New Beer Sunday (week 495)

Every time I am in the liquor store I look at this, then I look at the $27.99 price tag and think about other bills I have to pay. Then I walk away. Someday...

 

I actually tried two new beers today. Weyerbacher "Old Heathen" (Imperial Stout.) and Troegs "Java Head" Oatmeal stout. This will be quick and pointless...lol...sorry. For as long as I have been drinking Craft Beer and as much as I love it, I am worthless as far as aroma, taste etc. Basically any critique other than I liked it or didn't.

The Old Heathen was very good. I did notice there was no lacing on the glass which surprised me but who cares...it tasted great. A bit of coffee there. As for the Java head I made a mistake and I partially Blame Troegs...lol. Because of the name I looked no further and "assumed" it was a Coffee stout. HA!! Low and behold, just before posting this I looked up Java Head and found that it is an Oatmeal stout. Say what??? When I first tasted it I was unimpressed and sadly that is how it has been with anything I've tried thus far from Troegs. Ok...so this follows suit. But for some reason it was growing on me. However! I wasn't tasting any coffee at all. WTF? It's called Java Head!!! Now I find it's an Oatmeal stout? In that case I will have to try it again and judge it by Oatmeal standards and not "COFFEE" Java Head? An Oatmeal stout? How about Quaker Head?

So I am unable to provide notes since I am pretty much clueless as far as rating beer. Good or not good is all I got. Weyerbacher Old Heathen? Thumbs up. Troegs Java Head? Not "bad" but jury is still out. Yea...I just drink the shit. As for the rest, I'm hopeless.

Tommy

 

New DIPA Sunday
Greetings, Beer Campers and other advocates of fine brews!
I'm about halfway through my Beer Camp 12-pack only to find this introductory beer on the shelves of another store! No harm moving the introduction to intermission, right?

Overall I'm not that impressed. The aromas are nice but the palate features more malt than hops. Honestly I'd drink a Torpedo over this any day. No flaws, just rather generic. I may continue the 'double' beer camp theme later tonight as Double Latte is next on deck.

Ironically as I'm talking about this beer's lack of hops I'm reading this fascinating article about native American hops. I knew there are European, American and hybrid grapes for wine with the European being vastly favored over American but had no idea the same was true for hops. http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/search-great-american-beer-180951966/?no-ist

 

Good afternoon NBS crew. This is new to me, and a pretty new beer in a sense (was released the day before I bought this a couple weeks ago). Jack's Abby, Hopstitution #4, Aussie Rulez. While I haven't been a pale lager drinker for 20 years, this really shows what can be done with the style. Pours a lightly cloudy yellow, with a frothy white head. Smell has a certain wet dirt, musky character that is unusual but not unpleasant. Taste is really fresh and clean from the very pale malts. The Aussie hops adding a certain fruit character...maybe pears? There is very little bitterness, and this is wildly quaffable. If you want a BMC drinker to try something better in a style you know they like, this is that beer.

 

damn you nailed that one, following right in @cavedave 's footsteps
don't forget succulent sippers of singles of stouts and saisons

 

I drank half and drain poured the rest. Significantly worse than ordinary SNPA. How is that possible?

 

From Vermont. Zero Gravity Bamberg Helles Bock. New offering from the brewery with only 3 ratings in the BA database (including mine). Lightly toasted, yeasty, with an apricot feel and a mild smokiness. More bitter at the finish.

 

Greetings, NBSers everywhere,
Been a long week here in the city clustered around (and formerly called) Spokan Falls. I was called into work a week ago, then worked my normal work week. Yesterday I volunteered to drive a shuttle bus between a parking lot and Felts Field for an AOPA fly-in. Saw some interesting planes, including a replica Gee Bee that seemed virtually identical to the real thing, right down to insanely huge P&W "Cyclone" engine, and a P-51 replica that looked very authentic until you got close enough to realize it wasn't much bigger than a Piper Cub. Unfortunately, there was no actual flying being done. Then, last night I checked into a hospital for an overnight sleep study so as to be formally diagnosed with sleep apnea. I looked like Roger Daltrey in the scene from "Tommy" that featured Jack Nicholson. They used this nasty stuff that was like a cross between rancid butter and caulk to secure electrodes onto my head. After two showers since being discharged this AM, I'm still finding globs of it stuck to my hair.

Today I went with Ballast Point's Calico:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/199/691/?ba=woemad
Pretty good, but it seemed more like an ESB than an amber ale.

Not a fan of the new rating system, and wound up picking my score more from exasperation than anything else! And what's up with BP's dating system. I admit I'm not familiar with the Julian calendar, but from the explanation on BP's website, it seems that the bottle was dated as having been bottled sometime next year!

 

Or Questioning Qualitative Quaffers of Quadrupels (Okay, I picked "Q" and tried to see if I could bullshit my way out of it!).

 

who got da smoke?

Ah so you gonna switch it on em?! hell yeah!

Lips Of Faith - Grätzer (3 Floyds Collaboration)


New Belgium and Three Floyd's - Lips of Faith Grätzer Ale by imbibehour, on Flickr

--------------

I am a huge Rauchbier, and smoked style fan, not always the biggest NB fan, but I couldn't pass this up.

Review here or read below: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/192/123834/?ba=smakawhat

Final Rating 72 on a 100 point scale

Poured from the bottle into a pokal glass.

Deep walnut and mahogany brown body. Opaque. Capped up with a nice cocoa tan and fluffy head. Three fingers with some good lacing and island puck settling down as it falls. Falls a little quicker than anticipated, but leave some nice ring lacing to match. Neat lookingb brew and unexpected, almost milkshake in appearance.

A nice simple mix of smoked malts, hints of light tobacco, but also some nice hints of milky chocolate quality to match. Minimal hop front herbality it seems a bit, but the smoke is the star. Solid.

Palate comes with a bit wetter than expected body, even for this style. Drying finish, and surprisingly crisp airy that flashes quickly. Good amounts of smoke but kind of fleeting and drying, turning very ashen right away. Mild tang of tartness, quite actually well subdued and controlled if not hinted from the aroma. Compliments not too badly actually, one of the less weirder Lips of Faith brews on that front.

Overall not too bad, one of the more easier Lips of Faith brews I can dig my way through. Seem to be enjoying its easy drinkability.

------------------

 

it worked, I can smell that shit all the way in CT from WA

 

You remembr how I introduced ber camp into this thread. I was happy to see all the reivews

I have to admit that as much as I was a tinkerer with the final number score - I do miss the categories. It's just not the same or the same overall feeling of completeness. I hope your sleeping problem gets fixed. I love sleeping and I am even good at it. I shall endeavor to impart some of that to you. Don't fight it!

 

New beer for me: Odell IPA! Thanks, Vince! Expertly-crafted IPA!
( I'd post pic but seemed way too complicated; should b easy)

 

And what's up with BP's dating system. I admit I'm not familiar with the Julian calendar, but from the explanation on BP's website, it seems that the bottle was dated as having been bottled sometime next year![/QUOTE]
On BP Brews usually have 2 lines on bottom left of label
line one is the brew and batch with letter like CA-calico SC-sculpin
line two is BO date 14180 would be year and date < this would be around 070114

 

Not sure this even qualifies as a new beer, however it is new for me. Thought this was a beer when I was looking for new beers to try this weekend. The bottle caught my eye, and after learning that not all Rogue beers are too hopped (Dead Guy Ale) I was willing to give it a go at the low price that was being asked.
It is very light and crispy, I taste the honey, have no clue what jasmine is or smells like. I get some lemon. Could feasibly drink copious amounts of this without getting a buzz (pun intended). Would I buy it again? No.

 

On BP Brews usually have 2 lines on bottom left of label
line one is the brew and batch with letter like CA-calico SC-sculpin
line two is BO date 14180 would be year and date < this would be around 070114[/QUOTE]
I get what the label seems to be saying:
C 419 14691.
C is for Calico.
419 is the batch.
14 is for 2014, but what the hell is 691? I'm no mathematician (people who are good at their "maths" don't get degrees in history!) but according to their own website, that seems to be saying the 619th day of 2014. Unless it's just a typo and I've invested time and already scare brain cells (further decreased by the beer) for nothing.

 

Don't worry, that's all the newness it needs.

 

I get what the label seems to be saying:
C 419 14691.
C is for Calico.
419 is the batch.
14 is for 2014, but what the hell is 691? I'm no mathematician (people who are good at their "maths" don't get degrees in history!) but according to their own website, that seems to be saying the 619th day of 2014. Unless it's just a typo and I've invested time and already scare brain cells (further decreased by the beer) for nothing.[/QUOTE]
If they wanted everyone to know they would use the KISS method. Keep It Simple Stupid. Apparently they don't.

 

Hello, NBSers! I caved and bought Beer Camp. I picked Electric Ray (Ballast Point IPL) for New Beer Sunday. I give it a 4.00 as a good, almost really good, IPL.

After embedding this photo, it occurs to me that I need to wash my windows. The window's screen is mostly at fault for the hazy look, I swear. Really.





A: Reddish-copper hue, quickly fading head.

S: spicy/floral hops, slight grapefruit tinge, even. The malt is more present in the nose than I was expecting.

T: bitter, spicy hops with a malty, sweet taste in the middle, and a long sweet, bitter hop finish. The bitter hop oils linger subtly on your tongue for a long time after you put your beer down. The alcohol is well hidden; the alcohol adds some sweetness, but it doesn't burn on the way down. I was surprised to see 8.5% abv listed, frankly.

M: Average for what you'd expect for an IPL, I'd say.

O: It's electric, boogie woogie woogie.

 

Three Floyds Dark Lord '14. My first one ever and it's amazing. Not sure why so many people hate on it. Reminds me a little of Even More Jesus, but less molasses and it smells and tastes like it has raspberries/juice/syrup. One of the best beer that I've ever had. Cheers!