New Beer Weekend #283

Agreed. When the label promises a flavor, I don't want to dig for it in the beer.

 

This was one deep Stout. A bit of side snax really added. It was like having a friend sitting in the passenger seat with you on a 2.5 hr road trip. Cheers! to @GreenBayBA and the summer BA Beer Bash crew.
3 Sheeps Baker's Dozen Imp Stout 13.2%

4.25/5 rDev +7.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
500ml bottle into a snifter. 2 pours.
L: Pours black with a dark ashy brown head that recedes quickly to khaki edge foam, minimal carbo, almost no lacing, has drink side sheeting & cling.
S: Bourbon, chocolate, molasses, maple syrup, a barrel char note, earthiness emerges, more bourbon as beer warms.
T: Taste follows aroma well plus heavy dark chocolate, barrel char, distant stewed dark fruits, black coffee. All flavor elements are rich and well-rounded. It is sweet, full-flavored and gives some chest warming. It has a medium-long linger.
F: Smooth, thick, heavy-bodied mouthfeel with a long moderately dry finish.
O: A fair amount of sweet dark chocolate accompanies maple syrup and barrel notes to complete a very rich tapestry of dark tastes. The charred barrel taste is firm. This beer is big, full, and it morphs with warming a wee bit. Some light coffee at the very end. It is outstanding in its style.

 

A local beer that IMHO could use a touch more sharpness and dryness. NTL good.
Luce Line Frosted Tips DDH WCIPA 8.2%
3.67/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
16 oz can into a shaker pint glass.
L: Pours a lightly clouded radiant butterscotch color with light steady carbo, a thin white head that slowly recedes to thin edge foam, light spotty lacing.
S: Fruity with citrus and citrus zest, caramelized malts emerge as beer warms.
T: Caramelized malts, lightly sweet then swings to tangy citrus, a hint of dried fruit bread, citrus zest, slightly overripe orange and grapefruit, it has a citrus aftertaste.
F: Smooth medium bodied slightly juicy mouthfeel with a medium length moderately dry finish.
O: A fruit-centric and fairly mellow 8.2% beer. Drinks easy., clean tasting overall. It's not a sharp tasting WCIPA as many are and could be called "tame" in that respect. I'd try it again on tap where it might have a bit more pizzazz. It is good in its style.

 

Série Signature Sticke Alt from Les Trois Mousquetaires

Poured a 473ml can into a mug. A big three finger bubbly tan head on a hazy reddish brown. The head diminishes to a foamy layer that sticks around to the end. Lots of patchy lacing.

Sweet malts in the nose. The taste follows the nose. A solid malt backbone. smooth and balanced. A distinct Noble hop finish.

A medium body and moderate carbonation. Les Trois Mousquetaires rarely disappoint and this is no exception. Overall a solid Sticke Alt. True to the style and well crafted. Well worth a try.

4.02/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

Good day BAs! Today we'll be celebrating christmas with our son and his immediate family (other family later this week). So I saved what I was hoping would be the best beer from the BA Big Beer Six-pack:



Paryebola from Firestone Walker Brewing. 12 fl oz bottle from BA Big Six Pack (2025), received 16/12/25. $ 105.98 (including shipping and tax) ($ 1.19/oz). Reviewed 21/12/25, review 3662. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Only date is “2024” on the label. Stored at home at 40 degrees F. Served at 54.6 degrees F (Label suggests 55F) in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 60.9 degrees F.
Appearance – 3 – Gross appearance is that of almost every imperial stout I’ve ever had.
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), clear.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. Under direct light, chocolate brown. When rear-lite, opaque, but deep amber at the edges.
Head – Small (Maximum 0.7 cm, aggressive center pour) Biscuit lightening to wheat as it oxygenates, high density with average retention, ending with a 0.3 cm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – Fair. Temporary low, rolling foothills of near-microscopic bubbles remain above the crown as the level drops, slowly weathering back into the remaining crown.
Aroma – 4 – Little, mostly weak roasted malt with a bit of graininess, no hops, no alcohol (15.2 % ABV according to the label).
Flavor – 4 – Initially slightly sweet with weak caramel, but a little spicy. No hops, no dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Lacks the expected coffee/chocolate flavoring. Well attenuated alcohol - moderate gastric warming, not unpleasant. Ends on the dry side.
Palate – 4 – Medium: Approaching creamy: Soft but lively carbonation. Slightly sticky.
Style: Sort of follows the BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Uncredited label art. Needs MORE RYE! Certainly, more of an American Imperial Stout than a RIS, IMHO. Still, certainly not bad but not what I was expecting, just NEEDS MORE RYE!
Rating 3.89, rDev -12.6%

 

Welcome everyone to New Beer Sunday #1087. Third weekend new beer is an Amber, as was the Jon's kickoff selection, though it's a lager, not an ale. Let's see how Amber this tastes.

ALDI USA Amber Lager

3.62/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75



12/21/25 - (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 9/17/25 (can stamp PKGD 04:091725 0959018669). Amber Lager, 5.0% ABV. Brewed by ABW Virginia Beach LLC in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Appearance: Slow pour to get 2/3 into a Pilsner glass. Fast forming generous egg white bubbly and very creamy head over a bronze orange cloudy base with heavy sustained carbonation. Very nice. 4.25

Aroma: Toasty biscuit and caramel, mild to medium strength. 3.5

Taste: Consistent flavor, caramel sharp, light biscuit notes. Medium strength. 3.5

Mouthfeel: Light gentle to nearing prickly carbon gives added depth to a medium body. Nice balance, hops presence deters excess sweetness. Malty caramel finish. 3.75

Overall: This is a good Amber Lager, nice balance, mellow chill strength. Expected flavors. No show stoppers, just a good enjoyable selection. 3.75

Have three more planned for next weekend, perhaps one or two more if Beer Advocate feels the Christmas Spirit and opens the thread on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Ho Ho Ho!!!

 

Cheers, NBW!

Had this Mad Elf Grand Cru by Tröegs last night for the first time. I enjoyed it thanks to its strong tart cherry notes and drinkable nature. I was thankful it was tart versus sweet.



4.04/5 rDev -1.2% | Average: 4.09
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
This is a fairly one dimensional BDSA, but enjoyable to my taste nonetheless. A surprising pour delivers a small amount of foam when I was expecting something much more akin to a typical Belgian appearance. This beer looks, smells, and tastes like a glass of tart cherry juice with an 11% ABV. I did detect some leather and fig notes beneath the layers of cherry. Body is a tad thinner than expected, but feel and carbonation do match one another nicely. Overall a drinkable cherry bomb that hides it's booziness very well. Extra .25 in appearance for cork and cage.

 

Cheers!

 

Rouge - Santa's Private Reserve (2025)

4.12/5 rDev +4.3% | Average: 3.95
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Sadly, my first and last try with this excellent stout. Taste and feel (always the best attributes) are the highlights here. Flavors were a winning mixture of roasty lightly bitter malts, dark chocolate, and black licorice. As sips were taken, the finish leaned toward dry with lingering licorice while its viscous body coated the palate and made way for immediate subsequent sips. This tasted like no other stout I've ever had which really surprised me. Hopefully this recipe lives on after the closing of this iconic and once trailblazing brewery.

 

Correction, this beer was first added by @zotzot under the name Evergreen as an American Lager by Zero Gravity. I mistakenly added as Green State Evergreen. It is now styled as a European Stong Lager, it's new home. Cheers.

 

Lupulin Cookie Monstrosity Imperial Pastry Stout, 11% ABV. Pours thick and brownish black with a 2.5 finger dark-brown head that left great lacing. Aroma is honey graham, chocolate, and coconut. Taste follows, plus salted caramel, slightly sweet, moderately bitter. Decent thick and smooth mouthfeel, overall excellent. It has the add-junks of a Pastry Stout, but not quite as sweet as the typical pastry stout.

4.19/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Wow, December 21st and we grilled. Supposed to be in the 40's and 50's all week, and it's looking like we won't have a white Christmas. Snow will all be gone by then.

 

Happy NBS everyone! Started off today's brews with one of the recent Small Batch Society offerings from Urban Artifact:

Small Batch Society - Banana | Urban Artifact | BeerAdvocate



Straight and to the point, banana stands out in the taste and aroma. Plan on having another few new brews today, cheers!

 

Celebrating the Winter solstice with a late morning black IPA - cheers!

4/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Packaged October 21st, enjoyed on December 21st. Poured from a pint can into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Clear umber to burnt umber gradient with auburn highlights supporting a bone cap. Rocky lacing; superior retention.

Clean malt aroma with moderate grassy/citrus-tinged hop notes.

Moderate roast on the palate entry suggests medium-roast coffee, toasted hazelnuts and walnuts, and a hint of peppercorn and stale tobacco. Moderate bitterness suggests baker's chocolate, orange zest, wild grass, root beer and clove. Fairly dry, slightly earthy finish.

Chewy, well carbonated, yet crisp with a little bite. ABV reasonably well concealed.

Well balanced, easy drinking example of the style.

 

Goblin Couch
5% smoked porter by Miskatonic.

Thanks to @GrumpyGas for this beer. Cheers Kevin.



Poured from a pint can, the body is black with a white fluffy head. Good lacing.

Aroma is a light smoke and toasted malt.

Taste follows nose but there is a bit more balance to the smoke and malt. The smoke is substantial but not overdone.

Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation.

A good tasting, accessible smoked porter.

 

Greenhouse Aleworks Peperomia Triple Hazy IPA w/Vera, Citra & Galaxy Hops, also Peachy Keen Euphorics, had to look that up ), 9.0% ABV; 4.13 overall

Pours a very hazy gold with two fingers of eggshell colored head. Above average head retention & better lacing

S: Peaches, pineapples, oranges

T: Tangerine, grapefruit, pineapple with a bitter slant, passion fruit some dryness up front. More pineapple, some pomelo, green melon & passion fruit as this beer warms up. Finishes a little dry with oranges, passionfruit, guava & faint pineapple notes, a little sweeter as this warms up

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation, nice balance. Slightly acidic

The nose makes you think you will get something sweet, more bitter & acidic, drinks great for the ABV

 

Yesterday we took our frirst trip to NEBCO's new brewery and taproom that they took over from Stoney Creek. I think all CT BA's agreed- Now instead of mediocre beer in a great setting we can have great beer in a great setting. I purchased two different to-go beers that I have never seen in a store. I even bought some Fuzzy Baby Duck based cheese, which is quite good.
First up Locust Reign an 8.2% DIPA with Galaxy, Mosaic and Columbus. This beer has a 99 rating in the BA database.

4.62/5 rDev +3.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Purchased cold at the brewery yesterday and kept cold until served. Poured to a pretentious tulip/bublous/teku-like glass from a 12oz can dated 11.24.25.
The body is a quite hazy gold gold color (SRM 8 or 79). The white potholed head is well over an inch and pretty cool as it recedes- there is permanent glass clinging solid and spider lacing, but the really cool part is what I can describe as an island in the middle with significant elevation.
The aroma is floral, citrusy and pine needles.
The taste is heavier on the citrus, but pine needles remain and there is an alcohol-warming finish.
Mouthfeel is medium to light and the carbonation seems appropriate.
An enjoyable beer.