New Beer Weekend #233

Haand Bryggeriet Of Wood & Smoke. An aquavit barrel-aged smoked lager. This should be interesting. The look is thick, deep amber, with a small amount of off-white foam. The smell is strong with smoked malt. Juniper is quite present, along with brown bread, cinnamon, and apple. The taste is strong with peat, burnt toast, and aquavit. The aquavit flavor lingers at the finish. The experience is like sipping on aquavit. The mouthfeel is thick, bready, and full, with medium carbonation. Overall, this beer is a unique experience. Drinking the whole can at once may be a challenge, due to the very strong aquavit flavor, which is an acquired taste. I am happy to have had the experience, since I am proud of my Norwegian heritage, and its brewing tradition, and I do drink aquavit here and there. But this beer may not be for everyone, even if you like smoked beers.

 

A quiet Saturday, just working on some crossword puzzles. Some football to be watched later. Looking in my fridge, I found this beer hiding behind some others. Punchdown, a wild ale from Side Project Brewing, one of the selections from the recent Big Beer Box.
The beer is a striking dark purple color with no head.
Aroma of grape and berry. Earthy.
Nice taste. Grape, berry. Sour.
Light to medium bodied. Leaves a nice little burn in the throat.

 

It's Ok but I didn't really care for this one all that much.

 

Howdy, NBWers, from overcast Houston!

I found a new-to-me pils at the gettin' place earlier today and couldn't wait to pour one:

Einbecker Brauherren Pils
German pilsner • 4.9% ABV • pint can • no born-on/best-by date

I love it. It's got that perfect balance of hops and malt with the hops tasting very earthy/black peppery and the malt delivering a mostly generic bready sweetness that at times hints at peach kolache. The aroma is more lively with the hops having a much more lemony tang and the malt *definitely* coming off as a sweet perhaps fruity pastry.

Official review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/66/1872/?ba=Premo88#lists
4.06 (+12.5% rDev)

The "gettin' place" where I found this one is a Houston treasure and one no doubt @champ103 has spoken of before. I mention it again as a reminder to all you NBWers who may venture to Houston: Check out D&Q when you're in town.


She don't look like much on the outside, but there's gold inside that little store.

Hope your weekends are going well!

Cheers!

 

Humble Forager Redwood 33mo BBA English Barleywine, 14% ABV. Pours thick and black with a slight ring of brown bubbles. Aroma is incredible and complex, bourbon, sweet dark fruit, caramel, rum, chocolate, and spices. Taste follows, dark fruit prevailing, quite sweet, faintly bitter, pleasantly light bourbon burn. Mouthfeel is thick, lightly carbonated, leaves sticky lips. Overall world class, the best barleywine I've reviewed, and my third highest rated beer.

4.85/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 5

May adjust the review and score as it warms further. This is definitely the best of the six 5th anniversary BBA stouts and barleywines. Pretty much a pastry BBA barleywine.

 

Hey what's going on?!

I am doing good, looks like we have some sort of weather related or anticipate "mishap" on the horizon. Time will tell.

However, I have plenty of tasty beverages and lots of Christmas left-over Holiday goodies for snacky satisfaction at the ready. All those fools running out for extra toilet paper.. HA!! not this guy....

Well what tasty new beer is in store for me today. Let's have a look shall we?!

Tall Kiwi - Other Half Brewing Co.



Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass.

Pale custard lemon colored body, and very solid opaque looking. Bottom of the glass provides some slow motion carbonation action, as some faint fine white bubbles can be seen congregating towards the top. The head is a rich shaving foam lather of four big fingers, and ice cream scooped retention. Shiny topped, thick but playful bottom, and a neat take on the haze appearance.

Great hop aroma up front. Forward pressing hits of cream and thick tropical fruit, almost papaya but light pineapple and touching lemon like citrus notes. Punches a touch grass spicy as well, giving lots of room to explore the hop varieties of flavors that are present.

Palate drives well. Simple but not juiced up backbone for the mouthfeel, provides a good but basic foundation. Hop classic notes of pineapple, slightly touching vanilla cream, but more emphasis on a grass herb flavor that matches well. Light finish, with just a real pleasant sweet herbal tea like flavor to go with it.

Quite a nice almost light bodied NEIPA that has a great flavor profile.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25 | BA Generated score: 4.29

Cheers!

 

Enjoyed your beer review and place comments @Premo88 .Hoping to make it out to Houston and check out D & G among the downtown spots.

Stopping at a spot I hit often in the 1990s. Not in the system, but waiting for it to clear the queue so I can write a formal review. This is a beer brewed by Spiteful on behalf of Bird’s Nest, which I also had to add before starting my review. They have great wings here in addition to several local craft options and the typical National / International beers.

Spiteful Brewing’s Bird’s Nest Lager

3.58/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5



1/4/25 (Chicago, ILL) at Bird’s Nest (Chicago, ILL). Can Notes: No price listed for 12 oz can poured into pint glass. 4.5% ABV. Brewed and canned by Spiteful Brewing, 2024 W. Balmoral Ave., Chicago, Illinois.

Appearance: Pale straw clear pour, light carbonation, generous bright white puffy head lingers before leaving soapy lacing and thin cover over the base, significant creaminess around the rim. 3.75

Aroma: Bread, salt, Pils hops. Nice. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, bread, salt, light sulfur. Typical lager flavors. Enjoying. 3.5

Mouthfeel: Light watery body, salty, balanced with nice hops presence counting the malt flavors. Drinks at or above ABV, bread finish. 3.5

Overall: This is a nice easy lager, consistent with the style. As expected, nice for a chill drinking outing. 3.5

Likely last new one here, but will have one for tomorrow.

 

Started my stouturday with a couple Prairie Imperial Stouts:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30356/671611/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30356/671610/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



Last brew today will be my next post.

 

Von Trapp/Sloop - Kellerbier



Still not sure about this one. Can’t work it out really. There’s some old world character and some new world. It’s very sharp carb. I feel there’s so much pungent aromatics it has to be dominated by new world hops. There is a distinct “Sloop” quality to it? And really that just clashes clumsily with Von Trapp.

Altogether, it’s fine but the sum of the parts are cumbersome, clunky and don’t land. So much so I’ve barely told you what the beer is like because I can’t really frame it. Somewhere between a maibock and a NEIPA. Incongruous.

 

And finished my stouturday with Prairie/American Solera aged in Pursuit United Bourbon barrels:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30356/700834/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



Cheers everyone!

 

Thanks a bunch!

Holler when you come down and we might affect a proper BA meetup ... the Southern Yankee Crafthouse is just down the road from D&Q (just one idea), and we might be able to con Paul into joining us.

Cheers!

 

I found another new-to-me beer today at D&Q in Houston:

Toppling Goliath Brewing Co.'s King Sue
New England IPA

Short version: A sweet grapefruit bomb with a good, growing hop bitterness that helps balance the intense sweetness up front.

Longer version: I could smell this beer all day ... so much grapefruit! There's other tropical fruits and arguably some citrus in there, but for me it's a fantastic blast of perfect grapefruit. The opening sip almost knocked me on my backside with cloying sugary sweetness ... too much at first, and I was worried it was going to remain sickly for all 16 ounces, but that's not been the case. The hops add plenty of balancing bitterness in the finish, grapefruit and orange peel with maybe something greenish (cilantro?), and I have to say it becomes very drying and almost moreish for a 7.8% brew.

Overall I'm very happy I picked up the 4-pack. My 4-pack is 6 months old, but I figured if this beer is the legend it's purported to be, that bit of age shouldn't phase it a bit. It hasn't. Perhaps made it a tad sweeter than at 0-3 months old, but it's still a great citra-hopped brew.

Official review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23222/113674/?ba=Premo88#lists
4.31 (-5.7% rDev)

I've got 3 more cans and reserve the right to alter my review/numbers if needed. Those numbers will not go down, only up, unless something very awkward happens.

Cheers!

 

Back in Houston after my Christmas vacation and traveling back from Illinois...so, what do I do, go to Saint Arnold.

94 Shilling is a new Scottish Ale on tap at the Beer Garden. 5% ABV. Saint Arnold started in 1994, so there you go



Pours a murky brown color. A small beige head tries to form and recedes to nothing.
Aroma of toasted bread, malty and grainy like. Not much more than that. I would like a bit more nuance.
Taste wise, again, that toasted malt and grainy character. The malts open up a bit as this warms, with some light chocolate flavors.
A light to medium body. Muddled carbonation and watery, almost thin for me. Overall not hard to drink but I can't say I'm coming back very often.

I am a big Saint Arnold fan, and thought this would be right up their ally. Though this is sub par for me. A miss on a style I think they should be able to nail.

Overall score is 3.33, B- ish I guess.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/337/728935/?ba=champ103#lists

Even with a slightly below average, especially for Saint Arnold...the Fish & Chips are always great.

 

More from Saint Arnold, a new English Barleywine. Part of Saint Arnold's weekly Small Batch series they have been doing lately. They have made several Barelywine's before, including barrel aged versions. This is a new English Barleywine that is a Beer Garden only release.

10.2% ABV



Pours a dark brown color, with some reddish highlights around the edges. A small white head forms that recedes quickly.
Aroma is full of darker fruits, with cherry, plums and raisins. A bit of chocolate and a boozy finish.
Taste wise, follows the nose, with a lot of that dark fruit flavor. Cherry, plums and raisins again. A richer malty character though. Toasted malts, toffee, and chocolate. Plenty of booze lingering as well.
A full body with moderate carbonation. This becomes appropriately viscous and chewy. A good sipper with plenty of warming booze.

A nice big English Barelywine that packs a punch. Not something I'm going to be in the mood for all that often, because the booze does get a little heavy after a while. Though, when in the mood, a good one to sip on.

Overall score is 3.86, B+
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/337/728936/?ba=champ103#lists


Then, Saint Arnold's new Imperial IPA. This will be a new year round offering in six packs as well.

Tropical Boom, at 9.5% ABV.



Pours a mostly clear golden orange color. A one finger white head forms. That eventually recedes to leave some lace behind.
Aroma is fruity up front for sure. Peach and apricot skins. That become fleshy and juicy.
Taste wise...Holy APRICOT Batman. Big on the fresh apricot, and light peach with other various fruit medley's going on. Which becomes juicy and sweet in the finish.
A medium to full body. Moderate carbonation at first that becomes more soft. Very easy to drink. The alcohol is nowhere to be seen.

Like most "Tropical" or "Juicy" IPA's I personally want more bitterness, less sweetness, and more carbonation. Though this is well made. It won't be a regular purchase of mine, but I will have no problem coming back to it when the mood hits. For people that like this style of IPA more, this should be a big hit.

Overall score is 3.82, again B+ territory.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/337/728937/?ba=champ103#lists

After traveling from Illinois to Houston over the last two days, I'm tiered ha. So, see you guys later...

 

Cold and windy here today. Not bad if the wind stopped, but a tad nippy since it blew pretty good much of the day. Filled the bird feeders and pretty much called it good.

Sticking with the Harpoon mix pack:



Harpoon Winter Warmer, 6%.

Pours a nice, clear reddish bronzy color with a short and short-live tarnish head that doesn't last and ends up as a thin ring.

Not much on the nose. Very faint sweet, bready malts and even less of the spicy stuff.

Unfortunately, the taste follows. This seems quite bland to me. There's a little bready malt and caramel sweetness. Very faint cinnamon and maybe nutmeg. A bit of a peppery finish.

Mouthfeel is thin and a bit watery. Minimal bitterness, slightly dry.

Overall, they missed the boat on this one. It just doesn't have much going for it from the flavor, aroma, or mouthfeel perspectives. The reviews her have a 20% rDev - is there a lot of variability? Dunno. All I can do is go by the example in my glass and say I think this will be under 3.5 - pretty rare territory for me and a little painful since I know some of the folks at Harpoon and have generally enjoyed their products.

 

Glad you found it! It is still my favorite from them and I try to send it to anyone in the BIF that appreciates the style.
Cheers!

 

Cross-posting to this year's saison thread. Not much cherry and not much sourness despite the label; however, the "natural fermentation" was very much in evidence. Cheers!

3.95/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Best before end 2025 - enjoyed January 4th 2025. Poured from a 750mL caged-and-corked bottle into a copita.

Marigold liquid and a low tight ivory cap; fine dense lacing; very good retention.

Spicy/fruity yeast aromatics with hints of sourdough followed by a wave of fresh cherry. Subtle, balanced, and inviting.

Surprising punch of funk with a thick peppery Brett. element with hints of cherry skin/pit emerging later on. Light acidity, moderate raw pu-erh-like bitterness. Leather, wool, stones, Anaheim pepper, along with some barnyard notes. Long bone dry finish. Just a glimmer of fruit remains. My wife described it as "orange pith in an attic."

Leaves the tongue tingling almost like Kava Kava or Sichuan peppercorn. Well carbonated, medium-bodied, and crisp though not biting.

Distinctive and unusual - arguably has more in common with lambic than what you might expect from the style, delicious and weird (weirdly delicious?) in any case.