New Beer Sunday (week 610)

Good morning @cavedave and thank you for the great start! This week The Box of Hops Continues. I have their Dr. Zaic Dr. Zaic. It's a single hop IPA made with mosaic. If you go to Ithaca's website you will find a surprise concerning this hop. They say it gives the flavor of blueberry. I cannot say that I have tasted that flavor from any beer except for le blue that wasn't made by adding actual blueberries.

Pours a bright yellow and hazy with a soapy head of white foam. The beer is double dry hopped so I was not expecting clear. It is not opaque or murky looking. It has just a sweet haze about it.



Nose is very fruity. Succulent with mango and with the scent of blueberry. It also has a dynamic herbal that is slightly cool. The floral on this beer is brilliant and it smells like you are standing amidst flowers.

On the palate earthy and very authentic mango greet you with a softness from floral . It's "juicy" and there's that word with hops again. The blueberry is a light flavor and I think it's the double dry hopping that must have brought it out because although it is omnipresent it is not the most dominant taste. It's a berry like lightness overall. The herbal in this hop is extravagant. It has so many facets. Catty, pungent and a little dank but none of that steps out too far forward to dominate the beer. The bitterness is firm and lasts. Mouthfeel is perfection with a light body, a touch of bitterness and rather than resin or piney sticky stuff it finishes with a soft silky glide. There is a light lemon backing to the beer overall that makes your mouth water and gives the illusion of tartness on that mango. Because this beer did not wimp out on the bitterness at the end you hardly notice the creamy round malt or how well this pairs with food despite the exotic fruit flavors.

Lovely beer! Cheers everyone and Happy New Beer Sunday!

 

Newish to this thread, but got a fresh one I can't wait to share. Celebrate their entire lineup, and, while this one is hardly my favorite, I will drink their stouts all day.

 

Nothing quite like getting up Sunday morning and seeing that @cavedave and @utopiajane have been at it for quite some time! #NBS
I'll be back later with a New Beer (or two)

 

Thank you, @cavedave for the wonderful alliterative start to this week's New Beer Sunday. To answer your question, I think, consciously or not, the milieu comes into play. Am I out with friends? Home alone with Mrs Wiens? Reading? Watching TV? Am I happy? Pissed off? I think all these things can influence how I look at a beer.

It seems as though the past two weeks have been trying to make up for the moderate drought we've had. And today is cool and cloudy with only a small chance of rain. Right now Wednesday looks good for a round of golf. I'm hoping to play at least until mid-November.

I picked up 5 Beans at Spruce Creek Provisions yesterday. It is a pretty good beer.
In my Smuttlabs glass it is dark brown in color with some red. A fairly good-sized tan head that is on the sticky side.
The aroma is coffee and spice.
Taste improved on the aroma. Coffee certainly. Some chocolate. A hint of cinnamon and vanilla.
Medium-bodied. A good breakfast beer.

 

Poured into a 16 oz snifter bottled on 9/8/16, 11.3% ABV, and sent to me from @jzeilinger thanks brother. I poured it aggressively at near room temperature and it had a 2 inch dark brown head that settled at record speed into this, with know lace to speAK of 3.75.

Smell is cinnamon , peppers, roasted coffee grounds , vanilla , and some warming alcohol . 4

Taste follows cinnamon, cayenne pepper's, vanilla , expresso , dark chocolate , and a little alcohol burn in the slightly dry finish. 4.25

Mouthfeel is less than medium, very little carbonation, very dry, and for its heft pretty darn drinkable. 3.5

Overall this is very nice, wish it had a trace of lace, a larger body, and a little more carbonation, but still a solid large beer. 4

 

Good morning New BSers! Thank you, @cavedave, for your always alliterative alpha into the thread! In response to your query, yes. The physical characteristics of a beer certainly come into play, but how they meld into a cohesive oneness is important to my enjoyment of any brew. After our five senses are employed in analyzing (conscious or otherwise) the beer, the gestalt tells us if we like it or not. We look at the beer, smell the beer, taste the beer, feel the beer, and may ever hear the beer (usually I don't consciously notice the sound). Since I only have five senses, they are summed up in the "Overall" category or beer rating.

Today's New Beer Sunday is yet another from the massive porch-buster box dropped on me by that EXTREMELY generous BA @Josholson666. Thank Dog my porch is a hardened target or there would have been major damage - concrete is wonderful!



Bomber marked November 2015 at 42 degrees into a hand washed and dried JK snifter, allowed to warm to 50 – 60 degrees. Review other than “Head” is after warming
Aroma – starts with roasted malt and a little smoke, followed by a little whiskey as the head recedes, not particularly “bourbony”
Head large (Maximum 5.3 cm, aggressive pour), light brown, creamy with rocks, slowly diminishing to a five mm ring connected to a wide lacy ring of tiny bubbles and a creamy layer of varying thicknesses
Lacing excellent – wide continuous bands of tiny bubbles
Body – dark brown/black, opaque
Flavor – begins with a hit of whiskey followed by burning of the distal esophagus. After the burn dies down - roasted malt, some bitter chocolate. As it warms further (55 degrees), the bourbon presence is not as harsh, more of a glow rather than all out stellar fusion. Definitely let it warm and breathe a bit before consumption (Bad pun, not sorry!).
Palate – medium, creamy, lively carbonation

A decent bourbon barrel stout, but, to my taste (or lack thereof) nothing markedly out of the ordinary for this style of brew. It’s good but not overwhelming. Obviously, the winner of the gold in the GABF was a different version of this.

Appearance 4.5, Aroma 4, Flavor 4, Palate 4, Overall 4.25, Rating 4.08 Avg 4.29, rDev -4.9

I don't know how they judge at the GABF, but the smaller beer fests I have attended seem to do the majority of the judging before the fest opens to the general public so that the winners are quickly gone once the doors open, if they were ever available at all. In other words, this is a decent example of the style, but certainly isn't a gold standard.

Which brings me to another rant - gypsy brewers. But I'll save that for another time since the alcohol in this bomber is starting to effectmy typing skillls.

 

Well said Ozzy. I was pondering Dave's question too and I have decided that the times I do not rate to style are because the beer exceeded not failed to meet a style. Sometimes there are intangibles. Like the feeling of exuberance when you are drinking an exceptional beer. Notice how many times saison dupont is mentioned in threads. There is also a feeling like they must have been in love, else how did they get this? I have had beers evoke so many images concerning nature that it is trite to even try to say how many times we all have come to reverence or poetry concerning beer. That makes us funny to watch and beer has humor too. Has a beer ever made you smile, laugh, brought a little blush to your cheek because of the name. It's also quite like progress in so many ways. We hang around defiantly happy and greeting one another over our food and photos and every day we look forward to something more than ourselves.

 

Wet, Hoppy, Fresh and ‘Juicy’ – The Perfect Trifecta (plus one)!!

So today’s beer for NBS is the 2016 Lagunitas Born Yesterday Pale Ale Fresh Hop Unfiltered beer.

From the Lagunitas website:

“BORN YESTERDAY FRESH HOP PALE ALE IS HERE!

Quite possibly the freshest Fresh Hop ale you'll get your paws on—Born Yesterday. How? Our farmer friends in Yakima, WA harvested and rushed straight-to-our-breweries the freshest wet, un-kilned hops. Then a herculean effort involving the Lagunitas brewers commenced with a quickness … sorting and picking through the hops to ensure the freshest of the fresh. After all the lupulin glands are sufficiently tickled, the hops go into a proprietary Borning Process which allows us to take these whole-cone hops (not pellets or oils or other sorcery) and deliver their absolute essence and liquid likeness to you in bottles and kegs for an immaculate reception.”

On the label in small print it states: Mosaic, Amarillo, Equinox & other special varieties …”

My bottle has “Borned 10/17/16” and I am pretty sure this beer was brewed at the Chicago brewery.

I bought this 6-pack (and a second one) earlier this week so I have already had several of these beers already.

There has been many spirited BA threads on the topic of the so called “NE” style IPA. I am personally ambivalent on whether another beer style needs to be defined since we already have so many beer styles but in one of those threads I did take a crack at ‘defining’ this alleged new beer style (read below):

“Permit me to take a crack at itemizing the necessary attributes for a beer to be considered a so called “NE” style IPA:

Appearance: The first thing that most people discuss is the hazy/murky/turbid/opaque aspect of these beers. This sort of makes sense since the appearance of these beers certainly do ‘jump out’ to lots of folks including me. I will frankly admit that I personally find a clear(er) beer to be more aesthetically appealing but I am able to drink these murky beers without too much trouble. The concept here is that the brewers are not specifically shooting for a turbid beer but that this appearance is simply an artifact of the overall brewing process. So, what exactly is the reason for this opaque appearance? I have a simple, but incomplete, theory here: the haziness is caused by using certain English ale yeast strains along with very heavy late hoping (including dry hoping) using aroma hops that are high in essential oils. Maybe these beers are so turbid because of high levels of proteins and polyphenols (from the hops)?

Hop flavor profile: One distinguishing feature of “NE” style IPAs is that they are typically not very bitter compared to some West Coast style IPAs. I have had a number of West Coast style IPAs which feature large amounts of hop aroma/flavor; one example I can offer up is Pliny the Elder. It seems to me the so called “NE’ style IPAs have a differing attribute which lots of folks like to describe using the word “juicy”. IMO the term of “juicy” has challenges since it has a fair bit of ambiguity. For example, for my palate apple juice is quite different to my palate vs. orange juice. Unfortunately I personally do not have an alternative word here so I feel compelled at this point in time to stick with the verbiage of “juicy”. So, in summary a so called “NE” style IPA should have the attributes of moderate (lower) bitterness accompanied by a very prominent hop aroma/flavor with a “juicy” character.

Mouthfeel: Besides the attributes of hazy/murky/turbid/opaque I think this attribute may be the most unambiguous character of a so called “NE” style IPA. A so called “NE” style IPA should have a nice soft, velvety mouthfeel which is distinctly different from West Coast style IPAs. For example, Pliny the Elder does not have a soft/velvety mouthfeel.”

Wow, that is a lot of banter!! Time to drink.

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass”

Appearance:

Pours a hazy (opaque/turbid/murky) yellow with a BIG billowy white head.

Aroma:

Wow! There is a BIG & vibrant hop aroma here!! A complex combination of tropical fruit, citrus, and even some resin.

Taste:

The flavors follows the nose: a tasty combination of tropical fruit, citrus and some resin. This beer has a quality that some folks like to describe by the word ‘juicy’.

Mouthfeel:

It has a nice smooth mouthfeel with moderate carbonation.

Overall:

This beer is AWESOME!!

There has been some discussion on BA whether a larger craft brewery (Lagunitas is distributed to most states) could produce a so called “NE” style beer and make it available on a widely distributed basis. This might be a daunting task for an everyday beer (i.e., available year round) but IMO Lagunitas has accomplished this for this special release beer. Since this specific beer features fresh (wet) hops it can only be a once a year beer but perhaps a very similar beer could be developed using non-fresh hops and produced periodically (akin to a periodic schedule like Stone Enjoy By)?

Cheers to Lagunitas for crafting such an excellent beer!!

@KOP_Beer_OUtlet @telejunkie @sierranevadabill @DogTown @StoneGreg

 

I was elated to see CaveDave's announcement of the opening of this thread in my Facebook feed this morning as I sat down to watch the Bengals/Redskins game from London. No time like the present to get things started! Today, I will begin by following JackHorzempa's lead with some fresh-wet-hopped beers as they beg to be drank as early as possible. Following that, since tomorrow is Hallowe'en, I have nearly the entire (e)Erie BC oeuvre lined up and awaiting my reviews. That's pretty scary! I'll report back once I give up. Make like Los Alamos in the meantime and have a blast.

 

Jack we should put your banter in a book someday =)

 

Good morning, NBS! Fall is here, but the beauty of it has yet to hit our back yard. The temperature is at a nice level though. I'm going to jump in and agree with @lordofthewiens and say environment and mood can have some affect on the ratings that are given, and that's one reason I like to revisit beers, more specifically my reviews, from time to time. Getting nose at a bar/restaurant can sometimes be difficult, as an example.

I'll also say there are times I am just not in the mood for a certain style of beer (often times bitter IPAs). Is it palate fatigue? Maybe, but if I consciously have this aversion from time to time, do I ever have an unconscious aversion as well - and don't "know" to stay away from that IPA I am about to rate? I will say I rarely get drastically different characteristics when I revisit a review - though I do find that I adjust individual ratings on occasion (usually no more than .25 either direction).

For this AM's beer, I will also be joining @lordofthewiens in his choice. So we are up to five beans in Sixpoint's newest imperial porter, 5Beans. Black cardamom is the newest bean, to join cacao, coffee, and vanilla. None of the Beans series seem to indicate what the other bean is; vanilla added to make four, but even the three bean writeup is lacking:

It almost seems to me like they are indicating the barley is the "original bean" - but I am guessing here. Either way, I recall enjoying 4Beans more as it neared ambient room temperature, so I started with this one nearing cellar temperature. The been pours with an opaque blackness, even near the edges of the glass. The tan head is resilient, and provides nice lacing.


The nose has a little coffee up front, but the earthy spice note is quite prominent (the cardamom?). Cocoa to a light chocolate note sits in the background, but the vanilla seemed to escape me early. After a few sips and a good swirl, the scents melded a little more and the vanilla snuck out.

The flavor is no surprise given the secret the nose let out - unsweetened chocolate with a nice earthy spice note and a little bit of vanilla. Feel is familiar to me for Sixpoint's bold dark beers - thinner than other in the style. Carbonation is light and nicely in line with what I enjoy for the style.


I seem to recall the vanilla playing a decent role in 4Beans (though we know how memories are), leading to a sweeter impression. The boldness of that spice note seems to grab the spotlight in this one, perhaps continuing an intentional trend. I think I enjoyed 4Beans slightly better than this, but not by much.

 

Early morning Redskins game means earlier than usual NBS for me! Been absent the last few weeks due to various hockey commitments, so glad to check in now, as next few weeks will be dicey as well.

First up is an Iron Goat Head Butt IPA in a beautiful Iron Goat glass, both courtesy of@woemad .



Pours a hazy orange under a magnificent foamy head. Nose has orange up front, followed by some sweetness, and a "clean" sort of sensation in the back of the nose. I don't mean soapy, as I don't think it's a flaw thing, just a very nasal passage opening quality. Like what menthol does, just without the menthol smell.

Taste immediately brings that orange that the nose mentioned, which pretty quickly takes a bit more of a grapefruit direction. The sweetness plays in a little towards the middle but moves out of the way in time to allow for the lingering lemony and bitter finish that sets up an enduring lemony essence for a while after this light to medium bodied beer is long gone.

Maybe not the most heralded beer on earth, but that doesn't matter because I'm pretty smitten with it. Great no nonsense, straight up IPA.

 

You hit the nail on the head! I usually call it "togetherness" in reviews, but I might have to steal cohesive oneness, because it does a better job of summing up something so simple yet so hard to achieve/describe.

 

Maria, I will write my book after I read the book that @rgordon is writing. I need to learn how to add puns to my writing style!

Cheers!

 

New Baltic Porter Sunday







Wander Global Mutt

Happy Sunday, BAs. What a difference a couple months make.

In August my extremely generous MWK BIFfer @kemoarps reported that this Baltic Porter from Wander had a tad too much carbonation. Earlier reviews from our fearless @cavedave and @woemad didn't even mention carbonation issues. Flash forward to the morning of Cabbage Night / Devils Night / Halloween Eve, and carbonation issues are the defining characteristic of Global Mutt, despite a claim on the bottle that it's "certified to handle the journey."

This 750 ml bottle, with no visible dating, opened with a mighty pffft. The first pour, as you can see, was entirely head. The head is a pretty tan color with an airy sea-foam consistency that leaves perfectly webbed lacing, but it's still off-putting to get a pour like that. What seemed like decades later, some near-black liquid also appeared.

Sniffing what was left in the bottle, I got bitter baker's cocoa, earthy coffee, dark roasted porter malts, a rich chocolate ganache and a touch of cherry. Quite lovely and well balanced in that regard. Unfortunately, that's not what's in my glass.

Even after waiting five minutes, topping off the teku, giving it another fifteen minutes and decanting that into a second glass, the main thing I get in the aroma is carbonation. There's some chocolate and roasted malt buried behind it.

The taste is similar. Some chocolate, roasted malt and a hint of coffee in an ocean of carbon dioxide.

What's shocking is that the mouthfeel is not ridiculously over-carbonated. It's medium bodied, and has a soft, slick, creamy feel to it, that's, yes, a bit over carbonated, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting.

If they figure out how to correct the massive carbonation flaw, I'm sure this would be quite tasty. That whiff from the bottle suggested an amazing porter. Ah well, better luck next times.

Thanks to @kemoarps for the opportunity and to @cavedave for kicking us off today. Go Eagles.

 

The last bean is the roman bean, added as an adjunct. It provides some starch, but more importantly adds proteins for body. They are a key ingredient in many Baltic Porters- especially the much beloved Perkuno's Hammer.

 

Ha! Cool. My guess seemed outrageous, and now reviewing the 4Beans writeup, I am not sure how I missed it. Definitely poor research on my part

 

Hi BAs!
Happy NBS, pre-Halloween, Diwali, World Series and can't forget the damn election!
In that order.
I'm trying Brouwerij Kees Export Porter 1750 from Netherlands. Now they ain't the Belgians but I think they make a good beer or two.
Great start by @cavedave and "egging" us onto intellectual conversations.
He's the Billy Bush of this beer bus (my pardons to all his fans)
I have been sitting on this for a while now. Finally decided that today seems like a good day to open it. Here goes my thoughts. Just words, I'm done with forming sentences
Pitch black, oily, roasty malts and bittersweet chocolate on nose, same on palate with some hop bitterness, mild acidity and mouth coating feel.
A big boy stout but a misnomer, lingering light charred maltiness.
Cheers folks!