New Beer Weekend #264

I love Fair Isle, fantastic funky Saisons all around. I saw this at Premium Draught the other day but passed on it. Partly because of the price, and partly because I have to be in a particular mood for a fruited wild ale. Not that Fair Isle couldn't make, or hasn't done really good fruited wild ales, but its not the automatic buy like seeing Cantillon or 3 Fonteinen would be (I know different styles, but spiritually similar ha, and that price point oh my). So, not that I wouldn't enjoy this, but was hoping for some thoughtful review on it before I made a purchase...not that this would be a bad one to get at all. but I might stick with some of the other really good Saisons they have done, and I know I already love, instead...

 

Rating my first Cellarest Beer Project (West Asheville, NC) brew. This one is called Conifery which is a German Pilsner that rested in oak puncheons with spruce tips. I have had their draft wares at a festival and on tap last week with all samples being very nice.

Onto the review:

4.35/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Picked up a 16 oz can from the taproom cooler 8-4-25 for $6.30. No canning date but given its occasional appearance it was packaged in late July; consumed for review 8-10-25. Cold stored since purchase.

Beer poured clear gold with a very nice white head.

Nose is bready, herbal, and grassy.

Taste brings a light pale malt that gives me some white bread. Hopping brings an earthiness, and a faint touch of lemon. Finishes with a dry woodiness from the 6-week rest in oak puncheons with a touch of pine along with some citrus zest; 7/10 on my bitterness scale. No trace of sweetness.

Mouthfeel is light bodied finishing clean and is very refreshing.

Overall, this is a very nice representation of the German Pilsner style with a slight twist to the normal approach with the spruce tips addition which enhanced this brew for me as it put the bitterness level at WCIPA levels.
Cheers!
Tom

 

I'm alive, I've seen signs of life from @Resistance88 @2beerdogs and @Beersnake, so I think we all survived California Winter Beer Festival.


Legendary line-up, legendary company, it was a fantastic night that I will remember forever (well...at least the part of the night up until around the time we opened Black Tuesday). I'm glad they decided to put up with me.

 

FWIW, I'd say, yes ... stick with the saison you know and love vs. this particular beer, especially if you're expecting something from the fruit. I'm glad I bought it and will try more from Fair Isle, but I think I might generally steer clear of fruited wild ales unless I know their freshness. I've had much more success with that type of beer when it's relatively fresh (close to 3 months old or younger).

Also, I'd say always do what you think you should around the saisons/wild ales/farmhouse ales and *never* do what I say. Not even kidding really ... your knowledge of the style combined with how in tune you are with your own preferences in the style suggest you know what you're doing, no advice or outside direction needed.

Not a new-to-me beer, but I'm about to crack open a Duchesse that's been living in my fridge way, waaaay too long.

 

when i was double cupping the Double Black and Black Tuesday i knew i was in trouble

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Savorers and commentators. The weather has been spectacular this weekend. The only problem is that we could use some rain. New Beer #1 this afternoon is Pulses, a New England IPA brewed by nearby Untied Brewing Company. The hop bill isn't noted on the can or on the website. I wanted to ask the brewer when I bought the cans earlier this week but he wasn't available. And nothing is obvious to me. I'm guessing there is Citra but beyond that I cannot tell.

It pours an opaque, pastel orange with a half finger cap of creamy, bright white foam and very thick lacing. The bright, fruity nose includes peach, lemon, clementine, pineapple, and just a subtle whiff of berry. The taste has a bit less sweetness than the smell predicted. Instead, it leads with tart lemon and grapefruit. Only as it warms a little do I taste the peach and stone fruit but they are subtle. The "unknown" hop bill provides clean, lingering bitterness. This ale has a soft, plush mouth feel with pleasant carbonation, and at 6.2% ABV it is highly drinkable - especially on a hot August afternoon. Overall, Pulses is a solid New England IPA. I wish the peach and stone fruit were more prominent in the taste.

4.15/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Untied is very adept at brewing hazies and I'll admit I'm spoiled. Cheers!

 

@Beersnake needs to enter this bad boy into the DB

 

You gents were awesome company. And the lineup shown here...stellar. We did indeed survive. Liver is definitely angry at me. But how does one say no to an opportunity to partake in a share like this?!?

 

Serious beer people in Connecticut are pretty excited that NEBCO just purchased the fantastic taproom and brewery that used to be Stony Creek. This was in the back of my mind the other day when I decided to buy this session verison of thier popular Sea Hag IPA.
The NEBCO website lists 5 hops and 4 malts!
Here is their marketing blurb-
There's a new Hag in town - and it turns out this town is big enough for the both of 'em! Wee Hag is the low-ABV "little sister" to our classic Sea Hag IPA. All the familiar flavors you know and love with even more drinkability.

3.81/5 rDev -4.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Purchased 2-days ago from a store cooler and kept cold until served. Poured to Nonic from a 12oz can stamped 07.31 25. I think the purchase price for the 6-pack was about $11.
The body is apricot in color and fairly opaque but light brightens through. The white head is unimpressive at ¼”/6mm. It fades to a 1/32”/1mm ring in no time. Lacing is very anemic, just a few small bubbles sliding down to the bath quickly. My second pour had a slightly better head, not sure why. Still did not last long.
The aroma is aggressive citrus immediately after the pour. These volatiles go away and later sniffs are subtle biscuits and hops.
The taste is a pretty good take on an IPA for such a low ABV. The hops produce a nice bitter experience, Citrus rind, with a berry background.
The mouthfeel is light. Carbonation is medium plus. No alcohol is noticeable.
As a session IPA, pretty tasty.

 

Sounds epic, and quite the lineup!

 

Wow, i am impressed that Zebulon made it to the tasting. Epic meetup!

 

Another new, local brew: Wenge (pronounced, "when-gay"), a Czech Dark Lager from Pallet Brewing Company in Maplewood, NJ. It was canned earlier this week. The brewery has been open for just over one month. I've had 6 Pallet beers so far and have found 5 of them to be good to very good (the exception being a Saison I drank at the brewery yesterday). As I mentioned in a review last NBS, the owner-brewer has worked at several well-known breweries, including Night Shift and Aslin. And he's off to a excellent start here in New Jersey!

It is a very dark iced tea color and it sports a half-finger, creamy, light khaki head and lacing with good retention. A big, aromatic nose with chocolate, caramel, corn bread, nuts, and earthy roasted malt. Great depth of flavor: the dry Pilsner malt and wheat is well-balanced by sweeter notes of chocolate and corn meal. When I swallow there is lingering sweetness on the tip of my tongue. Nicely balanced. For a 4.7% Lager, the mouth feel is terrific: nicely creamy and moderately-carbonated, and it has excellent substance for a sessionable Lager.

4.26/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Excellent reviews, as always, this weekend. I've enjoyed reading them and learned a lot. I hope that everyone who is on vacation is having a great time with tasty beer! Cheers, NBW!

 

id been holding on to that one for a while and knew i had to share it.

 

Good afternoon NBW
Having phone trouble, so this might be a post edit post again type thing.


330mL bottle stamped 07-2026 poured into a chalice at fridge temp 6% ABV. The beer pours hefe-hazy in a yellow gold color with nearly white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and uneven layer of varied sized bubbles. Minimal lacing. The aroma is mild with sweet, soft pilsner malt. The taste is more of the same with semisweet pilsner malt, hint of orchard fruit and a drying, mineral finish with light bitterness. The feel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Cleanly lagered. Overall, delicious. Aside from price, there is really nothing to fault on this beer.

It's really crazy to pay $18 a four pack for a pale lager, but this is a standout. Amazing that it's their first lager and it's this good even with the yeast and help of Weinhenstephan.

 

NICE HEAD!

 

Helped my stepson move earlier and treated myself to a meal at Railtown where they had just tapped a new lager.
As I was really thirsty (and had already downed one glass of water) I went with it, and rather happy that I did.

Warm gold in color, something between transparent and unfiltered with a half inch near white head that left reasonable lacing.
The taste made me take another look at the menu- no description but they insist it is a lager. Foremost in the flavor profile are biscuit tasting malts that are not subtle. The hops (they state 26 ibu) are not noticeable, but I suppose they could be part of the biscuit flavor. No bitterness at all.
The feel is light, not quite crisp, but very easy drinking.
OA, I enjoyed it so much I had it again.

And I must say that the recent California bottle share looked epic. Just three of you downed those and no ambulances were called?

 

IMPRESSIVE HEAD GAME