New Beer Weekend #234

Great review Tim, glad to hear you liked it! I was grateful to receive a four pack from @GreenBayBA and I knew one had to go your way. I thought it was a great one!

While I'm here I might as well chime in with the beer I'm enjoying to kick off the weekend!


I'd probably dial back the sweetness just a bit if I could but this is dang good overall. Lots brown sugar with a bit of a burnt quality to it suggesting dark cocoa. Lots of caramel and vanilla along with a nice burned raisin note. Probably not worth the price of admission but I am enjoying this quite a bit.

Cheers all!

 

Irlbacher spezial dunkel
...dark tea like appearance with a lasting off white head. Very attractive glass of beer but most beer,barring a few look like super models to me.
...medium carbonation with a medium body
...aroma is malt, mild roasted malt,toffee and the best element is dark malty chewy bread
...taste doesn't stray too far from the aroma with a very mild sweetness but the roasted malt and dark bread and mild roasted grain puts it all together nicely.
..overall for a beer from a Costco box it was really good and one I could comfortably recommend to @russpowell

 

Nice open and selection @Beersnake for this two-three-four weekend. Cold and snowy here, will attempt a Pipeworks Abduction hat trick from my remaining three Summer purchases on hand. Taking advantage of a first intermission once again, though this one required time and space to enjoy at a slow pace. Hopefully the Hawks will finish better than they did against that team from New York.

Pipeworks Islay Whisky Cask Aged Abduction

4.37/5 rDev -5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5



1/10/25 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Purchased a single can for $11.01 with tax on August 23, 2024 at the Pipeworks Dojo, refrigerated at home until this evening. 16 oz canned May 29, 2024. 13.0% ABV. Imperial Stout aged in Laphroaig Islay Whisky Casks. Label Art by Beejay Olson. 2024 Pipeworks Brewing Company. Brewed and Canned in Chicago, Illinois.

Appearance: Poured a bit over half the can into a hand held snifter. Sludgy thickness. Faint dark tan black head lasts a minute before leaving no trace over the dark black pour with slight dark brown hues. 4.25

Aroma: Very smoky peat. Smells like smoked sausage and maple syrup. Base aroma AWOL. Somewhat harsh, at least for my tastes, but still pleasant. A bit trepidatious to dive in. 4.0

Taste: Consistent with aroma, smokey peat front and center. More pepper than sausage or maple syrup backing. Tastes more smooth than the aroma would make one expect. Raspberries and tart cherries as well. Warmed up for near 30 minutes, enjoying more as I progress from the intimidating 16 oz serving. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Sweet as the fruit warms up, smokey peat provides a nice balance. This fees strong from Go!, stronger than the already high 13.0% ABV. Gooey medium to full body, looked thicker than it feels. Smokey peat raspberry finish. Nice. 4.5

Overall: I've always been intimidated by scotch from an early life experience, but every time I've tried barrel treatments and or scotch ale treatments, I'm pleased once I get past the at times aroma. I have limited experience with peat / scotch, but I like what I'm gleaming from these Laphroaig Islay Whisky Casks, and I would imagine scotch fans will love this offering. The 16 oz size is a factor for me, as I'd prefer to either share with 1-2 others, or have this solo, but in terms of having the chance to try tonight, I am pleased with the experience, and would purchase future offerings of this or similar treatment with confidence. Well done Pipeworks. 4.5

 

Hardywood chocolate peppermint stout
...solid motor oil black appearance
...light carbonation with a slightly oily thick feel but the low carbonation seems to mellow out the feel too much
...aroma is chocolate peppermint candy/chocolate peppermint cake way out front. Chocolate fudge frosting with some malt and chocolate liquor in the background.
..Taste is chocolate cake/candy which quickly turns into peppermint yet the chocolate is still there just has taken a back seat to the peppermint. A cool peppermint, chocolate icing aftertaste that lingers
...a great dessert beer that really delivers on flavor. The total opposite of a post lawn mowing beer but nice and satisfying after dinner on a cold night

 

New to weizenbocks as a style, so I thought why not try a popular, readily available favorite.

Pours a cloudy light amber with a moderate head. Lots of banana and honey aroma up front, with clove and other spices in the background. There's a bit of apple, pear, grape, and apricot too. On tasting, all of those aromas come together with some slightly toasted bread/biscuit flavor - maybe a bit of marzipan/almond there too.

The mouthfeel is dense and slightly syrupy in a way that lingers - like liquid banana bread but in a good way. Very low hop bitterness, but there might be a faint grassy and floral note in the finish. Carbonation and acidity does most of the work to balance the sweetness, and I feel like there's just enough of that crisp bite to work.

Overall, it feels like a heavier, more decadent hefeweizen and pulls it off fairly well. The upfront flavors are good and there's enough complexity in the background to keep it interesting. I'd stick with a regular hefe in warm weather, but this is a nice rich treat for warming up on a cold January evening.

 

On phone at mom's in Albuquerque. Tokyo to meet @shigg85 on Sunday. Brother, mother, and I have worn each other out. Chilling together with La Negra Reserve, BBA stout from La Cumbre.

Black, nice brown head. High carbonation for the style. Smell is chocolate, coffee, char, anise, vanilla, not as boozy as I would expect.

Taste is similar, background of syrup sweetness. Anise and coffee a bit louder, something makes me think of Irish cream.

Mouth feel is big, thick, a little chalky, not sticky or chewy. Very nice.

 

23%? That's halfway to the real thing. I'd say something stupid like, hey, why don't you cut out the middle man and join us in the Land Beyond Beer, but you already do, so I won't say that thing.

Cool review ... thanks for your courage. Cheers!

 

Good evening denizens of NBW!
Tonight I offer one that was sent to me by @Resistance88 along with the other three from the series.
I expected to really like this one as Alesmith has been doing a great job with keeping the additives subtle but noticeable.
This one, for whatever reason, was not my favorite.

Poured stout black with a rising brown head that left sparse lacing.
The taste is rather difficult for me to describe as there was no coconut, toasted or otherwise, and the coffee element had an earthy flavor that wasn’t off putting but wasn’t what I was expecting. Is Vietnamese coffee like that? (Earthy)
The feel is lightly viscous, very in line with Speedway stout.
OA, wasn’t as impressed with this one as I thought I’d be. Enjoyed it though!
Two more from the series, maybe over the next two days? Who knows.
Cheers!

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Well, I was planning on being here earlier this evening, but, I had to work. Now I'm home, I'm ready to join in and this one is thanks to @cheeseheadinMinneapolis

Peach Brandy Barrel Aged Barleywine - Central Waters Brewing - Amhurst, WI - English Barleywine - 11%

There's a good deal of peach in the flavor. It doesn't hit right away, but it does linger when it does hit. Tasty, and so happy and thankful I got to try it.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/652/631161/

4.21/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
From a 12oz can, no date on the can.

This beer has a nice dark red color to it. There's a bit of murkiness to it. The head is a 1 1/2 finger tan colored head. The head retention is quite good and there's some great looking sticky lacing on the glass as the head dissipates.
The aroma of this beer is very full of woody notes from the barrel used. I am getting hints of peach. I am getting hints of caramel and toffee. It does have a slightly boozy aroma.
The taste is caramel and toffee up front with a hint of brown sugar. The middle is all peach and some woodiness. The finish has a nice bitterness to it with hints of peach still coming through.
The body is quite full. Slightly bubbly feeling. Somewhat smooth feeling. Very little burn to this beer.
Very tasty beer from CW. Very well made.

I think I'm done tonight. I may have to work tomorrow, so I have no clue as to when I'll be back in the virtual bar. Cheers all.

 

Wolf Blood Kolsch from Blood Brothers Brewing

Poured a 473ml can into a pint glass. A one finger bubbly white head on a hazy pale gold. The head diminishes to a thin layer. Some patchy lacing.

Spicy malts in the nose. The taste follows the nose. Toasted grain. Slightly fruity with a dry, very mild hop finish.

Light body and moderate carbonation. A soft mouthfeel. Overall a well balanced light refreshing Kolsch. Well worth a try.

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

 

Sounds like a great American barleywine. A category that I do not find enough of.

 

I'll be sitting this out. All I have is my phone. I am a ludite