New Beer Weekend #240

Props to @ChicagoJ for getting us started!

Stonecloud Brewing Hammer Space Dry Stout, 4.8% ABV; 3.81 overall

Pours an effervescent Chesnut/mahogany with a pinky of mocha colored head. Average-ish head retention & lacing

S: Roastyness, a little iron

T: Follows the nose, dry as advertised, some woody hops. Some cocoa notes, a little cold coffee & dryness as this beer warms up, more iron. Finishes dry with coffee presence, woody hops & a little astringency that helps bring out the roastyness

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

Easy drinking Stout, wish the body was a bit more

 

von Trapp Schwarzbier. Pours nearly black with a good head - a hint of light scatters through. Aroma is very roasty to the point of slight charriness/smokiness, with nutty and earthy undertones. Taste is a solid dark roast coffee hit with a little cocoa in the background. There's some sort of faint funk underneath - almost mushroomy in character (though maybe I'm reaching here with that note). Light-medium body with a bit of lingering creaminess to the finish. A smidge of malty sweetness appears on warming, but it's subtler than any other dark beer style I've had.

Very interesting. I'm not sure I like the style, but rating to style from the description...it is well-executed, with plenty going on.


and a song to pair with it. I actually saw Molchat Doma live a couple weeks ago - wonderful show, highly recommend if they swing by your area as they're currently on tour (still in the States from what I recall).

 

Duck-Rabbit Märzen. Seemingly BB 11/2023. Good clarity, head retention and lacing on the glass. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread/crust, herbal, grass; light peppercorn and dark fruit/yeast earthiness. Touch of diacetyl in the back. Taste follows through with big brown bread/crust, caramel, brown sugar, herbal, wood, grass; light peppercorn, pine, and dark fruit/yeast earthiness. Touch of toffee/melanoidins. Light-medium pine, herbal, woody, peppery bitterness on the finish. Medium-plus carbonation and medium body. Fairly crisp/refreshing finish. Balanced creamy/bready/grainy malt and sticky hop in mouthfeel. Lingering resin dryness, with no hop astringency. Very clean lager flavors, with mellow fruitiness and yeast earthiness. Great clean/rich munich malt complexity for the 4.6%, and balanced noble hops against sweetness. Classic feeling German style, definitely decoction mashed. 4.18/5


Cheers

 

Single Hill - Parallax (2024)

12oz can served in a tulip. 2024 vintage. 13.9% abv.

Pours murky dark brown-amber with a medium sized head, slow dissipation, and snail-like carbonation struggling through the heavy medium. Smell is bourbon, vanilla, toffee, caramel, booze and oak. Actually quite a bit of oak.

Taste is boozy, astringent, bark and oak, vanilla and maple sweet, bitterness more in the earthy / oaky form, wow is that alcohol noticeable.

Mouthfeel is thick, heavy, fluffy, and prickly, all at the same time. Overall, very nice.

 

Oklahoma State, enough said

 

Marshall Black Dolphin Imperial Stout Maple Barrel aged 2021, 8.2% ABV; 3.91 overall

Pours an effervescent mahogany with a pinky of fast falling tan head. Some head retention & lacing, fairly viscous

S: Barrel, booze, dark fruits

T: Follows the nose, woody dryness, some maple sweetness, figs, dried dates up front. Slight smokeyness, jammy notes, much barrel as this beer warms up, a hint of maple candy & brown sugar too, some woody hops as well. Finishes dry with some oaky note, a kiss of booze, maple candy & figs

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, warming. A little more carbonation would've helped, this did sit the fridge for at least year, but the PITA wax is supposed to solve that problem?

I like this series, I just wish they'd beef them up a bit more, not really this brewery's style though. Drinks fairly easy for the style

 

Good evening NBW
I have been sitting on this bottle for years in case the "Day of the Dark" returned on WBAYDN. I just got home from work, it's Cellaruary and it's time.

Avery Mephistopheles

12oz bottle from Oct 2019 poured into a tulip glass at cellar temp 14.666% ABV per label. The beer pours absolutely pitch black with medium brown colored head. The head recedes to a single layer of multisized bubbles and leaves a little lacing. The aroma is mild with ashy, bitter roasted malt and notes of licorice and earth. The taste is bittersweet roasted malt with additional layers of dark fruit, chocolate and coffee. Moderate bitterness. The feel is medium bodied with just less that average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. The ethanol is remarkably well hidden for the ABV. Just a warming glow that hints at what's up. Overall, excellent.

Not sure if I have another new (or new old?) beer around so we'll see if I'm back. Cheers all!

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned on 2/20/25. Pours a very attractive hazy orange, with a two plus finger sticky white head that leaves thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.25

Aroma is peach, mango, mandarin, pineapple, a hint of garlic, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows peach, mango, mandarin, pineapple, a little garlic, and apricot. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, soft gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and 7% it has a good amount of flavor, but still very approachable. 4.25

Overall this is solid as normal, but not a standout for me. Slightly unique and enjoyable. 4.25 Cheers all.

 

Time Capsule: Batch 2 from Halo Brewery

Poured a 250ml can into a tulip. A one finger tan head on a hazy brown. The head diminishes to a persistent ring. Some very fine lacing.

Smells of brett and whisky. The taste follow the nose. Some oak undertones. A long, mild tart finish.

A smooth mouthfeel. Light body and moderate carbonation. Overall an interesting Wild Ale.

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

 

I'm a little upset. OK...I'm really not one bit happy. Have a couple of beers set aside for the 20th anniversary thread and won't be drinking them. We've been battling some sort of virus since last weekend and I'm not going to waste good beer on bad bugs. Missed an entire week of work since I don't want to infect my team - have one person battling cancer and certainly don't want to cause him undue grief. Dodged everything going around all winter long - this one has been the equivalent of a sledgehammer.

I have been participating in NBS/W for quite a while. Reluctant to jump in at first but so glad I did. My first post was NBS 485 on June 8th, 2014, Smuttynose Farmhouse Ale bottled in 2010. Almost 11 years...time certainly flies... I believe @utopiajane and @cavedave were the alternating curators of the thread in those days.

I don't post as much in general anymore, but this thread is a must do for me. I've tried styles and beers I probably wouldn't have considered and there have been plenty I've read about that I can only hope to try. It's a place to learn about breweries, beers, and a bit about each other.

To anybody who reads the thread but is reluctant to post, all I can say is jump in - the water's fine. My reviews were pretty clunky and rudimentary at first but guess what - nobody cared and there was nothing but encouragement!

Cheers to all the regulars and new participants! I'll hoist a cup of tea to honor the thread and drink vicariously thru all your posts!

 

Cheers to a full recovery

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass 50 degrees roughly. Pours a very attractive near pitch black with a 2 finger dark brown head that leaves little if any lace. 4.75

Aroma is cocoa, toffee, coffee, and vanilla bean. 4.25

Taste follows cocoa, toffee, coffee, and vanilla. 4.25

Mouthfeel is about average, soft gentle carbonation, maybe a tad dry, and at 9.2% it goes down easy enough. 4

Overall this is good. I want that bigger body, with a consistent sharper carbonation, and I feel that would make the flavor shine better. 4.25

 

Get better Brother!

 

I was at Saint Arnold yesterday for some happy hour beers. Two new beers for me:

West Coast Pale Ale, 5.5% ABV

Notes from the brewery:
Brewed with classic Pacific Northwest hops—Centennial & Cascade—plus a boost from Citra & El Dorado. Expect a crisp, dry 5.5% ABV pale ale with tropical fruit notes and a subtle pine bitterness. It’s fresh and ready for you—swing by and grab a pint while it lasts!



Pours a clear golden yellow color. A two finger white head forms with good retention and lace left behind. This has impressive clarity.
A fruity hoppy aroma of citrus, grapefruit, and nondescript tropical fruits.
Taste wise, follows the nose with the hoppy character up front. Citrus and grapefruit, just enough tropical fruits in the background to be noticeable. Cracker like malts and a light bitterness lingering.
A medium body with crisp carbonation. Finishes clean and dry. Which all makes for a very nice Pale Ale to come back to.

This is solid all around. It might not WOW anybody, but enjoyable and simple to drink. I'll take that.

Overall score is 3.84, a solid B+
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/337/734731/?ba=champ103#lists


Next up is

Bishop's Barrel No 26. This was a long running barrel aged program they started many years ago. This was always a big deal when released, and it was a bit different when they did that. It was suppose to be a reward for bars and restaurants to have, that supported Saint Arnold. So it was a "rare" barrel aged offering that was distributed to those bars and restaurants only. Some of the better beer bars around (that there are hardly any of anymore) would have big events and lines around the corner when they opened. The last time they did one of these was back in 2020 I believe, so they brought this one back for the moment.

Anyway...this one is an Imperial Porter Aged in Bourbon Barrels with coffee, coconut, vanilla, orange peel and coriander. 11.6% ABV



Pours a dark, nearly opaque black color. A small tan head forms, that sticks around a little and leaves some lace behind.
The aroma has some barrel character, plenty of vanilla. A little bit of butterscotch, and a general mishmash of additives. Though nothing particularly stands out.
Taste wise, like the nose, with the barrel, vanilla, and butterscotch character. Toasted malts and a again a mishmash of additive flavors. From light coffee, coconut, etc.
A full body with moderate carbonation. This is not overly viscous, but has an appropriate heft. A bit slick and oily. Maybe from the additives? A slow sipper, and while it succeeds in that category, its not something I'm particularly looking to come back to.

This is a bit muddled for me. The additives are too much, and at the same time not enough. While not bad at all and something I think others will like more than me. I probably would have liked this better several years ago, but tastes change. If you are in the mood for a big barrel aged porter/stout with additives this should fit the bill though.

For me, the score is 3.56, which is B territory. Certainly not bad by any means, and again, I think others will enjoy this more than me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/337/734732/?ba=champ103#lists

 

It's that time of week again, New Beer Weekend. Thanks to @ChicagoJ for getting us started on this anniversary.
My new beer for today is Lime Science from Equilibrium, a pilsner with Motueka, lime juice, and lime zest.
Clear gold color. Small white head that recedes quickly. Some lace.
Faint lime/citrus aroma. I expected more.
Much more lime in the taste, and the taste really lingers.
Crisp, dry mouthfeel.

 

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass canned on 2/14/25. Pours a very attractive hazy milky yellow with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves loads of thick lace with excellent retention. 4.75

Aroma is papaya, passionfruit, pineapple, peach, mango, tangerine, and apricot. 4.5

Taste follows papaya, passionfruit, pineapple, peach, mango, tangerine, and apricot. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, soft gentle almost creamy carbonation, not sticky or dry, and 7.8% it is loaded with flavor but real easy going down. 4.75

Overall this one is rather amazing for me. It reminds me why they are the best at brewing this style. 4.5

 

Earl
Hill Farmstead
7.2% oatmeal stout



Poured from a pint can, the body is starless and Bible black with a tan head. Fantabulous lacing.

Aroma is roast coffee and rich malt. Taste follows nose as the beer is a text book oatmeal stout with a full, deep malty character. Coffee is prominent but does not overshadow the malt. As the stout warmed a bit of the edge came off the char, but it allowed the coffee to blend well. Great tasting beer throughout.

Mouthfeel is excellent, smooth and luxurious as one would hope from an oatmeal beer. Good carbonation.

À delightful stout to sip on a winter's day. Or any day for that matter.