New Beer Sunday (week 598)

Hi friends
Trying the Two roads Double Bock Lager for NBS. Awesome start by @cavedave !!
This lager comes from Stratford, CT.
Nice amber and caramel color.
Smells like toffee, dark spice, caramel.
Taste follows the nose with the crisp mouthfeel of a lager. Brewer brewed it as an homage to his great grandfather in South Dakota. He used to brew this after the harsh winters.
It takes me back to Maine winters. I know it's too early to think of them during this glorious summer BUT... Let me take you to my kitchen where the wood stove is. Smells of roasting marshmallows, caramel cooking on a cast iron skillet on top ( which I roll the marshmallows in) and flavors of pumpernickel bread.
Heaven.
Cheers.

 

Time for another NEW beer to review...

SeaQuench Ale | Dogfish Head Craft Brewery


Dogfish Head Brewing - Seaquench Ale by imbibehour, on Flickr

Poured from the bottle into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Judging by how quickly this dissolved into nothing, I am sure glass ware at this point has a minimal purpose.

Opaque dull lemon body, and a head that snaps and dissolves instantly. Soda like appearance with no collar, no head. Continuing soda pinhead bubbles keep coming up to provide a sense that this is a beer but barely. This looks dead on arival.

Aroma is big on dry grain. A huge sense of unbleached white flour just permeates everywhere. Mild sensing aromas of bile and vomit. Yikes, not even getting qualities of citrus on this at all… This is coming out like another DFH disaster creation written all over it since Theobrama.

Palate actually manages to save itself considerably. More of the dry grain aroma goes into a big deeper malt quality of dense dough and bread at least. Some light citrus tang on this that has a good amount of zesty flavors. Aftertaste is big on sticky dough and paste like globbing grains. Good quenching zesty aftertaste of limes and citrus oils that really compliment the malt thickness. Truly thick feeling rich citrus oil while staying away from soda and watery qualities

This has been one brew that has gone all over the place whose style just isn't really clear. Regardless that's what you expect from the mad man at DFH. Still, from first appearance, to first smell though, I was ready to pour this out let alone touch my lips. Much room for improvement here.

look: 2 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.25 | BA Generated Score: 3.25

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Hi everyone. It's a beautiful August day in North Jersey. My NBS review is Wicked Weed's Dark Age, a bourbon barrel-aged Russian Imperial Stout. RIS is probably my favorite style and I'm always looking for new ones to try. I picked this up in North Carolina last week. It's quite hot up front but the flavors blend well and it deserves its excellent rating. Here's my review:

4.41/5 rDev +1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Bottled 3/23/1016. Poured into stout glass. It pours nearly black, with cola hues when held to the light, and one finger of foamy, mocha-colored head and lacing. It's a very attractive pour. The smell is bourbon-forward with roasted malt, vanilla, molasses, and coffee. The bourbon hits first and hard, although it mellows a bit as it breathes in the glass. It is followed by by a decadent blend of roasted malt, cocoa, and coffee. At the finish, it becomes oaky and you can really taste the vanilla. I think the overall taste improves during the pour but I didn't notice any dark fruit, which I really like in a RIS. This stout is chewy and oily with moderate carbonation. There's a strong alcohol burn and I think the feel would be better at 10% rather than 12% ABV. Overall, it's an impressive Russian Imperial Stout.

Have a great afternoon, everyone. As always, I look forward to reading your reviews!

 

4 x 4.0 IPAs tasted this week. Too close to call this Devil Dance Quartet.

Duet | Alpine
4.18/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
I found this to be a favorite west coast IPA. Up there with Stone, Green Flash, etc. Try 24.
A: Pours with a fluffy 1 finger head with ample, ciderish sediment along with a brassy, honey colored body, and lasting lace.
S: Abundant hops to start, then pine, mixed lots of citrus and must. Earthy, vivid.
T: Starts with fresh wet hop and follows into pine hop resins. Complex juicy citric, tangerine fruits, and dancing into peppery bitterness and more Juicy and grassy hops. A veggie blend. Not much malt.
F: Good feel, light syrup, with decent carbonation.
O: Feels bright and tingly. Finishes clean as well. Try 24.

Truth IIPA | Flying Dog
4.08/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
The Truth may be the best flying dog I've tasted.
Poured into a Duvel tulip snifter.
A ) Pours a honey orange body, translucent w 1.5 fingers of off-white head that lingers as a nice cap, leaving not enough lace.
S ) Aroma blossoms fresh, grassy, piney, & floral. Fresh fruit salad of citrus, apricot, mango, east coast peach.
T - Taste follow smell and gets better - smooth, crisp, fresh, fruity, floral, juicy. Hops balanced nicely by fruit. Juicy notes of peach, pine, and citrus.
M - Feel is smooth, crisp, creamy, & juicy. Long finish. Appetizing.

Founders Devil Dancer
4.04/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Gotta love the outliers. This is on the edge. 112 btu, 12% Abv, dark bomb.
A: Looks great. 4 on color. Tawny, hazed, alcohol mirrored body, over set by scant lace and after a thick head, just a ring. Best color.
S: Given what's to come, too light. malty, candied fruit, pine resin, sweet, approaching barley wine.
T: Ample, complex, extremely bitter. Peppery, spicey, pungent yet still clean. Complex, strong herbal and earthy hops. Sweetness is balanced by the bitterness with candied fruit and tart citrus custard. Grand Mariner like.
F: Thick, brandy body with low carbonation. Sharp & crisp for the degree of sugar.
Overall:Warms up quickly and burns. The alcohol is prominent as are the pungent, bitter hops.
As A bros wrote:
"This beer is insane. No, absolutely insane! dropped bombs on our palates, fight fire with fire! Aim and launch it at some really spicy"

Luponic Distortion: Rev 002 | Firestone
4.03/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Wegmans now has the best selection / price for singles: $10.99 / 6 from scores of craft brands.
A) Pours an effervescent straw with 1finger of meringe head. Average head retention & lacing.
S) Southern hemisphere as in Aussie IPAs. English ale, mango & breadiness. Too faint to be a monster.
T) Follows mango sandwich nose, and adds grapefruit, pineapple, & pine up front. Breadiness, mango prevails, wit some grassy, floral, bright notes that match its hue. Finishes dry, crisp & limey! A NZ hop. Just missing Kiwi.
MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, nice balance, good feel. Summer afternoon beer.
An essential bright IPA, drinkable and delightful but not over-powered. Try 6.

 

Great post. Watch out, NBS is addictive!

 

Here's another: Foothills Polaris Pilsner Hop of the Month (5.3%) pours with a slight haze of bright yellow/gold with a very active bead. The frothy white cap is lovely and makes a great presentation, showing perfectly against the brightness of the beer. Polaris has a dry cracker and fresh malt nose, with some spice/herbal business moving upwards as the beer is sipped. The cracker, malt and herbal notes follow in the taste, with a slight mintiness lingering about. A nice rich take on a German Pils, Very dry and crisp, a natural for really spicy food, Polaris would be a regular around my house is sold every day. There is also a resiny, oily mouthfeel that is driven away with dry crispiness. I really like this beer! Try one.

Here's the winner of the 60s Carnival, a fresh shot Buffalo eating wonder. Ted Nugent. Who knew?

 

Yes. A very thick green bottle kept in the back of my reefer where the only light was whatever filtered in when the door was opened.

 

Great review. Thanks for sharing! I haven't had Three Philosophers for over a year and now I want to go out and buy some!

 

Since I'm vacationing in Michigan, I figured I would offer up and Alaskan NB. Makes sense, right?



Looks just dandy, with its hazy golden appearance and adequate foamy head. Lacing looks on spot enough to get my admiration.

Nose is fairly mundane for an IPA. I've got some almost berry-like bitterness, little else.

Taste is fine. Little piney, slightly sweet with some caramel malts.

Finish is pretty wet, yet not a ton of aftertaste.

It's ok. Nothing to stop the presses over.

 

Alright, I'm back with a hefty beer that I was inspired to open and imbibe by our very own @Greywulfken. He mentioned it at the end of his very nice review of Xolotl, another barrel-aged flavored stout by Avery Brewing. I knew I'd need something to snack on with this brew, so I put together a plate of different kinds of cheddar that I have in my fridge drawer. I'm a bit of a fledgling cheese-nerd in addition to being a Beer Advocate, apparently.



Avery Callipygian Barrel-Aged Stout

The only thing I really know about this is that the name is basically a fancy way of saying "nice butt" and that the banter on the side of the bottle is absolutely classic ("She was twerking well before the word was in our vernacular" ). Oh, I also know that It's bourbon barrel aged and contains coffee, cocoa and vanilla beans. Clocking in at a brutal 17.4%, this will most likely be a beer that carries my Sunday buzz for several hours... and I'm totally fine with that!

Before we begin, here's visual evidence of my snack, for all the other cheese-nerds out there (cheddar ftw!):


(from top, going clockwise: State of Maine Cheese Co. Katahdin Sharp Cheddar, Cabot Clothbound Cheddar, Red Dragon Mustard & Ale Cheddar, Trader Joe's 18 Month NY Cheddar)

Now for the review proper. Not gonna lie, guys... I'm intimidated by this one. Usually I share my 12 oz Avery fuck-yourself stouts with at least one other person when I'm feeling generous, but I'm hoarding this one to myself. Pours a deep brown/black color with some surprising clarity throughout. Sporting a thin yet long-lasting cap of off-khaki foam and with a rather clear surface, Callipygian seems unassuming enough despite its intense strength. I've seen some much more evil looking stouts recently (Evil Twin's Even More Jesus and Stillwater/Casita Cerveceria's On Fleek come to mind), but it's certainly no slouch.

The nose tells me I'm in for some fun. I can definitely pick up vanilla and the bourbon barrels along with some fudgy chocolate. The coffee is buried a little bit and seems like a slightly more subtle roast than expected, but it's there to some extent, especially when newly-poured and still cold. I've been slowly allowing this monstrous brew to acclimate to a cellar-like temperature before digging in, so those notes are fading characteristically, I suppose.

Well, first sip is devastatingly flavorful and over-the-top, which makes sense. Intensely smooth and deeply sweet with the vanilla coming across most obviously on the palate, followed by oaky bourbon notes and some slight dark fruit. Ever-so-slightly smoky as well, then there's some dusty Belgian chocolate and a bit of roasty coffee mingling with charred barley and barrel flavors rounding out the finish. Oh boy. I'm in for a brutal ride here, I can tell. This is surprisingly not too hot though, which is both great for drinkability and bad for pacing myself. Just gotta take it a micro-sip at a time! Feel is nice and smooth, round and full-bodied but not cloying. It's sweet and hefty but a little less insane than I thought. That said, this is no wimpy beer. I agree with the label, when all's said and done... I love big stouts and I cannot lie!



Jamming this one on repeat. Funky retro-future-wave 80s-style slabs of groove and chill. Love it! Perfect album title to pair with a big, bold stout as well! It's destiny, I'm convinced.

 

Howdy NBS folks! There have been some great posts so far today. Most of the early ones are simultaneously wonderful and torture for me. They are nice to read while having coffee first thing, but they always get me thirsty. Well I put it off long enough. Time for a new beer.

It is finally cooling off here in Montreal after being brutally hot and humid since I got back from my mini-beercation last week. Hopefully it is the end of the really bad days, but I know that now that I have put forth that thought I will be back here next week griping about the heat.

My new beer today is a new beer for me from a brewery that I have yet to have a bad beer from. Also it is in a new format and is pretty new itself.



During my recent venture into New England I got to visit a few great breweries drink great beer and generally bask in wonderfulness everyday. I got to learn a lot about the area and enjoy some outstanding beers thanks to my impeccable tour guide. It seems silly but the coolest thing for me (besides the beer and food) is the age of everything. Being from out west, the idea that every little insignificant town is close to the age of the country, if not older, is really neat. I hope to do it again.



I picked up this beer at the Canton facility. It was an adventure but worth it. I am anxious to try it out.

I'm glad they are starting to put their beers in cans, but I will miss the bottles (strangely, for the same reason: smaller quantities to drink at a time).

This beer looks like Mountain Dew with creamer in it. In fact this is the first "NE IPA" that I have had where I get what people say when they say they don't like how they look. There is no head after 5 or so seconds and what head there is is weird and looks kind of like saliva. Luckily it makes up for this by smelling like some potheads blew up a lemon candy factory. Loads of juicy citrus and a slight dank background. The flavor is more bitter than I was expecting and a little less busy than I expected. It is fairly drinkable and fairly good overall. That said, it is probably my least favorite of the Trillium beers that I have been lucky enough to try. I'd have it again, no doubt about it, but if given the option I'd choose one of their other DDH creations.

It's good to the last drop, regardless.



Well, I should get back to doing some things to prep for the week. Hope you guys' weekends are/were great

Cheers!

Here is my review for those who are curious.

 

Happy Birthday, youngster!

I wish a $30 beer was a higher number than my age...Then again, when I was that age the beer scene was much more lacking where I live, so I take it back.

 

I had no idea that they canned DDH Scaled. WTF? Need immediately.

 

I just recently tried a cheese with mustard seeds for the first time and loved it. It pairs really well with a variety of beers from what I have tried so far. I'll have to go have some now that I'm thinking about it.

haha. Perfect way of describing them.

 

Nashville just hosted the Southern Brewers Conference, and while I didn't attend (it was for pro brewers and I'm definitely an amateur), I did benefit from the conference by picking up a collaboration brew in honor of the SBC, led by Mantra Artisan Ales. Not sure how much they made, but they canned it and it has been generating a bit of buzz on the local beer geek sites. I was excited to snag a 4-pack of this to see for myself; it's called Big Juicy Dank IPA. How could you NOT buy a beer with a name like that?

look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This beer certainly delivered. It poured a moderately hazy golden/light amber color with a frothy white head. The foam stayed for a while before settling into a nice thin cap. The aroma was there but not overpowering, but this may be because it's in a big-ass snifter. Orange, pineapple, and mango dominated the nose, with some subtle herbal/dank notes and some dough. The taste was definitely as billed. Huge fruity flavor up front resembling tangerines and Mandarin oranges. Flavors then shifted to highlight blueberries, pine, and resin. The bitterness was firm but not extreme, building through the swallow, and leaving me with a lingering pleasant dank aftertaste. Medium-bodied with a crisp mouthfeel. They call this a "Southern juice-bomb" and I couldn't agree more. I really hope they do this one again. Cheers!

 

Hello NBSers! I hope your Sunday is going well.

A great, productive Sunday here. Relaxed this morning with my wife, enjoying a nice brunch at Lou Mitchell's. Then caught up on some work email and got in a workout. A few chores later, and now, I'm ready to enjoy a brew.

Was excited to pick up Sierra Nevada's Oktoberfest collaboration with Mahrs Bräu after enjoying last year's version so much.



Golden in color, impeccable clarity. One finger of bright white head with excellent retention. The aroma is very clean. Sweet malt, bready, doughy. The hop character is herbal and earthy. For taste, the malt is richer and the bready/doughiness remains. Hop character is a bit more subdued, I still get a hint of the herbal hops. Mouthfeel is excellent, medium body, low-moderate carbonation, and a smooth, creamy feel. Excellent version of the style.

Going to enjoy this and watch some Olympics tonight. Have a great week BAs!

 

Hi NBS boys and girls! I'm arriving late to this most honorable and esteemed gathering at the virtual bar.

I spent most of the day unwounding myself from self inflicted wounds delivered by some multiple Quad attacks and rich pizza action last night. I might be getting too old for this shit?

Decided to pull out this local one called The Java Man Cometh ~ American style stout with coffee added ~ from The Dayton Beer Company.



Since I was already feeling a little cranky, I was prepared to pick on this beer, AND to avoid any allegations of homerism, tell you the sad truth that it utterly fails. BUT NO! No it does not fail!

Check out the ingredients:



That is a perfect description and this beer delivers what it promises. Java Man has a lovely smooth mouthfeel. Yeah, the Java Man Cometh and it feels good in my mouth. A hint of the Highlander Grogg is in there and it is damn tasty. I like it!

I would be interested to try a side by side with Samuel Smith's Organic Chocolate Stout because this one right "there"! Right there! Yes! Nice job Dayton Beer Company.

In fact I could drink several more of these...uh...wait, well maybe not today.

 

I’m back, after a walk to a grocery store for an emergency dinner ingredient purchase. I was initially thinking about hitting one of the big bottles of Stout (one, a BA RIS, the other an oyster stout) sent me by @beertunes as part of a box of Whatcom County goodness, but after experiencing the humidity that has come along with the rain, thunder and lightning that has happened since my last post, I’m going with a likewise-acquired Saison that, according to @beertunes, is an exceedingly rare find in bottles. Apparently, there was only one bottling run, in low numbers, and this particular bottle was one of very few that was held back by the brewery to see how it aged.


Thanks to my non-photo friendly lighting, the pic doesn't really do this beer justice. Months spent in the bottle seem to have had no effect on this beer's looks. Although there’s a beer listed as “Saison” listed on Structures’ BA page, I’m not sure this (titled "State St. Saison") is the same beer, so I’ll just put my review right here:

Big, wine bottle-sized (750mL?; the label actually doesn’t say, which might be technically illegal <cue Judas Priest’s “Breaking The Law”>) bottle received as part of a box of Whatcom County goodness courtesy of beertunes. My first from Structures. Apparently, this is über rare in bottled form. The way beertunes tells it, the stars had to sort of align for him to have found this bottle at all. I can’t remember the details he went into back when I first heard mention of this (during the last NBS BIF), but I think there were only 150 bottles of this released, and they were released last fall or winter. If it turns out I’m thinking of something else, I’ll modify accordingly.

Poured into a Selkirk Abbey glass, this was a color that looked a hazy shade of honey until held up to light, when things became much more golden-hued. Lots of tiny bubbles could be seen arcing skyward. There was a big, pillowy, white head that took quite some time working it’s way down, and left lots of lace on the sides of the glass.

Lightly fruity and spicy in the nose. Slightly sweet, honeyish fruit esters and bits of coriander and pepper greeted the workers at my olfactory.

Classic saison flavor, just a tad bit restrained, no doubt due to the relative age of the bottle. Crisp, fruity, spicy, and finishing on a dry, slightly bitter note.

Fairly light bodied, with a light, slightly effervescent and crisp mouthfeel.

For a beer that’s been in it’s bottle for many months now, it’s held up pretty well, but I can’t help think things might be a little bit brighter if it were newer. Still, I’ve had much fresher examples of Saisons that were more lacking in both flavor and feel depts., so I feel pretty glad to have been able to have had a bottle of this. Whenever I get myself up to Bellingham again, I think a stop at Structures is in order.

Not sure if I’ll be back with another one today or not. I’ll be missing the next couple Sunday’s: Next week I’ll be doing some camping and maybe a little kayaking on Lake Roosevelt, and the week after that I’ll be visiting the parentals while #1 niece stays with them for a week, so I’ll be getting my goofy uncle act on.

 

Time for another new brew, boy this is a doozy...

Had a great time when I last visited in Austin, and this one sure will be a mish mash.

Oatmeal stout with smoked malt and farmhouse yeast... oh boy...

18th Street Brewery / Jester King Multifarious | Jester King Brewery


Jester King Brewery / 18th Street Brewery - Multiarious by imbibehour, on Flickr

Poured from the bottle into a nonic pint glass. Batch #1 January 5th 2016.

Rich and thick bubblebath lathering head out of the bottle. This thing is practically exploding but a good controlled pour keeps it under wraps. Light tan, a good swiss cheese bubbled retention, and a fist full of light espresso tan head, that settles with great popping, and faint lacing. Body color is simple walnut brown, nearly black and quite opaque.

Varied and fun aroma. Smoked whiffs of malt primarily, and sticking to light porter sensing roast character. Nice dominant smoke and a touch of chocolate, but much farmhouse sensing flavors are pretty much buried.

Palate gives up the basics. A bit of touching peppery yeast that makes for a tingly slightly mouthfeel. A hint of saison herbality and farmhouse flavors slightly attach themselves to a classic style. Mid palate has nice smoke and roast character, forgoing creamy classic consistency or mineral and mild sensing funk tones and lighter body. Smoke quality doesn't get quite into big richness, but is a solid angle and accent to the brew.

You are basically dealing with an accented smoked like porter with some house funk on top. Strangely it all works out in the end, in a straightforward manner.

look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

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Off and running... Cheers again

 

I was in NYC this past week for work, and managed to try several new beers and even bring a few back home.

Today's NBS selection is I Hate Myself from Three's Brewing in Brooklyn. I had a chance to visit the taproom at Three's and enjoyed the vibe and the staff was friendly and helpful. On to the beer...

Very pale yellow with a slight haze. Aromas and flavors are a mix of citrus and pine with pineapple, mango, and peach most prominent. Solid IPA, and it looks like I need to keep these guys on my radar.



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/37460/167536/?ba=richj1970#review