New Beer Sunday (week 588)

Happy Memorial Day weekend NBS! Thank you to all the veterans who have served our country past and present.

I was in Atlanta and Asheville two Sunday's ago where I picked up plenty of new beer including this one and three of its friends. Terrapin's Single Origin Coffee Stouts where the base stout is the same and there are 4 different coffees in the pack.
I started with the Ethiopia Hambela coffee. Deep jet black pour with a short lasting tan head. (The original picture I took shows this much better; still trying to figure out why my pics are sideways). Smell is toffee, roasted nuts and, of course, coffee. Taste is unexpected. Fruity and berries, slightly bitter, some vanilla and coffee (of course). I'm not used to this profile from a coffee beer. Thinner mouthfeel than I'd ilike but this makes for easy drinking. Not bad but looking forward to the kona and Sumatra beers.

F me. I'm using Tinypic. Someone suggest a better photo uploading app or site please?

 

Afternoon All,

This is my first time participating in this thread, but I always enjoy browsing through it.

I've been really enjoying low ABV beers lately, and really am liking Goses. It's funny because I used to really hate anything approaching tart or sour, but the Gose style seems to be a good entry into those styles...at least for me.

First new Gose of the day is Sierra Nevada Otra Vez. Overall, I was not that impressed with this and would not buy it again. Not much to speak of for an aroma, very little tartness. I do get some salt, but overall it's kind of bland and watery. I think if I gave this to a macro lager drinking friend, they would pronably just think they're drinking one of their standard beers.

Second Gose is a winner in my book. Victory Kirsch Gose. Color is beautiful ruby color. Nice aroma of tart cherries. Taste is refreshingly tart but not puckering at all. Tiny bit of salt on the finish. Really tasty and great for this 90 degree weather. A little pricey for a 4 pack, but I could crush these all summer long.

I look forward to picking up Lost Nation & Anderson Valley Goses while I'm in Mass on Tuesday. I'll have to try one next Sunday.

Slainte!

 

here is my sunday new beer! from Poland.
at first pour it was hazy and copper with lots of carbonation and produced a lively tan head which is a product of top fermentation i'm guessing.clears up tho to a clear copper, looks rather inviting!.
sweet buiscuty, a bit boozy , raisons and prunes, and estery.
malty for sure and a bit of funk which I am liking.really no bitterness.no astringency, smooth and wet.honey like.
medium feel on the mouth.smooth, pleasingmalt sense.balanced alcohol.pretty clean finish.
I would feel free to pair this with some brie or camembert (the real stuff) and some fresh baked French bread
found at any corner of paris.cheers all you BA'S!

 

Good afternoon NBS people and thanks to @cavedave for the excellent start up and to his allegiance to our mother.
And speaking of that I hope we are all honoring those who have served for our Freedom. This holiday should be a reminder of all that have given the ultimate sacrifice and have kept us safe. So Thank You.
Well Crate Day was a time! Thanks @PatrickCT for hosting. Great Music was shared with beer from all. And as usual I got carried away. If I remember correctly I had only 3 posts. But a listened to bunch of vinyl. Just got so drunk towards the end I couldn't- or didn't have the will to post.....what a shame.
Todays NB is one I sampled during the week but now its time to put a little thought and landscape to it.

Wicked Weed Naploeon Complex Hoppy Pale Ale

The pour is straw/golden in color with a pristine large bubble head that settles and leaves lots and lots of "world map" lacing. Really solid looking brew.

Aroma wonderful grassy hops with bread and citrus. The malts are very pleasing on this one. Almost has the aroma of a pilsner until I'm reminded by just a hint of the house yeast this is an ale. Lots of hop smells here too. Pine and tangerine I think.

Taste is oh so hoppy and delicious. Clean grassy hops with a super clean malt base. Starts with those piney hops and finishes with the juicy citrus notes. The more I smell and taste this I believe I am getting some tropical such as mango.
Boy does this beer slide down easy. Lots of Western style IPA characteristics. Delicious brew.

Clean, dry, crisp with just a tad of oils in the back. Carbonation is a bit higher than the style would suggest but it fits the package here. Body is medium to light. I think I finished this in like 10 minutes max.

Wicked Weed- everything Ive tried (just a few) has been nothing but net. They are not all super complex( sours for me the exception so far) but they know how to craft a brew. No exception here. A simple, hoppy, clean tasting beer that I could drink a sixer of easily. Another interesting thing- The bottle is expertly designed to present this Napoleonic brew. I still cant figure out how they get 12 ounces into a bottle that looks like one of those European style 11.5 ouncers.
I would recommend this brew if you can find it.
And for NewOldVinylSunday. I threw this on the turntable late last night and realized (not to get too sappy on you) this is a great Elton John song. Cleaned it up with the best record cleaning stuff Ive ever used. No cover because I bought " Don't Shoot the Piano Player" and there were 2 other records in the jacket. Thought about it today. Fits perfectly for the Holiday. "Someone Saved My Life Tonight". Well they've done that. And "butterflies are free". And so are we. Thanks Vets.
Have a great week and thanks for taking the time.

 

Good afternoon NBS, hot one today but rain is coming in. Went to a car show in town and enjoyed some Dale's Pale Ale. Now home enjoying one of the last beers from @strohme2's BIF box, Bell's Oarsman Ale, definitely underrated, cheers!

3.89/5 rDev +9.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

12 oz can poured into a pint glass

A- A slightly hazy golden color with a three finger white head.

S- Some wheat, tart lemons, mild earth spice.

T- Wheat, some lemons, mild tartness, hint of lactic acid, touch of earthiness in the finish, slightly watery.

M- Smooth, light body.

O- A nice Berliner, easy to drink. Given the price and availability it is worth picking up.

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Greetings to you NBSer's on a cloudy and temperate day in central VT. My first NBS beer is this one in what is one of my favorite styles.



Harpoon 100 Barrel Series #57 Sticke Alt

Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall
Altbier / 6.60% ABV

3.88/5 rDev +2.4% | Avg: 3.79
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Enjoy by 09/16/16....not a problem.

L- The beer pours a clear dark cola brown. The head is off white and stands a fluffy 2 fingers high. Bubbles trail along behind the beer, but no lacing lingers.
S-Their is some caramel sweetness followed by herbal spicy hop overtones. It's finishes with a strong alcohol overtone which makes me a little nervous about what I'm going to be tasting.
T- This is not a complex beer. The flavour is very consistent from start to finish. A caramel sweetness at the front of the sip which transitions seemlessly to some herbal hops. The bitterness is there, but well balanced by the terrific malt presence. Thankfully the strong alcohol in the nose is nowhere to be found in the taste.
F- Carbonation seems maybe a little low for the style, but the overall mouthfeel is medium. The beer finishes sufficiently dry to be drank in quantity. I should know since I didn't have any help with this bomber.
O- A very good, if not flawless attempt at an altbier. Maybe not quite up to Old Mecklenburg Copper standards, but not that far behind either. If Harpoon were to make this year round I would drink it year round. A 12 oz bottle format would make me a very happy person indeed.

 

New Old Ale Sunday

Happy Memorial Day and NBS everyone! For my first new brew of the day, I stayed in state and tried some Little Fish Brewing's The Æcern: http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/41563/220117/?ba=bluejacket74#review





I thought it was a good enjoyable brew, and a good way to start NBS for me. I'll have a new local brew up next, cheers everyone!

 

Welcome!

 

My third and final NBS for the day players. I've been sitting on this for a bit given it's abv and since it's a three day weekend I can get into it with out having to worry about actually waking up. It is yet another NBS BIF # 3 thanks to the great @Prager62 .

The beer is Batch 5000, a triple ipa, from Shorts brewing in MI. The beer comes in at 15% abv, and the bottle date I believe is 1/12/15? Hard to read but I think that's correct.

The pour is a beauty with a light golden color with a slight amber hue and no cloudy clarity. The nose is rather tame with hops and sugars. A huge burst of hops, sugars, and booze smash me in the face on the very first sip. The hops just continue to flow with a slightly bitter finish. Really nice citrus notes of lemon, orange, grapefruit, and apricot. Some pretty distinct pine tones as well. The mouth feel is pretty full bodied and slightly sticky. The brew really coats the palate, with all the hops flavors, and lingers nicely. The beer drinks big and the 15% lets you know it on every sip.

Overall, just a really nice big and boozy as hell beer. Very much akin to Seeking Alpha from Captain Lawrence which I really enjoy. I'm pretty much in the low 4's with perhaps a mid 4 on taste.

 

I'm not even going to post a pic. I'll just be disappointed anyway.
Next up is the Sumatra Wahana Natural from Terrapin's Single Origin coffee series.
Same dark, oily pour with quickly fading tan head. Richer coffee smell, vanilla and chocolate. Deeper coffee taste, sweet chocolate, some pepperiness, vanilla and spiciness. Just a bit better on the mouthfeel. This is what I was looking for in a coffee beer.

 

Enjoying after gardening and some house cleaning. (Luckily it took about the me about the same length of time to clean my TV room as it took to run this year's Indy 500).

Beyond me consistently rearranging and adding letters and misreading the label as Evel Knievel I dare say that maybe they should consider renaming. Pretty daring in a number of respects. The sweet, fruity aroma (4.25) filled with floral notes came barreling out of the glass as the beer hit bottom and was detectable at arm's length. The golden, orange color belied a maltiness that based on the ABV was not and could not be there. The coarse head receded to a thin tight layer which provided sporadic lacing (3.75). The bitterness was complimented by candied fruit slice sweetness, very big for a session beer (4). Feel was a bit viscous and tacky which worked with the flavor but detracted from its refreshing quality (3.75). Overall an excellent season beer. Always impressed when a brewer can do so much without relying on jacking the abv (4.25).

 

Pours a one inch head which dissipates rather quickly. Nice enough nose of Mosaic hops. Tastes OK but with a rather thin mouthfeel. Overall I don't go for "session" beers and this is one of the reasons why.

 

I'm party crashing NBS today... not drinking anything new. Currently enjoying the yeast assault that is Delirium Tremens. My father-in-law bought it for me. A bit too strong for a "post walk in the sun beer," but enjoyable nonetheless. I'm crashing this thread 'cause of the Horzempa-factor. Jack, I too drank multiple kolsch beers and felt obligated to share because of your post. Coincidentally, in last weeks thread (if my memory is correct), I mentioned the Reissdorf and Gaffel I drank. This week, I had Gaffel, Fruh, and Freigeist's Ottekolong.



Jack will be shaking his head in disbelief and disappointment at how poorly I conducted this blind tasting. One dumb move was deciding to pour the beers into clear glasses thinking that they would look very similar, but I forgot that Ottekolong was unfiltered. The other dumb move was rolling the dice as far as freshness goes. Sometimes the luxury of knowing just isn't there. I knew the Gaffel was gonna be fine, but I had big doubts about the Fruh. Turns out, the Fruh was so bad that it's pointless to comment further on it. The Freigeist wasn't fresh enough either, but the beer as intended could still be found in the taste. So, the blind test turned out to be anything but since all three beers were clearly identifiable. Jack must be thinking I'm a total putz about now.

The Gaffel was terrific. These bottles of Gaffel are the best that I've ever had. Must be the freshest I've experienced. There's a relatively strong bittering hop presence. There's a Horzempa-esque white wine quality buried in the back end. Awesome.

The Ottekolong is a great beer in its own right, but it doesn't feel like a kolsch. The intense haze and coppery-orange color make it unusual (oxidation could have made this more intense). It's relatively rich and malty. There's a bitterness that surfaces that's less aparent than the Gaffel (once again, age could be a factor here).

Apologies to Jack for screwing up. Apologies to everyone else for party crashing. Please forgive me. Happy Memorial Day weekend to you all!

 

Now Weyerbacher Line Street Pilsner, definitely hoppy for a Pilsner but still very tasty.

4.01/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

12 oz bottle, dated 4/8/16, poured into a pint glass

A- Clear golden straw with a two finger white head.

S- Nice combo of honey and Pilsner malts, hints of citrus, earthy/spicey hops, slightly grassy.

T- Definitely a hoppy Pilsner, Pilsner malts, touch of honey, hints of citrus and lemongrass, great earthy/spicy hoppy finish.

M- Smooth, crisp, light to medium body.

O- A well done hoppy Pils. Smooth, crisp and easy drinking. Definitely worth trying, lot of good Pilsners are being brewed in Pennsylvania and this is another to add to the list.

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Greetings all. We spent a beautiful day at my parents' place in the mountains yesterday, and now I'm back at Casa Rad getting in a quieter sort of relaxation. My first new beer for today is still one I consider new to me, even though I jumped the gun and had one a few days ago. That was just for pure fleeting enjoyment, though- now I intend to get serious .

Sixpoint Puff

The aroma is a fragrant and balanced weave of citrus (grapefruit/orange), pine, nectarine and pineapple, with whiffs of dankness (yes, I mean MJ) and alcohol showing here and there. The palate immediately favors the pine and dankness, finishing with a substantial crack of bitterness. Slight heat lingers after the finish. After a few more sips some of the softer fruit elements begin to show themselves, and it all starts to come together again into a more cohesive unit. The palate is smooth and silky- a real pleasure to drink. Unfortunately the ethanol presence is keeping things a touch too rough overall. Drop the abv and this one would reach elite territory. Still, as it is I'm really enjoying these distinct elements being sewn together so neatly; and this release has freshness on its side, to boot. This is one I will be buying again as long as I can find it (A-, 4.25*).

ETA: * The BA review system says it's actually 4.19, so close enough

 

Back home after what turned into a 3 hour stroll, with the day's high so far exceeded and things mostly sunny.


Of course, when I found Iron Goat Brewing on my path, I had to stop by, otherwise I just wouldn't have been neighborly.


After a Goat Breaker, I walked to Riverfront Park and saw the brewery's namesake.

Then I hiked down the stairs at Huntington Park to the foot of the lower falls. Then I hiked back up, by then having grasped shorts would have been much more comfortable than the jeans I was by then sweating through.
8

I need a beer!