New Beer Weekend #291

I haven't found a new Pilsner to review, but there is a lager in my glass, and it's a smoked lager!



Old Town Smoke Follows Beauty
Smoked Vienna Lager

The body is a bright, clear orange-amber capped with a thin skin of off-white foam that struggles to leave much lacing. The nose starts off with...fruit punch!? Then it pivots to the toasty, nutty malt I was expecting. Caramel and light smoke peek around the edges.

The flavor also starts fruity, but it's more of a mild raspberry character than the fruit punch offered by the nose. (Not really an improvement, I gotta say.) Dry, toasty malt follows, along with a good burst of clean smoke that lingers. There's a layer of malt sweetness, but it's a thin layer, and every sip finishes dry with leafy hops and a tea-like bitterness that gets kinda rough by the end of this 12-ounce glass. Light-bodied with a pleasant bite of carbonation and a gentle but grating astringency.

Overall, it delivers on the smoke, but the fruitiness puts me off and the rest of the flavors don't fit together well. While I'm happy to try pretty much any smoked beer (in the interest of getting brewers to make more of 'em), I'm not sure I'd drink this one again.

 

I have been impressed by some of their beers, especially, The Therapist Imperial IPA and Peach, Love and Haze IPA I generally get them a few months or more old and would really like to taste them fresh. I consider "Tank you very much" to be a novelty beer because of the very high ABV. I should have checked BA reviews and price before buying it.

 

I enjoyed the last beer so much I grabbed another quadruple off the shelf, this one bottled on 9/30/2022.
Unfortunately, I have not had good luck with Boulevard.

My bad for not drinking this fresh; or maybe I’m destined never to have a good beer from Boulevard.
Bottled in late ‘22 and I opened it in mid February 2026.
The pour started promising; I had hopes that this would be better than most of my Boulevard beers. Sadly, the dregs were prominent and when backlit, horribly obvious. The light brown head was short but lived on in suspiciously island like clumps.
The taste was much more apple juice than the complex combination of dark fruits that I expected. Not even the banana or cloves.
The feel is light, if I thought it was a good beer I’d have gulped it down.
OA, other people obviously think this is quite good, apparently they drank it fresh.
Oh well.
On the bright side, this means I can drink another!
Cheers!

 

It’s a long weekend here (really long for me as I took Friday off..) with Family Day tomorrow. My wife bought me tickets to see the Baby Habs play the Baby Leafs (Rocket vs. Marlies) at Scotiabank Arena. The seats are four rows from the glass. I can’t imagine what a Habs/Leafs game would cost for the same seats. I’m really looking forward to it!

With the kids fed, the wife away for the evening, and chores accomplished, I’m settling in with this beer that should probably be cross-posted to the cellar month thread.

This is Amsterdam Double Tempest, a bourbon barrel aged imperial stout. ABV 11.9%. This is the 2017 release, cellared unintentionally all these years. This is from the generally perceived ‘down’ period for this beer. Double Tempest was arguably the top BA Imperial Stout from around here between 2011-2015. Then in 2016 they released a real dud and the reviews never really recovered until the last few years. I suppose I’ve waited so long for this one as I assumed it would be disappointing.

Was I right? Was I wrong? Let’s find out!



Poured into the glass I was given as first in line from the 2015 release (I don’t miss those November lines…). A deep black/brown with a fairly substantial head that dissipates to nothing over the course of a several minutes. The beer has a moderately full bodied appearance from the pour.

The aroma is fairly strong, with bourbon barrel, vanilla and red licorice jumping out. The woody barrel notes linger longer than the others and are joined by a little cocoa as well.

The same notes are present on the tongue, with the barrel being milder than the aroma would suggest. Vanilla, wood, fig, and a hint of bitter cocoa at the tail end.

Body is moderate with a lively carbonation to it. Quite drinkable for the high ABV.

I was wrong. This is rather good, has held up well and is a beer I’m enjoying quite a bit. I think I still have another, and am quite pleased about that.

@jonphisher, you may be happy to learn that while my wife and I will be proudly sporting Habs/Rocket apparel to the game tomorrow, my kids refuse to support the correct team and will be wearing Leafs gear to the game. I fear I’ve lost them to the dark side. At least they aren’t Bruins fans, and I’m sure we can agree on that! It should be fun!

 

Founder's KBS Caramel Imp Stout, 12.0% ABV; 4.14

Pours an effervescent chestnut with a finger of mocha colored head. Average-ish head retention & lacing

S: Coffee & caramel, some chocolate

T: Follows the nose, caramel cream notes, fairly dry, not getting much barrel. Strong coffee, caramel & vanilla & Baker's Chocolate, faint barrel notes once warmed up. Finishes with strong coffee, some woody bitterness, faint caramel

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, body thins a little a bit once warmed up

As per most KBS iterations, I find them a bit too coffee forward when fresh, it's a given with this beer, not a bad offering, but not one I'd buy again

 

Pretty impressive that beer held up so long for you over the years.

Family Day is something I could get behind, that is awesome @Coronaeus, I'm pretty jealous of that. Thought not officially Family Day here, we made reservations at Top Golf to bring the kids for a fun morning on President's Day so we'll be family'ing it up as well. I already asked if I could sneak in the beer store close by after, as any good BA would do.

Too funny on the kids and the Leafs gear, regardless it sounds like win or lose by either team will be a win for the family.

 

Some new beers for me, late on New Beer Sunday...

At Saint Arnold Brewing, and they had an interesting offering I couldn't pass up.

Give Me A Reason, 4.9% ABV

Brewery Description: A special-release bottle of our award-winning Summer Pils, bottle-conditioned with brett for floral, citrus notes and a champagne-dry finish.

I added this as a Brett Beer instead of a Pilsner.



Pours a crystal clear golden/yellow color. A bubbly white head rises immediately, and gently recedes to a ring with light lace left behind.
Aroma is plastic phenolic, and maybe a bit metallic. A big ester like fruity character is apparent.
Taste wise, fruity esters up front for sure. Peach and citrus, a much lighter phenolic character than the nose suggested. A substantial sweetness and lingering acidic tartness shows itself more as this warms.
A light body with crisp and effervescent carbonation. That smooths out as this breaths. All leading to a very interesting offering to drink.

Yep, very interesting. I don't know if that is the same thing as very good...but I enjoyed the bottle at the brewery. Even if there were a few things I found at odds with each other. It wasn't clean enough for a lager, and not funky enough for something with Brett...at least for me. The Brett is more fruity ester like, with a little bit of a phenolic twang. I don't know what to think of this really, outside I was glad to try it, and it wasn't bad at all. Just an experiment kind of caught in the middle, and not any one thing.

For what it is, and take it with a grain of salt, overall score is 3.66. Solid B
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/337/786270/?ba=champ103#lists

 

After Saint Arnold, I decided to hop on over to another brewery near by.

Frost Town Brewery. I haven't been here in a long time.

First up from them...

Super Bloom West Coast Style IPA, 6.8% ABV.



Pours substantially more hazy than expected, golden yellow color. A white head forms and recedes, with some lace left behind.
Big fruit aromas up front and center. Berry and melon comes to mind.
Taste wise, again, all that big juicy and fruity flavors up front. Berry and melon for sure. Very sweet, and some bitterness lingering.
A medium body with moderate carbonation. There is a chalky astringency here that I'm not a fan of. OK to drink cause the fruity flavors dominate.

Again, they advertise this as a classic West Coast IPA. Not that there can't be fruity flavors with that, but man this is just fruit juice. The chalky consistency is throwing me off as well. Saying all that, probably the one beer I have had from Frost Town that I might come back to.

Overall score, a generous 3.53, which, I'll say is a generous B
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63298/675874/?ba=champ103#lists

Next from Frost Town...

Statbeir Helles, 5.4% ABV



Pours a clear golden/orange color. A small white head tries to form, but recedes in a second with no lace left behind.
Aroma is cereal grains and an otherwise neutral nose. I can't get much of anything else.
Taste wise, again, cereal grains, and a ton of sweetness. This becomes cloying, with nothing else to balance.
A medium body with moderate carbonation. Its kind of sticky, syrupy and chalky. Not clean for a lager. Which makes me not want to come back to this, let alone finish the pint.

Not a good Helles lager. No malty nuance, and not clean. I don't have much more to say about this, except there are way better lagers around.

Overall score is 2.86, a big ol BLAH as my score.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63298/786273/?ba=champ103#lists

On another note, I don't know why I always get this chalky character from Frost Town? It has to be how they treat their water, or if they treat their water. But if you want clean and crisp beers in Houston, go to Saint Arnold (which I can give more leeway for their experimental Lager/Brett Beer, just cause they have earned their great rep ) or Equal Parts.

 

New-to-me brewery and (reviewed) style:
Kentucky Vanilla Barrel Cream Ale by Lexington Brewing And Distilling Co.

I had Genesee back in the day, this is that on steroids! Cheers!



4.04/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A moderate through-the-head pour from a 12oz. btl. into a 16oz. mug yielded a finger of eggshell white soapy fizzy foam with short retention and a few spots of lace. Clear orange amber body, shiny gold in bright light.

Mild smell of vanilla, bourbon, bready malt and yeast. Very faint herbal hops.

Semi-sweet with medium-low bitterness to start. The Cream Ale base acts as a strong malt backbone, the vanilla and bourbon blend and balance with the malt. Hop flavor is low and indistinguishable. Bourbon (the hop flavor killer) and oak rise during the middle, the sweetness of the malt flavor slows the finish from drying to almost semi-dry. Above average bitterness and the return of hop flavor linger on.

Medium slightly oily bodied with abundant carbonation. Light on the bourbon (this is key to the smoothness and balance), the alcohol from the beer itself is well hidden. Warms very well, onto the revisit list goes this one.

 

Well the little sprout wore me out after church today. I asked if he wanted to go outside... We walked - well Papa walked and he mostly ran - over every foot of trail and some non-trails we have. I am pretty sure I got my 6K steps in. He just blasts thru the snow - followed deer tracks criss-crossing our 6 acres, found three bedding spots, and I just plodded along. Oh and built snowmen before we started walking...freakin' Energizer bunny...

But anyway...nothing else resembling a Pilsner in the stockpile so here's this one I don't even remember buying.



This is OEC Brewing out of CT, their British style bitter Third Sally. It's an English Pale Ale in the hive here. A mere 4% alcohol. Maris Otter and crystal malt and hopped with Challenger.

Pours with an insane rocky white head over a slightly cloudy amber body. The foam takes forever to fall and leaves a massive amount of residue on the glass.

On the nose there are sweet, bready malts. Herbal notes, tea, a tad bit of citrus and a resin note like cedar...it's very nice.

Very tasty. Slightly sweet and bready but the sweetness is counterbalanced by a mild bitterness on the back end. Toasted biscuits come to mind. There's a little caramel. Grassy and herbal with a little citrus - orange, I think. Then there's a green tea thing going on and a nutty character. I do get some aromatic resinous notes - reminds me of today's walk in the woods thru pines and cedars. Very faint spiciness and vague fruity esters.

Medium bodied, lightly carbed, slightly dry.

I like this beer. I like the flavors and the amount of flavor in a lower ABV beer. It makes me think of the phrase beer is meant to be enjoyed convivially amongst friends. I see where this lives in the beer universe - flavorful, lower ABV beer where you can sit around with folks and gave a couple or three and not worry about inebriation. I think it's well done, right around the 4.0 mark.

 

I applaud your dedication to the craft! Hopefully many will listen!

 

"Nutella Porter"?

That's gotta be a pastry beer.

But to my great surprise and delight...it is not.



Breakside Nutella Porter

8-ounce pour enjoyed in a snifter at Breakside's taproom in Beaverton, OR.

Dark brown but not black, with a persistent head of tan foam that delivers a few scraps of lacing. Nose is roasted malts with hints of caramel, dark chocolate, and toasted wheat bread. Hazelnut character is mild but recognizable. Flavor is a most enjoyable English Porter, roasty but not burnt. And not too sweet, but still offering terrific notes of chocolate and roasted hazelnuts. Medium-bodied with a lovely creamy texture.

Breakside Nutella Porter delivers mild chocolate and delectable hazelnut flavors in a classic English Porter frame. I suspect I'll be back at Breakside Beaverton before the end of the week, and I hope this beer is still on tap.

P.S.- The Oregon Humane 4-pack is for my IPA-loving wife.

 

This is definitely my final beer tonight, it’s a holiday tomorrow, so will this be a three day weekend here too?

But that is not why I’m here. I *think* it was @Victory_Sabre1973 that sent me this bomber-

The pour is dark brown, unfiltered looking so no highlights when backlit.
The beige head left sparse lacing, and for a 3 year old barrel aged barleywine, that’s not bad.
The taste is not what I expected but it is quite good. Raisins and plums are prominent, bourbon and chocolate, a little vanilla - not what I expected but it is very tasty.
The feel is lightly viscous, an excellent sipping beer.
OA, excellent beer. I even rated it higher than he did. Must be the Boulevard backlash effect.
Cheers all!
@Todd , will this be a three day event?
Just curious.

 

I am gonna use negative psychology here & I presume there will be no over time. Thrilled to be wrong about this...

 

"Maris Otter and crystal malt and hopped with Challenger..."

Tell me you're drinking an English-style bitter without telling me you're drinking an English-style bitter.

It sounds terrific.

 

What I have here is a barrel-aged Doppelebock from More Brewing, the label says Huntley, Illinois but I know they have 3 locations. A very tasty 9%er.

4/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
L: Crystal clear caramel color, decent tan head and some spotty lacing.
S: Malty aroma, some booze.
T: Some fruit, candy and malt.
F: It felt thin, but maybe correct for the style.
O: I think this is very good.

 

A new to me DIPA tonight - Kettlehead’s “Pulpy’s Family Reunion”:



Pours hazy deep gold with two fingers of fluffy white foam; excellent cap retention; bands of heavy lacing; heavy ring. Fresh green hops nose; orange. Taste is lemongrass, green melon, and orange peel; firm malt base. Medium body; smooth, medium feel; moderate minus carbonation; no astringency. A solid NEIPA.

4.75 | 4.0 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.25
Score: 4.22 rDev -0.2%


A solid hazy I’d gladly drink again. Cheers y’all!

 

Hi All,
So I really enjoyed this one from Grimm
All My Friends Were There
Pours a deep walnut color with a cinnamon edge. Slight khaki colored head develops a thin layer, sticks around for a spell, before settling in at a soapy ring. Slight lacing.
Nose brings a cornucopia of malty and fruity notes: dates, figs, toffee, brown sugar, apple brandy, and floral honey.
Taste follows the nose. This is a true sipper. I'm glad I had some quiet time with the wife to share this. We really had a nice time delving in with so much variety being revealed as we progressed. The initial notes were a medley of the traditional malt notes for a barleywine with the barrel notes woven in, layer by layer.
Mouthfeel was a tad thick for style which I am fine with.
4.2/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

My first Flanders Red Ale, Duchesse de Bourgogne by Brouwerij Verhaeghe.

Wow, there's a lot going on here.



4.1/5 rDev -1.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A strong pour released a half finger of creamy light tan foam with short retention, a cap fades leaving a persistent film and ring with lots of lacing. Semi-clear dark cherry/reddish brown body.

A pungent kick of red wine vinegar greets the nose, red wine follows with an earthy funk from old apples, sweet compost, old cherries and grapes.

Sweet taste with very low bitterness at first. Beyond vinous; a tart/sour and somehow sweet taste of dry red wine, grape juice and vinegar compliment each other but do not quite blend. The funk is less pronounced in the early taste; it rises with added horse and barnyard, not off putting. Bready malt taste is low. At the finish the sweet taste drops of leaving the funky sour and high tart tang in charge. Mild bitterness, funky sour cherries and the tart tang linger on awhile.

Medium-light bodied with reserved carbonation, complicated tastes compete yet compliment each other. I can not call this balanced or smooth but..it works.

Best Before Date 2027-09-04

Intricate lacing!