New Beer Sunday (Week 527)

Gasp!!! Did you get permission to start an NBS thread?

 

Thanks @lordofthewiens



Good morning and cheers to all of you are having a spring fling with a blonde ale today or a tryst with a tart saison. Welcome to New Beer Sunday. Today is the day and this is the place for you to TRY anew beer and TELL us about it. We want to see that beer so show us a pic if you have one and link us to your review too. Such a great day to be sharing all kinds of new beer.

Well, here in upstate NY the weather is a fickle as March would have it. 50 degrees one day and snowing the next. With my mind's eye looking toward spring I happened across a beer in the west coast aisle that I am very excited to try today. Grapefruit Sculpin.

Now Sculpin is good but could this one be as good? I happen to think it's extraordinary. I have really enjoyed every ballast point beer I have had so far and this one is out of the park. The Julian date on the bottle reads 15057. Pours very clear and orange with a bone white head of foam that held well and left handsome lacing. Nose is so authentic with grapefruit. it's heady with it, then for perfume it has the scent of fresh orange. A bit of twiggy and woody pine. It smells so fresh and tantalizing. Drinks like a an ocean breeze. All that tantalizing citrus. The orange is bright and light. The grapefruit is something wonderful. It has all the flavor of a real grapefruit but none of the pucker or bitterness of it. it's like they took all that flavor and sweetened it just enough. The malt is elusive but a touch sweet with honey and so soft that it simply cascades over your tongue. Mouthfeel approaches medium but is still wonderfully light with just enough weight from that honey malt to satisfy the palate in a very sensual way. Right before the swallow is this breezy little spritz from carbonation that is so whimsical it made me laugh out loud. It's as though you got a little sea mist at the back of your throat. Perfect crisp finish that brings a little bit of the fruit rind a touch of bitterness to end this amazing beer. It's so good.5 out of 5 ... but wait . . .I can't do that or can I? My second perfect 5.

S' ok "I aint the type to get all riled. Cheers! "

 

I like sculpin, I like grapefruit (in fact I just kegged a witbier with grapefruit zest), but I do not like grapefruit in my sculpin. Something about it just did not work for me, but glad you enjoyed it.

Good attitude about someone starting the thread, happy Sunday all.

 

I like the way this has started. This will be an interesting day. Not getting riled is a damned good way to enjoy things. I'll be back after walking the hounds and having breakfast. Good morning and cheers all!

 

Easy not to get riled when you're starting your day with a Grapefruit Sculpin!

 

S' ok "I aint the type to get all riled. Cheers! "[/QUOTE]

I clicked on the NBS link and was instantly puzzled, perplexed and plagued by an uncomfortable feeling..."Was NBS hijacked" I asked myself? Had the beer gods played some cruel and heartless joke on my unsuspecting soul?

As I scrolled south I quickly found the answer to be no! After a moment to regain my composure I gave out a sigh of relief...damn that was a weird minute and a half of my life.

Cheers to cooler minds!

 

First of all, this is a retired beer on the ol' BA database, and there are no reviews fresher than 2014. However I just bought this bottle this week, and the artwork/label is clearly new, so Twisted Pine must be bringing this one back? Either way, it's my first ever braggot! Let's see what it's like ...

The color is a slightly hazy light honey color (how prophetic) and the white head doesn't hang around long. Very little lacing remains as well.

The aroma is a lot of orange zest ... very refreshing and clean. Some honey sweetness is right behind it. Faint booze, this is 8.5% ABV. The beer in the BA database is 8% so this indeed is a new batch I'm assuming again.

The taste is spot-on with the aroma. My tongue gets walloped with orange peel and honey. It's a very simple, straightforward taste profile with that. The finish though brings some Tasmanian pepper berries into play leaving just a subtle touch of peppery heat on the tongue, wherein the 8.5% ABV comes into play. Like I said, just a hint of booze like the aroma.

Overall, it's always difficult to review a new style for the first time. I rated this 3.86 for a +2.4 rDev. It's a good refreshing flavorful beer. But very simple as I was not picking out a lot of other ingredients other than honey, orange, and some pepper. Definitely a style I will revisit when I can.

 

Chillin some Leffe Bruin for dinner!

 

Good morning - spent another long night in a hospital room with my stepfather, he's having quadruple bypass in the morning. I just got home and popped this beauty - cooking a massive breakfast to go with it. The brew has some white wine characteristics and I'm moments from pairing it with brie. Happy Sunday, geeks.

 

I bought this yesterday, I can't wait to try it. I had a chai stout in Denver at an obscure brewpub a few years ago and it was one of the best beers I've ever had. I love spices mixed with stouts!

 

Reusing WBAYDN pictures—




—for this great new-to-me (couple months old now) beer.

It's hoppy! Of course. But it's a different kind of hops. Dank BO aroma, some orange peels, and then the flavour brings bitter orange and green mango, I guess. Actually green papaya salad, more like. It's relatively dry, with just enough sweetness, long-lingering, and has a late breadiness. Savouriness, even?

Interestingly, after a few sips, Sip of Sunshine comes to mind. Check the back of the can—what do you know? Brewed in Stratford, CT. I.e. Two Roads, i.e. same brewing/canning operation. Huh.

Enjoying this quite a bit. =]

 

Should be back later on with a new brew.

Cheers!

 

I think only one person broke the rules so far. Oh, and I also have a bit of a cold but I'm with you. Not gonna let it stop me from enjoying a couple beers and will be posting one on NBS later.

 

I've had the regular Sculpin, but not the grapefruit, yet.

 

Yeah, it's the malt—and yeast, I guess—that ring SoS to me. The hops are totally different. Never tried Hi-Res—you think ML and HR were similarly hopped?

 

Goose Island 312 Urban Pale Ale has a thick, creamy, off-white head, a mostly clear, fairly bubbly, golden appearance, and spiderweb lacing left on the glass. The aroma is of sourdough bread, a touch of citrus, and yeast. The taste is of those elements, with mild bitterness. Mouthfeel is medium and a touch slick, and Goose Island 312 Urban Pale Ale finishes semi-dry and highly drinkable.