New Beer Weekend #217

Revivor

10.6% barrel aged doppelbock by Highland Park

Poured from a twelve ounce can, the body is black with a light mocha colored head. Nice lacing.

Aroma is light barrel and a note of fresh bread sweetness.

Taste follows nose but the flavors are amplified, especially the barrel. There's a brief glimpse of booze that quickly recedes. As might be expected, more booze is tasted as the chill came off the beer though still not hot.

Luxurious mouthfeel, weighty and soft. Things dry up quickly with only a bit of light boozy sweet malt on finish.

A fantastic beer given to me by @Resistance88. Cheers Tomas.

 

Went beer shopping yesterday and saw this Lichtenhainer from Dangerous Man. A rare style, tart smoked beer:

Appearance: Yellow with chunks, ok head.

Smell: Wheaty/toast, tartness underneath.

Taste: Moderately tart, wheat and pineapple start showing midway through. Smoke is very light, subtle. Tart, dry finish.

Overall: I'm always looking for smoked beers, and this was the cheapest non-expired 6 pack I've seen from a MN craft brewery ($7.49 for 6 pack). So expectations were low, but they were moderately exceeded. Not as smoky as I'd like, but Lichtenhainers are typically not super smoky. Worth a try, though a single would have been better.

 

Good afternoon NBW
South Korea up today. Takes me to 44 countries. Not bad for a guy without a passport...

Premier OB

11.15 oz bottle stamped 20M4W04 poured into a pilsner glass at fridge temp 4.6% ABV. The beer pours bright golden yellow with nearly white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and island. The aroma is mild with pale malt, orchard fruit and floral notes. The taste is semisweet pale malt with more apple and pear plus mild diacetyl with minimal bitterness. The feel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, label says pilsner, but I don't agree. Too flabby, too fruity and negligible bitterness.

Cheers all!

 

Toppling Goliath Vanilla Bean Term Oil BBA Imperial Stout, 14.5% ABV. Pours thick as oil, black, with a ring of brown bubbles. Aroma is brownie batter, vanilla, and bourbon. Taste is strong semi-sweet chocolate, bourbon, and vanilla, slightly sweet, moderately bitter, slight bourbon burn.

4.52/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

 

4.25/5 rDev +0.2%

look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

2022 vintage- 14% ABV

Poured from a 500ml bottle dated 10-10-22 into a snifter at 53 degrees.

Look- Black, opaque, dark brown creamy head, above average head retention, average lacing, small amount of visible particulate at margins.

Smell- Bourbon, cherry, cocoa, vanilla, oak, high strength of scent.

Taste- Roasted malt, oak, leather, cherry, bourbon, cocoa, high strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, average carbonation, moderately bitter, moderately creamy, mildly mouth coating, moderately mouth warming.

Overall- Appearance was opaque and deep black with a small amount of visible particulate at the margins. Bouquet was a wonderful mix bourbon, cherry, vanilla, cocoa and oak with plenty of strength. The flavor had many of the same characteristics, but the balance was not as good. Prominent roasted malt character with notes of leather masked the more desirable bourbon and cherry flavors. Body was thinner than expected with less mouth coating properties. Nice amounts of mouth warming, creaminess and bitterness helped to make the feel slightly above average. Overall this beer provided a good drinking experience, but the lack of balance in flavor held it back from being great.

 

Jester King Serrata, a " Saison " with Japanese Red Shiso, 5.6% ABV; 3.5 overall

Pours an Auburn-tinged amber with a sliver of fast-falling beige head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Raspberry, vinegar notes. mown hay

T: Tart raspberry, minty notes, dryness up front. Tart & sour raspberry, dry, a little more mintyness as this beer warms up, a faint sweet berry note on the edges. Finishes with plenty of acidity, tartness, a little raspberry & mint

MF: Medium body, low carbonation, I feel the enamel coming off my teeth

I can more leave than take these kind of beers (tart/acidic). I will not feel the need for one of these for quite a long time. Where are the tums???

 

Oaktoberfest, an Octoberfest from Oakflower Brewing in Millington NJ. I try a lot of different Oktoberfest’s every year. This is the 1st one in a number of years that is outstanding . Drunk on tap at the brewery and from a can at home it’s the best Octoberest I’ve had in years.

 

Kraftpaule - Helles

440ml can served in an undersized shaker. 29.04.2025 is the date on the can. Bought it at the brewpub a few days ago in Stuttgart.

Pours mostly clear golden light amber, medium sized head that fades into an unevenly thick ring. Smell is lightly grassy, lightly orange blossom, grain and bread.

Taste is orange blossom honey, lots of sweet grains, nice prickle of grassiness, bit of earthy grassy bitter in the background.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, light and airy. Overall, this is a very tasty beer.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Swiggers and commentators. Fairly recently we started receiving distribution from New Hampshire's Schilling Beer Co., here in North Jersey. Most of the cans I see in the stores are of the well-known Lagers and Pilsners. So I was intrigued when I saw packs of Bondcliff, a DIPA, yesterday. There are several mysteries concerning this offering. First, Schilling's hoppy American ales are released under the name "Resilience" and the can states that Resilience is "the American Ale Project of Schilling Beer Co." Schilling Beer Co. and Resilience are included as separate breweries on the BA database and there are ratings/reviews of Bondcliff under both. I posted my rating/review under Schilling Beer Co., rather than Resilience because it seemed appropriate but the BA Mods will be the final arbiter. Second, the can is not dated. Based upon other reviews on BA and Untappd I'm guessing it was canned in June. Third, I've tried to research the hop bill to no avail. All that aside, it is a very solid DIPA of the New England variety.

It pours a hazy, bright tangerine with nearly a finger cap of fluffy, eggshell-colored foam and lots of thick, clinging lacing. The nose is bright and fruity with notes of orange/tangerine, pineapple, peach, and soft floral hops. It opens highly fruity with both sweet and tart citrus, including orange, lemon peel, and grapefruit rind. There is some additional creamy sweetness underneath which gives it a creamsicle taste, as well as hints of red berry and tropical fruits. But the initial sweetness is quickly balanced by sharp, biting hop bitterness. The mouth feel is surprisingly lite and clean for the 8.5% ABV and murky appearance. It drinks easily. Overall, I have no regrets over purchasing a pack of this ale.

4.14/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

Back-to-back! NBS #2 is a BA Stout: Natural Necessities, The Cup of Excellence, from Round Table Brewing in Garnerville, New York. For those unfamiliar with this brewery, it is located in the space formerly occupied by Industrial Arts - before the latter consolidated in its Beacon, NY location. This Stout was bottled in November 2023 an I purchased it at the brewery in June 2024. I am impressed by this brewery. It had big shoes to fill and I've enjoyed every beer I've had from them. I'm looking forward to many visits!

This is a variant of the brewery's BA Stout, Dark Necessities, which is also quite good. This one is blended with coffee and has very nice espresso notes.

Poured at 64°. The color is a very dark mahogany - nearly black - and it sports a half finger fizzy cap of light khaki-colored foam with excellent retention. The aromatic smell offers roasted malt, freshly-brewed coffee. earthy, nutty, char, and just a whiff of chocolate. The taste is spot-on! Despite the fact the bottle is nearly a year old, the coffee tastes fresh and acidic - like you would get in a diner. The chocolate is more apparent in the taste than in the nose. And there is a very nice base of burnt, nutty char which adds bitterness and balances the other flavors. There is also a faint taste of dark fruit deep in the background, which I think would have been more evident when first bottled. The mouth feel good and creamy with low/moderate carbonation, and I like the 8.5% ABV. Round Table resisted the temptation to go big with this Stout and it is highly drinkable. Another plus is the 500 ML format. At just over a pint it can easily be enjoyed in one pour. Very well done!

4.3/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I hope you all have a great end to your weekend. As always, I'm enjoying your reviews. See you all next week. Cheers, NBW!

 

El Segundo B.O.B. 2.5 2022
15.2% barleywine aged in rye



Poured from a pint can, the beer is a dark brown with a wee tan head and not much lacing.

Aroma is rye barrel and dark fruits (fig, raisin). Inviting.

Taste follows nose with flavors ratcheted up. Heavy barrel on swallow (sipping is better) is balanced by a heavy sweet malt and the dark fruits mentioned earlier. The barrel is boozy but not overly hot. No sign of hops though expected by style designation.

Mouthfeel is good with light carbonation. The barleywine approaches cloying but doesn't quite get there. Things dry up fairly quickly with only a bit a lingering booze.

A lively delicious barleywine. Cheers to @Resistance88 for the beer.

 

Part 2 of “can beer afford to be local?”

Back with another beer made with local ingredients; this one includes NY hops I believe too. Yesterday’s only had local malt, not hops.

We used to get these Landscape series beers here but we haven’t in a long time. Grabbed on way home from vacation while driving through NY.

Industrial Arts - Autumn Landscape (Wiesn 5.6%)



Pours a perfect crystal clear gold; fluffy white head, quite bubbly, decent retention; soapy cling on initial head, all initial signs were moot as this beer ends up with no sign of head.

Nose is sweet pale malt; that perfect beefed up helles nose, there is some light cracker quality too…oh the hops; just perfectly balanced in there, nicely aromatic and almost entirely herbal in nature to me.

The taste hits perfectly to me; it’s big on malt, sweet but soft, bread verges lightly into dough like; little bit of grain in the finished, all rounded out by a balanced yet noticeable hop presence; herbal again with a very little bit of spice nature.

Mouthfeel, oh yeah, it’s definitely in medium territory but it is so drinkable; so smooth on the carbonation, this thing goes down like water, bitterness is lightly present.

So this may be my favorite festbier of the year so far; yes I’d choose it even over my yearly favorite, weihenstephan. It’s a shame I only bought a single but you live and you learn. Just incredible balance, malt richness and drinkability.

Maybe someone who knows more than me can answer this…both of these all local malt festbiers ended up with no head quite fast. I wonder if this is a product of the malt or something else? @JackHorzempa

———————

A twofer this NBW; same style both with local malt, both awesome beers. Cheers everyone, have a great week and see you in 5 days

@TongoRad I just saw Notch Festbier at the store down the road while grabbing some Tonewood. I may give that a try next if it’s still around thanks to your post.

 

Alesmith BBA Speedway Imperial Stout Vietnamese Coffee Edition, 13.6% ABV. Pours black with a two-finger brown head that dissipated quickly leaving sparse lacing. Aroma is strong coffee and light bourbon. Taste is strong coffee, roast malt, oak, faint chocolate, tobacco, faintly sweet, moderately bitter, no apparent bourbon burn. Excellent mouthfeel, overall outstanding. If you love BBA coffee stouts, this is your beer.

4.31/5 rDev -6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

Happy NBS!

Having a very tasty West Coast Style IPA from Weldwerks (CO).

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38773/716562/?ba=Wasatch#lists

Cheers!

 

Probably the last for the weekend. A festbier brewed by Genesee and sold at Aldi.

Festlich Haus Oktoberfest

12oz undated bottle poured into a mug at fridge temp 5.5 % ABV. The beer pours bright light amber with khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. The aroma is mild with toasted malt and a hint of earthy hops. The taste is semisweet toasted malt with with nutty and herbal notes. Mild bitterness. The feel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Mostly clean lagering. Overall, decent amber lager. Doesn't scream Märzen or festbier to me.

Cheers all!

 

I like the glass & the old school snowmobile, (or as they say out west, snow machine), what's the story behind it?

 

It is a glass for a beer group that I'm a member of. It started here and moved off this site.

 

Since @barrybeerdog, @Victory_Sabre1973, and all these Minnesota Vikings fans keep popping up in this thread, I should probably open this spectacular beer from Minnesota, courtesy of the legendary @cheeseheadinMinneapolis. Shell's Brewing Starkeller, aged in 1936 wooden tanks, methode traditionelle. The 2020 edition. The look is sunflower yellow, with minimal foam. Heavily carbonated. The smell is strong with lemon, and absolutely delightful. There is a donut and birthday cake scent that follows, that is quite pleasant. The taste is lemony, with a sour, bready finish. I really like it. Buttered biscuit, cracker, and pretzel round out the flavor. It is quite enjoyable. The mouthfeel is spritzy, vibrant, sparkling, and clean, resulting in a very pleasant experience. Overall, this is a special beer. At just the right time. Sam Darnoldian, if you will. Thank you, @cheeseheadinMinneapolis!

 

Glad to hear you found something from MN that you liked

VIKINGS 23 San Fran 17

 

Sadly The Starkeller seems to be no more. I found that out the hard way on my last trip to New Ulm back in July. I will always have a tinge of pain driving by it to visit my dad.

Well, I somwhow survived St. Cloud Ciderfest yesterday, and am feeling up for one new beer today. This is something that came in at work on Thursday, and is probably by now sold out by now.

Sixpence None The Richer - Blackstack Brewing - St. Paul, MN - Imperial IPA - 12%

Damn, this is good. There's so many hop layers in this beer. This beer doesn't drink like a 12% beer at all. Delicious way to end my weekend.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/48592/716132/

4.43/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
From a undated 16oz can.

This beer looked like a murky juice tornado when pouring it into the glass. Looks almost pulpy. Juicy looking as heck. There's a thick 2 finger white head. The head retention is amazing. There's some beautiful clingy lacing on the glass.
Aroma is a tropical juice bomb. Just a metric ton of pineapple aroma. I'm getting hints of mango, orange, and grapefruit.
Taste - The tropical flavor seems to start off somewhat mellow. The hops start kicking in with a good hit of pineapple up front with some orange and grapefruit notes. The finish is a nice sweet mango flavor that clings and lingers in my throat. There's also a faint dank hint on the backside.
Thick, smooth, full, clingy body. Juicy feeling as heck. There's no burn in this beer at all, and doesn't drink like 12%.
This is a tasty beer and I'm so glad I picked it up.

See you all next weekend for the next time this virtual bar opens.