New Beer Weekend #229

R'Oasted Chestnut Brown Ale
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30711/684848/

Poured a 473ml can into a pint glass. A two finger bubbly tan head on a very dark clear amber brown. Good head retention. Lots of fine lacing.

Coffee and chocolate in the nose. Earthy. The taste follows the nose. Sweet. Coffee first followed by chocolate. Some earthy notes. Is that the chestnuts? They are not really evident otherwise. Extremely low hop bitterness.

Medium body and carbonation. Overall an excellent American Brown Ale. True to the style and well worth a try.

look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

 

RAR Out Of Ghouls Smoothie Sour, 5% ABV. Pours thick and very light brown, with a two finger head that left puree residue. Aroma is vanilla, lactose, pie crust, lemon, and cranberry. Taste is vanilla ice cream, lemon, cranberry and pie crust, quite sweet, faintly tart, slightly bitter. Excellent thick and creamy mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.29/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

This could have been better, but cranberry brings to the table it's slight bitterness, the reason I don't care for anything with cranberry. I still rated it excellent because I knew that going in, and it's still excellent since the cranberry isn't very strong.

 

Howdy BAs
It’s been a while since I’ve posted here
Peanut butter coffee Stargazer Stout from Cape Cod Beer
A milk stout infused with peanut butter coffee
ABV 6.5 IBU 35


Pours dark brown/ black nice chocolate colored foamy head pretty good retention, slight cap
Very aromatic notes of vanilla, coffee, peanut butter and roasted malt
Taste is roasted malt up front bitter coffee middle and finishes with a peanut note
Mouthfeel is low carbonation and kind of thin for a stout, bitterness is strong and lingering, a tic sticky but not sweet and not creamy at all
Overall it’s kind of middle of the road, it’s decidedly bitter coffee and it almost overpowers the peanut butter finish. Drinks a bit like a porter.
4.25 4.25 3.75 3.50 3.75 3.88 rDev -1.8% only reviewed one other time.

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Cheers to @GreenBayBA for starting us off this weekend.

Time to get to my new beer, and it just came in on Thursday.

Darkness - Chocolate Lemoncello (2024) - Surly Brewing - Minneapolis, MN - American Imperial Stout - 12%

Well, this is one strange beer. Lemon and Darkness? Well, it actually works in my book, but I can see how some would not be a fan. They really went outside the box here.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13014/725584/
4.19/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
From a 16oz can canned on 11/06/24. Served at room temp.

This beer looks like Darkness. Very pitch black pouring beer with a very thick, 3 finger, brown colored head. The bubbles are fluffy and frothy looking. Head retention is great, and some damn nice lacing on the glass.
Aroma, well, I would say unusual would be a good word for it, but not unexpected. I am just getting a huge lemon hit in the aroma. There's a decent, but not offensive amount of sweetness in the lemon. I also do get hints of the base beer here. I get notes of chocolate, caramel, toffee, dark fruit and vanilla.
Taste - Ok, well, this is interesting. There's so much lemon in this beer, and it hits hard right away. There's a good deal of sweetness to the lemon but there's also tart hints to it. The lemon flavor continues throughout the flavor profile. It is added to on the backside by the flavors that only the base beer can bring. I get hints of chocolate, caramel, toffee, dark fruit, and vanilla. There's also hints of barrel notes to the base beer, but not strong notes.
smooth, thick, and full bodied. It feels like Darkness to me.
I can see how this is not for everyone. They were really thinking outside the box here, but, it actually came together well.


I'll be back with another beer later, but I think it will be a bit more "normal".

 

Saw this up in Wichita, was too skeptical to pull the trigger, was already blowing the beer budget for 25...

 

Avery Clear Horizons Corado Inspired IPA, 7.1% ABV; 3.59 overall

Pours an effervescent gold with a thumb+ of pearl colored head. Great head retention, better lacing, stays effervescent throughout

S: Bready, grape skins. green melon

T: Lime, bready dryness, some pear notes, leafy hops up front. More green melon, dryness as this beer warms up, loads of grassyness & grapefruit. Finishes dry with grapefruit , lime & grassy notes

MF: Medium body with fairly lively carbonation, a little gritty, pretty good balance

Serviceable IPA, but one & done for me, run of the mill. This may have impressed more about 30 years ago

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned on 7/01/24. The reps dropped that beer already 5 plus months old, awesome. Pours an attractive hazy orange with a solid finger sticky white head that leaves thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.25

Aroma is peach, mango, mandarin, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows peach, mango, mandarin, apricot, and a little alcohol is present. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, soft gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 10% it goes down rather easy considering. 4.5

Overall I learned were to find the date for this brewery and considering the age it is still rather tasty. 4.25

 

I picked this up to go at Saint Arnold yesterday.

This is one part of the 30th Anniversary Grand Cru barrel aged stout. They blended Madeira, Tokaji, and Tawny Port barrels together. They also released each barrels individually to make the 'single barrel" series. This of coarse is the Port version. I have reviewed the Grand Cru before, and it is excellent.

30th Anniversary Single Barrel (Port), and a huge ABV of 16.8%.



Pours an impenetrable opaque black color. Tan head tries to rise as a cap, but recedes to leave the inky stout.
Aroma, at first some alcohol up front, which is to be expected. That evens out, and this toasted baked bread aroma appears that is excellent. A bit of roasted coffee, and dark bakers chocolate. There is a porty fruity character, light oak and warming alcohol again. Oh this is complex.
Taste wise, again, all that complexity shows. That toasted baked bread and bakers chocolate is great, there is a nutty flavor as well. A lighter roasted coffee flavor, and is a complement to the other malt flavors. Certainly some hefty sweetness, but that never becomes cloying. The oaky, vanilla, fruitiness lingers on a bit, with a bit of tannin.
A big full body with moderate carbonation. This is supremely smooth and decadent. The warming alcohol is perfect and makes this a nice sipper.

This is incredible, much like their Grand Cru is. You can't make something like that, with the individual parts not being quality either. It is a good deconstruction of that Grand Cru offering. It is also a big monster of a sipper where the alcohol is mostly warming. All this, without it being overly sweet is something else.

Overall score is 4.19, an easy A- but I feel it should be a higher score...oh well. Still great.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/337/725649/?ba=champ103#lists

 

A busy weekend. We adopted two dogs from the animal shelter. They are a brother and sister, two months old. I had almost forgotten how much care is involved. They have a good nature so far.
My new beer is the macaroon Bourbon County variant, and it was just OK.
Not what I expected.
The beer is black, with no head and no lace.
Strong ginger aroma, some chocolate.
Ginger taste, chocolate.
I get a real burn from the ginger.
No coconut, no bourbon.

 

We need pupper pictures, if not here then at the WBAYDN thread

 

Congrats. And yes, it is a lot of work when they are that young. Good on you!

 

Yes! Pup pics!

 

Another banger from @snaotheus via the NBW#18 BIF/LIF payback

Fremont 2024 Fremont Coalescence Barrel Aged Cuvee, 10.0% ABV; 4.19 overall

Pours an effervescent mahogany with a pinky of mocha colored head. Minimal head retention & lacing

S: Dark fruit & chocolate, red wine late

T: Cocoa, iron, roasty notes, rich barrel flavor, figgyness & leafy hops up front. Cocoa, dark chocolate, a little vanilla, dark cherry & woody hops, as this beer warms up, some Red Wine too. Finishes dry some subdued barrel, figs, dark chocolate & woody hops & a little Red Grape

MF: Fairly chewy, subdued carbonation, warming, gets a bit thicker once warmed up

Lovely beer that warrants you take your time & enjoy it

 

Taking a moment this Saturday afternoon (pushing 80F) to sample this superior collaboration - ~$3.50 well spent - cheers!

4.27/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Packaged on November 7th, 2024 - enjoyed on December 7th, 2024 - poured from a pint can into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Opaque golden peach body supports a meager off-white crown. Untidy soapy lacing; average retention.

Potent aroma is bursting with orangesicle, pineapple, and passion fruit along with more subtle tropical/citrus notes and hints of pink peppercorn.

Flavors are sweet/tart and largely follow the nose. Medium finish slowly dries up with some lingering hints of cracker/vanilla wafer. Mild bitterness throughout. Juicy. Excellent balance between Citra and El Dorado here.

Creamy but almost crisp, medium-bodied, soft yet refreshing. ABV well concealed.

Very good example of the style - happy this collaboration wasn't as short lived as the initial release would suggest.

 

Thanksgiving leftovers...

No, unfortunately no more food leftovers but here is some Thanksgiving beer leftovers that I grabbed from my brother in law last weekend. I can't remember ever having this, maybe I did back in college but I do not remember. I remember seeing quite a few people post this beer in the AAL tasting we had this summer and never got around to grabbing one until now.

Will this live up to my love of most of the craft examples I had for that tasting...let's find out.

Miller High Life (AAL 4.6%)



Pours crystal clear brass, white head, surprised by above average retention on a semi vigorous pour.

Nose both is lightly sweet, comes of syrupy and a little harsh, little skunky, some stale grain and that’s about it; not sure if astringent is the right word here but the aroma is slightly off putting to me in a similar sort of way.

Taste is pale malt syrup, some light skunkiness on the finish, maybe the slightest of hop character; dried out leaf if anything.

Light body, nicely effervescent without being overdone, goes down smooth; leaving a slightly syrupy sweet feel on the finish; little to no bitterness.

This beer is what it is, it is far from offensive and I’d drink it again in the right place and time; it goes down east. My love of AAL pretty much seems to solely live in the craft world.

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Planning and looking forward to a midwest holiday seasonal beer tomorrow night while watching some good old Christmas movies. Hoping I enjoy it because it has one of my favorite holiday spices in it, it is probably a beer you know @ChicagoJ but I don't ever remember seeing you post about it.

Have a great evening everyone and see you tomorrow with a seasonally appropriate beer

 

Goldeneye hopfen
...fairly clear light amber appearance with some serious lasting head
...light carbonation with a somewhat thin body but still goes down nicely
...aroma is a sweet,floral,candy that sort of makes me think of honey and fruit but yet the fruit is nondescript.
...taste is sweet,much more intense than the aroma. Sweet,malty,almost candy like with a hop backbone that leaves a bitterness in the aftertaste
...overall its not knocking my socks off but I'm enjoying it

 

Drekker Little Maniacs IPA, 6.6% ABV; 3.73 overall

Pours a very hazed gold with 2 fingers of eggshell colored head. Above average head retention &better lacing

S: White grapes, a little peach, tangerine & pineapple

T: Pineapple, white grape, dryness & a little grassyness up front, a little pine. More white grape, pineapple, much dryness, green melon & a little pear as this beer warms up. Finishes too dry, with oranges, pineapple, passion fruit & a little white grape

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, decent balance, pretty acidic

This could be fresher, but I misread the can, not canned in October, but August. Drinks easy enough, but nothing special, seems too dry