New Beer Weekend #252

Final beer of the day, and this is one I was excited about.

Thor's Smoked Hot Pepper Imperial Porter - Hammerheart Brewing - Ely, MN - Smoked Porter - 9.6%

I love spicy foods, and can handle a lot. This beer has no burn to it, the heat is just a warming feeling and flavor. Thick body, and dark baking chooclate flavor. This is damn good.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31326/104034/#navigation
4/5 rDev -6.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
From a 16oz can with no date on it.

This beer pours pitch black as night. There's no light that shines through the glass. There's a 2 finger brown head to the beer. The head has pretty damn good retention, and there's some clingy lacing on the glass.
Aroma has a good caramel cola aroma to the beer. I am not really getting any smoke in the aroma.
Taste - There's a good hit of chocolate up front. The chocolate has a roasted dark chocolate flavor to it, very little sweetness to it. There is a hint of heat from the peppers, and is not hot at all.
The pepper heat isn't spicy and doesn't burn. The heat is just warming. The beer has a nice thickness to it. Smooth feeling, and it doesn't have any booziness to it.
This is a very good beer. If you don't like heat, you might want to avoid it, but it isn't too hot at all.

All right, I'll be back for more new beers tomorrow. Cheers all!

 

Monkford, Wild Farmhouse Sour Ale aged in Cotes du Rhone Barrels. From Pomona Islands in the UK. Wife is prepping dinner at our AirBnB near Ike Kinswa.

750ml bottle served in a stemless wineglass. Bottled on 22/04/24 BBF 22/04/34. Bought it at Ladybirds in Tokyo a few weeks ago.

Pours clear bright yellow, little to no head, not still but not very active. Smell is tart, lemon and green grape fruity, damp wood and lots of funk.

Taste is similar, amps up the white wine vibe but also amps up general fruitiness and funky wood. Quite tart, though not as tart as it smells, more juicy than the nose suggested.

Mouthfeel is smooth, still. Overall, very nice.

 

With the cold weekend weather and Friday BA pour, I'll stick with the barrel-aged theme and review the two recently purchased BA stouts on hand while watching the Winnepeg Jets on one of the few OTA aired playoff games this season. Really hate the TNT/Max/et all playoff deal. You want your sport to not fall behind WNBA and MLS, keep it relevant and televised for all.

Boulevard Espresso Martini Stout

3.98/5 rDev -3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75



5/17/25 - (Bottle - Home) (Chicago, IL) Bottle Notes: Purchased May 6, 2025 at Beer on the Wall for $4.55 including tax. Wheated imperial milk stout with espresso. Made with Oddly espresso. Limited 2025 release. 12 oz bottled 1/25/25, best by 1/15/26. Brewed & bottled by Boulevard Brewing Company, Kansas City, Missouri.

Appearance: Poured all but the last two ounces into a smaller snifter, yielding a dark black with pitched dark brown hue impenetrable base, and brief tan white head that retreats to form a creamy ring around the rim and razor thin cover over about a third of the base. Very nice. 4.25

Aroma: Let warm for 15 minutes, yielding a very strong and quite excellent dark roast espresso aroma, with strong green pepper notes and faint dark chocolate. I like this to some extent, though not the complexity I expected, plus not sure if the pepper is due to storage over four months or intentional. Scoring higher for the intensity and espresso. 3.75

Taste: Espresso and green pepper continue their Spy vs. Spy battle. Bakers/dark chocolate follows with vanilla and milk weighing in. Much more complexity than the aroma yielded, still more green pepper notes than I imagine many would like, but I'm digging as is. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Body light and easy consistent with marking the milk stout vs. imperial stout. Green Pepper, lots of it, so if you don't like it, pass on this selection. A little spicy, digging the coffee notes, both of which balance out any milk stout / chocolate sweetness. Green pepper finish as this warms further, the ABV starting to kick in as well. 3.75

Overall: This drinks more like an aged coffee stout that turned to pepper. It is fresh, within the first four months of bottling. Not sure if storage prior to my purchase impacted, but this is not what I expected. While I enjoy, I'm deducting for the green pepper notes, but still a good score because I enjoy the espresso and other flavors which pop from time to time. 3.75

Have a West Coast BA collaboration planned to close out the weekend.

 

I had intended to get to the nearby brewery last night but got sidetracked, so tonight I went. Father & Sons Taproom & Brewery.
Took Google Maps to find the place; it’s hidden amongst a lot of warehouses that are not retail oriented. They have a Facebook page but no actual website, and parking is not intuitive. But I persevered and finally opened the door into a warehouse turned pub sort of vibe, has a long counter and about 6 tables.
They have a decent selection of beer on a chalkboard but only 4 of them are theirs- explains the “taproom” part of the name.
Fortunately for me, one of the 4 was a whiskey barrel aged stout that weighed in at 16%.

Didn’t see the pour, but it showed up in front of me stout black with mahogany highlights and a light brown head that started out a cm high and rather quickly dissipated.
The taste is intriguing; for a whiskey barrel aged stout it featured little barrel presence and even less whisky flavor, but what was there is espresso and dark chocolate and toasted bread; basic stout flavors writ large.
The feel is not what one expects for such an ABV, and without the barrel notes it’s basically a high octane imperial stout that drinks like a foreign export stout. As in way too easy to gulp.
OA, not amazing but really quite good. Still trying to figure out how they get 16% without any evidence in the taste. So in that regard, it is rather impressive.
Cheers all!

 

What's good for me, is sometimes I get inspired to ry something from a style I am less "excited" about, like hefeweizens, saisons, etc...

 

Welcome one and all to New Beer Sunday #1056. Near dawn taco run inspired me to change my planned beer to this Craft AAL from a local favorite brewery.

Pipeworks Beer

3.89/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4



5/18/25 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Purchased May 6, 2025 at Beer on the Wall for $3.42 including tax. No can date, distributed the week ended 4/28/25. 4.4% ABV, Lager Beer. Label art by Beejay Olson. Pipeworks Brewing Company. Brewed & canned in Chicago, Illinois.

Appearance: Poured about 12 ounces into a shaker pint glass, yielding an un-filtered light yellow golden base, creamy white bright white head which dissipates without a trace beyond a razor thin layer over the base and slightly more around the rim. 3.75

Aroma: Bread, cracker, salt and pepper. Getting both sweetness and bittering hops, medium plus strength, higher enjoyment. 4.0

Taste: Tastes consistent with the aroma, though a bit more hoppy than expected and quite salty, though I'm chalking that up to my weird salt sensitive palate. Strong flavors, covers all the aroma highlights. Enjoying. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Crisp, clean, refreshing. Drinks lighter than the ABV. Sustained visible and slightly prickly carbonation throughout. Balanced to slight hoppy edge, cracker salt pepper finish. 4.0

Overall: This is a light and easy beer, good craft version of an AAL. Comes as expected, flavors popping nicely. 4.0

Hope everyone has a great beer to close out the weekend, and that we get a full four day Memorial Day Weekend thread to celebrate the end of May.

 

It sucks that they lost last night, I love and hate game 7's so I'm a little anxious but also a little excited about what the Leafs are on the verge of tonight.

As per the streaming, yea playoffs I have to pay for sling to get them all.

But...good deal for regular season that cannot be beat $11 a month gets you the entire regular season for ALL the teams, except the locally televised ones that are blacked out. Considering that is all I watch from Oct-April it is a steal of a streaming service, and bonus if you like soccer it gets you a lot of La Liga and Bundesliga too.

Sorry to interrupt our normal beer discussion, Go Leafs Go, and hope to see you all later in some capacity.

 

Oi! from Godspeed Brewery

Poured a 355ml can into a pint glass. A one finger tan head on a very slightly hazy copper. The head soon diminishes to a ring.

Caramel malts in the nose. Some apple. The taste follows the nose with caramel, Toffee. Some orchard fruit comes through as it warms. A long lightly hopped caramel finish.

Very Smooth. A medium light body and carbonation. Overall a fine English Bitter. Well worth a try.

3.85/5 rDev +0.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

 

Poured into a 20 oz giant Avery Tulip glass bottled on 7/31/24. Pours near midnight black with a 3 plus finger mocha head that leaves a few brown bubbles of lace with excellent retention. 4.75

Aroma is woody oak, vanilla bean, massive bourbon, molasses, dark chocolate, black coffee, and did I mention some booze? So much going on with this one. 4.5

Taste is even better, woody oaked vanilla, dark chocolate, bourbon, toffee, coffee grounds, molasses, and the alcohol lingers a bit in the finish, exceptional. 4.75

Mouthfeel is above average, gentle carbonation, a touch dry, a slow sipper at 14%, but still rather approachable do to all the insane flavors banging around. 4.75

Overall this was a rather insane beer experience. These monsters are not for everyone, but damn a very special Stout! 4.5 Cheers all.

 

La Brasserie Seillonne (France) ‘Le Sychopathe’ CBD infused Blonde Ale. The CBD comes from Weaders CBS Shop, here in Toulouse.

Sunday farmer’s market is a big deal in France. I go to the one near me, held on a closed off street that leads to Eglise St. Aubin, a church built in 1847. There are hundreds of vendors selling to thousands of people, rain or shine. You can find everything from farm fresh local cheese to Vietnamese cooking to, well, CBD infused beer.,.

I bought this one from a guy selling loads of CBD products, touting relief from all sorts of maladies - but mostly pain relief and promoting relaxation.

The beer is 6% abv, has a little weedy aroma to it. Taste brings a tart, but not quite sour note. There is no weedy taste. In fact, it’s kinda bland and spritzy. I don’t feel any different, but won’t say ‘snake oil’, either. I’ll call it refreshing and give the benefit of doubt to the seller.
I’m a go catch a nap soon as I finish this cookie.

 

4.37/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
2024 Batch #7 (14.5% abv, aged in bourbon & port wine barrels), courtesy of @Roguer as part of the '25 Stout/BW BIF.

First things first, big fan of the dipped bottle that has an almost rubber/latex consistency as opposed to traditional hard wax. Pours black with some murky sediment toward the last couple ounces. Minimal head... the head that was there was gone before I could snap a photo and it turned into a ring of bubbles. No lacing. Nose is sweet with notes of vanilla, maraschino cherry, brandy, and raisin. As things warm, there is a faint maple note. Taste captures probably 70% of what the nose brings to the table. Port barrels provide a nice sweetness that helps moderate the boozy element to this (my guess is aging this at least 18 months would round things out but I'm only speculating). Following the nose, there are notes of maraschino cherry, vanilla, figs and bourbon makes an appearance that wasn't detected in the nose. Mouthfeel is moderately carbonated with a buttery/oily slickness. Finish is ends somewhat bittersweet (sweetness of port but with some char bitterness).

 

Good Sunday morning NBS/nbw and thanks @Beersnake for the thoughful start this week

I do some homework mostly based on the brewers history and past offerings. There is always this site and the WBAYDN thread to help. I do not trade beer, so when travelling its usually just winging it. That said I have had good success with finding enjoyable offerings in a wide range of styles.

Todays offering is from Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton Ma, Yesterday was the brewery's 11th anniversary.
I picked up Mill District Pale Ale.
In full disclosure I had this offering as a one off a few years ago.
English Style as advertised, nice malty base with age on American Oak staves. This adds a woody, earthy compliment to the rich malt base, and earthy hops.
A winner from a very good brewer

Mill District

English Pale Ale | 5.3% ABV
Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton, Massachusetts

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.11/5 rDev 0% | Average: 4.11
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from a 16 oz can dated 5/15/25 into the test glass
A - Murky dark tan color. Thin off white cap recedes quickly, lacing is impeccable!
S - English malts, some earthy hops, EKG is my guess, There is a woody thread likely from the oak conditioning. Add the slightest hint or orange peel. Lovely aromatics
T - Hints of toffee, earthy hops, and roasty malt. multi grain toast, and again the faintest hint of orange
M - Excellnt texture, with a smooth feel, round on the palate, with a slightly bitter finish. The Oak treatment seems to have softened the texture a bit.
O - Lovely Pale Ale, English in style for sure and a welcome take on that style.
Just what the doctor ordered, nice body, great flavors, easy to drink.

 

Reading the words Easthampton gave me all sorts of feels, Northampton has been our stopping point to Vermont for years on our way up and back. We love it so much, Look Park gives us a nice break and picnic stop. So many great coffee places and beautiful classic Old New England, thanks for the thoughts

 

A beautiful, though cold Sunday morning here in central Minnesota. I am enjoying this beer this morning.

Coconut Porter - Avery Brewing - Boulder, CO - 10.4%

This beer is from the mid 2010's, so it has some age on it. I have never had it fresh, but I'd say it has held up very well. The flavors maybe have muted a bit, but not much. Delicious.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30/275489/
3.97/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
From a 22oz bottle. No date on the bottle, but I know it's an older vintage from the mid 2010's.

There was a huge hiss and smoke upon opening the bottle. This beer does pour pitch black into the glass, with no chance of light shining through. There's a good deal of carbonation in this beer and it produces a 2 finger tan colored head. This head looks quite soft and creamy with tiny bubbles. The head retention is quite good, and there's some beautiful sticky lacing on the glass.
The aroma is a pleasing mix of the bourbon barrels, chocolate notes, and coconut. If any aromas have fallen off, I do not notice them.
The flavor starts out with a hit of bourbon flavors. They mellow out and a bit of dark chocolate shows up on my taste buds. The beer does finish with a nice hit of coconut flavor. These flavors doe work well together, though do seem muted, but I can guess it's because of the age on the bottle.
The body is so damn smooth. It has a very creamy feeling to it. There's a slight burn up front when the barrel flavors hit, but very slight. Nice thickness.
I would say that the flavor has fallen off slightly, but I have no frame of reference here. No matter what, this is a delicious beer even though it has age on it. So glad I bought it.


I am pretty sure there's at least one more in me, but I will sip on this for awhile. Cheers!

 

Greetings, fellow NBWers,

Thanks to @Beersnake for making us Pacific Time Zone slackers look good.

As to his question: I do both. Sometimes I grab stuff in the heat of the moment, and sometimes, particularly if the beer is a bit spendy, I'll look online to get a quick look at how it's been received by others before I gamble.

Today, it's a chilly, although mostly sunny day in the wilds of Spokanistan. I'm currently uploading breakfast at a quaint little place that sits in the shadow of St. John's cathedral. It's 46°, and in a few hours I'll be meeting friends at Big Barn Brewing, located north of Spokane in an area of many u-pick farms (and at least three breweries) collectively known as Greenbluff. My friend Avery is competing in a mountain bike race that starts and ends there, and has invited a bunch of us to gather to celebrate at the finish line. In addition to Big Barn, I'm hoping to stop by at least one other brewery out there. I suspect at least one beer I haven't had before will be consumed.

Yesterday, I had one new beer, courtesy of Russian River, which is now seeing distribution here at Community Pint.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/863/695366/?ba=woemad#lists
Pretty good southern hemisphere hopped IPA. Stops just short of great because of a crushed pill-like bitterness on the back end that didn't fit with the rest of the beer.

I'll be back with something from today's activities.