaborations canned in May. Starting with their Single Belgium Blonde Ale offering.

More Single

3.99/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4



Full review linked above. This is a single, Belgium Golden Blonde Ale. A bit more hoppy than I believe style guides would rate, though in my wheelhouse. Really liked the aroma, wished more Belgian Yeast flavors enjoyed on the nose were in the taste, but hops prevailed here as well. Overall solid offering, would enjoy this and similar offerings from More in the future.

Think I'll go with the Pilsner collaboration tomorrow and their IPA to close things out. Cheers!

 

On to my nightcap:

The last of the Prairie stouts that I bought for SAN, appropriately named Weekend.
Loads of mallow and chocolate, this is most definitely a dessert beer.
Poured stout black, not much in the way of carbonation, which is typical for these beers.
The taste, as I stated above, leads with mallow and chocolate and the malt base is second fiddle. Pastry stout and very well done. Good stuff.
The feel is lightly viscous, well appropriate for the style.
It’s a treat, no doubt, and I suppose there are occasions when it would be perfect, tonight was my occasion.
Cheers all, back tomorrow for more.

 

Music videos for starters

 

Arbor Brewing Co. Liquid Vinyl Russian Imperial Stout, 10.0% ABV; 4.57 overall

This beauty is from @Whyteboar via the NBW BIF# 18 LIF

Pours an effervescent Chesnut/mahogany with a thumb of tight mocha colored head. Average-ish head retention & very nice lacing

S: Roasty, vanilla, cocoa. Dark fruits once warm & plenty of cocoa powder

T: Follows the nose, dryness just little chicory up front. Hints of licorice, roastyness, dark chocolate, vanilla cream& dryness once this beer is warm, a little char as well. Finishes roasty with vanilla & chocolate notes, dryness, woody hops, a little bit of chicory & dried plums

MF: Medium/thick bodied, smooth carbonation, some warming sensation

This is a great take on the style, no gimmicks with great drinkability; no flaws at all



@Resistance88 you might I find this a little sweet, but doubtful; everything is in balance

 

The Alchemist, an IPA from Brokreacja. Last day in Poland.

Spent an evening with a bunch of European beer geeks at Swiat Piwa last night. Great time.

 

The Fighter DIPA

 

Pan IPAni by Trzech Kumpli, at Nowy Kraftowy.
I would wager that I've been about half the BA traffic from Poland this last two weeks.

 

Good day BAs! Thanks Jack for getting us up and running! Good to see yinz enjoyed VT - what was the bottle shop in Waterbury?

Today's New Breakfast Beer crosspost with WBAYDN:



Picked this up at my first trip to Bells - one of a decent haul of brews from MI (and elsewhere).

Seneca Village – from Bells. Single 12 fl oz bottle purchased from Bells General Store, Kalamazoo, MI, 20/08/24, $ 2.83 (including tax and deposit), $ 0.21/fl oz. Reviewed 24/08/24 (Review 3340). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Printed on the label “Best by: 11.10.24”. In reefer at store. Stored at 34 degrees F at home. Served at 45.1 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 53.4 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Amber Brown (SRM 18), translucent.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, same with light penetration only at the edges – mahogany.
Head – Large (Maximum 4.8 cm, aggressive center pour), wheat, high density, fair retention, dwindling to a 06 -0.8 cm crown with a complete cap.
Lacing – Fair. A mountain and a mesa formed by near microscopic bubbles.
Aroma – 4.25 – Weak grapefruit and roasted malt. No alcohol (6.19% ABV, according to the label).
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins moderately bitter with grapefruit rind and a little roasted malt. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Thin; watery; soft carbonation.
Final Impression and summation: 4.25 Good.
Rating 4.21, rDev -0.8%

 

Plac Nowy, American Saison from Stary Kraków at Nowy Kraftowy