New Beer Weekend #295

Ola Dubh Special Reserve 14
Harviestoun Brewery



4.25/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Drinking out of a small goblet.
Pours a slightly reddish clear black with minimal head.
Smells some of whisky.
Reminiscent of motor oil. Thick, slick, gloopy, smooth.
Taste suggestive of black licorice with notes of whisky, vanilla.

 

Well, the one I was going to have I had already reviewed, so I went back to the cellar and found this one, another one that was in the Belgian Beer tasting box.

The pour is a gorgeous amber color, the good stuff, transparent and crowned with a 5 cm manilla colored head.
The taste is a myriad of fruits, white grapes, apricots, bananas, apples, and a floral taste that works really well. There is some toffee like sweetness that serves to amplify the flavors.
The feel is nicely viscous, there is so much flavor in this that it needs some heft to carry it all. And at 10.7 ABV, it makes a great sipping beer.
OA, one day I will do a side by side or flight of quadruples to get a baseline for the style, I just don’t drink them enough to have a firm opinion going in. But darn this was tasty!
Back later with at least one gaming beer.
Cheers!

 

The Ola Dubh variations have always been a favorite of mine, I also drank my weight in Bitter & Twisted from Harviestoun on cask when I worked in Scotland ha. And now I need to pick up some Ola Dubh and pair with some awesome cheese, that looks like an amazing pairing.

 

Figured it’s worth a try to open proper for anyone who may be on the fence to join. Again the Friday start is not ideal for me so hopefully someone will do it. I’ll keep my word and host a two weeks from this coming Friday.

 

Last beer for the day, but stepping it up with a 10 percenter.
Fiden's David. I was at Fiden's quite a few weeks ago and purchased this for my son David. Don't know why I let i lanquish in the fridge for so long because I have really loved every Fiden's IPA I've ever had.

4.25/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
Purchased cold at the brewery 5-wks ago and kept cold until served. Poured to a Nonic from a 16oz can dated 01/08/26. Probably near the end of prime for a double IPA.
The body is an opaque creamcycle color. The white head fades real fast, but laces well.
The aroma is a strong sweet orange with a hoppy background
The taste is similarly orange forward, with a quite sweet middle, but there is a slight hop burn on the finish. Surprisingly for a 10% ABV, the alcohol is relatively hidden.
The mouthfeel is quite creamy and carbonation is appropriate.
I wish I had tried this fresher. It has promise, but the hop burn finish is an age give-away.

 

Way behind on this thread...

Cheers to @masamuel2 for this Cali Goodness via my Superbowl Square haul

Green Cheek Beer Co. Blueberry Cotton Candy Pixie Dust DDH West Coast IPA w/ Mosaic Hops, 7.2% ABV; 4.15 overall

Okay now I find the ABV; 7.2%

Pours a bright & bubbly gold with a thumb+ of beige head. Minimal head retention & lacing

S: Pretty dank, some grapefruit, melons late; nose drops off a bit

T: Follows the nose, a little dryness, a touch of green melon & peach up front. Pine, grapefruit, a little cattyness, some dryness & white grapes once warmed up, if there a blueberries or cotton candy involved, I am not tasting them. Finishes dry with grapefruit, dankness, peaches white grapes & plenty of woody hops presence

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, very good balance

Drinks fairly easy, an in-your-face West Coast IPA

 

Given the Friday start and that there are pretty much only a few posters who generally are itching to post around start time, this could work. I think if the handful of Friday posters decide amongst themselves who is the "planned" host will be, I can see how it could help each to be a bit more expressive in their openings.

However, I think the opening by anyone is ingrained now, so there might be weekends where another person decides to open the thread. The "expected opener" will have to roll with that. Given that they'd probably be within the first couple of posts, they could always offer up a thanks to the opener and still be sure everyone is reminded about the concept and core tenets of the thread (if the actual first post skipped it) as well as their more composed post.

I wish you luck in the planning and execution, guys!

 

Walking distance!
And, yes, it had to be a couple times! Walking/stumbling....

 

Something random a fellow Missileer gave me. He was stationed there. I didn't get into comm until I cross trained. I retired in Colorado. The Air Force made an offer I could refuse, so I did.

A job offer took me here. Northwest Arkansas used to be a well kept secret. Just wish the beer scene was better

 

Nope. We barely dealt with the ones in our chain of command if we could manage that

 

We did the corned beef dinner thing and it was pretty fine. Waiting for Portuguese Day...but in the meantime corned beef is fine and I love the authentic CB hash to follow Did some cupboard organizing to find a cooking beer and found another one I thought I had tried before but have not.

From the curated cellar haul at Nikki's a couple months ago:



2017 Velvet Merkin from Firestone Walker. BBA 8.5% oatmeal stout.

Pours a dark chocolate brown with a half inch of khaki foam. Nice residue - pretty. A quarter inch ring with a huge island. Decent cling.

The smell is pretty subdued - maybe age related? Mild bourbon, a little vanilla, milk chocolate, coffee.

The taste is much livelier than the aroma suggested. It's got a bit of sweetness and I'm getting the Dr. Pepper vibe - that mixed kind of cola flavor with a little spice (licorice, clove). Very nice chocolate truffle flavor - smooth but not the milk chocolate I could smell. More like a semi-sweet. Some vanilla and coffee, and whoa baby - here comes the barrel on the back end. It's not super strong but it ain't shy either - more surprised that if kinda comes in late. A bit of pleasant char and almost burnt toast maltiness. Peppery spice and oaky phenolics in the aftertaste. This is super-smooth and the flavors are superbly integrated.

Feel - a tad bit thin but it has the smoothness oats deliver. Mildly carbonated.

Overall another tasty, well conceived brew from Firestone Walker. My guess would be that age has certainly sanded off any rough edges. Smooth as can be here. I'm going to enjoy as it warms up, but thinking 4.2-ish right this second.

 

Happy Sunday, New Beer folks.

This New Beer comes with a shout out to @jonphisher . Last year he sent me a Vienna Lager from Tonewood that was so good it convinced me to revisit the style.



Gold Dot Top Notch Amber Vienna-Style Lager

16-ounce can purchased at Noble Hop Bierhaus in Hillsboro, OR. Date stamp reads "CANNED ON 02/19/26". Enjoyed in a small Becher glass.

Look:
The color is certainly top-notch, a gorgeous and crystal clear amber-gold. The cream-colored head looks thick and rich while it lasts (which isn't long), and is stingy when it comes to lacing.

Smell:
The nose is a simple yet most pleasant pairing of toasty semi-sweet malt and spicy floral hops. The balance is outstanding.

Taste:
The flavor is a deeper and more nuanced version of the nose. The malt starts off crisp and semi-sweet, with notes of toasted wheat bread and dry-roasted unsalted cashews. The middle is dry and somewhat biscuity, with hints of roasted malt and caramel underneath a rising hop note that is floral, spicy, and subtly herbal. Finishes dry and pleasantly bitter with toasty malt and hop spice in harmony.

Feel:
Medium-bodied with a soft feel and carbonation that is just right. Drinkability is...well...top-notch.

Overall:
Top Notch is another winner from Gold Dot. The malt is toasty and oh so satisfying, with just enough sweetness. The hops provide just enough bitterness and spice to balance the malt. Highly recommended.

 

I was at Mc Connell with the Titan IIs

 

Lovely review and that sounds like it is spot on to style for a well made Vienna. Happy that Tonewood was a standout for you.

The Gold Dot beers you sent me were awesome as well; still remember the beautiful feel of that pils.

 

I think this sounds great, it may be a little bumpy at the start of trying but that opening post is important, mostly for anyone who randomly opens the thread and sees it.

It's been fun reading about all the beers and learning more history about our two veterans @beergoot and @russpowell.

Me, I had another of the same beer I reviewed yesterday, this time with chili for dinner, what a pairing; now I'm closing out the evening with the same beer I reviewed last Sunday night. Thanks NBW for the beers

I'm looking forward to your Portuguese Day post @LeRose, when the time comes.

 

I still hope that one of these years Gold Dot will make a maibock.