New Beer Weekend #216

Love these descriptions!

 

And here is a prime example of why you were so missed. Great review.

 

Being tossed into a new course because your credential "allows" you to teach it can be stressful. I wish you the best.

 

Yep.

 

You know you're right . I based my observation, in part, because they did the same thing with a schwarzbier last year.

 

As you know, I live super close to The Bruery. In spite of that, I now gt there maybe once a year. After pulling out of their societies (and building up a disgusting cellar) I just wanted to focus on other local offerings. Nothing against The Bruery at all, I was just overly saturated (possibly literally) with their offerings.

But now I want to seek this one out, I might go by this weekend to see what's on tap.

 

Drekker BRAAAAAAAAins Raspberry Peach Double Fruit Smoothie Sour, 6.3% ABV. Pours opaque deep-red with a slight ring of pink bubbles. Aroma is raspberry, peach, and vanilla. Taste follows, strong raspberry, quite sweet, moderately tart, salt on the close. Excellent mouthfeel, overall world class.

4.52/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Once again, Mia the Bengal is curious.

 

Thanks @2beerdogs i know you get it. And the stress is there but I’m also relishing the change and challenge. I’ve been too comfortable for too long I guess you could say.

 

Now that I've been unexpectedly dragged into a NBW thread () I want to add that I think that the extremely maligned Fosters Lager is a very nice adjunct lager.

 

You're welcome

 

You didn't use any force.
And my Fosters post isn't a new beer review, but rather, a statement of defense regarding the side topic.

 

Hand Bryggeriet 1349 Black Ale. "Brewed with the iconic black metal band 1349." (Please play the song below while you read this for the appropriate ambiance.) 1349, named after the year the black plague reached their native Norway, is indeed an iconic band for me. I met their legendary drummer, Frost, in 2008, and I gave him Norwegian Kroner I had from a recent trip to Norway. I told him I gave him the money to purchase Ringnes beer for their band back home. He told me he would do so. Years later they collaborated with Surly Brewing on some beers that were very good. Now they are collaborating with my favorite Norwegian brewery. The look is pitch black, with a bit of brown foam that quickly disappears. The smell is coffee, black licorice, brown bread, and brown sugar. The taste is very coffee-forward, with black licorice, dark chocolate, and caramel. The mouthfeel is thick, rich, silky, and smooth, with low-medium carbonation. This beer tastes like a stout, but is definitely unique enough to be referred to as a black ale. Overall, this is a delightful beer. It was a special experience for me. It is worthy of the band and the brewery's legendary status. If are able to acquire this beer, I suggest doing so. Be sure to crank up some of 1349's traditional 2nd wave Norwegian black metal, and keep an eye out for their new album, The Wolf and the King, which will be unleashed on 10/4/24.

 

Jack's Abby — Destination: Northeast

It's not the first time I've walked into a store to find a new Jack's Abby lager. I am not surprised this time since this series is mostly targeted at this particular chain.

The beer pours light yellow, with a fluffy good lager head.

The nose is of hay, slight bread, and a touch of floral freshness.

The taste is clean refreshing slightly hoppy dry pilsner.

Full-body pilsner mouthfeel with ever-noticeable bitterness completes the impression.

Overall, I like it more than other destination pilsners probably due to the lack of the new world hops that seem unnecessary in the pilsner. Instead, the hops are MA-grown Triumph and NY-grown Cascade. Would I take over the Post Shift? Probably not, but it is a great addition to an ongoing series of modern pilsners.

 

It’s been a while. I’ve been saying to myself the last month or so that I need to check in on NBW, but then late Sunday night arrives and I’m ready for bed. Too busy for all sort of good and bad reasons this past summer.

With the kids back at school, things have quieted down a little. My son just had his first fall league soccer game which he thoroughly enjoyed. So while he is chilling out in the living room, I’m having this as I prep for dinner.

This is Bellwoods Double Barrel Skeleton Key. It’s a spiced imperial stout aged 9 months in a rum barrel with vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, star anise, cardomom, and allspice, then an additional 7 months in a bourbon barrel. It’s the bigger brother of one of Bellwoods’ annual barrel aged stouts. This one is from 22/September/2021. 15% ABV. I let it warm from the fridge a little, about 10 minutes.



Pours a deep dark black/brown with no head and only the slightest of bubbly film on the surface. The beer pours thick and oily.

The aroma is strong and enticing. While there is a slight boozy quality to the nose, the spices really dominate. Cardamom, ginger and vanilla are the ones I can pick out most easily. There is some nutmeg/allspice in behind along with a milk chocolate quality that peaks through beer and there. The barrel is present but restrained. More rum than bourbon to me.

The spices also come through very nicely on the tongue and are well integrated. No one spice dominates, but all they seem to swirl together with every sip. The barrels are more present than on the nose and also work well together. Both rum and bourbon make an appearance, with rum taking a more assertive role.

The body is spot on. I’d worried on the pour that the beer might by syrupy, but not so. Nice full body, not too chewy, not too oily. Just right for what I like for the style. ABV is very well hidden.

This is a top tier spiced stout with great barrel notes. The add-junks are done with a steady hand, and don’t overpower the stout they are flavouring. Everything comes together nicely making this a very enjoyable sipper.

Cheers!

 

Enjoying another new-to-me helles lager—a style I’ve neglected for too long. Preliminary review below. Cheers!

4.18/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
473mL can (01.09.2025 on bottom, so presumably best by September 2025) into an English pint. Pours a crystal clear golden color with a big white head that settles to a thin layer of foam.

Aroma is clean pale grainy malt and delicate floral hops. An underlying subtle fruity sweetness.

Taste is likewise a balance between bready, pale, slightly grassy malt and floral Old World hops. A clean, crisp, gently bitter finish. The quality of the water used here is evident, with just the right balance of mineral hardness.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, supremely drinkable.

Overall a world-class helles lager. Hard to imagine a better example of the style, at least out of an aluminum can.

 

Maybe I should revisit Newburgh Brown if the distribution comes back. I tried their brown and cream ales, primarily attracted by the affordable price, but didn't like either much.

 

Picked this up last week, but didn't get around to opening it until now.

4.12/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from a 16 oz can dated 08/20/24 to a Nonic at fridge temp. Purchased 8 days ago from a cooler in a store, kept cold.
The body is semi-opaque, letting light through, and of a glowing amber color. A medium white puffy head sits immediately after the pour, but fades soon to a single layer. Lacing is moderate +.
The aroma is a little musty, some citrus, but it's mild.
The flavor is bitter (good thing) with some earthy and citrus notes.
The mouthfeel is medium creamy with significant carbonation.
Overall it's nice to see a bitter NEIPA. Tastes like WC, looks and feels like NE.

 

Nice seeing you again @Coronaeus thanks for the update on you and the family. Sounds like all is well up there.