New Beer Sunday (week 531)

And what I kinda liked was that is was all about the coffee and whiskey - not a lot of chocolate to it - I got the roasted malts, but they seemed more complimentary to the barrel wood, rather than full of chocolate like some stouts go - which I do like in many stouts, of course - but I liked the way this stout presented without relying on the chocolaty aspect as much...

 

Hey what's going on?

Weird odd weekend weather wise, got real cold, and at least the sun is out but still cool. Went to a Hawaiian slack key guitar concert last night and felt warm then when out in the freezing rain later.

Friday night made it to another instructional cooking class with fiery seafood on the menu. Fun times whipping up a storm there as always.


Stuffed Jalapenos with Crab and Cheese at L'academie de Cuisine by imbibehour, on Flickr

My oven filament broke! uh oh! Then I realized a simple part replacement fixed that problem. A little concerned, next weekend I am having friends over for a party so it would suck if I couldn't cook for them.

Beers this week have been good, going through some North Carolina goodies of late, but also running out of new beers for the week to review. So what's new for our hero today?

Porter - Appalachian Mountain Brewery


Appalachian Mountain Brewery - Porter by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the can into a nonic pint glass.

Dark walnut brown body with great red mahogany lighter brown hues on the edges. A nice three finger cap comes up off the pour, with a light mocha brown head. Settles fairly quickly and evenly to a nice cupped puck of half a finger and fine bubbles. Great looking porter.

Real nice aroma. Soft chocolate malts, and a hint of vanilla. Nice roasting grains with a very light sweetness that almost hints at a touch of licorice as well. Chocolate angle very pronounced but not overboard. Real nice smelling porter.

Palate takes a bit of a different turn. Very jarring mouthfeel. Highly water surprisingly and lots of fizzy sensing carbonation that takes away from the palate. Much of it also continues down the gullet in the aftertaste, with slightly gaseous and mineral flavors. Muted malted roast is taken over by a wet washing almost milk stout soda quality minus high lactose sweetness. I can't believe how much the tip of my tongue is fizzing and bubbling on this with each sip. Some cola like sweetness then seems to take over as time goes on.

Overall, drinkable but missing much of the great character hinted on the nose. A brew ruined by less than stellar mouthfeel, seems like there's a great beer in here dying to get out.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3 | overall: 3

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Cheers!

 

Good morning all NBS followers from high atop the hill here in central NH. I'm taking a little break from the yard work at this point and decided it was time for my new beer for this Sunday. Not sure if I'll get back to the yard work or not after this break but it's kind of gray and pretty overcast and only about 55 outside so I may call the yard work until next weekend.

My new beer for this week comes once again from my friends at White Birch Brewing in Hooksett, NH. They released a Nitro White IPA this week. I decided to head on over on Thursday and tried a sample at the brewery and ended up bring home a growler. It is growler fills only at this time.

The beer poured a slightly milky light golden color when poured slowly into my tulip glass. There were those telltale nitro bubbles.

This beer had a fairly soft nose with some light citrus overtones and a very faint smell of the light malt used in this brew.

The flavor of this beer was what really came through for me with lots of nice citrus taste and good amount of bitterness in the back of the mouth.

The mouthfeel was very smooth I feel due to the fact of the nitro rather than the regular carbonation.

All in all this beer came through in many ways more than I had expected in the beginning. I was just a little worried about a White IPA on Nitro but would have to give this beer a rating somewhere around 4.1

Well I remember I have a couple of other outdoors chores to do this afternoon so the rest of my growler will have to wait until later. Hope you all enjoy the rest of your NBS.

 

Greetings NBSers.

Some interesting beers so far today.

As usual on a gorgeous day such as we have here, there are items on the "honey-do" list being tended to before and after lunch. Will be back this evening to report on a new (for me) gose and share a bit of the music I've chosen go with the gose (since not all music goes with gose :-)).

 

New Fruit Lambic with no carb Sunday!



Ok let's get down to the beer! For starters I'm a fan of Fruit Lambics and Lambics as a whole. Yet this brew isn't really holding my attention. I'll explain!

First thing when I "popped" it's cork, there was no introduction of greatness. It opened like a child getting ready for church. Quiet and Forlorn. I Continued to pour and no head was present. Ok? A lambic with no head. I can dig I guess. The aroma is rich with array of Strawberries and yeasty funk/tartness in the background. I dig this aroma to be honest. Well how about the taste you might ask? First hits the palate with tartness that's neither puckering nor is it acidic. Some strawberry fruitiness comes at you with a tame approach. Finishes dry with some salinity hitting the back part of the tongue. Aftertaste is light of Strawberries and grains. The feel is of course light and playful no carbonation.

Overall: There isn't anything keeping me entertained with this brew. Everything is incredibly light and not making an impact for the taster. It's not undrinkable but it's a very boring brew. The aroma is so good though, but I cannot simply recommend a brew just by Aroma alone. I will not seek this out again, yet I could suggest this to a Beer Enthusiast. This brew is worth a shot.

Grade: C+ boarder line B-

 

First off, holy shit - actually got to upload my own picture!!!!! God, feel like I just unlocked the key to cold fusion!

Well, back home after the son's 2 hour skate and gym. Staying in for rest of the day and doing some around the house stuff. starting my beer day off with this little beauty!

Lickinghole Creek Nuclear Nugget

4.15/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Where to start....

Well, let's go with the look. This is beautiful. Dark orange, almost dark translucent copper. Massive creme colored head with an odd pattern of lacing but there nonetheless.

Only knock on this beer is the nose. Smells "mealy" or something along with some hop jump.

Tastes just spectacular. Seriously. A touch of heat on the front end that gives way to some citrus, some honey but finally earthy on the tongue. Bitter as hell but with purpose! When I say bitter, I mean crimony, it's a bitter thing indeed. Bitterness is hanging out on the tongue as if protesting something vigorously.

Judging by other ratings, this seems like a polarizing beer. But, well worth giving a try. You may be pleasantly surprised, like I was.

 

Good Day NBSer's
Saludos a todos. Beautiful day here in SoCal. We have spring again!!! Which is rare here. A lite rain yesterday makes everyting crystal clear here. Attended a bottle share last night. Many offerings I'll elaborate on later. But big shout out to @choobaccaHB for bringing a little breakfast to the late night. Funky Buddha's Maple Bacon Coffee Porter.
Dear Lord, that's stunning. One could almost, I said almost, stop at the nose. Maple, roast, and even hints of porcine love. But that just beckons a sip. And that sip brings the same maple, but the sweetness is toned down a tad by the roasty coffee notes (not astringent) and some smokey bacon. Not chewy in mouth, but just right. A beautiful imbibe.

 

Saw they were promoting this year's batch on Twitter. Looks like I gave it a straight 4 when I tried it (way back when you could give single ratings ). Will have to grab one to check it out to see if I agree with you and myself.

 

Well said friend. This is a classic example of a 3.75 beer that I wouldn't mind having all the time, know what I mean?

 

New IPA Sunday!
Starting with Victory Moving Parts Batch 3, nicely done!

4.02/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

22 oz bottle, enjoy by 6/19/15, poured into a snifter

A- A clear golden amber with a two finger white head.

S- Spicey, herbal/floral notes, some barnyard, pears, citrus.

T- Floral, piney/barndyard finish, pepper, citrus, grapefruit, some sweet bread.

M- Smooth, medium body, crisp.

O- A nice Belgian IPA, pretty easy drinking. Better than batch 2, can't wait for the next addition in the series.

 

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30/80197/?ba=Bitterbill

C&Ps out of the way...G'day NBS faithful!

It's raining right now in Casper and over night, it'll be a mix with snow. Typical April weather here so no worries.

I bought the most expensive Howler ever..for me. $25.99 for that Avery brew called Uncle Jacob's Stout. My initial thoughts were that it would be close to another perfect 5, but reviewing at the beginning of s session rather than near the end is not the way to go so it ended up being a VERY respectable 4.42 Same territory as their wonderful BA Tweak.
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I mentioned on Facebook aboot watching a Korean movie called "Flu", and how much of a masterpiece of a movie I though it was. Currently playing on Netflix; I urge subscribers to that service to check it out.

Well, gotta get back to whatever I'm doing so, Cheers Maria, Dave, and you other lot!

 

Good afternoon NBS! It's a tad chilly but the sun is out and I'm TCB around the house today. Couldn't tell what was missing until I realized I hadn't cracked a beer to reward the chores.

Today I chose this new beer:


It had been a want of mine until @treznor provided me a bottle. It's a great early afternoon beer. The flavors are really sharp and on point. Plenty of hops and little malt, just how I like my IPAs. It's a beauty of a beer as it's very clear and almost transparent. 4.25/5

 

Awesome pic!!

 

A blessed NBS to you, ale acolytes and lager loyalists, it’s time for the ever enjoyable, occasionally obtuse, and riotously risqué NBS review of none other than your favorite force from the north(west of NJ): John of Stanhope.

We must now pause for a serious aside- those of you pulling for me and aware of the Cicerone saga… the results are in. I didn’t pass. While I received a passing mark in the tasting portion (the part I thought for sure I’d failed) I did not receive a high enough mark in the written portion of the test (the section I thought I’d definitely pass), thereby disqualifying me for Ciceronedom. I will not accept sympathy, but I might consider empathy. Any of you also fall into the 66% that failed their first attempt at passing the Cicerone exam? I raise my glass to you, as well. I signed up for a retake in August, because though I did not succeed the first time, skydiving is most definitely for me… so to speak. Let’s just say that though my chute failed to open, I hit the ground miraculously with minor cuts and bruises.

To make matters more interesting and complex- I no longer work in the deep-discount liquor store I may or may not have mentioned. Though I was let go, it’s ultimately for the best. My manager did not meet me even half-way, but I know that it was a purely business-related decision to can me. As a parting gift, he sent me home with free samples of Firestone Walker DBA, Pale 31, and Pivo. All were tasty, and not nearly as bittersweet as I thought they’d be (metaphorically speaking).

On to the review. On the docket? Keegan Ales Super Kitty

Poured with force into my Duvel snifter from their wax-sealed swing-top 22 oz. bottle. Bottle number: 33/500.

Aroma: Sweet malt, raisin or fig, wood, bright piney hops, and alcohol work in concert. A small undertone of something… I can’t identify it.

Sight: On the dark side of amber, beige head that at first takes up ¾ of my Duvel snifter. It recedes after a minute or two. Tiny bubbles make their way to the top, in part due to the nucleation site at the bottom- a gothic “D.” Floaters also exist in the beer. Must be an old bottle, but fine by me (and yes- 11/2013 after I look for a date on the bottle).

Taste: Strong echo of the aroma, the wood chips easier to detect, as are the hops. Inspecting the bottle, I read it’s a steroid-version of their I.P.A., which makes a bit of sense, as it reminded me of a D.I.P.A., but at the same time, something more. The bottle as lists honey as an ingredient. I canay taste it, but I suppose it adds to the overall sweetness. This might be a little too bitter for me without it.

Feel: Pretty tingly, and oily brew, sporting a medium body. It’s bottle conditioned with more yeast, so that might explain it. We’ll call it a three second finish.

Overall: Very cool to have tried this one, and though I like American Strong Ales, this one didn’t quite do it for me. Arrogant Bastard, this is not. Rest assured, I’ll finish it.

 

I personally loved the beer, but I always appreciate reviews that indicate the contrary.

 

Don't know where it is in relation to your stadium, but ever try this place? https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...=TvT8fq7BGdGls2KYZotBTA&bvm=bv.91665533,d.eXY

 

Though I understand Alstrom's statement, and reason for doing so, I really wish there was a "dislike" button.