New Beer Sunday (week 510)

Sierra Nevada Bourbon Barrel Aged Narwhal What can you say? This is another home run by a brewery that seems to be able to brew any style and do it right. For a BBA Imperial Stout this is a balanced brew hops, malt and Bourbon all there but well blended. Nothing overpowers anything else. This beer is very different from BCBS. Is it better? That's a matter of taste. Wish I could do a side by side.

 

I don't remember Dirtoir as it was awhile back. The head was a nice 2" with nice lacing. I like the nose with roasted malts, with hints of coffee and chocolate. Taste of roasted malt, pine hops, coffee, and bitter chocolate with earthy notes on the backend. Nice medium carb, smooth, and a nice clean finish.

 

Also just opened a Framboise for a cure from Russian River.

 

Happy NBS from WI. Looks like winter took a break before it comes back tonight and tomorrow.

I think my palate is tiring of barrel aged beer. . . I'm enjoying more of the regular barleywines/stouts/porters.
I gave this creation from O'so a try and it was okay. Barrel Aged Blackberry Night Train has aromas of the base Night Train Porter (which is really good) and Blackberry Merlot. There is also some faint chocolate, but the barrel aging really makes this smell like a wine from Door Peninsula called Blackberry Merlot.

The flavor is mostly big tart blackberries along with some chocolate and hints of vanilla. Those dominate so much that it is hard to find much else. Unfortunately the beer never carbonated in the bottle so it is flat and drinks like a wine.

 

Afternoon everyone. Cloudy day here in Chicago, watching football with friends. Thankfully the Bears are not playing today.
I had a friend bring over this treat, Surly Eight. I always enjoy Surly's artwork on their bombers. Pours a murky brown, not the best looking beer. Smell of oak, rye, and whiskey, sour cherry, smell of alcohol is present. Taste is excellent, more of that sour cherry, orange peel, oak, wood, very smooth. Overall 4.35. I would recommend trying this beer, enjoy sipping on it as it comes in at 12% ABV. Cheers everyone!

 

Another New Jackie O's Sunday

This one was actually from Thanksgiving, but not going to get to today's new beer till later tonight. Spent the morning running after some Christmas presents (albeit too quickly) as I got an expensive piece of paper commemorating me going 91 in a 65. I thought the 4 lane was still 70, and I thought I was just a hair over 80. I knew I was cruising, but when he told me I was genuinely surprised. (not the good kind) He offered me help back onto the freeway, but I asked him if he could follow me instead for protection from my wife. At least I earned one for a change. Anyway, going to get outside and put some lights up on this warm afternoon and see if listening to Andy Dalton throw an interception every 5 minutes is less painful than watching.



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1432/87719/?ba=WesMantooth#navigation

375 ml capped bottle for $12. October/November release

A - Opaque deep brown, with a ruby tint. 2-3 finger tan head with a "here it comes" pour into my snifter.

S - Immediate bourbon, and lots of it. It gives you a blast of vanilla and some oak, along with the typical English Barleywine notes of toffee, carmel, dark, sweet fruit.

T - Fairly sweet up front. Then the bourbon follows and is present throughout the rest of the taste. So is the caramel malt base. Noticeable chared oak. A little bit of sourness at the back end. The taste comes across a little flat compared to the smell to me.

F - Medium body. Alcohol is not in your face like R Lee Ermey in Full Metal Jacket, but not the hot girl in baggy clothes either. Carbonation is fairly low.

O - The taste didn't live up to the smell, but that doesn't mean it is bad. I thought I was diving into a Sucaba when I stuck my nose in it. I think the bourbon flavor, while very good, is just a hair on the hot side like BB Dark Apparition. To me, that is the only difference between this beer and the elite bourbon barrel barleys. It just isnt as smooth and balanced as a Sucaba or Bourbon County, or even their own Black Maple for example. Still, an outstanding beer. They continue to roll out one great barrel aged beer after another.

 

Thanks for the plug, I'll be picking up mine on Tuesday.

 

I wish I could pick up a few more!

 

Howdy NBS! Hope all your sundays are going great. We got some rain and gray skies in Orange County so figured a coffee stout would be perfect. This is what I ended up grabbing...

(Sorry for the recycled WBAYDN pic, just not as creative as many of you photographers) Anyway, onto the review:

This is a huge beer! The appearance is midnight black with a rich mocha brown head. One of the darkest heads I've seen without a doubt. The head fades away very quickly and leaves a light lacing around the glass. I get tons of coffee on the nose along with a very boozy smell from the bourbon. Also some roasted vanilla aroma as-well. As far as taste goes, I'm honestly a little disappointed. It is too hot and boozy for me. I definitely get some coffee and roasted malt on the taste, but I really think the heat from the bourbon overpowers this one. The feel is thick and murky, but it is quite drinkable and smooth for such a high ABV beer. After the initial sip the heat really settles down and there's a lingering coffee flavor which I enjoy. Overall I think this beer is an interesting one. At almost 18% it is too hot for my taste, but it really smells and looks incredible. Glad I tried it but there's no way I'd be buying another 12 oz bottle for 13 dollars.

4.4/5 rDev -2%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cheers all!

 

The regular one is mostly funk/little sour, too. Sometimes I think it would blend perfectly with Oud Beersel, which is extremely tart.

 

Cheers y'all and a Happy New Beer Sunday to all. I am enjoying some warmer than usual temps here today as it's about 45 degrees right now. That gave me a nice walk this morning. But alas I always lose my daily walk when old man winter really sets down to stay. I hope you all had a nice thanksgiving and from what I saw in WBAYDN I know you did. =)


New Xmas Beer Sunday




3.86/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75

Pours a lovely caramel brown with a glowing orange blush to it. Slight haze, faint head of tan foam that would have been bigger had I poured more vigorously. It lasted and left a film on top and made a little lace. presents elegantly int he glass and twinkles like a xmas tree light.

Nose is like a piece of spiced cake has been set down in front of me. Bright orange peel, sensual figs, allspice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Clove and some soft notes of ginger. The ginger really peeks out brightly and lightens up the nose with a bit of gaiety. The malt is a light sugar cookie type scent with hints of brown sugar. There's some malty depth to it but not too much. This smells a lot like pumking only without the pumpkin.

Taste is lovely. The orange peel is the bright stage on which all these jolly spices play. They are well blended and none stands out more prominently than the others. The fig is a bit of voluptuous dark fruit to go with that dark malt. The malt plays a bit deeper on the palate and shows it's resilience but it has a melt in your mouth quality that is delightful. There is no alcohol on the nose or on the palate save for the very last moment when it tings with a faint medicinal. I feel this adds a bit of gaiety to the beer. There is even a touch of hops bitter to finish this one . Just as these spices are merrily dancing on your palate a small but noticeable hop bitter comes through and ends the beer with a discreet finish and leaves the malt to linger in the aftertaste.

I thought this tasted a lot like pumking without the pumpkin.

(pssst! . . . I might be one of the only people that likes this beer if you check the reviews) YEAH! CHEERS!

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I'll make a point to pick it up if I see it then. Thanks.

 

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Got ourselves a sunny Indian summer central VA Sunday with a sweltering mid 60's happening. Fairly mundane weekend, as the boy had no hockey due to Thanksgiving break, so we took the opportunity to get a couple 2 hour gym trips plus open ice time to keep in shape. Also made an ill advised Bass Pro Shop trip to shop for the in laws. I don't bloody well blend for shit with the normal crowd there!

Got an Innis & Gunn Toasted Oak IPA. Poured nicely with a decent head. Smells confusing for the style but good, as "Chardonnay" is my best descriptor. And there it is in the taste as well. Maybe some cardboard too...

What else am I doing? Well let's just say I figured out what the Redskins problem is. They aren't good.

Try to get that kind of insight elsewhere!

 

Troeg's Master of Pumpkins 2014. There are some interesting things going on But I have to say that if you like cinnamon, this is the pumpkin beer for you. The cinnamon really takes over to the point that it burns on the palate. Medium body. It feels like an incredibly bitter beer but I think that is the cinnamon digging through all the senses and telling us all "I'm here to stay!" I kind of liked it. It was not your typical pumpkin ale.

 

Deschutes 2014 Abyss is what I'm drinking today and it is quite possibly the best.
Bought Three bottles at the local wegmens and well worth the money.
Very drinkable with sweet undertones roasted malts and a mellow bourbon taste that balances and not overwelms.
Drinks like a six percenter.