New Beer Sunday (week 506)

Enjoying some Evil Twin I Love You With My Stout for the first time after bottling my Jalapeño Saison.
Rating 4.3
12 oz bottle poured into a teku

A- Black with a three finger mocha head. 4.25

S- Big rich chocolate, molasses, some roasted coffee, vanilla. 4.5

T- Dark fruits, dark chocolate, some molasses, some vanilla, hints of burnt coffee. 4.25

M- Smooth, full body. 4.25

O- Another great stout from Evil Twin. I do enjoy Even More Jesus more, but with how much cheaper this is I still see myself buying more of this. 4.25

 

This is the one I wanted. Cheers all!

 

Wisconsin Brewing Co's second attempt at an IPA and I like it a bit more than their flagship.
Starts off rather sweet with candied pineapple and orange peel. I find hints of peach to go along with the caramel malts in the middle. The finish adds a piney bitterness. Pretty good, but the tropical fruit notes are slightly sweet for my liking.

 

Getting my sunday funday started off with an incredible porter that was sent over to me by @Roguer. Thanks again man!

This one pours very dark and has a mocha brown head that is still very present even after drinking half of it already. I don't get much on the nose, maybe a hint of chocolate and coffee notes. The taste reminds me of roasted chocolate, vanilla, coffee, and some fruity presence also. The hops really come through for me in terms of the bitterness but it works work quite well. This is one of the thicker porter's I've had. The feel of this beer is smooth and creamy thickness. Overall its everything I would want in a porter and it drinks almost more like a stout to me. Very great beer and underrated in my opinion.

4.4/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cheers everyone!

Edit: Dollar store glass is a bit off...

 

Wonderful! Bravo =)

 

It was very good...got lucky and walked into the bottle shop just as the owner was unboxing!

 

Barrel Aged Paw Paw Wheat......Another Gem from Jackie O's
look: 4.75| smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
A - hazy yellow golden with hints of orange. Bright white head pours decent and vanishes quite quick leaving a tiny ring of lace without any real stick.

S - Sweet tropical fruits. Banana, mango, and some melon as the bottle discribe. And
not to much of a hint of funky yeast and wheat.

T - Distinct melon up front with big flavors the Bourborn Barrel Aging really comes through in a big way. A touch of wheat and sweet malt. A slight funk from the yeast and a hints of spice.

M - medium bodied and very crisp. Texture is extremely smooth.

O - a good brew. The pawpaw fruit is something . A great beer. I applaud the creativity of the brewer to go out on a limb and Barrel Age this Jackie O's, their creativity and love of brewing is out of this world. If you can get this beer it is worth a try!!!! Maybe not for everyone but I luv'd it!!!!

 

18th Street Deal With the Devil Double Pale Ale. Brewed exclusively with Citra. This beer was responsible for putting 18th Street Brewery on the map and has finally been brewed again. Just as amazing as the first batch. If you are in NW Indiana or Chicago and are looking for Zombie Dust, forget that and look for this instead (aka go to the brewery and get yourself some). Huge dankness, along with pineapple, mango, guava, grapefruit peel, some lemon and tangerine, and some pine sap. Just enough sugary sweetness to provide a nice light balance to the dank, fruity hops. It's just Citra hop juice.

Besides Pseudosue, I do not think there is a better Citra-hopped beer out there. Trade, buy, whatever…but do yourself a favor and get this beer because the head brewer, Drew Fox, said it will not be brewed again for a very long time! Cheers!

 

been saving this one for about a month:



I tried a few pumpkin ales last year, didn't think much of them and decided to pass on them this season. But a couple months ago a friend said I should at least give the Pumking a try, and I see why. It's good. Very spicy with a lot of taste, much more so than any of the pumpkin ales I tried last year. And the aroma is off the charts -- I'd give it a 10 if they'd let me, and I might revisit this brew once a year just to smell all that fall seasonal sweetness: cinnamon, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla ... it really does smell like walking into a candle shop or into a family kitchen around Thanksgiving.

The taste isn't as awesome as the aroma, but it's an easy drink. The alcohol is nonexistent and the mouthfeel is so light that it's easy to enjoy.

Pumpkin ales seem to be more properly rated here in BA.com than their public marketed reputation (most are in the 3.4 to 3.8 range) yet I couldn't help but give this one a solid 4+ because the aroma and mouthfeel are fantastic:

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/3818/38394/?ba=Premo88

4.18/+3% rDev

Midnight says howdy to all and cheers!

 

Trying this new one from Cigar city.
Not as hoppy as was suggested but still very good.
Lots of roast and burnt and char infused in this baby
definitely good to the last drop.

 

You'll have to pardon my brevity today as I'm needing full attention between this beer and the soon to start Niner game...

Basic gist:
I go to my LBS and ask the beer guru "so Chuck, you going to get BA narwhal?"
He tells me that the regular narwhal is still sitting on the shelves so when the rep asked him if he wanted the BA version, he passed!
I tell him to get on the horn and get a damn case and that I'd take nine of em!
That was last Saturday and the case came in on Tuesday.
This is a sweet liquid that doesn't taste to me at all like the regular but now the less is equally great.
Not as chewy as Parabola but hot damn, it's still damn great.
Good barrel presence, very good mouthfeel and very enjoyable.
$20 for a caged and corked 750 so a tad steep given how Parabola is a few $ less but I have ZERO regrets on filling my cellar with these.

 

Happy Blustery Sunday!

We had a storm roll through last night, and even though it's a nice sunny day the wind will just not let up. I went to a soccer game earlier in the day and I was just not prepared for how chilly the wind was making it feel. I definitely needed gloves and a hat. Right now I'm cleaning the yard and finding it's not just leaves that were shaken loose from the trees

That one just missed the roof (thankfully). The good old garden gnome must still be doing his job keeping us safe, maybe I'll give him a new coat of paint as a thank you.

It seems like it is time for a brew. I've been saving this Half Acre Daisy Cutter (courtesy of @creepinjeeper ) for just such an occasion-

It seems like it is appropriately named- the nose is very reminiscent of flowers, more like wildflowers or chamomile. Sharing center stage is a good helping of grapefruit juice, and underneath it all is caramel and butterscotch. The palate is moderately full with a clean bitterness cutting through, and it all ends with a lingering toasty finish. I'm getting different fruits mid-palate, more gentle like apples and pears, and it's coming across as much as an English Bitter as an APA. Very easy pleasant and as easy-drinking as it is multi-faceted. The butterscotch doesn't seem at all out of place on one hand, but on the other it's right about at the level where I might start to call 'foul', especially as I get to the bottom of the glass. I'm very glad I got to try this. B+ (3.85).

 

Hey everyone I'm back for my second crack at NBS.

Today it was Guinness Dublin Porter. The story here is that a few months back I heard Guinness were releasing not just one but two new beers to tap into the growing craft market. A Dublin Porter and a West Indies Porter. Now I'm a Porter fan so I was interested to see where they would go with this, but I also had some reservations as there are a lot of amazing new breweries here in the North of Ireland pumping out a lot of great beer and it felt a little like Guinness were reacting in fear to the noticeable loss of revenue. Go into a pub in Belfast and most people are ordering Belfast Black over Guinness.

I immediately took to the shops to track these newbies down. Shock Horror, no shops were stocking them. I'm only 90 odd miles from Dublin something was wrong here. All the English, Welsh and Scottish BAs were getting to try this why was it not here in the North?
Was there some weird Political grudge going on?
I though we had a peace process going on now. We are all Friends now, aren't we?
Why can't I have your Porter?
Please... I really like Porter...
I lived in Dublin...
My Best friend is from Cork... Any one...?

Anyway... A few weeks back British retail Giant Tesco opens a new store here in town, biggest one in Ireland North and South. So Off I go praying for Porter.
Week one...no fecking Porter.
Week two...no fecking Porter.
Week there... Oh dear God there it is. A single Bottle.. Mocking me. "Ha you have been looking for me haven't you? Well I'm here now what you gonna do about it, boy?"
'Well Mr Porter I mean to have you. Lets get it on!'

Home I go Porter in hand ready for Today NBS!!! Let the games commence...

Ready... steady... DRINK



3.2/5 rDev -7.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25

Appearance - Good black porter colour of roasted malt with a two finger beige head that dies to a generous cover very quickly. The glass was full of busy streaming CO2

Smell - Rich roasted malt aroma with a sweet caramel leaning, brown sugar and some light sweet bread.

Taste - Light and I do mean light sweet roasted malt caramel, some bitter coco and coffee and tiny bitter hops at the back. This one is disturbing similar to Extra Stout water down.

Mouthfeel - Pretty thin with light CO2 fizz and some bitter linger.

Overall - A little disappointing to be honest. This one is far too close to their other offerings to be worth trying again .

Well this is a cautionary tale not ever quest will have a satisfactory end...

Happier NBS to you all! Guid Forder...

 

Spiteful Brewing Selfies are for Weiners Double IPA with Honey. The title is so true and the label is hilarious. Pipeworks has come out with a few double IPA's with honey recently, so it is only fitting that their best friends, Spiteful, came out with one too. This is a little more balanced than the Pipeworks offerings, but still get a great hop presence. Get grapefruit juice, slight grapefruit peel, orange, slight mango, and pineapple from the hops. Big honey presence along with some biscuit and butterscotch. Very light on the bitterness due to the honey and malt and does a great job covering up the alcohol content.

Extremely drinkable (remember, this is 9.4% abv) and balanced, yet still slightly hop forward in terms of flavor. Man, this stuff is really good! Might be the best use of honey in a beer that I've had so far. The honey, malt, and hops meld together so well. If you are in Chicago, seek this one out.

 

New Dry-Hopped Saison Sunday!

I am going to keep this one quick. Today was lovely at work, got sent home early, but went to Max's and got a fresh Howler of DirtWolf. That's another story, time for the new brew!



Well most of you folks out west already ticked this brew years ago, well guess what!? My turn!

Getting to this brew should be fun, I like a Saison then dry-hop it!? Yes please! This brew pours very nice, very nice indeed. Nice medium shade of Golden Amber body, looks like pretty glass of honey actually! Cute soapy white head that sets the mood perfectly. The body is very hazy and opaque, I am liking this brews appearance. What about the fumes you ask? This starts out very nice to my nostrils. Starts out with wheat and resinous leafy and minty hops. Subtle touch of orange citrus with a backing of tropical fruits. Some spiciness to the brew, touch of pepper. Let's get down to the flavor. First hits with some sweet hay and spicy yeast notes. Then it hits with a citric bite of tangerine and grapefruit peel and some tropical stone fruits. On the backend there is some huge resinous hop goodness! This brew finishes bone dry and refreshing. Very minimum bitterness with a lingering citrus aftertaste. For this being an 8% brew it's not as sweet as one would think. The feel on this is exceptional! The body is loose and light with par carbonation that is keeping the brew alive on the palate.

Overall: This is probably my newest favorite Dry-Hopped Saison. There isn't anything negative to say about this brew. This is more of a believable Saison being brewed by an American Comercial Brewer. I've had other offerings from Prairie, this one is a home run for me. It's light, refreshing, playful and devilish at the same time. Enough of my rambling, this brew is Recommended!

Grade: an A.

Cheers my fellow New Beer Sunday crew!

 

Good afternoon! Today I grabbed something that I have had on-hand for a long time but didn't try until today.


Brettanomyces Lambicus Berliner Style Weisse
4.01/5 rDev -5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

375 ml bottle poured into my FFF snifter.

A- Body is a uniformly hazy straw yellow hue. Very translucent/hazy. Pours with a massive 3 finger+ foamy, frothy, bubbly white head. The head fades completely within seconds leaving no lacing or collar.

S- The nose is soft- but definitely tart and funky. Brett is the main aspect with acidic tart citrus in the background. A hint of bready, sweet yeast also comes through.

T- Flavor is much more bold than the nose. Tartness and sour upfront with a funky brett backbone. The flavor becomes much more sour for the finish- which is rather dry with not much going on. Some sour lingers on due to its intensity upfront.

M- Mouthfeel is light and spritzy with a high level of assaulting carbonation. Very dry.

O- Overall this is a nice berliner. I'm surprised by the dryness of the body. It gives the impression of a sour champagne. The brett and the yeast are definitely more present in the nose than in the flavor and mouthfeel. This is a nice sour-but its pretty simple rather than complex. I'm definately looking for more wheat characteristics in a berliner too.

 

Traded some Prairie for several beers from Surly Brewing. I've enjoyed most of them, but my favorite thus far is their Oktoberfest.



Pours a nice deep orange with a bubbly white head. You get bready malt in the nose, but the hops are there in the background. Nose is indicative of the taste: bready, biscuity, caramel and toffe, but then there's piney hops that show up. Really, really nice. Medium mouth with good carbonation. This is by no means a traditional marzen, and they could probably repackage this as a IPL. I'm loving it.

 

That is all that matters at the end of the day, if there is NO REGRETS! I won't see this because, in Eastern Baltimore Natty Ice sells more than any Sierra Nevada Limiteds.