New Beer Weekend #238

Here's a new-to-me Fiddlehead offering I haven't got around to until now.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27919/691316/



16 ounce can packaged 01/07/2025.
Wasn't really into trying the 19.2 ounce can when first introduced last year.

Moderate pour yields a one inch white head over a cloudy golden body with sticky lacing.

Nose of citrus, tropical fruit, and a bit of pine.

Taste mirrors nose somewhat having citrus flavors leading the way with slight tropical fruit present. Finish is citrus pith and pine bitterness.

Mouthfeel is very full with more than average carbonation.

Overall, a pretty fine DIPA with 9.0% abv front and center!
Definitely worth picking up a 4-pack!!

Cheers!!!

 

Yep, Enegren is SOLID!

 

Lost Forty Brewing - Tanooki Suit Double Trash Panda IPA. 10.5%. Thanks to @russpowell for the beer.




Poured from a twelve ounce can, the body is an apricot yellow with fluffy white head. Light lacing.

Aroma is tropical fruit and apricot.

Taste follows nose as this beer is as close to an apricot beer as I could imagine. That's not a knock. I love apricots. A tropical hop bill is balanced by a sturdy malt base. The ABV is well masked. A light bitterness rises at finish. Pleasant.

Mouthfeel is very satisfying: soft and light.

A very nice drinking beer that capably hides its power.

 

Genesee cream ale via the famous dog trainer of penny @TCgenny
....super clear light amber appearance
...light carbonationand body but still has an overall decentfeel
....aroma is far from overpowering but theres malt,floral and earthy with bread,grain and cereal
...taste has mild sweetness along with grain,cereal and bread.theres an odd and hard to describe taste of fruit thats enjoyable.
...I know this gets crapped on in reviews but I liked it
.

 

I’ve only had that beer once I think and what I remember most is what you noted too. The largest towering head I’ve ever scene and it just lingered forever, it’s the one pour of mine that may have been @beergoot quality, not from skill though, all thanks to the beer.

 

Heavy reel lager
...cloudy pale gold appearance with a lasting white head
...around a medium body with medium light carbonation
...aroma is mildly bitter earthy hops, malt and floral
...taste is almost dry, earthy dry hops, some mild citrus peel and malt.
...overall it was more hopped up than expected but it delivered on flavor and went well with food

 

PKG 12/26/2024. Poured into a BA 25th Anniversary teku - hell yeah!!

Overall: 3.94

A: Soft clear gold hue with one finger of short-lived, white, big dash bubbled head with one stripe of thin lacing and dots down the rest of the glass. 3.5

S: Aroma has a strong, dank undercurrent with tropical fruit flavors of pineapple, mango, guava, and some more citrus grapefruit. Clean without esters. 3.75

T: Flavor is more intense than the aroma with quite a bit of guava, pineapple, and lemon grass and finished with high bitterness. Malt is not absent with some low pale, 2-row sweetness. 4.0

M: Medium bodied with high carbonation and dry finish with a somewhat tacky feel. 3.75

O: Cyber Sue from TG is a high bitterness, but fruit filled IPA. It is a bit bracing with a high level of bitterness and tackiness, but enjoyable nonetheless. 4.0

 

This one is from @Blogjackets

Wolly Pig Farm Brewery Rustic Helles, 4.9% ABV; 4.47 overall

Pours a somewhat hazed & effervescent gold with a thumb of ivory colored head. Drops bright, pretty good head retention & better lacing

S: Very bready, grassy & floral notes as well, great nose!

T: Follows the nose, a little pear & white grape as well along with dryness. Grassyness, white grapes, pears, bready sweetness & a little crackery dryness , plus grassy notes once the beer is warmed up, a touch of soapyness ( l like it in some lagers ). Finishes with bready sweetness, some cracker notes, lemons, pears & grassyness

MF: Light/medium body, delicate carbonation, good balance

Pretty drinkable, wish it had a little more body, but this is true to the style & a great take on it

 

Kilt switch wee heavy
...dark ruby red appearance.
...medium light carbonation with a thick,heavy,body. One of the chewiest heavy beers I've had in awhile.
....aroma is a rich malty,almost scotch like scent with some mild dark fruit,, along with a host of subtle scents i lack the finess to describe.
...taste is is very similar to aroma.its a rich flavorful experience that is truly meant to be savored..
..overall....excellent.. thank you @TCgenny came close to healing my soul with this oneKilt switch

 

Another beauty from @Blogjackets

Fat Head's Brewery Head Hunter Simply Simcoe IPA. 75% ABV; 4.47 overall

Pours an effervescent gold with two fingers of rocky pearl colored head. Sheets of lacing stellar tight head retention

S: Plenty of pineapple, mango & citrus notes, a little pineapple later, along with some passion fruit

T: Follows the nose, some dryness, pink grapefruit & a little dryness up front. Pineapple, mangoes & pomelo dominate as this beer warms up, some dryness, a little bit of green melon. Finishes with some grassy notes, mango, papaya & pomelo

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, nice balance

Superb take on the style, super drinkability

Edit: Some pine shows up last few ounces

 

In a hotel in Sacramento. Here for Junior Theater Festival. Decompressing after a long, busy day. Drinking an "Imperial ESB" I picked up from Fieldwork, which is walkable from my hotel.


500ml bottle served in a tumbler. Bought it at the brewery in Sacramento yesterday. Don't see a date on it.

Pours with a soda-like rush of head that dissipates quickly and leaves a dark amber, ruby-tinted clear liquid with no traces of head or lacing at all. Smell is big, rich, raisins and booze, nutty and a little bit of rye spice.

Taste is sweet, oaky, nutty, lots of toffee. Cola or horehound, golden raisins, a bit of musty cellar. Earthy bitterness.

Mouthfeel is smooth, moderately thick, still. Overall, it's interesting, somewhere in between American and English barleywine vaguely in the direction of ESB.

 

4.11/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This borders on barleywine territory in most ways for me. Tons of caramel with backing toffee notes, some varietal fruit flavors and an evening light bitter hop characteristic that keeps it from getting too sweet, even though this is a sweet beer. Very full bodied, viscous in its own way. Enjoyable, but not otherworldly. Fits into a rotation in certain ways and various circumstances, but not a lean on beer for me. Glad to have tried. I like it, and it could grow on me some also.

 

Good day BAs!

Today's New Breakfast Beer



J. W. Lees Harvest Ale (Calvados Casks 2016) from J. W. Lees. 9.3 fl oz capped bottle. Picked up from somewhere unknown (Although possibly Shangy’s), date unknown. Reviewed 09/02/25 (Review 3452). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Brewed in 2016, as boldly stated on the front label. Stored at 39 degrees F at home. Served at 52.7 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 56.8 degrees F.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), clear.
Body – Amber Brown (SRM 18), opaque. Under direct light, orange tan with massive amounts of tiny of precipitate visible. When rear-lite, the body is red orange.
Head: Small (0.5 cm, aggressive center pour). Gone almost instantly, leaving a 0.15 cm ring and no cap.
Lacing – None
Aroma – 4.5 – Sweet figs and leather. No hops, no yeast, no barrels, no ethanol (11.5 % ABV, as marked on label). No disulfide or diacetyl.
Flavor – 3.5 – Sweet, nearly cloying. Does not follow the nose – kind of like a high sugar syrup. No yeast, no hops, no ethanol, no barrel. No disulfides, no diacetyl. Mild gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Medium; syrupy; soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the style guidelines as condensed by BA.

Final impression and summation: 4 Distinctly lacks the hoppiness of American style Barleywines – smooth, sweet, and easy drinking. The barrels fail to make an appearance. No oxidation despite the age. At the final temperature, a wee bit of bitterness creeps in, possibly some barrel tannin. But I still feel the need for some insulin.

Rating 3.92, rDev -3.7%

 

Welcome one and all to New Beer Sunday #1042! We are 11 days from completing 20 years of New Beer Sunday (2/20/2005), and will celebrate in two Sundays. Hope you can join us.

The third of three from Dave brewed in Ohio, my final Sheboygan trade selection. Have had great experiences with Jackie O's, and hoping this selection will add to the count.

Jackie O's Brick Kiln - Bourbon Barrel-Aged

4.14/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4



2/9/25 - (Bottle - Home) (Chicago, IL) Bottle Notes: Obtained via in person trade with Dave @Blogjackets on BA on July 19, 2024 in Sheboygan. Refrigerated upon returning home until pulling this morning. 12.7 oz. bottled in 2024, 12.7% ABV. Barleywine style Ale aged in Bourbon barrels brewed in partnership with Southeast Ohio History Center. Brewed and Bottled by Jackie O's Pub & Brewery, Athens, Ohio. Art by KM.

Brewed in the English Barleywine tradition and aged in Bourbon barrels for 20 months, Bourbon Barrel Brick Kiln's deep mahogany hue gives way to aromas and flavors of English toffee, caramel and raisin. Extended aging in Bourbon barrels adds deep notes of vanilla and oak to the beer, named in tribute to the SE Ohio brick industry. The kilns of Athens Brick Company (est. 1890) once operated down the street from our current production brewery.

Appearance: Poured most of the bottle into a 12 oz handheld snifter, yielding alight white tan head which lasts a hot minute before leaving no lacing and a fine bubble ring around the rim. Base dark chestnut brown near black. Fine tiny carbonation bubbles have a slow sustained rise, covering a few percentage points over the top of the base. Very nice. 4.0

Aroma: 20 minutes from opening yields a blend of raisins, plums, caramel, figs, and toffee base, with an increasing level of smooth but strong bourbon peaking from 30 minutes and beyond. Strong and enticing, can't wait to dive in. 4.25

Taste: Flavors more compact range, but intense versus the aroma. Steady consistent malt base lead, with a sweet toffee, caramel, raisin and fig base, and a steady smooth bourbon chilling and enjoying the festivities. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Drinks strong from Go!, above the listed 12.7% ABV for the 2024 release. Bourbon and base sweet overall, at times too sweet for my liking, but I become accustomed. Medium body, sweetness builds perceived depth, faint gentle carbonation felt, sweet bourbon toffee fig finish. 3.75

Overall: This is a good BA barleywine, Strong flavors mellow out as this nears room temperature. Aroma brought added depth. Overall recommend and would consider picking up if available. Thank you Dave for this selection and the entire trade. Really loved your tour of Ohio over the past half year! 4.0

Looking forward to reading about your Sunday selections, and hope you all have a great week until we meet again.

 

I had one on my birthday a couple weeks ago, and I had the same experience.

 

Hey hey weekend reviewers! Pregaming tonight’s fun with a breakfast beer - BA Rocky Road Krampus (2024), Old Irving Brewing Co., Chicago IL in collab with Gnosis Brewery, Merallville, IN:



A blend of Russell’s Reserve Single Barrel & 15 year George Dickel Bourbon Barrel-Aged, added vanilla, double cocoa nibs, peanuts, and marshmallows…sounds good, let’s go!

Poured at 50°. Creamy dark tan head with rocks settles down to a smooth cap with good retention; heavy ring; soapy lace with agitation; raisin jack black color with the barest of ruby on the edges; medium thick legs on swirl. Nose is marshmallows and peanuts; some bourbon as liquid warms; chocolate; beer smells sweet. Entry is sweet chocolate, peanuts, and marshmallows in that order; some bourbon in background; oak and vanilla present; sweet ice cream-like finish. Full minus body; viscous feel; face flushing mouth warmth from 15% abv; light carbonation. Overall, the beer tastes like Rocky Road ice cream with a nutty linger; I would have liked more bourbon, as the adjuncts dominate the barrel notes; sweet, but not cloying; an “as advertised” flavored impy stout.

4.75 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.75 | 4.5
Score: 4.43 rDev - 1.6%

A beer I would gladly drink again; sorry I only got one off of Tavour. Cheers y’all!

 

Super Bowl Sunday! Hope it's an entertaining game. I would like to see the Chiefs get a threepeat, but I'd like to see the Eagles win, for sentimental reasons. I lived in northern New Jersey until I was 12 years old, and we spent most every Sunday at my paternal grandparents house. Football was watched after dinner. My father and my uncle were both big Eagles fans and, for a reason not clear to me, hated the Giants. I remember when Chuck Bednarik knocked Frank Gifford out and my uncle said, "nice hit, Chuck."
My new beer for today is Ghost in the Machine, a beer I have wanted to try for some time.
Canned 1/13/2025.
Cloudy orange color. Modest white head, nice lacing.
Citrus aroma, sweet fruit, floral hops.
Taste of orange, a little grapefruit, hint of mango. Late hop bitterness.
Smooth in the mouth. More hoppy, less fruity than I expected.
It certainly lived up to my expectations.

 

Double Sunshine
8% IPA by Lawson’s Finest Liquids



Big expectations on this beer since I love their flagship IPA Sip of Sunshine.

Nice looking beer as it poured a clear faded gold with a large fluffy head. Excellent lacing.

Aroma featured tropical and pine notes. Taste followed the nose and a nice light dankness entered the fray. A substantial malt backbone asserts itself and balances the hop bill. Bitterness is good, but not up to the level of Sip of Sunshine.

Mouthfeel was soft and bolstered by solid carbonation.

Do you like a smooth riding automobile, or do you want to feel the road? There’s no right answer. This beer is very good, but I prefer the harsher, less malty flavor of its sister beer.