New Beer Weekend #300

Placebo Effect, a 5.4% cream ale.
I was at Tox Brewing for a couple of drafts yesterday and picked up two different singles for NBW (saving the stout for tomorrow). I wish I had looked at the date on this one. However, its not that bad. They did have this on draft yesterday, but I did not try it. I should have ordered it for my wife, she was not happy with her Pilsner (my single sip hinted at oxygen problems to me).


3.67/5 rDev -4.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Purchased cold at the brewery yesterday and kept cold until served. Poured from a 16oz can dated 09/10/25 to a Nonic.
The white head is creamy and about 1in/25mm tall. That fades to a single coat in just a few minutes. Lacing is a brief full coat that falls down and leaves sparse spiders. The medium gold body is about SRM 4-5. There is a slight chill-haze but continuous nucleation bubbles are visible.
The aroma is mild cracker with some tangy notes.
The front end of the taste is slightly creamed corn (DMS?) but not off-putting. However that is soon forgotten as the finish is pretty hoppy and dry for the style.
The mouthfeel is light with subtle oiliness. Carbonation is good but not aggressive.
Not bad for 7-months in the can.

 

Another new beer from Lone Pint for me this afternoon...

Void Crusher, Black IPA, 7% ABV.

Malt: Pilsner, Carafa III, C60, and Chocolate Wheat
Hops: Columbus, Amarillo, and Simcoe



Pours a nearly opaque black color. A dense tan head rises with excellent retention and lace. This is a looker.
I was hoping this would be a bit more aromatic. There is a green leafy hop aroma, and some light malts. Though I was hoping for some more pop here.
Taste wise, OK, there it is. Big pine, leafy green, bitter. Mixed with the dark bitter bakers chocolate. Not overly complex, with some competing bitterness components.
A full body with crisp carbonation at first. That smooths out, and becomes very sticky and resiny. Enjoyable to drink, and well made for the style.

Black IPA's are never going to be my thing, as I'm not the biggest fan of the competing bitterness between hop and malt. It always kind of clashes for me, which does to a certain extent here. Though at the same time, I'm either getting use to it, or actually getting to like it...at least a little more. Fans of the style should love this, I do enjoy it as well. Even if its not my favorite style. Glad I got some, and will continue to drink this when in the mood.

Overall score is 3.8, B+
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30380/794934/?ba=champ103#lists

A couple of weeks ago, I reviewed another local Black IPA from Baileson Brewing, and basically said the same thing...so two very similar and similar in quality Black IPA's. I'm actually planning on going back to Baileson tomorrow...hmm, maybe I should bring one of these by and do a side by side?

 

Back already because my wife walked in the door from a package store run buying all for herself. However this Counter Weight "Hoppy Summer Lager", caught my eye and I'm happy it did. 5.4% ABV.
This can is 12-days old and not in the BA database yet. Probably a 1st edition.
Brewery's notes-
Our hoppy lager brings refreshing fresh cut citrus like qualities to the forefront to help make it deliciously drinkable. Blending the crispness of a pale lager beer with the big aromatics and expressiveness of american grown hops.

Purchased cold at a store 1-hr ago and kept cold until served. Poured from a 16oz can dated 04/06/26 to a Pilsner-esqe cylindrical glass.
The ultra-white head of large bubbles looks like bubble bath foam. That fades to a ring in just a few minutes. Lacing is moderate spiders at first, but zero at the end. The light gold body is about SRM 2-3. The body is crystal clear allowing visibility to the hypnotizing nucleation bubbles right up to the last ounces.
The aroma is super-spruce, wow. Hints of citrus creep into the smell halfway through the session.
The spruce and citrus continue in the flavor. Some soapiness is also noted. Oddly, for all that bitterness the finish is mild, with a slight sweetening (hello malt).
The mouthfeel is light with subtle oiliness. Carbonation is appropriate.
This is a VERY enjoyable lager. 4.5 across the board.

 

With my last new to me brew of the day, had this tasty barrel aged imperial stout from Braxton Brewing:

Private Barrel - Liquor Barn - Drunken Lawyer | Braxton Brewing Company - Braxton Covington | BeerAdvocate





Really no complaints about this one at all, it's a good overall barrel aged imperial stout. Braxton does a great job in general, but especially with their imperial stouts including their Dark Charge series. Not sure if I'll have any more new beers this weekend but if I do I'll make sure to post them here. Cheers again!

 

Kasteel Rouge by Vanhonssebrouk

4.3/5 rDev +12.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Dry January, February , March and half of April is officially over! My first beer of the year

New beer, new brewery , new location

Brewers description Kasteel Rouge is a blend of Kasteel Donker (Quad) and cherry liquor. The mix of these two excellent products creates an exceptional soft beer with references to the dark mother beer.

Chilled bottle poured into a glass

Soft fizzy pinkish purplish one finger foam layer , nice lacings . Clear dark red liquid

Aroma is of tart cherries

Tast is tart cherries, fruit, plum, hint of spice like a soft cinnamon

Mouth feel is soft, smooth , tickles the tongue

Delicious start to the year with a great vacation beer…palm tree in the foreground, St Barts across the ocean

 

Foster - Wild Thai
Tree House Brewing Company

4.75/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Drinking out of a snifter at the brewery.
Pours a clear dark reddish mahogany with a minimal head.
Smells of cinnamon.
Nice smooth mouth feel.
Very complex taste - sweet, hints of coconut, cinnamon, backed by bourbon.
Not that boozy.

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!
Happy 300th weekend of this format.

To the question: Yeah, I remember 2020 very well. I was traveling a lot with friends to get out of this state for many reasons I won't go into here. Let's just say I was in another surrounding state pretty much every weekend. Worth every mile I put on my car.

Now to my new beer, and it is from Hammerheart.

Lil Hesty - Hammerheart Brewing - Ely, MN - American IPA 5.5%

Wow! what a flavor bomb. The pine from the hops just hits in waves, and doesn't let go.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31326/797515/
4.43/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
From a 16oz can with no date on it.

This beer has a nice amber color to it. There's a bit of murk in the appearance of the beer. The head is 2 finger in size and slightly off white colored. The head retention is amazing, and there's some nice lacing on the glass.
This is not a smoked beer, but the aroma is pleasing. It has a nice hint of pine in the nose. There's also a flora element to the nose that also works well with the pine.
Ok. The beer starts off with that floral element and it is quite pleasing. This fades out fairly fast and is replaced with full on pine bitterness. This bitterness hits in waves and just keeps on going.
The feeling of this beer is dominated by the feeling from the bitterness. This is a clingy and lingering feeling, that feels really good.
Well, this "session" IPA really packs a ton in a beer that is 5.5%. Delicious!


I may try for one more new beer today. Cheers!

 

I can confirm this. @superspak and his wife, Julia, are incredible people. @superspak is one of the most resilient people I know. I have entrusted him to be a mentor my son.

 

I need this beer! If my plans fall through the night before we get together in August, I may head up to Ely, MN!

 

Didn't realize we were at a major NBW milestone, looks like I'll be changing my plans for what to drink tomorrow. See you all with (hopefully) a good one tomorrow.

 

Thanks @Beersnake for the start of NBW, in 2020 I decided to start posting in this thread instead of just reading New Beer Sunday like I had for the previous 15 years. So in NBW#4 I started posting, and sometime in 2021 I tried to post every week if possible.

3 Sheeps Shorts & Hoodies


Appearance: Clear gold, big head.

Smell: Mineraly, bit of bread.

Taste: Sweet dough and light grassiness. Light bodied.

Overall: A tasty little pilsner that is close to a helles. Super easy drinking, could be another good one for summer.

Thanks to @GreenBayBA for this one, I've got a couple cans of Lil' Hesty set aside for you. I haven't tried it yet--probably review tomorrow.

 

Greetings, New Beer people! Cheers to @Beersnake for opening the bar.

Mrs. vurt and I are in Astoria, OR this weekend. Feels good to get out of town. It's been a while. We went to Fort George Brewery yesterday afternoon, and that's where I had my first New Beer of the weekend.

Fort George Vorcille IPA
(Collaboration with Georgetown Brewing of Seattle, WA, for Vortex Month at Fort George)



Enjoyed at the downstairs pub at Fort George Brewery in Astoria, OR, in a Becher glass.

Bright gold body with a clean white head of thick, long-lasting foam. The nose splits the difference between a classic Vortex nose of bitter, resiny pine and a Georgetown Lucille nose of grapefruit peel and pith. The best of both, a good intro. The flavor again splits the difference, with pine up front and grapefruit peel on the back end. The malt character is lighter and less sweet than Vortex, and finishes drier. Excellent residual bitterness with a real bite. Medium-bodied with energetic carbonation. Vorcille is my favorite of this year's Vortex variants. It does a fine job of combining the best attributes of Vortex and Lucille into one terrific beer.

 

Cheers NBW, and thanks to @Beersnake for the superb start to #300! Currently I am drinking Jever, but last night I had Tucher Pils for the first time, and I was impressed. Noteworthy was the gentle honey note in place of the blatant sweetness which overrides what a pils can achieve. I will buy Tucher Pils often



3.99/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Rating this on pilsener merit, and this is a good one. Pouring gives a bountiful head that naturally dissipates and leaves touches of foam here and there about the glass. Not lacing per se, just some left over suds. Scent is predominantly honey, which may foreshadow a nightmare of flavor. But this is not the case. Drinking provides a light complexity of attributes including: grains, cracker, honey, lemongrass, fresh cut grass, and some lemony hops in the dry finish. Sweetness is muted = big win. Overall this is a thirst quenching, breezy and light, and semi dry pils that hits all the right notes. Underrated and excellent for style

 

This is one of my favorite German Pils on the shelf...I know its hard to find fresh, or even "fresh" with quotes ha. But if you do, the grassy hops and bitterness just pop. On top of everything else you noted, which is spot on.

 

Are reboots allowed? It’s a bitter bomb starting dry and finishing sticky.

 

We all know this one. A long standing force in the craft world, something that has carried weight for years. I had it once about 13 years ago with no notes, no memory to lean on, so this is a return under a different lens. No nostalgia, just what is in the glass right now.

Poured at approximately 54.5°F at 6:02 PM into a small glass. The beer hits the glass in a deep amber moving into dark copper, alive with a constant rise of fine carbonation. The head forms, struggles, and collapses quickly, retreating to the edges and leaving behind a thin ring. What remains is motion beneath the surface, a steady stream of bubbles that keeps the beer active.

The aroma is immediate and heavy. Sweetness leads, thick and layered, almost suffocating at first. As it opens, something deeper emerges, a dark, concentrated edge that leans toward a soy like note, not savory, but dense and aged, like something that has been pushed to its limits. It is not sharp or bright. It is weight. It is pressure.

The first sip confirms it. Sweetness dominates early, pulling it toward barleywine territory. Bitterness follows, not to cut through, but to merge and hold the structure together. There is no clean separation. It is a fusion. As it warms, the edges round off and the beer settles into itself. Toffee, brown sugar, darker fruit, and a faint nuttiness build a dense core. The bitterness lingers, controlled but persistent, anchoring the sweetness without letting it collapse.

The mouthfeel is full, coating, and deliberate. Not syrup thick, but heavy enough to command attention. When worked across the palate, the carbonation resurfaces, almost reanimating the beer. Chewing it brings it back to life, adding movement to something that initially feels dense and grounded. The alcohol is present as a steady heat, never chaotic, always controlled.

Overall, this is not a casual drink. It demands time. It sits heavy, unfolds slowly, and holds its form from start to finish. It leans into the space between imperial IPA and barleywine, not chasing brightness, but embracing depth, weight, and endurance. This is a beer you confront, not one you pass through.

4.666/5

 

Machine House - Porter (5.4%)

16oz can served in a nonic pint. Can has no date that I can see.

Pours dark brown, borderline black, with a medium sized coarse head. Moderate active carbonation, not much lacing or retention, though there's a little of both. Smell is nutty, slightly burnt molasses, slightly burnt toast. Tiny bit of coffee and cocoa.

Taste is a pretty clear reflection of the nose, but there's a pretty stiff bitterness in there, some bark and a more intense nuttiness.

Mouthfeel is on the lighter side, smooth, almost velvet. Nice solid porter.