New Beer Weekend #283

Thanks! Got it from The Craft Diaries on their Etsy store. Not sure if they have another storefront or not, but pretty sure they're UK based. Fast shipment when I ordered from them in the past.

 

Back at it with the second of three lagers from the Aldi Fall Variety Pack.

ALDI USA Mexican Lager

3.26/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25



12/20/25 - (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 afternoon. 12 oz canned 9/11/25 (can stamp PKGD 04:091125 1029029219). Mexican Style Lager, 4.4% ABV. Product of U. S.. A. Brewed by ABW Virginia Beach LLC in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Appearance: Fast forming generous bright white bubbly and creamy head made me slow the pour considerably, just getting a little over half the can on first attempt. Clear golden straw base, faint carbonation, clumpy soapy lacing and a creamy cover over the base after the big head recedes. 4.0

Aroma: Strong diesel alcohol, corn, then light cracker backing. Not very appealing. 3.0

Taste: Corn and salty cracker, lemon grass, taste strength light. 3.25

Mouthfeel: Carbonation nominal, body light plus, lightly dry, leans sweet but not overly, can of corn all the way. 3.5

Overall: This isn't crisp like the others from this variety pack, with the experience similar to a macro Mexican lager. Perhaps that is what they were going for, just not a style or offering for me. 3.25

 

I missed last weekend. Wasn't exactly slacking, though.



Southeastern Massachusetts Festival Chorus and Bronze (bells). We had 108 people on stage and a 30 piece orchestra, twelve of us play bells. Dress rehearsal Friday, evening show Saturday, and matinee Sunday. We made $25,000 in ticket sales so the shows were very well attended. The picture doesn't zoom very clearly, but I am the third man on the top row to the right of the tree. The missus is further over to the right in front of the bald guy.

The wife and I handle the bell set up - it's more work than people think but it beats decorating that tree or carrying risers!

Be back with a beer after I wrassle the tree into the living room.

 

Pulling for the Canes and the underdogs

 

Brasserie Tandem (France) ‘Vive Le Vent’ (Long live the wind) Biére d’hiver (Winter beer)

75 cl bottle, 7% abv. Poured cold into a can glass.,.

What a delightful spiced ale we have here. It’s medium amber in color, poured out with a rich top of tan foam.
The nose rings in with seasonal spices: nutmeg, ginger, a whiff of clove too. Citrus, toast, some coffee grounds and chocolate are also present.
The taste comes in like a sleigh on snow, the spices dry and prominent - thankfully only a soft touch of cinnamon - and the fruity hop note is a little Christmas card . There’s a lightness and gentle sweetness that is comforting. There’s nothing overwhelming in the glass. It’s just.,., nice.
Mouthfeel is a cool winter breeze and smooth. Medium carbonation brings a flavorful (and fragrant) burp.
Overall, a pleasure to savor this fine French celebratory seasonal ale.

“Long live the wind, long live the wind..."

 

Next up for NBW is this good Oatmeal Stout from Alexandria Brewing:

Dog Daze of Winter | Alexandria Brewing Company | BeerAdvocate



Thought it was a solid overall brew, nice oatmeal stout! Plan on having at least one more new brew today, maybe 2.

 

HA! That glass is great!

 

We get AleSmith here in Oregon, but I thought I'd check the store to see if there's anything we don't get. That rum-barrel-aged Old Numbskull is rather tempting.

 

Thank you, @jonphisher, for hosting this special Go Packers, f$@k 'da Bears edition of NBW. This is Tree House Brewing Very SSSappyyy. A hazy IIPA, with Chinook and Simcoe hops. Courtesy of Buffalo Tom, @TCgenny. @VodkaPong87 highlighted that this beer is generating a buzz, so I had to do a full investigation. The look is thick and hazy orange, with a cream-colored thick foam retractable roof, highlighted by the snow-covered frozen tundra of TitleTown, USA. The smell is beautifully pungent, with Christmas tree, grapefruit, lemon, cinnamon, and vanilla. The taste is grapefruit, vanilla frosting, spice, gingerbread, lemon, and molasses. A unique, intensely flavorful combination. I perceive many Tree House Brewing hazy IIPAs are a touch too sweet, but this one is dialed in perfectly. The mouthfeel is thick, creamy, silky, soft, and smooth, with medium carbonation. Overall, this beer stands out in Tree House Brewing's hazy IIPA lineup. The flavor is intense, without being too sweet. @VodkaPong87, the hype is well-deserved. Thank you, @TCgenny!

 

When the Patriots played the Packers in the 1997 Superbowl, I was in Tomah starting up our production plant there. The plant electrical engineer lived across the street and invited us over to watch. Buddy of mine spent the entire week saying how tired he was gonna be after all the touchdown signals he would be raising...Desmond Howard later... It was all good-natured fun, but while I consider Wisconsin my home away from home, being in a house full of Packer fans was...interesting! The venison and game bird dinner was incredible.

I'm on board with F da Bears...

 

I absolutely love this!

 

Winter (2025) from Anderson Craft Ales

Poured a 473ml can into a pint glass. A three finger light tan head on a clear reddish brown. The head diminishes to a layer. lots of patchy lacing..

Sweet fruity malts in the nose. Tastes of sweet malts. Some caramel. A mild hop finish.

A medium body and good carbonation. Overall a solid Dubbel. It's good to see a Canadian brewer doing this style.

4.01/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

 

And yet another stout for today's NBW, a nice vanilla one from Schenker Beer Company:

Quiet Shadows | Schenker Beer Company | BeerAdvocate





Might have been better when fresher but still a good one now. Plan on having one more new beer today, cheers!

 

Hope everyone's enjoying their NBW. It's been a hell of a fall at work and I'm looking forward to the new year and wrapping some big projects. It won't slow down too much, but enough so that I can have my weekends back for the important things (read: beer reviews).

Those who have been following along know that I'm limited in how much I can drink each week due to doctor's orders and that I got back into beer several years ago when i joined BA after a hiatus caused by the craziness (and poverty) that is student loans coming due. So while it's only my 200th review, I wanted to pick something good as I don't tick them off very quickly, and something that gives a nod to all the beers I've had that are missing from my BA roll. I think I found just the one with today's new (old) beer.

(And thanks for sanctioning a more expansive view of new beers in the opener, @jonphisher. I know I sometimes feel a little guilty of stretching the rules and making this thread more of a Beer Review Weekend with these beers from my pre-BA days.)

North Coast Old Rasputin
9% RIS



An aggressive pour brings forth a dense four-finger tan head atop a pitch-black abyss. The head lingers for most of the pint, first as a dollop of tan merangue in the middle of the glass and then as persistent ring the leaves elegant lacing.

Aromas of cocoa, baker's chocolate, brown bread, slight roast coffee, toasted grains, and a hint of seasoned hardwood.

Wonderful depth of flavor on the sip: brown sugar, molasses, and licorice hit first, but before it can get too sweet it mellows out with brown bread and coffee; these flavors meld with plum, raison, cocoa, and baker's chocolate through the middle, setting us up for a big contrast; with a gradual shift going into the finish, the bitter roast and char that's been underlying everything so far gradually builds as the sweetness wanes and finally comes to the fore along with woody bitterness and a hint of alcohol bite, all of which build through a long and somewhat sticky aftertaste, clensing the palate and prepping for the next sip.

Having knocked a lot of carb out on the pour, there isn't much left, but what is there is soft and contributes to a silky feel. Medium bodied and much too easy to drink for 9%.

Overall, just fantastic. There is a reason this has been one of craft beer's favorite RISes (and for that matter, stout of any variety) for decades. It simply checks every box without any gimicks.

 

Brasserie Lilloise (France) ‘Lyderic Triple’

75 cl bottle. 9.5% abv. Bottled 11/25. Fresh AF.

Poured into a Belgian chalice, a fine dense foam pillow rests atop orange/amber brew.
Nose is firmly old fashioned candy shop caramel, fresh baked bread, alcohol vapors.
Taste follows - yay - the sugar is under control. (I’ve been getting repulsed by the sweetness of Belgian brews lately. But then something like this pops up and reminds me why I like the style.) Yeah. Caramel French toast. Good.,.
Mouth is velvety and smoove. Moderate carbonation.
Overall, this 2024 Concours International de Lyon beer competition Gold Medal winner is a focused and special gourmet interpretation of Strong Belgian Ale traditions.

So.,. the brewery is located due west of Brussels, Belgium and northwest of Lille, France.
Lilloise Brewery says:
In 640, after quenching his thirst with malted spring water, Lydéric, following a heroic duel, won his opponent's lands, upon which he built the beautiful city of Lille. Since then, he has watched over the city, and we honor his legacy by enjoying this beer with character!

Hail Lydéric then!

 

Decided to finish up my new beers today with a local one from Ill Mannered:

Smooth Jazz | Ill Mannered Brewing Co. | BeerAdvocate





It's a nice oatmeal stout, Ill Mannered makes some good brews but I don't head up there much since it's about a 35-40 minute drive from my place. I plan on having some more new brews tomorrow, cheers everyone!

 

It's been a while since I participated regularly in this thread, but I think there is always a room for a beer that one is trying [again] for the very first time. If one feels it is going to be a new experience for a variety of reason, go for it.

Of course, as in everything, transparency is nice to see. And if one has vague memories of a long-ago had beer, a little comment on how this experience differed from expectations is always interesting to me.

Cheers!

 

Happy NBW all! Decided on this new beer because it’s stronger than some of the beers in my beer fridge but not quite as strong as others. Gonna take things slow and easy today. Hoarder’s Cuvée from the Bruery. Preliminary review below. Cheers!
________________
4.39/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
750mL bottle (2024) into a tulip. Pours a deep brownish black with a half-finger khaki head.

Aroma is rich and deep with notes of bitter roasted malt, dark chocolate, sticky molasses, soft vanilla, and oaky bourbon barrel char.

Taste is dense and rich with all the above-noted flavors swirling on the palate. Bitterness and sweetness dance. There’s a subtle berry fruitiness here too.

Mouthfeel is heavy but not syrupy—decadent, warming. A real sipper.

Overall an outstanding American strong ale that straddles the line with imperial stout. Excellent.