New Beer Weekend #292

Catching up with a late Friday evening beer, my 2nd from Fort George this weekend:



Fort George Salted Caramel Cavatica Stout

16-ounce can purchased at the Tanasbourne location of New Seasons Market. Date stamp reads "DOB 01/29/26 SWEET N SALTY". Enjoyed in a nonic half-pint glass (and also straight out the can).

Just like regular Cavatica, this "double American stout" is deep brown with burnt umber highlights and a buff-colored head. The nose is mostly milk chocolate and dark chocolate with some dark roasted malt, coffee, and a hint of char. Maybe a trace of caramel; it's a little hard to pull out from the generally sweet background.

However, this is not that case with the flavor. Like the nose, it opens very much like regular Cavatica: chocolate, coffee, some roasted malt and char. A little orange peel on the back end which plays nicely with the dark chocolate flavors. The salted caramel component comes through in the middle and adds the flavor of caramel without any added sweetness. It's a nice trick. I wish the caramel were a bit stronger, but I do like what it brings to the beer.

Overall, it's a tasty version of the regular Cavatica Stout. The base beer is a bit too sweet for me, though I do get a craving for it once or twice a year. The caramel is a low-key but welcome addition here which makes the sweetness worthwhile.

 

It appears I got clued into NBS about between 600 & 620. Even then, probably just because someone tagged me. I felt nostalgic/sad to see all those stalwart users no longer with us for whatever reasons

 

Single Hill - Italian Pils

16oz can served in a curvy Monhegan pint glass. Can is dated 23 Dec. Bought it a couple days ago at Chuck's Hop Shop.

Pours clear light yellow, medium to small head, moderate active carbonation after the pour. Smell is lemon, lime zest, a little pine and bread.

Taste is much more intense than the nose suggested. bread is the first impression, but decorated thickly with lemon and lime candy. Interestingly and pleasantly, the sweetness is transitory and a nice bitterness builds, not exactly piney, much more in the light and refreshing citrus zest zone.

Mouthfeel is very light, soft, airy. Very nice beer, not as crisp as I was expecting.

 

River North - Shadowman

375ml bottle served in a stemless rastal. 2024 bottle. Got it in a trade with someone, but kept poor notes and don't remember who.

Pours black, syrupy, tarry thick. One of those special beers that pours still, and then desultory carbonation emerges. Smell is vanilla, almost candy corn, molasses and oak. Dark chocolate, maybe some coffee.

Taste is roast coffee with a ton of sweetener. Roast bitterness is strong enough to fend off the sweetness at least a little bit. Maybe to deflect it temporarily before it swings around for a backhanded onslaught. Something in the background is hinting at cherry syrup, which is a warning sign for me, but it's pretty subdued right now.

Mouthfeel is thick, silky, suggestion of a chew to it, but surprisingly modest. Very nice -- not sure if my spidey sense is giving me a false alarm, but I'm glad I didn't wait a lot longer on this beer.

 

Trösten by von Trapp Brewing BA

Another new to me beer from a new to me brewery ...also credited to my PA brother @beerdedking for this one!

Can't say I am totally well versed in Smoked beers however this one seems to bring both equal parts campfire and meat smoke. While it straddles at times, never leaning too far in one direction or the other. The combination works well to bring some modest complexity to the drink. Some light chocolate roast and brown bread underneath. Soft frothy feel with a semi dry finish.

Great balance to this overall. A very approachable easy drinker with adequate smoke flavor that doesn't overbear the consumer. Quite solid as I had anticipated from this brewery.

 

I nabbed a New Beer at Breakside this afternoon, and it's a proper beer to end the weekend and honor what has become.my favorite weekly thread.



Breakside Sted Sarandos
Blended imperial stout aged in bourbon, whiskey, and nocino barrels

22-ounce bottle purchased at Breakside Beaverton. No date stamp, but the label identifies this as a 2026 vintage. Enjoyed in a Fort George Festival of Dark Arts tasting glass (mini snifter).

Look:
The beer is opaque to the light in my phone, only revealing its deep brown color at the thinnest edge where the beer meets the glass. An aggressive pour yields a finger of dark brown foam that looks substantial but quickly contracts to a burly ring.

Smell:
The nose is hot with alcohol and gives off lots of rich chocolate, sweet bourbon, whiskey, and oak. There's also a wealth of spices, mostly cinnamon with a little clove and ginger.

Taste:
The flavor is intense, leading with dark chocolate, caramel, and roasted nuts crusted with burnt sugar. Bourbon and oak follow, backed up by cinnamon, coffee liqueur, nutmeg, walnuts, Brazil nuts, orange peel, molasses, and a brief flourish of prunes, raisins, and salty licorice. An elegant bitterness lingers in the finish, nestled in a bed of whiskey and brownie batter.

Feel:
Full-bodied and somewhat oily, with moderate carbonation made more prickly by impressive alcohol heat.

Overall:
This is a beast. Big sweetness, a huge cast of flavors, and a formidable boozy kick. That said, it holds together well despite its excesses, and I already like it more than the last 2 barrel-aged stouts from Breakside. I plan to set aside a bottle or two for future Cellaruary events.

 

Just want to thank everyone who left kind words about the NBS summary. Loved compiling this for the greatest BA thread concept, and once again, we all ALL indebted to @malty for developing the concept and nurturing the thread for the first several years. Do wish he would join us if he has a chance down the road. We would all love to hear further background that's no longer available to search on the OG database/platform.

Your 23 NBW hosting opportunities went through November 12, 2023. Snowcrash, after Mod and Todd discussions, extended the weekend (for North Americans) until Friday evening with the 12 BA Time Saturday open. So the early morning opportunities for you and @SawDog505 dried up with threads starting Friday evening.

I travelled a lot to DC, and while I can't help you with bottle shops, really hope you get a chance to hit Churchkey. They should always have a few new to you beers on cask, draft or bottled.You'll have a few options via Metro and or Bus depending on your schedule to get you nearby.

https://www.churchkeydc.com/

And if you don't like rating beers in bars, they also sell singles to go.

https://order.toasttab.com/online/nrg-amendment-2-birch-barley

Thank you. Were the Olympic OTs 5 on 5? I was fine with regular season ties, and prefer them over the 3 on 3 or shootout.

Finding @malty 's explanation of the missing / skipped week was the final piece of the puzzle to figure out the correct count after finding NBS #! on the internet wayback machine. There were a few weeks with incorrect numbering, but they were properly rectified in a future Sunday.

Thank you for these kind words, and for your contributions over the years

Really enjoyed our meetup, and hope we can revisit again within the next year or two. Your four hosting weekends were

• September 24, 2024 (NBW #218 / NBS #1022)
• October 6, 2024 (NBW #220 / NBS #1024)
  
• October 26, 2025 (NBW #275 / NBS #1079)
  
• December 21, 2025 (NBW #283 / NBS #1087)

I had links in my post to the thread in question, but glad you started getting folks thinking of their first participation in New Beer Sunday.

My one and only time hosting New Beer Sunday (too new to know of the dedicated hosts). New Beer Sunday Week #767 (Phase Three Invisible Wings)

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-sunday-week-767.625987/

I'll need to figure out my first actual New Beer Sunday week and beer. This thread is locking in a few minutes, so I'll have to come back with the answer.

Cheers!