New Beer Weekend #250

This is a plan I fully endorse. Love you long time.

 

Happy Weekend beer lovers!!! I’ve been looking forward to this weekend for a while, we had a crazy week and I feel like I can finally breath again. Today we've baseball and flag football upcoming which we can hopefully get in before any thunderstorms or rain pass by. Also earlier today helped my mom wrap up her move, despite us being busy it is better than having to go to work.

I had this beer last night on a beautifully warm evening on our deck but wanted to be present in the moment so I saved my write up and post for today.

Today’s offering is not new, but I haven’t had this beer in years and never reviewed it; Dogfish brought it back this year. I have fond memories of this beer, Mrs. Phish and I used to go to my family’s farm/cottage in Lewes a lot with my brother and his, now wife. This all happened back when we were young, child free, and naive and could drink and stay up much later than we do now. This was my sister in laws favorite beer to drink on those trips so I’m hoping it takes me back, and, it definitely did. This beer came from the two six packs that I purchased for her.

So, for the first time reviewed, and first time had in ages…

Dogfish Head - Festina Peche (Neoberliner 4.5%)



Pours a lightly cloudy lemonade hued straw; white head that lingers in the form of thin film, I feel like many berliners lack any sort of retention so it’s nice to see in this.

Nose is simple and refreshing; immediate touch of peach flavor, perceived lemon, and wheat cracker.

The taste is nicely tart, lightly fruity and refreshing; it has peach fruit character, light acidity, I know this beer has no salt but my palate perceives it; a light wheat presence shows on the finish, as does a very light touch of sweetness.

Body is light; balanced acidity that isn’t puckering, refreshing; softly carbonated, no bitterness.

This is an enjoyable beer and it definitely serves its purpose as a summer seasonal. Anyone who enjoys a sour would most definitely enjoy this beer in my opinion. It is well made; balanced, light and refreshing. I don’t personally enjoy sour beers so I probably wouldn’t purchase a six pack but rating within its style it is quite good.

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Hoping to see you all again soon with another one or later tomorrow

 

Tree House Brewing's Gilded Grove - Ceramic Toast


4.27/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Courtesy of @Roguer as part of '25 BIF

Pours a deep ruby/copper with amber hues. Non-existent head, just a white ring of bubbles. Nose is sweet... apples, white grape, spice (probably cinnamon or nutmeg), reminds me a lot of the '20 BCBS Caramella Wheatwine. Taste echos much of the nose with apples and cinnamon being the leads, caramel, and oak rounding things out. Mouthfeel is moderately carbonated, somewhat buttery feel. Finish, while sweet, does lend itself to some marginal tartness and the faint spice.

 

Not gonna lie: I would buy a beer called "Gums of Damnation." Without hesitation.

 

Got the dogs walked early today, before it gets too hot.
I got hot enough that I decided to review this beer, instead of the stout I had already chosen.
I'm drinking Huntley Helles from MORE Brewing Company in (where else) Huntley, IL, and it is quite nice,
A clear gold color. Initial two-inch white head that reduced quickly. No lace.
Aroma of sweet malt, floral hops, a bit of citrus.
Taste of saltine crackers without the salt, a little lemon, and a floral hop finish.
Soft mouthfeel, a bit sweeter than I anticipated.

 

The Wolf by 3 Sheeps Brewing
Sheboygan, WI

Imperial Stout Aged in Bourbon Barrels

This is my very first encounter with the Wolf BA. Made possible by it's brave Captor the prodigious @GreenBayBA

This is an incredible barrel aged stout! This is what you can expect with beers being made near the Center of the Universe. The nose alone is redolent of strong barrel aromatics enticing one that you are in for a real treat. The flavors follow suit with a heavy barrel forward entry merging into a fudgy chocolate brownie center. I get a lot of brown sugar character throughout with some underlying coconut and dark fruits. Never too sweet on the palate with a spicy wash of warming alcohol bubbling up in the finish.

This is an incredible BA stout and one that I tried to savor but those attempts proved to be a bit futile. Delicious and quite reminiscent to Bourbon County Brand Stout to me with its depth of barrel character, balance and richness overall. Similar tier quality for sure with maybe a slight edge in the collective decadence and enjoyment. I now understand why there is a convergence of great BA's to this holy land brewery upon its release.

 

Glad to have some new beers to jump in with over the next weeks. Things are still crazy at work with all the fed gov shenanigans, but I'm thankful to just be employed at this point and to have leisure time for beer and BA.

Today's new beer is Jack's Abby's spring (and summer?) seasonal, Bohemian Dawn. 4.4% Czech Pale Lager



Pours clear, bright yellow with a three-finger white head.

Aromas of bread dough, slight cracker, pepper, grass, hay.

The malt hits first with some honey that isn't present on the aroma, shifting to white bread, cracker, and biscuit after a few seconds on the palate. Pepper and fresh-cut hay, mixed with some floral and citrus notes as it warms, come out near the finish with citrus pith bitterness through the aftertaste.

Light bodied and fine carb give a refreshing feel.

Another in a long line of easy-drinking pale lagers from Jack's Abby. There is a touch too much hop bitterness in the aftertaste for me, otherwise I'd rate just a bit higher.

 

Extra Quadruple 9.1%
Hoppin’ Frog



Poured from a 12 ounce can, the body is an opaque brown with small head. No lacing.

Aroma is sweet with candi sugar and light banana and clove.

Taste follows nose with a sweet caramel and toffee notes along with the Candi syrup flavor. Note that the sweetness never goes over the top and is not approaching cloying. ABV is well masked.

Mouth feel is medium and smooth. The carbonation is light.

A very easy to sip quad.

 

Had a few new beers at H-Town Brewing...

Rocket Man IPA, 7.7% ABV. Turns out this is a rye IPA, but I wasn't informed of that at the time, and didn't really pick up on it.



Pours a reddish orange color. A dense white head forms with good retention and lace left behind.
Aroma is citrus and grapefruit up font, which becomes soapy with plenty of caramel malts.
Taste wise, the citrus is up front again and definitely soapy. The caramel malts are strong, with plenty of residual sugars. An earthy, vegetal bitterness lingering.
A medium body with moderate carbonation. Slick, oily and chalky. OK to drink if at the brewery.

This has the bones of being a decent IPA. Though the soapy slickness, chalky feel and residual sugars, detracts for me. I was surprised to learn this is uses rye as well. I got way more caramel malt flavors.

Overall score is 3.28, C range.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/66846/693429/?ba=champ103#lists

I'll be Bock, Dopplebock, 8.1% ABV



Pours a dark brown with some reddish highlights around the edges. A small white head forms, and recedes to nothing in a second.
Aroma is caramel malts, cereal grains, malty sweetness. All fine and good, if a little one noted for the style.
Taste wise, again caramel malts up front again. Grains, and lots of sweetness. Unfermented and residual sugars that makes this cloyingly sweet.
A medium body that is a bit under carbonated for my tastes. Thick, chewy, and chalky. This becomes a chore to drink.

I don't think they treat their water, as I get this annoying chalky consistency in many of their beers. Its also very unrefined, with loads of residual sugars and a not very nuanced malt character. Not something I'll be getting again...no I won't be back, and use something else besides caramel malts.

Overall score is 2.86, blah.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/66846/693422/?ba=champ103#lists

Well, I have given H-Town more than a fair try, probably done for the time being.

I do have a new True Anomaly Saison that I'm excited to try...more on that later.

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Done with work today, and it's time for a new beer.

Grateful Dead Juicy Pale Ale - Dogfish Head Brewing - Milton, DE - APA - 5.3%

This beer is tasty. It is light and refreshing with light tropical hop notes. Very easy to drink.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/64/734675/
3.72/5 rDev -3.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
From a 12oz can. BB Aug 9, 2025

This beer is a light golden color in my glass. The beer is hazy and murky looking in the glass. I did a somewhat aggressive pour that produced a 3 finger white head that had decent retention and some lacing on the glass.
The beer's aroma is fairly light, and I am getting some tropical hop notes off of it.
Taste - The taste is tropical from the hops. I get some mango in it and a hint of melon.
The body is decent. It has a hint of a soft and juicy feeling.
This beer is tasty and easy drinking. Refreshing.

Be back shortly for the next round.

 

Nothing sadder than a poorly executed Doppelbock

 

4.46/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
03/28/25. Poured into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint.

A: Moderately hazy gold with 2-finger frothy white head with excellent retention and bands of lacing down the glass.

S: Strong dusty polyphenol aroma with grapefruit, passion fruit, and orange citrus along with herbal honeysuckle. High-intensity with mild floral-fruity esters.

T: Flavor with plenty of orange, grapefruit, passion fruit, guava, along with earthy herbal notes. Bitterness is low. High intensity flavor with some polyphenol+malt character in the finish and aftertaste.

M: Medium-body with moderate carbonation and full finish.

O: DDH Fort Point IPA (now IPA not pale ale) is an exceptional beer. My first can must have been not the best as this one has explosive aroma and flavor. Highly recommended.

 

Well, back again for the next round. This came into work recently, and I had to try it.

Colorful Colorado IPA - Left Hand Brewing - Longmont, CO - American IPA - 6.6%

Dank in an IPA can go over the top real fast. Thankfully it was only over the top a bit in the aroma. There's hints of it in the flavor, but it is at a decent level. Tasty beer.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/418/740536/
3.77/5 rDev -5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
From a 12oz can. Canned on Feb. 25, 2025

Beautiful clear golden pouring beer in the glass. There's a 1 finger white head that has quite good retention. When the head dissipates there's minimal lacing on the glass.
The aroma is dominated by the hops. I do get hints of pine in it. I also get a huge dank hit from the nose. The dankness is the main aroma note.
Taste - There's a hint of the dankness that hits my taste buds right away, but, thankfully it isn't as strong as the nose lets on. I am getting some pine notes in the middle of the profile. The finish is somewhat tropical in nature with some melon flavor.
The body is decent. It had a good fullness to it. The hops aren't really sticky feeling, but how they feel does linger in my throat.
Not bad at all. I was worried when smelling it, but the flavor is good.


There will be at least one more today. I'll be back in awhile for my next round. Cheers!

 

Tree of light Double Barrel by Tree House


4.59/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Brewers notes: Double Barrel Tree of Light is a barrel-aged barleywine ale aged in select bourbon barrels. To capture the myriad of robust notes bourbon offers, after a year of rest this beer was re-racked onto a second round of freshly pulled barrels from some of our favorite makers. A product of time, patience, and carefully studied brewing acumen, this beer has over a decade of learned experience in the making. Pouring a dark hazel color into the glass, notes of sticky toffee pudding, southern baked pecan chewies, and creamy English caramels greet the palate. Following this introduction, bursting aromas of oaky spice and sweet vanilla take center stage. Double Barrel Tree of Light is a beer to be celebrated and enjoyed on a special occasion.

Waxed Chilled bottle poured into a treehouse sniffer, dark brown liquid, thin taupe layer that immediately fades to a ring

Aroma is bourbon, caramel, toffee, raisins

Taste is bourbon, caramel , toffee , dark fruits, figs, vanilla , umami, molasses

Thick , syrupy, rich, decadent mouthfeel ..is it a liquid? It us solid

Great beer

 

Cellarmaker Brewing Works and Days. A bourbon barrel-aged barleywine. It is a five-oak barrel blend consisting of 60% single oak-aged barleywine, 20% oak-aged barleywine, and 20% double oak-aged Munichwine. Courtesy of @Beersnake. The color is purely black, which I don't recall with other barrel-aged barleywines. There was zero foam. The smell is intense. It leads with cherry and vanilla, then follows with dates, dark chocolate, caramel, and tobacco, oak, and bourbon. The taste is incredibly complex. It starts with a pastry introduction, but transforms into maple syrup, raisin, dark chocolate, coffee, caramel, cinnamon, oak, and bourbon. It is absolutely delightful. The flavors are all very intense. It is sweet, but right where I like sweetness to be. This beer is in a different category from all other barrel-aged barleywines I have experienced. The mouthfeel is silky smooth, velvety, and creamy. The thickness is the sweet spot of drinkable, yet not too chewy. The carbonation is light. This beer is a masterpiece. Thank you for allowing me this pleasure, @Beersnake!

 

Seems we are on the same page.

 

Veronica Vaughn IPA at Dewey Beer in De. I’m road tripping and beer snagging. It’s listed as American IPA, 6.5. % abv, 70 ibu. Saturated sawdust wheat, loaded citrus hops, lasting mild bitterness. Cheers!