New Beer Weekend #219

That seems to be the date,I guess it could hold up for that long.

 

I'm down to my final five new-to-me oktoberfest beers and they are all from my Ashville, NC haul. Glad we were there a week ago and not now.

The Olde Mecklenburg Brewery Mecktoberfest

16oz can PCKD 07/23/24 poured into a mug at fridge temp 5.4% ABV. The beer pours bright light to medium amber with light khaki head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. The aroma is mild with sweet, bready notes. The taste is semisweet caramel malt that starts a bit sweet, then leans toasty, before a mildly bitter, herbal finish. The feel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Cleanly lagered. Overall, good easy drinking beer and a decent American take on a Märzen.

Cheers all!

 

NBS #2: Ghost Tracks, a DIPA from Cape May Brewing Co. I spend a lot of time in deep South Jersey and have consumed a lot of beer from CMBC. Honestly, it's been hit or miss for me. I thought the last new one I had, Sea Seeker, was outstanding. And Ghost Tracks is, as well!

Canned on 9/3/2024. It's a dense, dirty orange color with over a finger cap of fluffy, bright white foam and copious, thick lacing that lasted through the pour. Lots of fragrant peach on the nose, along with grapefruit, pineapple, and a whiff of vanilla. This is a fruit bomb! The peach is strong - particularly in the aftertaste, along with pineapple and some ripe melon. There are notes of vanilla and mint from the Sabro hops that give it a Creamsicle quality. It's also quite dank. But there is also enough hop bitterness to keep it honest. I like the balance. The mouth feel is plush and creamy with moderate carbonation, and the 8% ABV gives it good substance without distracting. Overall, while Cape May can be hit or miss with me, Ghost Tracks is a home run. A very solid and enjoyable DIPA.

4.19/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

It seems as though Cape May Brewing is on a roll with its big IPAs, which is a really good thing. Have a great week, everyone. Cheers, NBW!

 

NC Märzen #2 for today

Fonta Flora Märzen

16oz CANNED ON 08/05/24 poured into a mug at fridge temp 5.6% ABV per label. The beer pours bright light amber with off white head. The head recedes to a thin cap. The aroma is mild with dusty, possibly musty, heirloom grains. The taste is semisweet pale malt with a funky herbal, mildly bitter finish that I could confuse with tartness, but I default to rustic. The feel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, an interesting take on Märzen, probably similar to what folks drank centuries ago, but a hint funky for the current day. The can claims 90% local ingredients which I assume includes most of the malt, which could explain some of the uniqueness.

Cheers all!

 

Obelisk - Fresh Hop Raking Light

16oz can served in a footed pilsner glass. 09/02/24 is the date on the can. Bought it recently at Chuck's Hop Shop Seward Park, I believe.

Pours dark yellow-gold, medium to large head on the pour that settles into a thick skin clinging almost a centimeter up the side of the glass, lots of active carbonation. Smell is very nice -- hop flowers, honeysuckle, grain husk, a little yeast.

Taste is nice bitter resin, lots of grass and flowers, strong building bitterness.

Mouthfeel is light, crisp, clean, dry. Overall, very nice beer, very nice fresh hop.

 

All right it's time for another new beer this weekend, it's also an old beer as well.

Winter Gueuze - Brouwerij De Troch - Belgium - 5.5%

This is a 2016 vintage, that is the old part.
Nice light flavor. It almost reminds me of a cider. Light green apple flavor. Slightly tart and slightly sweet. Very easy to drink, and tasty.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/190/155148/

3.94/5 rDev +26.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
2016 vintage consumed on 9-29-2024, from a 12.7oz bottle.

Clear amber pouring beer. There's barely any carbonation in this beer and there's just a ring of a white head in the glass.
The aroma is a wild funky green apple aroma. Very wild smelling.
The flavor is somewhat mellow. I get a bit of wild apple that is slightly tart. This beer remids me of a cider almost. There's also a hint of sweetness.
Light and clean body. Smooth feeling.
Interesting beer overall. Not bad at all.

I may be back for one more this weekend. Cheers!

 

Another fresh hop beer—this one is not necessarily totally new to me, but apparently they tweak the recipe every year so this is the 2024 version of Fremont HFOFH. Preliminary review below. Cheers!

4.21/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
16oz can (packaged 8/28/2024) into a tulip. Pours an opaque, slightly dirty lemon drop yellow with a 1-finger head.

Aroma is bright and citrusy—grapefruit and acidic hop resin, lemon zest.

Taste leads off with that alpha-acid bite but quickly dials back on the anticipated subsequent bitterness, which is true to style but still somehow a bit disappointing. I’ve come to rely on that sharp resinous bitterness to cleanse the palate but it’s just not there with this beer. But it’s not the beer’s fault, this is a NEIPA and I guess that’s how it’s supposed to taste. So what we end up with here is a slightly one-dimensional citrus bomb.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied but again, that crisp finish is simply lacking. Again, true to style but somehow a little disappointing.

Overall this is probably not too different from previous versions of HFOFH. It’s a New England style fresh hop beer that just might not make the best use of its main ingredient. Good for what it is but maybe not a personal favorite fresh hop beer.

 

Cloudburst - Sorry for Partying

16oz can in a big snifter. Can is dated 07/25/24. Bought it at Beer Authority last week.

Pours clear amber-gold, bright and brassy, medium sized head. Smell is grain with a background of grass, some yeast, light earthy bitterness.

Taste is light caramel and toffee, light nuttiness, lots of grain husk, a little grass and cut greens (but not much). Lots of barley tea.

Mouthfeel is light, clean, maybe a tinge on the watery side. Overall, very tasty beer, wish it had a bit more lively mouthfeel.

 

Happy NBS!

Having a tasty (?) NEDIPA, not sure what to make of it, hopefully I do not get FUCKN' sick.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/51434/319747/?ba=Wasatch#lists

Cheers!

 

Fair Isle - Wet Hop Lager

16oz can served in a snulip. If there's a date, I don't see it.

Pours a clear whitish yellow, moderate head. Smell is juicy and green, lime and melon, menthol/mint medicinalness.

Taste is...hm. "Gummy" is the word that comes to mind, but not because it tastes like gum -- melon and medicine kind of lean that way, but there's something indefinite about flavor, like it can't decide if it's juicy or resinous or bready.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, just a little bit of fizz, fairly smooth texture. Overall...it's not bad.

 

Here's a brand spankin' new one from Mount Holly Beer!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/60182/718051/



16 ounce can brewed at von Trapp Brewing in Stowe, VT.
Packaged 09/17/24.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a one inch white head over an extremely bright, light golden body with scant lacing.

Nose of light bread, slight hops, and slight spice.

Taste mirrors nose, with the above attributes being more prominent and finishing with some slightly spicy bitterness.

Very good mouthfeel with medium carbonation.

Overall, a highly crushable offering form Dan and crew and worth seeking out!

Cheers!!

 

Thought I had a few more new ones in me, but either had too much fun yesterday or caught a stomach bug.

 

Pretty lazy day here today. My sister in law came down for a visit and stayed for supper. Yesterday's pulled pork cook was pretty dang tasty along with fresh corn from a local stand. Experimented some with the prep/smoking method and it paid off.

So...this beer showed up previously in the thread and I'll forego the obvious pun...



Theakston Old Peculiar Old Ale. As @shkin noted there was a thread about this beer returning to the US and I do remember seeing it a long time ago. When I saw it I thought "haven't seen that in forever".

It looks black in the glass but when held to the light it's an incredibly beautiful garnet red. About a half inch of tan foam that falls to a small island and thin ring. The color alone is spectacular.

It's light on the nose, but there's a lot to dig in to. It's a little fruity over sweet, bready malt. I get a little cherry, some raisin, or maybe fig, molasses/brown sugar and a touch of honey. There's a bit of tea and it is pleasantly earthy and lightly floral - thank you Fuggles.

The taste opens slightly sweet with the molasses/brown sugar thing coming through. Dark sweet bread. The effect is toffee-like. Herbal earthiness and a pretty clear tea note that's reminding me a bit of Earl Grey. The dark fruits taste mainly dark sweet cherry but theres a bit of fig along for the ride. Earthy and floral hoppiness. As the flavors fade into the aromatics there's just a little orange jammy taste and kind of a cola-like effect and a very weak mint. It's pretty tasty!

The feel is surprisingly light. Carbonation is light and lively - little bubbles, I think. It's pretty refreshing versus others in the style I've had. Slightly drying. Minimal bitterness.

Overall this is an excellent beer, fun to drink. It's one you can dissect or just drink and appreciate. Feeling around a 4.2 on this one.

 

That *always* sucks

 

Godspeed…

 

Sacrilicious- from Transient Brewing
Poured like well worn oil that has been filtered for impurities. It sported a brown head for a hot minute.
The taste is CBS on steroids- maple syrup and oak and coffee and if it wasn’t sweet enough, chocolate and vanilla. The whiskey must have aged out, but it was still really, really good.
The feel, remember that filtered old oil? Yeah, about that.
OA, I am very happy to have been able to drink it, but it might be a little sweet for a second go around.
Cheers!

 

El Suenito - Lupulo Fresco fresh hop IPA

16oz can served in a big snifter. If the can is dated, I don't see it. Bought it at a PCC a couple days ago.

Pours a hazy orange-yellow with a small head, light carbonation. Smell is herbal, cut greens.

Taste is medicinally herbal, moderate honeysuckle sweetness, moderate bready grains.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, smooth, somewhat still. Overall, it's not bad.

 

WoW! Over 25 years and still held up with a dried out cork. Go buy a Lotto ticket!

 

Parabolita

16oz can served in a snulip. Don't see a date on it.

Pours dark brown, maybe black or almost so, medium sized head or a little smaller. Smell is chocolate cake and caramel.

Taste is chocolate, tons of coffee, some caramel and cream. Salt is noticeable, there's a bit of black licorice. Neither is overpowering.

Mouthfeel is a bit on the thin side for a BA stout. Overall, very tasty, very enjoyable, wish it was a bit thicker and heavier.