New Beer Weekend #222

I'm continuing my international tour this weekend with a second beer born in the Philippines, but brewed and bottled in Thailand.

San Miguel Red Horse

330mL bottle stamped 18CAM (whatever that might mean) poured into a perfect pint glass at fridge temp 8% ABV. The beer pours very bright pale gold with nearly white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and island. Minimal lacing. The aroma is mild with sweet pale malt, apple, pear and a hint of vegetable oil. The taste is semisweet, with rotten corn right up front and a medium bitter, diacetyl flavored finish.
Imagine you poured a six pack of Busch Light into a pan and boiled it down to 11.2 ounces and added mild carbonation... The feel is medium bodied with just less that average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, not good and I'm pretty favorable to most Euro strong lagers and malt liquors, but this has little in redeeming qualities.

Win some, lose some, but I'll always try a new malt liquor (or Euro Strong)...

Cheers all!

 

My son loves the new Indian restaraunt in a nearby town for lunch. Friday he came back to work with a gift for me. A single can of Rupee IPA.
This is brewed by contract brewery Dorchester Brewing Co. in Boston. There is a story about the beer at RuppeeBeer.com.
This can is ancient in IPA years, so I don't hold much hope. The can date pretty much reflects when that restaurant opened. Read on.

Poured from a 16 oz can dated 03/06/24 to a Nonic at fridge temp.
The body is opaque deep gold, not really hazy but are 1mm yeast floaters moving around. A low head of tiny white head bubbles sits on top, fades quickly, but coats well during sips.
Smells of musty and old. Wet composting leaves and brown sugar.
The flavor is mostly malt and cardboard. Not really drawing me in at all.
The mouthfeel is medium and most of the carbonation is gone (if it was ever there).
Drain pour. 2.5 across the board.

 

Lake Life, a Midwest ipa, by Arvon


3.89/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Can received in bif18 from @Whyteboar

Chilled 16 oz can poured into a Monhegan glass , golden liquid , scribe carbonation streams , fluffy two finger white foam settles to a rocky island , some lacings

Aroma is piney , centennial hops at work here

Taste is grapefruit. Malts , hint of pine

Mouthfeel is sudsy with a hop bite on the finish that lingers on the tongue

Good beer, Midwest ipa? More west coast

 

Back real soon after that drain pour. Luckily this is pretty damn good.
Enegren Brewing Rotating Hop PIlsner with Lorien hops. (Accent on the O, but I'm too lazy to figure that out).
I knew nothing about these hops. A Google search yielded this from a grower (seems more of a marketing blurb than a flavor description)-
Magical, exhilarating, and festive—Lórien is our third commercial hop launch. The second—Strata—was destined for a lead role in IPAs and DIPAs. Lórien is destined for lead roles as well, but at the opposite end of the hop and beer spectrum. Tangy fresh fruit and the feeling of a summer meadow near a cold mountain stream, Lórien is conducive to celebration and appetite. Low alpha and squeaky clean, leave the taps open and let ‘er flow!

4.21/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 16 oz can dated 05/66/24 to a Pils glass at fridge temp.
The body is not quite clear straw, mesmerizing bubbles rise continuously. Patience was required in this pour, though the can sat undisturbed for over a week and was carefully handled to the glass. A mushroom head is basically the result.
Smells bready and sweet.
The flavor is similar but with a very dry finish.
The mouthfeel is light and slightly oily. Carbonation is just right, despite my pour problems.
Nice beer. Nice introduction to Lorien hops.

 

Hello all my fellow beer enthusiasts! Okay, maybe not *all* of them, but all that count today.
Don’t remember where I got this nor how long I’ve had it, but if I bought it locally I will be buying more.

Poured dark brown with a hint of red and was crowned with a 2 cm beige head that left reasonable lacing.
The taste surprised me a little with almost a hops forward impression, but as I got into it a little the hops were pronounced at the swallow and I’m guessing roasted malts give the initial bitterness. Either way, the second part of this was much better (yeah, my opinion) than the first. Guessing the bitter just came to terms with my taste buds and relaxed a bit. Ended up wishing there was more.
The feel is light and almost crisp, hard to imagine they got it like this with all the flavor crammed in.

Surprised I liked this as much as I did, normally I go for the more biscuit and malt centric flavor and there was little of that here. Time and place? Maybe, more research!

 

Good day BAs! Thanks @Victory_Sabre1973 for starting us up!

Today's New Breakfast Beer:



Silk Porter – Spruce Tip – from Hoppin’ Frog. Four pack of 16 oz cans. Picked up at their brewery, Akron, OH, 18/10/24, $ 21.20 (Including tax), $ 0.33/fl oz. Reviewed 19/10/24 (Review 3372). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottom of can stamped “BEST BY JUN 27 2027”. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 49.4 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 55.0 degrees F.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Brown (SRM 20), clear.
Body – Deep Brown (SRM 30), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, light penetration at the edges only – ruby brown.
Head: Average (Maximum 3.5 cm, aggressive center pour), almond, high density. Reduces to a 0.3 cm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3 – Baker’s chocolate. No yeast, no malt, no hops. NO SPRUCE! No ethanol (6.2 % ABV according to the label).
Flavor – 3 – Follows the nose. NO SPRUCE! No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No ethanol. Eventually, a slight gastric warming occurs.

Palate – 4 – Medium; approaching creamy; soft carbonation.

Style: Follows the style guidelines, as condensed by BA.

Final impression and summation: 3.5 While a passible porter, even with minimal malt characteristics, it definitely lacks the resinous qualities imparted by high terpene content conifers. At the very end of the glass, a hint of spruce teases the senses. Too bad it waited until the end to appear.

Rating 3.26, rDev 0% (First Review)

Just a note: I loved Yard's Poor Richard's Tavern Spruce Ale (Using Ben Franklin's recipe) in the blue bottles and Dogfish Head's Pennsylvania Tuxedo was delicious the first year it came out (but rapidly went down hill in later iterations). Makes me wonder who's identifying the trees as spruce.

 

Kros Strain Double Barrel 28mo Imperial Stout, 13% ABV. Pours thick a dark black, with a ring of dark-brown bubbles that left no lacing. Leaves an oily sheen. Aroma is bourbon, wine, chocolate, and roast malt. Flavor is bourbon, wine, roast malt, slightly sweet, slightly bitter. Not tasting the promised chocolate because the wine is stronger than I'd prefer. Decent mouthfeel, overall outstanding. Improved with warming, bourbon really pops and overcomes the wine.

4.46/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

 

Central Waters Brewing Contemplating Rotation. A hazy pale ale. From the Milwaukee, Wisconsin, location. With Galaxy, Citra, and Mosaic hops. 5.9% ABV. On a gorgeous fall afternoon. Courtesy of @azuelke. The look is murky golden honey yellow. There is a touch of white foam. I think it is gorgeous. The smell is very fruity for the ABV. Orange, lemon, lime, apricot, and honeydew jump from the glass. The taste is lemon, lime, mango, and honeydew. It is vibrant, but not too sweet. Very refreshing. The mouthfeel is pillowy soft, thick, juicy, robust, and clean, with low-medium carbonation. Overall, this is an incredible hazy pale ale. For Wisconsin, this is elite. I hope this becomes a year-round staple of Central Waters Brewing's core lineup. If they market this correctly, this could be a gameday staple of Wisconsin sports tailgating. Keep an eye out for this one under a different name. This is really an incredible beer.

 

Thanks to @Victory_Sabre1973 for kicking us off this weekend, and for single handedly carrying the thread there for a bit. It has been a decent week here in South Jersey, with good fall weather and some good family time. Soccer games this morning and got to see my little niece who is staying with our in laws for a few nights, we don't see her often so that was really nice.

Haven't had a lager, or any beer, from this brewery in a really long time. No reason in particular just preferences and purchases have gone elsewhere. I was grabbing some Tonewood, yea I know..., when this single caught my eye. The four pack is too much IMO but a non price up single, I was happy to give it a try and also revisit a brewery I haven't drank in a really long time.

I was finally able to try and sneak in this review a little bit ago while grilling up dinner, the benefit of "I have to watch the burgers so they don't catch fire.

Kane - Bierhalle (marzen 5.6%)



Pours crystal clear initially; mix of dark gold and amber; white bubbly head ok to average retention.

Nose is quite aromatic; there’s toast, some bread, hints of something sweet; floral undertones.

Taste is quite nice; there is some toasty light sweet bread quality with a balanced touch of hops; mostly lend a good spiciness but also a nice bit of earthiness, even a touch grassy on the finish, I like it; not overdone but quite noticeable hops.

Mouthfeel pushes to medium but it really maintains a great drinkability; very cleanly lagered; light malty sweetness does detract a little, but its far from much, overall great drinking beer, light bitterness on the finish.

This is a tasty beer; it’s somewhere between marzen and festbier in terms of flavor, and look, but it’s got good drinkability. I really enjoyed the balance of hops in here, sort of reminded me of Von Trapp's (my favorite) in that regard.

Kane lagers haven’t done much for me in the past but this one is actually really enjoyable, if the mood strikes me I'll be more inclined to try more lager if they show up here in the future.

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Hoping to contribute one more beer tomorrow if I find the time but we got more soccer so we shall see...

 

It's about time to check out this one from Albany, VT!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47666/719545/



500 ml.
Bottled April 2024.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a one inch white head over a slightly hazy copper body with sticky lacing.

Nose of malt, slight toast, and even slighter funk.

Taste of grape, a bit of spice and apple, finishing fairly dry with a very slight bitterness.
This is delicious!

Very good mouthfeel with medium carbonation.

Very interesting offering from Vasili and would recommend to anyone who likes trying something unusual and unexpected from a great brewery.

Cheers!!!

 

Jack's Abby — Extra Layer

Jack's Abby is also early with their Winter Fest Variety Pack. In addition to their regular House Lager and Post Shift, this includes two exclusives. I'll start with the Extra Layer Winter Fest Lager.

The beer pours murky ruby red, with two-fingers head, and thick lacing.

A faint brown sugar nose is the only thing I can detect.

The taste is also mostly muted, with sweet malt dominating it.

A somewhat heavy mouthfeel with a syrupy aftertaste finishes it off.

I cannot tell what this beer is. At 6% ABV, is this supposed to be a Bock?

 

Mirage + Good Society - Tun State, fresh hop with citra and Idaho 7

16oz can served in a half pint shaker pint. Hard to read, but I think it's canned on 10/02/2024. Bought it at Full Throttle Bottles a week ago.

Pours pale yellow, hazy, small head. Smell is very nice, bright, pungent fresh hops. Grassy and floral, lots of citrus zest.

Taste is lime and honeysuckle, grass and cut leaves, light citrus pith.

Mouthfeel is bordering on thin, quite prickly though. Overall, pretty good, but smells great.

 

Nice glass

 

Kane marzen
.. Nice amber appearance
...just below average carbonation with the only complaint is the body seemed a little thin
...aroma was the nicest component toast,malty bread, floral earthy hops.
..taste was mildly sweet ,otherwise didn't stayed true to aroma.
..overall I think @jonphisher gave a much better detailed description of this beer.
Kane is usually good but this was one of their better products

 

Watching what will hopefully be the last ALCS game that will send my Yankees to the World Series while enjoying Atlantic Brewing's Mountain Hopper IPA. Nice beer, needs more bitterness on palate though.

 

I agree with your last comment, I didn’t expect it to be as good as it was; we both won tonight