New Beer Weekend #265

Before jumping in with the first of two planned weekend selections:

• @Beersnake ’s thread open (Enjoyed the Enegren review, hope they drop here at some point, and keep doing so in Vegas). New Beer Question - If I ever finish entering my data, I’ll have a definitive answer, but based on memory / perception.Think it is overall a steady decline the last five year’s versus my first five years, based on lower alcohol tolerance / consumption and less outings to breweries and beer bars. Also a phase out on BA of the community led style tastings has lowered explorations of new styles or deeper dives into familiar styles.
• Human Robot - Really enjoyed my time in the city location @JackHorzempa . Glad there is a new location for you to visit.

On to the first of two planned new to me / the world Deep Woods releases to kick off the 2025-2026 season. This is one of two ridiculously sized 19.2 oz cans part of the allocation this season. They are too expensive ($35 + tax) and large to purchase. This selection is a blend of Barleywine Ale & Rye Ale double barrel aged in bourbon barrels with cherries & amburana, the latter incorporated into a few late releases last year, that I wasn’t a huge fan. I’m saving the clean XV Year Beer for Primetime New Beer Sunday.

Revolution 15 Year Beer Cherry Amburana

2.75/5 rDev -30.7%
look: 3.25 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 2.5



8/16/25 - (Home) (Chicago, Illinois) Can Notes: A single 19.2 oz can was included in the 2025-2026 Deep Woods Season Ticket Allotment. Picked this up refrigerated at the Brewery on 8/6/25. I kept refrigerated ant home until opening this morning. Canned 7/2/25 @11:05:49 AM. 13.5% ABV 15 Year Beer Cherry Amburana. Blend of barleywine ale & rye ale double barrel aged in bourbon barrels with cherries and amburana. Twenty Ten Variant Collection. Revolution Beer LLC, 3340 N. Kenzie Avenue, Chicago, Illinois.

Appearance: Poured about 1/2 of the can into a handheld 12 oz snifter, yielding a rust brown base and instantly clearing white fine bubbles, which continue to emerge and float to the side minutes after pouring. 3.25

Aroma: After initially opening, it’s all amburana, specifically cinnamon and vanilla. Ten and fifteen minutes after opening has not changed the situation. No base or bourbon, the focused amburana is overwhelming. 2.5

Taste: Getting expanded flavors here, it still overwhelming amburana. Cherry is the first additional flavor noted, and it tastes like kid cherry cough syrup. Getting a little rye and then bourbon trying to salvage this, but too little, too late. It’s drinkable, but borderline not enjoyable. 2.75

Mouthfeel: Sweet and dry. Drinks somewhat strong, though under the listed 13.5% ABV. Faint lightly fizzy carbonation providing life to the gooeey full body that is somewhat limp, like lifesaving a deadman in the water. Amburana the yin and the yang. 3.5

Overall: Perhaps people who like the amburana taste profile won’t find this excessive, but there was a lot of promise with the other listed components, which were all curb stomped by amburana, at least for my palate. It’s like jamming a whole pack of Big Red in your mouth. Loved the first two July releases, this is likely my worst Deep Woods experience over several plus years of experience. 2.5

 

@LeRose what a beautiful shot, as one vacation ends another begins. We’re off this AM, first stop our favorite halfway stop, ten years running: Northampton, MA.

Tomorrow we arrive at our friends in Waterbury, VT. Hope to join you all at one point but may be too busy with my captain driving duties.

I will catch up on your goodies later tonight in our hotel.

 

I'd try the splash approach. We know cranberry doesn't ferment well and the pH is really low. You could add some CHC but that will also add sugar. If you have some of the concentrate I sent your for your CBPA, try a drop or two of that. In my opinion, I think the approach with using the fruit itself would be to let the beer or mead rest on the fruit after fermentation, but maybe these guys have figured out how to get a good fermentation with the fruit in there. I'd you don't use much juice - and you don't need much- maybe fermentation isn't affected with a healthy starter. Dunno!

 

Explore and enjoy! Hopefully you find some gems to share with us and have a great time with your friends up in Vermont.

I tell you - it is really tempting to push up my impending retirement a few months. I feel better physically than I have in months and not bringing the laptop was a smart move on the mental side. Of course I'll have a billion e-mails when I get back but I don't care!

 

Back to the question: "Compared to the last 5-10 years, are you trying more or fewer NEW beers these days?".

Over the past couple/few years I have been drinking a lesser number of new beers and there have been a couple/few weeks were I have not participated in NBW threads because I did not have any new beers in the refrigerator to discuss.

What I have been doing more lately (last year or so) is discuss draft beer that I have consumed on premise (e.g., brewery taproom). This week is an example with a Czech Dark Lager I drank at a Human Robot location. Last weekend I discussed a draft beer I enjoyed at the Musikfest in Bethlehem, PA.

I have also been fortunate that a few times this year I have been able to discuss new beers that have been gifted to me by friends. I often share my homebrewed beers at social events (most recently tailgating before a Phillies game) and friends will hand me a can (or two) of beer they brought as a thank you for sharing homebrew. I will discuss some of those beers in upcoming NBW threads.

Cheers!

 

Good day BAs! Today's offering for New Beer Weekend came from @2beerdogs in a LIF:



Dino Bits from WeldWorks Brewing in collaboration with Toppling Goliath. Received from @2beerdogs in a LIF. Reviewed 16/08/25 (Review 3563). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on bottom rim “DINO 007 05/30/25.” Stored at home at 40 degrees F. Served at 48.3 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 56.4 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Straw (SRM 3), hazy.
Body – Pale Gold (SRM 4), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, glows pale gold, but no light passes directly through.
Head – Average (Maximum 2.5 cm, aggressive center pour). White, medium density, average retention, leaving a 0.8 – 0.9 cm crown and a thin partial cap. Bits of the withdrawing head hang on the glass, resembling oceanic islands.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Tropical and citrus fruits. No malt, no alcohol.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins bitter with tangerine predominating, followed by guava and some generic tropical flavor. No alcohol (8.2 % ABV, according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No gastric warming. Leaves a bit of malt on the aftertaste.
Palate – 3 – Medium: Almost creamy: Soft but lively carbonation.
Style: Generally, follows the style guidelines as condensed by BA.
Final impression and summation: 4 Uncredited label artist. Good, flavorful example of the hybrid style of NE/DIPA – fragrant and fruity/tasty with just a touch of bitterness and totally hidden ethanol.
Rating 4, rDev -4.8%

 

Forgot to answer your question @Beersnake

I had to look back to see, and my earliest rating were just over 5 years ago. Not that I hadn’t been drinking new beers, I just wrote down my impressions in a Beer Log book my wife got me.
Then I learned about the BIF concept and my first Newbie’s BIF had @Mikexw (who I had the honor to meet recently!) and he sent beers I didn’t know existed or didn’t know how to get.
(Black Chocolate Stout and BBA Expedition are two standouts! Yes, a guy out east sent me a beer that was made 30 minutes from me)
Those kick started my rating and I was hooked on the concept of the BIF. NBS_BIF was up next, and that one required me to actually post my impressions publicly. Just glad that I wasn’t booted from those early attempts. And that Stouts and Barleywine BIF - a different kind of crazy and I loved it too!
Yeesh, that turned into a story, sorry! To actually answer the question, I’d have to say it’s been quite steady; most beers I buy are singles or packs of something that I know I like and that are not available year round. (Expedition, Stone RIS, Narwhal, Old Rasputin, you get the idea)
The SAN group and I have racked up well over 300 stouts, many I haven’t reviewed as they inevitably tasted different next to others than they do by themselves.
And SAN is still going strong.
Okay, story time is over now, back to posting about new to you beers!

 

Peroni Nastro Azzurro from Birra Peroni Industriale S.p.A.

This beer is much better than the 66 it gets from previous reviewers. I feel that reviewers have misunderstood the style, in particular the lighter versions. They are probably meant to be hot day quenchers, not complex sippers. On the other hand many recent reviewers have given it higher marks, so maybe the beer has changed.

Poured a 500ml can into a pint glass. A big three finger white head on a clear straw yellow.

A very mild malt smell. A very subdued taste with a mildly bitter hop finish.

A light body with good carbonation. Overall a decent quencher. Simple but effective.

3.51/5 rDev +23.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75

 

Does your can indicate where that beer was produced?

From the Peroni USA website:

“Founded in Italy. Brewed in the USA.

Our U.S. breweries are now producing Peroni Nastro Azzurro to ensure everyone can get refreshing Peroni at their favorite restaurants, bars, shops & events. Our U.S. brewers have worked along with Peroni Nastro Azzurro’s Italian master brewers to ensure we honor the brand’s traditional standards and crisp, refreshing taste. Kegs are scheduled to be available on-premise by the end of September, with cans & bottles to become widely available in the beginning of 2025.”

Despite the verbiage of “ensure we honor the brand’s traditional standards and crisp, refreshing taste” where a beer is actually brewed can make a discernible difference. One example is that Pabst Blue Ribbon is now being brewed at City Brewing and Anheuser-Busch and a fellow conducted a video side-by-side review and noted the differences.

Cheers!

 

Athletic brewery layback salt and lime
...an incredibly clear light gold appearance with no head
...medium carbonation with a below average body yet manages to not come off watery
...aroma is a little bit of vegetation, lime peel,cereal and a bit of malt
..taste has a very mild sweetness which is followed by a gentle amount of bitterness which again is taken over by salt and lime.
...these types of beer come out of the gate in a deficit just due to the nature of na beer. This company manages to produce enjoyable versions of the real Mccoy

 

It says "Brewed and bottled in Italy", even though it is in a can. Obviously for export though, as the can is entirely in English. You make a good point though, that there may be variations depending on the brewing location.

 

Pretty funny!

Maybe some day you might be able to conduct a side-by-side tasting of the Italian brewed version next to a North American version. Similar to what Jay did with the 2025 versions of PBR:



Cheers!

 

I will definately give that a try if I get a chance but here you rarely get a choice. It's either one or the other.

The Holsten beers used to be imported here, but now they are brewed in Ontario. I would say there is little difference with the caveat that there always was some variation between batches, both before and after the switch.

 

You might need for somebody to send you a North American version of Peroni akin to how somebody sent Jay a City Brewing version of PBR. Since you are a Trader this might be an avenue here?

Cheers!

 

In response to the question posed by @Beersnake, I am drinking less beer these days. Mostly I think because I'm older (77) and my palate is not as discerning as it used to be.
My new beer for today is Il Benandante, an Italian Pilsner from Flock of Moons. Curious about the name of the beer, I found out that the Benandanti (singular Benandante) were members of an agrarian visionary tradition in Italy during the 16th and 17th centuries. They claimed to be able to travel outside their bodies to battle malevolent sorcerers.
The beer is a clear gold color, effervescent, with a one inch white head.
Aroma of floral and herbal hops, sweet malt.
Taste of crackers, light hop bitterness. a hint of pepper.
Crisp mouthfeel.

 

We made it to Barleywine is Life at Barreled Souls.



Wild Style Raspberry, Magnify Cash or Credit Barleywine, Knob Creek BA Nebula, and star of the day Stout X.

K8nda busy but still quite chill. Trying to decipher what I can snag to bring home.

 

Thanks for visiting some of my old haunts in southern Maine. You brought back some good memories.

 

Craft breweries seem to be coming up with some interesting and intriguing names of late. A few weeks ago in a NBW post I discussed a beer from a brewery called Nepenthe and I too had to conduct a web search to discern its meaning:

"I wondered what the name Nepenthe meant and a web search yielded:

“What does the Greek word nepenthe mean?

not-sorrow

Analysis. Figuratively, nepenthe means "that which chases away sorrow". Literally it means 'not-sorrow' or 'anti-sorrow': νη-, nē-, i.e. "not" (privative prefix), and πενθές, from πένθος, pénthos, i.e. "grief, sorrow, or mourning".”

What a great name/meaning for a brewery: "that which chases away sorrow"."

Cheers!

 

Flock of Moons Brewery has some interesting names for their beers: Amalthea Dawn. In Greek mythology Amalthea was a nymph who nursed the baby Zeus. Mare Nubium is Latin for sea of clouds, a dark plain on our moon. Stormo di Foglie is Italian for flock of clouds.
Cheers!

 

Some cerebral folks at Flock of Moons Brewery.

I watched an interview with John Cleese (of Monty Python fame) and he described a scene from the movie The Life of Brian where his character was a Roman Centurian who was lecturing a local (Jewish person) on how to properly conjugate his graffiti statement of “Romans go home” in Latin. John commented that young people today who not get the joke since today Latin is an ‘extra’ dead language.

Cheers!