New Beer Sunday (week 482)

Uinta Hop Nosh. 7.3% ABV. Floral and pine hopes meld nicely with the roasted malts.

 

Good afternoon, fellow beer geeks and NBS'ers.

A brew I've been wanting to try for a while - I'm finally having today! Thanks again to a great BA, @markgugs , for the trade!

Cheers!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Cigar City - Hunahpu -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=​

Poured vertically from a 750ml cellared then refrigerated bottle into a Lost Abbey Teku glass. As the beer flows into the glass, it forms a foamy and creamy head that demands attention – its glorious. Bubbles are so thin and the foam so thick it almost resembles a nitro head. Aromas of cinnamon and chocolate invade the air around the beer, inviting you to try it. After a minute or so, the foam settles into a thin bed the covers the glass, ultimately sinking into the thick, dark and viscous beer below forming a beautiful ring around the glass.

Its nose is a medley of sweet and spicy aromas, very inviting. Predominant notes are cinnamon, chocolate, chile ancho and vanilla. The taste is quite similar to its nose – as the beer warms and opens up, stronger chocolate flavors take center stage. Very unique brew for sure, and you need to know what you’re getting into prior to trying it – this is not your typical Imperial Stout. The only other beer Huna reminds me of is Luchador en Fuego by Clown Shoes.

Hunahpu’s mouthfeel is probably the best I’ve had. It’s so thick and creamy that it almost feels like drinking melted dark Belgian chocolate. It’s perfect for your palate to fully appreciate the broad spectrum of flavors this beer proudly carries. Carbonation is almost inexistent.

Overall, I must say it does live up to the hype – it’s a work of art.

 

So, we had a meeting at work this morning, and afterward, I headed down to check in on you rascals. Well, my co-worker Jesse, walked in a few minutes later. As he was leaving, Abbey, Libby, Dylan, and Brian, all also co-workers, walked in. Drinks and brunch are disappearing rapidly. My 2nd entry is from a brewery that is generally disappointing to me, but they are located on an island: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30589/117763/?ba=beertunes

 

It's cool but sunny here in Cleveland, and I'm definitely glad to see this thread still living strong... and also glad to see Stone escaped the nearby fires, prompting this to be opened today. Having tried almost everything in their lineup, it's always nice to try something new with their name on it.

Not my favorite of theirs but absolutely worth a try, it's very toasted. Also hardly any hops which is not the typical Stone style but refreshing for them.

On a side note, does anyone happen to have a good source for a good Stange glass? It's the recommended style for this beer but I don't have one and haven't yet found one. TIA.

(edited for a better picture)

 

LOL - That's like beer geekiness at its finest!
Cheers!

 

It's 1pm PT, so had to go 'sessionable'. It's not Swami's IPA(also by Pizza Port) but not bad for a bit of a lighter style IPA.

Cheers!
beto

 

New American Double/Imperial Stout Sunday

Hello all! Beautiful spring day here in the Milwaukee area! I'm still trying beers from Wisconsin!! (THERE ARE MANY!) Today's is a WONDERFUL brew (to say the least!) I've been very pleased with Central Waters, and this one is no exception. Brewhouse Coffee Stout. I love how it is rich in coffee without overpowering other aspects of a great imperial stout! This will be the only new beer for today, as I picked up a six-pack of the brewery's Mud Puppy Porter (which I've already had and reviewed).

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/652/35930/?ba=jwc215

And thanks UtopiaJane/Maria for leading this Sunday post!

Cheers!
Joe

 

So, what did you think about it? How's your day going? Did ya do anything interesting this week? Welcome to NBS, where we discuss our brews a bit, and maybe share a little amongst ourselves. You don't have to do a formal review, but the ante-in to this game is telling us what your thoughts are on the beer, at a minimum. Tell us some stuff, and welcome aboard the USS NBS!

 

Having a new beer from a familiar brewery. Sprocket Bier from Stone (spotlight series), a black rye kolsch.

Fresh and light with the traditional kolsch start but with a big malt finish. I also get tones of coffee, and chocolate on the back end. Very tasty and flavorful and the 5.4% lends perfectly to a well done session ale. I think the 85 score on ba is fair but if you really enjoy a cold kolsch on a warm day this offers a nice twist to the style,

 

New Insanely Floral/herbal infused Saison Sunday!

Work was fun, got my words taken out of context. So now I'm on to this little beer.



I've been waiting to try this brew for a while now. I'm glad I seen it when I did. This beer pours pure Honey Gold. Little to no head at all, maybe a non bottle conditioned Belgian Style Ale? Enough of the guessing game. The aroma is pretty, it's honey wheat with an intense hit of spice. The flavor is first hits sweet on the palate, with honey, wheat and hints of earthy lemongrass. There is a hint of chamomile in the aftertaste. This finishes sweet and not so clean, but quenches the thirst. The mouthfeel is where this brew lacks the most, for me anyway. The body on this beer is medium-light with average carbonation.

Overall: This isn't a wow beer by any chance. It's not interesting, the initial flavor is just a wave of sweetness. The carbonation lacks for a Saison. I mean the carbonation is supposed to make the flavors pop! Yet doesn't do that in this brew. A let down for sure. I say this brew is worth a shot.

Cheers my fellow NBSers!

 

Well I am not sure if this is legit enough, but I did see some repeat new beers for NBSers last week so ergo...

NBS victim #2

Mirror Mirror 2014 - Deschutes Brewery

look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5 | Final Score: 4.4

Review here or read below: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63/49472/?ba=smakawhat


Deschutes Brewery - Mirror Mirror 2014 Reserve. by imbibehour, on Flickr

A deep caramel light brown out of the bottle, almost liquid looking butterscotch. However, the glass fills with a glowing deep orange amber red color. Head is only about a finger tall, but is very creamy consistency, and is a deep yellow vanilla color just like the creamed yellow label on the bottle.

Interesting nose. Sweet dried fruits of grapefruit, fig?, tropical a bit as well from the hop angle. Some interesting caramel notes as well, with some thick clove like spices too. Very interesting.

Palate comes with a real wonderful richness. Huge amounts of maple syrup and woody flavors. Hot bitterness angle on the finish of charring spruce and pine cones that linger on the end. Real nice notes of warm tropical sweetness, papaya, brown sugars match in as well. It seems like there would be a clash of flavors here but it all comes out real nicely. Body is rich, without a strangely syrupy thickness either. A bit of controlled boozy quality towards the end.

I can't stop thinking how much this reminds me of a wooded maple pancake breakfast, it's really enjoyable, and not horrifically sweet to me either.

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The more I drink this the richer vanilla tones make their appearance. This really stands out almost as a true American/English Barleywine hybrid, with it's large hop angle and then thick malt character and oak aging goodness. These hopped up barleywines are like drinking liquid valium to me though sometimes, they just want to put me to sleep. However, this is a great one from a classic fav brewery of mine which ironically I can't get enough of (I am in one of the few rare places they don't distribute considering their size and footprint).

Dinner is around the bend and some seasoning prep needs to be done, and I have some arrangements to take care of. Another new beer maybe in store for today but it may have to wait for another NBS day again.

 

It was pretty decent as it tasted a bit like lighter version of Swami's IPA. This was very clear when I poured it from the 16oz can, I usually like IPA's with a bigger bite but I do like the citrus flavors and would definitely buy it again. I will introduce myslef, am a dad, love my kids and their mom, live in sunny San Diego but am originally from Los Angeles. Recently have tried looking for beers i've never had and am obsessed with barrel ages stouts and barelywines.

This week? I am a web/graphic designer for a living and attended some excellent conferences here in SD with lots of craft beer to go around. I wish I was a better writer, but have considered starting to jot down a short description of each new beer I am lucky to try.

Thanks for the welcome!

cheers!
beto

 

Welcome aboard buddy! Don't worry about being a zymurgystic Hemingway, just imagine we're all sitting at the bar, or on the boat, or around the campfire telling each other what's up. Look forward to seeing you in the future! Cheers!