New Beer Weekend #238

You beat me by one second @Victory_Sabre1973 haha

Welcome to NBW, please feel free to come and share a new beer you have enjoyed this weekend with us. We would prefer if you included your thoughts and a short review, do what feels comfortable to you!

Have a good Friday. Slept in a bit after staying up reading Never Lie by Freida McFadden. Another winner of a psychological thriller. We had to take boat for a weekly vitamin B12 shot at the vet, and had a late lunch at Pita Delite. I had a gyro meat platter with a ton of wedge fries. Also got a cheeseburger. Julia got a Kabob platter with stuff grape leaves, pita, and hummus. I was full after all the amazing seasoned fries and took the burger home.



Fat Heads Head Hunter Tropical Thunder. Amazing fluffy head retention and dense soapy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big red grapefruit, mandarin orange juice, peach, pineapple, passionfruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, blueberry, pear, red apple, citrus peel/rind, wood, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread, herbal, floral, grass. Moderate pine, citrus peel/rind, herbal, woody, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; balanced bready/grainy malts and sticky/resinous hop mouthfeel. Lingering resin dryness with no hop astringency. A lot smoother/juicer and not as resinous as the base beer. Balanced vibrant, juicy, and dank Simcoe, Centennial, Mosaic, Citra, Chinook, El Dorado, and Galaxy hops. Still ends fairly crisp and dry on resins, and more drinkable with the lower 6.5% ABV. Minimal warming alcohol. 4.5/5


Cheers

 

Here is an Alpha beer

For some reason when I see the word “alpha” I think of an alpha dog. And the old joke: If you aren’t the lead dog, the scenery never changes. But back to beer, today’s beer is Fat Head’s Alpha Ambush IPA.

Below is how this beer is detailed on the Fat Head’s website:

“Brewer's Notes Stealth Attack of Hops

Incoming! Alpha Ambush is a West Coast warrior for Hop Heads who truly love those little green cones. Bright and lively, it encircles the senses with dank notes of pine and citrus until the only option is surrendering to its juicy deliciousness. Captitulation never tasted so good!”

And:

A stealth attack of hops!

Alpha Ambush

India Pale Ale

January – April

Beer Details

ABV 7.5%

IBU 75

OG–FG 16.8–2.7 Plato

Hops: Citra, Mosaic, Simcoe, Sultana

Malt: Crystal 15, Golden Naked Oats, Dextrapils, Pale Malt

Yeast: American Ale

Well, I am prepared to be ‘ambushed’ by hops, let’s see what this IPA tastes like.

Served in my Spiegelau IPA Glass:

Appearance:

Golden yellow with a BIG fluffy white head.

Aroma:

A notable aroma which is mostly pine (resin) bit also some fruity/citrus and in the background some dank (diesel).

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with mostly pine/resin flavors but also some citrus/fruity and a hint of dank (diesel). There is a notable bitterness.

Mouthfeel

Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall

This beer is excellent!! In my perfect world this would be a year-round beer for Fat Head’s brewery.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

P.S. GO E-A-G-L-E-S!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Hello fellow beer lovers, I hope you all had a great week; excited to be back here and sharing a beer with all of you.

I have an Enegren themed weekend to close out my box sent from @Resistance88, this is one that I smiled ear to ear when I saw it, I've known of this beer and wanted to try it for a long time. The brewers were on a podcast years ago that I used to listen to, who the hell has alt as their flagship, other than Long Trail; I instantly wanted to try that beer. Years later, there it was, delivered to my door and opened tonight.

Enegren - Valkyrie (Altbier 6.2%)



Pours beautiful deep rich amber, some lovely red hues in it; lightly browned white head, good retention and some initial lacing.

Nose is pleasantly malt with good toasted bread character, gentle hop aroma; earthy with a light herbal character.

Taste is malt forward but so well balanced with toasted bread crust, just so perfect; same pleasant hops in taste; mostly earthy; with slight little grassiness going on.

Body is medium; good depth; seemingly both smooth and rich at the same time, it tows that line between malt and drinkability so well; moderate smooth bitterness.

This is a really really well made beer; the malt has so much depth to it in all aspects but it maintains such awesome drinkability; hops in great balance; overall great beer.

--------------

And PS....



Hope to see you all again tomorrow as well with another lighter Enegren beer.

 

Ugh! Too many Eagles shout outs in this thread already, but I love the enthusiasm for an Altbier, @jonphisher

I'll likely be rooting for them (at least feigning it at my parents' place for the game, with them being fans from the city Billy Joel sang about), but will also likely hate myself in the morning.

 

Great minds think alike

 

@JackHorzempa
Fat Head's knows how to do IPA's!

 

Beer…it’s what brings us all together

 

I am rooting for a giant mutated gator to climb outta the swamp & eat both teams, plus Taylor Swift. I do have that bet in Vegas this weekend. Since that ship won't come in; I will say Fly Eagles Fly for Barkley & Hurts to my chagrin

 

This one is from @Blogjackets cheers!

I feel like Ian stole my thunder on this beer, but here goes

6.5% ABV; 4.22 overall

Pours a bright, effervescent gold with 2+ fingers of fluffy pearl colored head. Stellar head retention & lacing

S: Guava, papaya, melons, fades a little down the stretch

T: Follows the nose, some grassy notes, a little tangerine & dryness up front. A little pink grapefruit sneaks in along with papaya, dryness & grassy notes once this beer warms up, hints of peach as well. Finishes with a little orange, some pineapple & a little dryness & grassyness, a little melon too

MF: Medium body, dialed back carbonation, good balance, body thins a bit once warm

Pretty drinkable, doesn't pull together for greatness, but not far from the mark

 

In the sense it makes us all be able to stand each other (during a major sporting event)?

I'm all for Barkley flying... given his college ties. I know you wish one of his followers from Happy Valley from the other side of the ball would have similar success next year. As unlikely as that is.

 

BIF beer from @Ozzylizard . Trails to Ales Salted Caramel Coffee Stout. Nice head retention and spotty lacing. Aromas of big milk chocolate, fudge, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, brown bread, nutty medium roast coffee, molasses. Taste follows with big milk/dark chocolate, fudge, caramel, brown sugar, toffee, sea salt, brown bread, molasses, nutty medium roast coffee; light herbal, grass, pepper, dark fruit, char, yeast earthiness. Light herbal, pine, charred bitterness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body. Very creamy/silky/bready malts; light slickness, chalky roast, and sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Lingering sticky/chalky drying, no cloying/acrid/astringent flavors. Light lingering booze and warmth of 10% after the finish. A very impressive imperial stout on malt complexity, the coffee was not nearly as bold as I expected, but loved it as a dessert stout. 4.1/5


Cheers

 

I gotta try that beer one day @JackHorzempa it sounds quite good.

 

Hear! Hear! The last thing this world needs right now is the Beagles winning a second Lombardi Trophy to match the first I still don't understand how they backasswardly fell into. ()

But I digress, for I have a New Malt Liquor in my mug presently:

Long story how this ended up in my fridge, but it did, so here we are now, and why not?

And as I expected, I dig it. It's not better than regular Schlitz or most macro-brewed AALs, but it's also not so sickly sweet or malt liquoury in that diesel fuel kinda way to be undrinkable.

I only have this one can, and it's most definitely a one-and-done purchase for me (yes, I paid with my moneys for this can), but I'm going to enjoy taking this to the shower after a long hard day of golf and other shenanigans on a day trip back to Bryan-College Station.

Official review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/447/3160/?ba=Premo88#lists
3.42 (+28.6% rDev)

Enjoy your Super Bowl Weekends, NBWers ... even if you boo Santa, cheer for opposing player injuries and consider cheesesteaks a sixth food group.

Cheers!

 

Barring miracles, I see little success for the star anytime soon. Would look to see them trade Dak to Cleveland, but even they aren't that dumb

 

For Garrett?

(Not that I want to sidetrack the thread any more than I already have and I won't have a new beer until tomorrow, at earliest)

 

Thanks for kicking off the weekend @Victory_Sabre1973 with your local selection. I’ve heard a lot of good things about that brewery. Also a big fan of Fat Heads. We have had a few one off drops but no regular distribution. I’ve only had the chance at Alpha Ambush among the two to start this thread, a couple from a hockey trip to Indianapolis, and then a few more from the generous @Blogjackets who has also provided via in person trade my last three beers from Sheboygan. These are all BA offerings, so I expect they have held up well refrigerated. I’m trying out a new iPad to see if I will keep it. The first two planned this weekend are from Hopping Frog.

Hoppin' Frog B.O.R.I.S. The Crusher

4.22/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25



2/7/25 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Obtained via in person trade with Dave @Blogjackets on BA on July 19, 2024 in Sheboygan. 12 oz, best by 6/5/2027, so assuming canned 6/5/24. Refrigerated upon returning home until pulling this evening. Oatmeal Imperial Stout 9.4% ABV, Beware: This Bodacious Oatmeal Russian Imperial Stout will crush you like no other! This is the grand-daddy of all stout styles, with an intensely deep roasted and full bodied flavor. A robust hop character adds a refreshing balance. Brewed By: Hoppin' Frog Brewing Company, Akron, Ohio. Store in a Cool Place.

Appearance: Poured about 9 ounces followed later by top off pour into a 12 oz hand held snifter. Pitch black base, dark tan creamy head leaves racer thin cover over the base, creamier along the rim and no lacing. 4.25

Aroma: Let this sit for about 20 minutes before diving in. Getting a nice roast dark and bakers chocolate, raisins and plums. Mild in strength, higher in enjoyment. 4.0

Taste: Fuller flavor strength, wider taste range vs. the aroma. A nice malt base, caramel and toffee. Dark and bakers chocolate, light raisins. Digging this one. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Creamy and sticky full body, carbonation very faint and gentle. Drinks lighter than the ABV at first, but gains perceived strength at the halfway pole. Sweet overall, but roast malt provides a half hearted fight. Sticky chocolate toffee finish. 4.5

Overall: This is a solid Imperial Stout, no barrel required. Full flavor, traditional stout flavors, and a rich full body makes this a winner in my book. Wish we had access to these here for another non barrel aged option with some kick and rich flavors. Thank you Dave for this excellent selection. 4.25

 

Unless they want throw a couple of stud OLine in as well. After all, isn't he the highest paid player in the League?

 

You beat me to it @Victory_Sabre1973 , I'm also drinking Hammerheart Ochre and Ash:

Appearance: Black, good head.

Smell: Starts with pine, then smoke and ash underneath.

Taste: Roasted, blackened malt, low sweetness. The piney hops start coming through in the middle with more roasted malts. Dry finish with blackened malt and hint of smoke.

Overall: Always great to see a new Hammerheart beer. I looked at my notes for their previous black IPA and Ochre and Ash has less coffee-like flavor and more blackened malt flavor. Not super hoppy. A fine beer!