New Beer Weekend #250

Agreed. I saw "Jaws of Damnation" and then "Rice Lager," and I thought it was like naming a floofy little dog "Crusher" or "Brutus"...

 

True Dat!

 

Thank you for kicking off the weekend 1045082[/URL]]@bbtkd . I would have passed based on the name (Martini), but will try to find one based on your experience.

Have two new to me beers remaining for this weekend, then will buy several singles next week. Both selections are from Forest & Main outside of Philadelphia, a good brewery to try to visit if in the area, as they spread their beers across many styles.

Forest & Main Pigeon of the Peak

4.03/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25



5/3/25 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Purchased at Beer on the Wall at Park Ridge at store temperature for $5.69 including tax on March 22, 2025. Refrigerated upon returning home until opening this morning. 16 oz, no can date, distributed week ended 3/21/25. 6.0% ABV, British-Style IPA. Keep Cold - Drink Fresh. Brewed and packaged by Forest & Main Brewing Company, 241 N. Main Street, Ambler, Pennsylvania.

Appearance: First pour about 12 oz into a nonic glass, yielding a clear tan goldenbase, and generous very creamy egg white cbubbly head, which yields clumpy lacing and a thick creamy cover above the base. Looks very good! 4.25

Aroma: Black tea, breads malt and hoppy citrus vibes. Mild plus in strength, a bit higher in enjoyment. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with the aroma though stronger/fuller, bread, caramel and toffee malt, tea, lemon and citrus. Very nice. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Very dry and bitter. So nice if that floats your boat. Drinks light and easy at first but strong diesel alcohol hits midway in, making it feel stronger than the ABV. Light watery body, extremely gentle carbonation, much more seen than felt. Dry, dry, dry, bitter leads from start to finish, with flavors of bread, caramel and lemon. 4.25

Overall: This is an intense / extreme beer, at least in my end with the needle at eleven for dryness. It’s Steven Wrightesque, and thankfully for me I like both. Glad I picked this out, will definitely seek out on future annual drops here, or if I get back to their brewery. Thanks for shipping this to us Forest & Main! 4.25

Have a saison selection on hand for New Beer Sunday. Cheers!

 

Greetings, fellow NBWers,

Managed to miss the last couple of our weekend get-togethers, but not today!
It was a long, stupid night at work, but it's done and the weekend beckons. Despite it being sunny and about 80° when I started work, this weekend is forecasted to be cloudy, with temperatures no higher than the low 60s. Because of that and tonight's tedious shitshow at work, I'm taking out my frustration on my liver.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29/25007/?ba=woemad#lists
(That's a 23oz mug, by the way. One that will probably now require therapy.)
Yeah, I really did go to the trouble of reviewing it. It wasn't as awful as I thought it would be, but it's bad enough for me to not try it again. I'll try to drink something downright pleasant tomorrow.

 

Brasserie Artisinale La Gué des Moines (France) ‘La Belle’ Barrel Aged Brune

Little microbrewery 22 km north of Toulouse made this incredible peated brown ale. A local distillery (Maison Victors) makes a Single Malt Whisky, aged in Olorosa Sherry casks. The brune biere is aged 24 months in their barrels. Here is the art of the craft.

Nose is end of campfire, yet delicate. Malty, whisky, a whiff of umami.
Taste is smoky, but not ash tray, developing into blossoms of wood, figgy pudding, prunes, dates, whisky and caramel. The sherry element brings a late fruitiness, but not tart.
Well rounded, my my - such excellent balance. The malt notes accompany a wood finish with swagger. A hint of nuts reminds me of the Oloroso barrel, which is dry, not sweet. So a pinch of sugar in the process allows the beer to shine on through. The finish lingers long. Drinks way way bigger than its 7.5% ABV.
Mouth is medium, and there is complimentary carbonation.
Overall - wow - a good to the last drop flavor sensation I wish I had grabbed 11 more of at the Occi Beer Fest in March.,. truly a highlight of 2025 that I’d be thrilled to serve to you all.

 

Hi folks. Another fine weekend here and I've a couple 3 or 4 new brews to enjoy and pontificate over. A beer-thing I've been pondering, and this is just my personal feeling about it, is that after having some more fine NEIPAs and or Hazies that hail from the NE United States, the same styles from elsewhere are taking 2nd chair. That said, I've had Parish, Toppling Goliath, etc that are top of the heap. I think, for me, there's just simply a higher percentage of better examples of the style from the NE. And then there's Barrel Theory. They'd be super anywhere but I wish they'd lower their prices by a buck or two. Tree House fans might very well adore this one.
This beer is so mellow with no harshness and drinks like a 6.8% with no taste or aroma of alcohol. Massive.
Barrel Theory Hollow Words Hazy Triple IPA with Citra T90 & Mosaic 10.5% ABV

4.28/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
16 oz can canned 2/26/25 into an imperial pint glass.
L: SRM 7 pours a dark hazy golden orange color with a 1.5" off white head that slowly recedes to a center island cap, low carbo, medium lacing with light banding.
S: Pleasantly dank, herbal, sweet grains, citrus, green plants, a notion of over ripe fruits.
T: Gently rich, lightly sweet, citrus, pith, very light zest, a distant note of berries, oats, light malts, not much aftertaste.
F: Smooth, very smooth with a medium length lightly dry finish.
O: An extremely easy drinking TIPA with no alcohol taste or aroma. No harshness. Light tastes, light feel, and impeccable balance. It drinks like a basic Hazy but packs in a lot more. It is outstanding in its style.

 

I found this beer to be easy drinking and delish.
Marlowe Bad Birthday New Zealand Rye IPA 7% ABV
4.24/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
16 oz can into a shaker pint glass.
L: SRM 8 pours a hazy dark orange gold color with a thin pock marked off white head, low carbo, head recedes to edge foam, light random lacing, light sediment spots at bottom of glass.
S: Cookie dough, light cereal grains, orange, a light citrus blend, a suggestion of candy corn, distant malts.
T: A hint of grape, vine fruits, citrus, yeast, rye, pine resin, distant berries, caramel malts in the background, grapefruit & lime zest.
F: Brisk and lightly bright medium bodied feel with a medium-fast gracefully dry finish that becomes soft and lightly plush with warming. Light chalk the last few sips.
O: Bitterness & malts shine and break through the hoppy & fruity velvet curtain ultimately keeping all tastes well balanced. Gentle all around and soft. Elegant tastes, beautiful design. It is outstanding in its style.

 

Are you in Germany now (vs. Belgium)?

Cheers!

 

Lake Simcoe Lagered Ale from Turkey Shoot Brewing Co.

Poured a 473ml can into a stang. A solid two finger fine white head on an effervescent, very slightly hazy gold. Excellent head retention. Sticks around to the end. Lots of patchy lacing.

a malty nose. Grains. Tastes spicy and herbal Some vinous fruit is in there but it is very subdued. A dry, mild hop finish.

A light body and good carbonation. A bit off the style but overall a good refreshing Kölsch.

3.68/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

 

Yes!!!!! Thanks @Beersnake, I love me some fresh grass taste in a pils; beautiful looking and reading beer.

 

Good day BAs! Thanks @bbtkd for opening the bar! @Beersnake - enjoy Deutschland! IMHO, they make MUCH better beer than the Belgians!

Today's New Breakfast Beer:



Big Bad Baptist Double Jam from Epic. Purchased from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA, 26/04/25. 22 fl oz bottle, $14.00 (Including tax), $ 0.637/fl oz. Reviewed 03/05/25 (Review 3522). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on label “RELEASE#2” but otherwise undated. Stored on room temperature shelf at the distributor, 39 degrees F at home; served at 57.2 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 60.0 degrees F.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), clear.
Body – Amber Brown (SRM 18), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, deep amber at the edges.
Head – Average (Maximum 1.1 cm, aggressive center pour). Caramel, high density, average retention, collapsing to a 0.5 cm crown and a thin, partial cap.
Lacing – Good. Bands of tiny bubbles slowly devolving into torn curtains.
Aroma – 3.5 – Berry-ish but lacking specificity. No yeast, no hops, no char, no alcohol, no coffee, no roasted malt, neither whiskey nor barrels.
Flavor – 3.25 – Begins sweet (but not cloying) with generic berries. No yeast, hops. A hint of chocolate. No alcohol (11 % ABV, according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Again, no coffee. No whiskey/barrels. Barely noticeable gastric warming. Blackberry on the aftertaste.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium: weakly creamy: soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the loose style guidelines as condensed by BA.
Final impression and summation: 3.25 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated bottle) Uncredited label artist. Tastes like a subdued box of fruit drink – alcohol, coffee, whiskey barrels definitely well-hidden. Distinctly non-beer like. Now the question becomes whether to waste the expense by drain-pouring or waste my time by drinking the rest of the bomber. But wait! As the end nears, the gastric warming becomes noticeable and pleasant.
Rating 3.38 rDev -16.2%

This was one of the dusty bottles sitting on my local distributor's shelf - I finally printed a list of the BBB variants that I've consumed - coming up, the new future reviews, as well as some cans. Allegedly the bombers are now being sold at cost (Plus tax, of course, since we're in PA!)

 

Maybe "Gums of Damnation" would be more fitting!

 

This must mean mine is still in your fridge. lol

 

Courtesy of Quality Inn Placentia Anaheim Fullerton (IYKYK)

4.25/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2024 edition aged four years in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels, can date 11/18/24, ABV 12.1%

Pours a jet black with a quickly-dissipating head into an off-white ring of bubbles. Nose is vanilla, bakers chocolate, and leather. Taste is bittersweet chocolate, vanilla, hints of espresso and oak barrel. Heaven Hill barrels are captured well in this. Mouthfeel is low-to-moderately carbonated, silky. Finish brings out more of the oak but balanced with sweetness.

 

Got into this bad boy last night, courtesy of @Beersnake..

Bottle Logic - Pandanmonium 2024





Notes:
P deep mahogany w/ a khaki/tan ring
N med bold to bold nose of big milk choc, vanilla, light roast, and almond
T chocolate, light roast, fruity notes (golden fig comes to mind), and sweet nuttiness (a combo of coconut, pistachio, almond) dotted w/ vanilla, light barrel, booze, and a cookie-like note in the finish/aftertaste, a bright sweet leafy taste as well, moderately warming, unique and tasty
Mf med-full bodied w/ soft carb, chewy and coats the palate
O definitely a unique imperial stout w/ lots going on in the profile; thanks again for the opportunity, Tim!

Cheers