New Beer Weekend #225

Have a good NBW. Been a bit of a slow week so I've just been trying to keep my anxiety/hypertension down. I have some Grapes 'N Cream indica dominant in the pipe. My wife is making pizza casserole(super bomb).

Goose Island Big Juicy Beer Hug. Poor head retention and lacing. Aromas are super muted, but I get some lightly acidic passionfruit/orange/guava notes. Taste of big grapefruit, orange, passion fruit, guava, berries, melon, citrus rind, peppercorn, pine, wheat, bread, herbal, floral, grass, yeast earthiness. Good sized pine/rind bitterness and light tart/tang on the finish. Lingering harsh astringency that seems vegetal/pithy in nature. Warming/boozying feel of 9.9% easily. As it warms up I am getting more juiciness of fruit in aromas, but that vegetal/pithy note shows up too. I guess the fruit imparted some unwelcome flavors/rough mouthfeel? I am not sure what else it could be. 3.5/5



Cheers

 

Cheers to @Beersnake for getting us started.

 

[insert juicy ever haze] by southern grist


4.33/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brewers notes: Oated New England Imperial IPA w/ Galaxy, Mosaic, Citra, & Amarillo. Mash up with Tripping Animals Brewing Co.


Chilled 16 oz can poured into a 5oz living waters tasting glass

Soft hazy yellow with one finger white shaving cream , good lacings

Aroma is soft citrus orange , orange peel, whiff of lemon

Taste is light orange citrus , pineapple, orange rind,

Super soft mouthfeel , creamy, gentle carbonation, slightly sudsy

Good beer

 

Thank you @Beersnake for kicking off the long weekend for us!
I’ve been sick all week but remembered that doctors would actually prescribe whiskey and honey for sick patients, so a beer shouldn’t hurt, right?

And what a beer this is. Maybe it’s because I’ve not had any beers since last Sunday but I really enjoyed this.
BBA Liquid Spiritual Delight.
The pour was nothing spectacular, but it wasn’t bad either. Short (and short lived) brown head barely covered the surface for a few seconds. No lacing, rather a film coating the glass was left.
The taste, far more chocolate covered figs and raisins than bitter coffee, in fact there was no bitterness whatsoever. The bourbon amplified the sweetness, no doubt. But the balance was very good.
The feel was viscous, which felt good, and reminded me to sip and savor this.
OA, very fine BBA Imperial Stout, and I thank @Luscious_Malfoy for sending it to me.
Cheers all!

 

Mahalo to @muchloveforhops3 for this one!

Imagine Nation Warp Speed West Coast IPA, 6,8% ABV; 3.99 overall

Pours an effervescent gold with 2+ fingers of pearl colored head. Below average head retention & lacing

S: Some dankness, a little melon, some grassy notes. Nose faded a bit

T: Follows the nose, pretty dry, some pomelo as well up front. Cattyness, green melons, & dryness, a touch of white grape as this beer warms up. A little pineapple on the fringes, cattyness, green melon & dryness in the finish

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation, pretty good balance. Carbonation got a little prickly towards the end

Drinks very easy, solid take on the style

 

Me doubling up again

Founders Double Oaked KBS, 12.2% ABV; 4.43 overall

Pours a chill-hazed mahogany/ebony with 2 fingers of mocha colored head. Great lacing & above average head retention

S: Mocha, roasty notes, some caramel as this beer warms

T: Chocolate, roasty coffee, a little dryness & hints of vanilla up front. Coffee asserts as this beer warms up, some oaky dryness, a touch of iron, woody hops, some caramel & Baker's Chocolate. Finishes a little dry with lovely oaky notes. woody hops & mocha notes, barrel booze lapping at the edges

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation, nice boozy warmth

Nice iteration, they got the flavors dialed in, the coffee doesn't run my tastebuds over like some variants do. Dangerously drinkable

 

Thanks @Beersnake for kicking the weekend off, announcing the additional Monday for Veterans Day Weekend, and presenting the Modern Times collaboration. I will miss my trips to Point Loma, the first San Diego brewery I visited on my first trip to one of America's greatest cities.

Don't have a coherent theme this weekend beyond reordering my remaining New To Me stock, and selecting three received this Summer in Wisconsin. My first selection is this one from Craig, aka @Whyteboar . I hope you are feeling better this weekend. This is also a new to me brewery, in Holland Michigan somewhat near where Craig lives.

Big Lake Brewing The Undertaking

4.35/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5



Full review linked above. No additions noted on the can or what I found online, but an amazing Neapolitan blend with rich chocolate fudge flavors. Not too sweet, not sure how they derived the vanilla and strawberry flavors, but I'm really enjoying. Don't recall a non BA stout feeling this strong. This seems to be a labor or love for Big Lake Brewing, and beer fans are the lucky beneficiaries.

This is an excellent and thoughtful selection Craig! I am so grateful to have opened this morning, and hope to come across more from this brewery in the future.

Have one from Ohio slated for tomorrow. Cheers!

 

Good day BAs! Thanks to @Beersnake for opening the looooong weekend!

Today's crosspost with WBAYDN (sans boring story):



Chocolate Noir from Prairie Artisan. One 12 fl oz bottle, picked up at Spec’s on DeZavala, SAT, 06/11/24, $ 14.97 (Including tax), $ 1.25/fl oz. Reviewed 09/11/24 (Review 3389). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on shoulder in yellow ink “10.19.2022”. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 56.3 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 61.2 degrees F.
Appearance – 3.5
First pour – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), light barely penetrates but shows up ruby.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, same except at the edges where light barely penetrates: ruby at the bottom and icteric at the upper edge.
Head: None (Aggressive center pour). Just a low density broken bubble ring that disappears almost instantly, leaving neither cap nor crown. There are chunks of flotsam.
Lacing – None: as expected at 14.3% ABV.
Aroma – 3 – None - No yeast, no hops, no malt, no barrel. No ethanol (14.3 % ABV according to the label).
Flavor – 3.25– Follows the nose; weakly sweet. No yeast, no hops. Hints of whiskey. No oak barrel. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Moderate gastric warming occurs.
Palate – 3 – Thin; watery; fizzy carbonation.
Style: Loosely follows the style guidelines, as loosely condensed by BA.
Final impression and summation: 3.25 Almost average brew at a premium price.
Rating 3.18, rDev -29.6%
And I've still got one more Prairie Artisan brew to drink...Maybe I'll put in the back of the reefer and "forget" to drink it before I head north again.

 

Stigbergets Bryggeri (Sweden) collab with Deal Breaker Brewery (Hungary) and All In Brewing (Sweden) ‘Day Zero’ Barrel Aged Imperial Stout


44 cl can poured slightly chilled into a stemmed Teku glass. Given the advantage of the Teku, a perfect bubbly head rises above noir biere. Style point added!
Nose is freshly percolated coffee out front of sweet chocolatey malt. After a couple of minutes, more aromas erupt; molasses being prominent.
Taste is a layered and complex imperial stout aged on oak, complemented by cacao nibs, coarse ground coffee beans and vanilla.
Golden Promise, Golden Naked Oats, Malted Rye, Red Rye Crystal, Brown Malt, Premium English Caramalt, Chocolate Malt and Roasted Barley make a rich, malty stout base, brown sugar in the boil adds a molasses touch, and Simcoe hop addition balances it all out. The vanilla shines in tandem with oak and rye. A roasty bitterness prevails on the finish. Nice and warm 12.5% ABV.
Mouth is thick and smooth but not dense, medium carbonation.
Overall, a pleasurable (but stern) Vanilla Latte pastry stout with lots of intense flavor layers.

A solid 4.35 in the BA DB!

 

Oh man you reminded me of when Misson distributed to Texas years ago. I would grab their Shipwrecked DIPA in 32oz cans for around $5. A perfectly fine DIPA at a crazy low price.

 

A little Jurassic spark for the morning OJ?

 

My wife and I went to El Paso yesterday to look at the ID Buzz, the electric bus. Very impressive, thinking about getting one.
My new beer comes from the Big Beer Box: Extra Extra Ghosty Bits, a DIPA from Parish Brewing Company in collaboration with WeldWorks Brewing Company.
This beer is a hazy orange color. A one inch white head with some retention. Nice lace.
Aroma of sweet fruit and floral hops.
I taste orange, grapefruit, and pineapple. Some pine in the aftertaste.
Medium-bodied, light bitterness.

 

New Glarus Brewing Barley Wine 24. 9.8% ABV. I am very excited to experience this beer. The look is murky brown, with off-white foam. The foam disappeared very quickly. The smell is brown bread, caramel, cinnamon, spices, and caramel. The taste is somewhat sweet, with flavors of caramel, brown bread, plum, and grape, with a piney finish. It is unique. The mouthfeel is syrupy, creamy, and smooth, with medium carbonation. Overall, this beer sets itself apart from most other barleywines, but it is not necessarily better than most other barleywines. It is good, but not fantastic. I do believe it will taste optimally outside of Lambeau Field before a late-season Green Bay Packers game.

 

I haven't participated in this thread in a month or so...so here is a new beer for me this afternoon.

I haven't had anything from Boulevard in a LONG time. But I found this and it just seemed to match what I was looking for...

Boulevard's Chardonnay Cask Saison, 9.5% ABV.



Pours a clear golden color. A dense white head forms, and rises to two fingers. Excellent retention and lace left behind. This is a looker.
Aroma of vinous grapes, and Chardonnay for sure is up front. A peppery spice and floral aroma with a bit of phenols and light fruity esters. Just a touch of grassy hops in the mix.
Taste wise. follows the nose, with vinous grapes, light wood. Again, a peppery spice, floral, phenolic, light fruity ester flavor all mingles together. Just a touch of bitterness lingers on.
A medium body with moderate/smooth carbonation. There is a bit of tannin like quality here as well. Very easy to drink. Everything is well balanced, and something I can come back to.

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts...as the saying goes. Everything is very subtle here, but also well done. Nothing stands out. but all melds really well together. From the wine barrels, the yeast/ester characters, oak and light hops. Well done.

Overall score is 4.07, A- for me.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/423/710109/?ba=champ103#lists

A nice one to have this afternoon while hanging out in my courtyard with my pupper, Moe

 

Boulevard BBA Chai Imperial Stout, 12% ABV. Pours blackish brown, with a one-finger light-brown head that left light lacing. Aroma is all chai. Taste is chai and bourbon, faintly sweet, slightly bitter, not much bourbon burn. Decent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.1/5 rDev +3.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not a fan of chai, but I tried not to let it influence my score. I failed. This is one of three BBA beers in their 2024 Barrel-aged mixed pack.

 

For anyone who wants to take in some LSD…read on…no, not the drug, come on, we’re talking about Lower Slower Delaware.

We just wrapped up our annual trip to our very old family farm near Milton. Every time we try to get to Dogfish for dinner and a beer, it is a much loved evening for all: pizza, snacks, cornhole, Pokémon Go, and a beer shared with Mrs Phisher.

The smell of boiling wort was strong in the air and the weather was great, and so was the revived beer that some of you may have had. Here is Sam's old video of it. Not a full review but a from memory stream of conscience recap…

Dogfish Head - Chicory Stout (Stout 5.2%)



A beautiful looking beer deepest of browns, thick light brown head; average retention. Such a rich beer across the board; fresh coffee filled with notes of rich chocolate, big roast, some char and burnt notes with light licorice. Best part of this beer is it drinks; in spite of its rich intensity it’s a perfect ~5% with great smooth feel and perfectly added bitterness.

This is a beer that needs to be shared with the masses again Mr Calagione , thanks for keeping DFH feeling small and home Townes down here in Delaware. Can’t wait to see what I get to drink on our next trip.

———————

Lower slower Delaware…



See you all with another tonight or tomorrow

 

Jack’s Abby Extra Layer Winter Lager
Style: Bock

CANNED ON 10/01/24 Poured into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint.

A: Relatively clear burnished chestnut brown with 2-fingers of off-white frothy head with good retention and thin stripes of lacing.

S: Aroma is classic bock with light-medium caramel, Munich malt tanginess, light herbal hop note.

T: Flavor is very enjoyable with balanced malt character of Munich malt (especially in late palate and aftertaste), light pils breadiness with Munich toasted bread and bread crust, light caramel accenting, and light grassy, herbal noble hop notes. Bitterness is low and it is very clean with alcohol not detected.

M: Highly drinkable dark German bock with medium body at most with moderate carbonation and nice mellow medium-full finish -- very satisfying.

O: Extra Layer from Jack's Abby is an excellent version of bock lager beer and should be on every lager lover's list to pick up this season. Impressive version of the style.


4,25/4/4.25/4.25/4.25 = 4.19