New Beer Weekend #286

It totally depends, often for the reasons you mention - I will check out reviews when deciding to purchase a beer, and so might have some idea. I usually go in fairly blind, though.

That said, I do often like to compare my thoughts with others, especially BAs whose palates I am familiar with. Sometimes, in threads like this and other tasting threads, I will compare reviews. Other times, if I am getting something a little odd, I will look at reviews to see if others are getting the same thing or if maybe their reviews will push the often hard-to-pin-down odd note into a less odd direction.

For the beer I just reviewed, Sam Adams Winter White Ale (just noticed it was my 4100th rating), I only checked the rating and saw I was a bit above it. I found the beer to be pretty solid, but unremarkable - kind of Sam's specialty.

It had a floral citrus nose with a bit of earthy spice. It opened on the palate a bit honey sweet, but with the same citrus notes, though less floral. Things evened out as I sipped as the clove started to sub in for some of the sweetness. At the end, I did get a little banana.

I missed the New Year NBW, so I'll wish the NBW crew a Happy New Year now. Cheers, all!

 

I knew it!!! Thanks for the start up @Beersnake looking forward to joining with one or two this weekend later this weekend.

 

A winter time treat!

I met some buddies for lunch at a local craft beer bar/restaurant (Capone’s in Norristown, PA) and to my great joy they had a Ramstein (High Point Brewing) beer on tap: Ramstein Winter Wheat Doppelbock.

How this beer was detailed on the Beer Menu:

“Doppelbock with a bouquet of wheat malt, caramel and chocolate malt. 8.8%”

I am a fan of Ramstein beers and I have only ever seen it available at Capone’s. My guess is that Matt Capone is well connected such that he can obtain their beers.

Served in a fancy glass:

Appearance:

Pours a mahogany brown color with a khaki colored head.

Aroma:

A variety of aromas: dried dark fruit, dark bread crust, dark chocolate, caramel, toffee,…

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with aspects as detailed above; a pleasing balance of those flavors. There is low-medium bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied. There is a moderate carbonation level with an off-dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is very good – excellent. I appreciated the balance of flavors and even with its robust ABV level it is quite drinkable.

Cheers!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH @MrOH @Giovannilucano

 

I absolutely LOVE Doppelbocks! Cheers!

 

Real good question @Beersnake Tim. Similar to you, I look at scores, then write my review blind. After that, I do lean on other reviews before finalizing it, due to a poor sense of smell caused by chemical exposure as a teen. I presume that impacts taste too. I sometimes check other reviews for queues in identifying things I smell but can't quite identify. Quite often, others pick up a plethora of odors/tastes I can't detect, and I don't include those in my review.

I'll post a review tomorrow.

 

Great start @Beersnake
I try to avoid reading before reviewing, but TBH, sometimes I have already glanced to see if somebody might be waving me off.

Here is my contribution to Dry January. (For the record, not an IPA @Resistance88 )
Blessed by Anchorage.

On tap at Windsor Browns in Anaheim, CA. Glory Be!

Liquid obsidian in the glass. No foam. The few bubbles that attempt to cluster giveaway just after making it to the ring of the glass. No head so no retention. No lacing, but a a slick oily curtain does grace the glass.
The nose is firm and elegant in its presentation of caramel, whiskey, vanilla, chewy dates, and an undercurrent of barrel char.
The nose was just an introduction. This is one damn, fine, imperial stout. Rich, decadent, and fully engaging. Yes it’s on the SWEET side, but there’s so much complexity to that. The caramel, cocoa, dates, and whiskey all play so well together. The vanilla is definitely present and contributes, but not overwhelming. (truth be told I often find vanilla to be a hard note to enjoy when it’s pronounced) the vanilla just adds another layer of gracefulness to this huge sipper.
Mouthfeel is chewy, a tad oily, and utterly enjoyable.
Overall, one of the best I’ve had.
4.59/5 rDev -3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

 

I just got done drinking a Troegs Troegenator Doppelbock. A very tasty Doppelbock with the plus of being reasonably priced.

Cheers to drinking Doppelbocks!

 

It was unseasonably warm today, sunny until the rain came in around 3:30pm. Tonight I am sipping another killer NEDIPA from Little Willow Brewing Company.

Poured into a 13 oz long stem tulip glass canned on 12/30/25. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow with a finger sticky white head that leaves thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.75

Aroma is mango, peach, passionfruit, stone fruit, and apricot really nice. 4.5

Taste follows mango, tangerine, peach, passionfruit, stone fruit, and apricot extremely well balanced and tasty as hell. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, not sticky or dry, soft gentle almost creamy carbonation, and at 8.4% plenty of flavor, but insanely easy going down. 4.75

Overall the head brewer and owner Kyle just keeps turning out balanced and consistent NE style IPAs always Double Dry Hopped and priced right. 4.5 Cheers all.

 

I discussed the Chocolate Praline version last month as a draft 5.5 ounce glass pour:

"This beer was quite nice with the combination of chocolate/praline flavors quite notable. For my palate the chocolate/praline flavors overwhelmed the dark malt/bourbon barrel flavors to create a less than balanced beer. I would have preferred more balance here."

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-282.682174/#post-8285536

When I finished that small glass I had zero desire to drink a second small glass. Needless to say but also a zero desire to drink an entire BIG bottle.

Cheers!

 

Happy Friday again NBW. I slept most of the day but got to 70% through Postwar by Tony Judt. Been reading it all week. One of the best history books I've read. Just got finished with the Margaret Thatcher chapter. Got a call back about a battery production engineer job again I had from October, I hope it's not spam again. There is another one I keep getting asking for $20/hr for a full engineer role and a Green Belt from 3 different people. Get lost. I played some Chess.com puzzles today, I need to get back into that as well.

New review Festlich Haus Oktoberfest from Aldi(Rock Wall Brewing). Bottled on 6/21/2025. Great head retention and spotty lacing. Great clarity. Aromas of big honey, brown bread/crust, toast, herbal, grass, light caramel/pine. Taste follows with big honey, brown bread/crust, toast, herbal, grass, peppercorn, pine, and light caramel. Medium pine/herbal bitter finish. Medium carbonation and body; balanced bready/grainy malts and sticky/fairly resinous hop mouthfeel. Fairly crisp with lingering hop poil dryness. No hop astringency. Very clean lagering with minimal yeast esters. Pretty refreshing. Great example of the style with bready Munich malt richness and balanced noble hops. No complaints 4/5


Cheers

 

Sexy

 

So , not really new but. Middle Ages Brewery , Syracuse , NY -Boxing Day Bitter. Brewed once a year , tapped on 12/26 - cask version was fantastic this year ! just finished a growler with Friday night friends , (didn't share lol) . Cheers to all !

 

Cheers to @Beersnake for getting us started. I will only look at reviews prior to if I am curious about what, it sounds really weird it is or a style I am not familiar with.

Drekker Type 3 Fun ( Hazy ) IPA w/Citra, Pecharine, & Maui Nelson Hop Kief & oats as well, 6.5% ABV; 4.14 overall

Pours a very hazed gold with a thumb+ of eggshell colored head. Above average head retention very nice lacing

S: Citrus & peaches, some onion notes once warmed up, but also strawberry & more peach

T: Follows the nose, mango, passion fruit & tangerine up front. More peaches, passion fruit, tangerine & dryness as this beer warms up. Finishes a little dry with tropical fruit & citrus ( lime & tangerine )

MF: Medium body, fairly smooth carbonation

Very drinkable, wish I had drank it a few weeks early for optimal freshness, I confused with another Drekker from that haul

 

BeerSnake - thumbs up !! great job and a great thread ! Cheers !

 

Happy New Beer Weekend. I rarely review new beers on Friday night (I'm usually too tired) but I'm drinking a new one as I watch the Peach Bowl: 11 Minute Fuse, a BBA Imperial Stout from Somers Point Brewing in Atlantic County, New Jersey. I like the barrel-aging; it is delicate and doesn't distract. The issue is the base Stout which could use some more chocolate and coffee. It's rather bland but very drinkable. The 10% ABV is manageable. I want to support a local brewery and cannot complain about $20 for a 750 ML bottle. I think SoPo needs to coax more flavor from the malts.

3.71/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

See youse later this weekend. Cheers, NBW!

 

Not like the game is distracting you or me now...