New Beer Sunday (week 552)

and we by flying...

Shiner White Wing - Spoetzl Brewery / Shiner


Spoetzel Brewing - Shiner White Wing Belgian White by imbibehour, on Flickr

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Poured from the bottle into a Hoegaarden tumbler.

Interesting body appearance. Slightly clear orange to yellow, with some plentiful amounts of linear carbonation and a bit hazy. Head is classic foamy small white and suds up to two possibly three fingers tall. Keeps a consistent thin puck while settling.

Good solid aromas of really green coriander on this, garden fresh and lots of herbality. Mineral slight sensations and a mild sweetness. Not much else going on, hardly any sense of thick wheat chewy character or orange either, but still impressed by this coriander bomb.

Palate comes out rather standard but a little ordinary. Minimal amounts of Belgian sweetness or character. A very flour grain powdery sense which really does not give and boost to the mouthfeel. Almost chalky finish with a drying paste like quality. Slight juiced lemon and orange fruit flavors a bit with a simple quality.

A pretty straightforward witbier with no bells or whistles. Surprised how much of a coriander buzz I got off of it though.

look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.5 | BA Score: 3.54

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Back again with another new one!
Kenntucky Bourbon Barrel Stout

Bought this one a couple of weeks ago on a whim... so let's see what we got.
Pours a dark brown, just hedging on black. Thin amount of a cola like head; doesn't hang around long and leaves no lacing whatsoever.
Plenty of oak, chocolate, molasses, a little coffee, not really getting any bourbon...?
Plenty of charred oak, some bittersweet chocolate, and coffee; kind of watery. Not sure what to make of this one. Missing bourbon, kind of a let down.
Mouthfeel, this is a stout? This is so thin and watery I don't see how you can call this a stout, a brown ale at best mayber; or even where the barrel is? Nice amount of carbonation though, but the only thing left is a strange aftertaste of oak and bakers chocolate.
Overall, this beer is a big let down for me. I was expecting a lot out of this beer and was rewarded with very little in return. The aroma out of the bottle when it was first opened was quite promising, but the taste just did not follow suit. Not going to purchase this one again.

 

last and best of new beer sunday

pours murky and dirty carmel into a brandy snifter with almost no head at all

get the sour cherry notes and upon further sniffing sweeter cherry notes

yeasty sour pucker with that bitter sweet cherry nuance is duly noted

got almost a vinegar like sour taste half way thru but that sour cherry comes shining through

my second Almanac, and so far I really enjoy them. until next Sunday, cheers!

 

I can't disclose the price of this beer because it's that good. Guess what, that new Ithaca brewer knows his shit.

My Review...

If you like Orval, you're in the money...

This beer has a rocky-marshmallow head, like damn. At the pour you could compare this thing to jiggling Arabier & you would be about half a finger off. The head retention is insane, but eventually shit settles out into a nice & steady crown. The body itself is an opaque golden-yellow.

The smell is all Brett and hops. I get fresh leather, pine, a bit of herbal-mint, rose pedal, and scallion... Tangerine and lime play in the background. It reminds me of a meadow.

T/M -The taste is much the same with some pronounced hints of patchouli. It's astringent, but in that brettanomyces way that we know & love. Sharp, agile, creamy, and full of complexity.

Think Basketball.

 

Ha! - interesting line, as I rated the two about the same - but not very highly as neither worked for me. I didn't get the connection at any point in time (as I didn't do a fully review of the 17) - but I think I can see where you are coming from. I thought the Brett fought the flavors in my quick write-up, whereas I thought the carbonation fought the flavor in Orval. Cheers!

 

Cheers to you! What I'm referring to in a lot of this is just classic Orval brett (brux?). It's pretty overwhelming, tbh.

 

Trying a new beer this week from my favorite brewery. This beer has a story behind it. I attended the Brimfield Antique Fair last Saturday to hopefully acquire some things to put in our new house. Afterwards of course, we did our due diligence and took the 7 minute drive up to Tree House. I bought 3 growlers, 1 Double Shot, 1 Trail Magic, and 1 In Perpetuity. After I had drank a Double Shot growler already, I went into the fridge to grab my growler of In Perpetuity to enjoy. I quickly realized that I had received 2 Double Shot growlers instead of the In Perpetuity. Clearly I was devastated (I know, first world problems right?!) I posted about the mistake on twitter and was immediately acknowledged by Lauren, Tree House resident growler-filler (And Tree House head brewer Nate's, wife,) who requested that I reach out to her. So I did so, and she took it upon herself to fill a free growler of In Perpetuity and hold it aside for me when I stopped by this week. Needless to say, she did not have to do that at all. However, the staff at Tree House uphold some of the best customer service that I have experienced in the beer industry. Now I am enjoying this beer for New Beer Sunday.



L: Pours a golden orange with about 2 fingers of white head. There's some nice lacing left in the glass as I quickly consume this.

S: Upon smelling this gem, I can immediately tell that Citra hops are involved. Waves of papaya, mango, and orange invade my nostrils. I also catch some lemon from the Nelson hops. This beer smells fantastic. I've never smelled Citra and Nelson hops together before, but this is definitely a treat.

T: The taste follows the nose very well. I get the papaya, mango, orange and lemon in waves. I also get the trademark Tree House malt flavor. This is very enjoyable. There's some bitterness, but just enough to not make this overpowering.

F: I'm not quite sure what the ABV on this is, but there's not alcohol to speak of. A light to medium bodied beer is what this is. I could easily drink more than 1 growler of this. Simply incredible.

Overall: This is one of Tree House's best IPAs they've ever brewed. Nate really knows what he's doing when it comes to hoppy beers. The combination of Nelson and Citra is something that I've never experience and I'm really glad I had the opportunity too. Top notch beer from a top notch brewery!

 

Back with a stab at seasonal beer drinking with an O-fest from Texas:
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/143/60642/?ba=woemad
It's okay, but the weird, dry mineralish thing that kicks in about halfway through the taste took away whatever enthusiasm for it I might otherwise have felt.

 

Greetings and salutations, NBSers. We're within range of the baseball playoffs, so let's play two!!! First up, this scintillating offering from Anchorage Brewing .....



4.44/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Look: cloudy, golden-hued beer with 2+ fingers of white head. Gorgeous.

Smell: Brett right up front and in your face, oak, esters, and citrusy hops.

Taste: Brett again, but the Citra hops really come through as this warms. The oak/Chardonnay dries it out and reduces any alcohol heat in this 9% ABV beverage to nearly unnoticeable levels.

Feel: bubbly Brett effervescence with the dryness of the Chardonnay. Outstanding.

Overall: I've had this for a month+ In the beer fridge, but couldn't hold out any longer. There's a reason this a Top 250 beer - it's truly world class.

 

Big thanks to my trade partner in Sweden for sending this my way.

Nearly black pour with a dark brown head, very thick foam almost like a frosting on top leaving thick lacing.

Aroma was full of hazlenut, peanut butter, and almost a cookie like sweetness.

Taste was a straight up peanut butter cookie up front... think girl scout cookies, with a little toast in the finish.

Full bodied and drinkable, really silky mouth on this one.

I've never been much of a fan of peanut butter beers, but this is one to seek out. Definitely an experience

 

New Beer Sunday: Sierra Nevada Red IPA

Evenin NBSers, with special greetings to all you huggers of hop bines.

Well we couldn't have asked for a nicer day today here in SE PA. Comfortable temperature, occasional gentle breezes, and plenty of sunshine made it a great day for some outdoor chores and to spend some time at a special "Colonial Days" show and tell at one of the historic churches not far from where we live. In addition, I managed to finish some online housekeeping chores to prep for work tomorrow so the first phase of this project we have going at the office can get finished off on time. The coming week is going to be a challenge for those who have to work in the city given the security arrangements being made for the visit of Pope Francis next weekend. Certainly glad I'll not need to be going downtown at all next weekend.

This evening's new beer is the Flipside Red IPA from the Sierra Nevada fall variety pack. This is a tasty beer that is consistent with most of the Sierra Nevada line up, well worth having and a very good beer to have in the fridge.

As usual my review is in progress here (subject to revision until I finish the beer):

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/140/98495/?ba=drtth

The other thing I've done with some of my free time today is to ink and put to work a brand new fountain pen. This pen is made by an American company in Ohio and is a true delight to write with and to use. Its based off a 1930s vintage pen but has a more modern filling system which can be much more convenient and longer lived that the internal rubber sac that was pretty common in pens back in those days before the ballpoint.

http://cdn.indy-pen-dance.com/images/D/bex_monarch_oxb-01.jpg


Cheers, all!

 

#2, this chocolatey RIS from Thirsty Dog. Have a magnificent Sunday, NBSers.



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

Look: black as (Siberian) night, 2+ fingers of tan head.

Smell: chocolate, all day long and twice on Sunday.

Taste: again, overwhelmingly chocolate - and I love chocolate. This is a LOT of chocolate.

Feel: very creamy, but some flavors other than chocolate would've rounded this out nicely.

Overall: I can't emphasize enough how much I love chocolate, and this beer has chocolate in spades, but it was a bit thin. Still, a nice effort, and a great dessert beer, especially if the dessert has chocolate.

 

Kind of late to the party tonight. The wife and I travelled down to Birmingham to watch the women's national team play Haiti in soccer which we totally dominated. Final score was 8-0.

Tonight's new beer is Stone's Your Father Smells of Elderberries. Looks like reviews on this one are all over the map. Some interesting berry flavorswith a fairly substantial malt backbone. The sweetness is present but well controlled.

This is one I really enjoyed and would buy again, but not something I would want everyday.

Hoping there is an excellent new beer in your glass and now it's time for me to catch up on all of the threads...





http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/183043/?ba=richj1970

 

Best By 12/09/15


After having more than my share of German beers to celebrate the start of Oktoberfest yesterday, I am back to the American classic pale ale. Deschutes is fairly new here in MI. I have tried the Fresh Squeezed and Black Butte, and I thought those were both very good for their respective styles. This beer, however, comes across as rather mediocre. It is not bad by any stretch, and the flavors meld well together, but the beer ends up rather muted and one-noted. The carbonation also seems relatively low, which may explain why the flavors don't seem to pop. It pairs very well with food, and it is easy drinking, but considering my expectations I am rather underwhelmed. SNPA, and even the GL Burning River I had last week for NBS, are significantly better IMO. That being said, I am still very happy to have this brewery available to me.

3.58/5

Cheers, NBS!

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @utopiajane for getting us started off this morning. Not much going on here, I am still waiting to transfer my IPA, which I will do once I get a hold of a keg.

Here are today's new beers:

This was a really nice English IPA. Really nice head retention and lacing. Crystal clear. Aromas and flavors of lemon zest, orange peel, pear, apple, pepper, pine, honey, light caramel, toasted bread, and herbal/floral/grassy hop earthiness. Moderate amount of piney/spicy bitterness on the finish; with nice all around hop complexity against a solid malt backbone with restrained fruity yeast ester notes. Very well balanced malt/bitter finish. Smooth and moderately sticky hop mouthfeel with some light bready creaminess as well. Light-moderate dryness from bitterness. Really quite impressed with this one. Very classic tasting for the style, and very clean. Would drink again. 3.9


This was fantastic! Great head retention and dense soapy lacing. This is a VERY deep and complex stout. Aromas and flavors of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, molasses, toast, dark bread, light licorice/smoke/char, and light-moderate herbal/piney hops. There is a moderate amount of herbal/piney hop and roast bitterness; with a great balanced roasted bitter/sweet character on the finish. Light-medium carb and extremely full bodied; with a very smooth, creamy, silky, and lightly slick mouthfeel; with a bit of sticky/chalky roast malt and hop resin character; but not as much as I initially expected. Good restrained alcohol level; there is a pleasant warmth after the finish with absolutely zero booziness. As it warmed up to room temperature my overall opinion improved. I am sure age will do amazing things. 4.3


I am so glad we get Shelton Bros again. Best before 2019, so it's definitely super fresh. This was excellent. Aromas and flavors of big dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, smoked pepper, caramel, toasted dark bread, and light licorice/molasses/char malts; with some moderate herbal/piney hops. Moderate amount of herbal/piney/roast bitterness and pepper spice on the finish; with great all around complexity and balance between malt and chipotle pepper flavors; with supporting amounts of earthy hops. Very smooth and moderate creamy; with some light-moderate chipotle pepper spice/hop stickiness on the mouthfeel. A very mild amount of pepper heat builds on the palate as you move your way through the glass. Very smooth drinking all around. Very impressed with this, this has prominent pepper notes in the flavors without being overbearing; and a great complex porter base. Delicious! 4.1


Cheers, have a good night NBS.

 

Time for one more new one tonight - Burial Brewing's Skillet Donut Stout. Thanks to @FriedSlug for sending this one my way. Love my stouts especially the ones available in cans.

Good chocolate and coffee aromas and flavors. Very nice beer and worth picking up if you are in their distro.



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/31722/96579/?ba=richj1970

 

Enjoying a new beer watching the Browns. Was excited when I saw they'r carrying this now and the Browns won. Perfect Sunday

 

Dinner's done and the kids are in bed. Relaxing with another pumpkin ale before bed. This one is definitely more in your face with the pie spice.

Griffin Claw Screamin Pumpkin pint can from Copper Vine poured into a Samuel Smith imperial pint.

This was a favorite of mine when brewed by Michigan Brewing Company. Let's see how the new version stacks up.

A- A normal pour creates a tan head that quickly drops to a light film. The body is a hazy, reddish brown with medium-light carbonation. Decent stick is left behind.

S- It's quite bold. I get loads of pumpkin spice with a sweet undertone. It's heavy on the clove and ginger, maybe some cinnamon and something like mace. The sweeter aroma comes off as brown sugar.

T- It's as bold as the aroma. Big cinnamon and clove flavors with lighter ginger and that same sweet backbone, this time coming off as brown sugar and graham cracker (maybe this pie theme is getting to me).

M- It's on the full side of medium body. There's a bite from the clove and other spices. It's somehow a little powdery, like that slightly numbing sensation you get from a big dose of baking spice.

O- It's a very flavorful pumpkin beer, heavy on the spice for sure, while keeping a decent "beer" quality. I want to say the old version was a little more subtle. This one was good for a pint in a sitting. Something I'd buy again.

A- 3.5 S- 3.75 T- 3.5 M-3.5 O-3.5

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32166/99312/?ba=GRPunk

 

This one is the opposite of the last NBS beer I presented. Based on past experiences, I don't have high expectations for Rogue beers. I generally find them average in flavor and above average in price. While this one was still pricey ($2.85 for a single) I am enjoying it quite a bit. The aroma hits me first with a surprising bit of smokiness, but then a smooth vanilla notes comes on. The flavor is roasty, semi-sweet, and has that smooth vanilla that was in the aroma, but it is not quite as pronounced. The price tag is only reason I will not be revisiting this one again.

3.94/5

Cheers, NBS!

 

Greetings NBS friends. I finally got back to the lodge and wifi! This may be my most memorable location for NBS. I cracked open a Uinta Brewing Punk'n in the White River National Forest in Aspen Colorado. It has a best by date of 01/14/16 with no abv. on the bottle.

I didn't bring a glass, the room at the lodge only has paper coffee cups, so I made a vessel from a water bottle. I need to buy a glass tomorrow! Poured into my fancy drinkware revealing plenty of foam despite a pretty careful pour. After settling it reveals a dark copper color. The usual pie spices of nutmeg and cinnamon are in the aroma. Taste is a rather tame mix of nutmeg and cinnamon as well. Feel is thin but rather fizzy.



Overall a pretty basic pumpkin beer. It's very session like with the tame spices and thin body. I'm finding myself becoming more of a fan of these, especially on a warm fall Colorado day where something heavier wouldn't be appealing after hiking. My score was 3.56 - r/Dev +6.6%.

A poorly zoomed cell phone pic of a moose that crossed our path this morning.



Time to catch up on posts, I hope everyone had a great NBS. Link to review.......

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1416/33405/?ba=Prager62