New Beer Sunday (week 592)

Just reading the opening post by @cavedave or @utopiajane makes for a great start to Sunday! Its like waiting eagerly for the Sunday version of New York Times!!
Keep it up guys! Cheers.

 

I really look forward to Sunday!

 

Mornin' NBSers,

@cavedave your start this a.m. is great as usual and boggles the mind with it's alliteration.

Absent any alliterative allusions about almost any acceptable alternatives, I'll simply report that the weather here is and will be gorgeous thoughout the day. Which means I'll probably not be back until things settle down this evening.

In hand I expect have with me, and will be sampling for the first time, the Allagash Little Brett, a beer I'd probably not even have learned about except for reading a short chat between @TongoRad and @DrStiffington (thanks to you both!).

Based on their reports I'm really looking forward to giving this beer a try!

Cheers, all!

 

Good morning @cavedave thanks for getting us started today with one of the most ferocious sentences I could have imagined

Today I have a pilsner that is at the heart of the latest controversy in beer . That controversy is between what you might call tradition and progress. Traditionally the pilsner is a single malt beer and that malt the German Pilsner malt and it's qualities and character are what the traditionalists say is the soul of the pilsner style. So in other words "not the hops.' You will see that as far as making the style well so far we have really only had the hops changed up on us from traditional German style to American versions of the noble hop. Another innovation with the pilsner that was received both well and not here on BA was the addition of fruit juice with dogfishead's piecing pils. This year it seems that everyone is drinking the pils and more and more and more brewers are making it their own by deciding not only what hops to use but also for the first time what malts? The newest thing is blend of malts in the pilsner that uses two row and not just pils malt. That is the same malt that is used in the pale ale that you are very used to seeing with much fruitier hops. Ithaca made theirs with the two row malt and so did Goose Island. You will also notice that because the pils is more popular that the brewers are first choosing between the two authentic version and so far no one has done a Czech style pilsner with a combination of malts.

Today I have Southern Tiers newest German Style Lager

Happy New American German Style Pilsner Question Mark Sunday

malts are German pils, two row, and wheat
hops are Spalter Select, Magnum and German Hallertau

Pours a lovely pale color gold with a fat white head of foam that lasts well and clings a bit. Now St is using wheat malt and they do not say how much. I can't really say I taste any wheat so most likely it is being used in a small amount for head retention.



One of the things i noticed with the pale malt combination is that the beers appeared more yellow. do you think this beer is yellowish? That clinging head is cheating a bit if they did use wheat for it because other brewers do not add any and they have ample head that clings well. So now let's get even more persnickety.

Nose is bold with spice. Here is the first chance you get to see how different the hops are on this style malt. The malt on the beer should be the first thing you notice and it is. It's breaddy but it does not smell golden or crusty . How can it smell breaddy but not like bread? Well it does. This beer has enough pils malt in it though to soften that feature, that stark white feature just enough. It's like a white scent rather than golden or baked and that is because this malt is not kilned the same way as the German Pils malt. It also is quite a bit cheaper. Hops are woody and have a spice that I think is sharp and what I am going to call peppery. It's also a bit weedy like dry grass. I think it's the spalter. It tickles the nose with mild pepper. The hallertau are earthy and show only a mild floral. No diacetyl, no dms, no fruity esters from yeast. ( If you really give those hops a good sniffing out you might find that they are almost oniony?)

Taste is all breaddy texture up front and powerfully spicy and woody. Peppery hop with a softly green herbal backing to it. Lots of breaddy texture from the malt but the flavor is different. It's white and not colorful or golden. The pils malt in this is just enough to give a sense of the golden flavor it does have but the breaddiness in this beer is mostly texture and not flavor. The style of malt is more bland in my opinion but it does allow you to see something extra of those hops. The herbal finally does come forward mid palate and in the finish. There is an elusive and very faint fruitness on the palate but it is no more so than in any other German style pils. This beer is dry and that is the reason I think it is the pale malt that is showing that fruity moment of sweetness on the palate only and not really on the nose.

I think that another feature of the pale malt is that it increases the perception of bitterness. I think the dryness of this beer seems strange in combination with the pale malt because you are accustomed to seeing it with much fruitier hops like in pale ales and ipa's. Also the pale or two row malt seems to put the hops on a slightly different place on the palate and in the finish. It accents them at the wrong moment in other words. So is this beer a pilsner? I could say both yes and no so I will say yes for now. Here is why. It's a "white pils." It does not taste golden or like bread but it feels the same. The hops character is authentic for the style. There is a lasting bitterness that is crisp and clean. Most importantly the hops stay in the right place in the he finish of this beer meaning that it finishes only slightly hoppier tasting. I would say the finish is similar to Sierra Nevadas Nooner so slightly hoppier. I can tell that there really is a fruitiness because it's the only sweetness in the flavor at all and on the palate the floral remains subdued in deference to the woody spice. That fruitiness also cannot be abv because the beer is dry so that is the key to whether this is a well made version for it's variation on the style. Even with the extra hops accents and the blander malt flavor it's well attenuated and shows no esters from alcohol. This beer leaves the palate wide open and dry.The malt is not complex.

I am going to finish it up tomorrow and not score it until then. Do I like it? Not so much. You will also notice that for repeat purchases I did not buy GI's or Ithacas "white pils" again.

Get down everybody! Happy New Beer Sunday!

 

Hello! Had a new beer after midnight last night, so hope that counts for NBS!

The beer is Mocha IPA by Stone. Pours a dark amber with an off-white head.

The nose is a rich, dark mocha chocolate with some citrusy hops at the edges. Made me nostalgic for sniffing cocoa powder as a kid.

Taste is bitter chocolate but still tasting somehow IPA-like. Bit of a powdery mouthfeel. Tasty, and the 9.0 ABV is well hid.

Against all odds, this beer somehow works, and I enjoyed it. Best enjoyed after a big dinner, IMO. A unique beer that no doubt won't be for everyone, but worth a try.

Cheers!

 

My, that was thorough.

 

Good morning New BSers! @cavedave, thank you for your start to the morning's festivities! Have a great day at the center and we all look forward to your return and and your relaxed review. @utopiajane, what can I say but wow! Somebody has done their homework and yes, that is definitely yellow. Looks like a specimen form a healthy patient, perhaps one of the reasons I don't care for pilsners. But still, ...

My new beer for today is:



WOW! Not much that I can say but WOW!

$ 16.95 (with tax)/bomber ($ 0.77/oz) at Oppermann’s Cork ‘N’ Ale, Saginaw, MI
Undated bomber at 42 degrees into hand washed and dried JK snifter
Aroma – coconut, roasted malt, bourbon, and vanillin
Head – small (Maximum 2 cm, aggressive pour), light brown, creamy with rocks, diminishing to a two to three mm ring and thin partial layer
Lacing – fair. Narrow broken rings that are definitely lacy. Mostly tiny bubbles.
Body dark brown, opaque
Flavor – coconut and bourbon predominate, some roasted malt; no hops, no alcohol (15%!), no diacetyl
Palate – medium, watery, soft carbonation

Appearance 4, Aroma 4.5, Flavor 4.5, Palate 3.75, Overall 5. Rating 4.6. Average 4.5, rDev +2.2%

WOW! This is definitely the best beer I’ve had in a while and the best I’ve ever had from Perrin. At 15% ABV, it’ll definitely put you down, but the alcohol is totally hidden except for a slight stomach warming. Is it the coconut? Don’t know. I rarely support “cause” brews but this one is definitely an exception – a great brew and a great cause! Time to limp back to MI and buy a case (or two)!

One thing that is kind of puzzling is the statement on the label "With a classic film reference weaved (my italics) into the label art". Apparently I've missed the woven reference - I recognize the stylized flak jacket but is that purple ball a purple bowling ball or the the end of a Thai eggplant?

Ah well. Time to sleep this beer off.

 

New Farmhouse Ale from SD Sunday
Greetings NBSer's,
An early entry for me as I'm head to further SCMN (home of SPAM) to see my ailing father. So a new but small beer this morning.
The low abv (4.5%) minimizes the malt profile, and more grain I think could make this an even more enjoyable drink. Nonetheless a nice summer drinker.
http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/39695/171805/?ba=garymuchow#review

Best to all.

 

The New Bohemian (and an ‘old’ one too)

Last weekend I discussed a Von Trapp Vienna Lager so I figured this week I would discuss the Von Trapp Bohemian Pilsner.

Below is a description from the Von Trapp website:

“Bohemian Pilsner 5.4 ABV 42 IBU

The two time award-winning Bohemian Pilsner is the 2015 Silver medalist for both, the Great American Beer Festival, and the Great International Beer Festival. It is light straw to golden in color. A touch of Munich malt is added to give the beer a sweet caramel finish. It is smooth and crisp with a clean malty aroma. We use Saaz and Perle hops: providing a predominant peppery bitterness and spicy floral aroma. Bitterness is on the high end, but balanced well. We lager in cold storage for 30 days to help produce a smooth finish for this complex lager.”

Well, it sure does read tasty.

I figured I would ‘kick it up a notch’ and add an old standby for a side-by-side tasting: Pilsner Urquell. The term of “Urquell” means original source so this will be an Old World vs. New World sort of comparison.

Served in my Pilsner Glasses:

Appearance:

Pilsner Urquell: Straw/golden colored with a white head.

Von Trapp Bohemian Pilsner: Straw/golden color with a fluffy white head.

Aroma:

Pilsner Urquell: I am perceiving diacetyl (buttery aroma) with a bit of bready malt and just a hint of spice from the hop aroma.

Von Trapp Bohemian Pilsner: The small of cracker-like malt first hit my nose but then the hop aromas of spicy/herbal are noticeable.

Taste:

Pilsner Urquell: The flavor follows the nose with a combination of buttery flavor, some bready malt and a hint of spicy hop flavor.

Von Trapp Bohemian Pilsner: A nice balance of malt flavors with the hop flavors of spicy/herbal. The malt flavor does indeed touch upon some caramel like flavors as indicated by the Von Trapp description, I presume from the Munich Malt in the grain bill.

Mouthfeel

Pilsner Urquell: Moderate carbonation, light – medium body with a dryish finish.

Von Trapp Bohemian Pilsner: Moderate carbonation, light – medium body with a crisp finish.

Overall

Pilsner Urquell: I am not a fan of diacetyl in beer and in all fairness the diacetyl level of this beer is not too onerous for my palate. It has a pleasant malt backbone with low levels of spicy hops. A worthy purchase given its low price.

Von Trapp Bohemian Pilsner : I enjoyed drinking this beer but the caramel-like flavor is not exactly thrilling for my personal palate. I am thinking that with more exposure (drinking) of this beer it will ‘evolve’ into a favorite? I strongly suspect that this is the sort of beer that would ‘grow’ on me.

I am very thankful that I have two hands to enjoy both of these beers!

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @AugustusRex @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @cavedave @Crusader

 

I drank this beer last night (as posted on WBAYDN) however i only entered my review this morning. The reason I am posting on NBS, is to hopefully bring attention to a not so well known beer from a very well known and much maligned brewery.
(hope this is ok @cavedave and @utopiajane, if not i understand)
New Belgian Quad Sunday
I actually made quite the effort to get this beer traveling over an hour, because not available in my area (as per Manhattan sales rep.)
3.92/5 rDev 0% | Avg: 3.92
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

From The Cellar.
750 ml into tulip
no date code
L- dark auburn, with a quickly dissipating white bubbly head
S- prunes, dates, sweet belgian sugar, with an oak-y aroma as well
T- similar to the nose, dark fruit, spicy finish, with overtones of oak
F- full bodied, a real sipper, yet highly carbonated (possibly because of bottle conditioning)
O- Oak-y, Spicy, Dark Fruits.
The oak is very prominent in this beer providing an interesting contrast to the dark fruit notes of this Belgian Quad. It also adds some wine characteristics as well. All together a pretty solid beer.


Cheers to the new week and New Beer Sunday!

 

Jack what would you say is the malt reason or the brewing reason for that style difference between the Czech lager and the German -

"Some pleasant, restrained diacetyl is acceptable, but need not be present." for the Bohemian Pils and for the German "no diacetyl." Does it come down to water again? ST's water is hardish. ( I think)

 

From the land this little denizen calls home . . .

Mississippi Fire Ant Imperial Red Ale


Appearance: Dark reddish brown like old copper, eggshell cap with good lacing.

Aroma: Rich malt supported by darker tone hops, lively in a strong way without being heavy.

Taste: This is where it shines, rich malt, and mostly malt, through mid palate where the hops march forth. Hops through to the finish with lingering malt and hops in the aftertaste with hops putting a period at the end of the sentence.

Texture: Full without being heavy.

Overall: Definitely an Imperial style, this one strikes all the cords right in tune. 8% and 80 IBUs, this one could've been a bruiser but it isn't, surprisingly agile like a large man who turns out to be a graceful dancer.

 

4.5% alcohol. 13 IBU. Introduced in 2015. Brewed in New England.

4.5/5 rDev +30.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Harpoon's UFO Big Squeeze Shandy has a thick, fizzy white head, which goes right away and an opaque orange-pink appearance. No lacing is left behind. The aroma is of grapefruit and sweet, somewhat yeasty, pale malt. Taste is of that, with no noticeable bitterness and a nice fruit tartness. Mouthfeel is high medium, and UFO Big Squeeze finishes medium dry and highly drinkable.

RJT

 

It's a great beer! Delicious!

 

Maria, the presence of a detectable level of diacetyl is a brewery process ‘issue’. Every fermentation creates diacetyl in the ‘middle’ of fermentation but for most beers this diacetyl is metabolized at the end of fermentation.

From: http://www.morebeer.com/brewingtechniques/library/backissues/issue5.3/urquell.html

“Pilsner Urquell's flavor profile includes some diacetyl notes, detectable to some beer drinkers as a buttery flavor. The brewery claims the maximum allowable level is 0.12 ppm, a bit on the high side, but probably due to the beer's incomplete fermentation. Few, however, seem to find the flavor objectionable (9). Some would even say that it enhances the beer by giving it added complexity.”

You can learn more about the diacetyl timeline during fermentation here: http://www.whitelabs.com/files/Diacetyl_Time_Line.pdf

Cheers!

P.S. Each brewer/brewery gets to decide how they want to manage their fermentations for a given beer brand.

@rotsaruch

 

Thanks Jack and Cheers

 

No pics. Opening dissertation by cavedave...monumental!

http://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/413/215692/?ba=Bitterbill#review

Brett Saison aged in wine barrels. Outstanding! Prost, you all!

 

Really interesting reading, as per usual. Thanks for posting!

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. Another beautiful warm summer day here on the island with lots of sunshine abound. I have a bunch of yard work lined up, and may/may not get down to the beach again today but we shall see. I also get back to the work week tomorrow but my commute will be a hell of a lot better now that the schools are out. I'm getting into it a bit early today, but I like to drink breakfast stouts on the real and I want to make sure that I hit the pillow early tonight.

My first new beer today is Death to Cereal, a breakfast stout, from Urban Family brew co is Seattle WA. The brew comes in at 7.4% and with not apparent bottle date.

An oily black pour with subtle carbonation and a fast and non-retaining head. The nose is mostly of sugar sweetness but I also get malts, and coffee grinds. Not terribly floral but decent enough. The drinking starts with big roasted malts and a slightly bitter finish. Lots of sugar and lactose sweetness flows on every sip. The coffee flavor is there but I find it rather on the slightly subtle side. Much more of a roasted and bitter sort of coffee grind flavor. Additional flavor notes of chocolate, vanilla, oats, roasted barley, and a slight char. The mouth feel is moderate, and slightly sticky. It really coats my palate and the flavors linger nicely after each sip.

Overall, a pretty interesting take on a coffee stout. It's really sweet, almost like a coffee with plenty of milk and sugar. Being a black coffee drinker myself I would prefer the coffee flavor to be a bit heavier. Regardless, it's a pretty solid brew and I'm right around a 4 on it.