New Beer Weekend #276

This was sitting back of the fridge. Time was right; actually a little off, BB date was 10/16.
Fairly noticeable piney aroma whence the top was popped. Faded fast.
Head receded quickly, too. But note: not complaining.
Thick mouthful (8.2%) and a great smooth taste! Slightly fruity, nothing obnoxious. Dare I say it, I'm getting Pliny vibes.
Don't know where or when I bought this, some kind of one- off.
So now I gotta start looking around for more. You might wanna too.

 

Hey beer friends, happy new beer weekend; nice to see such a busy start so far, love seeing Northern Hemisphere get more love @beerdedking I can’t believe it saw distribution again, I have one left to savor.

Two one year old party for nephews on different sides this weekend, today my sisters and tomorrow my brother in laws, family time and good food, I’ll take it. Back home now and time to join the party with my last @snaotheus beer, new to me brewery and beer.

Homage - Superior Festbier (Pale Festbier)



Pours a cloudy straw color, somewhat soapy white head, not long lasting.

Nose gives light impression of sweet malt; floral, light colored bread, dough, some crust, and light honey.

Taste is big on doughy bread and crust, little bit of a spicy hop thing going on, finishes grassy.

Medium body; good heft without sweetness, drying finish that has some noticeable alcohol, throat and nasal; despite it this beer exhibits pretty high drinkability.

This beer has aspects I enjoy but it’s abv and presence, that I feel at least; detract from the positive aspects like aroma and taste, glad to have tried though, thanks Ryan.

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Tomorrow is gonna be another busy one so I doubt I’ll be back with a beer but I guess we’ll see. Cheers everyone.

 

Jack, you win by losing. I've always found the Samuel Smiths first class, way superior to Youngs (kinda thin for my taste).

 

A lot of excitement around these parts for the game tonight. I’m not a Jays fan. I grew up north of Montréal and was a diehard Expos fan. Moving to Ontario in ‘99 and the subsequent death of the Expos in ‘04 turned me off of baseball. I’ve tried to jump on to Blue Jays fandom, but it just isn't the same.

That said, it’s pretty hard not to get swept up in the excitement around the city right now. My 9 year old son who has expressed less than zero interest in baseball prior to now is asking to stay up nightly to watch the games. It’s a lot of fun watching baseball with your son (or daughter). It’s getting me into the team…

My wife and daughter are at the amusement park for the day and I’ve been tasked with making a nice hearty meal for their return. Chicken pot pies it is! The filling is simmering away on the stove and I have a little time for a beer.

I’ve been delving into my never ending cellar a lot more often lately. Lots in there that shouldn’t have been kept as long as it has been, but most still presenting nicely. Today’s sipper while finishing off the cooking is Third Moon Barrel Aged Bestowed - Peanut Butter Cup. Third Moon has cemented their spot in the top couple of locals to make these big flavoured beers. Add-junk stouts are not much my thing any more, but a good one now and again is welcome. I’ve probably had this for about a year and a half or so. The waxed can bottom with upside down label is a nice touch!



Pours a deep dark brown/black with minimal head. No lacing as the beer is enjoyed.

Sweet peanut butter, milk chocolate, light wood and a touch of vanilla on the nose.

On the tongue, the barrel is more present with a very light note of the 1792 liquid originally barreled in the vessel used to condition this beer. The chocolate is more prominent than the peanut, but that might be the age effect. Not as sweet as expected which is a good thing for me.

The body is full, but not in any way syrupy. Fairly easy drinking for a 13% ABV stout.

This is really enjoyable. The smaller 355ml portion is welcome for me for this kind of beer.

I’d gladly have again - and I likely will as I have at least one more downstairs. Any of the beers in this well made series are worthy of a try.

Cheers and, I guess… Go Jays!

 

Oh so close to a perfect WCIPA representation. The look, the scents, the hops up front are all perfect. The missing link here is the juxtaposition between sweetness and bitterness. Flavors are so nice. Tropical, citrus, hints of herb and pine. Things progress nicely. The malt profile takes over with a bit of sweetness that overrides an expected bitterness section. A sweet cracker maltiness presents itself, very close to a Czech lager profile. While this is fine and enjoyable, it's not Grade A for this intended style. Nitpicking aside, this is a worthy IPA and a near worthy WCIPA. I'll enjoy the 4 pack sans splitting hairs about beer geek nonsense. Good to very good, not great in style

 

We all know Founders barrel game. It is very good, great, and outstanding at times. But Gilded Bock is a different animal. The greatness is off the charts here. Brewing prowess at its finest. The balance of dark lager flavors, bourbon notes, and cocoa is sublime. What strikes me here is how the sweetness is kept in check with a perfect drying nature that presents itself and perfectly balances every available note. Body is just a bit lighter than expected, but that increases drinkability. Before you know it, this beer is gone. It's hard to sip. Don't pass this one up

 

Sadly, the last of a fresh hop assault from @snaotheus Mahalo Ryan!

Old Schoolhouse Brewery K'PowwwFresh Hop IPA, 8.0% ABV; 3.99 overall

2025 Take

Pours a hazy straw/gold with a thumb+ of pearl colored head. Great head retention & better lacing

S: Grassy, some citrus, nose isn't quite there, but does pick up as this warms

T: Follows the nose, dryness, some melon notes, pomelo & grapefruit up front. Dryness, pomelo, white grape must & melon notes & pine as this warms up. Finishes really dry with melons, pine & pomelo

MF: Medium body, dialed back carbonation, a little grittyness

Good drinkability, hops are popping but not quite hitting greatness. Too much dryness for sure

 

Good evening NBW
Nothing interesting at the bottle shop today so I bought this...

Goose Island Big Mango Beer Hug

19.2oz can stamped 15DEC25 poured into a nonic pint glass at fridge temp 9.9% ABV. The beer pours bright medium amber with off white head. The head recedes to a thin cap and leaves a web of lacing. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring sweet mango candy. The taste is semisweet mango candy over a pale and caramel malt base with mild bitterness and a noticeable ethanol burn. The feel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry feel. There's something artificial and un-hop-like about this that is distracting and not to my taste. Overall, sub average IIPA.

Cheers all!

 

Had to add this one to the database. $12/12 pack knock off Mexican lager

Brewmaster's Golden Cerveza

12oz can stamped BB 18DEC25 IBY C1 1757 FL poured into a pint glass at fridge temp 4.4% ABV. The beer pours very bright light golden yellow with off white head. The head recedes to a thin cap and persists leaving a tight web of lacing. The aroma is mild cereal grain and pale malt. The taste is semisweet very pale malt with notes of vegetable, corn and diacetyl. Very mild bitterness. The feel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, below average AAL. Diacetyl is too prominent for me to me to enjoy.

Should have stuck with Hamm's. Cheers all!

 

Enjoying this offering from Suarez on this saison Saturday - cheers!

4.31/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Packaged May, 2023 - poured from a 750mL bottle into my Troubadour tulip.

Cloudy jonquil body with a fat magnolia cap; fine sandy lacing; good retention.

Delightful aromatics suggest stone and tropical fruit (apricot, pineapple) with a second wave of floral notes and funk.

Flavor follows the nose, but sweeter (suggesting honey and marmalade). Mild grassy bitterness at times. Long, medium-dry, not-quite tart finish with a hint of oak.

Medium-bodied, soft, with good carbonation.

An excellent domestic take on the style.

 

Good evening folks. Today was great after some much needed and fortunately fairly tame rain. Clean, crisp air day. Did some maintenance on my semi-neglected aquarium but spent most of the day puttering around outside - I have an endless supply of invasive species to at least try to contain - bittersweet, burning bush, Chinese rose, some weird thorny thing I haven't figured out yet. Wonder if I could borrow the neighbors goats...

Tonight we have:



From Sidereal Farm, this is Story Walker, a dark farmhouse ale. The can says it was brewed in an oak foeder then aged in French oak puncheons for an additional year with wild yeast. Story Walker I believe is from the TV series From where a story walker can travel back in time and observe but cannot change events since they are already part of the time-line. Ok...dunno...

Pours a pretty, reddish brown color, virtually clear. Short, beige head that ends up as a ring at the liquid's edge.

The smell is light and delicate as I have come to expect from Sidereal's brews. There's a bit of chocolate and a vague berry note, some sweetish fig, and a light woodiness.

The taste is just fun. It's pretty wine-like and fruity. What exactly that fruit is I'm not sure - berry-like, maybe raspberry. There's a light level of dark chocolate that builds a little with a healthy swig. It finishes with a pleasant oak woodiness. There's fig and a slight sweetness that balances against a mild acidic bite. Everything melds together as a cohesive whole. Very mild bitterness and some astringency I presume from the oak treatment. Wherever the chocolate flavor comes from, it's very good chocolate! A little black tea creeps in.

Feel is light, very refreshing, and slightly on the dry side - something else I have come to expect as they like their dry. Lightly carbonated.

I'm really enjoying this beer. It seems a slightly different spin on the farmhouse style. The chocolate flavor is not strong but it is delicious. Ample evidence of the time spent in oak yet not overpowering. I find the farmhouse style hard to score sometimes - it's such a mish-mosh category. This isn't a "traditional" saison but it's certainly in that very broad neighborhood. Liking weighs heavily and I like this, so objectivity takes a nap here. I'm going to say 4.0 - 4.2 range.

 

I had to have another stout for tonight, though a lesser stout than I had last night. Still good.

The pour is stout black with a tall brown head that leaves rings of lacing.
The taste is a little bit almond, a little toast and a lot of coffee. Some chocolate. It’s solid, just not amazing.
The feel is just a little thinner than I expected, but well within the standard.
OA, nice beer.
All for me tonight, taking it easy.
Cheers!

 

That was pretty high up in my list this year. I'll publish my list in the fresh hop thread in a week or so, still have more in my fridge and may stumble across a few more before it's time to give up on the season.

 

Little house gimme the garbage milk stout
....almost solid black with a lasting tan head
.... medium light carbonation with a mixed bag of a body. A bit creamy,almost dry, feels thin but not if that makes sense
...aroma is roasted coffee beans, espresso, milk chocolate and a little bit of bitter dark chocolate
... Taste has some sweetness, mild sour tartness, coffee and milk chocolate .
...overall its a very decent attempt at the style

 

Fat orange cat pumpkin spice latte oatmeal stout
...murky motor oil black
...light carbonation with an above average body that has a creamy thick feel.
...at first in equal parts is coffee,spice and whipping cream. As it warms it starts to remind me of pumpkin pie with whipped cream.
..taste is very similar to aroma with there being some sweetness but not overboard. The spice leaves an ever evolving aftertaste that at times seems dry but overall pleasant.
...wasn't impressed at first but as it warms it is very interesting and well done