New Beer Sunday (week 561)

Having read your review I'd say there's no reason to be concerned about your palate.

What most of us are looking for in reviews is not the most "distinguished palate" but your thoughts about what you enjoyed or did not enjoy about the look, feel, aromas and flavors of the beer.

Hope you'll be back with another new beer next Sunday.

 

Thanks. I actually enjoyed doing the review. I'll definitely be back.

 

Congratulations on the new home. I'm going to be buying my third new home this spring. (I'm renting now.). It's great to be able to really make a place yours. Enjoy it!

 

Stone Enjoy By Black IPA
Stone Brewing Co.
American Black Ale / 9.40% ABV

4.46/5 rDev +8.8% | Avg: 4.1
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

22 ounce bottle poured into a tulip

A: Pours black with an off white head that did not last, lots of lacing, decent amount of carbonation, looks like coke when held up to the light, looks like a porter but . . .

A: This smells like an IPA, reminds me of Enjoy By IPA, guava, tropical, garlic, hint of grapefruit rind, not picking up any roasted malt aromas, straight citrus bomb.

T: Guava, grapefruit peel, nice hit of citrus like bitterness, hint of cocoa and roasted malts, then more citrus notes reemerge and linger in the aftertaste, nice long dry finish, very tasty.

M: Medium bodied beer with a dry finish, good amount of carbonation.

O: I like Enjoy By IPA and now I like Enjoy By Black IPA, reminds me a lot of regular Enjoy By but with a touch of cocoa and roasted malts, very drinkable for 9% ABV, surprised I barely saw this yesterday but I had to pick up a bottle, I think this is a world class black ale or black IIPA, cheers!

 

Glad to hear you enjoyed it.

Part of what I learned from being on this site is that doing reviews has been a great way to increase my appreciation and understanding of beer in general. Some folks say they don't want to review because it interferes with their enjoyment of the beer. I personally find it enhances my enjoyment and that doing multiple reviews (not just ratings) has given me a much bettter feel for what I do or don't like about beer, especially in cases where I'm not reviewing and just having a beer with friends, etc.

 

I can understand that. I certainly had to think a lot more about what I was drinking - forcing me to look for and appreciate flavors. I won't be reviewing every beer, but I can see how it can increase the appreciate, especially on a unique or special beer.

 

Another new beer Sunday beer

Me, Myself and IPA from Pearl Street Brewery in La Crosse, WI.


Lighter amber colored than the last beer. The bubbles in the head are smaller. bt the head was a bit thicker. There is a bit of hops on the nose.

Taste - fairly bland. There's some hops that kick in in the aftertaste, but it's minimal. Maybe my tastebuds were burnt out after the last beer, but this one doesn't have much to offer.

2.5 out of 5

 

Evil Twin I Love You With My Stout
Bought this single over the summer, so unsure of bottle date but definitely had some age on it as was waiting for a colder night to crack open and sip this big 12% non BA stout
Pours dark as any beer I've had, with big frothy dark brown head - looks amazing in my tulip
Low carbonation, goes down easy for a heavy stout, despite the definite alcohol presence, I don't think it is hot for what it is
taste is a little sweet, chocolate, not bitter, very good but not OMG great
so overall I like this one, glad to be able to enjoy it tonight, little pricier then some other stout options so not sure I would buy again, but not bad at all compared to so many popular bombers and BA stouts out there

 

20th Anniversary Ale (Cognac Barrel Aged)
Saint Arnold Brewing Company
American Barleywine / 11.20% ABV

4.17/5 rDev -2.1% | Avg: 4.26
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

22 ounce bottle poured into a tulip

A: Pours deep rich mahogany with a vanilla colored head, no head retention, some lacing, and looks unfiltered, very cloudy, not seeing much carbonation.

A: Big aromas, cognac is coming through really strong, caramel, malts, brown sugar, hint of oak, lots going, alcohol is there, lots of big aromas.

T: Hint of cognac, lots of oak and smokiness coming through, classic barleywine notes, brown sugar sweetness, caramel, malts, lots of alcohol producing heat, finishes with more oak and caramel notes.

M: Big mouthfeel, dry finish, lots of heat from the alcohol.

O: This is a big beer, lots of aromas, flavors, but it is a little rough, but I bet with some time in the cellar the heat will subside and it would become a more balanced beer making it more drinkable, cheers. Picked this up in a trade, so I won't have the opportunity to cellar.

 

I have a 12.5-13 hour day tomorrow so why not have one more new beer as a night cap. Going back to the box from @SomethingClever and pulling out Jackie O's Oil of Aphrodite. This is a beer and a brewery I have been wanting to try for years, so here goes nothing!
4.21/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thank you SomethingClever for this
12.7 oz bottle poured into a tulip

A- Black with a two finger mocha head.

S- Sweet milk chocolate, faint roasted malts, some dark fruits, walnuts aren't the center piece but really come out nicely and add a great level of complexity, hints of molasses.

T- Not as sweet as the nose, roasted coffee, some chocolate, just enough walnuts, faint dark fruits, hints of candied sugar.

M- Smooth, creamy, medium to full body.

O- I was hoping that it would be as sweet as it smells, but it is still a solid beer. Would love to try the rum barrel version, feel the rum would be perfect for this beer. I feel Aphrodite would be proud of this beer.

 

A late entry to NBS but better late than never! I am new to Oyster Stout, when I first heard of it, it didn't sound appealing despite my love of sea food, but since my beer palate has changed and wanted to give this one a try. So, here is:

New Oyster Stout Sunday
Bad Mother Shucker 8.0% ABV
Abita Brewing



Pours a dark caramel brownish-red, not much head. Nose is coffee, cocoa and not the scent of the ocean I was expecting. First sip...sweet chocolate, coffee and a slight amount of sea salt caramel. It has a nice, crisp salty finish. Overall, a bit thin on the oyster. However, it's quite enjoyable(having it now with some Ravioli) but don't be alarmed, you won't taste the Gulf of Mexico. My wife doesn't care for fish or seafood and she liked this. It's a good introduction the oyster stout and am now in pursuit of more elaborate variations. Cheers!

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks @utopiajane for getting us rolling this week. A short week this week, going to go home to Ohio this weekend for sure. After last weekend's ND/MN mini vacation I now have a surplus of new beers to try. So basically, within the span of 2 weeks I went from running out to having too much . I am probably going to do some cellar clearing this next weekend like i usually do; however, I just discovered that 2 new Breweries opened up in Canton in the past few months; 20 minutes from my parents house. So I am probably going to scope those out and get a growler or two.

Here are today's new beers:

Great gose! I love the label on this one. Aromas and flavors of tart lemon, lime, green apple, orange, white grape, sea salt, coriander, pepper, wheat, cracker, bread dough, hay, straw, grass, and light funk. Light-moderate tartness and yeast spiciness on the finish. Very smooth and crisp; with balanced acidity/salinity and a touch of bready wheat creaminess in the mouthfeel. Medium-high carb with nice moderate dryness from both carbonation and acidity. Overall definitely awesome stuff. This had great balance between the pale malt sweetness with the acidity, salinity, fruit, and spice. The acidity was not as strong as some other Gose I've had, but had solid presence overall. Very drinkable because of that fact as well. I'd drink it again, but the price isn't too great. 4.1


Damn good coffee porter. Great head retention and dense soapy lacing down the glass. Fantastic appearance. Aromas and flavors of big milk chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toast, brown bread, light nuttiness, and a touch of herbal hops. Light herbal/roast bitterness on the finish; with a nice bittersweet creamy/silky medium bodied mouthfeel. Very robust and smooth drinking. I randomly saw this in ND last weekend and it had my interest. I haven't been disappointed by Haandbryggeriet before, and this continues that trend. 3.96


Incredible pale ale! Aromas and flavors of huge grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, mango, melon, lemon zest, orange peel, and pine hops; with moderate honey/cracker/bready malts and floral/grassy hop earthiness. Light-moderate pine/grassy/citrus rind bitterness; with a great balanced bitter/sweet finish with moderate hop stickiness and light creaminess in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate dryness from bitterness as well. Absolutely amazing stuff, I love Falconers Flight hops so I may be a bit biased; but this nails it for a pale ale. 4.32


Cheers, have a good night NBS.

 

if I had a bottle of the Rum Barrel one I would have sent it to you it was exceptional you need to make nice with @WesMantooth he is the Jackie O's Hoarder

 

Batch 59. Just $12 for a bomber. Saw this on the shelf by accident and knew I had to grab it. I meant to have it awhile ago when it first hit Michigan but I passed on it for some stupid reason. Looking forward to this one -- a "reasonably priced" BBA'd stout? Damn, please.

Appearance: Poured hard into an over-sized Sam Adams Perfect Pint. Of course, pitch black in color. A couple fingers of a creamy dark brown head float on top for a little while, but it dies down to half a finger and stays there for quite awhile. Not a ton of lacing, but some.

Smell: Whiskey barrel and coffee. I could go on and on, but that's what it boils down to. Not a crazy amount of whiskey barrel, but it has a very nice presence. Loads of dark roast coffee with just a little bit of chocolate from the cocoa nibs. Not a shit load of depth, but it's rich, bold, and super inviting.

Taste/feel: Creamy mouthfeel is what stands out to me right away with a super awesome dark coffee flavor, sans some of the bitterness. There's a nice milk chocolate sweetness to balance it out a bit with just a tiny bit of the barrel in there as well -- I find the barrel more apparent in the aroma. There's actually not much booze, at least when it's cold. The mouth feel is really what makes this beer. The smell and taste are great, but the feel sends it over.

In a word, delicious. I find that this may be one of the very best value beers out there ... at least for barrel aged beers. In that case, it may be the best. The barrel aging isn't strong in this beer, it's very accenting more than anything. The coffee is heavy in this beer, so I hope you like that, but the chocolate with the mouthfeel and bittersweet finish makes for something special.

Honestly, this tastes a lot to me how I imagine Founders Breakfast Stout tasting if it were aged in a barrel... I absolutely love that beer, and I like this beer just the same or maybe very slightly more. They really are similar beers with fabulous coffee flavor, and an awesome mouthfeel. Needless to say, this is a must-buy.

4.52/5

 

The regular version was generous enough, thanks! Think I might have to talk to @WesMantooth about a trade next time I hit up Tired Hands.

 

I liked doing my first NBS review so much today I'll try this again.
Velvet Merkin 2015.
Poured into Pipeworks Tales from the Oak snifter.

Dark, minimal tan head and slight lacing.

Tan edges like whiskey.

Last pour was even foamier but it took me a moment to get a good shot (Homeland went to previews quicker than I expected).


Not much on the nose, get a light barrel boozy scent.

Kind of light tasting, thin. I'm letting it warm and open up, but it's not very complex to me. Slight tang on the front, which I find interesting. It is flavorful and has a little booziness to surround it al, but I'm not enthralled.

Going to open an Avery Old Jubilation (a new Friday beer for me) and come back for the rest of the review (with ratings) later, just to see if warming more helps it.

I'm kicking myself now for being impatient and maybe opening it prematurely. I'm still new to a lot of this beer stuff, so I'm wondering if something thin now could have thickened up or improved somehow with more age. So a question of opinion to you folks with more beer smarts: should I let my Helldorado 2015 keep aging? If so, how long?

 

I agree with your assessment. I had this on tap last night, and it is so good, especially if you like coffee forward BA stouts! Cheers!

 

8 Maids-A-Milking
The Bruery
Milk / Sweet Stout / 11.50% ABV

3.84/5 rDev -1.8% | Avg: 3.91
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

750 ml bottle poured into a tulip

A: Pours black with a cola colored head, no lacing, not much carbonation, no head retention, looks like a typical stout.

A: I'm getting a lot of coffee, roasted malt aromas, smelled them when I was pouring, along with this, Belgian yeast, spices, smells like a mix of a stout and a Belgian strong pale ale, it becomes more noticeable as the beer warms.

T: The taste is very Belgian yeast and spice forward, hint of lactose in the middle but spice such as coriander quickly overtakes any lactose flavors, not sure what to think of this. The alcohol is well hidden making this very drinkable.

M: Lots of carbonation, it lacks that milk stout smoothness, the mouthfeel is closer to a Belgian strong pale ale, lots of carbonation with a dry finish.

O: Not sure what to think about this beer, I was expecting more milk stout notes and flavors, they are not there, as the beer warms it becomes more like a Belgian strong pale ale with the yeast and spice becoming more prevalent. The nose is very different than the taste.



Head shot


Head fizzled like an untied balloon

 

De Struise Brouwers Tsjeeses Reserva 2012:











4.21/5 rDev +2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

11.2 fluid ounce bottle into a Belgian tulip. Says it's a 2012 Reserva, but doesn't indicate any barrel-aging.

Foamy, compact, cream-colored head that dilly-dallies for ages. Lace drags down all sides of the glass forming a foamy wall. Beneath is a brown, plum skin-colored body with streaming carbonation apparent. 4.5

An aroma of orange peel, candy syrup and floral bouquet with some light coriander or some other table spice. Seems to lack some depth, as the first pass of the nose is about all the intrigue you'll find on this nose. 4

Continues to present a candy, say lollipop, flavor, a citrusy bite, and a bit of barrel quality, mainly oak and some spice. The flavor also offers robust floral flavor and sweet bready malt. I enjoy how this tastes. 4.25

Rich and full-bodied through 3/4 of the palate before a gentle carbonation entrance and mild booze. The sweetness takes on candy-like properties but never becomes too bothersome. The finish is semi-dry, yeasty lingering deal. 4.25

This is drinking quite well. Hard to know all the stats on this, but as it drinks, it is very enjoyable.