New Beer Weekend #292

Boulevard Irish Cream BA Imperial Milk Stout, 11% ABV. Pours black with a sturdy two-finger beige nitro head that left no lacing. Aroma is Irish Cream and lactose. Taste follows, moderately sweet, slightly bitter. Smooth mouthfeel, overall outstanding. Nice twist on a BA stout, using Irish Cream barrels.

4.46/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I was so anxious to try this that I didn't remember to tumble the can three times before popping it. I still did an aggressive pour. Now I'll need to get another one just to see if I can get more head.

 

Thanks for kicking off NBW! I did dry February once, trying a bunch of NA beers, and the Guinness was by far the best.

 

@Whyteboar - the feel didn't bother me, as it was expected. But yeah, I'm not sure we will hit all the notes right with N/A, but we also probably (really) can't.

I'm with @bbtkd in that Guinness 0 was the best I've had - I've bought it at least thrice over time. Sam Adams Just the Haze (or something similar) is my close second.

 

A SMaSHing good beer!

I suspect that most BAs are familiar with the terminology of SMaSH but for others: it stands for Single Malt and Single Hop beer. I can’t remember the last time I had a commercially brewed SMaSH beer but I have one for today: Founders Mosaic Promise IPA. How Founder’s details this beer:

“Mosaic Promise showcases two unique ingredients: Mosaic hops and Golden Promise malt. The versatility of the hop’s pleasing aroma and flavor characteristics and the traditional barley’s depth of flavor comprise this clean, rich, golden beer. We can brew complex beers with the best of them, but we recognize that there is also beauty in simplicity. 5.5% ABV.”

As a side note, this beer is at 5.5% ABV so more like a Pale Ale vs. IPA from my perspective. Maybe ‘split the baby’ and categorize it as being an Extra Pale Ale?

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

Golden yellow color with a three finger white head.

Aroma:

I am picking up hop aromas of fruity and citrus with a hint of malty sweetness (honey-like) in the background.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with hop flavors of fruity and citrus being front and center but there is a subtle but noticeable malty sweetness (honey-like) flavor providing some balance. As the beer opens/warms up there is also a tiny bit of dank hop flavor as well. There is a notable bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Light-medium body with a dry finish.

Overall:

I think this beer is very good! I enjoyed drinking it. It is hop forward but I appreciate the malty sweetness (honey-like) providing a little bit of balance. This beer also has the attribute of a high drinkability character.

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @rotsaruch @RobH

 

And the Guinness 0 is great with shots of your favorite bourbon. Or make a boilermaker!

 

I never! Never... ever used a N/A as a justification to have other "illicit" beverages.


Maybe just once. But still never

 

Grimm light cone pilsner
..cloudy light gold appearance with a tall fluffy white head
... medium carbonation with about a medium body
...aroma is cereal, toasted grain, earthy bitter hops
...taste is almost dry, roasted grain,cereal which quickly gets taken over by earthy bitter hops.
...overall I personally would like the bitterness dialed back a bit but very well done beer

 

Have a good NBW. Thanks @Whyteboar for the start off. Finished up The Path Between the Seas by David McCullough right before lunch. 4.5/5 to the end. More repeated systemic racism and bureaucracy throughout history once again. Got to 70% through Mindf*ck by Christopher Wylie about the history of Cambridge Analytica from a whistleblower, and another viewpoint of Steve Bannon pushing populist ideology using help from data scientists and demographic data from facebook. Affect heuristic is propaganda 101, and some people think everything is black and white when it isn't. 4.25/5

We went to Penn Station for lunch and got the Reuben sub with large fries and the new cheese dipper sauce which is just basic bitch nacho cheese that isn't even that tangy. Their fries are amazing plain with extra salt.


Hammerheart Vartid smoked pilsner. Another from the Green Bay tasting. No can dating. Good head retention and lacing on a hazy burnt amber body. Aromas of big wood smoke, cracker, white bread, herbal, floral, grass, light pepper/pine, pear/apple fruit, and yeast earthiness. Taste of big wood smoke, cracker, white bread dough, herbal, floral, grass, light pepper/pine, pear/apple fruit, and yeast earthiness. Light pine, herbal, woody, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium-plus carbonation and medium body. Fairly crisp, clean; very refreshing finish. Not quite bone dry. Balanced bready/grainy malt, and sticky hop mouthfeel. Minimal warming 5.9%. Spot on Bohemian pils, but the aromas and flavors felt just a bit too fruity/yeasty. Otherwise delicious. 3.9/5


Cheers

 

For some reason I am reminded of something that happened a very long time ago (30 years?). I was waiting in line at a Burger King to order lunch and a very large man in front of me ordered two double whoppers, fries, and a Diet Coke. I almost laughed out loud when I heard the Diet Coke part but I didn’t.

Cheers!

 

My motto is 'everything in moderation, particularly moderation'.

 

You and Oscar Wilde are simpatico!

 

He's been plagiarizing me for a long time.

 

Half Acre Space


Appearance: Clear amber, huge head.

Smell: Nice old-school sweetened grapefruit aroma.

Taste: Hits the old school button, mildly sweetened grapefruit with decent bitterness, some bready malt underneath. Medium bodied. Finishes with mild citrus bitterness.

Overall: Finally was able to snag Half Acre Space, it’s been well-reviewed for years but I never have seen it in MN before today. Nice old school IPA, maybe not quite as bitter as the old school, but hits the mark for me.

 

Left in the dark imperial stout
...solid black appearance with a paper thin tan head.
...medium light carbonation with an oily creamy body.
...aroma is roasted malt, fresh ground coffee beans, mocha and im probably wrong but some vanilla in the background
...taste has a very slight sweetness yet it comes off dry and bitter. Otherwise it follows the nose
... a very heavy duty solid beer thats totally a sipper. Its a little rough around the edges but I think thats what makes up its personality so to speak

 

Now I am wishing I picked up a 4 pack. I think I I thought I saw nitro, but it was an adjacent beer

 

I only drink regular coke with rum unless it's Mexican. Don't like the mouth feel, although Diet Coke is from Hell

 

Cheers to @Whyteboar for getting us off to a ripping start!

Obolong Extra Strong Euro Pale Lager, 12.0% ABV; 3.04 overall

Pours an effervescent gold/honey color with 2 fingers pearl colored head at fridge temperature, maybe some time in the freezer would've been better??? Above average head retention & better lacing

S: Sweet breadyness & apples, faint boozy notes, some perfumy hops late

T: Insanely sweet, pears, a touch of solvent & slight grassy bitterness up front. Boozy golden delicious apples with caramel, a little dryness & faint floral hops & some leafy hops as this beer warms up. Finishes a little dry with honey notes, faint breadyness, pears & treacle & some woody hops

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, skews insanely sweet, but consistent for the style

Drinkability is a damn chore but could've been worse at this ABV. This is the stuff of hangovers & nightmares if sessioning was attempted. Small sips for sure, my first wasn't & just about wretched. I will say this actually improved as it warmed

About 5 ozs left for a Michelada

 

I feel so wrong for wanting to try this

 

That beer showed up around Portland this week. After reading your review, I'm thinking good thoughts about nabbing a can.