New Beer Sunday (week 590)

Good morning (barely still) NBS! It's been warm here, so I may just stay inside today and enjoy a few beer with y'all and yous, if you don't mind. Today's beer is actually one from that Richmond trip about a month back. It's another from Ardent Craft Ales "Black Paper Series" - called Sweet Potato & Sage Saison.

First, I had to geek out a second with creating a GIF since seeing it on this site earlier this week. Probably not something I'll do too often - and I botched this one slightly by not getting the beer bottle in the pic long enough. Luckily I have more pics below.



The GIF is a fair representation of the color of this beer. Fair haziness makes items quite fuzzy behind it. You can see the head of my previous pour was sitting watching my second pour. Eventually a thin film is all that's left, but it takes a while for the head to get bored and slowly file out.

Having had a couple of this brewery's saisons, I was not surprised to get a nice fruity/floral note from this beer. The namesake additions are noticeable as well, the sage a little more than the sweet potato - and neither over the top. A light brown sugar sweet potato sweetness, light accent of sage, and a pear-like fruitiness with a hint of banana.



The taste is a little sweet - but in an indistinct way. It's probably closest to honey-like, like a really good orange blossom honey. Yes, there is a tang of citrus in there - not sure if it's intentional (the date on the bottle you see puts this at 6 months old). The beer is a little flatter than I'd expect - I hope I didn't force all the bubbles out with the pour . The sage hits about mid taste, but is muted until the lingering taste, where it seems to hang on longer than the other flavors. I'm not sure what I was expecting to get from the sweet potato, but I am not finding anything that points specifically to that ingredient. Maybe out of sheer wanting to find something, I might get a touch of it in the end with the sage before it starts its loitering on my tongue.

This is one I will likely skip doing an official review on. I'd like to give a fresher bottle a shot just to see if it is any different. The additions are new enough to me (ok, I've had a few sage beers from DFH) that I can't say definitively this is how it "should" taste or not. That said, I'd probably be in the 3.6 range - with feel and overall being a little lower, smell and taste straddling that line, and looks being the high watermark.

 

Speak for yourself. Before this NBS is out I plan to languidly luxuriate with a luscious lager.

 

Beholders of the bounty of both breeds of beeriness are the best buffs to be.

 

Monkey's Uncle is probably my favorite IPA from Straight to Ale. If you get a chance, their session IPA called 6 Alberts is also surprisingly good.

Cheers!

 

I'm just north of Philly, so Pizza Boy is a couple hours each way. Got this crowler at a nearby bar. Let me know if you hit up Troegs on your way back, and maybe I can meet you. Tired Hands or even Stoudts are much closer to me if you wanted to try those. Would definitely buy you a couple rounds if the timing works out.

 

That actually best describes my sentiments. It just so happens that today marks the final day of a particular lager sent me by @Ri0 that has been deliberately set aside as the last survivor of his box, largely because it sounds freaking awesome.

However, it's possible an IPA and RIS might be attacked along the way. I don't discriminate.

 

To answer @cavedave 's questions in order: A lot. Without hesitation. Like the best dark chocolate coated coffee bean you've had. Probably, though in the early morning haze I can't bring any specifics to mind. (this next one was cheating. I'll try and offer the answer in a single sentence, but your sneakery will not go unnoticed) Like fudge dipped in black coffee, with a hint of vanilla and oak, with persistant carbonation piercing an otherwise silky sticky decadence, and while I'm not sure that that would be the first descriptor I would reach for, it has certainly refreshed this tired grumpy old soul. All of them. Haven't found one yet.

Today I return to my favourite digital vestige of community bearing the gifts of moonlit moonshine found atop a sacred hill.
Midnight Still (the coffee and vanilla edition) from Holy Mountain was part of an abrupt double release from those darlings of the Seattle wild scene, as a followup/spinoff from their... much talked about Midnight Still release. I wrote a whole long ode to the PNW spirit and why Midnight Still stirred such passions, but it is inconsequential. What matters is beer. And this beer is phenomenal.



The pour presents not quite black, but molasses brown, with a dark brown head that is wetter and heavier than expected. Settles in, but the sides of the glass cannot escape it's sticky spell.
Nose offers up an immediate homage to the initial adjuncted listed, with rich dark roast coffee drawn into a sensual dance with creamy dark chocolate. Flitting round the corners the vanilla and oak make more forceful incursions as the beverage warms, though make no mistakes: the coffee is front and centre on this particular leg of our journey.
Upon sipping, I still get hardly a glimpse at the girding this rich and luxurious frame, as once again fudge and rich dark roasted coffee take the forefront. This leg belongs to the silky fudge-like chocolate, though the coffee still runs a close second. The rest of the flavours; the wisp of vanilla, sturdy oak, maybe a kiss of bourbon play supporting characters distant enough as to be mere suggestions.
There is carbonation here to be sure, and forcefully, but between the bubbles runs a thick river of chewy sticky smoothe decadence.

This is one of the best beers I can actively remember. I hate to admit it, because it's gotten so much hype, but it is deserved. This shit is delicious.


Don't know why, but this setting felt appropriate. Glad to have that planter box hanging out the window to add some life to this apartment!


I hope you all have something delicious on hand as well, and I look forward to poring through the descriptions and the day to day-itudes presented in this, my favourite social gathering which I look forward to each week.

Cheers y'all!

 

Any chance of that being found South-Sound? I'm planning to be in Olympia in a couple weeks, and would love to get my hands on it.

 

Good day NBS afficianados. I woke up today in a good mood, went for a morning run followed by breakfast, only to come home, turn the on TV and learn of the tragic event in Orlando. Needless to say I'm feeling quite somber now as I retreat to the woods for my review.

First up today is a pint can from regional brewery Evil Czech in Mishawaka IN labeled three-6-hoppia triple IPA. I picked this up a couple of weeks ago at my local store, it's dated 04/14/16 and has been refrigerated since purchase. Let's pour this 9.6% tall boy in my 13oz. tulip and see what awaits us?

Pours a dark gold/amber color leaving a small finger of rapidly disappearing white foam that forms a ring leaving some lacing behind. The smell is a rather tame mix of caramel malt, grapefruit, pine and some floral. Flavor is very floral to begin followed by grapefruit, some pine and a healthy dose of caramel malt in the finish. The feel is very thick, creamy and quite easy to drink for a 9.6 abv. beer.



A decent beer, but a letdown for a triple IPA as it's too malty and lacking the big juicy hop punch that I crave. In all fairness, it may have been a little better closer to the canned on date, but these triples usually hold up well. All said my score was 3.72 / rDev +0.3%.

While the beer was so-so, the artwork on the can is pretty cool.....



Enjoy your new beer adventures, I hope to check back in later. Here's the official scorecard.......

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32832/228404/?ba=Prager62#review

 

At last! A lover of light, tales of ales and sunsets fair and far away.

 

Good Afternoon all. Not to be Debbie downer here but since we are all part of this wonderful beer family I just wanted to say to all in the horrible aftermath of this latest and worst of all these mass shootings - our thoughts are with your families - the 50 plus and more that just went to have a good time and were killed needlessly. I dedicate my new beer (later) to you. When will this ugly shit stop?. Anyhow enjoy your beers - we are lucky in a way. Ill be back later with a new one.

 

It is a partly sunny day in New Hampshire with temperatures around 70 degrees but the wind is whipping like a son-of-a-gun. I spent part of the morning picking up sticks and twigs that fell off the trees around my house.

My New Beer Sunday contribution is a new beer but not really a new name. Trout River Vermont Single IPA from Springfield, Vermont. You read right - Springfield. The original Trout River brewpub was straight up I-91 about 120 miles North in Lyndon, Vermont but it closed after about 20 years of operation in 2014. Then a couple of young brewers bought the rights to the name, set up a canning line, and moved the operations to Springfield. This was first released in March 2016 and I submitted a photo for the picture-less BA database listing.

So here is Trout River Vermont Single IPA. It is 5.6% ABV with 65 IBU's. It is a Session IPA and as far as I am concerned is a good interpretation of the style. Hazy golden yellow under a white head. The aroma is toasted bread with floral, herbal and fruity characters. Smooth, medium body. The taste is much like the aroma but it ends mildly dry. I wish the new owners all the success.

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. A pretty hot and sunny day here on the island with a nice cooling breeze. I'm about to get dragged to a 6 and 7 year olds combo bday party. My only saving grace is the 4pack of puff that I'm bringing and that there should be some decent food.

My new beer today is a Porter, from Butte Creek brewing. It's certified organic, 6%abv, and has no apparent bottle date.

A thin black color on the pour with lots of carbonation and a quick white head. The nose is mostly malty and not terribly floral. The drinking starts malty too right upfront with a slightly bitter chocolate finish. Subtle flavors of roasted barley/malt, chocolate, and bitter hops. The flavors seem to improve a bit as it warms. The mouth feel is a bit thin, and sometimes almost down right watery.

Overall, I'm not really impressed with it at all. It drinks ok but it's just way to thin for me and that factor really seems to drown out the flavors that I really enjoy in a porter. I'm right around a 3 on it.

 

Goose Island Summer Time Kolsch, This brew is pretty much what I expect a beer called a Kolsch to be, light ,crisp and refreshing. Nice golden color with a long lasting white head. The aroma is slightly fruity as is the taste mouth feel is light /medium a clean crisp finish. A really nice summer beer. Summertime is a middle of the pack American Kolsch butnot as good as any German Kolsch that I have drank.

 

Very well said. I'll be doing the same.

 

Ok, after my last sage beer, I thought it was wise to try out another herb/spice-based beer. It is likely not a shock that such a beer is made by Dogfish Head, and this is their newest such offering, Biere de Provence Saison:


After trying to control the backlit photo, the condensation that is providing the haze above has become straight sweat on the glass. The clarity of the beer is high, like almost all DFH beers. The beer is not as yellow as the sun makes the above photo appear - it's more of a copper-golden. The head settles in thickly along the edge of the glass.

Nose is lavender sticking out amongst a potpourri bouquet of herbs - presumably the marjoram and bay leaves the label claims are in the beer. The saison notes that balance with these herbs is actually quite similar to the previous beer - lightly sweet, with a pear and banana fruitiness. The difference is what I think is a wonderful balance of this with the herbs.


(told you it was a lazy day here )

The taste hits briefly with that pear/banana yeast (I presume) note, but this flavor's lead is fleeting as the herbs immediately begin gaining on the fruity sweet saison base notes. In short order, they blow past the opening tastes. I get more of the green herbs than the floral lavendar early. They seem to provide bitterness similar to the classic hop. I doubt this beer has no hops, but the bittering from the classic ingredient is well integrated into the herb additions (looking at the website, they use Jarrylo hops, a hop I have had, but do not recall its profile). Looking at the site did bring an "aha!" moment for me as well - rye malt is used. I would've assumed the light spice bite I got was coming from the herbs, but I can see it as being from rye, instead (note they also use wheat, which I am not sure I get so much). The spice comes in closer to the end taste, and the light and playful opening feel ends a bit dry, like other rye beers I have had have treated my palate. The lingering taste is a hint of lingering spice and lavender, actually.

Full disclosure, I had a bottle of this in the middle of a long session last week. I rather enjoyed it then. I now have time to analyze it more, and I really ended up enjoying this. DFH can be polarizing, and I can see this beer falling right into that classic debate as to its "worthiness" as a beer. The flavors are heavily reliant on the additions, and the base beer style does get a bit lost - but not completely. It reminds me of two of their other beers, in fact: Sah'tea (which I really liked, hope they bring it back) and Saison du Buff (with Stone and Victory, Stone brewed this past year's version).

Interestingly enough, we have a couple Saison du Buffs in the fridge, so I can totally see a Thursday Throwdown like side by side at some point.

 

Creamy AF (and that's all I'm going to say). Happy Sunday, geeks.

 

Hello NBS people! Glorious day here in Joisy. Right now I'm relaxing on the patio digging a new canned beer by Mispillion River called Not Today Satan. Cheers!



http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33326/194511/?ba=DrStiffington#review

 

A few weeks ago I had Goose Island Kolsch on draft and I enjoyed drinking that beer! It is indeed a nice summer time beer. I agree it might not be in the same 'league' as the German brewed Kolsch beers (presuming you can find them fresh and non-abused by transport) but considering the price point and better assurance of freshness it is a very good choice.

Cheers!

 

Greetings all! I had the pleasure of picking up a mixed 12-pack of the newly-arrived Von Trapp beers yesterday. Last night I had a bottle of the Dunkel, which was stellar. It's a style that's as tough to get right as it is easy to drink- they're usually either too sweet, too roasty, too washed-out, too saturated, etc. It needs to be in the 'Goldilox zone' or the drinkability suffers, and Von Trapp just nailed it. Their version is up there with Ayinger Altbairisch or the other greats, and a real pleasure to drink.

So today, I continue to explore the 12-pack, but with even higher expectations. First up-


The Bohemian Pilsner. And, once again, they nailed it spectacularly. Fresh cut straw, lime peel and pepperiness from the hops dominate, but not by much. The malt character is deep and bready, with just the slightest bit of crust thrown in at the finish. Barely perceptable, but still present enough, is the sulfury complexity from the lager yeast adding depth and personality. The real key is how is feels on the palate, rich and mellow and creamy for just a second before finishing dry and pleasingly bitter (but not too much of either). Very deft on its feet, this beer, and skillfully made. As impressive as it is delicious- solid A (4.5).