New Beer Weekend #222

Good evening denizens of NBW, have a great stout to share with you all, one that many of you have had for years, I finally got to drink an entire bottle tonight. (My last bottle was shared with my SAN group)

Poured black, not just stout black but black. Not much head, but at that ABV it is pretty normal.
The taste is, as expected, coffee forward but it doesn’t dominate the other flavors. Tons of caramel and cacao, dark fruits abound. This is no one note beer.
The feel is, despite the lack of head, lively yet viscous. It’s a sipper than asks to be gulped. (I must admit I did drink it faster than was probably a good idea)
OA, this just became one of my annual buys.

 

Zoktoberfest kcbc
...attractive dark amber appearance
.. .medium carbonation with about a medium body which all added up to a nice feel
...aroma is malty,mild toasted nut, toasted grainy bread.
..taste is mildly sweet,nuttiness, malty toasted bread.
..overall a really tasty oktoberfest

 

Natural State Brewing's NS Gold Export Lager ( Dortmunder style), 5.5% ABV; 4.29 overall

Pours a bright effervescent gold with a thumb+ of eggshell colored head. Average-ish head retention & lacing

S: Plenty bready, some floral hop notes

T: Follows the nose, dry with a little bit of grassyness & some soapy hop notes up front. Sweet bready note, crackery dryness, grassy notes, hints of lemon as this beer warms up. Finishes dry, grassy with bready sweetness & more soapy hops

MF: Medium body, with soft carbonation, nice balance

Nice drinkability, spot-on for the style. These guys are all over German Style Brews

 

I don't remember the OG Version from The PI being much to brag about either

 

Level - Fresh Hop Pixelated Pale

16oz can served in a half pint shaker glass. Can is dated 08/26/24. Bought it at Ridgewood almost three weeks ago, the 30th. Differentiated from the "regular" version with a little round yellow sticker with "fresh hop" written in ball point.

Pours clear honey colored, smallish head that settles into a thick even skin. Smell is brightly earthy (seems contradictory, but accurate).

Taste is earthy, tons of floral and honeysuckle sweetness, light resin and cut vegetation bitterness.

Mouthfeel is smooth, fairly light. Overall...not the best in the world, but certainly worthwhile. This is nice.

 

Kane special 13 czech lager
...incredibly clear light gold appearance
...medium carbonation with a close to medium body
...aroma is floral earthy hops, peppery, toasted grains
.. Taste is almost dry with the cereal, toasted grain and pepper dominating
...overall its a nice well done beer.

 

Social Project/Two Borders ( Peru?? ) 3500 Miles to Lima Triple Hazy IPA with Citra Incognito, Mosaic Cryo & Nelson Hops, 9.7% ABV; 4.54 overall

Pours a hazy gold with a thumb of pearl colored head. Sheets of lacing & good head retention

S: Tons of tropical fruit, some citrus, green melons, fades a bit once warmed up

T: Guava, passion fruit, tangerine, green melon, dryness up front. More guava, some mango, green melons & dryness as this beer warms up, a hint of pineapple. Finishes a little dry, with green melon, tangerine, pineapple on the fringes & lime

MF: Medium body, dialed back carbonation, nicely balanced

ABV is well hidden, drinks very easy, another winner of a big hazy IPA from these guys!

 

Varietal - Trample fresh hop IPA

16oz can served in a half pint shaker. Can't find a date on it. Bought it at Full Throttle Bottles a week ago.

Pours mostly clear orange-amber with a smallish head and not a lot of carbonation. Smell is dank, wet vegetation, wet wood, floral honey sweetness. Very dank.

Taste is dank and vegetal, some honey sweetness, strong resin bitter.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, dry, resinous. Nice beer.

Pretty sure this is unique fresh hop #100 of the season. Cheers, friends.

 

Roadsmary spawns two roads
...dark amber, mahogany appearance with zero head
...medium light carbonation with a medium body and a slightly syrupy feel.
....aroma is real maple syrup, toasted nut,very mild spice, French toast
...taste is slightly sweet, maple syrup, nut, maple sweet bread.
...overall I got this beer but was dreading it a bit. Its actually really good,well done, not just loaded with spice to make up the flavor

 

Urban Family - Look Out! Fire Ants!

16oz can served in a half pint shaker. Dated 08/21/24. Recommended by the beer buyer at the Bothell PCC, where I bought it 24 days ago.

Pours a hazy amber orange with little head, smell is tropical and green, lots of juice, mango and a little bit of pineapple, maybe a bit more papaya.

Taste is heavy on the juicy side, lots of grain, lots of citrus and tropical juice, not a lot of bitterness.

Mouthfeel is rich, full, not heavy. Smooth. Overall, pretty solid IPA.

 

Free Will Brewing Co. - Kragle
An excellent West Coast-Style IPA!

Cross-posted in WBAYDN #4382 and What Mid-Atlantic beer are you drinking now? (2024)?

 

Fast Fashion + Georgetown - Brodizafa Budget Beer

16oz can served in a half pint shaker glass. Don't see a date on it. Bought it at Chuck's Hop Shop Seward Park about three weeks ago.

Pours clear light yellow with a small head. Smell is hoppy, fresh and green. Lemon rind and melon skin.

Taste is grassy, very grassy, lots of cut green bitterness, some honeysuckle and floral sweetness, but definitely dominated by the vegetal bitterness.

Mouthfeel is light and crisp. Ridiculously so, maybe. Overall, it's a good beer, drinks like a session IPA.

 

Do you do a hop detox after the season has wrapped up?

 

Enjoyed catching up through Saturday, and I'm happy to welcome us all to New Beer Sunday #1026. Today I am pulling the second of three Jackie O's provided via Dave aka @Blogjackets in July. I will save the third one for a future weekend. This one is another BA, but with coffee added, and was also bottled in 2023.I added the full bottle note for an update to the entry linked below, but perhaps it may be too wordy to add to the notes. I have also included it in my review linked below.

Jackie O's Bourbon Barrel Champion Ground

4.18/5 rDev -6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25



Long story short, this is coffee, coffee, a bit of pepper, and more coffee, with light chocolate/vanilla notes and not bourbon flavor or aroma, it's only known for the fact this is kicking my ass after being awake for the past six hours. If you like an enjoyable coffee stout, strictly coffee, this is for you. Coffee is one of two additives I enjoy in stouts / BA Stouts (Coconut the other), so it works for me, but wouldn't recommend this to non coffee fans. Would have liked to enjoy the base and bourbon flavors as well. That said, I'm personally enjoying, so thank you Dave for selecting for me.

Not sure which BA selections are in store for next weekend, but God willing, I'll be here with 2 or 3 for certain.

 

Good day again BAs! Today is Sunday (Thanks to Mrs Lizard for reminding me it's not Saturday - last week I thought Sunday was Saturday and thus missed "Noir Alley"!) Today's New Breakfast Beer:



Wet Hop IPA – from Hoppin’ Frog. 16 oz cans. Picked up at their brewery, Akron, OH, 18/10/24, $ 6.35 (Including tax), $ 0.397/fl oz. Reviewed 20/10/24 (Review 3373). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottom of can stamped “BEST BY SEP 25 2024”. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 46.9 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 55.5 degrees F.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Straw (SRM 3), hazy.
Body – Pale gold (SRM 4), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, same but glows.
Head: Average (Maximum 3.7 cm, aggressive center pour), white, high density. Reduces to a 0.15 cm crown and a thin partial cap. Lots of lacing remains on the glass.
Lacing – Initial thin band with many windows dries to torn curtains.
Aroma – 4 – Flowery perfume, like the last time I went to Phipps Conservatory for a flower show. No yeast, no malt. No ethanol (8 % ABV according to the label).
Flavor – 4 – Follows the nose. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No ethanol. Slight gastric warming occurs.
Palate – 4 – Thin; watery; soft but lively carbonation.
Style: Follows the style guidelines, as condensed by BA.

Final impression and summation: 4 Decent IPA, slightly past its prime.
Rating 4, rDev +5.3%

 

Great review and I have to admit I do drink it from the glass....

 

Dddoublegangerrr by Tree House


4.53/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Canned 10.26.24, opened 10.20.24

Paid $23.20 for a four pack at the Sandwich Cape Cod location

“Dddouble the fun”

Chilled pint can poured into a teku

Brewers notes : DDDoublegangerrr is an extreme expression of Doppelganger, our family of hoppy beers dry-hopped with Mosaic and Amarillo hops atop the King Julius base.

We utilize a massive dose of hops here and draw upon our Find the Limit series to impart novel hop notes derived from the most cutting-edge hop products.

It pours a glowing orange color into the glass and features a bouquet of tropical fruit, fresh citrus, and stone fruit. It is aggressive but maintains a drinkability you have come to love from our beer. Savor, and enjoy!

Thick hazy orange marmalade with micro carbonation streams capped by a one finger yellowish creamy foam. Good retention , nice lacings

Aroma flows from the pour , orange citrus , tropical fruits , whiff of peach , pineapple

Taste is tropical fruits, apricots, orange citrus , papaya, pineapple, lime , hint of peach ,

Velvety smooth , creamy, the 8.6 abv is very well hidden

Sensational , great beer , recommended