New Beer Weekend #286

That’s a really good one

 

I have enjoyed this for years and I was surprised to see that I have never reviewed it. Addressing that now:

Trappistes Rochefort 8 from Brasserie de Rochefort

From a 330ml bottle at cellar temperature dated BB 20/08/29. Poured into a chalice. A one finger fine tan head on a hazy dark amber brown. Good head retention. Sticks around to the end, probably helped by the nucleated glass. Some fine slippery lacing.

Molasses and caramel in the nose. Strong malt character. The taste follows the nose, with the addition of some dark fruit flavours. Drying towards the end. A long finish with a very light bitterness.

A very smooth, medium body with good carbonation. The ABV is not very apparent at first but creeps up on you. Overall an outstanding Belgian Dark Strong. Well deserving of it's top rating.

4.47/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

New to me is another excellent Schlenkerla offering, Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche.

4.99/5 rDev +22.3%
look: 4.75 | smell: 5 | taste: 5 | feel: 5 | overall: 5

Very hazy dark mahogany body, orange-golden brown in bright light. Short lived light beige soapy head, it took a sturdy, through-the-head pour for two fingers. Spots of lace remain.

Bold smell of a balance of smoke and sweet malt. Floral hops and beady malt (baked dark rye/wheat, toast, and some dough) also balance and support.

Big semi-sweet taste, average bitterness (smokey more than hoppy) with a great malt backbone. Above average hop taste. Items from the smell are bold with added dried fruits (apple, pear, peach, rasin, grape and plum) with faint fresh cherry and banana. It slowy dries to nuetral, with the lingering fruit and sweet malt taste averting dryness. Only the smoky/hoppy aftertaste is dry.

Medium-full bodied with below average carbonation, I suspect this is a bit old but still great.

Compared to other Schlenkerlas;
The oak smell is reminiscent of most campfires that I have lit when I didn't use pine. Not nearly as meaty as beech or cherry smoked malt. Very little ham taste or smell, just a taste of BBQ smoke. Bigger floral hops taste/smell.
As always, there's a fantastic Dopplebock under the smoke.

 

Great Pines American IPA from Aldi. 11/24/2025 can dating. Nice fluffy head retention and spotty soapy lacing on the glass. Aromas of white grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, berries, herbal, floral, grass, citrus zest, light honey/pepper/pine. Nicely juicy aromas. Taste of big white grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, berries, citrus peel, wood, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread, light honey, herbal, floral, grass. Medium pine, citrus rind, herbal bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; balanced bready/grainy, and sticky/resinous hop mouthfeel. Fairly crisp with lingering resin dryness, no hop astringency. Very vibrant, dank, and juicy hops; feels like Idaho 7 and Centennial quite a bit. Spot on west coast style, clean malt backbone. No complaints. I'd buy another 6 pack. 4/5


Cheers

 

Theakston old peculiar
...very dark cherry wood appearance
...light carbonation with a body that seemed slightly thin yet syrupy at the same time
...aroma isn't overpowering yet there's malt,molasses, dark bread and toast.
...taste has some malt sweetness, very mild hop presence along with dark bread and toast.
...I swear I've had this before but first time reviewing it. Very good but not completely blown over

 

Annual barrel aged beer tasting last night, plenty of fun new beers and whisky, but no notes because it's a more social event. Today, after an interesting combination of impromptu yard work, electrical work, auto work, and plumbing (plus pushing my pickup a few blocks with a stranger named Will, bless his heart), sitting down with a new beer and the time to write about it.

Dortmunder Style Export Lager from Chuckanut, in collaboration with Structures.

12oz can served in a stemless rastal. Canned Nov 13 2025. Bought it a few weeks ago at Beer Junction.

Pours crystal clear dark yellow, dense creamy head, lots of active carbonation. Smell is lemon zest and biscuits, definite lager yeast, some grass and earthiness.

Taste is leaning into the lager funk and earthiness, strong grain with almost a spicy character. Lemon rind seems to be present.

Mouthfeel is very light, very crisp, very crispy. Overall, very good but not quite great lager, in my opinion.

 

Happy Stouterday denizens of NBW! I reviewed an earlier version of this one but as it was changed a fair bit, thought it might be different enough to be new. To me at least.
Transient went through a period of putting damn near every imperial stout in a BLiS BBA maple syrup barrel, and early years of this did just that.
Now they have either grown up and decided not to rely on sweetness to carry their stouts or they lost their supply of the barrels.
Don’t know which, don’t care. Just happy it happened.

The 2025 version is aged in both bourbon and rye whiskey barrels, no maple syrup or BLiS BBA syrup barrels. Makes for a far better balanced beer, it’s not too sweet this year. It’s also 12%. A bit higher than before, but still in the ballpark.
The pour is still used oil black and this year it has a brown head that struggles to cover the surface and leaves no lacing.
They taste is still on the sweet side (lactose and bourbon barrels? Yeah) but nowhere near as sweet as it was. I could even taste the stout!
The feel remains the same, essentially. Nice viscosity, appropriate for a big beer.
OA, if they do this again next year (as in no maple syrup anything and rye whiskey barrels in the mix) I might buy two bottles.
Cheers all, back tomorrow with at least one.

 

The power of Christ compels you. The power of Christ compels you. Out damned yellow beer demon! The power of Christ compels you!

 

Sensory Overlord by ISM Brewing BA 10% ABV

This barleywine opens with rich aromas of toffee, toasted malt, and dried cherries. The flavor is bold and layered with golden brown toast, caramelized sweetness, tart cherry, and a touch of tawny port warmth wrapped in a full smooth body.

 

Chuckanut - Rotbier

12oz can served in a stemless rastal. Canned October 16 2025. Bought it a few weeks ago at Beer Junction.

Pours clear dark red with a big, dense, creamy head. Smell is nutty, toasty, lots of toasted bread. Something almost berry-like wafting across the ol' olfactory system.

Taste also displays that light berry note. Very toasty bread, biscuit, toffee and nuts.

Mouthfeel is light and smooth. Nice beer.

 

Barrel Aged Even More Jesus. I’ve been meaning to catch up with this one for a while and saw a 2 pack today so why not. It’s a big, bad, barrel aged stout but a little pedestrian for the style. The flavors didn’t pop other than the Bourbon, wood, and heat. It wasn’t bad, but not really good either IMO. I’ll get a nice buzz any since it’s a pint at 13%, cheers!
Reviewed by highdesertdrinker from Arizona

4.06/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours dark brown with not much head. Smells like a typical big stout with chocolate, a whiff of bourbon and heat. Tastes like bitter chocolate, a little espresso, some dark fruit, a little dry and a burn from the alcohol. This is a big, bad, barrel aged stout and it’s a style I like and usually rate pretty high but there’s something a little off and out of balance on this one and will probably not try again

 

Loved catching up with the thread and some wonderful beers and brewery / beer bar stops this weekend. @Amendm 's Aecht Schlenkerla Eiche is one of my favorite beers, and glad he had a similar experience.

Going to honour New Beer Sunday #1090 with this selection from Pipeworks, a brewery I hope they reopen their Dojo store on their production site later this year. I was saving for an actual blizzard, but thankfully we haven't experienced one since the end of November around the time this was canned.

This is modeled after Lizard King but with dark roasted malts to produce a Black Pale Ale (not a style option here, so it's a Black India Pale Ale with a lower 5.3%). Chicago is the ground zero of Pale Ale appreciation, which only Chico, California can match in spirit. I made the 10th score, so now it's a real beer like Steve Martin in the Jerk making the phone book.

Pipeworks Blizzard King

4.28/5 rDev +7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5



1/11/26 Home (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Purchased on 12/10/25 at store temperature at Beer on the Wall for $3.98 with tax, before refrigerating until opening this morning. 16 oz canned 11/25/25 @ 10:44 AM. 5.3% ABV Mosaic Dry Hopped Black Pale Ale. Label Art by Beejay Olson. 2025 Pipeworks Brewing Company, Brewed and Canned in Chicago, Illinois.

Appearance: Poured about 3/4 of the can into a large tulip glass, yielding a creamy root beer like creamy bubbly head and near black dark brown base. Prevalent razor thin lazing and a sustained creamy cover over the base remain after several minutes. Looks delicious. 4.5

Aroma: Dark roast malt front and center, backed by a wonderful pine and citrus aroma. Dark roast coffee notes. Very strong overall and enjoyable. 4.5

Taste: Citrus leads, with a lighter roast malt placing second. Consistent lead/secondary flavors fresh and when warming. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Dry, somewhat bitter. Light drinking in terms of ABV, perhaps even lower. Persistent faintly gentle carbonation, medium creamy body with characteristics of a dry stout. Citrus hops and roast malt the entire journey. 4.25

Overall: This beer had a Twilight Zone like twist between the aroma and taste. Fully expected a malty experience, but this is Pipeworks and Hops Reign Supreme here. That said, a very interesting and enjoyable selection, and one I recommend and will seek in the future. 4.5

 

Well, time for my first new beer of the day.

Microdosing: Mosaic - Blackstack Brewing - St. Paul, MN - Hazy IPA - 7.2%

I am really enjoying this beer. Great flavor to it.
Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/48592/512905/#navigation
4.19/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
From a 16oz can with no date on it.

This is a somewhat pale looking golden colored beer. There's some clarity to it, and there's floaties in the beer. There's a 2 finger white head to the beer that has decent head retention. There's a bit of lacing on the glass as the head dissipates.
The aroma is dominated by the hops, and I could smell a bit of a tropical punch while pouring. Up close it has a tropical vibe to it. There's also a hint of a grassy aroma to the beer.
The beer's flavor is hop based and it is interesting. I am getting a faint hint of a tropical flavor from the hops. I also get a decent hint of pine in the flavor. There's also that grassy/earthy flavor that finishes off the profile with a nice slight bitterness.
The body does seem decent. The hops do cling to my throat and linger. The beer is somewhat sticky feeling.
I am burping up hops, and that is a good thing. I think this beer is well made and is sitting right with me.

I know there will be one more new beer in me this weekend, so I'll see you all down the road when I have it.

 

Stinks it didn't live up, that is one attractive beautiful looking beer.

Do you also add these under IPL like I do? or American Lager?

I suspect this may be a new style that gets added because their prevalence hasn't dwindled, if anything I've seen more and more beers marketed as such.

 

Good day BAs! Back again with another New Breakfast Beer (Sort of - I drank one last night but didn't review it):



Dragon's Milk X Dungeons & Dragons: Coconut Rum Barrel Reserve (2025) from New Holland Brewing. Four pack of 12 fl oz bottles from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. Picked up 10/01/26, on room temperature shelf. $ 18/four pack (including tax) ($ 0.375/fl oz). Reviewed 11/01/26, review 3668. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on bottle shoulder in yellow ink “202508070913”. Stored at home at 40 degrees F. Served at 56.8 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 60.1 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), clear.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, black and opaque, amber at the edges.
Head – Large (Maximum 3.4 cm, aggressive center pour) Sandy Tan, high density with average retention, ending with a 0.25 cm crown and a partial cap. Small, tannish lumps of jetsam appear as well.
Lacing – Good. Delicate band of near-microscopic bubbles displaying both reticula and stalactites, while slowly breaking into torn curtain lacing.
Aroma – 4 – Sweet but weak rum and coconut. No alcohol (11 % ABV as marked on the label).
Flavor – 3.75 – Initially slightly sweet with weak chocolate and weaker coconut. No rum, no alcohol. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Mild, barely noticeable, gastric warming.
Palate – 3.75 – Medium: Almost Creamy: Soft carbonation.
Style: Sort of follows the BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 4 (The whole is barely greater than the sum of its parts) Uncredited but quite nice label art. Body is thin for any imperial stout, and the flavors are weak. Lacing is good while it lasts. Alcohol is well-hidden.
Rating 3.89, rDev -12%