New Beer Weekend #282

Bluejacket Brewery - Chasing Parties
7% ABV Hazy IPA with Nelson Sauvin & NZ Cascade Hops
It almost tasted like a Sour IPA to me, which I didn't really mind so much. I just wish that the hop character was more distinguishable, because it tasted pretty generic and I could not really tell that Nelson Sauvin and Cascade hops were used.

Cross-posted in What Mid-Atlantic beer are you drinking now? (2025) and WBAYDN #4803

 

Sheesh, I miss albums. My old iPod (yes, before the iPhone) had the ability to "shuffle albums" -- like shuffling songs, except it would randomly pick an album to play from start to finish. I still cannot believe that the iPhone doesn't have the capability to do that. So, today and yesterday, I'm shuffling songs until one catches my attention, then I'm playing the album that it's on. Right now, it's Like The Linen by Thao Nguyen.

Harpoon - Flannel Friday, thanks to @jonphisher

12oz bottle served in a stemless Fremont rastal. Don't see a date on it. @jonphisher sent it to me.

Pours amber in color, maybe a little bit on the brown side. Looks pretty clear. Medium head. Smell is earthy and grassy hops, grain, crackers and biscuits.

Taste is way more on the bitter side than I was expecting, earthy and grassy all over the place, wood in the pine direction. Biscuit and cracker is definitely a strong theme here, too, though maybe a bit more toasty than I got from the aroma.

Mouthfeel is very light, crisp and clean. Pretty nice beer.

 

More Kansas haulage, but this beer is from Connecticut

RRRARE CCCADNY w/ Citra & Simcoe Hops, New England Style DIPA, 8.0% ABV; 3.62 overall

Looks to be 8 months old, damn my eyes are going. Will grade somewhat on a curve

Pours a super hazed gold with tons of floaties & a thumb of ivory colored head. Such ugly beer, above average head retention & great lacing

S: Peach, apricot, some citrus & pineapple late

T: Blood orange, vanilla, lime & dryness up front. Pineapple, pomelo, white grape & bready dryness as this beer warms through, vanilla notes. Finishes with Pineapple, vanilla, white grape & oranges, a smidge of dryness

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation, great balance, acidic note, a touch of grittyness, duh just look at it

Easily the ugliest beer I've had in forever, still tons of flavor despite the age. Does seem like a Dole Pineapple Whip of an IPA. Drink this out of the can or in stein, most of its flaws would vanish. Drinks fine beside the nose, a bit muted

 

Edit, my dyslectic ass RRARE CCCANDY

 

Barn Town - Oatmeal Stout

16oz can served in a stemless rastal. Canned NOV1924, according to the bottom of the can. Someone sent it to me. @russpowell? @beergoot? Someone else? Things get crazy around fresh hop season, I lost track.

Pours black with a big flash of soda-like head that fizzles out quickly leaving a smooth, black mirror surface. Smell is quite roasty-toasty, some dark roast coffee and slightly burnt grain. Dark chocolate.

Taste is similar, but more toward milk stout sweetness than the aroma hinted. Sweet with a background of char instead of the reverse. Burnt chocolate, coffee.

Mouthfeel is light, smooth, a little on the still side. Pretty nice, could use a bit more carbonation and/or thickness.

 

Not I Sir!

 

My last Christmas themed beer on hand, may save my two Winter Themed beers for a future weekend. This is a local selection from a favorite suburban brewery of mine.

Art History Wenceslas

3.93/5 rDev -5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75



12/14/24 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Purchased can from Beer on the Wall at store temperature on December 10, 2025 for $4.55 including tax Refrigerated upon returning home before opening this morning. 16 oz, canned 11/5/25. 6.4% ABV Dark Bohemian Style Lager. Brewers Notes: Brewed with Czech Pilsner Malt, Dark Malt, CaraBohemian and Special W Malt. Zuper Saaz Hops. Keep refrigerated below 37 Degrees F. Brewed and packaged for Art History Brewing at Geneva Lager Works, Geneva, Illinois.

Appearance: Poured about 2/3 of the can into a large mug yielding a light tan brown white creamy bubbly head bear one inch. Nice somewhat generous thin tree ring lacing and a sustained creamy cover over a root beer like dark brown near black base. 4.25

Aroma: Bakers chocolate, caramel, malt and toffee. Medium plus strength, a bit higher in enjoyment. 4.25

Taste: Caramel and roast malt flavor, not nearly as strong as the aroma. Mellow, with some freshly baked pumpernickel for good measure. 3.75

Mouthfeel: About medium creamy body with sustained mostly gentle carbonation providing minimal further depth. Lightly sweet, nice hops presence helps to balance. Mellow caramel roast malt finish. 4.0

Overall: This is fresh but more mellow than suspected. Enjoyed the nose and feel best, wish the taste popped in similar fashion. Still a good offering. 3.75

May pull out one more later today for the Holiday Tasting, otherwise I'll return next week with some more Aldi selections.

 

Daily Serving Blackberries and Raspberries


4.27/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Brewers notes: Brewed with blackberry and raspberry, the bramble entry to the Daily Serving series pours a glass-coating, deep burgundy color. As soon as the can is cracked, aromas of mixed berry gummies, raspberry preserves, and lively blackberry highlights leave us salivating. Pillowy soft, medium-bodied, and well-balanced, Daily Serving: Blackberry & Raspberry finishes jammy and slightly tart.
Daily Serving was born out of our desire to express intense, saturated fruit character in beer form. After thoughtful experimentation with Permutation 6.47 and 6.51, we found that the German Berliner Weisse style, with its delicate, yet fluffy mouthfeel and even-keeled acidity is the perfect foundation for robust fruit additions.

Brewed with blackberry and raspberry, the bramble entry to the Daily Serving series pours a glass-coating, deep burgundy color. As soon as the can is cracked, aromas of mixed berry gummies, raspberry preserves, and lively blackberry highlights leave us salivating. Pillowy soft, medium-bodied, and well-balanced, Daily Serving: Blackberry & Raspberry finishes jammy and slightly tart.

Chilled 16 oz can poured into a stemmed Trillium glass
Magenta crimson colored with a pink one finger foam cap

Aroma is raspberries and blackberries

Tase is blackberries and raspberries


Fizzy , tart mouthfeel

Good beer, blue jay approved

 

Sorry all, but I neglected to note above we are celebrating New Beer Sunday #1086 today, in addition to the holiday tasting thread.

Cheers!

 

Totally unavailable here in NW PA - when traveling and I find any, they're usually upwards of $10. Sometimes Spec's has some good buys - my favorite scotch (Unavailable in PA) usually runs around $ 45 in MI. Spec's had it for $20. I picked up a bottle of tequila for my son for feeding the turtles while I was gone - $179 in PA, $129 in Spec's. Definitely worth a stop if you're in TX, although the selection seems to vary with the affluence of the stores' locations.

 

Back again with today's New Breakfast Beer (before I cook my non-liquid breakfast and watch "Noir Alley")



Fundamental Observation from Bottle Logic Brewing. 16.9 oz bottle from HEB # 45, SAT, TX, 15/11/25. $34.74 (including tax) ($ 2.06/oz). Stored at room temperature in store and at 40 degrees after purchase. Reviewed 14/12/25, review 3657. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
On bottom of the label “PKGD 07/2025.” Stored at home at 37 degrees F. Served at 57.9 degrees F (Bottle posits serving at 58 F, xin loi) in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 62.2 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Deep Brown, (SRM 30), clear.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, the same. When rear-lite, opaque but ruby brown at the edges.
Head – None. Just a 0.05 cm broken (but constantly renewing) bubble ring and no cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Smells sweet with some bourbon, cocoa, and vanilla, no alcohol (14% ABV according to the label).
Flavor – 4 – Slightly sweet bourbon with vanilla and a trace of cocoa. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Pleasurable gastric warming.
Palate – 3 – Medium: Slightly syrupy: Soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Uncredited label art but standard label for this brewery. Easy drinking if somewhat sweet for the style. One of the rare vanilla beers in which I can actually smell and taste the vanilla. If bourbon tasted this good, I’d routinely drink it. But … generally speaking, I’m slightly disappointed that I didn’t enjoy this beer enough to justify the price point.
Rating 3.85, rDev -17.7%

 

Good Sunday morning NBS/nbw and thanks @Victory_Sabre1973 for hosting this week.
This grey cold day breaks with a bit of fresh snow, to continue through the day.
A busy week in the mirror is leading into another, this morning gives a short respite.
Todays offering is from nearby Easthampton Ma. there is a bit of a myth that Whooville is based on Easthampton and its Whoo's.
Cool Beans is a really smooth, and delightfully delicate stout with great coffee expression and a solid stout to back it up.
Cheers all

Cool Beans

American Stout | 6% ABV
Abandoned Building Brewery in Easthampton, Massachusetts

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.1/5 rDev -1.4% | Average: 4.16
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 16 oz can dated 11/3/2025 into the test glass.
A - Dark brown in color, rich frothy head to start, then a solid mocha cap for the duration. Lacing is ring after ring.
A beauty to view.
S - Espresso, dark chocolate a bit of piney hops, roasted malts.
T - Rich coffee expression, with cocoa, dark berry, roast malt, some earthy grains.
M - On point for an American Stout, not to thick, plenty of body but medium to light on the plalate. Smooth and well carbonated. Finish is dry and delightful.
O - A well executed and flavorful coffee stout. Plenty coffee forward, with a nice malt and hops balance

 

Old Fezziwig
5.9% winter warmer by Sam Adams.

First try for me of this brown ale despite seeing it for twenty or thirty years.



Poured from a twelve ounce bottle, the beer pours dark brown with a white foamy head.

Aroma has caramel and malt Taste follows nose as the brown ale base becomes evident as the beer warms. Lightly sweet with biscuity malt goodness. A blend of spices adds to the mix giving it a bit of cinnamon, citrus and toffee. A modest hop bite at finish.

Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation.

Your reaction to the spice mix will likely tip the scales for you towards yea or nay.

 

Happy New Beer Sunday everyone! Started off today's new brews with this tasty blend from The Bruery:

Hoarders Cuvée #2 | The Bruery | BeerAdvocate





I thought the imperial stout part of the blend stood out to me, but then there's a lot going on with this brew too with all of the additions. Should have another couple new beers later, cheers!