New Beer Weekend #246

Cheers to @GreenBayBA for getting us started

 

On Wisconsin

 

Trails To Ales French Crick Furry Big Ass (English) Barleywine, 12.5% ABV. Pours black with a one-finger light brown head that left no lacing. Aroma is roast malt and toffee. Taste follows, slightly sweet, moderately bitter. OK mouthfeel if a bit overcarbonated. Overall excellent.

3.98/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Thanks to @Ozzylizard for sharing this excellent barleywine in a LIF box associated with the Stout/Barleywine BIF.

 

My first ever (so called) West Coast Pilsner

I met up with some buddies at East Branch Brewing (Downingtown, PA) for some beers and chit-chat. I am a BIG fan of their German Pilsener: Riemer. But on the beer menu they had a new beer listed:

“*NEW* Del Mar – West Coast Pils 5.6% straw yellow color shines through. The aroma gives off notes of grapefruit, candied lemon, spring-time grass and melon. Light in body with a quick dry finish that gives way to big flavors of citrus, strawberry, and cracker-like sweetness that is balanced out by the bitterness of the heavy-handed hop additions.”

I will confess that after reading this I was a bit hesitant to order a pint of this beer but after speaking to one of my buddies, who stated he had it before and liked it, I figured: what the heck, let’s try it.

Served in a shaker pint glass:

Appearance:

Straw yellow with a BIG white head.

Aroma:

Subtle aromas of citrus and fruity but some bready malt in the background.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with a combination of citrus/fruity balanced with some bredy malt flavor. There is a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Light - medium bodied with a medium carbonation level. There is a dry finish.

Overall:

I enjoyed drinking this beer, it is very good. I appreciated that the brewers decided to use a moderate amount of hops for flavor/aroma so that it did indeed taste like a Pilsner vs. an APA.

Cheers!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH

 

Thanks @GreenBayBA for the start, and per your request in NBW#244, here's my thoughts on:

Mr. Surly's Orange Whip Cream Ale


Appearance: Clear gold, good head.

Smell: Big orange note with cream in the background.

Taste: Starts mildly sweet, then gives a way-less-sweet than expected orange creamsicle taste. Creamy mouthfeel. Finishes with some orange rind bitterness.

Overall: Wasn't planning to pick this up as it just didn't sound like something I'd like. But I did, and it is not bad! Not super sweet, actually seems to have a decent balance between the orange, cream, and bitterness at the end.

 

Surly doing Surly things...

 

4.24/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Courtesy to BIF '25 @Roguer, 2024 vintage:

Pours a deep black, minimal head and what was there is gone in a faint ring of bubbles. Nose is exceptionally fruity, strawberry and raspberry are standouts with undertones of maple. In fairness, there may be boysenberry there (listed) but considering I haven't seen, nor tasted, a boysenberry in perhaps a decade, hard to say for certain. Taste pretty much echos the nose... what you smell is what you taste. It's not cloying sweet but it is sweeter than I would have likely expected given the combination of strawberry and raspberry. Fortunately, tartness shows itself as it warms and it's very much appreciated. Moderately carbonated, somewhat thin mouthfeel, but slick overall. I'll echo what I said with the Blueberry Stack's Reserve and fruited stouts broadly (knives be damned), save the fruit for breakfast.

 

Bentonville Brewing This Beer Builds Bikes IPA ( Benefits Pedal it Foward Charity ), 5.1% ABV; 3.73 overall

Pours a bright & effervescent gold with one finger of ivory colored head. Good lacing & head retention

S: Bready, lemons, cakey notes once warmed up

T: Follows the nose, some grassy notes, & dryness up front. Biscuitty malt notes, a little lemon & grassyness as this beer warms up, just a little bit of woody hops. Finishes dry with lemony notes, a little grassyness & a touch of grainyness

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation, skews a bit malty, but not too much

Easy drinking beer that seems geared towards warm weather consumption, a bit of a throwback to the 90s

 

I had stout appreciation night this evening, and pretty sure most, if not all, were new to me as well as the group.
The favorite “pastry” stout was from Colorado’s Wiley Brewery named “Breakfast at Wiley’s”. The overall favorite was actually from St Luis Missouri- and it was named “Sump”
Curious lineup tonight, mostly Colorado coffee stouts and a few other states mixed in.
Sump was labeled as a coffee imperial stout but had far more dark fruits than coffee. But it was very good, and altogether too easy to drink.
Please forgive the lack of detail and photos, I will post more when I can think straight.
Cheers!

 

Sounds like a lot of fun

 

Come on slackers, this is now another back to backer for me

Prairie Pieces BA Imperial Stout with Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy, 13.0% ABV; 4.38 overall


Pours an effervescent ebony with rapidly falling mocha colored head. Viscous as can be, traces of lacing & head retention

S: Barrel aplenty, molasses, chocolate, figs & dark cherries, fades a bit once warmed up

T: Follows the nose, some dark chocolate notes, a little bit of leafy hops up front. Plenty of Bourbon, a touch of maple syrup, a little bit of peanut & chocolate as this beer warms through, some cola notes. Finishes with a flourish of dark chocolate, Bourbon, faint nuttyness, & dark cherries

MF: Fairly chewy, low carbonation, pretty warming. Carbonation picks up once warm

I just buy singles now, but this one is 4 pack worthy, one of the better offerings I've had from them in a while. I am happy they are committed to big beer releases year-round. Nice drinkability, not getting a ton of Reese's but I ain't mad about that, peanut butter has ruined more of these types of beers as opposed to pleasing me

 

Inkhorn - Hōkouchō red ipa

 

Last couple of sips have caused me to bump this up to a 4.42 overall, Sue me

 

You don't have great handwriting, but legible & I can barely manage that sober & well rested

 

This post was manifested entirely by @GreenBayBA Not only did he start this thread but afte recommending that I drink more Barleywines but he also declared tonight to be the perfect night to enjoy such a masterpiece.

First off I must say that this is one of the few Barrel Aged beers I have experienced that actually smells just like a very smooth Bourbon. I get the oaky vanilla tannins, toffee, coconut nougat and some alcohol spice to it. The flavors come together much like a mouthful of rum soaked raisins ushering in layers of dried fruit/currants, wet oak, coconut brittle and some leafy dried tobacco in the finish. The booze makes its presence known but never becomes hot and the mouthfeel is just right for such a massive brew. Closing out the show with a nice drying sensation to an overall sweeter experience. Great stuff for sure BA. Highly recommended!