New Beer Weekend #256

New Big Stout Weekend at my place:

Saint Arnold's 30th Anniversary Grand Cru • American imperial stout • 16.8% ABV
(June 2024 released date, I believe)

This beer has spent between 2-4 years in bourbon/whiskey casks then more time in Tokaji, Madeira and Port barrels. The upshot is a very sweet, very dark experience with notes as sweet and light as milk chocolate and vanilla and as dark as charred wood and burnt raisins. The relatively flat pour sucked — I swear I'm having the worst time with bottled beer the past couple months — but everything else is right in line with a big barreled stout, including a thick oily mouthfeel.

I like it a lot ... if anything, the thing holding me back from scoring it higher is that there's so much flavor packed in so tight it's hard to discern individual notes. It's easy to tell it's a big ol' stout made for sipping slowly, and I'm enjoying it.

Official review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/337/705572/?ba=Premo88#review
3.99 (-10.8% rDev)

Cheers!

 

Cheers my fellow NBWers.

3.75/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Packaged April 7, 2025 - enjoyed on June 15th, 2025 - poured from a 12oz can into my Radeberger pokal.

Pale aureolin/vanilla body, lightly hazy with a lasting short stand of off-white foam. Fine sandy lacing; good retention.

Mild candied fruit aroma - subdued.

Moderately sweet and bitter with notes of brioche and marmalade. Crackery and herbaceous. Medium dry finish.

Light bodied yet creamy - well carbonated.

Refreshing, albeit divergent from the style.

 

Having Sgt. Molly from 13 Stripes Brewing in the greater Greenville, SC area. This is an American Pale Wheat Beer. I have not had this style for a very long time and literally had to look up what examples i have reviewed (yea, getting older makes it tough to remember).
Anyway, onto the review:

3.71/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Picked up a single from the brewery cooler while visiting 5-17-25 for $2.33. No canning date; consumed 6-15-25. Cold stored since purchase.

Beer poured deep gold with a nice white head with the original pour.

Not much to the nose, just getting the wheat malt base with a hint of citrus.

Taste is pretty good as the wheat malt base gives a touch sprouted wheat bread. The hopping is straight forward and gives me some grapefruit. Finishes with slight abrasive hoppiness but comes across pretty clean.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied and refreshing.

Overall, a pretty solid beer for a warm muggy afternoon.
Cheers!
Tom

 

The brewery calls it an American lager.

 

Happy Father’s Day BAs! I had this beer on tap at the brewery yesterday and we liked it so much I got a crowler to go - “Nectaron IPA” single hopped, brewed and canned at Holy Whale Brewing, Alma, NB, Canada:



Pale gold; excellent clarity; very good cap retention; solid ring; medium heavy lace. Aroma of sweet nectarines/peaches. Taste follows nose with a firm malt base (i.e. not sweet). Medium light body; moderate minus carbonation. Overall, the best single hopped Nectaron IPA I’ve had yet; delicious!

4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5
Score 4.5 rDev 0 I added beer to data base.

Pity I didn’t get another crowler…we gladly would drink more. Cheers y’all!

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. Regarding @bbtkd's question, I am often asked why I take notes while drinking a beer at a brewery or restaurant. I guess it appears eccentric. I usually explain that reviewing a beer forces me to question and consider what I am smelling/tasting/feeling - rather than just swigging it. It slows me down which allows the beer's flavors to develop. I tell them that drinking a good beer is similar to drinking a good wine. Most times I doubt that I convince my inquisitor.

This afternoon's new beer #1 is Chai Ded Moroz from Rushing Duck Brewing Co., in Chester (Orange County), New York. The base is Ded Moroz, Rushing Duck's annual Russian Imperial Stout release. This variant is barrel-aged and conditioned on chai spices. Many brewers have trouble with cinnamon but RD has handled it well. I added this Stout to the BA database in January 2025 with the full intention of reviewing it then but for whatever reason I'm finally getting down to it.

A dark mahogany color with a frothy light mocha head that fizzles away rapidly. The smell is fragrant with the chai spicing leading the way along with dark chocolate, freshly brewed coffee, tobacco smoke, caramel, char, and a whiff of dark fruit. The taste follows - strong cinnamon bitterness gives way to fairly sweet chocolate and acidic coffee. There are other sweet notes deep in the background, including black cherry. The barrel influence is noticeable but not distracting; it doesn't come across as boozy. Letting the Stout breathe in the glass allows the chai to mellow and the other flavors to develop. The Stout is moderate in body and fairly carbonated for the style. The 11.2% ABV is not overpowering.

4.24/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Cheers!

 

I've had this "gift" from @TCgenny for about 5 or 6-weeks. However I had a lingering food poisoning issue that just wouldn't quit. I could drink beer, that did not effect it, but the thought of a sour I just couldn't fathom.
I'm health now so here we go. Hydra Blue Milk from Mortalis. Here is the brewery's description.
This Fruited Smoothie Sour is brewed in celebration of May the fourth. We have blended blue raspberry, strawberry, pineapple, cream, and coconut together to form just one of this monster’s many heads.
The other side of the can has Banthas throwing rainbows in a typical Moratlis artwork.
After this I am going back to a Heady Topper as a pallet cleanser.


3.32/5 rDev -23.5%
look: 2.5 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Gifted cold from a fellow BA and kept cold until served. Poured to a Nonic glass from an undated 16-oz. can.
The beer is milky-baby blue with a hint of green, completely opaque and headless. I actually could not do the full pour right away because it kind of creeped me out.
The aroma is a strong fruit candy, raspberry, coconut and starch for some reason.
The taste is actually okay, if you're in the mood. Raspberry/ coconut Jolly rancher with extra sweetness thrown in. But the finish gives a pucker.
The mouthfeel is a little heavy, with a slight chalkiness.
Not a style I ever choose, but I tried to rate it to that style. I am sure there is a niche market for this.

 

NBS #2 is Queen City on Congress Street, a 7.2% New England IPA collaboration between Tin Barn Brewing and Trillium. It is basically a mash-up of Tin Barn's singled hopped Queen Citra and Trillium's renowned Congress Street, which showcases Australian Galaxy hops. While Tin Barn has an excellent reputation for hazies, I credit Trillium for putting the reputation of one of its flagships on the line. The result is a fine NEIPA in its own right.

Canned on 5/29/2025. It is a dense, opaque, dirty pastel orange color with a full finger cap of creamy, bright white foam and a thick coating of lacing. A very pretty pour. The smell is big and fruity with notes of grapefruit, lime, orange, pineapple, and other tropical fruit. Its taste draws on the Citra and Galaxy hops and balances tart grapefruit, lemon, and lime against the sweetness of tangerine/orange, peach, and tropical fruits. The Galaxy hops add a strong dose of pine sap but there is little noticeable malt presence. The hops provide strong, clean bitterness. Quite refreshing! Its best quality is its mouth feel: nicely thick and creamy with pleasant carbonation, and I like that the ABV is only 7.2. The brewers resisted the temptation to go big. A second pour is not a problem. Overall, Tin Barn and Trillium coaxed a lot of flavor from a simple hop combination. Congress Street is a renowned American IPA and this collaboration does no disservice to its reputation.

4.33/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Have a great week, everyone. Cheers, NBW!

 

Sounds like an awesome road trip

 

Mad Rooster Beer Co. English Chicken ESB, 5.6% ABV; 3.87 overall


Pours an effervescent hazel with a thin tan head, rapidly disappears. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Fruity, caramel notes hints of apple pie

T: Follows the nose, a bit dry with woody & leafy hops up front. A touch of toastyness,& toffee a little pear with leafy hops & dryness as this beer warms, some tea flavors/tannins as well. Finishes with woody & leafy hops, some toastyness & toffee

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, decent balance, carbonation could be a bit more

True to style, drinks easy enough

 

Happy NBS!

Having a very tasty/juicy NEDIPA from Weldwerks Brewing (CO).

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38773/565022/?ba=Wasatch#lists

Cheers!

 

Popping in to say happy pap's day to all the dudes, may you have a good beer to celebrate.

KCBC Cats Love Death Metal - Solid enough hazy IPA, tropical and strong on the grapefruit. As hazies are still enjoyable enough, just not my apparent preference at this point.

Got some sausage and pierogis cooked up, ready to make a Sunday of it. Na zdrowie.

Eh I forgot - since the tasting notes suggest cats and Gojira...

 

Mad Rooster Silent Riot Sabro IPA, 4.6% ABV; 3.77 overall

Pours an effervescent gold with one finger of pearl colored head. Pretty good head retention & lacing

S: Melons & traces of citrus

T: Follows the nose, green melons & cantaloupe, a little dryness up front, a touch of pomelo & a bit of breadyness. Grassyness, green melons & a little dryness as this beer warms up. Finishes a little dry with green melon & pomelo

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, pretty good balance

This is a little low in ABV for my liking but drinks easy enough. Decent single hop showcase

 

Howdy NBSers!
TRVE Nazareth DIPA. 8%
Canned 4.08.25

My 500th review (finally)... should be more like 50,000 at this point in my life, but you know, a job, a life, a wife, and all the distractions of the 20th and 21st century.

3.92/5 rDev +5.1%

look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L - crystalline, bubbly, good head development, foam, lacing. YES. Might be the best thing about the beer.
S - This surprised me; given the mix of hops, of Columbus, Strata, Idaho 7, Belma, Meridian (4/08/25 batch), I kind of expected "more" on the nose and taste from this beer. Could just be that they moved production to the New Image facility in Arvada, or it could be the specific hop bill, anyway, what I get is bread, a little cut grass, but not much of a floral hop profile, and almost no pine (sad face). There's a whiff of strong cracker as it warms, but come on, this isn't a pilsner. Let's go, TRVE!?
T - Again, muted for the 8% ABV and the strange mix of hops here; it is a perfectly well made DIPA, but not one that stands out in any way unlike some of their standard IPAs (hello, Tunnel, hello Scorn even). More bread, smooth hops, a little hint of dankness (it's supposed to be their 4/20 beer). But yeah, a bit let down.
F - Gorgeous mouthfeel like any other TRVE beer; this is balanced, no hop burn, and smooth AF. You could put down pints of this stuff before you realize it's 8% and then be in trouble. Carbonation on point.
O - This was a surprise for me; every beer I've had from TRVE has been at or near world-class. This one? I'm not sure, but I think they could easily change the hop bill to give it more character with some Simcoe, or Nelson involved.

 

Happy Father's Day, all you New Beer enthusiasts.

I got out for some trail walking today. Great weather for it this weekend, and I covered some ground I hadn't explored before. Afterwards, I went to one of my favorite taphouses and had a New Beer which caught me by surprise in the best way.



Grand Fir Coleman Wild NW Pale Ale
Enjoyed on draft at Noble Hop Bierhaus in Hillsboro, OR. Served in an English-style tulip pint.

Look:
Bright yellow-gold with amazing clarity. The cap of off-white foam is fed by streams of tiny bubbles rising from the bottom of the glass. Good retention, minimal lacing.

Smell:
Juicy citrus, sweet berry mix, and a little sticky pine. There's also a little whiff of that "tropical diesel" character I get from Mosaic hops.

Taste:
WOW! The nose zigs, the flavor zags. It leads with a bright woody/floral note that I can't remember ever experiencing before. It's wonderful! Underneath is a tangy citrus flavor like slightly undersweetened lemonade. It works beautifully with the woody top note. The middle is subtly piny and earthy. The woody character resurfaces in the finish and leans a little more floral. The citrus turns to blueberry lemonade, a couple noches sweeter and more fruity than the citrus flavor at the beginning. There's a little toasty, biscuity malt in the aftertaste.

Feel:
Medium-bodied with invigorating carbonation. Drying, moreish finish makes me crave the next sip.

Overall:
I've been drinking and enjoying craft beer for a lot of years, and it's pretty rare for a beer to surprise me at this point. But the prominent woody/floral flavors in Coleman Wild caught me completely off-guard and gave me something I didn't even know I was missing. Lip-smacking, distinctive, just superb. One of the best beers I've had so far this year in any style.

I was going to head somewhere else for my next beer, but instead I'm going to have another pint of Coleman Wild right now.

 

4.11/5 rDev +5.4%

look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 ounce can dated 5-15-25 into a tulip glass at 53 degrees.

Look- Pale gold, very hazy, plentiful small visible particulate, white creamy head, above average head retention, average lacing.

Smell- Clementine, peach, pithy, between medium and high strength of scent.

Taste- Clementine, pith, lemon, peach, between medium and high strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, average carbonation, moderately bitter, mildly dry finish, mildly astringent, moderately creamy.

Overall- Pale gold with plentiful small visible particulate and above average head retention. Bouquet was a nice mix of clementine, pith and peach. Flavor was clementine, pith, lemon and peach. The pithiness added a slight astringency that detracted from the experience. The feel was highlighted by medium body, moderate bitterness and a mildly dry finish. Again, the astringency was a mild detractor. Overall this was an enjoyable and solid beer that delivered a good drinking experience.

 

Hello NBW
I'm struggling with Imgur at the moment, so probably no pictures.

The beer is Hoppin Frog Pentuple which they describe as a new style of "supercharged" trippel.


8.45oz can BEST BY JAN 25 2034 poured into a tulip glass at fridge temp 15.1% ABV. The beer pours bright medium amber with light khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and scattered tiny bubbles. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring boozey malt, sweet orchard fruit and floral notes. The taste is semisweet plus, bordering on cloying, with trippel on steroids vibes as advertised. There are cloves, apple, pear, banana, candi sugar and persistent, yet palatable, ethanol. Minimal bitterness. The feel is sticky, medium plus bodied with low carbonation and a slick finish that may not be for everyone. I think they pushed right to the line and it still works. Overall, very good beer.