New Beer Sunday (week 625)

New Beer Sunday: A Brewery's Birthday IPA

Mornin' NBSers, with special greetings to all you independent IPA fans and a special "Thanks" to @smakawhat for filling in and getting things up and started this morning.

The weather here is continuing its weird behavior. Having bounced back from sunny sub zero temperatures late last week after the snow, today we're looking at low 40s and cloudy, with a possibility of showers.

Reporting on a new beer a bit early this week since by "popular demand" I'm doing a repeat on the Huevos Rancheros breakfast we had a couple of weeks ago. So I'm again taking some time during this food preparation to do a new beer, since once again I'm doing this from scratch. So between getting the salsa and refried beans ready and starting to cook the eggs and prepping the dish for serving, there's some time for having a new beer while waiting. Got to give those salsa ingredients and their flavors a chance to get a wee bit better integrated.()

So the current new beer is the 21st Birthday beer from Victory brewing, which is local here in SE PA and which has at least 3 different sites where you can take the family to share a good meal, some fresh beer, and a good time with friends.

As usual my review, almost finished, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/345/263291/?ba=drtth#review

This bottled beer is a solid IPA with lots of complexity in the aromas and flavors. There’s grapefruit, pine resin, a bit of floral and just a slight bit of cattiness, which is enough to be noticeable but not so much as to be unpleasant. The bitterness is also definitely there in this beer but it is kept in check by some malt sweetness. I'd say this beer is well worth a try if you find it. (However, on a personal note, I’d have preferred to see something like another Altbier as the birthday beer from Victory rather than another IPA.)

Cheers, all!

 

Getting an early start on Spring . . .



Score 4.02
look: 3.75 | aroma: 3.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Beautiful rose red gold color with solid cap and good lacing.

Rather mild malt aroma with a hint of floral, citrusy hops.

Solid lager flavor being both rich and crisp at the same time. Malt is full without being sweet and the hops, while apparent from the beginning, don't really come into play until the finish and really shine in the aftertaste.

Full rounded body that feels more than medium.

On first taste I immediately thought Alt or perhaps Dortmunder. My take anyway the value of which combined with some out of pocket expense would buy a cup of coffee. I like the way they managed to balance a fullness with crispness, quite a high wire act. The hops (don't know what they are) seem to bring a New World take to an Old World style. It doesn't stray far to call this a modern update on a time honored classic. As a Helles fan myself I believe this is good grog.

 

Poured near room temperature Vintage 2016. Pours a dark mahogany with a 1 inch head that settles at near record speed into a this ring of off white bubbles.3.5

Smell is turpentine, yeasty biscuit, dark cherry extract, plum, and a little hint of bourbon and alcohol. 2.75

Taste follows turpentine, sour cherries, plum, some biscuit, sour apple hard candy, and alcohol. 2.75

Mouthfeel is as thin as can be, hardly any life, wouldn't say it is dry, and it is flat and bordering on a drain pour. 2.25

Overall if you read the ingredients that they brewed in this beer, the only thing I get is a little Alcohol vapors from the barrel. I am going over to check the reviews, but I feel confident this is a tainted bottle. Thanks @jzeilinger for the effort, but something is very wrong about this bottle.2.25

 

Winter of Pilsners (Continued)

Today I have another installment for my series of Winter Pilsners: Lynnwood Czech Yourself Pilsner.

I was gifted this beer by a good friend over the holiday season. I have never heard of Lynnwood Brewery so I am very excited to try this beer.

I did some research on this brewery and I thought others might be interested in knowing about it too:

“Our History & Local Community Involvement

Established in 2004, Lynnwood Grill expanded in 2006, moved to a new building in 2011 and added Lynnwood Brewing Concern in 2013. This progression could not have happened without the support of our local community and loyal customers, which is why we strongly believe in giving back to the people of the Northwest Raleigh area through sponsorship of local teams, fundraisers, tournaments and more.”

So, these folks seem to part of the community - drink local movement which I think is cool!

On the can it states:

“An easy drinking dry, clean lager in the German tradition with a Pilsner Malt character, spicy noble hop aroma, slightly sweet and grainy, and a moderate bitterness lasting to the finish. Enjoy.

ABV 5%

IBU 27”

So the front label lists “Czech” in the beer’s brand name but details “German” in the back label description. Maybe we should just ‘split the difference’ and call it a Bohemian Pilsner since German was spoken in Bohemia in the past?

Served in a Firestone Walker Pivo Pils glass

Appearance:

Light straw colored with a fluffy white head.

Aroma:

There is prominent Pilsner Malt on the nose. That’s pretty much it.

Taste:

Pilsner Malt favor accompanied by a bit of spicy/herbal hop flavor. The hop flavors become more noticeable as he beer opens up. There is a firm bitterness here.

Mouthfeel:

Nicely carbonated, medium body with a dry finish.

Overall:

I think this beer is very good! It was an enjoyable beer to drink and the combination of Pilsner Malt flavor and hop provided flavors go really well together. This is a high quality Bohemian Pilsner!!

I have one other new Pilsner in my existing inventory. Stay tuned!!



@RobH @rotsaruch @nc41 @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @champ103

Maybe if I owned a nice hat these gentlemen would have let me be part of their video review?

 

Good 7:15am NBSers!!! Here is the link you've all been waiting for, sign-up thread for NBS BIF #5!!! https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/nbs-bif-5-sign-up-thread.489857/

This one doesn't yet have a name, but I seem to remember a couple nominees mentioned in the last one. IIRC, @2beerdogs had one of the suggestions, feel free to mention what you think on the signup thread.

 

Tom, me too!

I thought their Ten year Alt was OUTSTANDING!

Cheers!

 

I decided to do a quick revisit of a beer after one week, after seeing @drtth's review of the beer this week. I read his review and we seem in sync with many things - including both of us having it with a positive rDev (I seemed to like the feel more to kick mine even higher... what do I win?). Note: I am letting a big stout warm a little, so there is another purpose to this breach of conduct.

Comparing notes, today's pour had many similar aspects to what both I noted in my review last week and @drtth mentioned in his review today. I think that light cattiness stuck more to the nose today, and there was a more vegetal to herbal grassiness than cattiness in the taste. The feel also went from a "little spritzy" to a more numbing carbonation attack - though I am willing to allow as the environmental issue of my tongue still waking up this week vs my having Victory 21st Birthday in the afternoon last week. Still, I lowered that feel down one notch from last week.

----

Onto the now warmed "big stout" (trumpets blare):


I have always enjoyed regular Big Bad Baptist as it seemed to do a good job of balancing the base stout, the coffee additions, and the barrel aspects. Another beer I think does this fairly well is Blue Mountain's Dark Hollow. But every once in a while I do want the barrel to show a bit more. Will this Double Barrel Big Bad Baptist fit the bill?

The bottle mentions adding green Ethiopian coffee beans aged in whiskey barrels (not 100% sure how that works - is liquid somehow involved??) and selecting the "best Baptist casks" - this double barrel action is what defines the beer's moniker. Funny thing is it says to save a bottle for next year to do a side-by-side; I guess this is an indication is they will be releasing it again next year? It's also yet another beer to add where the brewer is encouraging aging (DFH has done it with their big beers, Deschutes has "enjoy after" on some of there big beers, etc).

Ok, the review:


Pop the top and there is a whiff of coconutty bourbon that wafts by my nose and disappears. I tip and pour easily into the glass at first, allowing the thicker-looking dark brown liquid slide down the bowl. Midway through, I move the stream into the middle of the glass to try to achieve a little froth.

It worked, but the head never got too tall. But it is a persistent little guy, as there is still a foamy to creamy cap atop my beer before I dive into it. That nose I got upon opening comes back as my nose breaches the rim of the glass. It's a little less coconut and a little more coffee (but not very roasty - maybe the effect of the coffee being "green?"). But more than either of those is a creamy chocolate note, spiked with a splash of whiskey.

Time to throw in a tip of the wrist and allow this elixir to grace my tongue. Familiar notes meet my palate at the door - chocolate, coffee, light whiskey. As this stranger is invited into the palate, the whiskey starts to talk a little more, and my palate starts to get a little heated. To diffuse the situation, creaminess with a little assist from vanilla help to diffuse the situation before it becomes a full blown argument and ruins the day.

As the meeting continues over 11oz, I begin to wonder if that green coffee might have been whispering in whiskey's ear earlier. There is an occasional little berry tang barb that is lobbed into the conversation from under the speaker's breath. By the middle of the discussion, the conversation has warmed enough that each voice is heard and taken in context. Smooth flowing and full of rich content, feelings are high by the end of the glass.

Ok, so I ended up giving this .02 higher overall than regular BBB. I had the smell a notch lower, but the feel considerably higher. I think the nose is a little more sweet with an alcohol note at the cost of roastiness. I'd need to revisit BBB (which I have a couple of) to see why I had the feel lower, though I can say the creamy feel of this beer had me almost at a 5. Rating is here, with a "more technical" review in the works - a la @drtth. Cheers, my friend, and all NBSers!!

 

Good Morning New Beer Sunday
Feldschloesschen Urbock packaged in a 500mL can & purchased at Aldi for 5.99/4pk



Dark color in the glass, but shows a red color when held to light. Not a lot of aroma but it's only been out of the fridge for 30 minutes. The taste is malt but not overly sweet as these can be. There is a hint of smoke or nutty taste in this as well. Overall, I enjoy this for what it is. An imported 7% Urbock for $1.50 a pint. Drink well

 

Good morning New BSers! I won't be joining yinz this week because last night I got hit in the head with either a 4x4 or a rhinovirus - either way my sinuses are throbbing, I can't smell, and my taste, such as it was, is gone. Rather than waste potentially good new beer, I think I'll go pick up a couple of cases of Bud lite to keep hydrated. Have fun and I'll just lurk in the background. Prosit!

 

I find myself always trying such less-represented beers at local breweries when they offer them. I don't have a lot of experience with some of these styles, including the Altbier, but I keep trying. Ocelot (touted for West Coast IPAs, though it won gold for its German Pilsner (Kellerbier) this past GABF) and Mad Fox (a more traditional brewer who also has a few medals under their belt including Kolsch and Maibock) are two places around me where I have grabbed an Altbier since the calendar turned.

What would you and @drtth (and anyone else) indicate are key aspects to the style, as the BA style guideline is sorta sparse. I did look up the BJCP for this post, and might ask beyond it what differentiates it from other styles that I would consider to be fairly similar, given my experience - like English ESBs (realizing at least there is a lager vs ale difference in processing)?

 

A new and unique beer is Southern Tier's 2X Oak'd IPA, a double IPA. The bottle pour is clear, deep orange-amber with a 1.5 cm foam cap. There are oak, a bit of orange and some spruce-hop in the nose. The flavor has been a pleasant surprise. A rich malt base supports a hoppy tingle, with a soft oak presence and a hint of cherry and perhaps the maple sugar too. The finish is crisp and clean. I have enjoyed a couple of these this week (and one presently too).

 

Happy New Odds & Sods Beer Sunday (Week 625)!

One of the upsides to the eradication of the Bottle Backlog here at Chez Woody has been my opportunity to create horizontals of either a particular brewery's beers or of a style. In the interim, beers have become available that merit inclusion, but do not fit into anything that I have either on-deck or in abeyance.

My first of the day is from a PA brewer, which is kind of fitting since I am a lifelong resident.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/754/39695/?ba=woodychandler#review


Fortunately, I am not being directed to cease & desist, so I will return later in the day to report on my endeavors.

 

Altbier doesn't seem to be a very popular or well distributed style (which is very unfortunate). Having said that, the best German representation in my opinion, that does seem pretty available is Pinkus. A few local breweries around here have dabbled at the style, and I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised at Noble's (who is predominantly known for their IPA's) ability to capture the style quite well. Prost!

EDIT: I should mention that next time you are in Portland, OR, Occidental is a brewery that does a fine job at traditional old world brewing, and their Altbier is wonderful, and pretty easy to find there.

 

As did I when I first had it at Parkesburg, which was last year when they rebrewed it to serve on tap to celebrate 20 years.

 

Is it common for Aldi to have beer offerings like that (i.e. 4packs of 500mL imported German beers for 5.99?) I've never been to Aldi in the U.S. but that's awesome if they're offering stuff like that normally and not just as an occasional special. Cheers!

 

I can't really chime in with much more than the descriptions you've already found since I've only been able to find a few examples and have never been to Dusseldorf. However, I do have a reasonable amount of confidence, based on the other German styles Victory has done (and the brewing experience background of the founders), that the brewing that both you and I reviewed was in the ballpark.

Edit: I don't really worry too much about similarity to beers in other style categories since the boundaries between categories can often be very fuzzy. Especially when the taxonomy for something like beer "just growed" rather than having been developed to meet a consistent set of criteria intended to include all existing cases and allow extention to new instances.

 

This Sunday I am down to my last Fantome beer. From what I have had so far I would say they are one of my favorite breweries. Today I am drinking the Brise-BonBons! which according to the bottle is supposed to be a "very bitter beer that is dedicated to all the ball-breakers in the world".



The appearance is awesome. A light golden orange, hazy, with a bright, white head. As I have been drinking the beer it has left a nice lacing in the glass.

The aroma is a mix of sugary-sweetness, citrus fruits, vinegar, currant, spices, and the classic Fantome funk/yeast.

The mouth feel of the beer is quite thick and creamy. It has quite a complex taste, very similar to the smell. There is a decent amount of sweetness that is balanced out by the citrus fruit (mainly oranges) taste. Also the various spices and yeast work well together and there is a slight bitter after taste to the beer.

Overall this is my favorite Fantome beer that I've had and I really enjoy how different all of the beers from Fantome taste (while at the same time maintaining a similar theme/taste). Cheers to everyone and hopefully everyone enjoys their Sunday.

 

Love this thread, but the only way I can participate would be to pop the BA Ten Fidy.

 

As mentioned over in WBAYDN, a new beer for Sunday...

Stone's latest collab, a double IPA with Marble and Odell...

8.4% abv, with three "C" hops and three "M" hops...

Looks like a 1/5/17 bottling date...

I'm not sure what the "C" hops referenced are... Citra? Columbus? Centennial? Cascade? Chinook? I'm inclined to think Citra, Cascade, and Columbus, but I'm just guessing. The overall impression is citrusy and juicy for sure - the "M" hops are named, Motueka, Mosaic, and Mandarina Bavaria (which I'd never heard of before), but the elements are so seamlessly incorporated, complemented by the smooth wheaty feel and it's flavors, its hard to separate the brew into component parts. Great aromas, golden coloration, full head, ample lace... plush carbonation, soft on the tongue, with bright citrus going up the nose while gentle wheat caresses the palate. Everything about this brew was spot-on for me. And an 8.4% abv? Keep 'em coming - crazy drinkability...

I'm way over the rDev on this one - but I do love me some plush citrusy beers, so maybe you wanna tone down my scores a bit to adjust for your particular tastes... lol

That's all I got new today, but lemme throw a quick shout-out to my new beer yesterday...

Eclipse Imperial Stout aged in apple brandy barrels...

And my new beer from Friday...

Pipeworks Galaxy Unicorn DIPA...

Both beers were stellar...

Here's to new beer in your glass - cheers...