New Beer Weekend #297

Very sad

 

I have been a lacrosse pseudo-fan for a while after rooming with some lacrosse players my first year at college. UVa has had some ups and downs (mostly down this year) but beat the number one ranked team in the nation today. It is a fun sport that offers a little more scoring than hockey, and I am always amazed when a goalie has a good game, because stopping lacrosse shots seems impossible to me (and I feel I have quite good hand-eye-coordination).

Might they be trying to highlight the lagering of a typical "ale yeast" as a key component of how they approached the making of the beer? Although, if you are going to use a crazy term for your "style" - you probably should explain it in whatever marketing you do.

Nice! I am having a smoked porter from Aslin (produced in Pittsburgh) that I had earlier this week on tap, called Smoked Solstice. The can version matches to my recollection, which is a slightly sweet lean to a beer that has a tanginess after the roasted open. This is what leads to the modest, but obvious smoke note. The finish reminds me ever so slightly of Ürbock - but as a whisper at best. Still a decent enough offering, I feel.

 

Good evening NBW
It had been a while since I bought any big can singles. Pineapple and chili...

Modelo Chelada Pinã Picante

24oz can BB END JUN2026 poured into a mug at fridge temp 3.5% ABV. The beer pours hazy orange amber with off white head that lasts 60 seconds. Zero lacing or residual bubbles. The aroma is mild with pineapple then pepper. The taste is semisweet pineapple juice with a side of Mexican lager before the chili pepper settles in. Mild bitterness. The feel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, good for what it is.

Cheers all!

 

Equilibrium IPA 3/3

I spaced them out over about 3 hours

 

Relentless - Avenida mexican lager

 

I haven't seen that beer in 8-10 years, but I still think/remember that it was the best Impy Stout. Ever.

 

Observer & Observed from Roaring Table, Lake Zurich, Ill. A very tasty barrel-aged stout that clocks in at sessionable 13.5%

4.34/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Thick oily looking dark brown pour, small tan head faded quickly. Snot machine like the faint fudge, roasted malt and a hint of booze. Taste buds get the aforementioned along with some dark fruit. This is one of the better ones.

I'll buy this in a heartbeart.

 

Hop Butcher Oregon Cool


Reviewed by TCgenny from New York

4.3/5 rDev +4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Received this treat from my buddy @Danmullens1 in Wisconsin, in close proximity to the midlands of America , where the great Chi-Town, the Windy City, Second City, the City That Works, The City of Big Shoulders, even where 25 or 6 to 4 confused the rest of America: Hop Butcher For The World!

Three week can poured exactly, pours goldenrod semi lucent looking at my mystical goblet with a froth head that reduced sticky on my glass. Aroma jumps right out of the gate: zesty lemon, ripe pineapple, wonderful floral on the nose! Taste follows with some type of berries, Love the pine, resinous smaky. Very smooth, tacky tack, clean, refreshing wcipa.

Hop Butcher for the win!

 

Have a good NBW. Thanks to @vurt for starting us off this week. I started reading Watergate: A New History by Garrett M. Graff yesterday, and still working on it til it's due tomorrow afternoon. Very detailed account and a lot of footnotes about random specific details breaks up the pace, but I am enjoying it. 4.25/5. 832 pages. My wife went to the anti-tyranny event in downtown GSO in the morning and was back by 2PM. Got a commemorative shirt and button from going last time. We went to walmart for Bread, Peanut Butter and kitten food, plus 2 12 packs of beer. I got Imperial Voodoo Ranger, and she got the Modelo chelada mixed pack.

Kittens are going to be 4 weeks old this week, still no teeth yet. Need to get a shallow litter box pan because there is poop in the corners of the floor under the bed, and they can't get in the adult boxes yet.


Fat Heads Imperial Head Hunter. No can dating. Great fluffy head retention and dense soapy lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big red grapefruit, tangerine, lemon, peach, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, berries, citrus peel/rind, wood, mint, peppercorn, pine, caramel, toasted biscuit, and herbal/floral/grassy hop earthiness. Large sized pine, citrus rind, herbal, woody bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; balanced bready/grainy malt and sticky/resinous/rindy hop mouthfeel. Lingering resinous hop oil dryness, minimal hop astringency. Light lingering warmth of 9.5% after the finish. Touch of booze. Can is over 6 months old, getting a touch of hop oxidation and melanoidin character from the malt; but still delicious. Tastes like a classic west coast style with Simcoe, Centennial, Mosaic, Citra, and Chinook hops. Plenty of resins on C hops with a bit of a crispness on the finish. Not overly sweet/heavy. 4.25/5


Cheers

 

New beer #2 for today

Boulevard Wood Baron

12oz bottle enjoy by 16APR2028 poured into a tulip glass at just above fridge temp 8.2% ABV. The beer pours very dark brown with medium brown colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and island. Minimal lacing. The aroma is mild with wood and chocolate. The taste is bittersweet roasted malt with more chocolate and light wood. Mild bitterness. The feel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. ABV is well hidden. Overall, good porter. Not sure it's a "Wood" Baron...

Cheers all!

 

3.7/5 rDev 0%

look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Poured from an undated 16 ounce can purchased at the brewery into a snifter at 56.7 degrees F.

Appearance- Deep amber-brown, translucent, light brown creamy sudsy head, average head retention, slightly below average lacing.

Aroma- Caramel, ripe banana, biscuit, clove, earthy, between weak and medium strength of scent.

Flavor- Bready, caramel, slight raisin, slight banana, clove, highly sweet, between medium and high strength of flavor.

Mouthfeel- Medium body, slightly below average carbonation, highly creamy, moderately mouth warming, highly sweet, mildly bitter, smooth, mildly mouth coating.

Overall- Deep amber-brown and translucent with average head retention and slightly below average lacing. The bouquet was a mix of caramel, ripe banana, biscuit, clove and earthy character at an intensity on the weaker end of the spectrum. The flavor was bready, caramel and clove with some slight raisin and banana notes layered in at a medium high overall strength. The mouthfeel consisted of medium body with moderate mouth warming property and a high sweetness and creaminess. Overall, the aromatics needed to be stronger, and both the aromatics and flavor could have used less malt and more dark fruit character. Also, I didn't detect any of the promised orange marmalade in either the bouquet or the flavor. This beer was below average for the style, but was still interesting and provided a decently enjoyable drinking experience.

 

5 Stones Toby G's brown ale from @Ozzylizard in a BIF. Outstanding head retention and soapy lacing on the glass. Great clarity. Aromas of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, honey, pecan nuttiness; light vanilla, chocolate, coffee, wood, pepper, pine. A bit muted aromas. Taste of caramel, brown sugar, brown bread/crust, toasted biscuit, honey, pecan nuttiness; light vanilla, cocoa, chocolate, coffee, wood, peppercorn, pine, herbal, grass. Touch of yeast, smoke, and dark fruit. Light-medium pine, herbal, woody, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and body; balanced creamy/bready malt and sticky hop mouthfeel. Slight resins and increasing bitter dryness with no cloying/hop astringency. Mild increasing warmth of 7.2% after the finish. Drinks more like a 5.5% brown on body, malt complexity is good but not great. Solid flavoring presence, well balanced. Well made for the American style. 3.88/5


Cheers

 

Founders All Day Tropics IPA, 4.7% ABV; 3.57 overall

Pours a hazed straw color with a thumb of beige head. Good head retention & lacing

S: Some citrus, a little mango

T: Papaya, mango, pomelo & a little lime zest, plus dryness up front. Hints of coconut, pomelo, & green melon as this beer warms up. Finishes with a little white grape, green melon, coconut & lime

MF: Light/medium body, slight carbonation, decent balance

Fairly easy to drink, but too boring to session on

 

Good old Spuds, he could sure pull the ladies

 

Any thoughts on this one?

 

The Veil Merciless Merciless
Hazy DIPA
4.14/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
03/13/26. Poured into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint.

A: Hazy Arnold Palmer hue with 1-2 finger frothy white head with good retention and mild lacing.

S: Strong aroma with pineapple, white grapefruit, guava, tangerine, and green melon with undercurrent of honeysuckle and herbal green notes. Esters are very low and are fruity.

T: Flavor is excellent with bursts of guava, pineapple, tangerine, white grapefruit, and green grape with The Veil’s signature strong herbal, polyphenol green notes. Esters are low and fruit gum. I think more esters might help this beer with a bit more sweetness.

M: Gritty polyphenol with medium body and medium finish.

O: Merciless Merciless from The Veil is a very good and hard-hitting hazy DIPA.

 

Good evening denizens of NBW!
Spent much of the day reconfiguring my stand up desk for work; had to create a raised platform for the three monitors as they can’t be wall mounted or put on anything but the stand they came with. Very strange. So I try the dual-use port for two of the monitors and neither one works. Only the HDMI connected monitor works. To put the cherry on top, the new laptop they gave me came without a power cord. I have dozens of different ones but none fit. So back to my old laptop for the time being.

Story time over.
Tonight’s new beer is courtesy of @russpowell - he sent quite the box!
This one is an RIS named Deliverance and it was very good.

The pour is stout black with a 3 mm light brown head that left little lacing.
The taste is roasted malts and dark fruit coated in dark chocolate. Coffee makes the scene and a hint of oak; this isn’t barrel aged but the can does mention “woody hops” - I just didn’t think it was literal. It all balances out nicely.
The feel is a touch lighter than I like my RISs, but it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment.
OA, very glad to have been able to try this southern treat.
That will do it for me tonight, up very early tomorrow for work (I almost never need to work on a Sunday, but needs must) so I’ll bid you all a good night.
Cheers!

 

After 7-10 failed attempts to upload this worthless image...

 

That's one I never buy enough of...