New Beer Sunday (week 517)

Good evening ladies and gents!

Sipping on this guy while watching the Colts vs Patriots game (Go Colts!).



This guy is NUTS. I can't remember having a beer quite like this since having a fresh WWS last year. This thing is HOT HOT HOT. Boozy to no end, but still packs a ton of flavor. Seriously, the second this one hits your lips, there is flavor. I'm getting a surprising amount of dark fruits with the classic roasted, chocolate, boozy finish. And boy does this one linger in your mouth! Interesting beer. Not quite up their with the best, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a contender with WWS after its been aged a bit.

THIS is the type of beer you want on a cold day. The ultimate stoutiness of stouts. I'd recommend aging this, especially if you have more than one (though these things are pricey, so be prepared).

 

Beautiful day in the deep south. After many days of crazy cold and rain/sleet, we got a nice sunny and much warmer Sunday.

Tonight's NBA selection is a BA quad from Clown Shoes - The Peace That Money Can't Buy. I have been thoroughly enjoying several of their stouts lately, and this one sounded up my alley.

After finishing the first pour, I can safely say that I need to hunt down more BA quads.

Tons of dark fruits both in flavor and aroma mixed with a strong bourbon influence. Very easy drinking for 11.5%. I should have picked up a second bottle to age,







http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22951/134413/?ba=richj1970

 

And, for my final entry into this NBS, is yet another from the NBS BIF Box 'o goodies from @Shroud0fdoom. They call this a Belgian? I approached it as a Barleywine, had I realized it was supposed to be a Belgian Strong, it would have scored lower, yet remained just as enjoyable: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/64/3089/

 

I was almost going to drink a bottle of that as one of my new beers tonight. Guess I'll have to try my bottle next weekend!

 

Been really digging Anthem Brewing's recent drops. Core Punch was a really nice Belgian pale with brown ale notes. Festivus was a barrel-aged winter warmer that I loved. I've been really anxious to try Count Pedro, their Belgian Strong Dark Ale with habanero peppers aged in tequila barrels.

HOLY SCHNIKES!!!!


The tequila is dominate in the nose, with pepper and toffee. In the taste, it takes a backseat to the habanero. Talk about throat burn, the peppers taste like you just pulled them from the vine. The strong ale is a really nice base. If you like chili beers - and this is an in-your-face chili beer - you will love this. Not my cup of tea, but I'm glad I tried it as it is really well made.

 

oh boy oh boy oh boy ... Stars playing well against those powerful Blackhawks ...

(and who's the moron who said the Pack had it in the bag? holy cow!!! how the hell did *THAT* happen?)

on to a brew from a place quickly becoming a second home for me:



from left to right, the growler full of Blackwater Draw's College Station Kolsch, some tasty College Station Kolsch and Midnight the cat looking for birds.

this brew is clear


Blackwater Draw (BWD) has 4-5 house beers and this kolsch is the "lighter" brew for our BMC friends who wander in for a beer then find that, what? No Miller Lite? Nope. BWD sells craft only, and the kolsch can help you out if that's not your thing.

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33495/120278/?ba=Premo88

My rating is 3.8 ... too few ratings to give it a rDev number.

It's a solid grain/earth-hops brew ... the malt flavor is very subdued, leaving you with a relatively bitter chunk of dirt/earth and black pepper flavor that lingers in the aftertaste. It borders on medicinal at times, but that rubbing alcohol medicinal taste that sometimes overpowers lesser brews holds off and allows hints of malt sweetness to peek through. All in all a fine brew and if nothing else a solid edition of the style from my experience.

Did I mention I love BWD?


kind of a pirate-themed set of swash-buckling tap handles

a better look at their board. the peppermint milk stout has crack-like qualities. addictive. I reviewed the Vienna-malt/Sorachi Ace-hopped SMaSH IPA last week, and their Contract Killer combines our finest locally-roasted coffee beans with BWD's in-house porter for a true coffee brew. they do one-offs on Saturdays (top right of board) but I've yet to get to try one -- they sell out quick and I work Saturdays.

but, hey, no complaints here and in part because of this:



my neighborhood nature trail has finally dried up enough to navigate. yee-haw!

that's all for now. more Texas beer later ...

Cheers!

 

Botched onside kick by the Pack. That guy is going to be haunted all offseason, I bet.

 

ooo I got another one, I love a good pale ale!

Caldera Pale Ale - Caldera Brewing Company


Caldera Brewing Co. -- Pale Ale by imbibehour, on Flickr

Review here or read below: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1075/25414/?ba=smakawhat

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Poured from the can into a nonic pint glass.

Deep murky orange and unfiltered looking appearance, with a bit of rust brown color to it. Head is creamy tall and soapy with a good four fingers tall height and a somewhat creamy retention. Good staying power, and some nice clumpy character. Body color is not the greatest but much of the apperance is really nailed.

Good solid aroma on this as well. Hints of mild biscuit and a hint of tropical and citrus like hop angles. Slightly flesh orange and grapefruit angles as well come with a bit of exploration. Nice and subtle and very solid.

Palate comes simply and nicely. Slightly chewy malt with a good mix of biscuit notes. Light sweetness and a good hop bitterness of mixed pine and citrus it seems in the mid palate. Almost juicy, with a mild hop bent and a real simple malt sweetness. Hits to fruit and light wood pine with a real mellow and airy aftertaste.

Really solid pale ale, always passed this up but quite good.

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Yeah man, always seen this on the shelf and just finally bit the bullet. Real good, I feel like going out and buying a bottle of Mogli now..

 

I would've scored it lower to as a BSDA. I don't like American Brewers attempting that style. I leave that to the Professionals. I didn't know if you had Olde School which is pretty good.

 

My second beer for today's NBS is another one from @cjgiant , a DC Brau "On The Wings of Armageddon".

A: Pours a deep gold, almost red in color with one finger of quickly dissipating light colored head.

S: The aroma is that of strong hops and pine with a bit of citrus backdrop.

T: Very hop forward. Fresh grapefruit and lemon hit early and lead to a malty, sweet finish. Very satisfying.

F: Light and fizzy with enough body to have a presence. Very well carbonated.

O: This beer gets great reviews for a reason: it's fantastic. A very fresh, fruity example of the style that any hop head will fully enjoy.

 

This is very nice.

 

2nd NBS BIF Beer!
This time it's Chuckanut Vienna Style Lager. How'd @beertunes know this is a style I can't get enough of?

An aggressive pour leads to a large head and a beautiful golden copper color. Bready, light hops, crackers and caramel. Tastes like autumn. Malt backbone, balanced by grassy hops.
Clean, sweetness that does not linger. So drinkable. Wish I had access to this fine beer.

 

Greetings all, Back for a moment wanting to thank so many for nice words and thoughts. My wife is significantly better, but still "groggy" post surgical. I made a nice roasted chicken surrounded by carrots and potatoes, topped with onions, that came out very well. Also, made a beef stew for some good leftovers for the week ahead. I'm currently nursing a NoDa CocoLoco that is delicious. Malty, rich, full dark chocolate flavors and towards dry.... but still coming back as pleasantly dessert like, but very drinkable and highly recommended. Cheers all. See you next week!

 

New American Brown Ale Sunday

Here's my 2nd new brew of the day, Rogue's Fresh Roast: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/132/96101/?ba=bluejacket74






It's a good roasty brown ale with some hints of citrusy hops, and it's an easy drinking brew too! This won't be the last of my new beers, I'll have another one on here soon.

 

Greetings All:

I just got my heart re-started after that little football game I was watching, thought I would check in on New Beer Sunday.

Today it is Ill Tempered Gnome from Oakshire. A nice winter ale.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16068/53716/

So, Seahawks back in the Super Bowl. With 4 minutes to go in that game I would not have believed that.

Breezy but 50 degrees and sunny today in the Columbia Basin. False Spring perhaps, but I'll take it.

Happy Trails!

 

Why don't you add it and then be the first to review?

 

I didn't expect the Packers to win, but damn... Lead the game for 55 mins only to fall apart and blow it in OT. Good thing I have new beer.

Black Rajah is really good. The Citra hops jump out right away with citrus bitterness, pine, and earthy tones. They yield to the darker roasty malts on the palette along with bitter chocolate and some sweet caramel. The bitterness and hop flavors that are noticeable in the beginning make another appearance in the finish.

 

Do we need to formally address you now as Poobah TongoRad, or will a simple "your excellency" do?

 

Well, we can also call him Beastmaster considering his fearsome critters shown earlier mastering the sofa.

 

Well, Tanya Roberts is a bit camera-shy these days, so that's as far as it goes...