New Beer Weekend #281

Let’s go “rustic” today

Today’s beer has a long and interesting name: Von C Oaked Bear and the Yak Kellerbier.

I am uncertain what is the genesis of the branding name of “Bear and the Yak”. Maybe a literary reference?

Below are details of this beer from the brewery’s website:

“5.2% ABV

A special release of our rustic lager that was aged on toasted American oak. This beer was designed to be reminiscent of a hearty farm bread of the German countryside. German pilsner, Munich, and rye malts give this beer its beautiful amber color and subtle malty and earthy flavors while tettnang hops lend their floral aromas.”

Let’s see what “rustic” tastes like.

Served on draft in a Von C pint glass:

Appearance:

A deep amber color with an off-white head.

Aroma:

The aroma is mostly dark bready crust but there is a subtle hint of herbal hop aroma in the background.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with the dark bread malt flavor dominating but just little bit of herbal hop flavor in the finish. There is a light - moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Light - medium bodied with an off-dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is very good, I enjoyed drinking it.

I suspect that if I was given this beer blind and asked what beer style it was, I might say it was a Polotmavý (Czech Amber Lager) beer. Or maybe a Vienna Lager?

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @RobH

 

I personally agree with you. My guess is that many breweries think that smoky beers can be polarizing (i.e., some beer consumers like them while others hate them) so they are reluctant to brew them.

Since we are talking smoky beers, earlier today I bottled a homebrewed batch of a beer that I brand as Smoky & Spicy (Rye Malt) Brown Ale. For this beer I used Weyermann Smoked Malt but at 30% of the grain bill. The smoky aroma/flavor is noticeable but not 'in your face' so even some of my family/friends can enjoy drinking this beer.

Cheers!

 

Big ups to @Beersnake for kicking us off!

A few bangers tonight

Surly Abrasive Double IPA, 9.2% ABV; 4.66 overall

Pours an effervescent gold/honey color with 2 fingers of cream-colored head, slightly hazed. Never drops bright. Very good head retention & lacing

S: Pine & citrus, some cakey notes once warmed up, a little mango as well

T: Follows the nose, dry bready notes, grapefruit up front. Pine in spades as this beer warms up, some grapefruit & herbal hops as well, some caramel notes as well, a kiss of pineapple. Finishes so piney, dry with a little tangerine & lime & a little caramel/cakeyness

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation, great balance

Deceptively drinkable, old-school, no-nonsense West Coast DIPA. Damn, I wish I had bought more than one 4 pack

Too lazy to do another pick, sorry kids

 

I agree, though I had to look, and most of the beers you choose to rate are above 4.0 (about 75%)

The background from that angle of the picture you took looks familiar. The beer sounds interesting.

I actually have an entry for this week coming up...

 

Ok, since the JMU football game might not be done before this thread closes, I decided to crack a beer from Virginia - specifically one from the Hardywood GBS beer box that was an intriguing option - a GBS (gingerbread stout) variant that isn't a stout - it's a red ale.

For those of you who joined BeerAdvocate in the past 5-7 years, a red ale is a beer with a reddish hue due to specific uses of malts that aren't pale or dark. @JackHorzempa can probably weigh in here with a less cheeky version of the style.

That said, this one has, per the can, Virginia baby ginger and wildflower honey along with bourbon barrel vanilla and Vietnamese cinnamon. Do I get any of that?


Ok, it does have an ever so slightly tangy melanoidin toasted malt aroma. An American red ale is in play, which the taste confirms, as there is a bit more bitterness than I expected in the finish of the sip.

Ginger and cinnamon tickle my nose, but the vanilla plays more into the taste. Ginger flitters throughout the taste without asserting itself. As I settle in with it, I think the mix of additives to a basically forgotten style are well integrated. The red ale aspects aren't lost and do seem to form the base of the beer - as one would hope.

Overall, it leans a little more earthy and spicy than a normal red, in my opinion. That shift works for me, because I feel I can still taste where the beer comes from - as it is no more than a couple streets over. Pretty well done oddball brew.

Edit: at least JMU scored while I typed this up

 

Drink heavily from the old stock to get those Hoos over the line!

 

JMU pulls this off, then we are guaranteed one Virginia team will be blown out in the college football playoffs.

Eventually, I wouldn't be surprised if the BigTen and SEC secede from the rest of the world, with their 15 teams each that don't play each other every year fighting amongst themselves.

Side note, I believe Indiana is a decent part JMU per 23andMe.

Double side note: this game seemed like a Sox-Yanks game from the 2000s - neverending

 

You are correct and I despise what this mess has turned into. All about $$$ nothing else

 

Was a lot of injuries & TOs for sure

 

I homebrewed a Red Ale once and a small portion of the grain bill was Roasted Barley which provided the reddish hue to that batch of beer.

Best Malz produces a malt they brand as Red-X which will produce a red colored beer. I have not brewed with this product so I have no personal experience here. From the internet:

“Red-X malt is a unique German specialty malt from Best Malz, known for creating intensely red-colored beers, even when used as 100% of the grain bill, offering rich, full-bodied flavors with notes of Munich and caramel, making it perfect for Red Ales, IPAs, Märzen, and Altbiers.”

Cheers!

 

Goose Island Bourbon County Chocolate Praline Stout, 14.2% ABV; 4.37 overall

Pours a THICCC chestnut/mahogany with a sliver of mocha colored head that goes AWOL quickly. Some traces of head stick around, zero lacing & plenty viscous

S: Tons of dark fruit, chocolate, some booze once warmed up. Booze, a little cinnamon, coconut & caramel once this beer truly opened up

T: Follows the nose, plenty of barrel, chocolate, coconut, caramel & pecan aplenty, a little vanilla up front, a little banana taffy too. Caramel, treacle, chocolate, oak, a little leafy hop & figs & pecans & marshmallow once this beer is warmed up, a little nougat, coffee showing up late peanut & banana too. Finishes with plenty of barrel, caramel, vanilla, pecan sweet but refined booze, coconut & bananas

MF: Plenty chewy, a little warming, subdued carbonation. Warming builds over the pour

Grear dessert Imp Stout that hits about every right note. Based on pricing I would take a flutter elsewhere. Very good, not outstanding

 

All bult in, so okay with16 teams or more & ditch the Conference championships or more. Maybe blend the bowls early on? Don't really care if they save the Belk Bowl. This force it to be more like basketball.

This Chocolate Praline is great, not epic

 

Well, when the ending is pre-determined, to a degree (see Florida State previously and Miami this year), at what point does it matter. A perfect record or head-to-head victories don’t matter.

What I love is that this is (I cannot wink hard enough) better than the BCS.

And bringing it back to beer - BCS is only a letter away from BCBS

 

They will also claim they do this help lower programs. Proof: Arkansas has paid millions to piss off their fan base & LOSE. Less and less of this happening with this weapons race coming That BCBS was good