New Beer Sunday (week 540)

Happy NBS, everyone!

Well, here it is, my 500th new beer. Probably not an accurate number, though, cause like many of you I paid scant attention to what beers I drank for decades before starting a list, partially reconstructed from memory.

My 500th beer, as it were, is Hayseed, a petite saison from Smuttynose. Boy does it hit the spot, paired with a light lunch on a summery afternoon. I'm not a fan of session IPAs, but I do enjoy the low ABV saisons coming out, and Hayseed is the best I've tried so far. Light in the mouth at just 3.8 ABV, just a trace of tart and funk. No bells and whistles, no peppers or fermented fruit, just a light, honest saison experience. I have t believe this is closer to the original saisons, which were meant to refresh farmhands at midday. Don't get me wrong - I love the huge, complex saisons that folks like Logsdon are doing, but they seem more like special ocassion beers, with the price to match.

So here's to the modest Hayseed! No music today, just wind chimes in the backyard.

 

NBS BIF Pale Ale Sunday




http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22511/165860/?ba=WesMantooth

4/5 rDev -5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

It is a cloudy bright yellow beer with a small white bubbly head that leaves the kind of lacing that continues to work it's way back down the glass and into a Sarurn like ring. (That was a long sentence)

Smells like most pale ales. Some citrus, some pale malts. Also a little musty/earthy. Noticing a trend with them here.

Taste like zesty lemon and grapefruit, but not very sour. Just slightly tart. Mild bitterness and floral taste from the hops. A light club cracker malt flavor.

It is crisp and well carbonated, but not what I would describe as a farmhouse necessarily.

Just a straight up, very well done pale ale. Drinks similar to a Cigar City Invasion off the too of my head. Could be a tad hoppier.


The sun was out for a brief moment, so I snapped some shots of the flowers around the house that are living in spite of drowning.

 

I really like Hayseed too. Congrats on the '500'!

 

I think I can smell 'em... :-)

 

... in the beer I was just drinking: 40 Mile from the Border (O'Connor/Three Notch'd collaboration) that I just reviewed (though had Friday) as being very floral. Listed as an IPA, but more of a malt-forward APA, lacking a nice bitter punch. The nose on it is quite wonderful, however.

 

Good afternoon, BAs! It is a spectacular day in TN, unseasonably dry and in the low-80s. I just returned from a short trip to Maryland's Eastern Shore for my daughter's college orientation. Best of all, her campus is 15 minutes from the Chester River on the Bay, so a jaunt on a friend's boat was in order after a day at school:



For you younger BA parents, it's very important that your kids pick a college in an area that is fun to visit.

On the way to the PHL airport, it just so happened that we drove by State Line Liquors in Elkton, which has to be the best craft beer shop I've ever seen! What a funny coincidence! My wife and daughter didn't buy it. Much to their amusement, I stuffed 15 cans into my suitcase and just cracked this one open:


Look: beautiful bright amber-orange hue. Had to show restraint in handling this beer properly.
Aroma: nice orange zest, citrus, some caramel and pine. Typical nose for an IPA but not super hoppy.
Taste: Complex and clean! Good citrus and orange, followed by a hint of caramel and pine. Clean, bitter finish.
Feel: silky and creamy. Surprisingly good for a non-IIPA (I had a few Resins last night).
Overall: a winner. Definitely worth the extra luggage weight.

I'm so proud of my daughter for picking a college so close to a kick-ass craft beer shop! A great moment in parenting.

Cheers, BAs!

 

Very good post. And I am in total agreement with this perspective. Thanks for sharing that. Not to sound single minded but I'm sure it's alot more difficult for this stance due to your locale.

 

Thrilled to be part of another New Beer Sunday and share a “New” beer to me with the Ba Nation. I’ve actually had this bomber in a holding pattern in my beer fridge for several weeks with the expectation that I would share it on NBS. Didn’t work out the way I planned BUT I’m ready to give it a go today. Hope all is well with my sibling brewheads ---CHEERS to all!!!!!!


SEVENTH SON CHESTER COPPERPOT
German-Style Altbier
Beer poured into Nonic Imperial Pint Glass
750ml bottle
8.7% ABV IBU was not found

Appearance - 4/5 The head is frothy and tan in color, approximately two fingers thick and hovers in the glass for a while. The lacing left behind in the glass is subtle as the ale is indulged.
Smell - 4.25/5 This German style ale has a smoky aroma with some under tones of sweet roasted malt.
Taste - 4.5/5The smoky roasted malt flavors are robust and less sweet than the smell portrays it. I get a BBQ hue that registers on the back end. There is a back drop of bold hops that are slightly bitter in nature.
Mouth Feel – 4.25/5 Just shy of a heavy-bodied brew Chester Copperpot has a smooth syrupy quality that pervade throughout this ale. The carbonation is noticeable and tingles the tongue perfectly. I prefer a heavier thicker mouth feel to my beer which this does possess (Very nice indeed). The alcohol is hidden well behind the sweet smoky flavors.
Overall - 4.25/5 My experience with smoked beer is in its infancy. I’ve only indulged in two other smoked versions of beer and it was a split. I enjoyed an Imperial smoked porter but disliked the one rauchbier that I’ve tried. This is my first Altbier and one of a multitude of Seventh Son offerings that I’ve been tempted to evaluate. This offering from Seventh Son has complex flavors which are very pronounced, the alcohol is hidden well and the mouth feel is rich cascading play of smoothness vs. carbonation . I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with this Altbier and I would recommend it to fellow Ba’s. I will purchase this again most assuredly.







UDO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You've never had BCBS. We'll have to remedy that.

 

And my apologies to @TongoRad and @WineGuy3000 for not participating last night in the simul-viewing. Was looking forward to it but wound up watching Gone Girl with the wife and daughter. Wouldn't say no. However movie was mediocre. Probably why its on TV already.....

 

Welcome to you!!!!!Hope to see you again in NBS

 

That's alright brother, we'll catch you at the next one! :-)

 

As an adopted Marylander... when you have a crab fest you need to invite me... just saying!

 

@WesMan Damn Corey!! Nice pics.

 

love that brew being a big Flanders style fan...

 

Good idea! My crab-eating efficiency needs some work.

 

Words of wisom. Thanks @Buck89 for the great comtribution to NBS!

 

And what's next for our hero?

Not Your Father's Root Beer (5.9%) - Small Town Brewery


Small Town Brewery - Not Your Father's Root Beer by imbibehour, on Flickr

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass.

Sudsy and soda out of the bottle, no head to stick around, of what was a faint caramel tan that came before. No collar. Yup looks like soda. Mahogany body and some soda like appearances. As a beer it looks dead, otherwise it looks like every other root beer out there.

Aroma smells like root beer. A good one at least, sasparilla, bit of vanilla, and all that. Quite spicy actually which is pretty surprising, and for root beer not horrifically sweet either.

As for the palate, not really sure what to think of this. It's actually fuller bodied than most root beers and definitely doesn't have a wet soda body that I'll give it. Taste and flavors are common, sugary, sweet, and all that.

Really, it's root beer folks with a bit more depth, so if that's your thing you'll be happy.

look: 3 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5 | BA Score: 3.64

Cheers!!

 

practice makes perfect is half the fun!