New Beer Weekend #217

It’s good to be the King!



The “King” reference here is the King of New Zealand hops: Shaun Hill.

Shaun has been working with New Zealand hop farmers for many years and even during the pandemic when New Zealand had a strict lockdown, they granted Shaun permission to enter the country to continue his work:

“Shaun Hill, brewer and founder of the world-renowned US brewery Hill Farmstead, is considered so crucial to a New Zealand hop development programme that he has been allowed through Aotearoa’s borders for the country’s hop harvest.

Hill, who arrived in New Zealand on 1st February for a seven-week period, entered the country on a Critical Skills Visa and spent a fortnight in a managed isolation facility in Christchurch.”

https://brewsnews.com.au/hill-farmstead-founder-endures-iso-for-nz-hop-selection/

Today’s new beer is Hill Farmstead Double Motueka DIPA which I purchased at the brewery and on the back of the can is a story:

“This American Double India Pale Ale is brewed, bittered, flavored and dry-hopped exclusively with a personally selected blend of Motueka hops grown and pelletized by our agricultural partners at Freestyle Hops in Upper Moutere, New Zealand.”

I have homebrewed a couple of batches of Motueka IPA and I have always been very pleased with these beers so I have high hopes for this beer.

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

A hazy golden yellow with a fluffy white head.

Aroma:

The aroma is mostly lime zest but there are some other tropical fruit aromas (e.g., pineapple) and in the background is a noticeable aspect of diesel.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with mostly lime zest but with some tropical fruit flavors and some diesel. There is a smooth/medium bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium body with a smooth mouthfeel and a dry-ish finish.

Overall:

This beer is excellent!!

I wish I could purchase Motueka hops from Freestyle Hops for my homebrewing.

On the homebrewing topic, earlier today I added Ekuanot hops for a dry hop addition to my recent batch of IPA.

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH

 

Finback Oscillation. DIPA. Not sure about anything with this guy. Picked up at Joe Canals,Wildwood, N.J.
No canning date, and not sure what iteration of Oscillation this is. Apparently it's a rotating brew, been like 30 or more of them but no idea which this is.
No matter, it's fantastic. Opening the can, got a whiff of some hops, but nothing stood out.
Poured a lot murkier than I've been used to lately, a little surprised, but all was copacetic.
First taste, like going home again. Just enough citrus to satisfy, but not crazy mouth- puckering.
I'm not great at these NBWs. My basic take is: yeah I like it, a lot. But that's good enough in my book. Basically, tell someone if/how much you like something, and should they try it.
Perfect end- of- summer hazy, before the fresh hop/ lagers/ winter warmers storm on thru.

 

My son and I are trying Notch Brewing's Left of the Dial, their session IPA. Very good for a light beer.

 

Picked up a mixed pack of Unibroue, I may have tried these 10-15 years ago but did not review any of them.

Starting with Don De Dieu

Appearance: Cloudy amber, good head.

Smell: Phenolic , clove, bit of tartness in the background.

Taste: Starts with a tang of citrus, high carbonation, moves into a bready, spicy, savory mix of flavors. Fizzy feel throughout, finishes with some lemon and yeasty bread.

Overall: Wow, I'm out of practice with complex Belgian style beers. Hard to pick out all the different flavors in this nice tripel. I used to seek out tripels in my early days of craft beer, but now they are an occasional pleasure. Very good, very complex.

 

Thanks for kicking off the weekend @Roy_Hobbs - I have to concur, it’s likely the best thread on the site. Okay, I might be biased, but it’s freaking educational, isn’t it?
My first for this weekend comes from a nearly local brewery, Transient.

Neckbeard Nectar. (Yes, I was perplexed with the name) but I managed to convince my wife to stop by the brewery on the way home from visiting the eldest on Thanksgiving one year. The year these were released, the freaking day they were released. So I bought several of the days release. This was one of them.
Poured stout black with a brown head that tried, albeit feebly, to cover the top of the pour.
The taste, well, I’ve been down on Bourbon Barrel Aged stouts for being too sweet. But they nailed this one, enough bourbon to prove the beer spent time in bourbon barrels but not enough to take the lead in the flavor.
Dark fruit, coffee, cacao, and a bit of leather.
(Not sure how leather works in there but there we have it)
The feel is ideal for both the style and the ABV. Lightly viscous, smooth and almost silky.
OA, in an area dominated by Founders and Bells, Transient has been turning out some world class beers.
Cheers!

 

Dead Armadillo Craft Brewing Arbor Dillo, DIPA brewed with Spruce Tips, 8.3% ABV; 3.91 overall

Pours a chill-hazed & effervescent gold/honey color with one finger of pearl colored head. Very good head retention & lacing

S: Some breadyness, some medicinal notes

T: Follows the nose, dryness, plenty of spruce & a little hint of lime as well up front. A little bready sweetness, cuts through the pine & spruce, more dryness as this beer warms up. Finishes dry, a little sweet with pine & spruce

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, good balance

Solid Spruce Beer, drinks fairly easy for the ABV

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Done with work today, and my weekend has started. Got a lot done today at work. I brought some decorations for what is now my office - empty beer bottles. Some from BIF's and some I bought. Got some paperwork done. Helped a metric ton of customers, and encouraged my crew. It is time for a beer, and this might be my only entry in this thread this weekend.

Hybrid Minds: Thesis Beer Project - Elm Creek Brewing - Champlin, MN - Imperial IPA - 9%

This beer has a metric ton of hop aromas. The flavor starts off mild, and then ramps up with an amazing complexity. This is damn good, and I'm so glad I got the 4 pack at work.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/59375/714278/

4.08/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From a 16oz can. Best by 01/25/25

This is a very hazy, juicy looking, murky pouring beer. It has the color of pineapple juice. There's a 2 finger fluffy looking white head. Head retention is pretty good overall.
The nose of this beer is very tropical in nature, and strong. I am getting a ton of mango in this beer. A huge hit of pineapple and grapefruit. Hints of orange in this beer as well. The hop aromas are very pleasing.
Taste - The flavor isn't as strong as the nose let on. There's a smooth almost malty front to this beer. There's a hint of a dank flavor that starts off the hop parade. The dankness isn't overpowering, but it lingers. I get notes of melon in this beer. I do get a hit of pineapple and there's also some grapefruit and orange with a touch of mango. The flavor didn't start out strong, but it is quite complex.
The body is quite full. It is somewhat soft, and quite juicy feeling. Very smooth as well.
This is a damn delicious IPA, and I'm so glad I decided to buy the 4 pack at work.


Tomorrow is the St. Cloud Ciderfest. Now, I'm not a cider fan, but there will be a lot of breweries there, and I'll likely be having a lot there. If I can take time to review something I haven't had before, I will. If I don't see you all anymore this weekend, have a wonderful New Beer Weekend!!!

 

Sometimes it's better to ask for forgiveness than to ask for permission.

 

Loved reading this Jack. New Zealand is a very advanced country.
The proof: Even during a pandemic shutdown, they knew the priority of their hop development and their nation's contribution to world beer culture..

 

Brasserie La Debauche ‘7 Locos Triple Hop’ DIPA.

44 cl can, poured well chilled into a proper pint glass, in Toulouse, France.
Reasonable foam on deep gold brew.
Nose is an interesting mish-mash of funkified hops and barley malt.
Taste follows with a fascinating combination of hops present, but not one jumping up and identifying itself boldly. (Think I get Nelson, maybe?) It’s nice, it’s really fresh, and there’s good bitterness on finish. Complimentary 8% ABV works fine.
Mouth is full, medium-high on the carbonation.
Overall, France’s La Debauche brewery makes good to great beers. This one is delicious, but i find myself wishing to see the hop bill for some clarity as to what I just drank.

4.21 in the BA DB

 

Thank you for opening the weekend @Roy_Hobbs , and also for your review and beautiful picture! Also, congratulations @Victory_Sabre1973 on your promotion, and hope your new role is even more enjoyable and rewarding.

I've enjoyed all the reviews through early morning, and hopefully I can provide a similar experience. I'm popping one open today from @DoctorZombies , and reserving next weekend two my final two drink fresh beers left, also from David but from a South Carolina brewery.

This selection is from Missouri. I'm not sure if Florissant Brewing is Narrow Gauge's parent company, similar to Krebs Brewing Company's ownership of Prairie Artisan Ales, or if this is or was an collaboration or contract brew situation. Perhaps you know the backstory David. There are many reviews spreading over years for this beer, which is rated World Class. I'm also excited by the old school hops (Citra, Mosaic, Columbus).

Narrow Gauge Brewing Company King Fallen Flag

4.41/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5



A lot to say in the linked review above. I don't usually gravitate toward this style, but this was a really thoughtful trade selection by David, which I'm not surprised. My first thought is I never had a strong lime flavor out of a beer without an actual squeeze of it (never had a lime flavored beer before beyond slices in a Tecate). I'm drinking this fast, even after hitting the wall about midway through due to the high strength which is sneaky at first. Bottom line, this is a very enjoyable beer that I probably should have saved for "Prime Time" Sunday, though I have a solid selection also saved for tomorrow which I tried with David in Milwaukee, but did not write review notes to enjoy the moment and ongoing discussion.

Thank you all, and will see you tomorrow with a beer I hope has held up as well as this one.

 

Ratsherrn Rotbier

 

Ratsherrn Zwickl

 

Oh yes!!!! Looking forward to a German field trip via NBW! Thanks for always sharing your travels.

 

Ratsherrn Oat White IPA

Happy to oblige, @jonphisher