New Beer Weekend #280

Weldwerk's Brewing Co. JuicyFish DIPA, 8.5% ABV; 4.1 overall

Pours a very hazed orange with one finger+ of tight cream-colored head. Above average head retention & good lacing

S: Tangerines, grassyness, tropical fruit once warmed up ( guava & mango )

Oranges, mango, cantaloupe, dryness & passion fruit up front, pineapple too. Guava, passion fruit, tangerine, a little vanilla, limes & pineapple as this beer warms up. Finishes with pineapple, tangerine, passion fruit & some dryness/grassyness

MF: Medium body creamy carbonation, acidic notes, good balance

Loads of juicyness, pretty easy to drink for the heft

 

Next up, another tasty 12-ounce can from Tonewood Brewing, via @jonphisher.



Tonewood Brewing Still Night

The label says this is an "American Stout." 4% seems kinda lightweight for that, but hey, let's see what the beer has to offer.

Still Night is a dark, dark red-brown with ruby highlights. It sports a craggy head of buff-colored foam that quickly fizzes down to a broken ring and patchy skin. The nose is full of ashy, roasted malt lightened with a little dark chocolate and subdued citrus notes. The flavor starts every bit as dry as the nose, full of roasted malt and char and a little unsweetened cocoa powder. As it warms, however, other flavors emerge from that bone-dry darkness. The cocoa powder becomes more like high-percentage cacao dark chocolate, rich and delicately fruity. The Munich malt in the grain bill provides a delicious nutty character. The American hops add some orange and grapefruit peel to the dark chocolate. The body is on the light side of medium, with low-key carbonation.

This beer has an impressive amount of flavor for such a low ABV, and it might qualify as an American Stout on that point alone. The American hops help make the case. Overall, it's another delicious and satisfying low-ABV beer from Tonewood. Great stuff.

Thanks Jon!

 

Here is our volunteer for this raw and drizzly evening:



I don't chase the releases and have only had a couple iterations of the stout (one incredibly infected), but I know a bargain when I see one! Goose Island BCBS Barleywine Ale from 2016.

It pours a dark cola color with deep red highlights and looks a bit syrupy thick. Microbubbles attempt to form a head but fail. A few wisps remain for a few minutes then it's all gone.

The nose is pretty restrained. There is a quick boozy smell followed by dark fruit, a little vanilla, faint chocolate, roast malt. Caramel and molasses sweetness. Woodiness comes out more as the beer warms. It basically gets more everything with warming.

There's so much flavor here. The bourbon flavors are just super smooth with only a tiny bit if alcohol heat. Layers of dried fruit (all the dark ones), nuttiness, molasses/brown sugar. The aftertaste adds more - sweet cherry, a little pipe tobacco, oak, maybe a little smoke and a bit of rye. Overall it holds some sweetness.

Fairly full body, kinda tingly carbonation. Very smooth. Finishes dry with a tannic/phenolic sting and eventually some aromatic licorice.

Delicious sipper. It's lush, mellow, and it's full of flavors that arrive in layers. Really blossoms as it warms. Even after 9 years this is hypeworthy. I think fresh it could be overwhelming. Easily in 4.5 territory.

Still won't convince me to go out on Black Friday or go crazy looking for any of the variants. Generally BCBS was rarer than hen's teeth around here years back and hugely marked up on price. Almost always around now and they don't hardly sell out - I'd grab older discount bottles for sure.

 

I was trying to guess which one would come next with your first comment on Vermillion post.

Always buy a bunch of six packs to last me the winter and scratch my stout itch

I like ti think of it as Storm King Light, or Session Storm King.

 

It’s crazy that those “new” bottles have been around for that long. I would’ve never guessed it was 10 years ago.

 

Deschutes Black Butte XXXVII Tequila Barrel Aged Imperial Porter, 12.9% ABV; 4.38 overall

Pours an effervescent mahogany/cola color with a pinky of mocha colored head. Average-ish head retention & good lacing

S: Barrel notes, cocoa, tequila notes, a little bit of leafy hops once warmed up

T: Follows the nose, pretty dry, some lime notes, a little vanilla as well up front. Tequila barrel twang, dark chocolate, vanilla, a hint of char & some treacle, cinnamon, coffee & sarsaparilla notes as this beer warms up. Tequilla, lime, cocoa & a little orange, vanilla cream, plus dryness in the finish

MF: Fairly chewy body, dialed back carbonation, warming. Carbonation picks up once closer to room temperature

A lot going on here, a really enjoyable sipper

 

Speaking of Storm King, I've decided to save the can you sent me for another couple weekends. It will make a fine "welcome home!" treat when I get home after my next trip to Albuquerque.

 

Happy NBS!
Finally back home from Tennessee, and curiously I got most of my beers from Bloomington, Indiana which was our midway point.
This was one of those, and one I walked past it many times before grabbing it as all the white stouts I have tried in the past have been, well, not stouts.
This one doesn’t break that particular mold.

The title is what convinced me. Fool I.
The pour is an unfiltered amber orange with an off white head that dissipated quickly.
The taste is bready malts, which are almost entirely hidden by the additives. Some coffee, definitely some lactose (though the few flakes of white residue argues for actual cream) and some vanilla.
Not sure what a vodka additive would taste like in a beer, so it might or might not be in there.
The feel is light and almost viscous.
OA, I haven’t once been happy with a “white” stout and this one is no different. I just hoped the frog would do it well.
This will likely be my one and only for today, I just don’t want to end on a sour note.

 

My last new beer contribution.

Hop Butcher Of the world GYRO! GYRO! GYRO! DIPA W/Peacharine, Simcoe, Mosaic Hops, 7.5% ABV; 3.91 overall

Canned 8/27/25

Not a pretty beer, pours super hazed, effervescent & pulpy gold with a pinky+ of tight cream-colored head. Pretty good head retention lacing, but an ugly presentation

S: Grassy, white grape skins, some weird metallic smell sneaks in once warm, a pity

T: Follows the nose, tangerine, green melon, grassy notes, guava & lime zest up front, plus dryness up front. Passion fruit, pineapple, a little nectarine, lime & green melon once warmed up. Finishes with pineapple whip, dryness, passion fruit & guava

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation, acidity late

Great flavors, age has affected the nose for sure, but super drinkability. Will try this again fresher if given if given the chance

 

Chuckanut Bock

Appearance is a perfectly clear dark reddish-brown with copper highlights. The nose is full of sweet, rich malt, toasted bread, caramel, a touch of floral hops, and a mild fruity character. The flavor follows: rich maltiness that suggests both Munich and Vienna, toasted multigrain bread, and luscious notes of caramel. It's quite sweet at first, but dries substantially in the middle, although the caramel note remains. Floral hops color the finish and get you ready for the next sip. No sign of the fruity notes in the nose. Medium-to-full body with supportive carbonation and a clean finish. Very well made and satisfying.

 

Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company) - Samuel Adams Cold Brew
This is a pretty tasty coffee stout. It has a good amount of fruity acidity up front, which I liked but others may not care for.

Cross-posted in What New England beer are you drinking now? (2025) and WBAYDN #4790