New Beer Weekend #282

Doppelbock Dunkel from Klosterbrauerei Andechs

Poured a 500ml brown bottle into a pint glass. A big three finger fine tan head on a clear dark amber brown. The head soon diminishes to a layer that sticks around. Some patchy lacing.

Caramel in the nose. Bready. Some apple. The taste is bready malts, caramel and toffee. Initially sweet but the strong malts seem to attenuate the sweetness.

Medium body. Moderate carbonation. Very smooth. It feels lighter than it is. A well hidden ABV. Overall a superb Dopplebock. Complex and well balanced. Well worth a try.

4.28/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

 

Hey, NBW! Finally getting around to posting this beauty...and joining @vurt in doing so.

von Trapp / Trösten - smoked dark lager



4.13/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
This beer is a real treat as it is a very approachable smoked lager. It pours a very very dark amber, almost black in color but not quite. Lasting off white foam sits atop the goodness that lies beneath while also giving nice lacing rings for a 6.0% ABV beer. The drinking experience is enjoyable as this beer reveals its complexities: Caramel, toffee, and pumpernickel bread flavors intermingle all the while being closely connected with a smoky presence. The kind of smoke you may find in various meats or jerkeys, not nearly Scotch or Rauchbier level. An earthy hop finish comes forth while a bit more smoke lingers, both eliminating the possibility of any cloying attributes. This beer is very drinkable for the style and IMO is a great offering for smoke lovers or smoke rookies alike.

 

As Above So Below
10% stout by Mortalis



I sipped this stout over the course of hours while doing holiday chores. No detailed notes but I thought about the beer quite a bit.

Enjoyable mouthfeel as the stout was thick and chewy which is okay in my book. Low carbonation but enough to work well with mouthfeel. Perfect for a frigid December day.

The nose and taste were a delightful amalgam of coffee, chocolate and light coconut. I'm normally not a fan of the latter, but it was deftly used here by the brewer. The combination yields a very strong flavor like a super rich cup of coffee. I cannot imagine chugging one of these stouts. Too heavy and a waster of its flavor.

Definitely worth a try by fans of big stouts and coffee.

 

Swarez Family Brewery Ms. Frank Keller Lager.
I've never been disappiointed with Suarez Family Brewery beers. They know lagers. I am frustrated with lack of information about thier beers though. The website only lists a bottle archive, no info on their everyday cans. The can labels tell you almost nothing, not even ABV, which I thought was an ATF rule. I know, wa wa wa. Let me explore what counts, what's inside the can-

3.86/5 rDev -7.7%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Purchased from Half-Time as a mixed case. Received via UPS fairly cold, somewhat insulated packaging, but mostly because of cold weather. Refrigerated immediately and until served. The label offers little information, but the can is stamped “CANNED 10.29.25 DRINK BY 3.11.26”.
The body is golden (SRM 6 or 7) and although I can see my fingers through the mug they are blurry. The white head is a mear .25in/6mm and faded fast to a thin ring. There is brief attempts at lacing during the session that consists of bubbles racing to get back in the pool.
The aroma is malty, caramel and mild spice.
The taste is reminiscent of a strong vienna lager, but there is grape in the background. Despite an ABV of 4.7-5.2 (published ratings vary) there is some alcohol warming in this beer.
Mouthfeel is medium to light and the carbonation seems appropriate.
A good example of the style.

 

Rhinegeist / Dad - Hoppy Amber Ale



3.94/5 rDev +10.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
This is a nice hoppy amber ale that leans into Celebration territory a bit while keeping its own identity intact. Think piney with a side of pine sap spread atop a subtly sweet caramel malt base. Maybe some pine syrup as well. I get a hint of smokiness through the easy finish. Not as bitter as you'd expect. Nice easy drinking seasonal offering

This is underrated IMO. Major complaints include the lack of traditional holiday beer spices or fruits. I rated this beer on its own merit

 

Next up was another Bruery beer, more of a fall beer than a winter one:

Autumn Maple - Midnight | The Bruery | BeerAdvocate





Thought this was OK, just wish it had more of a flavor kick. I should have one more new brew in a little while, cheers again!

 

Agree completely.

 

That is from my local brewery Little House. They rotate tap beers all the time, but Rare Candy is a staple and one of my favs. Unfortunately the owners tell me they are disappointed with their contract brewer/distributor's shelf life protocols. If you ever get to Connecticut and get to try that fresh on tap you're in for a much better experience.

 

Happy Sunday everyone, we woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland today. Got 6-7 inches of sticky wet snow, the kind that just makes the world look surreal; it was a beautiful morning. Been out twice with the kids and watched Home Alone as our wind down; now I feel like were in the third day of this single day. Soup going in crock with frozen ham remnants from Thanksgiving, gonna be a good cozy night as temperatures have plummeted and true cold again shows its face.

Being it is all snowy and were entering holiday crunch time I wanted to cross post a Christmas beer with the tasting thread. I had this beer ages ago and have not had in a long long while so it was due a review treatment, grabbed a single for the occasion.

Sly Fox - Christmas Ale (Spice Ale 6.3%)



Pours cloudy, light brown and copper hue, hints of red when held to light; off-white head that vanishes too fast, leaves islands of bubbles and faint sheen of froth.

Nose is attractively Christmas like; sweet and spiced; has a fruity component to it, with complimentary toffee and spice, cinnamon and ginger come to mind, little clove aspect too.

Pleasant tasting beer, with the smorgasbord of spice I was worried it would be over the top but it’s not; but no single spice sticks out, just a holiday spiced flavor, little bite to it with a pleasantly sweet lingering malt base.

Medium body, comes off a tad thin though; creamy carbonation, spices add a little bit of pepper like feel finish, little something bitter on the sides of the tongue; easy to drink.

This is a good standard spiced style Christmas beer, my gripe is the kitchen sink of spices in this; prohibits any one from shining or showing off. I am still very much enjoying it for what it is though.

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

Have a great week everyone, hoping to deliver an amber themed weekend courtesy of @vurt next weekend, cheers everyone.

 

I was in a target rich environment & failed to give that can better scrutiny, but had to take pic to even read the date

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. Tis the Beer Season with multiple threads to follow, which is great fun!

For New Beer Sunday I'm reviewing A Night to End All Dawns - Tiramisu (2025) from Kane Brewing Company. It is one of the three variants released by Kane as part of the 2025 ANTEAD release, which occurred 3 weeks ago. This variant is aged in bourbon barrels with cocoa nibs, vanilla beans, dark roast coffee, and Graham Crackers. 12.2%. As expected, it is a very tasty Imperial Pastry Stout.

Poured at 63°. It is ink black with a big, frothy, dark-mocha-colored cap that dissipated rapidly leaving a thin film of foam floating at the top of the glass. The smell is sweet with cocoa, graham cracker, fresh coffee, and faint but noticeable bourbon. Its taste is a pleasing blend of sweet cocoa, slightly acidic coffee, graham cracker, and a hint of vanilla. The bourbon flavor is strong at first but mellows as the Stout breathes in the glass. All of the flavors blend seamlessly. The mouth feel is excellent: thick, almost chewy with mild carbonation. While not distracting, the 12% ABV is noticeably warming. Overall, what I like best about Tiramisu is that it doesn't taste overtly adjunct-laden.

4.43/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I prefer Kane's 2025 ANTEAD release to this year's BCBS. Have a great week, everyone. Cheers, NBW!

 

For my last new brew of the weekend, figured I'd try Jackie O's Christmas Ale:

Christmas Ale | Jackie O's Taproom & Brewery | BeerAdvocate





Thought it was a good overall Christmasy Brown Ale, not strongly spiced but still tasty. Cheers and have a good week everyone!

 

Tree House Gift of Hops


Reviewed by TCgenny from New York

4.14/5 rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Picked up at Saratoga yesterday , pours opaque golden yellow with fluffy sticky head that is sturdy. Aroma is peaches, grape,strawberry. Taste follows with big guava, mango, lemonheads tart smacky. Delic, not too sweet , lush, thicc, juicy!
Banger!

 

Jester King Tep Zombie Hazy DIPA, 8.0% ABV, with New Zealand Cascade T90, Galaxy T90, Krush Cryo, Galaxy Terpines, Citra Terpines, & Nectaron Terpines; 4.34 overall


Pours a super hazed gold with 2 fingers of eggshell colored head, a bit of a gusher. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Copious amount of citrus, some coconut

T: Oranges, white grapes, green melon& a little guava and passion fruit up front, some grassy notes as well. Cantaloupe notes, papaya, coconut & dryness as this beer warms up, dryness as well, white grapes, pineapple & pomelo. Finishes dry with pineapple, a little coconut & papaya

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation, good balance

Nice tropical juice bomb, easy to drink. The dryness is a bit of a detractor to me, .25 flavor deduction

 

I was at Great Heights Brewing this afternoon...they had a new IPA on.

Winter IPA, 6.8% ABV.

Description from the brewery...

Winter IPA (6.8%) is a tribute to one of the greatest craft beers of all time that hits shelves this time of year. An old school American IPA with Cascade, Centennial, & Chinook hops and a little crystal malt to boot.



Pours a clear and dark reddish/orange color. A one finger white head forms with good retention and lace left behind.
Big C Hop aromas. Grapefruit and citrus, pine are big and up front. No need for anything else.
Taste wise, like the nose, pine resin and big grapefruit with other citrus flavors. There is a baked bread and sweetness in the middle, just enough to balance. Then a peppery spice note comes in, and a glorious drying and lingering bitterness.
A medium to full body. Crisp carbonation, but also resiny, perfectly chewy for the style. The bitter dryness pulls this together. Which all leads to something very easy to drink. I'll be getting much more when available.

Definitely a great Celebration clone. One I wish was available more often. I'd drink this year round, but if this is going to be a new seasonal for Great Heights, I'm all for it, and maybe the best IPA Great Heights as done. Highly recommended.

Overall score is 4.18, easy A-. On an odd note, while I haven't checked my old Celebration score, which I probably reviewed over 15 years ago by now. This is probably way higher than that. My score of Celebration then, is no reflection of how I see it now ha, its just a woefully out of date review

PS: I was able to finish the great Colum McCann novel on Rudolf Nureyev, the Russian ballet dancer, while have a couple of these. Excellent book, really interesting person, excellent writer.

 

My first New Beer of the day is a tribute to an old classic.



Cloudburst Distinctive Holiday Ale
The body is a clear russet brown with burnt orange highlights. The thick head of French vanilla foam fades quickly to a long-lasting ring that doesn't yield much lacing. The nose is a festive mix of nutty brown malts and mixed spices.

The flavor is just what you'd want from a winter warmer inspired by Anchor Our Special Ale: multigrain toast, brown sugar, roasted mixed nuts, and a blur of spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, anise). Not too sweet. It even has that earthy and slightly tangy bitterness that all Anchor Xmas beers had in the finish.

The body is medium with moderate carbonation. While the flavor isn't too spicy, there's some residual warmth from the spices which raised a touch of heartburn by the bottom of the glass. Not unpleasant, but it got my attention. Maybe there's a bit of something really hot in the spice bill?

Overall, I wouldn't call it a replica of Anchor Our Special Ale (not roasty enough, for one thing), but it's enough of an homage to scratch that itch. A tasty spiced ale to ward off the damp chill of a gray December afternoon in the PNW.

 

Fernson Snow Eater Stout 5.5% ABV. Pours black with a one-finger beige head that left real nice lacing. Aroma is chocolate malt. Taste is malty, faintly bitter, metallic. Decent moderately thick and creamy mouthfeel, overall very good. Real nice low-ABV non-add-junk stout.

3.91/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

 

Walnut River Brewing Co. Eldorado, KS Kuvalda EIS aged in Willet Rye Barrels. Looks to be brewed for Rob's World of Beers aka Goebbel's Liquor Store in Wichita. 12.0% ABV; 4.13 overall

Pours an effervescent chestnut with a pinky+ of tan head. plenty viscous, minimal head retention & lacing

S: Dark chocolate, barrel presence, vanilla, booze once warmed up

T: Plenty of barrel, dark chocolate, woody hops, molasses up front. Plenty of Rye barrel, becomes more peppery as this warms up, vanilla, a little coffee, a little toffee too. Finishes with loads of Willet, caramel, & trace amount of coffee & chocolate

Medium body, moderate carbonation, fairly warming. Body thins a bit once warmer

Wanted more body, but a solid effort with plenty of Rye presence. A sipper

 

That beer is a fine example of adjunct stout done well; I didn't grab a single this year but most years I try to. As a sucker for all things ginger that one is tasty when I've had it.