New Beer Weekend #281

Given the hopefully but unlikely brief college football discussion earlier, all I have to say at this point is

 

Dang, I will admit I was watching the other game most of the time. There is no way they are putting Duke into the 12 if this holds up???

ACC is the conference no one wants to win this year. Condolences

edit: there is still some life

 

Ramstein winter wheat doppelbock
..solid black appearance with a thin tan lasting head
...medium carbonation with an above average body
...aroma is dark roasted malt,roasted coffee beans, toasted grains,dark bread
...taste is almost dry, roasted malts and coffee beans, cocoa and cereal and oatmeal
...an exceptional doppelbock, complex and flavorful

 

Greetings, New Beer people. Fist bump to @Beersnake for kicking things off (and opening with a style I really like).

I'm in Albuquerque again, without many opportunities for New Beers. But when I dropped by La Cumbre's westside taproom for a fresh 4-pack of Elevated IPA, I saw they had bottles of 2025 La Negra available, so I thought I'd give one a good home.



La Cumbre La Negra Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout

Look:
Deep reddish-brown with cola brown highlights. A thick but fizzy head of rich tan foam shrinks quickly to a frothy collar and a persistent skin. A few flecks of lacing mark my progress.

Smell:
Dark roasted malt, oak, booze, blackberries, and a swarm of spicy notes (licorice, pepper, rye, an unexpected minty herb). As it warms, unsweetened cocoa and brown bread come forward, followed closely by graham crackers and a soft "cheesy" malt note that reminds me of Samichlaus. Not too sweet.

Taste:
Dark chocolate hits first, followed by ashy roasted malt that means business. Not too sweet! Raisins come up next, then toasted brown bread, a crumb of toffee, a splash of room-temperature bourbon. Blackberries jump into the ring before getting bum-rushed by black coffee and a surge of roasted malt. A mild oaky tang sneaks in. That "cheesy" Samichlaus malt sticks its head in the door and bails quickly. The long finish is dark chocolate, prominent bourbon, a placating note of caramel, and roasted malt that just won't quit.

Feel:
Body is medium-heavy at best, smooth but a little wiry and mean. Carbonation prickles and ultimately offers more grit than bite. Respectable alcohol heat spreads out like a shockwave and kicks embers into the air.

Overall:
Lots of good flavors here, and not too sweet, but beware: this bruiser pulls no punches. Big roasted malt, big booze, hot finish. The caramel, unsweetened cocoa, and spicy notes are tasty. The mint and blackberry flourishes are just nuts. The whiskey component is right there in your face. La Negra is a beast, but don't flinch. Approach with caution and respect.

 

• @Whyteboar Craig, I believe many of us would be interested in the alternative photo hosting site, at minimum as a backup.
• Sorry Craig @cjgiant Virginia was bounced. I knew it meant a lot to you.
• Also sorry @russpowell when I looked at this map of dry counties.

Time for my New Beer Sunday #1085 selection of the ALDI Imperial IPA.

ALDI USA Imperial IPA

4.16/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25



12/7/25 - (Can, Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Purchased via the Aldi Twelve Days of Beer Fall/Winter 2025 variety twelve pack for $22.14 with tax at the Harwood Heights Aldi on November 7, 2025, and refrigerated until opening this morning. 12 oz canned 9/16/25 (can stamp PKGD 04:091625 1612029496). Imperial IPA, 7.8% ABV. India Pale Ale. Brewed by ABW Virginia Beach LLC in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Appearance: Near full pour into a nucleated pint glass yielded a clear golden tan base with medium plus sustained carbonation and a creamy bright white bubbly head which lingers for a few minutes. Very nice. 4.25

Aroma: Nice pine and citrus aroma, mild in strength, higher in enjoyment. 3.75

Taste: Very nice pine bitterness provides a good complement to the citrus grapefruit flavors. A good caramel malt lingers, consistent with an Imperial IPA. Difging this one. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Leans dry, more bitter than anticipating, but works well offsetting excess sweetness from the malt or sweet fruit. Drinks higher than the 7.8% ABV. Gentle carbonation adds to the pine resin and malt enhanced medium plus body. Pine and bitterness lingers enjoyably. 4.5

Overall: This is an excellent Imperial IPA, and what I expected from this variety pack brewed by New Realm on behalf of ALDI USA. Unlike a few previous rated beers from the package, this wasn’t enhanced with “Natural Flavors” or perhaps safely brewed with a general average AAL or inexperienced beer drinker in mind. This is a solid WCIPA with shades of Midwest only due to a malt presence that is present but not causing excesssweetness. I’d buy a six pack of this if available in the future, and now I’m somewhat upset my pack did not include the American IPA (received a duplicate instead). A solid selection, don’t let the label fool you. 4.25

Only two of the remaining six have added natural flavors, so looking forward to see how the remaining four turnout. Will take the next weekend off from all Aldi variety pack to cross post with the planned Holiday / Christmas Beer tasting with @thebeers the host. Hope to see you there as well if you have or can grab new to you selections. Cheers!

 

Oh, well. Maybe now we’ll have a chance to win our bowl game

Go Dukes! (Yes, the ‘a’ is intended and important)

 

NEXT WEEKEND


See you there, @ChicagoJ!

 

Good day once again BAs! Back this Sunday with a bottle I picked up last trip to Texas (Nov 2025).



BCBS Brand Two-Year Cask Finish Stout (2023) from Goose Island Beer. Single 16.9 fl oz bottle picked up at HEB #2, New Braunfels, TX, 13/11/25, $ 44.36 (including tax)/$2.62/fl oz. Reviewed 07/12/25, review 3651. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
“DRINK BY 10SEP28” on front label. Stored at home at 37 degrees F. Served at 57.0 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 60.6 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), nearly opaque.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, the same. When rear-lite, ruby at the bottom edge.
Head – Small (Maximum 0.8 cm, aggressive center pour). Biscuit and fizzy with short retention, leaving 0.05 cm broken bubble ring, with a small, pulsing center atoll caused by an upwelling of short-lived bubbles.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4.25 – Sweet bourbon, no hops, no malt, no alcohol (15.5% ABV according to the label).
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins slightly sweet with bourbon. Ends with hints of port wine. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Slowly building gastric warming from the alcohol is noted.
Palate – 4.25 – Full: More syrupy than creamy: Soft but caressingly lively carbonation.
Style: Follows the scanty BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 I’m not a fan of beers aged in wine barrels, but in this case, I’ll make an exception, port being the only wine I actually enjoy (after college years of Boone’s Farm, Annie Bedsprings, and Mad Dog). Here the port barrels offer a finishing tang to offset the inherent bourbon sweetness. This bottle is two years old but has aged nicely.
Rating 4.25, rDev -4.9%

 

This was one fine beer. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Would love to find something similar that has chilie peppers in it. Like Mexican choco I guess.

4.61/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5
16 oz can canned 11/14/23 into a snifter.
L: Pours black with a thin dark khaki head that fizzes away fairly quickly (slower than cola), light steady carbo, no lacing, displays liqueur legs and a sip V cling.
S: German chocolate cake batter, a wooden bourbon note, coconut, vanilla, caramel candy.
T: Black Forest chocolate cake, molasses, a distant sweet cherry note accompanies rich buttery caramel coconut icing, a boozy barrel tastes and halo with woody suggestions.
F: Velvet smooth with a thin distant cola tingle in a heavy bodied mouthfeel with a long lightly dry finish. It is warming in the chest.
O: Chocolate cake in an oak bourbon barrel. They did it! It is outstanding in its style.

 

You’re the best!!! Can’t wait.

 

Good Sunday mornning NBS/nbw and thanks @Beersnake for hosting this week.
Todays offering is from Sierra Nevada. I was travelling to a wedding and found this. I had seen a few folks with it over the past months.
Its a very good pils, that is flavorful, crisp and an easy drinker.
Cheers all

Pils

Czech / Bohemian Pilsner | 4.7% ABV
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, California

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.04/5 rDev +0.7% | Average: 4.01
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Poured from the 8.4 oz can dated 09/04/2025 into the test glass
A - A lite lemon color yellow, excellent clarity, vigorous carbonation feeds a thick white cap.
S - Crackery malts, lemon verbana, fresh cut grass.
T - Sweet malts, with a crusty baguette theme, some lemon, and a touch of honey
M - Lite in body, crisp. Lovely start with a steady malt balance. Never moves toward bitter, Beautifully balanced.
Linger is crackers and orange blossom honey
O - A lovely offering from a talented team, Excellent structure and aromas. A delight on the palate. Winner for sure

 

That map looks dated, but sadly still plenty of dry counties here

 

Thanks for clarifying/ correcting. This map link is from the State of Arkansas.

https://gis.arkansas.gov/product/abc-wet-and-dry-areas/

Didn’t know states still had the “private club” permits that were once prevalent in Utah. Link below is for a four page list of private clubs.

https://arkbiz.s3.amazonaws.com/legacy/news/print_editions/ab_state_private_clubs06.pdf

 

Finally participating after missing last weekend due to travel.

Getting the style tick after many years with Timmerman's Faro:

Appearance: Clear amber, good head.

Smell: A little tartness, some baby spit-up, some fruit in the way back.

Taste: Starts with a mix of sweetness and tartness. Sweetness continues, like spree candy or sweet tarts candy, not overwhelming. There's just enough tartness in the finish to let you know this is something different. Pretty full bodied for 4% abv.

Overall: Finally saw a Faro again (it has been probably 10+ years) so picked it up to get the style tick. I like it! Since I'm not a fan of funky beers or sour beers, the sweetness cuts the tartness down to levels where I can taste it but it doesn't detract from the beer. This was bottled in Sept 2022 but it appeared to be a new drop at the store. A pleasant surprise.

 

It has only bit me once here. Now I know to pack a few road beers if I am going somewhere overnight

 

Watching the college football selection show. The rankings are pretty much as expected, but in a big surprise Notre Dame has been left out. A bit of schadenfreude for me.
My new beer for today is Bourbon County Cherries Jubilee Cask Finished. A very good beer, but not as good as I expected.
The beer is black with no head.
I get an aroma of alcohol, sweet fruit, dark malt, chocolate.
A taste of chocolate fudge, subtle cherry, and bourbon.
Full-bodied.
Nice dessert beer.

 

Started my Sunday brews with a good local dunkel:

Woden’s Hunt Dunkel | Gemüt Biergarten | BeerAdvocate





Should have some more new brews soon, cheers!

 

Goose Island BCBS Cherries Jubilee Cask Finish BBA Imperial Stout 2025, 14.5% ABV. Pours thick and black, with a small ring of light-brown bubbles. Aroma is chocolate covered cherry, and wine. Taste is cherry, citrus, wine, and bourbon, equally sweet, tart, and bitter, some bourbon burn. Excellent thick mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.24/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

Continuing with the Ohio brews, just finished this one from Cleveland area Schnitz Ale Brewery:

Coach Dunkel | Schnitz Ale Brewery | BeerAdvocate



Thought this was decent enough, didn't blow me away at all but would be worth a revisit at some point.