New Beer Weekend #296

Wow, same thing popped into mine; just cause of name. I loved that CD as a kid, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones one. Great music.

 

Don’t mess around with Dave…

 

I'm really surprised Junkyard Brewing doesn't have a beer named Leroy Brown

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31764/#lists

 

Modist Peanut Butter Second Breffix Imperial Pastry Stout, 10% ABV. Pours deep brownish black with a four-finger light-brown head that left lots of lacing. Aroma is peanut butter, maple syrup, and coffee. Taste follows, peanut butter up front, North of moderately sweet, slightly bitter, maple syrup in the aftertaste. Decent enough mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.25/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

As good as the base beer, but much better than the blueberry variant, which was too tart.

 

I don't think so. Maybe some more domestic beers have been stocked, but not to a significant extent, because there weren't a lot of US made beers stocked anyway. We still have US brands that are made in Canada.

It's a different story with wine and spirits. A decent amount of US product was replaced with other imports.

 

Mad props to @timmy2b for this beer via the Superbowl Squares 2026 BIF.

Mortalis Brewing Co. Longsword DIPA, 8.0% ABV; 4.23 overall

Pours a super-hazed gold with a thumb of eggshell colored head. Above average head retention & sheets of lacing

S: Green melon, some dankness, cantaloupes, grapefruit once warmer

T: Follows the nose, white grapes & dryness upfront, some pink grapefruit as well. Grapefruit asserts itself as this beer warms up, some green melon, white grape & pineapple as well. Finishes a little dry with plenty of grapefruit, a little white pepper & green melon

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation; nice balance & a little acidity. Carbonation picks up & the body thins a bit once warmer

Abv is well hidden, nice combo of citrus & melon

 

Greetings, New Beer people. It is a gorgeous 2nd day of spring here in the greater Portland area. Mild temperatures, mostly clear skies, and the cherry blossom tree in the backyard erupted with flowers this week. Beautiful.

My first New Beer of the weekend is also quite beautiful. (And it's a style I haven't had before, which ties in nicely with some of the questions posed by our host @Beersnake at the start of this thread.)



Chuckanut Rotbier
(collaboration with Kulshan Brewing of Bellingham, WA)

12-ounce can purchased at ABV Public House in Hillsboro, OR. Date stamp on the shoulder reads "ROTBIER 2 C a n n e dMAR226". Enjoyed in an English-style tulip half-pint glass.

Look:
The beer is a stunning deep red-orange with superb clarity and a luscious head of thick foam the color of French vanilla ice cream. The head retention is moderate and the lacing is lavish.

Smell:
The nose displays plenty of semi-sweet malt, with notes of wheat toast, roasted malt, mixed nuts, and caramel. It has a dry and mildly earthy finish.

Taste:
Starts with a rich malt character which delivers the wheat toast, caramel, and roasted nuts promised by the nose. It starts out moderately sweet but dries out quickly. The middle is nutty with undertones of black tea and a gentle earthy bitterness. Caramel returns in the grainy finish. There's an interesting peanut skin note in the aftertaste.

Feel:
Medium-bodied and slightly chewy with spirited carbonation. Finishes crisp.

Overall:
Chuckanut Rotbier is malty and moreish, with excellent drinkability and the finesse and balance you expect from Chuckanut. A wonderful introduction to the style. I wish I'd bought more.

 

Lovely review @vurt, nice that’s spring is slowly showing its face by you too.

Today some of our early daffodils opened up.

 

Cheers, my friend. The Big Dark is not quite over yet, but days like today are a welcome glimpse of the season to come.

 

Living Häus Miruna WCIPA
(collaboration with Brujos Brewing of Portland, OR)

This is a bright yellow-gold beer with a pungent, frooty nose and flavor to match. Citrus leads, followed by peach and guava, with bits of red fruit and sweet pineapple like a fleeting shower of sparks at the end of a fireworks display. The intense fruitiness keeps making me think the beer is sweeter than it actually is. In truth, the sweetness is moderate at best. The finish has a delicate creamy undertone and a bitter woody bite that slowly ramps up towards the bottom of the glass. Medium-bodied with enthusiastic carbonation. Tasty example of a contemporary WCIPA.

 

Happy Saturday all, back with one I bought on a whim because the brewery is known for, well, not being normal.

Sadly in this case, they seemed to have aimed for dead center normal and hit it. Mostly.

The pour is a thin golden color with an off white head that left little lacing.
The taste is pretty close to the average lager; a little biscuit malt, a little corn, and some grassy herbal notes.
The feel matches the look; thin. But I guess “crushable” requires thin beer.
OA, I probably wouldn’t turn one down if it was handed to me but I don’t see myself buying more.
I quickly found one more in my wheelhouse, back soon.
Cheers!

 

My review says it all...

Boulevard BA Cherries Jubilee BA Quad Cheery Ale, 14.0% ABV; 3.95 overall


I swear I've had this beer...

Pours a fairly clear honey/orange color, minimal head, beige. No head retention or lacing, viscous

S: Tons of cherry, barrel & tobacco & sweet well-rounded booze once warm

T: Dark cherry, leafy hops, rich barrel, vanilla & brandy up front. Orange Blossom Honey & Sour mash break through once warm, come dark cherry, leafy hops & barrel as this warms up.

MF: Fairly chewy, low carbonation, a little warming

Not seeing a ton of quad here, but this is a lovely strong beer. Will buy more to age, which is what I swear I said the last time I thought I reviewed this

 

Said I’d be right back and here I am.
Odd Sides brewing recently celebrated another anniversary, and celebrated with another pastry stout with fruit and whatnot in it (and matching IPA!)
I won’t be reviewing either. However, they have some classics that get rolled out occasionally aaaand this isn’t one of those either. Just looked at the date stamp and it was canned in ‘22. Batting 0 for 2 here.
So, this beer that I thought was new but isn’t is BBA Imperial Mayan, a stout with habaneros.
To be fair, it has other additives as well but they are steamrolled by the peppers.

The pour is stout black with a half inch light brown head that left rings and sheets of lacing. Pretty good for a BBA imperial stout.
The taste starts with the chocolate and coffee and dark bread and transitions into habanero territory. I’m sure some people will taste the nutmeg and cinnamon, but for me, the peppers ruled the remainder of the beer, simply overpowering the less potent flavors.
The feel is about what I expect from a BBA stout; lightly viscous with enough body to carry the flavors.
OA; you might notice I didn’t mention the barrel and that’s because I couldn’t taste it. I had hoped that the barrel (and time!) would soften the pepper presence but it was the other way around.
Almost tempted to go get one I’m almost certain to really like but I still have habanero in my mouth so it’s pointless.
But hey, if you are one that likes that sort of thing, I can hook you up!
Cheers all!

 

Finally got around to cracking this one...
My buddy picked it up at brewery when we were down LI for @cavedave services.
Murky, muddled, and somewhat harsh astringency burning down the gullet
Def gonna try not drinking these hazy/NEIPAs for a while. They just keep finding their way into my beer fridge.

 

Bale Breaker Hop Farmer's Daughter

The body is a bright yellow-gold with brilliant clarity and daisy yellow highlights. The icy white head doesn't last long but yields heavy lacing. The nose starts out with muddled blueberries and orange peel. As it warms, layers of pine, flowers, grapefruit, and a trace of tropical diesel rise up. The flavor travels a similar journey, with blueberries setting the pace and orange floral notes following in their footsteps. Peach steps to the podium and takes comments from grapefruit peel, pine, and lime Skittles. There's a floral/oregano character at the end of the long aftertaste. Every step leans more dry than sweet. The medium body is lightened by jazzy carbonation. Overall, this is a tasty IPA filled with a variety of hop flavors.

 

Good day BAs! This is yesterday's New Breakfast Beer which I didn't post in this thread yesterday because I didn't have the energy:



Monk’s Café Grand Cru from Brouwerij Van Steenberge. From mixed six pack of 11.2 fl oz bottles, purchased 09/03/26 from my local Giant Eagle. $ 39.99 (Including tax)/$ 0.596/fl oz. Stored at 40 degrees F at home. Reviewed 21/03/26, review 3711. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated bottle. Served at 52.5 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 58.6 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 18), clear.
Body – Deep Amber (SRM 15), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lit, translucent and red-amber.
Head – Average (Maximum 4.0 cm, aggressive center pour) Cream, high density with average retention, slowly dropping to a slightly irregular 1.3 cm crown and a complete cap with thin, rocky areas and thick, creamy areas.
Lacing – Excellent! Multiple three-dimensional bands of near microscopic bubbles, with tiny irregular stalactites and stalagmites in the rooms.
Aroma – 4.25 – Lightly fruity and weakly vinegary – no hops, no alcohol.
Flavor – 4.25 – Lightly sour with fruity overtones. No malt, no hops, no alcohol (5.5% according to the label). A light barrel tannin is present. No dimethylsulfide, no diacetyl. A very mild gastric warming is noted.
Palate – 4 – Medium: Watery edging into syrupy: Soft but lively carbonation.
Style: Fits general BA description.
Final impression and summation: 4 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated bottle) Uncredited label art. Excellent flavor and nose – good Oud Bruin!
Rating 4.16, rDev 0% - right on the mean!

 

And now today's New Breakfast Beer, as I impatiently await today's "Noir Alley"!



Augustijn Blond from Brouwerij Van Steenberge. From mixed six pack of 11.2 fl oz bottles, purchased 09/03/26 from my local Giant Eagle. $ 39.99 (Including tax)/$ 0.596/fl oz. On room temperature shelf at store, stored at 40 degrees F at home. Reviewed 22/03/26, review 3712. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated bottle. Served at 42.8 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 55.8 degrees F. (Bottle says to serve at 8 degrees C)
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Straw (SRM 3), clear.
Body – Pale Gold (SRM 4), clear. Under direct light, same. When rear-lit, same.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.0 cm, aggressive center pour) Alabaster, high density with average retention, slowly dropping to a slightly irregular 1.5 cm crown and a complete cap of equal thickness.
Lacing – Poor. Just a few tiny islands of near-microscopic to tiny bubbles remain scattered on the glass.
Aroma – 4 – Moderately spicy – no malt, no alcohol.
Flavor – 4 – Basically follows the nose. No malt, no alcohol (7 % according BA – the bottle is unmarked). No dimethylsulfide, no diacetyl. No gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Light: Watery: Lively carbonation.
Style: Generally fits the BA description.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated bottle) Uncredited label art. Decent, not off-putting, nose and taste. Easy drinking but not something I’d purchase again.
Rating 3.95, rDev +5.6%

Two Belgian-style brews in a row? Chances are that will never happen again.

 

Why is my Aunt Ruth on the can?
She was quite a looker in 1980