New Beer Weekend #244

That sounds and looks amazing! I went to their original location in 2018. They did not have any beer at the taproom. The bartender had to ask around for employees to share beer from their personal stash.

 

These are Modern Times?

Today’s new beer is a new product from Jack’s Abby: Modern Pils.

Before I get into the specifics of this beer I want to recommend the book Modern Lager Beer: Techniques, Processes and Recipes by Jack Hendler & Joe Connolly (both are Jack’s Abby folks). This book was published a year ago and it is a great read on the topic of Lagers and how they are produced.

OK, back to the beer. Below is how Modern Pils is described on the Jack’s Abby website:

“Modern Pils

Pilsner

January Release

Modern Pils is the perfect example of our value of “Tradition with a Twist”. Our brewers can develop interesting, complex, and flavorful beers by mixing traditional German lager brewing techniques such as decoction mashing and using Noble Hops with newer brewing techniques such as coolpooling. Try Modern Pils out to taste these 2 worlds colliding.

ABV 5.5%”

On the back of the can are these details:

“Inspired Innovations

Brewed with:

Pilsner Malt

Spalter Select & Tettnang Hops

Coolpool Hopping

Our Modern series reimagines classic beer styles, inspired by our founder Jack’s journey through lager breweries around the world. The result is a lager with a complex hops aromas from coolpooling with Noble Hops. Enjoy a beer that honors the past while embracing the future.”

I know a fair bit about brewing lagers; I have four homebrewed batches in my cellar at the moment:

· Bohemian (Czech) Pilsner

· 1896 Michelob (my reconstruction of the original Michelob beer)

· Czech Dark Lager

· Classic American Pilsner

None of the above are “modern” in nature with the obvious exception they are brewed with contemporarily available ingredients. The malt that was used to brew Michelob in 1896 is not available for sale today.

One aspect that Jack’s Abby highlights concerning this new beer, Modern Pils, is “coolpool hopping”. This is a new term for me; I re-read my book Modern Lager Beer to see if this is discussed but I was unsuccessful in this regard. From some online research it seems that some breweries will label their whirlpool cooling process as a “cool pool” if they chose to add their hops at a low(er) temperature (e.g., 150 - 160 °F) with the additional aspect of extended contact time (e.g., 60 minutes). Maybe this is what Jack’s Abby does while brewing this beer?

It will be interesting to see if there are any sensory qualities in Jack’s Abby Modern Pils that strikes me as being “modern”.

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Straw yellow colored with a three finger white head.

Aroma:

There is an intriguing combination of floral, citrus and herbal hop aromas with some bready malt aroma as well.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with the combination of floral, citrus and herbal hop flavors but there is something additional here that presents a subtle impression of sweetness (candy like?). There is also some bready malt flavor. This beer has a moderate bitterness

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a dry finish; a crisp/clean beer.

Overall:

I enjoyed drinking this beer, it is very good IMO.

Were there any sensory qualities in this beer that ‘says’ “modern” to me? Maybe the general impression that I got of sweetness (candy like) could be a “modern” aspect?

Perhaps I need to drink the remaining three cans of this four-pack to fully wrap my head around this “modern” pilsner?

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @JacksAbbyBrewing @speakorspasm @ATL6245

 

Here is a special request review for @Mdog. Surly Brewing Mister Surly's Orange Whip. A cream ale with blood orange and vanilla. In Wisconsin, we know a thing or two about cream ales. And my favorite sparkling water flavor is orange/vanilla, so expectations are high. The look is carbonated tea, with white foam that disappeared quickly. The smell is potent orange and vanilla. I love it. The taste is anticlimactic. Orange and vanilla for sure, and the cream ale makes its mark, but the combination falls short of high expectations. It is delicious, but not at wonderful as I thought was possible. The mouthfeel is crisp, light, sparkly, and tight, with medium carbonation. This fell short of unrealistic expectations, but I will shotgun multiple cans of this beer outside of US Bank Stadium, as a diehard Green Bay Packers fan, who happened to be born a few blocks from US Bank Stadium. It is worthy.

 

I'm drinking a bottle of Back Shed "Separated at Birth" BA stout.
500ml bottle, Bottled Nov 2024. A collaboration with Lupulin.
Given to me by @Victory_Sabre1973


Look: Pitch Black body, No light gets thru from the beer light. Nice short fine creamy but very persistent brown head. It left some nice thick lacing at first.

Smell: Chocolate, oak and maybe a hint of red wine.

Taste: Plenty of Chocolate, some rye and toffee mixed in. Later on some oak/vanilla On the finish I sometimes get hint of dark cherry or red wine. Smooth and sweet. ABV is very well buried, not boozy.

Nice mouth feel, slightly thick and smooth.

This is a very nice beer and you have to control yourself and not drink it too fast. I will give it a 4.41/5 overall.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/61553/724732/

 

Jester King Kickball Beer League Belgian Style Pale Ale, 5.0% ABV; 4.06 overall


Spring 2022 bottle pours a gushing mess, then effervescent, hazy gold with 3+ fingers of whippy cream-colored head. Insane lacing & above average head retention, never drops bright

S: Cereal notes, grassyness, floral hop notes once warmed up, some orchard fruit as well

T: Follows the nose, some lime notes, dryness up front. Pomelo, millet & cream of wheat, pear & a little white grape as this beer warms up & a little grassy bitterness. Finishes with pear notes, white grape skins, a little dryness & grassy bitterness

MF: Medium body, delicate carbonation, pretty good balance, a little gritty

Drinks easy enough, enjoyed it as a one-off, but not sure I'd buy another large bottle ever again



I feel like Oklahoma gets all the leftovers from these guys

 

The significance of this ugly suitcase/satchel, this was issued to me in Basic Training circa 1981. It may be the only thing besides my hat that still fits from back then...

 

Have a good new beer weekend. Just been a low key week. I finished the Steve Jobs Biography which was basically a history of apple vs microsoft. Also didn't know that Jobs basically made Apple buy Next to get himself into a position to push the CEO out. What a wild ride. Started Scatter Minds, by Gabor Mate, which will basically explain my mental state to me I still need to work on more backlog from untappd, but my ADHD has me on procrastination time.

Goose Island Mig Mango Beer Hug. BB 6/25/25. Fantastic clarity, head retention and lacing for 9.9%. Aromas of big pure vibrant mango juice, with hop notes of tangerine, apricot, berries, citrus peel, and light pine/malt. Taste follows through with big mango, tangerine, white grapefruit, apricot, melon, berry, citrus peel, peppercorn, wood, pine, cracker, bread, herbal, floral, grass. Medium pine, citrus rind, woody bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; balanced grainy malts, and sticky/resinous hop mouthfeel. Lingering crisp resin dryness, with no astringency. Minimal warmth of 9.9%. One of the better beer hugs I've had. Great Idaho 7 showcase, with plenty of fruit vibracy. Not much dankness from the hops other than a solid west coast style bitterness and body. 4.09/5


Cheers

 

Glad you enjoyed it! I try to always keep one on hand, just always tastes good when you aren’t in the mood for harsh. (Roast or hops, either one)

 

My new to me beer tonight is one, I think, was sent to me by @Resistance88 and I’m just now getting to drink it-
Might be the only Fremont BA beer that I didn’t give a score over 4.

The pour is stout black with a 1 cm head that leaves sparse lacing.
The taste is curious, the Rusty Nail aspect is definitely present and accounted for, though the cinnamon is muted to the point of not really tasting like cinnamon. Whatever it tastes like is prominent though. The rest of it seems like a very strong porter or a fairly weak stout. Not bad at all, they did a great job, but it is inevitable that mixing a porter and an imperial stout is going to meet somewhere in the middle.
The feel is lighter than I expected, but considering the beers involved, perfectly appropriate.
OA, happy to have tried this one, but not going to stock up. Or wouldn’t if I had the option; probably more accurate. I mean, why do this to Rusty Nail?

 

One of my favorite from 2SP! Glad you like it!

 

First new beer of the weekend is (well, was )..

Philipsburg - Mountain Air West Coast IPA





Notes:
P gold w/ a slight chill haze; tiny white cap
N soft-med nose of sharp berry; maybe some grassiness as well
T this one is interesting- caramel malt leads to orange, strawberry, and blackberry notes in the finish; unique for sure, but it works; light lingering tartness/bitterness
Mf med-bodied, w/ med carb; on par w/ the style
O a solid IPA w/ a non-traditional profile; definitely wasn't expected, but I dig it

Cheers NBWers!

 

Surly - Parker's Heritage Heavy Char Darkness (2023)

16oz can served in a big snifter. 2023 vintage, looks like probably canned on 10/26/23. @bbtkd sent it to me in Stout/Barleywine BIF #2.

Pours black, oily, small head, wispy streaks across the surface, medium sized uneven ring. Smell is chocolate, burnt chocolate, burnt sugar, booze, some vanilla, booze, something that makes me think of cinnamon, maybe a rye spice. Booze. Wood.

Taste is molasses and chocolate, barrel char, something makes me think of maraschino cherries, booze is noticeable but not as noticeable as it should be. Char is a strong sideline, not a central theme.

Mouthfeel is thick, velvet, smooth. Very nice, dangerous beer.

 

Haven't seen them sorta containers in a few years

 

OK, that is a Bruery beer I have not tried. Gotta gets myself over to the Bruery.

 

Snuck a decent GF Blonde at the office a bit ago... (no pic)

Favorite Blonde

But now I am at home watching March Madness! My favorite time of year with a damn fine beer.


Short-Lived - Shred by Made West (collaboration with Shred)
3/12/25 stamp
Light gold in hue. Fluffy white head is respectable at 2 inches, slowly settles to a film. Good retention with slight lacing.
An initial pop of green alfalfa really screams freshness. Then comes a nice mix of pine needle, weed, and a slight undertone of onion. Enticing nose.
Flavor is more pine resin and mild green notes of pine needle, juniper berry, a hint of green bud and onion with a smooth drying bitterness.
Mouthfeel is light to medium heft, decent carbonation, and a mellow bitter close.
3.77/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

 

Yeah, they're definitely uncommon. Aside from Philipsburg, the only other brewery I can think of that actively uses that format is Julius Lehrkind (out of Bozeman, if I remember right).

 

I think I'm gonna visit them next week!