New Beer Sunday (week 541)

Holy eArly start today, thanks @cavedave now I have to start drinking sooner,'gonna have a couple today !!!

 

I want to thank Dave for getting us going this morning and I want to wish him a Happy Birthday =)



Happy New Beer Sunday

 

I'm here early wishing you all a happy NBS but will probably not be making a post later today as the car and camper are packed and were headed out today towards the state of PA for some well earned R and R. I still have many great beers left from my NBS BIF from @strohme2 that will keep in my cellar until I return. So once again Happy NBS to all! And Happy Birthday to Dave!

 

Happy Birthday, @cavedave !

Have my GD t-shirt on today, and will be drinking from my "Jer-bear" glass as well!

 

New American Double Imperial Stout Sunday

So first off let me admit that I am of two minds on this beer. Part of me is saying what's the big deal and part of me can see what it is. First of all this stout says it was aged on coffee beans, cocao nibs, vanilla beans and ancho chile. I had one other beer in this style this week to compare. I find that is becoming my habit - to have two beers in each style to compare, and you all are a great influence on me and my habits these days.

For a chile pepper stout it is considerably drinkable. There is no trace of the mammoth abv either on the nose or on the palate. Technically that is marvellous. There is also no trace of the vanilla . I think the idea in these chile pepper stouts is to use that pepper the same way you would use orange peel. To exude into the beer, not to dominate. To make it brighter. Pepper has an earthly sweetness and heat. Heat is a feature of the pepper that has to be present but not terrible.

This pours a dark brown. It has sumptuous brown hues. Thick and pours out slow like oil. A creamy head of chocolate colored foam reminds me of a milkshake. This beer will show you lace and legs. Nose is sweet chocolate caramel and cream. Earthy coffee and the bright presence of the pepper. No vanilla. The pepper seemed to fade into the beer as the malts took over. Caramel a bit nutty and a light airy chocolate. The taste is silken and long. That caramel is luscious alright and lasts on the palate. There's barley and a grainy roast that does not touch burnt so it's creamy. There is a cocoa powder so light so provocative that it actually feels like a dusting of cocoa powder on the back of the throat. it is delicate and that is a pleasant paradox. The pepper is earthy and shows you everything gently but no real heat. There is a touch of cream to this flavor that lets you see the depth of that roast but only askance as it finishes full, slightly chewy . The pepper finally flares up just a little in the aftertaste and the beer ends smooth, dry and beyond chocolatey.

 

Mornin NBSers,

Just wanted to stop by for a few min. to wish @cavedave "Happy Birthday."

Expecting to be back this evening after a day of errands, etc. to report on an AAL from the Dominican Republic called Presidente. After many many years of having had virtually no AALs at all from anywhere I decided a couple of months ago that it was time to see what countries other than the US were doing with that style and within the last month or so have sampled more imported AALs than in the rest of my entire life before that!

Not surprising to most of you will be that part of what I've confirmed for myself through some direct experience is that all those AAL haters or users of terms such as "yellow horse piss water" and other derogatory terms are just letting their other biases and/or insecurities show as none of the beers have tasted anything like what you'd expect from the smell of horse urine, sheep urine, cow urine or any other old form of urine (including human). (And if you've used many public restrooms you do know exactly what human urine smells like and should have no trouble with imagining the flavors that might be present. .)

Anyway, expecting to be back later, and again "Happy Birthday" cavedave.

Cheers, all.

 

Happy NBS and Happy Birthday @cavedave. Mine is tomorrow but soon as I finish chores and other Yang i'll get to some early celebrating and various Yin (including choice brews of course).

 

Ah, but will you be reporting on any good finds among these sampled AALs?

 

Good Morning! My GF and I just cracked open our growler of Maggie's Blackberry Cobbler to enjoy our Sunday morning here in Florida. Our soundtrack is summer hits of the 2000's on Pandora. Won't do a full review here but can't wait to see what the hype is about!

 

4.25/5 rDev n/a
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Lvivskie White Lion has a medium, white head, a semi-clear, highly bubbly, straw-gray-yellow appearance, which will display a descending gray-orange cloud, once the bottom sediment is swished loose and poured in. The aroma is of banana, white bread, and faint coriander. Taste is of banana cream pie, sugar, white bread, white bread crust, bubble gum, and coriander. Mouthfeel is medium and soft, and Lvivskie White Lion finishes semi-wet and smooth.

RJT

I am so glad that I stopped at Libby's Liquors on U.S. Hwy. 1 in New Jersey, last month. So much to buy!


Stevie time- 1982.

 

Wow. This will be my most important post on Beer Advocate. Ever. Good morning, first of all, and much appreciation and Happy Birthday to @cavedave! There are two things on my mind right now:

1) This is my 1,000th review on Beer Advocate.
2) Today is my 6 Year Anniversary on Beer Advocate.

What are the odds that I knock out #1,000 on my BA anniversary? I mentioned a week or two ago that this would be my last review, and that's true. Let me briefly explain, if it's even possible. I made up my mind over 300 beers ago that when I reached the perfectly awesome number of 1,000 that I would move into a different direction, so this is no rash decision. I've known for a while. Why? It's quite simple. Buying 5-6 new beers each week is becoming really, really expensive. Also, when I buy new beers, I never, ever go back and buy my favorites. I mean yes, I do supplement my drinking with occasional favorites to drink during, say, English Premier League matches or summer grilling outside, or whatever. But what I have found is that I became so obsessed with trying new beers that I ended up drinking tons of styles that I normally don't call my favorite -- thus it felt like I was never really drinking what I wanted. This became more apparent recently. Well, why don't I just review one new beer a week then? Because I'm weird, and have a bit of OCD in me, and I'd just prefer to leave my database with 1,000 reviews as I seek other ways of "expressing myself" through beer. Maybe I will start a Tumblr account and find a creative-writing angle to use with beers? I don't know. You'll see me here on NBS still, I just won't have the beer ticked on my account. If that sounds stupid, then I know, probably. I'll be on WBAYDN too. I'm not quitting beer. I'm taking a sabbatical from reviewing.

Let's check out this New Beer: Boulevard Imperial Stout X: Aztec Chocolate Stout.

I chose this beer because I wanted my 1,000th to be a meaningful beer. This beer checks all the boxes because I cut my teeth on Boulevard in my early days of craft beer, they were one of the first breweries I explored. Living in Kansas obviously allows me to literally have access to every single beer they release, or at least 99% of them. Also, I love spiced stouts! I also love Mexican chocolate. I went to Playa del Carmen a few years ago and had a drink their that was like the drinking chocolate that inspired this beer. It was like a thicker version of hot cocoa, but it was spicy. I loved it. I'm going to Mexico later this month, and I look forward to trying such things again.

Funny side-note: When I popped the cork, it flew out of the bottle like a rocket and landed with the corkscrew attached on my Boulevard glass. Nearly broke the glass!

Look: Dirty motor oil, or the color of espresso coffee beans. More espresso though as there's a brown hue that emerges on the edges of the glass through the light. The mocha colored head started out like a huge sponge, the first pour was intense, but the head settles to nearing nothing, leaving only a collar around the edges with little to no lacing.

Aroma: Wow! So much cinnamon right up front, and it has spiciness in it -- not chili pepper spice, but that cinnamon spice, so aromatic. Immediately after the cinnamon, chocolate comes in bringing some subtle sweetness to offset the cinnamon. On the back end, ancho chili pepper brings some peppery aroma that leaves an exclamation point on the aroma ... Cinnamon, chocolate, pepper. A lovely progression.

Taste: It follows the aroma perfectly. Not to be repetitive, but ground cinnamon hits the palate first, and it's neither overpowering nor underwhelming. The chocolate comes in next, but is more of a chalky cocoa kind of taste. The sweetness is subtle which helps keep this from being cloying. The finish is perfect: A nice ancho chile layer of heat on the throat. I noticed as the beer warms, the aftertaste of this beer has some coffee in it.

Mouthfeel: Perfect. Not too thin, not too thick. The 11% ABV is well hidden, very smooth.

Overall: 4.45 rating for a +10.1 rDev. I absolutely love this beer! Lots of cinnamon, perfect chocolate notes, and absolutely perfect chili pepper heat. There is a progression in this beer that makes it so easy to review. I'm so glad this beer came through for me, because I had the Imperial X: Coffee version, and I was underwhelmed. This beer delivered the goods. This is one of the highest ABV beers I have consumed, and it is so smooth. I drank a 9.4% smoked stout yesterday and it took me almost 2 hours to drink it. This one goes down easier.

Thank you New Beer Sunday, WBAYDN, and all Beer Advocates. The road doesn't end here. It's going to be weird not reviewing beers, but I'll be here sharing what I'm drinking regardless. This will be my only post here today, I don't have any more new beers until next week. I think my new plan will be to at least try one new beer each Sunday, we'll see. Cheers!

 

Good morning, BAs, and cheers to another New Beer Sunday ! Thanks again to birthday boy @cavedave for kicking off today's festivities. I must admit I'm kind of tired and groggy this morning - not because of any self-induced 4th of July celebrating, but rather because Yoshi, our 7-year-old Chihuahua/Jack Russell mix, was deeply concerned with all of the loud noises occurring outside last night, and needed constant reassurance into the wee hours that everything was hokey-dokey with the world. I love the 4th, fireworks, and traditional celebrations as much as the next person, but some people (probably the ones without pets) can be somewhat inconsiderate by continuing to explode stuff after 3am.

"Did you hear that ?!? What the hell was that noise ?!?"


Maybe a 'selfie' will take his mind off of things...


Ok, enough ranting about bunting-encrusted canine-debilitating nocturnal detonations, and on to the matters at hand... My offering for today is Against the Grain Brewery's "CITRA ASS DOWN" DIPA. As per my normal protocol, I consulted the brewery's website for any pertinent info, and while I found two links related to this name, neither were the exact brew I have here. As such, I will only relate the info specifically from the can I have, and since there is not an exact match on BA, I will not leave a review on BA until such a match exists. No brewing or canning date, Citra (and possibly other) hops, 8.2% abv, poured from a 16 oz. can into my trusty tulip.









Appearance : Pours a crystal-clear light copper hue, producing an initial 1.5" frothy white head that subsided after a few moments. There was good lacing retention in the glass. (3.75/5)

Smell : Mostly tropical fruits (passionfruit, pineapple, papaya), with a faint 'dankness' and a whiff of the alcohol. (3.75/5)

Taste : There is an initial sweetness from the buiscuit-y malt, then then additional citric sweetness and slight acidity, ending with a resinous hop bitterness of medium depth and a 'howdy-do' from the alcohol. (3.75/5)

Feel : There is a carryover of the resinous flavor in the mouth, leaving a slightly sticky feel. Despite no apparent carbonation, there is a bit of tingle while (3.75/5)

Overall : While this was pretty tasty, and would appeal to fans of resinous, Citra-hopped brews, I do have a few observational criticisms. First, being a Double IPA, I expected a more intense and longer lasting hop flavor. It wasn't bad, it just came and went rather quickly. And secondly, at $4/can, the price-to-flavor ratio was a little lopsided on the price camp. But, as always, I'm certainly glad to have tried it, and would do so again if the price were a tad lower. I don't believe I've ever rated each of a beer's characteristics with the same rating before, but there's a first for everything ! (3.75/5)


Cheers, and happy NBS everyone !!!!

 

Happy NBS early edition. Thanks again to @Srkolodn as part of NBS BIF.
It's been a long week for me already. I've been on vacation with my inlaws (eeek!) in west Michigan battling crummy weather early in the week. I'm just getting ready for a beach day so thought I'd open this beer to join the rest of the early birds.

For a "double white" it's not too overpowering. Still strong flavors of orange, clove and coriander, banana and spice but this beer is still completely refreshing. I'd recommend this as a great morning choice especially around family!

 

Good Morning New BSers! Thanks @cavedave for starting this thread and Happy Birthday! Keep up the good recycling work - my community starts recycling (Again!) on Tuesday so I've purchased my container and will ambush them Tuesday morning. Last time we had an unguarded series of dumpsters and an honor system. That didn't work out since honor is not very common around here. This time they'll be collecting (or not) at each house and can weed out the garbage. I can't believe with all the PC crap going on that so many people can't take the time to properly dispose of recyclables.

Minor rant over. Today's new beer is courtesy of @richj1970 (I did it right this time) and is an excellent example of the kind of beer I like: Local. From Huntsville, AL, close to Rich and just up the road from where I used to live (Well, a good piece up the road) comes another space program oriented brew, Bourbon Barrel Aged Laika, named after the sacrificial soviet dog that was the first mammal to orbit the planet. The dog-carrying satellite was popularly known as "Muttnik", following the earlier soviet initial satellite "Sputnik 1". 1957 was a bitch of a year for the U.S. It did, however, correctly shift the emphasis in education to SCIENCE, where it should properly be.



Undated bottle at 41 degrees into a hand washed and dried tulip
Aroma very strong of roasted malt with some vanillin initially, as it warms to 48 degrees aroma becomes primarily vanillin
Head average (2.5 cm, aggressive pour), light brown, fizzy/creamy, diminishing to three mm ring and broken layer
Lacing poor – few tiny islands of tiny bubbles which slide back into the ring
Body dark brown/black, opaque
Flavor initially very strong of roasted malt, bourbon becomes more noticeable as it warms to 48 degrees; no hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl
Palate full, creamy, lively (almost fizzy) carbonation

Appearance 4, Aroma 4.25, Flavor 4, Palate 4, Overall 4, Rating 4.06, rDev -5.8 % Burns just a little hot for me.

BTW, I thought yesterday was NBS, and was kind of upset until Mrs. Lizard pointed out it was only Saturday. Yesterday's NBS review is http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22655/103944/?ba=Ozzylizard

 

Sixpoint Jammer Gose

First I want to wish @cavedave a very Happy Birthday. We Americans got to celebrate our country’s birthday yesterday and Dave gets to celebrate today (with some good beer I hope)!

My first Sixpoint Jammer 2.0 (best by date of 18 Dec. 2015). I did not have the previous version of Jammer so this is my first taste of this beer. I even drank it from my Jammer can shaped glass. How cool is that!?!

I have had a few Gose beers from German brewed versions like Ritterguts Gose, , Bayerisch Bahnhof Leipziger Gose to US craft brewed versions like Anderson Valley Gose, Victory Gose, Victory Kirsch Gose, etc.

The first thing I pick up on the nose is some citrus (lemony) aromas. For my palate what I am picking up in this beer is a tiny bit of breadiness from the grains, nothing in the way of hops, some pleasant, mild tartness (it is not puckering sour), a nice saltiness and just a touch of citrus from the coriander. This beer has exactly the proper sort of balance that I personally look for in a Gose; beers that are puckering sour are not pleasing for my palate.

Cheers to the Sixpoint (@Sixpoint) folks for a wonderful Gose beer!!

 

I know exactly what you mean about the exact match on the BA database. If you feel inclined, you can add that beer yourself.

 

Congrats on the milestones !!!!

 

True, and I may do that after I do a little more research. Not sure if I just tasted a new version or what, but the fact that AtG's website lists 'Citra Ass Down' as a single IPA (with a picture of the label and everything) was a tad confusing. Maybe I'll contact them to get the skinny.