New Beer Weekend #294

Sorry to hear that. I know how important those parts of our jobs we enjoy can be to offsetting the unpleasant parts, especially when the enjoyable parts align with things we care deeply about. Hopefully this is just a temporary annoyance and you'll be back on the enviro courses next year. We definitely need to chat about all things enviro science and sustainability some time.

Glad I'm not the only one. Most people look at me like I'm the three-headed spawn of Beelzebub or something when I start ranting about DST. For me, it's just another way that modern society attempts to abstract itself from the natural world, and I find it incredibly annoying that the sun is not at its daily zenith at noon for most of the year. Also, as someone who's up before 5 during the week, I get crotchety when the DSTers take my morning sun away spring and fall.

 

Hope Flows
5.2% Kölsch by Collision Bend



Poured from a 12 ounce can, the body is a lightly hazy gold,and yellow with one finger of foamy white head. Scant lacing.

The aroma has a cracker malt note. The taste follows nose and adds a light bitterness that balances the beer. Things dry up fairly quickly.

Mouthfeel is good: light and crisp. Strong carbonation.

A solid Kōlsch that steers clear of sweetness and allows balance.

 

Thanks for the words @KP7 and preach!! I hate both time changes; teaching this week is brutal. Teenagers are already half zombie these days, now take away an hour and start teaching while it’s still not fulling bright out

 

Admittedly, it has been a little while since I went to Big Orange (in Little Rock only)...my usual stops in Little Rock is now usually Lost Forty, Rock Town Distillery, and maybe Raduno Pizza. Which is just up the road from Rock Town, so its all close by, Big Orange is a bit further away.

 

Very tasty rec for the analog, also that’s a big dang bottle!

 

Steel Bender - Red Iron Red, double red IPA. Visiting my mom in Albuquerque...sorry for bending the rules, folks, but this is one of two beers I seek out in ABQ every visit, and it's the first time I've seen it reasonably fresh in a take home package, so it's my first chance to review it, and I'm gonna count that as new to me...

16oz can served in a pint glass. Can is dated 1/26/26. Bought it at the brewery a couple hours ago.

Pours a dark reddish brown, clear with the light behind it, big fluffy head that settles slowly and leaves clotty residue. Plenty of carbonation. Smell is pine resin and caramel malt and toffee, singed biscuit bitterness. Some grapefruit rind and citrus pith.

Taste is in the same path. Leans into the resin bitterness, adds in a bit of woody tannins. Mild bark, bready sweetness. Softer and more welcoming than it smells.

Mouthfeel is smooth, soft, airy. Very nice beer.

 

How 'bout that. Red Iron was my lone New Beer last weekend, and I drank it at the new Steel Bender taproom at the Sunport.

Tasty beer. Will try to nab cans to bring home on my next visit.

 

I saw your review right before mine and thought that was pretty interesting, too.

 

Greetings, New Beer people! The past couple of weekends have not been good for me for New Beers, but I aim to change that today. I'm starting with a superb helles lager from a brewery that is certainly one of Washington's hidden gems.



Otherlands Brighten The Corners

The bright gold body is mostly clear, shaded with the merest suggestion of haze. A snow white head recedes slowly and leaves odd scraps of lace. The nose is just about perfect, offering clean, bready malt that's slightly toasty and more dry than sweet. There's also a delicate undertow of floral/herbal hops with a subliminal hint of sulfur. The flavor is softly malty, with excellent depth. Not too sweet! It goes dry through the middle and into the clean, satisfying finish. The aftertaste is toasted malt with mild hop spice. It has a light body with frankly gorgeous carbonation. Sensational drinkability. Overall, a wonderful example of a helles lager, malt-forward yet beautifully balanced by noble hops. Delightful.

 

All safety stats show it is a bringer of death & accidents. We are not a nation of farmers anymore

 

Yeah, I was wondering if it was possible to tell which brewery it came from.
Haven’t seen Ten Fidy in years, but hopefully it will make it back to west Michigan.
Cheers!

 

Put their ass in the Military for a year or two, then at least they learn you need to show up for Formation on time.

 

My rule is easily no review, still a new beer

 

Always shied away from Wicked Weed; thought they were a buyout from some mega-corp. Might have them confused with another brewery. But seeing a bunch of BAs posting on this one, took a flyer.
Been over-dosed with hazies lately and the initial pour caught me off guard. Was expecting more amber color, but not all non-hazies are dark, right? But a nice head that lasted a while.
Not a lot of initial aroma, just a tad.
First sip: the bitterness I was hoping for, not overpowering, but more than apt especially at (only) 7.3%.
But...there was a hint of an aftertaste, one that I always attribute (incorrectly) to high ABVs, but more likely from...oldness. Could have sworn I looked at in the store, but maybe I spaced out on it; I was buying something else too. When I checked the can again saw ...this guy was ancient! Too ashamed to say how old (ok, BB ~7/25). But here's the thing: it's still effing good! Whoda known?
I got a mulligan this time. Will now go find a freshie. More than excited about what that'll taste like.

 

Not sure. They were swallowed at some point. AB spit a lot of those back out as well. Like/love most of their stuff.

 

Thank you for your support.

 

Ozark Beer Co. Highland Series American Barleywine ( aged for 22 months in Bourbon Barrels ), 11.5% ABV; 4.3 overall

Pours an effervescent & ruddy hazel/brown with fast-falling sand colored head. Viscous, zero head retention & lacing

S: Figs, brown sugar, plenty of Bourbon once warmer, really opens up once warmer

T: Follows the nose, leafy & woody hops, a bit of Barrel bite up front. Figs, a little leather, brown sugar & toffee once warmer, a touch of prune & red grapes & just a little molasses, some oak & woody hops. Finishes a bit dry, with treacle, toffee, leafy hops & Bourbon kissed Brown Sugar & figs

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, slightly warming. Wish this was thicker; my main problem with this one. Does cling to the teeth

Drinks great for the ABV, these guys rarely miss on a Barrel Aged Beer

 

3.95/5 rDev -2.7%

look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 16 ounce can dated 1-6-26 into a tulip glass at 46.4 degrees F.

Appearance- Straw, moderately hazy, white sudsy head, plentiful tiny visible particulate, above average head retention and lacing.

Aroma- Clementine, peach, mango, lemon, pine, medium strength of scent.

Flavor- Peach, lemon, mango, slight clementine, slight pine, between weak and medium strength of flavor.

Mouthfeel- Between thin and medium body, average carbonation, moderately bitter, mildly mouth warming, moderately creamy, mildly mouth coating.

Overall- Straw and moderately hazy with above average head retention and lacing. The bouquet was a nice mix of clementine, peach, mango, lemon and pine with a medium intensity. Flavor was a mixture of peach, lemon and mango with slight notes of pine and clementine. The flavor was pleasant, but much too weak. The body was between thin and medium, which was too thin for my liking. The mouth warming and coating properties were mild, but there was a moderate creaminess and bitterness. Overall, this was an enjoyable beer with impeccable appearance attributes and an aroma that had me looking forward to this beer. It fell a bit below expectations on flavor and mouthfeel leading to a slightly below average rating.