New Beer Weekend #280

I'm Drinking a 12oz can of Lakefront Smoked Rye Oyster Stout, My Turn #57 Aidan. 7.14% ABV
Best by 4MAY2026. Made with calcium carbonate from oyster shells.

Nice head on this one, left some lacing too, Transparent dark brown body when held to the beer light.
Smells good.
Taste is a little roast, plenty of caramel, maybe a hint of brown sugar. A hint of rye mixed in. I'm not getting any smoke but there might be some on the finish. Smooth and on the sweet side.
feel is ok smooth and a little thick.
Actually this a good beer, but nothing special. I will give it a 4.04/5 today

 

I'm drinking a can of barrel aged WIMP's from Amorphic. A Milwaukee black friday beer.
It's a Imperial Czech black lager aged in blackberry wine bourbon barrels.
Cerný Lezák Speciál 21. 9.0% ABV.

taste is plenty of blackberry, chocolate,a hint of mild roast, A micro hint of cognac/wine. I'm not noticing any bourbon in the taste but you can smell it. Smooth and easy drinking. You can pick out the base beer.
Nice mouth feel, soft. slightly creamy. it coats your mouth. not really thin or thick.

I like this beer, it is unique. It might go good with dark chocolate candy or drink it as a dessert beer.
Hard to put numbers on a beer like this as it's not to any style that I know of.
4.37/5 today

 

Brasserie Hoppy Camp (France) ‘20h01’ Rum Barrel Aged Barley Wine 2023

33 cl bottle, hard center pour into a snifter. Packed in 2023, BBD 2033. 12% abv. Medium brown cloudy brew.

Zero foam, no action in the glass at all. Puddle of mud. C’mon, c’mon.,. something, please.
Flat line___________________

Nose is dark caramel and a little ethanol.

Taste is flat ass disappointing. The brewer handed this to me at the Toulouse ‘Octobiére Festival’ last month, expressing what a treat I was going to be in for, as he took my money. It turns out to be lifeless goo, with just a whisper of Jamaican Worthy Park rum barrel trying to get recognized. The Euro Maris Otter malt died a year ago. Not oxidized, not spoiled - just not good beer. I get sweet brown sugar syrup and some alcohol, nothing else. A struggle to finish.,.

Mouthfeel is uncomfortably thick. No carbonation. Nope. Gritty murk silt in the bottle bottom screams of unfulfilled promises.

Overall, I’ll see this cat at one of the local Christmas marchés he will be peddlin’ his wares at in a couple of weeks.
I want my fkn money back!

 

To our USA friends, hope we all had a nice Thanksgiving, I know we did...one more day of leftovers, frozen ham bone and turkey carcass in freezer for future soups this winter. We always get our tree day after Thanksgiving too, always makes the living room cozy for the cool nights. Got in a nice bundled up night walk yesterday and came home and decided to open the beer below.

Rogue for me was just a random occasional seasonal purchase back in my early beer days, then went years without them probably, last beer I remember buying of theirs was a winter seasonal called Yellow Snow IPA. I saw this beer the other day and instantly thought it must be some adjuct stout, or barrel aged, etc. because of the times and past iterations, if I remember correctly. Came home, did a search only to find it is a straight up 5.7% oatmeal stout, yes please!!!!! I bought a single and I'm glad that I did.

Rogue - Santa's Private Reserve Stout (Oatmeal Stout 5.7%)



Pours black as night, one of those quiet silky pouring beers; creamy light brown head, good staying power thick dense cap.

The nose is dusty dark chocolate, light ash character, and red dark fruit, skin-like; not flesh.

Taste is very big on roast and burnt notes; on the tongue it presents as bittersweet, cherry skin then the all this bitter and dark, dark chocolate; dark roast coffee that has that burnt finish, then a little dose of zesty american hops; and awesome combination of flavors on this beer; there is longer ash in the aftertaste that is so awesome.

Body is medium; silky smooth on the palate, rich and velvety; lower carbonation; perfectly matched, then a pretty hefty burnt driven bitterness accompanied by american hops.

This is a beer I really enjoyed; it’s a beer big on roast in drinkable form, try this one. I may buy a six pack if I see it next time I’m out. Thanks for making this one Rogue, I’m sorry to all those who were impacted by their sudden closure; thank you for being a part of this beer for us.

----------------

I don't think I'll be back with another new one this weekend but then again, you never know. Hope everyone has a good rest of the weekend and week ahead. As I told my students on Wednesday, this is a short break, our real break is only about 3 weeks away!!

Cheer everyone, looking forward to the beers to come in this thread in the next two days.

 

St-Ambroise Vintage Ale (2025) from McAuslan Brewing

Poured a 473ml can into a tulip. A big four finger tan head into a clear copper. Excellent head retention. Sticks around to the end. Sheets of thick lacing.

Spicy malts in the nose. Toffee and caramel. The taste follows the nose. Tons of malt layers. Toffee and caramel. Warming alcohol.Dark fruits emerge. A subdued but present hop finish.

Medium body and good carbonation. Overall a fine English Barleywine, rivalling the best of the big beers.

4.18/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

That's gorgeous

 

2023 S. Henry Bourbon Trail stout
10.9% by Lion's Tale Brewing



Twelve ounce can pours black with mocha head. Very light lacing.

Aroma is a light, sweet bourbon with a faint cola.

Taste follows nose. The J. Henry bourbon is lightly sweet but nicely warms one's face; it is a bit more assertive than in aroma, but is not overly hot. No perceived bitterness but the malt bill steps up to add a weighty chocolate malt flavor. ABV is well masked. You've been warned.

Mouthfeel is good with very light carbonation.

A delightful stout to sip on a cold late autumn night.

 

@Coronaeus once sent me their oatmeal stout, it was just as pretty @snaotheus. Still remember the massive head, retention and subsequent lacing; also what a beer it was!

 

Yes. Their Oatmeal stout is outstanding. McAuslan makes some quality stuff.

 

Saw this yesterday and passed, the Mrs. wasn't thrilled with my Christmas gift to myself yesterday

 

would she have been any less thrilled cause of an extra six pack ?

 

Hard choices had to be made I was in a target rich environment

 

Goose Island Beer 2025 Bourbon County Brand Chocolate Praline Stout. The look is black with a light brown tint. There was some brown foam that quickly disappeared. The smell is amazing. Almond, milk chocolate, vanilla frosting, cashew, caramel, fig, pretzel, and date flavors explode from the glass. The taste is very sweet. This is a true pastry stout. The flavors include caramel, dark chocolate, almond, cashew, vanilla frosting, and raisin. It is delicious, but it would be best to pair it with food to balance the sweetness. The mouthfeel is thick, silky, smooth, and full, with light-medium carbonation. Overall, this is a unique edition of this beer that was fun to try. The intense sweetness makes it ideal to share with others.

 

Figured I'd start my stouturday with one of last year's BCBS variants:

Bourbon County Brand Bardstown Cask Finish Stout (2024) | Goose Island Beer Co. | BeerAdvocate





Thought it was pretty good, still a little boozy even after a year of aging. Should have one or maybe 2 more brews later, cheers!

 

Lets start off today right.

Straight Jacket - Revolution Brewing - Chicago, IL - English Barleywine - 15%

Wow, this is very tasty. It is just hitting things right with me on this cold snowy day. Glad I opened it today.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29160/72933/

4.28/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
From a 12oz can. Filled 10/28/2025. 15.0% ABV

This beer looks brown when pouring it into the glass. When I hold it to a light it has a dark amber color. There's a 2 finger tan head to the beer that has pretty damn good head retention, but no lacing on the glass.
Pleasing notes of brown sugar and dark fruit hit my nose. The aromas are well balanced.
The brown sugar hits my throat right away. This is slightly sweet, but not overly so. The plum, raisin, and fig flavors come into play on the backside. These flavors are well balanced and mix well together. There's also notes of vanilla and oak from the bourbon barrels used.
The body is quite full feeling and thick. There's a great depth to the feeling. There's a slightly bubbly feeling to the beer. There's just a super faint burn to the beer that tells you to take it slow.
Solid well made barleywine. Hits every note well.

This is a big beer, and I may be done with new beers after it today. We'll see. Cheers!

 

XII Flemish Red Ale from SOSAB

Poured a 330ml brown bottle into a tulip. A one finger tan head on a very dark clear reddish brown. Excellent head retention. Lots of patchy lacing.

Sour fruit notes in the nose. The taste follows the nose. Slight wood. Very subdued cherry. Just enough tartness to balance the the initial sweetness. Nicely balanced by a mild but tart finish. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts.

Very smooth and leaning sweet for a Flemish Red. Medium body and carbonation. Well worth a try.

4.33/5 rDev +6.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

 

Goose Island BCBS Chocolate Praline BBA Imperial Stout, 14.6% ABV. Pours thick and black with a half-finger medium-brown head that left an oily sheen. Aroma is dark chocolate, pralines, and bourbon. Taste is chocolate, bourbon, and praline, moderately sweet, slightly bitter, no bourbon burn. Nice thick and smooth mouthfeel, leaving sticky lips. Overall outstanding. I'd like to have had a half-tad more sweetness. I'll get more of this one.

4.64/5 rDev +5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Looking forward to the 'maiden voyage' of my new snow-blower after the storm subsides in a few hours. I haven't fitted it with a beer holder yet, so I'll have to hold it.