New Beer Weekend #280

Figured I'd have a pre-stouturday stout, I liked this one:

Roll Me One, Cowboy w/ Coffee, Coconut and Marshmallow | Fat Orange Cat Brew Co. | BeerAdvocate





I liked this one, wish it was a little more coconutty but overall it was still a tasty brew. Still debating on whether or not to have one more new brew or not today. But if I don't I know I'll have some tomorrow!

 

Great start! Happy Thanksgiving All.

 

Finally getting around to sampling this classic - cheers!

4.46/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Best by October 2026? Poured from a 750mL caged-and-corked bottle into a Unibroue tulip.

Cloudy mustard body supports a fat fist of crenellated stiff peaks; rocky lacing, superior retention.

Sweet, malty, phenolic aroma - well balanced with orange blossom, honey, and pepper.

Rich hearth wheat bread flavor spread with honey and orange marmalade. Bitter-sweet with faint alfalfa and a floral/earthy, medium-dry finish. Subtle but signature yeast notes. Superb balance.

Creamy, fully carbonated, gently warming, with well concealed alcohol.

One of the best examples of the style.

 

Greetings, New Beer people! Today I am thankful for @ChicagoJ for starting this thread, and for Breakside Brewing for providing my first New Beer of this long weekend.



Breakside A Spectacle To Be Consumed
Blend of imperial stouts aged in bourbon, red wine, and amaro barrels

Look:
The body is an opaque black-brown. My phone flashlight reveals mahogany highlights at the thinnest edges. A fresh pour doesn't offer much of a head, but a solid ring of foam endures to the bottom of the glass. There are a few isolated speckles of lacing, like tiny islands in the middle of the south Pacific Ocean.

Smell:
Initial impressions are cocoa powder and a variety of concentrated fruits, including red currants, dates, and a creamy note of dried apricots. There's also a mild but distinct dry red wine character. Other components are a touch of molasses and a flurry of bittersweet herbal notes that remind me of chinotto soda.

Taste:
Several different kinds of bittersweet from start to finish. Starts with dark chocolate, cocoa powder, and an undertone of oak and grape skins. Then it takes a series of interesting detours. There's a bourbon riff that's semi-sweet and flashes a bit of char. Strong, dry red wine. Candied bitter orange peel. Dark green herbs with a shred of something vaguely minty. Then the wine comes back, with a salty/briny note sneaking in behind it. Molasses, dark chocolate, and pine sawdust in the finish, along with a swig of chinotto.

Feel:
Full-bodied and velvety with an abrupt tannic bite at the end. Genteel carbonation. Some alcohol warmth which is focused by the tannic character.

Overall:
This is a puzzling beer. (That's not necessarily a bad thing.) The selection of barrels is more interesting than harmonious. The effect is a beer being pulled in several directions at once. Some directions are delicious. Others are merely intriguing. It doesn't quite hold together for me. That said, I am tempted to buy a bottle just so I can find out what a year or two will do to it. Given the changes I've noted in the excellent La Maison du Bang! (another Breakside project which used multiple kinds of spirit barrels), this Spectacle could be headed into some really exciting territory.

 

Founders - Red Sweater IPA



4.14/5 rDev -1% | Average: 4.18
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
This may be the best Celebration clone I've ever tried. C-hops (Cascade, Chinook, Centennial) abound on the nose bringing classic piney citrus vibes with bountiful caramel and toffee notes. As the head settles down and sips are taken, the Celebration similarities remain, but the differences begin to appear. Interestingly, Red Sweater drinks hoppier and less malty with a touch more sweetness coming through. Body is on the lighter side, drinkability is high. Hints of spice notes are available if you imagine them a bit. I think Founders has a winner here and has created a viable competitor to the almighty Celebration. I only picked up two cans in a mixed sixer, but I can certainly see this pulling some of my dollars away from Celebration purchases going forward. I really like the up front hops in Red Sweater and lower malty character.

 

Had a nice ESB from Highgrain for my last new brew of the day:

Innit | Highgrain Brewing Co | BeerAdvocate





I liked this one, liked most if not all of the Highgrain brews I've had before though so I had a good impression of this one beforehand. Plan on having some more new brews tomorrow and Sunday too, cheers!

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Well, today was a crazy day at work. It was what we call Black Out Friday. It is the day where our Bud Reps. bring in big beers, including their bottles of Bourbon County to sample. The former store manager and a former local beer rep stopped in also for extra fun. Good to see them all.
We didn't get any of Bourbon County locally to sell because of a cross distribution issue that is annoying as BLEEP! I can travel a half hour to get them if I want, but the weather is likely to be BLEEP tomorrow.

Time for a new beer at home, not the first new beer of the day, but the first one I've reviewed.

DKML - Founders Brewing - Grand Rapids, MI - Malt Liquor - 14.2%

Yikes, this beer is all over the place. Up front it tastes amazing with a buttery biscuit honey flavor. The finish is a harsh alcohol flavor. Frankly, the good flavors get lesser as it warms. I bought this somewhat afraid to expect. This will get "you there", the journey will taste good right away, but will finish off not the best.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/276242/
3.38/5 rDev -12.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5
From a 12oz bottle. Bottled on 07/24/2025

Slight hiss upon opening the bottle. The beer looks slightly amber colored in my glass and it is clear looking. An aggressive pour produced a 1 finger slightly off white colored head. I am actually quite surprised with the head retention considering the ABV. There's a bit of clingy looking lacing on the glass. Quite impressed with how it looks.
The nose, well, it's almost not there. Slight malt and alcohol aroma. Very faint, and that wasn't expected.
Well, this is strange for the flavor. I taste a lot of buttery honey biscuit up front. This is a pleasing flavor, but it sadly fades fast. The final/finish is a bit harsh and it a harsh malt liquor alcohol flavor.
The burn from the alcohol is strong on the finish, and really isn't pleasant. The feeling up front is pleasing, smooth and full bodied.
This beer is schizophrenic. There's very pleasing flavors and feelings in it, at the same time there's very not so pleasing flavors and feelings. I am torn with this beer. I do have another that I'll let sit for a long time to see what happens.

This will be my closer today. Hopefully I will be back tomorrow for more. Cheers!

 

Magnify danksgiving
...burnt orange appearance with a white lasting head
.. around a medium body with a bit of a thick feel. Carbonation is medium light and seems to dissipate quickly
..aroma is a nice mix of citrus fruit and pellas well as a bit earthy. Definitely some pine but not overpowering which was nice. There was also something that came off like fresh cream
...taste is very similar to the aroma with the citrus out front and the pune showing up towards the end. Aftertaste was all burn and bitter which required a small break to sort of reset the tastebuds.
...overall very well done

 

Reading this made me want to go buy up their remaining stock. I will go this weekend for more of their desdstock membership beers and one more of this bad boy for myself. Fucking love this releae and have had 20+ times since release . Three or
so times i Bought a bottle to drink at Propagator. 0 corkage fee!

I have one at home and it's yours to get next time you're in Los Angeles which i hope is soon .
If you want more than one just say the word .

 

Hey, gang. Been a couple of weeks for me. I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving. We did a small brunch spread early with most of our crew and a small turkey and all the fixings for whoever was around later on the day.

So in some attempt to keep even more calories at bay, a 3.4% Ordinary Bitter from Sidereal Farm Brewery in Vassalboro, ME. Wish I was there- weekend food menu looks tremendous... I put this beer in the beerhive under English Bitter which I assume is "ordinary".



So there it is. Clear, bronze coppery color with a huge light tan head. The foam clings stubbornly as the head falls to about a 1/8 inch cap with some peaks and valleys. Nice.

On the nose there's lots of caramel and biscuit-like malt. It's quite fruity - I get a good amount of apple/pear along with some cooked orange.

Straightforward in taste, yet with fantastic full flavor. Malty and a slight sweetness. Caramel that's not quite toffee. A touch of honey flavor. More of an orange presence in the taste along with a citrus rind bitterness that says marmalade. The aromatic apple and pear is there but in the background. There's a healthy hop bitterness that fades quickly.

Feel is short of medium-bodied. Carbonation is properly low. The marmalade lingers into the aftertaste. It's pretty clean on the finish with a little black pepper after a few sips. It's not dry.

Overall it seems a good interpretation of the style using mostly local ingredients. And a low ABV with this much flavor? Sign me up. I could do with a few of these. Thinking around 4.0 - 4.2 when the algorithm tallies it up.

 

Side Project - La Coterie (2025.2). 750ml bottle served in a Cantillon glass. Got it from @not2quick in a trade.

Pours clear dark yellow, head shows up on the pour but disappears quickly leaving absolutely nothing behind. There is some visible, active carbonation, but no retention at all. Smell is mild funk and mild grain. Tart, maybe some unripe peach. Maybe a whiff of oak.

Taste is mildly tart, stonefruit comes through more clearly than in the nose. Funk is there but light and delicate. Moderate stem-like bitterness, grain and wood more noticeable.

Mouthfeel is very light, quite dry, airy and soft. Overall, this is really nice.

 

Black fern by tree house

4.44/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Brewers notes: New Zealand transforms into a mystical realm as evening descends, with its varied landscapes taking on a magical aura. Mountains tinged with the subtle shades of twilight, transitioning from vibrant pinks and purples to the serene blues and greys of night, blend into the lush plains and dense jungles below. In the cool, shadowy undergrowth of these mountains and hills, the moon emerges, casting a silver sheen over the world, enhancing the sense of mystery that thrives in the encroaching darkness. Black Fern, steeped in indigenous and modern New Zealand culture, is a sight unlike any other across the globe. The undersides of this primeval flora reflect mysterious moonlight, illuminating paths with haunting electricity and revealing trails

Chilled can produces a hazy orange with three fingers of shaving cream foam, streaky lacings

Aroma is orange citrus , white grape

Taste is orange citrus , some dank notes

Smooth , nice hop kiss

Good beer, Happy Thanksgiving

 

Thrice baked by tree house


4.21/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Brewers notes: Thrice Baked - Apple Pie is the direct descendant to one of our all-time favorite beers, Double Baked. In order to make Thrice Baked, first we put our robust barleywine, Tree of Life, into second-use apple brandy barrels. After aging for over a year, we blended this with a thread of our Blonde Barleywine, which has been aging for over two years in select bourbon barrels, before finally adding whole vanilla beans and cinnamon into the mix. The result is a complex confectionary treat full of spiced apple character, warming cinnamon, and comforting vanilla, interwoven with traditional barrel-aged barleywine flavors of brown sugar, fruit leather, and subtle tobacco. This decadent libation is a true sipper

Chilled 12 oz bottle poured into an Izark brewing snifter

Dark murky cola brown liquid , thin tan ring quickly disappears

Aroma is spiced apples, cinnamon, vanilla custard , tobacco

Taste is apple, brandy, cinnamon, raisins, brown sugar

Syrupy, thick mouthfeel with some slight brandy heat

Good beer

 

Happy Friday everyone, hoping you all survived any shopping you had to do. I had to go get some supply lines for a faucet replacement and I got up early to beat the insanity at Lowe’s.

Finished that and fixed a door that wasn’t latching, repaired and rehung sliding doors for a closet that were designed by a truly evil person.

Once that was done and tools put away it was time for a beer.

Packaged 3/10/25, enjoyed 11/28/25
Pour is dark brown and the mocha colored head dissipates immediately and leaves no lacing
The taste is very coffee oriented, a little dark cocoa powder and dark bread toasted. There is a little life at the swallow where a hop dares to show itself.
The feel is light, very easy quaffing, but the lack of carbonation makes it feel flat.
OA, bought a 6 pack and won’t have any problems finishing them, it’s a sessionable stout with a surprising amount of flavor.

Might have a second, the night is young.

Cheers!

 

Civil Life - Oktoberfest

12oz can served in a stemless rastal. Canned 07/30/2025. Got it in a trade with @not2quick.

Pours clear dark amber, smallish head of velvety texture, light carbonation wafting slowly upwards. Smell is grain tea, nuts, light toffee. Mild.

Taste is earthy, nutty, lots of grain with a nice toffee overtone. Some grassy or fruit seed bitterness, just a touch.

Mouthfeel is medium, smooth, almost silky. Pretty nice beer.

 

Ushitora - Otona no Kan IPA

365ml can served in a stemless rastal. Stick on the can says 25.09.13. @shigg85 handed it to me in Japan a couple months ago.

Pours moderately hazy with a big, dense head, lots of carbonation. Orange-amber in color. Smell is hop resin, citrus rind, pine and lemon.

Taste is softly fruity, not juicy exactly, moderate fruit skin bitterness. Citrus didn't disappear, but it's not nearly as pronounced. I get some exotic stuff like lychee now. Bitterness builds, which is nice. Grain is noticeable.

Mouthfeel is medium, smooth, nice heft without any cling. Overall, nice and solid IPA. Quite good.