New Beer Weekend #245

Tree House - Double Barrel Tree of Light for me, Sycamore Super Quench for my wife!



4.84/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Poured from a 12 oz. bottle into a small stemmed tulip

Thanks to @WunderLlama for this one!!

The beer pours deep brown (nearly black), with no visible highlights. An aggressive pour yields a very small head that recedes quickly, leaving behind very little lacing.

The aroma is bourbon, coffee, caramel, chocolate, and vanilla.

The flavor is huge and sweet and roasty! There are notes of chocolate, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, and a huge bourbon barrel character. Full bodied and viscous, lightly carbonated.

What a great beer! by far one of the best Barleywines I have had. Phenominal

 

Decided to have one more new beer after all:

Lil' Smokin Toad Porter | Hoppin' Frog Brewery | BeerAdvocate





Not too bad at all, but I like my smoked beers to be smokier though. Cheers everyone!

 

Pfeiffer - Mystical Mornings "double dry hopped juicy IPA." 16oz pour at the brewery.

Moderately hazy, yellow in color, fluffy/clotty but not very big head. Smell is very tropical and juicy, not citrus but more papaya and mango, maybe some pineapple.

Taste is juicy but not as sweet or cloying as I was suspecting based on the aroma. It's sweet and juicy, but it has a fruit skin bitter bite that makes it much more palatable than it would be without. Almost a marshmallow note coming out of it.

Mouthfeel is light, clean, fluffy. Overall, pretty good but not terribly notable.

 

Happy New Beer Weekend all! Picked up this gem at the grocery store earlier while I was out running errands. The appropriately named Dark Mild from Machine House right here in Seattle, USA. Preliminary review below. Cheers!

4/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
500mL bottle (no dates or codes visible) into an English pint. Pours a somewhat hazy cola brown with a thin head that dissipates quickly.

Aroma is sweet and malty with notes of caramel, toffee, and vanilla. Warm and bready.

Taste is likewise mostly sweet and caramelly but with some underlying bitterness that I presume comes from gently used Old World hops.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly full bodied and satisfying for a 3.7% beer. Extraordinarily drinkable.

Overall an outstanding, enjoyable, understated session beer. Could enjoy many of these without having to think much about it.

 

Thanks for the start @Bishop and for all the beers everyone has contributed up to this point, read like some of you very much enjoyed what you were drinking Friday night.

Today is one of those random oasis days of close to summer weather here; had to go to two kid parties today which sucked on such a beautiful day, but oh well, I’m here now and enjoying a “new” beer.

Another one from Saranac’s Throwback Variety Pack, again one I had way back when but reviewing many years later. This one in particular really transports me back in time; all of it, the bottle and label, the smell, look and taste. I cannot help but smile as I drink this thing. This is what IPA originally meant to me, gonna do my best to describe that below…

Saranac - IPA (AIPA 6.5%)



Pours crystal clear light pale amber; white head, persistent film with minor lacing.

Nose is hops; slight oxidation; pine needle, musty orange citrus, nice bit of caramel malt too, perhaps a touch toasty.

Taste is old school ipa; nice malt backbone, citrus peels, definitely some pine and sap; slightly tampered by the malt depth.

Medium body; light residual malt sweetness that is quick to dry out, good bitterness with nice lingering quality.

This beer just oozes with past memories; the slightly oxidized nose, its not the freshest, I know that now, but years ago dates didn’t mean anything to me. The taste really just hits home balance malt and old school hop character that drinks really clean. I savor beer moments like this and look forward to the next one, cheers everyone and have a good night.

See you all next weekend, or maybe tomorrow, we’ll see what the day brings.

 

I haven’t thought of Saranac since the 90’s…. I remember them being pretty good. Nice to hear they put out a throwback pack (with the old labels?). Glad it brought back good memories! Cheers!

 

A truly new beer—looks like I just posted the first review (didn’t realize at the time but when I saw the 0% rDev I scrolled down. Pils from Lucky Envelope, the second Seattle brewery whose beer I’ve enjoyed today (also picked up today). Preliminary review below. Cheers!

4.02/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
16oz can (no dates or codes) into a weizen glass. Pours a pale golden color with a frothy white head sustained by vigorous carbonation. This beer is beautiful.

Aroma is delicate—mild floral hops, slightly grassy, pale biscuity malt.

Taste is likewise subtle and refined. Gently sweet pale malt balanced by Old World hops. More floral and grassy notes.

Mouthfeel is light and crisp with a clean finish. Drinkable.

Overall a great rendition of the style. Excellent execution all around here.

 

Courtesy of @russpowell from Stout / Barleywine BIF #2, High Gravity BA Obsidian Convergence. No frills 2 years in Buffalo Trace barrels stout. Pours a slightly opaque dark chestnut brown. Aroma is a faint oak with a light floral note. First sips are a crisp light malt base with a clear Buffalo Trace spiciness and light tannins. The younger stout adds a heavier earthiness on the rear of the wallow. Mouthfeel is medium, which complements the BT nicely. 10.5% ABV is a sweet spot for the size. A very nice brew!

 

Yup, old labels and all!! It’s awesome for sure, they’ve done it twice now in the last 3 years, to my knowledge. I certainly hope it becomes annual. It’s like drinking in a Time Machine.

 

That beer looks dangerous. Love the photo of the pine tree

 

I loved the book and the pace was great and always interesting. He narrated it through his own eyes as he was coming of age which was very unique. I also listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Frank himself, so he was singing the irish bar drinking folk songs in the book. The other two books are also narrated by his before he passed away, so I will definitely consume those books eventually. Cheers!

 

Weihenstephaner blaupakt blonde
...extremely clear gold appearance with a lasting white head
...medium bodied with just below average carbonation.
...aroma has an odd ashy quality with some spice,banana and burnt fruit peel.
...taste is fruit,burnt wood and ash, malty with an odd lingering aftertaste.
...this does not taste like what I assume a blonde would taste like

 

Left Hand Coconut Milk Stout, 6.0% ABV; 4.01 overall


Pours an effervescent chestnut with 3 + fingers of mocha colored head. Very good head retention & better lacing

S: Coconut, a little coffee

T: Follows the nose, plenty dry/roasty, a touch vanilla & cocoa too up front. Coconut, roasty grains, coconut & dryness as this beer warms up, just a little coffee too. Finishes dry, roasty with coffee & coconut

MF: Medium body, pretty firm carbonation. Carbonation smooths out a bit once warmed up

Pretty easy to drink, I am sucker for a well-done coconut beer. This checks most of the boxes

 

Bringing the heat!

 

Wetticket kolsch
...clear pale gold appearance with a thin lasting white head
...medium bodied with about the same for the carbonation
...aroma is heavy on yeast, crusty white bread, cereal, toast, earthy buckwheat honey
...taste has a very mild sweetness with an almost dry mild bitter hop element. Grain,yeasty crusty bread.
....overall a nice well done beer

 

Social Project Brewing's Society Barrel 2023 Imperial Stout, aged for 19 moths in Nashville Bourbon Barrels, 12.0% ABV; 4.37 overall. This one made me bleed, not a fan of the was sealing & it was thiccc


Pours an effervescent ebony with a pinky of mocha colored head, fading fast. Traces of head retention & lacing

S: Dark fruits, oakyness, barrel notes, starts strong, fades some

T: Follows the nose, dark chocolate and red wine notes, some caramel notes as well up front. Hints of plum, figs and dark cherry mix in with leafy hops, dark chocolate & some barrel bite as this beer warms up, faint maple candy notes. Finishes with rich warming barrel notes, figs, more maple notes, red wine & dark chocolate, some tannins

MF: Medium/chewy body with enough carbonation to push the flavor along, plenty warming & sticky

Packed with complex flavors, drinks fairly easy for what it is, much to love here

 

Fonta Flora Brewery - Nebo Pilsner
It's a tasty German Pilsner. Nothing too special or out of the ordinary. Made well. A lot of people seem to knock this beer, I'm not sure why so many people don't like it...

Cross-posted in WBAYDN #4544 and What South Atlantic beer are you drinking now? (2025).