New Beer Weekend #244

I'll toss one in your box just for kicks, @russpowell (planning on getting 'er packed up this weekend)

 

Honestly not even sure which brewery I saw it with last? It might've in been a Macro Brewery

 

Hang your head in shame

 

Oh yeah, I think you're right- Might've been Coors Light if I'm not mistaken..

 

Good evening NBW
My insistence on spending less on alcohol has slowed my reviewing, but I remember the Big Eddy beers of my early craft days fondly, so I picked up a four pack for nostalgia.


16oz can stamped SEP0825 38 poured into a Spiegelau stout glass at fridge temp 9.5% ABV. The beer pours dark black with a hint of ruby highlights and medium brown colored head. The head is prolific and sticky causing multiple top offs to fill the 19oz glass. Aroma is mild with roasted malt offering faint earthy chocolate. The taste is bittersweet roasted malt with a note of lactose in addition to the earthy chocolate thing. Medium bitterness. The feel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Alcohol is fairly well hidden. Overall, fair. Not the flavor bomb or ashy bitterness of other major players, but certainly enjoyable.

I'd love to say I'll be back, but 11a to 11p shifts Saturday and Sunday say I will not. Enjoy the new beer in your glass!

 

Hepworth & Co. Brewers (UK) ‘Gurkha’ Lager

33 cl bottle poured into a logoed glass at a Nepalese restaurant in Toulouse, France.
Summary is the beer serves as a fine light, refreshing, little sweet compliment to a plate of vegan tapas. It’s like any other 5% lager found anywhere. Not too bad.
Disappointed to find out it’s actually brewed in the UK.,. so Nepal country tick.,,

3.6/5 in the BA DB

 

Goldie Kölsch from Lightcaster Brewery

Poured a 473ml can into a stang. A two finger fine white head on a slightly hazy pale gold. Excellent head retention. Lots of fine lacing.

Herbal spice in the nose. Tastes mildly fruity. Some malt in the finish. Very subdued bitterness.

Very smooth mouthfeel. A light body and moderate carbonation. Overall a clean crisp Kölsch. true to the style and well worth a try.

rDev +3.2% look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

I'll keep an eye out for that one--maybe I can find a single somewhere. I'm sure it will be of better quality than my project for this new beer weekend--multiple Minhas beers!

 

Last week I took a little spring break and while on the way to Iowa, stopped by New Glarus, then went 15 miles south to Monroe, WI and the Minhas Brewery. I perused the beer store/gift shop and selected a mixed 6 pack of their products. Am I a fool? Probably! But I also enjoy trying different beers and having a few beers from the lower end of the quality spectrum makes the higher quality beers stand out more.

The first contestant from Minhas is the deceptively named:
Good Ass Beer

Appearance: Clear yellow-gold, head fizzes out quickly.

Smell: Unpleasant, rotten, butyric.

Taste: Neutral, flat cardboardy flavor, maybe highly diluted caramel. Just barely flavored grain water.

Overall: Gotta say, Good Ass Beer is not horrible tasting, though the smell was not good. Flavor was poor but not offensive. I would have thought this was bad homebrew if I hadn't bought it straight from the source.

 

Don't look like any part of MA in which I've ever been!

 

Laugar Brewery (Spain) ‘Vane Retro’ Amburana Wood Infused Russian Imperial Stout

33 cl bottle into a Teku glass. Fab foam tops deep brown brew, but dissipates quickly.
Fully fragrant nose of baking spices, rich vanilla, and some herbalicious thyme.
Taste follows; the expressive Amburana wood takes the lead with blooms of spice, wood, a little snap of ginger, prunes, maple syrup, dark chocolate, and even a savory note. The subtle herbal undertones accent the hops, and add depth and complexity. Finish lingers sweet and long, with the Amburana wood remaining as a pleasant aftertaste for many minutes.
Mouth is dense, bit not super heavy. Junking with lactose brings smoothness. There is low carbonation.
Overall, Amburana works quite well in this pleasure-to-sip fab RIS.

4.3/5 in the BA DB

 

Crosscut from MacKinnon Brothers Brewing Co.

Poured a 473ml can at cellar temperature into a pint glass. A big off white head on a pale amber. Excellent head retention. lots of patchy lacing.

A malty nose. Tastes of bready malts. Biscuit. Some caramel. Slightly sweet. A very mild hop finish.

A very smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Medium body and carbonation. A fine ale that is well worth a try.

look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

Or maybe a dumb ass!?!

 

Ironically, on BA, Good Ass Beer is rated lower than Bad Ass Ale, 2.47 vs. 3.26!

 

I am interested. How far are you from Titletown, USA?

 

I will check in to see if you still have it the next time I head to Minnesota.

 

Was at Saint Arnold's beer garden yesterday. They had some new Irish styles on that I haven't had before.

First up, simply Irish Red, 5.5 % ABV



Pours a dark, brick red color. A beige head forms with good retention and lace left behind.
This nose is caramel malts and dark fruits is the name of the game, aroma wise. Some cherries and raisins mixed in there.
Taste wise, again, that caramel malt, and dark fruit mixture. Cherries for sure, and a an almost candy like sweetness lingering before just enough earthy bitterness come into play.
A medium body with moderate carbonation. The malts give this a chewy heftiness. Though also finishes slightly sweeter than my preference. Still a nice one to drink and come back to at the brewery.

Not on Sullivan's Malting's Irish Ale level, but still a solid stab at the style. Just a bit more earthy bitterness to balance the sweetness would do a lot of good for my personal tastes. With a slight quible, still very solid.

Overall score is 3.77, just boarding on, but doesn't get to the B+ level for me.
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