New Beer Weekend #285

And tonight's spelling lesson...



Oude Mure Tilquin a L'Ancienne from Gueuzerie Tilquin. Not called a Belgian Fruit Lambic, 6.4% alcohol. Fermented on blackberries. This is the 2020-21 vintage with a best by date of 2035...

It pours a slightly hazy light pinkish brown color. Zero foam forms.

On the nose, quite a bit of funk and blackberry jam. It's got some grassy or hay notes, a bit of citrus, a little white wine vinegar, oaky woodiness, a tiny bit of pepper. Kind of a mineral tang.

The first sip opens with lots of blackberry and a more subdued funk than the nose suggested. There's a nice, bright lemon taste that's nearly candy-like. A hefty flavor of oak. There is a wine vinegar flavor, some tart apple, grassy earthiness. I'm getting a sensation of salt on the swallow. It's fairly tart but it's not peeling my teeth. Nicely balanced sour with the fruit, funk, and oak. Faintly in the background is a little peppery tease.

It's medium- bodied with slightly prickly carbonation. That seems to enhance tha tartness a bit. It is quite dry and crisp.

This is a fun one. I might be missing some of the complexities but it's wonderfully fruity, moderately funky, slightly tart, oaky, and everybody's playing nice in the pool. Thinking in the 4.3 territory. Glad to have stumbled on to this one.

Happy Birthday to ya @beergoot - here's to the next orbit!

 

Happy Saturday night everyone, today's new beer comes from @vurt. My second to last beer remaining from my box. I've had a few Heater Allen beers and Gold Dot, both courtesy of @snaotheus and @vurt. This one is new to me and I'm looking forward to giving it a try, a beautiful little Czech Pilsner, yes please...

Heater Allen - Czech 10 (Czech Pils 4.1%)



Pours light gold; crystal clear initial pour; white head, very nice uniform cap, no lacing.

Nose is full of complex light bread like aromas; lightly toasted crust; bouquet of herbal hops, hints yellow citrus and honey.

Taste again presents complex malt character; maybe more cracker like with some bread crust thrown in; herbal character with some sticky honey or citrus; dry grassiness.

Mouthfeel is a highlight for me; has a malt heft that feels cloud like that just vanishes with each sip; dries as your swallow, leaves a nice bitterness that lingers on the tongue, drinks like water while being as far from watery as possible.

This is another high quality lager from Heater Allen; their decoction is noticeable in how their beers drink. I don’t always feel this way but there is something about them, and their gold dot beers. Thanks for this beautiful beer Eric.

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Today marks the last non-school night of a long winter break, tomorrow we all start snapping back into reality. It will be mentally tough on all of us here in the house but will also be so good for all of us to be back in our regular routine. Sharing cause that may or may not put me in the mood to review a beer; not sure what will bring me more presence, something familiar or the last beer you sent Eric. Guess time will tell...have a great evening everyone.

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Well, I am a bit late to the party, but I am here. I might as well start off with this beer that @cheeseheadinMinneapolis kindly gave to me. Sadly, no picture, because Imgur is acting up tonight.
Doc's Bourbon Old Fashioned 24 - Raised Grain Brewing - Waukesha, WI - American Amber/Red Ale - 12.4%

This beer is not too impressive for me. I really do have a tough time with this style getting much off of it, and this beer is no exception. I am glad, and thankful, I got the chance to try it, but it just isn't working right for me.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/42573/728614/
3.51/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
From a 16oz can. Canned on 11/14/2024

This is a super murky looking beer and has a nice dark amber color to it. There are floaties in the beer. There's a 2 finger tan colored head that actually lasted quite long considering the higher ABV. There's a bit of lacing on the glass.
The aroma is pretty weak. I am just getting the faintest hint of vanilla and oak, but nothing else. I was not expecting it to be so minimal.
The taste is better than the nose. I do get some oak notes up front. There's a bit of a vanilla hit toward the back. Slight malty notes show up in the mix. There's a hint of a peppery flavor in the mix, and it seems to be the most pronounced flavor. All flavors do seem quite mellow and weak to me.
The body is decent. No real burn to speak of. There's a bit of a clingy feeling to the beer.
I honestly wasn't sure what to fully expect with this beer. It does have some flaws in my book that totally distract from the potential of this beer.

I may be done tonight, and hope for a better picture and beer day tomorrow. Cheers all, and let's make 2026 amazing.

 

How was the stew?

 

St.m export
...a really clear light gold/amber appearance
...body as well carbonation seems to be both just a bit below average yet still added up to a nice feel
...aroma is apple,brown sugar, cereal, yeast. Somewhat complex yet nothing screamed out loud..
...taste didn't stray too far from the aroma.
...overall its really enjoyable

 

This beer was best consumed fresh, it went out of balance with age.

 

In Little Rock, AR for the night. Which means a trip to Lost Forty Brewing.

First up is their new Swarzbeir, 5.3% ABV.


Pours a dark brown, nearly black color. With some ruby highlights around the edges. A small beige head forms and recedes to a ring.
Aroma is roast up front, with baked bread and dried bakers chocolate. Simple, but very nice.
Taste wise, follows the nose with the roasted malts up front. More lighter coffee is apparent, with that baked bread and bakers chocolate flavor. A bit of lingering malty bitterness. The malt character is the show, but never over done, I like it.
A medium body and moderate carbonation. Very clean and finishes dry. Which all leads to a nice dark lager to drink.

Very nice, that keeps coming up in my review...and it is true. A very nice dark lager. I hope they make more of this, and that I'm traveling through town to get it again.

Overall score is 3.99, easy B+ and I could easily raise the score on more tries.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38015/775608/?ba=champ103#lists


Next is their so called...

Bourbon Barrel-Aged Oktoberfest...Marzen, 7% ABV. I have kept their naming convention and style as they labeled it at the brewery...

The Hunter Oktoberfest aged in Woodford Reserve Double Oaked Bourbon Barrels. Notes of Oak, Bourbon, and Noble Hop Spice, with noticeable Malt flavor and a dry finish.



Pours a clear copper/orange color. A small white head forms and recedes to nothing quickly.
Aroma of Oak/wood, and vanilla. The barrel is the only thing I really pick up in the nose.
Taste wise, again, that oak/woody and vanilla character up front. Plenty of sweetness (oposite of their own descriptor for me), and that is about it. Not a lot of discernible Oktoberfest character.
A medium body and lower carbonation than expected. The wood tannin's take over here. OK to drink, not bad, but just kind of eh all around.

There is too much barrel for the base Oktoberfest here. I'm not a fan of barrel aging this style in the first place, but if you are going to do it, this needs to have a bigger body and ABV. If you like the woody, vanilla barrel flavors without the big body, this might be for you. Personally, I'd rather have a regular Oktoberfest, or a bigger base, or some actual Bourbon.

Overall score is 3.25, blah.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38015/775610/?ba=champ103#lists

 

Cheers, NBW!

I eagerly tried this local stout for the first time today. Chile pepper beers are a true love of mine, this didn't disappoint in the heat category



3.99/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Nice stab at a Mexican Stout with excellent pepper spice coming through. Not perfect by any means, head is limited, viscosity is below average, but this has a beautiful bouquet of coffee and chocolate that leads to a delicious blend of java, chocolate, and hot pepper notes. Cinnamon is very limited in the flavor profile though detectable. Considering the thin body for an Imp Stout, hot pepper beer lovers should unanimously enjoy this beer IMO. I did

Not my most well written review, but I believe I covered the important bases clearly

 

As promised, I am back with a beer that states it was brewed for their 30th anniversary.
The HammerHead that I had last night was also a 30 year anniversary beer, so I’m on a roll!

The pour is stout black with a 4 mm beige head that left no discernible lacing.
The taste is coffee forward, lots of Hershey’s chocolate and vanilla with a hint of cinnamon. Sweet, but just.
The feel is thicker than expected, but then it has twice the lactose so it makes sense.
OA, toasty enough, but not going to be a favorite for me.
Not as big a beer as I normally have for my nightcap, but it’ll do.
Until tomorrow then!

 

Georg rittmayer bock
...an incredibly clear amber/copper appearance
...medium carbonation with a below average body
...aroma is malt,earthy,buckwheat with very mild orange
...taste has a very mild sweetness but theres an earthy almost dry very mild bitterness.
..overall another above average costco beer

 

Mmm, I think I have a few questions about the beer but what first comes to mind is...WHAT the hell is with the (what i hope is) the leftover Halloween decoration ?!?!

 

Boulevard Space Camper Chillbreak Endless IPA, 5.0% ABV; made with 8 different hop additions, still couldn't salvage this, 3.47 overall

Pours an effervescent & bright gold with one finger of eggshell colored head. Very good head retention & better lacing

S: Guava, Papaya, Melons

T: Green melon, papaya & orange rind, plus dryness up front. Faint lime, dryness, white grapes once warmed up. Finishes with grape, faint grapefruit & dryness, plus some grassy hops

MF: Light/medium body, moderate carbonation, okay balance

Drinkable, but not very interesting, a rare miss from these guys, okay for summer sipping, had higher hopes, wish it matched the nose. Quite frankly, this bored me

 

Eviltwin the anti ipa
smoked lager
... burnt orange appearance with a lasting thin white head
....light carbonation with about a medium body
...aroma is smoke, wood,toasted grain and bread.
..tastes like smoke, char, toast,toasted grain. Tastes like a campfire

 

A friend brought this over on New Year's Day. He opened it after we had a couple other beers and some cheeses and other snacks. We didn't finish it, so I saved the last glass for tonight, when I could enjoy it with a cleaner palate.



The Lost Abbey Duck Duck Goose (2022)

Look:
The body is peach yellow and slightly cloudy. A sudsy head of white foam collapses into a bubbly ring and a thready skin that looks a little like the Crab Nebula.

Smell:
The nose starts off sour and oaky, then offers notes of dry white wine, hay, malt vinegar, menthol, lemon yogurt, and a few things I can't pin down zipping around the corners. As it warms, a tempting sourdough bread note emerges.

Taste:
It opens with a preserved lemon note, sharp and clean and bright. The beer is very dry at first, but as the initial acidity fades a mild lemon yogurt sweetness peeks through. Oak and dry red wine character follow. The middle is a confetti-like burst of impressions: brett funk, oat bread, hay, green crabapples, lemon curd, apricot skin, and...salt? It finishes with lingering tartness and a light, doughy funk on a softly tannic bed of oak. There's also a trace of chalky minerals.

Feel:
The feel is phenomenal. It starts with that acidic bite, then turns gorgeously creamy yet airy, and finishes with a mellow wine-like astringency. Tiny bubbles provide vivacious carbonation.

Overall:
While it started more sour than I like, it mellowed nicely by the end of the glass and displayed a well-balanced collection of harmonizing contrasts. I thought the mouthfeel was especially beautiful. A marvelous experience, and unexpectedly drinkable.

 

Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. German Porter, 7.0% ABV; 4.18 overall

Listed as Stark Bier on the can

Pours an effervescent mahogany with 2+ fingers of tan head. Average-ish head retention & good lacing

S: Toasty, some coffee notes, smokiness late

T: Follows the nose, fairly dry, a little char& smokey, some leafy & woody hops up front. Baker's Chocolate, roastyness, some smoke, woody dryness & leafy hops once warmed up, just little chocolate sweetness sneaks in. Finishes a little roasty, with charred grains, a touch of sweetness & herbal hops

MF: Medium body restrained carbonation. Carbonation picks up once warmer

I'm not sure I'd call this a Baltic Porter; they call it a Strong Dark Lager, seems more to me like an amped up Schwarzbier, a different breed of cat that does the job this time of year. They say it's a holiday bier. I believe them. A sipper& worth a go

 

I had this BA Blackout on New Year's Day, my first beer of '26. I wonder if I'll remember this a year from now hehe...I kinda hammered it in my review as I was trying to point out its differences from usual style attributes. I just want to point out that it IS a tasty brew



3.58/5 rDev -17.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3.5
This one is marginal for style. It is enjoyable in its own way, but definitely in the C+ to B- range. All looks well upon pouring, and scents are nice with vanilla, caramel, coffee, and molasses leading the way. Drinking gives way to zero lacing, a thinner body, and close to effervescent carbonation that does die down as the beer warms. Viscosity is very low for the style. Flavors are decent with vanilla and graham cracker leading the way strangely. This tastes more like a dark barrel aged scotch ale than a stout to me. Expected RIS notes are missing in action. I don't dislike this beer at all, it's just a bit of a jumble with strong vanilla presence that reminds me of Backwoods Bastard very much. Missing depth, viscosity, correct flavors, and way too much carbonation for style. Otherwise this is a nice beer.

 

New Trail - Rolled Oats
Oatmeal Stout
6.5% ABV



3.87/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75
An interesting beer in a dichotomous respect. Initially it pours a typical stout with tan head. Quickly its foam dissipates completely with zero head, lacing, or apparent carbonation. This beer looks like a glass of wine in 3 minutes, or what a flat beer would present. Ok. Drinking provides low carbonation as well, but the flavors are there in spades. Dark chocolate, dark roast coffee, and some dark fruit notes. This is like an undercarbonated light RIS. Figure that one out? Somehow, all of this information comes together for an enjoyable beer that is hard to rate highly based on current categories. Given the weird carbo situation here, I'd recommend this one regardless. It's a fun beer that drinks like a nice glass of Cabernet

 

Totally agree Craig - Baltic Porters are one of my favorite styles which I rarely see!