New Beer Weekend #298

Eredita gratitude robust porter
...solid black appearance with a lasting mocha head
... medium light carbonation with a slight thick oily body which all added up to a nice feel.
... aroma is roasted coffee beans, black coffee, mocha and an odd but pleasant oily peanut
...taste dry with mild sweet malt in the background. Coffee bean, espresso
.. overall it seems similar to a dry irish stout but amped up. Very enjoyable

 

Really dug this beer(4.5 or so for me) - got to try it at the tasting room and brought four home, aging gracefully (I hope). Agree on the sweetness - the missus and I split most of their sweeter beers. Screams for their smaller package format, in my opinion, but splitting is nice, too.

Have you tried Maria's Garden? Delicious, not jazzed up with extras. Aged in Tawny Port puncheons.

 

My nightcap for tonight is another one sent to me by @russpowell and one many of you will instantly recognize.
Shared a can (yes! He sent more than one!) at stout appreciation night and it was very well received there. Not surprised at all.

The pour is stout black with a quarter inch light brown head that left sparse lacing. Pretty good for a barrel aged imperial stout. Not amazing, but pretty good.
The feel is just shy of viscous; I actually expected a little more heft but I’m guessing the time in the barrel lightened it up a bit.
The taste features chocolate and coffee and vanilla, a little bourbon and a hint of roast from the malt. No discernible hops. Very smooth and almost soft taste.
The feel continues the smooth; this is far to easy to drink. I had to force myself to slow down.
OA, another outstanding stout from Ozark Brewing Company. Very happy to have been able to drink a whole can finally.

 

Tree House Hopster 2026

another one off that’s pretty damn good
Reviewed by TCgenny from New York

4.08/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Easter weekend and I lucked out with a pretty delic rando from Tree House when my order was screwed up by my friend-mule , so I received a different order.

Surprises ensue: absolutely fresh with a frothy vigorous pour yielding a big egg shell colored head that very gradually reduced to a corral reef relief on my glass, pours golden yellow murk, aroma is passion fruit, melon, white grapes.

This ipa boasts eight different hops which imo makes for a busy situation : this is Tree House and somehow this doesn’t suck. Feel is smacky num num, small buzzy carbonation.

This is crackin delic, a Kathy Ireland 4 when Elle McPherson 5 is waitin for you in the bedroom.
I’m not ever complainin!

 

Glad everyone seemed to survive that massive accident @Whyteboar .

Also sorry for your Illini, @champ103 . Illinois State was knocked out of the NIT Thursday, by Bruce Pearl‘s kid, which added insult to injury. That said, nice for Illinois teams to have a rare run during March Madness, a term coined and trademarked in Illinois for our annual High School Basketball Tournament.

One more little fact. Teams could previously participate in the NIT and NCAA tournaments. 1950 was the lone year the same teams met in the finals of both tournaments, with the City College of New York defeating Bradley (Peoria, Illinois).

• (1) Illinois NCAA Champions: Loyola University Chicago (1963)
• (3) Illinois NCAA Runners Up: Bradley University (1950, 1954) & University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2005)
• (5) Illinois NIT Champions: Bradley University (1960, 1964, 1982); DePaul University (1945) & Southern Illinois University (1967)
• (6) Illinois NIT Runners Up: Bradley University (1950, 1959); DePaul University (1944, 1983) & Loyola University Chicago (1939, 1949)

Have to end my new beer weekend and celebrate New Beer Sunday #1102 with an Illinois beer. This is my last 2025 BCBS variant.

Goose Island Beer Company Bourbon County Brand Double Barrel Stout (2025) (Bottled August 22, 2025 @ 5:13 PM)

4.18/5 rDev -6.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4



My first year in a few to purchase the variants available on clearance. This one is very strong. Best experienced 15-20 minutes in, where the base is allowed to shine before the bourbon barrels reclaim supremacy. Still pricey on a deep discount ($22.77 with tax), pretty satisfied overall with this purchase and the other four, though I still like the OG blended version the best, with the Baklava Prop the best by memory.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the day, including those who will celebrate Easter.

 

Sonofbitch! Looks like I neglected to post yesterday!

Yesterday's New Breakfast Beer:



Demons Surround Me (Ghost 1732) from Adroit Theory – 2025 variant [Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee + Toasted Coconut + Almonds + Bourbon Barrel Aged Maple Syrup] One 16.9 fl oz bottle, ordered 12/08/25 from Adroit Theory online, received 03/04/26, $ 32.02/$ 1.89/fl oz. Stored at 40 degrees F at home. Reviewed 04/04/26, review 3718. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated bottle, other than “2025 Variant.” Served at 57.2 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 62.2 degrees F.
Appearance – 3. Other than slight variation in the color of the oxygenated crown, it essentially looks like every other lacing-less Russian Imperial Stout.
First pour – Deep Brown (SRM 30), opaque.
Body – Black (SRM 40), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lit, same except at the very edge.
Head – Small (Maximum 0.35 cm, aggressive center pour) Windsor Tan changing to Caramel as it oxygenates, short retention, quickly dropping to a 0.1 cm bubble ring and no cap. Evan this bubble ring fades away.
Lacing – Poor. Just a few dots and short, anemic bars of near-microscopic bubbles.
Aroma – 3.5 – Generally very weak coffee. No hops, no malt, no coconut, no almonds, no maple, no bourbon barrels, no alcohol. As it warms, the coffee fades and the maple syrup unsurely assert its presence.
Flavor – 4.25 – Begins moderately sweet with maple and hints of coconut. No hops, no alcohol (16.66 % as stamped on the label). Nose coffee is completely lacking. Hints of almonds. No coconut, no bourbon, no barrels. No dimethylsulfide, no diacetyl. Moderate gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Medium: Creamy: Soft carbonation.
Style: Fits the vague BA description.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 Uncredited label art, unfortunate because Adroit Theory labels are intricate and interesting. The flavor is good, but seems a bit sweet for a RIS. At 16.66% ABV, this is dangerously easy to drink.
Rating 3.87, rDev 0% (First review)

 

And now today's New Breakfast Beer:



Gratitude (Rye Barrel Aged) from East End Brewing. Four pack of 12 fl oz cans, purchased 02/04/26 from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA. $ 24.50/$ 0.510/fl oz. On room temperature shelf at distributor, stored at 40 degrees F at home. Reviewed 05/04/26, review 3719. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can. Served at 55.0 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 61.7 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), slight haze.
Body – Deep Amber (SRM 15), opaque. Under direct light, medium amber. When rear-lit, orange amber and glows.
Head – Average (Maximum 3.8 cm, aggressive center pour). Apricot, high density, average duration; the head drops to an irregular 0.5 – 0.8 cm crown fed by carbonation, and a thin, complete, rocky cap. Some Morse code lacing remains as the cap contracts.
Lacing – Fair. Other than the initial lacing (above), no more appears until the level is below half full. Then we have some odd formations resembling the Dakota Badlands.
Aroma – 4 – Sweet malt with hints of a generic graininess. No hops, no alcohol, no rye barrels.
Flavor – 4.25 – Slightly sweet with dried apricot flavor, along with some rye spiciness and earthiness. No hops, no alcohol (11.4 % according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Moderate gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Medium: Slightly syrupy: Soft carbonation.
Style: Follows the BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 4 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated container) Uncredited label art. Possibly the best brew I’ve ever had from East End – head and shoulders above their basic barleywine Gratitude. This actually has great flavor and aroma as opposed to their basic barleywine. However, it does lack the excellent lacing of the base beer.
Rating 4.1, rDev -1.7%

This is one I'll be returning to buy tomorrow - at least a case! Lookout Craig - there's at least a four-pack coming your way this summer!

 

Master Shredder
5,5% hazy IPA by Veil



Poured from can, the body is a faded gold with a fluffy white head. Good lacing.

Aroma features, grapefruit and orange. Taste follows nose and wafts of pineapple and mango join the band. There is a light bitterness during swallow, but it is minor. At finish things quickly dry up.

Medium mouthfeel with strong carbonation.

It's easy to see why this easy drinking hazy is a favorite of BA legend @vabeerguy.

 

Good Sunday and Easter morning everyone. Thanks @jonphisher for hosting this week.
Its cold and damp here in the 413, with krokuses, all closed up this morning.
Todays offering is from Brewery at Four Star farms. A lovely if not nostalgic look back to the days when a solid red ale was a must, on a brewers dance card.
Semi sweet, just enough crystal malt, and Cascade hops to bring back memories.
Hope everyone has a lovely Easter.

Thirst Responder

American Amber / Red Ale | 5% ABV
The Brewery at Four Star Farms in Northfield, Massachusetts

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

3.94/5 rDev 0% | Average: 3.94
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 16 oz can without any dating, into the test glass
A - Lovely ruby hue, great clarity shows off that color. A nice white cap of tight knit foam covers fo a while.
S - Lightly roasted malts, a bit of brown sugar, earthy hops, with a hint of citrus and pine
T - Pumpernickel , with a bit of brown sugar, a bit of citrus.
M - Medium in body, semi sweet, with a nice cripsness. Finish is nicely dry.
O - A very nice old school red ale, with solid mouthfeel and an easy to drink no frills quality that is just right

 

Happy Easter to @jonphisher and everyone at NBW! Its been a few weeks since I've tried any new beer, so here we go!



Rained Out

Hazy Imperial IPA | 9% ABV
New Trail Brewing Company in Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Reviewed by beerdedking from Pennsylvania

4.12/5 rDev -2.8% | Average: 4.24
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
New Trail has accomplished something unusual with Rained Out. They've created a Sabro containing DIPA that I like. Typically, I avoid this hop at all costs as it tends to ruin a beer rather than uplift it IMO. Rained Out has a nice and quite dank interplay between Citra and Sabro flavors including pineapple, mango, papaya, orange, tangerine, and coconut notes. Sweetness is low while this beer does more of what I love in an IPA: resinous, dank, and enough drying bitterness. It's hazy but not fluffy or overly thick. Drinkability is high, and booziness is low. This is an above average NEDIPA.

 

This is from the mix 12 pack canned in late November. I was looking for the newer pack which contains a Rye IPA, but no dice. I decided to grab the older one knowing SN IPAs don't fall off as quickly as others



Phantom Torpedo

American IPA | 6% ABV
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. in Chico, California

Reviewed by beerdedking from Pennsylvania

3.94/5 rDev +4% | Average: 3.79
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
I liked this more than I was anticipating being that it weighs in at 6%. I was expecting something thin and leaning to Pale Ale territory. Phantom pours nice and full with bountiful foam. Scents and flavors of pink grapefruit, rind, and light onion are available. Maybe some pine. It is a touch on the sweet side, but it's hopped enough to keep balance. The touch of onion at the end is really pleasant making this tasty and interesting for a smaller IPA.

 

I went to Tin Barn specifically to get cans of the Autodidact collaboration that I'll review this afternoon. Great opening, by the way!

 

Thanks for adding, "Pictures are not necessary but encouraged..." I lost my ability to add pictures months back and I think this little note will encourage newbies from chiming in.

 

Hi All,
Popped this one while watching me some Final 4 yesterday but didn't chime in here...

Next Horizon
Canned 03/03/26 (Pretty sure, the day is smudged).
Amber tinted gold in color. Fluffy off. White head asserts more than two fingers and height. Hangs around, great head retention that leaves so be lacing.
Nose begins with a little bit of an herbal and spicy note. Layered over some generic citrus. Then some mild juniper berry meets dirty socks sitting next to an old, dried out, nugget of weed. Not bad but so-so.
Flavor is better. Definitely a mix of citrus rind notes with hints of gooseberry. Flavor doesn’t go towards the green or weedy but rather a smooth dry finish.
Mouthfeel is good for style. Just say a medium half with a light level of carbonation.
3.5/5 rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5