New Beer Weekend #268

I have to agree with you here, although I haven't tried this particular one. I think that this style gets lower ratings than it deserves because it's unusual therefore unfamiliar to many reviewers. I think that a lot of reviewers were expecting something else.

You have to drink a lot of beer to properly appreciate all the styles.

 

Pb& f stout by Treehouse


4.23/5 rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Brewers notes : We do things a bit differently in New England. Our twist on the classic PB and J forgoes the grape jam for something a little more scrumptious. Somewhere between a snack to tide you over and a decadent dessert is where you’ll find our local celebrity, the fluffernutter (pronounced Fluh-fah-nuh-tah), or 'PB&F'. PB & F Stout is brewed with a complex array of chocolate malts, peanut butter, a touch of lactose, and Massachusetts’ own marshmallow spread! Pouring jet black with a creamy head, this milk stout is nothing short of a decadent delight! On first inspection, the aromas of brownie batter, fresh roasted peanuts, and sweet vanilla greet the senses. Behind are rich flavors of toasty chocolate malts and a creamy marshmallow finish.

Chilled 16 oz can poured into a snifter

Dark brown liquid with occasional carbonation bubbles leading to a one finger brown finger foam layer . Settles to a little brown ring

Aroma us peanuts, roast coffee, roasted malts, chocolate

Taste is sweet, peanuts, peanutty!, vanilla marshmallow, chocolate, roasted malts

Slight fizziness carbonation mouthfeel , full rich but not syrupy

A good sweet dessert beer

 

Have a good Saturday. I'm still a bit hungover from last night of 20th HS reunion part 1. After the bar, me and my wife watched Misery with Rob reiner commentary turned on. 10/10 movie.

De glazen toren extra at winking lizard. Aromas and flavors of big banana, bubblegum, peppercorn, clove, wheat, cracker, pine, herbal, floral, grass, wood, and yeast earthiness. Medium pine/herbal/woody bitterness and yeast spiciness on the finish. High carb and light med body. Crisp clean refreshing finish. Balanced bready grainy malt and sticky resinous hop mouthfeel. Lingering resin dryness and no hop astringency. Wonderful yeast complexity and balanced noble hops. 4.35/5


Cheers

 

Started my NBW stouturday with a couple tasty imperial stouts from 903 Brewers:

Pirate Ogre | 903 Brewers | BeerAdvocate



Chupacabra - Batch 2 | 903 Brewers | BeerAdvocate



I plan on having one more new to me brew today so I'll post it in a little while, cheers everyone!

 

Good Saturday afternoon, New Beer Swiggers and commentators. This weekend marks the third anniversary celebration of one of our locals, Double Tap Brewing Co., in Whippany, NJ. DT has really stepped up its brewing lately; in particular, its double and triple IPAs have been excellent. The brewery itself - housed in the former post office of the town next to where I grew up - is a great venue and has a very devoted following. Along with Autodidact, located a couple of miles west on Route 10, Double Tap is providing a vibrant and quality beer scene in our part of Morris County.

Trinity is a TIPA (appropriate for the 3rd anniversary) with an intriguing hop bill of Vera, Erebus, and Citra. It's like drinking a fruit punch and the mouth feel is killer. In fact, the draught pour I had yesterday was even thicker than the can pour. It is Imperial Stout-like in its feel.

Reviewed 4 days after canning. It pours a murky, muddy tangerine color with a full finger cap of fluffy, eggshell-colored foam and lots of thick lacing with excellent retention. The smell is fruity and floral with lemon, pineapple, blueberry, peach, ripe melon, and flowers. Its taste is big and bold with sweet ripe melon, pineapple, and berry - balanced by tart lemon, grapefruit, and a hint of lime. At first, the hop bitterness seemed mild but it bites in the aftertaste. This ale has an exquisite mouth feel: it is almost chewy with moderate carbonation. You can feel the 10% ABV.

4.43/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Tomorrow, I'll review a blend of Old Ale and Barleywine from Rushing Duck. Can't wait. Cheers!

 

One more brew isn't a bad idea. This one was good but wish the pumpkin flavor was stronger:

Pig Spice Latte | Tripping Animals Brewing | BeerAdvocate



Cheers again!

 

Enjoyed catching up with the first 24 hours in the books. Thank you @Whyteboar for kicking off. Would participate on Fridays if it kicked off at noon locally.

@UWDAWG - Your Fremont B-Bomb was my favorite beer at the 2019 FOBAB, my second volunteer/attendee year. Glad you had a chance to secure a bottle.

@champ103 - Loving your tour of Champaign/Urbana, will need to hit downstate places at some point. I love smoked beers. Have to laugh at your Hop Butcher For The World experiences and commentary. I did pass on buying your two selections, but they do brew good beers across styles I think you would like. Some are taproom only, some are distributed.

Have two new beers left in my refrigerator, both from Hop Butcher. Will start with this Pale Wheat Beer selection.

Hop Butcher For The World Aspect Of Virgo

3.28/5 rDev -12.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3



9/6/25 - (Home) (Chicago, Illinois) Can Notes: Purchased a single 16 oz can at Beer on the Wall at store temperature on 8/23/25 for $4.55 including tax. Canned 8/19/25 @ 11:31:51, Can Stamp: Virgo HOF Adam Sandler. 6.25% ABV, Citra, Mosaic & Simcoe-Hopped Pale Wheat Ale. Tasting Notes: Mango Gummies, Tangy Orange & Fresh Blueberry. Artwork by Dan Grzeca. Brewed and canned by Hop Butcher For The World in Chicago, Illinois and Bedford Park, Illinois.

Appearance: Poured about 2/3 pf the can an hour glass shaped Weizen glass, yielding a hazy orange juice appearing base, a substantial bubbly and creamy bright white head that leaves soapy lacing and a bubbly cover. 4.0

Aroma: Full strength mango, pineapple and citrus. Zero traditional wheat beer noted. 3.5

Taste: Diesel covers the fruit flavors consistent with the aroma, mango and citrus primary. Diesel impact wears off a bit, perhaps I'm just getting acclimated to it. 3.25

Mouthfeel: Dry and bitter, drinks significantly higher than the 6.25% ABV. Diesel dies down, fruit and bitterness coexist but not in a well executed manner. Body watery and light, boosted by sustained prickly carbonation. Mango citrus finish. 3.0

Overall: Hard to tell any wheat influence or difference vs. Hop Butcher For The World Hazy IPAs and APAs. This one more of a boilermaker in terms of alcohol shot (diesel), shouldn't be too fresh. Was hoping for a lighter easier wheat style beer, and not a NEIPA. A miss for me. 3.0

This was similar to the ones @champ103 tried earlier this week. Hope the Cubs themed canned beer works out better on Sunday.

 

Getting into another Zebulon Artisan Ales Traditional Imperial Stout Circa 1840. Owner/Brewer Mike Karnowski always has a dedication for his bottled brews, this for Johnny Cash.

Brewed with pale, brown, and black malts and East Kent Goldings hops.

OG 1.110
FG 1.027
IBU 100

11% ABV

Onto the review:

4.63/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

Picked up a 500 ml bottle from the Zebulon taproom 2-8-25 for $11.00. 2025 bottling consumed for review 9-6-25. Cold stored since purchase.

Beer poured black as night with a beautiful brown head with the original pour.

Nose is heavy roasted malts with notes of dark chocolate.

Taste is intense espresso beans and dark bakers' chocolate. Hopping is huge and ensures this brew can last the long voyage to the Russian courts and keeps the bitter theme going; 10/10 on my scale.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied and perfectly soft and smooth with each sip.

Overall, a wonderful beer that suits my bitter leanings perfectly! Will have to find more!
Cheers!
Tom

 

Chuckanut grodziskie at Chuck's hop shop

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

It's that time again, and I proudly raise this beer at the virtual bar.

Attebeint Hest - Hammerheart Brewing - Ely, MN - American IPA - 6.5%

Holy cow, this beer is just downright amazing. Hammerheart is known for their smoked beers, but this isn't a smoked beer. They have nailed this IPA and I am in awe of it.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31326/107285/#navigation
4.4/5 rDev +12.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From a 16oz can with no date on it.

The color of this beer is somewhat hard to describe. I would say it has some orange notes and some brown notes. What I can say is that it is murky as heck. There's an amazing steady stream of carbonation bubbles that rise in the glass. The carbonation seems to have a tough time getting through the beer to get to the tops of the glass. The head is a thick and 3 fingers in size. The head is long lasting and it leaves a good amount of lacing as it dissipates. I am mesmerized by the carbonation rising in the glass because as it hits the top, it sinks a bit, then goes back up. This is downright beautiful.
The aroma has a somewhat strong malt character to it. The malt is quickly hidden by the hops. The hops are quite strong toward resin and pine smelling. There's a bit of a grassy and earthy note to the nose.
Damn, this beer is just a pine and resin bomb. The pine notes and resin just linger on my palate. There's hint's of malt right away, but the pine and resin flavors just kick into overdrive. The bitterness on the back just lingers and doesn't give up, and go away.
This beer is so damn sticky. The body is thick and full. The body is dominated by the feeling of bitterness in my throat that lingers for so damn long.
Wow, even though it isn't a smoked beer that they are known for, it is a damn delicious and well made beer. I am a happy camper.

I'm going to savor this for a while, but I will have one more today. Cheers!

 

El Sueñito - Mother of Exiles WCIPA

 

Good evening NBW
I bought this one purely as my 49th country tick...

KEO Beer

11.2oz bottle Prod. Date 17/12/24 poured into a shaker pint glass at fridge temp 4.5% ABV. The beer pours bright light golden yellow with nearly white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and partial covering. Minimal lacing. The aroma is mild with sweet cereal grain. The taste is more semisweet cereal with a hint of grassy hops. Minimal bitterness. The feel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. There are hints of incomplete fermentation with a bit of diacetyl, but it's subtle. Overall, average AAL.

Now, all I have to do is grab a 6er of Kronenbourgh and I'll be at 50 countries with a beer reviewed. Cheers all!

 

Wayfinder Spider Dance
Festbier
5.35% ABV
4.16/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
08/08/25. Poured into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint.

A: Medium gold with one – two finger white foamy head with average retention and sparse lacing.

S: Mostly a bready, pils malt aroma with spicy, floral Noble hop notes

T: Flavor is a notch up from the aroma with much more spicy and floral hop character and bitterness than expected. The malt backbone is still stout, however, the hopping is noticeable.

M: Light-medium body with moderate carbonation and a medium dry finish.

O: Wayfinder Spider Dance Festbier is an excellent lager - kind of like most all of them from Wayfinder. Find it!

 

Time for another beer, and, again, one from Hammerheart.


Dunkelwald - Hammerheart Brewing - Ely, MN - Dunkelweizen - 5.9%

I did submit an update for this beer to change the ABV, because the review listed it at 8.3%

I am just digging the smoke in this beer. It is so powerful in a good way, and so complex to me. The flavors of this beer just all work well together, and I am so happy to have tried this beer.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31326/194116/#navigation
4.43/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From a 16oz can. No date on the can.

This beer looks pretty much pitch black in the glass. I can't see any light shining through when I hold it to light. The head is 2 fingers in size. The head retention is quite good, and there's some pretty damn good lacing on the glass.
The smoke, wow. The nose has a malty smoky aroma. The smoke has a hint of sweetness to it. It remands me of a nice smelling bonfire.
Taste - Smooth biscuit malt up front. The middle is where the smoke comes into play. This smoke is a nice hint of sweetness to it. The smoke does fade slightly for a moment, and when it does, a hint of banana comes into play. The smoke does build again on the finish and has a hint of the banana sweetness to it with some chocolate notes.
The body is smooth and has a nice fullness to it. The feeling of the smoke does linger in my throat.
Wow, I am just in awe of this beer. The malts and smoke just work together so damn well.


This may be it for today, if so, see you all tomorrow.

 

Hey there beer friends, happy to be back and having some beers together as we do. First week of school finished up and I feel hopeful that this year will be a good one. No soccer obligations this weekend which is a shock so we’re having some quality family time and trying to embrace the first weekend of the school year.

@vurt and I exchanged some beers and a box he sent arrived today, perfect timing; it included two fresh hop beers, one classic IPA and another a pilsner. It’s on the warmer side today and almost feels summer like, including humidity and storms, so I went with cracking open the pils tonight.

Occidental - Fresh Hop Pilsner



Pours thickly opaque, lemonade and straw like; white head collapses to a substantial cap that hangs around for quite some time, initial sips leave appealing dots that cling to the glass.

Nose is very bright; straw and crackers, then the star of the show; stem filled floral and herbal notes that are accompanied by a nectar like character.

Taste is snappy cracker like pils malt, little grassy; then again the star of the show, nectar laden floral notes; with stem, and or, fruit skin on the finish.

Body is light but leans close to medium; softer on the palate, moderate bitterness with lingering light resin character; builds to a light tongue tickle the more you drink.

A nice pilsner with noticeable, yet nicely balanced fresh hop character present. Glad to be sipping this one this evening, thanks for sending me these beers @vurt. Looking forward to the rest of the lot, and sharing them here.

——————

I may try and fit in another review tomorrow we’ll see how the day goes.