New Beer Weekend #291

Lawsons mountain scraggl pils,thanks for starting things off @Premo88
...murky burnt orange appearance with a lasting thick white head
... aroma is malty, cereal and grain with a lot of earthy bitter hops that come off spicy and fruity
...taste is mildly sweet, malty,maple syrup, grain and earthy bitter, citrus and spicy hops
...around a medium body with below average carbonation that seems to dissipate somewhat quickly
...overall a nice pleasant beer

 

A ‘middle-early’ sort of beer

Today’s new beer is Human Robot Hallertau Pils which features Hallertau Mittelfrüh hops. The Hallertau part of that hop variety name refers to the region in Germany where the hops are grown and the Mittelfrüh part refers to a harvest timing:

“Its name derives from the Hallertau in Germany, the world's largest hop growing region, and from its optimum harvest time in the early middle of the growing season (Mittelfrüh means “middle-early”).”

Hallertau Mittelfrüh is a favorite noble hop for me, a hop that I choose to feature in my annual homebrew of Classic American Pilsner, so I have high hopes for this beer.

Below is how this beer is described on the Human Robot website:

“5.2% - German Style Pils - Hallertau pils is brewed as an ode to the industrial German pilsners of the 50’s to the late 70’s when technology allowed more efficient processes, but the liquid was still brewed “the old way”. We use a double decoction mash, 100% German Pilsner malt, and 100% German Hallertau Mittlefru hops.”

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Straw yellow in color with a billowy white head.

Aroma:

A combination of hop aromas of herbal/spicy and a bit of floral as well with bready malt aroma.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with herbal/spicy hop flavors with just a bit of floral in the background. There is a bready/cracker-like malt flavor with a sensation of richness. There is a moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a medium carbonation level. There is a dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is very good – excellent. I appreciated the nice balance of hop and malt flavors.

Prost!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH



P.S. I will once again be attending the annual German Bierfest event later this month at the Pennsylvania German Historical Society in Philadelphia. In the past Human Robot would show up with some of their beers served in small firkins served via gravity pours. Maybe this year they will show up with one of their large wooden barrels? Below is a photo of that barrel which they brought last year to the annual Logjammin’ Lager Beer Festival in Philadelphia (happens in June).

 

An 'editorial' kind of comment.

Quite 'interesting' that the three NBW beers discussed so far are all Pilsners.

Cheers to tasty Pilsners!!

 

Happy NBW! And thank you for getting us started @Premo88. Tonight I tried a couple that were sent to me by @FBarber a few years ago and I am just now getting to them.
The ‘22 “Easter Egg” series, and he sent me one of each.
The previous week I reviewed two, and because I will be at a bonfire tomorrow, I figured I would do the last two.

The pour is stout black with tan head that struggled to cover the surface. No lacing though.
The taste is softer than the other three, with a little more vanilla and a hint of dark fruit. The rest is essentially the base of the beer itself, which has a lot of bourbon, chocolate, coffee and dark bread.
OA, might be my favorite of the four, but I have one more to go.
The other is just marked GI, which I now assume is Goose Island and their “standard” which isn’t new to me but is still pretty darn good.
Might be past my tipping point, so hopefully I did this right.
Cheers

 

Have a good NBW, thankfully it's starting to warm up a bit. Thanks for the Start off @Premo88

I was up all night after sleeping all day yesterday again. I Finished The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmund Morris yesterday, 4/5, a bit of a slog at times, The Spanish American War was my favorite part overall. Roosevelt also wrote a firsthand account as a book of it that I will read soon. Finished The Trees by Percival Everett last night, which was an interesting murder mystery novel about how they are looking for a killer, and every victim has the mutilated body of Emmett Till at the crime scene. Liked the first half better than the second half. 4.1/5. This morning I started Columbine by Dave Cullen , 25th anniversary edition, a lot of updates over the year. I got the ebook and listen to it over @Voice with a Samsung TTS engine. Works well. 4.25/5

Had to take Girly to the vet this morning and she got a chip and spay. She somehow has been in heat for a whole 2 weeks. We think this is the first time she had it. Our main vet says she is probably 6 months old. We put her in the 2nd bedroom and she is still woozy. No need for the cone yet.

We went the CookOut for some food and swag at the corner for dinner. I got my usual Big Double Everything/cheese/bacon, honey mustard chicken wrap, and bacon ranch wrap with PB Oreo Shake. Then we went to walmart for beer and kitten food, since Roxie needs it for nursing in a few weeks. Also the weed store for BOGO eighths of flower and a 2 gram of THCP dabs. Going to be a good weekend. Also the recruiter said I'm on a short list for an interview soon. Gotta read the lean/kaizen and battery engineering ebooks soon.



Columbus Devil's Kush IPA. Canned 10/6/2025. Great fluffy head retention and foamy lacing on the glass. Aromas of big red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, melon, berries, citrus rind, wood, mint, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread, and herbal/floral/grassy hop earthiness. Taste follows with big red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, passion fruit, mango, honeydew melon, berries, wood, mint, citrus rind, peppercorn, pine, cracker, white bread, and herbal/floral/grassy hop earthiness. Large size pine, citrus rind, woody, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; balanced bready/grainy malts and sticky/resinous hop mouthfeel. Fairly crisp on lingering drying resins, with minimal hop astringency. Very aggressive on oily hop resins, but still super drinkable. Very big and vibrant on hop dankness from Simcoe, Idaho 7, Mosaic, Strata, and Chinook. Definitely a large portion of chinook giving the aggressive finish. Mild juiciness behind the dankness. 4.25/5


Cheers

 

Eviltwin barrel aged even more jesus
... solid black appearance with about a half inch mocha head
... just below average carbonation with a thick ,heavy body. Nice feel with a thick creamy feel
...aroma is dark fruit, bourbon, boozy, roasted malt and some molasses
...taste has some boozy sweetness ,mocha,dark fruit,mild wood. Has a dry ,oak finish that coats the mouth and lingers
.. overall it comes off just a hair rough and unpolished but still a hefty ,heavy duty stout

 

It's Valentine's Day weekend. A weekend my GF has learned means it's midway through February.

My second favorite IPA hit the markets here recently. Though she had a chance to buy Double Sunshine, she did not.

I guess it's just about midway through February.

I got this beer for her two seeks ago, because she generally likes Masthead IPAs. I generally enjoy them as well. We are perfect for each other, I guess.


Wafts of hops circle and probe in feinting attacks at my nose as I open this just under one month old can of "The Cleveland Experiment #7". Quite citrusy, actually - wonder if I had opened it when I bought it. Springfest comes to mind, which the GF bought the same weekend I bought this, specifically with the clean look

The Nectarone hop, if its name is alluding to something, seems to play a decent role. Necatarine and soft stone fruit drive the nose, so maybe it is the Simcoe? Hold on a second...

"Left turn, Clyde"

A sip brings more lemon pith, grapefruit, and grass along with a hint of cattiness. And now my nose has been swayed to the beliefs of my palate. Oh how more experience jades ones view of the world... my poor naive little nose.



And me... I'm not sure I've ever had a particular sense shift its impression while drinking the same glass of beer. Who knows if it will hold, but this is a solid, slightly funky bitter old school west coast IPA... reminds me a little bit of my memory of Dirt Wolf when I first had it.

(That probably fits into one of them thar "beer revisit" threads, but I digress... and end scene)

 

Had a few of those thought they were all the same. Pretty sure @FBarber sent me one as well

 

Cheers to @Premo88 for starting this party

Trappi'stes Rochefort 6 ( Dubbel ), 7.5% ABV; 4.29 overall

Pours an effervescent hazel/amber with one thumb of tight sand colored head. Nice head retention & lacing

S: Some bready notes & pears, figs. Taffy notes & a little green banana once warmed up. Stellar nose

T: Follows the nose, some brown sugar, a little bit of phenol presence & choke cherry, plus dryness up front. Plums, brown sugar, dryness, raisins & a little dark cherry, green banana & cloves as this beer warms up. Finishes dry with a little brown sugar, some choke cherry, figs & raisins/prunes, faint woody notes/mushrooms & banana taffy

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation

Drinks easy for the style & ABV. Glad to have tried this, but better Dubbels out there. Would drink again, but not one I'd hoard

Dating code means nothing to me

L15.04.30
13.23.34

 

Another from eviltwin
Even more irish jesus
...muddy looking black appearance with no visible carbonation
...slightly light carbonation with a body that seems thinner than other stouts from eviltwin yet still has some heft to it
.... aroma reminds me of tar at first then followed by tobacco, boozy despite low abv. Coffee beans and dark cacoa.
....taste is tobacco, ash,burnt wood roasted coffee bean.
...overall some reviewers hate this one but it just isn't as dense and heavy as most stouts from eviltwin.
Odd side note,despite lower carbonation its an incredibly loud beer as I can here the bubbles bursting on the surface

 

Enjoyed the Carlsberg kickoff @Premo88 ! Carlsberg is a beer I enjoyed many times watching Liverpool when I wasn't drinking Guinness at Ginger's Ale House (RIP).

Those burgers and fries looked outstanding, though that's par for the course with your food photos!

The first code is a best by date of April 15, 2030. With their 5 year shelf life, it was bottled April 16, 2025 at 1:23:34 PM.

I typically like to love Goose Island's barrel only beers, with the exception of the single barrel which definitely presents the particular barrels as intended, but in a more harsh manner compared to my preferences vs. the smoother blended presentation they do well. It's the same for Revolution "money barrels" and others as well. Maplewood Cuppa Neat single barrels have been the exception among those I've had multiple different versions.

Never came across an OA bottle. I recall HH (Heaven Hill), WT (Wild Turkey) and WLT (Willet), plus GI for the blended version across the three, also released in their standard 16.9 bottles that year.[/user]

 

@JackHorzempa - I enjoyed the brewery bartender's presentation of Human Robot's Hallertau Pils best, and thought it was a good beer similar to fresh ones bottled from Europe.

Walked from the Temple station to Human Robot than Yards before hitting the train to check out the Philly Sports Complex and ending at a few downtown spots (sadly Monk's was closed Mondays, but I see they now open Monday evenings! Highly recommend those beer stops plus Tonewood across the river.



Bought this one before reading the thread, and hope the three doses of lupulin won't negatively impact this beer I was and still am looking forward to.

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company Springfest (Canned 12/4/25 @ 10:05 PM)

3.51/5 rDev -12.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5



The aroma was as expected with a nice Centennial blend of grapefruit, pine and citrus over a pilsner malt, but the taste flipped and I mostly got Saltine cracker over grapefruit with faint citrus and really no pine. If this tasted as it smelled, I would have enjoyed this more. Would give a second try with a fresher can and or a draft pour.

Not sure if I'll hit a local spot or two tomorrow, otherwise, will go with another light style if returning with a home beer tomorrow.

Cheers!

 

Not a very "New" beer, however, new-to-me and a new style and brewery is;

Framboise by Lindemans. Enjoyable and easy going down. I would like to try some other Lindemans Fruited Lambics but my next will be a plain Lambic. Cheers!



3.84/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A through-the-head pour from a 250ml bottle into a goblet produced a finger of light pink fizzy short-lived foam. A thin ring and film last over a hazy dark pinkish purple body. Irregular blotches of lacing remain.

A bold smell of raspberries (fresh and cooked) jumps out as the cap is removed. After pouring, faint smells of bread, yeast and toast, candied fruit and a light old fruit funk appear under all that raspberry.

Evenly sweet and tart/sour at first, raspberry dominates with bready malt appearing briefly during the middle. As in the smell, the raspberry is both fresh and cooked/canned tasting with a light fermented (old) funk. Low bitterness throughout with a vinegar/wine tang. The finish doesn't really become dry; sweetness and sourness diminish leaving a refreshing tart taste behind, raspberry and the funk (at it biggest) linger on.

Averagely carbonated per style and medium-full bodied. Starts out sweet, finishes neutral. Highly quaffable, alcohol is an afterthought. Big raspberry smell/taste yet the feel is not overly juicy. Not really smooth or balanced, just crushable.

 

As I read your last sentence I thought "that sounds like a revisit beer," then I read your last sentence.

I revisited dirtwolf at some point in the past year or two and it reaffirmed my thoughts on it. In your face, old school, but leans slightly into to much of a beast, or wolf??? of an IPA.

I'm soaking up every last ounce of Headwaters Pale Ale while it is still around. More on that after this quote...

Jay, I still remember you saying that Tonewood Lumberyard was your "beer of the trip" or up there with your top favorites. They finally rebrewed their amber, that they refuse to can ever with the comment:

It's like you said @whitro17 @CarolinaCardinals, we crave chinook...

--------

I've been torn on whether or not to grab the new SN, with so many reviews and common notes from this thread and others I feel I have a good idea that this is a beer I would enjoy. But with Victory Headwaters still hanging around I feel I will probably just buy one last six of it cause it is still drinking perfect as it ages in the fridge. It will be sadly missed when it is gone, and to come full circle @cjgiant time to renew my love affair with a not to long absence revisit of Philly Pale Ale

 

New-to-me, new style and new brewery. Trappistes Rochefort 6 by Brasserie de Rochefort.
I'm on a new styles kick, I thought I had reviewed a Dubbel or two already but nope.
I miss The Spencer Brewery; I would likely have more experience with Belgian styles if they had remained in business. Cheers.



4.34/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

An easy through-the-head pour from a 330ml bottle into a goblet released a fat finger of short lived beige creamy foam. A ring lasts; a brief cap shrinks to a film with sliding arches of lacing. The body is hazy dark mahogany/amber.

Boozy caramel greets the nose followed by baked stone fruits and roasted nuts. Bready malt and dark rye toast in the background with very faint floral/herbal hops and spice.

Bold semi-sweet taste, sugary caramel is still first with bready/toasted malt rising above the nuts and fruit. Low hop flavor with average bitterness at first. The fruit flavors rise up during the middle featuring baked plum, apple and raisin. The finish is long, slowly becoming semi-dry as sweet fruit flavors drop off with rising roasted nuts (hazel, pecan, almond) and above average bitterness. Caramel clings and lingers well on with spicy hop bitterness and booze.

Lasting carbonation and a medium-full feel, oily rich with warming alcohol. Very well balanced for being so big and boozy. For me this is a sipper that can be drunk quickly. Matches style guidelines, a certain revisit.

 

Juicy & Wild Black-Belle from Lambiek Fabriek

From a 375ml capped and corked bottle packaged on 11 2023. Pored into a tulip. A two finger fine off white head on a clear dark orange red. The head soon diminished to a thick layer that sticks around, probably helped by a nucleated glass. Lots of foamy lacing.

A solid sour fruit aroma. The taste is very tart up front. The black current these there. A long, very dry finish.

A prickly mouthfeel. A very smooth texture. A light body and strong carbonation. Overall a fine Fruit Lambic. Not very complex but very good if you like Fruit Iambics that are on the tart side.

4.09/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

That sounds like an amazing event!

 

My wife's favorite beer.