New Beer Sunday (week 583)

Giant thank you to @utopiajane For starting this week's thread. As always I am late to the party.

Trying a great lemon Berliner from Westbrook: Lemon Coconut Weisse Weisse Baby

Not much in the way of coconut, but if you are looking for something tart this will do just fine. Here is my review:

4.35/5 rDev +6.6%look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a bottle dates 9/30/15 A: Hazy yellow. First pour has a tremendous amount of head. Quickly subsides to a thin layer of foam. Little if any lacing. S: Tart lemon funk and slight hint of sweetness T: This is tart. Lemon and lime and enough funk to impress Bootsy Collins. Got some coconut in the beginning but it went away is it warmed. MF: Puckeringly tart. Clean. O: I was expecting something Pine Colada ish but the coconut and sweetness wasn't there. Nonetheless it is a great lemon Berliner.

Been listening to this tonight

 

I passed this one up on Friday. After reading your post, I think I'll give it a shot. Thanks.

 

At least your team is still in. Kings dropped to San Jose. And the Damned Ducks are going further.

 

Dear Lord. I love Fayston, and a RUM version. You are blessed sir. @jhavs did right by you fo' Sho!!

 

Wow, Jim. I have fond, yet limited, memories of Bayern. I have a buddy, nay ein bruder, from Penzberg. We've visited him there, as well as a short time in Regensberg. But our jaunts out to other towns, Metten, Kochel, a day at a fest on the Kochel See. Just stunning. Summer in Bayern is stunning. Your paintings are vibrant. You made me miss my friend, and our times together.

 

Glad you like that one Corey. It was one of my "gateway" sours. And on a hot day...Pucker up, Buttercup. So fruity.

 

I'll do another today. Otter Creek Citra Mantra.

I wasn't expecting to like this terribly with "India" and "Lager" in the style name, but this is a very nice beer. When lagers are attempting to mimic the American IPA, they tend to be disappointing. There can be little that actually distinguishes them from actual IPAs. Interestingly, this beer feels more hoppy pilsner-ish than IPA to me... and that's a welcome surprise. The label actually says "India-style Pils Lager"... so maybe there's something there. There's some sulfur in this one, but it's not too distracting. The beer is an attractive clear gold and the head is really great. There's a fruity quality to the hops, but surprisingly, I'm getting more of an earthy quality here. The finish is very bitter. The bitterness really lingers. It's an easy drinker... easier than an IPA with the same level of bitterness. Very nice.

 

This week I'm dipping into Grimm's Psychokinesis. I've loved their sours in the past, so I was excited to stumble across this yesterday.


Grimm Psychokenisis

Style: American Wild Ale

Abv: 5.0% Format: 22oz btl Packaged: April 2016 Date: 4/24/16

L: 4 Pours a very turbid light yellow, almost incandescent like Gatorade, with practically no head.

S: 4.25 Lots of mealy, sweet tropical and stone fruits, not so much the bright and acidic variety. Apricots, peaches, papaya and melon, particularly watermelon. There’s a clean lactic sourness in the background. There’s more influence from the Hüll Melon and El Dorado hops than the Mosaic in this one.

T: 4.5 Medium tartness with lots of bright, fairly juicy fruity hop flavors and a strong StarBurst note. The hoppiness paired with the clean tartness creates a nice puckering, mouthwatering effect. As with the aroma, the Hüll Melon and El Dorado show themselves more than the Mosaic. I’m not getting much influence from the oak, which is probably good because it likely would have counteracted the brightness I’m liking a lot in this beer. Very dry, rounding out to a bit more malt in the finish. Lots of melon and papaya in the finish, with a touch of hoppy grassiness.

F: 4.25 Medium-light bodied with abundant prickly carbonation and an acidic, slightly tannic mouthfeel.

Thoughts: 4.25 Loved it. Really masterful selection of complimentary hop varieties in this one. Personally I love the dry-hopped sours we’re seeing more of these days, and this is one of the more memorable ones I’ve had. People are going crazy for Grimm’s DIPAs and Imperial Stouts, but I think the sours are my favorite part of their lineup.

 

Thanks! A lot of nice people in those small towns and the local bierfests are pretty special.

 

Mornin' NBSers.

Didn't chime in last night since the wife and I were out to dinner with some friends we've not seen in quite a while. (This seems to be our year for that....)

Did get in a new beer though, the Head Hunter from Fat Heads, which has just started distributing here in SE PA. While everyone else was chatting I was able to take enough notes to write a review for the site.

Basically, it is a well made example of the "West Coast style" of IPA with lots of hop flavors and bitterness, but the persistent bitterness which is front and center throughout was much more restrained than in some I've had. (It didn't rasp the tongue or leave the taste buds in a state of shock. :-))

But, that said, I'm more a fan of other varieties of IPAs than the "West Coast" versions. Nonetheless I'm looking forward to when Fat Head bottles start hitting PA, sometime next month, so I can try some of their other stuff.

Cheers, all!