New Beer Weekend #260

RAR Out Of Order Raspberry Gummy Dog Fruited sour, 5% ABV. Pours opaque medium-red with a half-finger pink head that left puree residue. Aroma is raspberry gummy bears. Taste is raspberry and that gelatin flavor that's distinctively gummy bears, quite sweet, slightly tart. Excellent smooth mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.24/5 rDev +1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

Watching the Scottish Open and enjoying this nice IPA from Bell's.
A dark gold color. One inch white head that persisted. Some pretty lace.
Aroma of citrus and pine.
Some grapefruit in the taste, but pine resin predominates.
Persistently (and pleasantly) bitter.

 

Final new beer of this weekend. I can't wait to see you all next weekend for more new beers, and I wish I could make the trek to Green Bay, WI for the BA meet up at @GreenBayBA 's residence. I may take a short road trip next weekend, but not such a long one, but I have a strong desire to hit up new places that are out of the way.

Jormungandr's - Hammerheart Brewing - Ely, MN - Rye Beer - 6.3%

Wow, I am a rye fan, and this really hits the spot. The flavor is quite sharp and very full bodied. This is delicious. I am a huge fan of the brewery and am excited for their next beer drop.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31326/746184/
4.21/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
From a 16oz can with no date on it.

This is a dark amber colored beer in the glass. the beer has a bit of clarity to it when I hold it to the light. The head is a nice sized 2 finger tan color. Very fluffy and frothy looking, and has great retention and very clingy looking lacing on the glass.
Holy cow the aroma is a total rye bomb here. This scent is just off the charts with it. No smoke in the aroma that Hammerheart is known for, but I'm good with it. Very pleasing with floral notes as well.
The sharp flavor of the rye hits right away. This is a pleasing flavor to me. I actually get a faint hint of a smoked malt in the middle, but I don't think they smoked the malts here. There's dark chocolate notes and dark fruit hints on the back.
The body seems to have a feeling that builds. Very full overall. Smooth. Clingy feeling.
Wow, this is one heck of a beer. I know rye malts can be divisive for some, but, if you're at all a fan of rye, you should try this beer.

See you all the next time this virtual NBW bar opens. Cheers!

 

They were the newer 375 ml bottles so 2 bottles isn't too bad.

 

Back with a second new one for the weekend. As we've discussed on these pages before, none of us really know what makes one of these Jack's Abby Modern lagers modern. I was thinking it would be coolpooling like we saw with some others and there would be big hop aromas. Nope. This one is open fermented and krausened, giving it a sourdough vibe and awesome feel.

Hope you all have a good week BAs and hope to see you back here next weekend.


Jack's Abby Modern Fest
5.9% Festbier/Wiesnbier



Pours clear, bright yellow with a two-finger bright white and pillowy head that lingers as a coating.

I get predominantly malt aromas: bread dough and biscuit at the fore, also very slightly toasted white bread, a bit of honey. There are subtle floral and citrus notes as well.

The taste is great. The sip starts bright with white bread and honey. It quickly moderates down, first to toasted white bread and cracker and then to biscuit and sourdough bread dough as bitterness builds. Starting in the middle of the sip, I get hints of lemon that builds to the finish, which also has grass and earth bitterness mixed with honey and white bread again.

The feel is incredible. The carb is fairly high but extremely fine, giving a champagne-like feel that coats the mouth; but it finishes dry, leaving the palate refreshed and ready for the next sip.

This beer says Jack's Abby to me all day long. It has that classic pale malt profile with mild Noble hop bitterness on the end and a dry finish. It's the carb that does it for me, though. The extremely fine bubbles help meld everything together and gives the beer an exquisite, non-syrupy mouth-coating feel. They nailed their signature on this one: good and sometimes subtle flavor while being a pleasure to drink.

 

Well, unfortunately I won't be adding a beer this weekend, unless there is some change of events. I was gonna sneak to Tonewood for their new 3.8% jasmine rice lager but they get packed on weekends and parking is a pain so I'll wait for a weeknight or weekend at opening.

I did just stop somewhere to fit our Canadian theme and try and find some Unibroue Wit but unfortunately none was to be found.

Sorry friends, I made an effort but I'll work on clearing out leftovers from our Fourth of July parade hosting event and hopefully have something new to share next weekend.

Cheers Everyone!

 

All their modern lager labels remind of New Years Eve parties and champagne.

 

Visited Tilted Barn yesterday and left with a variety of 5 4-packs.

3.57/5 rDev -17.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5
Purchased yesterday at the source cold and kept cold until served. Poured to a ultra fancy tulip-like glass from a 16oz undated can.
The body is light apricot in color and completely opaque. A three-finger head sits after the pour and fades over a few minutes to a film and a 6mm/1/4” glass hugging ring. Lacing is moderate but modern art-like. Lacing stays on the glass for a long time.
The aroma is of grapefruit with a mild onion background.
The taste is similar and pleasant on the front end but the finish is all alcohol and hop burn.
The mouthfeel is creamy and coating.
I had good hopes for this beer, but the finish is off putting.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. I enjoy sampling collaborations. Sometimes they exceed expectations but frequently they aren't as good as either collaborator's best work. When I saw a fresh (canned on 6/30) hazy collab between Other Half and Fidens, I couldn't say no. All-bany Everything is hopped with Citra, Citra Cryo, Citra Hyperboost, Nectaron, Nectaron Cryo, Nelson Sauvin, and Nelson Sauvin Hop Kief. Nectaron is a "hot" hop at the moment and many brewers use it to make tropical bombs. Other Half and Fidens avoided that temptation. They also handled the Nelson deftly. This DIPA leads with the Citra but the Nectaron and Nelson add great depth of flavor without overpowering.

It is opaque and pastel orange-yellow in color with a finger cap of creamy, milk-white foam and thick, swirling lacing. Lovely pour! The fragrant nose includes lemon, lime, grapefruit, pineapple, white wine, and some tropical scents. It opens with tart citrus, including grapefruit, lemon, and lime. I can taste the Nelson hops but they are mild. The tropical fruit notes appear as the ale warms a little but they remain in the background. There is mild bitterness throughout. The mouth feel is moderately thick and creamy with appropriate carbonation, and like many Other Half DIPAs the ABV (in this case 8.5%) is well-hidden. Overall, this is a very tasty and enjoyable southern hemisphere IPA from two of the best brewers on the east coast.

4.32/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I'll be back shortly with an Imperial Stout that I'm excited to review. Cheers!

 

Yeah I like the script they use on these to set them apart from the usual offerings. I thought the label for this one was particularly festive...

 

Back again with another Tilted Barn Purchase. This is Libby, claimed to be an American Blonde Ale and named after their blonde daughter. The can says they make it with a different hop each batch. This one is Idaho 7.


Purchased yesterday at the source cold and kept cold until served. Poured to an pretentious tulip-like glass from a 16oz can dated 07/02/25 and “IDAHO 7”.
The body is very light apricot in color (let’s say blonde) and kind of opaque, even mild light from behind brightens the glass. A three-finger large-bubble head sits after the pour and fades over a few minutes to a ring. Lacing is moderate to low but falls over time.
The aroma is slightly citrus rind, some pine and a sense of malt.
The taste is also citrus but not overpowering as this beer has a malt balance. This beer is pretty sweet for a Blonde Ale.
The mouthfeel is coating for the style and carbonation seems a little heavy.
Not bad, very crushable. My only complaint is that it's not really a Blonde Ale, more like a lower ABV NEIPA.

 

Looks awesome. Just checked the closest Treehouse and they don’t have this, but there are other interesting options.
Also, awesome glass.

 

Next up is Sundae Sauce, an American Imperial Stout brewed by Pipeworks in Chicago. Most of the beers I've had from Pipeworks have been IPAs but one of my go-to bottle shops brings in Stouts. This one is barrel-aged and brewed with cherries, vanilla, lactose, cocoa nibs, and pecan. A single can cost me $9.99 and I honestly figured it was 50/50 cloying mess/drain pour. But I was happily surprise. Other than the watery mouth feel, this is quite good.

I let it warm to almost room temperature. It is virtually ink black. The foamy, medium-mocha-colored head fizzled away very quickly leaving a modest ring. The first aroma I smell is cherry, along with cocoa, vanilla, and subtle but noticeable bourbon. If you like dark fruit, then this Stout is for you. It opens like a Black Forest cake with chocolate and cherry but it isn't overly sweet. In fact, the cherry is pleasantly tart. The sweetness comes from the cocoa nibs, vanilla, and lactose. The pecan presence is subtle at first but as I sip it becomes more noticeable. In fact, the flavors blend really well. There is a strong barrel influence, which contributes additional sweetness. And it is noticeably boozy. For such a big (13.9% ABV) Stout the mouth feel is not very thick. And it is a slow sipper for sure. Overall, a lesser brewer could have made a mess of Sundae Sauce but it is tasty and worth trying.

4.21/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Have a great week, everyone. Cheers, NBW!

 

@MacMalt I’ll be finally reviewing my first Magnify sometime soon. Medford is open! I may sneak over on a weeknight and enjoy the peace and quiet.

 

Heater Allen - Lenzbock

16oz can served in a sample glass. Canned on 05/08/25. Bought it two days ago at Chuck's Hop Shop Seward Park.

Pours clear dark gold with a medium or smaller head, fairly still-looking. Smell is rich grainy lager with earthy bitterness in the background, switching spots when I change the focus of my attention. Something honeysuckle-y, maybe some corn bread.

Taste is way more on the bitter side than I expected. Screams of earthy and grapefruit rind bitterness, but powerful honeysuckle and sweet bread, strong lager tang.

Mouthfeel is smooth, maybe a bit heavier than I would have expected. Overall, very tasty beer, though wouldn't necessarily call it refreshing.

 

Hey everyone. Don’t know much about this but I believe that’s a prerequisite here anyhow.

browar ambar - Johannes



Tasty old pint. It’s got the “polish” lager flavor, their somewhat malty sort of sugary blend you find in the stuff that’s not as pale. I am a fan of that flavor so I suppose my bias means I will enjoy this one.

Mouthfeel I think is what’s ultimately the big thing here. It’s lively and full. The hop character, what there is, plays underneath. There’s some smidge of a noble hop undercurrent but it’s passive. And I can definitely imagine sipping on a few pints on a warm evening while the grill is going. That happens to be the current conditions.

Not much more to say. Certainly worth grabbing a single and enjoying.

 

Welcome back home @snaotheus

 

I hope it's a great experience. The owner lives in the Philly area now and I anticipate that Medford will be the nerve center. But I don't want to see Mag shut down the Fairfield brewery/tasting room.

 

Nose is clean, mild spice and malt sugar.

Tastes very clean. Expertly brewed. Does exactly what it intends to. Malt upfront. Body is medium to full. Finish is long with a very unique herbal vegetal note that springs off the tongue. It’s almost tannic. Noble. No sweetness which is actually outstanding in the style. While you wish to pound these - you can’t. The flavor is expressive and loud, I begs for your attention. Amazing!