New Beer Weekend #272

Was going to be back-to-back, but @2beerdogs comes correct and pulls this bus across the finish line into 7 pages.

And here's an end-of-the-weekend New Beer that deserves attention.



Chuckanut Fest Bier Lager

I missed the Beer Advocate Oktoberfest tasting (that's what happens when it overlaps with fresh hop season), but this beer still deserves a mention. Bold gold body with white foam that promptly shrinks to a ring and uneven skin, but still leaves a goodly amount of lacing. The nose is malt-forward with nice layers of earthy and floral hops. Flavor follows, with loads of soft, bready malt backed by noble hop character that leans floral, with a bit more spice than the earthy notes promised by the nose. Light-medium body with bracing carbonation and superb drinkability. The malt is gorgeous, and this beer is ready to be consumed a liter at a time. Tonight, several beers in, I will make do with a 12-ounce portion. But the odds are good that I will bring home a few more of these soon.

 

Last weekend, my wife and I endured a day with @Resistance88. In compensation, he gave me this beer, I think it's his favorite beer from his favorite brewery. Maltose Falcons from Bravery. He knows it's fresh hop season, so I really appreciate his thoughtfulness.

This beer is too fucking dark. Completely opaque. There's no head, no visible carbonation. Looks a bit like a glass of molasses. I guess it's a black IPA. No fresh hop character at all in the nose, smells like oppression and poverty and hard luck. Taste is nothing like a fresh hop beer. All I get is high fructose corn syrup and sadness. Mouthfeel is like maple syrup, devoid of all joy and whimsy. Overall, this is the weirdest, worst fresh hop of the season. I don't think Tomas knows shit about beer.

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*Real review here.

 

I was a member of the Maltose Falcons for a few years, and I've enjoyed a few beers from Bravery. Nice to see that both of them are still going strong.