New Beer Sunday (Week 635)

Good afternoon everyone, thanks to @cjgiant for getting us started. Today one of the new beers I wanted to share a friend picked up yesterday from Salud Beer Shop in Charlotte, NC. It is Fonta Flora Year of the Wood Goat, a Farmhouse Ale brewed with turmeric, Charleston gold rice, and miso. It clocks in at 5.6% and was poured from a crowler. There was only one review for the beer and it was not promising so I cracked it opened and gave it a whirl. I think it was a well done beer that hit what they were trying to achieve but the aroma was just not pleasant and was the only detractor for me. The flavor was good with a hint of Asian spices but overall it just did not blow me away. It was a very unique beer I am glad I got to try.

Appearance 3.75 - Pours slightly cloudy bright golden color with light bubbly white head. No lacing.

Aroma 3 - The aroma is very odd it has a very light funkiness to it but also a tart vinegar smell as well. There is definitely an Asian air about it from the turmeric and miso. The smell almost reminds me of a pickled vegetable smell.

Taste 4 - Up front there is a very funky wild ale flavor and bite, luckily none of the pickled aroma makes it into the taste. The taste is actually pretty good mostly getting some of the rice, a bit of saltiness and a little floral flavor as well.

Feel 3.75 - Light side of medium I would say light but it leaves almost a slick feel in your mouth. The carbonation is well done.

Overall 3.67 - Other than the smell this is a pretty good beer, I think the ingredients they added gave it a slight Asian feel but it mostly is just a good Saison.

 

My pleasure. Glad you got to try it. A year or so ago, I'd never even seen a bottle of it in person. This year, a shop held a bottle for me. Then I got to try it on tap, so I figured someone else's taste buds could benefit from that brew. The balance is just absolutely insane considering what all is going on in that beer.

Cheers!

 

I'm really sorry to hear about your dog, and hope you wife is okay. Those are two difficult things to deal with.

 

Cheers you all Happy Two Beer Sunday!

This is Field 2 Farmhouse Ale from Third Rail Beer.

Pours deeply yellow with just enough haze to capture the light and keep it inside the beer to glow sweetly. Just two fingers of somewhat soapy foam that fell quickly but not completely. Nose is lemon and herbs. A bit of sweet sugar and spice. Hop pepper and some sweaty funk. It's earthy and it even smells a bit sour. Taste is excellent. Perfect balance shows me sweet green herbs, pepper and spice. Lemon and a bit of juicy orange. Malt is crackery and firm. Finishes with a softer than champagne style bubble and a bit of sweetness. Bitterness tries to chase it away but it can't quite.

Cheers everyone and Happy New Beer Sunday!

 

I visited Burial this past summer and liked their Other Half collaboration, Prismatic Eye. We have to try stuff as brewers and as drinkers.

 

I don't get this in my state, but picked some up over the weekend on a road trip.
I actually think it's a solid beer. The aroma is a graininess, mostly corn that we all know from our cheap beer drinking days. The flavor really is simple, all I get is a sweet breadiness with corn and then a slightly dry finish. There are no off flavors and it's super refreshing, which is all I ask in this type of beer.

 

I'm really sorry to hear your news. Lots of sad news concerning BA dogs recently. I hope it doesn't continue.

 

Happy NBS! We're off to a great start thanks to @cjgiant. My first new beer this afternoon is Rushing Ducks' Divided by Zero hopped with El Dorado, Azacca, and Idaho 7. Canned on 4/3/2017 and purchased at the brewery yesterday. Despite the heavy hop bill, it's only 60 IBUs and features a nice does of pineapple. This is a nice change of pace IPA. I hope it's available in the summer. Here's my review:

4.04/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Canned on 4/3/2017. Poured into Rushing Duck Belgian glass. It pours a turbid golden straw with a foamy, bright white head and lacing that clung to the glass throughout the entire pour. The primary smells are lemon, grass, yeast, and a whiff of sweet malt. The first thing I taste is pineapple and lemon peel. There's a subtle fruity sweetness, then lots of hops but not terribly bitter. There is also a touch of pepper and spice at the finish. This ale features lively carbonation and a moderate ABV of 6.8% which allows for easy drinking. Overall, while this variant of DBZ is heavily hopped, it is only 60 IBUs and doesn't bite nearly as hard as War Elephant or War Daddy. It's very easy to drink and would be really good on a hot day. It's a nice change of pace IPA for Rushing Duck.

I hope everyone's enjoying their new beer today. I'm enjoying your reviews!

 

Good afternoon, and happy New Barista Sunday! First off, let be honest and apologize that I am posting this before reading anybody else's contributions other than our gracious host @cjgiant 's opening statement, due to time constraints, but promise to read them all as usual . Well, the Lingenbrau family got home from a nice family reunion/celebration from the Central Coast this past Monday. I still love it up there. Maybe more than anywhere else, and hope to still try and call it home someday. Then...Work. Baby. Kiddo. Beer. Repeat, for the remainder of the week. But then on Friday afternoon, something magical happened. Two boxes of liquid heaven showed up on my front doorstep from some awesome and generous BA's. This beer intrigued me right out of the bubble wrap and Ziploc baggie, and new it would be something interesting to try for NBS. Thanks again to @WesMantooth for this:

Platform Beer Co.
High Brow Barista-Coffee Rye Pale Ale





A: Pours a relatively clear (no floaties) dark yellow to amber with a thin white head that maintains surface coverage throughout. Some patches of lace, but nothing crazy.

A: Coffee is definitely the dominant factor here with a good amount of peppery spice underlying. I like the use of rye with Saaz hops as in increased element of spice, and just a hint of earthiness to it.

T: This is a challenge to be honest. After multiple sips, I really just get an overall sense of lightly roasted coffee seasoned with pepper. Hard to detect any malt or sweetness coming from malt. A subtle aftertaste of earth lingers.

F: Nice and surprisingly light feeling, but should have expected this with its dry finishing San Diego yeast. The 50 ibu is an interesting element as I agree it's not sweet, but doesn't seem too bitter either. Comparing that to the 50 ibu of say Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, this seems very balanced with the exception of bitterness coming from the coffee.

O: I love trying beers like these. I think we'd all agree they are not everyday drinkers, but its fun and unique to throw off the palate. I enjoyed this quite a bit, bit think it could have benefitted from some more malty goodness.

Cheers everyone, and I will see you all soon!

Edit: After official review, I scored this a 3.92. rDev -0.8%

 

Bought this East Coast Common Lager on impulse for my wife the Pilesner queen. I did not realize what a great hoppy beer it was. As you can tell by the name, it is a play on California Steam Beer. But but the twist is the incredible dry hopping baptism they give it.

Bright hazy orange. Small but clingy head. Tiny, evenly distributed bubbles slowly rising during the entire session.
Tangerine aroma with a hint of the hops.
Taste like a beer cocktail actually, orange juice followed by dry dry hops.
Mouth feel is smooth, creamy with the right amount of carbonation.
I will get this again. Interesting beer from a brewery I haven't purchased from in quite a while. Need visit their products more frequently again.

 

Good afternoon to all the NBS followers and a thank you to @cjgiant for the great start this morning and an early congratulations on your impending 2000th review. My heart felt condolences to @lordofthewiens for the difficult choice on his dog. I had to make very much of the same choice with a boxer I rescued a few years ago. That is what brought me to where I am living in my world of Giant Dogs at this time.
I have been busy the past couple of weeks with Easter and trying to teach a friend how to make homemade sausage so haven't had the time to put together a quality post. I did drink a couple of new beers on the sundays thanks to a felllow BA.
This kind of brings me to todays beer or perhaps the rather dismal weather that was hanging over our part of New England yesterday did. Unable to do any yard work my significant other and I decided on a road trip to Maine so I would be able to hit a couple of beer releases. First stop was Bissel Bros for the last of the season Swish release. Not a new beer for me but I owe a couple of random boxes to fellow BA's and this will help fill those up. My second stop was at Barreled Souls in Saco for there Barrel Aged Munro release and this brings me to my new beer for this wonderful Sunday. Barreled Souls Hillrock Single Malt Whisk(e)y barrel aged Munro, a Scottish Wee Heavy.

This was poured from a 500ml bottle #3 of 254 bottled on 3/13/2017 after a little over 8 months in the barrel. It checks in at 9.8% ABV
This beers pours a very dark brown color almost black depending upon how much light is shining on your glass. There was very little head even with a strong pour. But there is good carbonation present in the glass.
The nose takes the barrel aging to the front. Lots of great whisk(e)y and a certain amount of smokiness from the fact that this single malt whiskey is peat smoked.
The taste IMO is pure heaven bold smoked whisk(e)y with a nice malt backbone. Nothing is overdone in this beer it seems that everything here compliments each other.
The mouthfeel is smooth with soft carbonation.
Okay to me this is a great beer. Is it a traditional Wee Heavy well no, I think the single malt aging takes this to another level. This beer isn't in the BA database yet and I really hate to add a beer without knowing all the details. So I haven't put real numbers to this yet but can see this being in the 4.5 range which for me is a very hard rating to give.

 

Hey Jack. I found Milkshake to be an amazing conundrum. I think I remember picking up a tad more strawberry than you described but the rest of your description nailed it. I think I described the mouthfeel as creamy, but I like your description of "velvety" even better.

 

So very hard to hear. I'm sorry.

 

Wow Corey!!! Beautiful shots!!!

 

I hate finding a typo when it's too late to correct it. "Dose" - not "does" of pineapple.

 

My barley wine thread is back and I hope to be opening one of these today to share with all of you.

 

Agreed. Thanks Mr. Horzempa for shedding more light on this curious "Milkshake" assigning. Obviously Tired Hands doesn't present itself very much over hear (though I was lucky enough to have Extra Knuckle courtesy of an amazing BA), and thought it just referred to it's appearance. Cheers to the more you know!

 

Today's Taps at Carton in 07716. 5 new beers rated 4+ in order of preference.
APIOGERETLA | Carton
4.43/5 rDev +2.3%

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Augie - this one needs a name, and until then, AT LEAST an origin story. For example, IDIPA(tm) seems a great name, kinda goes with TEDxAsburyPark IDentity 5/20/2017. Why not just ALTER EGO? or Alt-ID?

I've long favored black IPAs, ales and lagers for that real or imagined sweetness, feel and char that comes with stout, porter and the blacks. How about 420 Black for it's burning hemp quality and aroma?

A) Pours a fresh black body that spackles the glass with lace over a spackly, dark lumpy head.

S) Wet Paint in a Flower store, stoned painters munching on green onions. Somehow, the black body renders experience (be it real, reefed or imagined)... sweeter, smoother, hempier, smokier, and greener

T) Paint continues to come to mind - as the sweet latexy scent of drying paint - as this one paints it black in a great way: a roasty malt backbone with lots of strong coffee, with flower store perfume, grass, and ample bitter, biting hops. Carton's most bitter, dank brew?

F) FIne mid body with great cleansing see-saw finish that lands on dry and clean.

O) Of my favorite styles, this is a great one.

Epitome | Carton
4.4/5 rDev +2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I was glad to see top reviewers on this beer. At the brewer, everyone was rejoicing in this deep dark iconoclastic beer.

A: What sets appearance apart are the density of the head, its long duration and its sticky lace. Color density the black with ruby highlights help out too.
S: Plentiful nose. Mountain, high altitude wet pine, with roast chocolate, hay, olive garden notes.
T: Follows smell but BOOM! Dark chocolate and roasted malt under pin mountain, wet piney hops, with a see-saw battle between bitter and sweet with the peppery, bitter, and almost floral/perfumey hops the winner in a long finish.

Superb with food in this case with rotille on arugula, blackbeans, grass fed ground beef, tomato sauce, pesto, peppers, jack cheese.
F: Another creamy dream on top of all the richness.
MIght have to return to rate this higher as it warms.

G.O.R.P. (Good Old Raisins & Peanuts) | Carton
4.3/5 rDev +6.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Gotta rate this one highly for originality and execution. This is the direction Carton goes where no one else is going. In this case it really works.
A: Nearly perfect porter look, with rings of lace, body, and staying power.

S: The chocolate, raisins, and peanuts rise off the beer in subtle charred format.

T: The taste astounds for being completely original, true to trail mix, and yet a real solid charred, roasty porter without being cloying... finishes dry and long. A great flavor ride.

MF: Excels in body, tingle, finish.
You must try this beer, it's now my favorite porter, which says alot. Compares well with Chocolate Stout and RIS.

07701 (Apollo) Red Bank | Carton
4.25/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Why not just call the O-dubs by their city names? Lots of good reasons: 1) NJ has lovely town names, as in this case, Red Bank, gets no better. 2nd - ups sales, especially in and near Red Bank. 3rd - keeps it simple: Carton/zip/town-brand-name. 4th NJ (with the mistaken identity trashed by popular TV) would enjoy all the brand help it can get!

(Let me finish this best of O-Dub and I'll come up with a 2 more for a 6 pack rationale)!
a) Big one finger head in mug at brewer, spackly head, that lasts and paints with lace.
s) bright, sunny, grassy, citric, acidic, white grapefruit flesh, cleansing, inviting.
t) Alpha hop forward, with break out citric bite, accompanied with flowers, grass, brass, and sunny cheer on a malt cracker base of white and light. white grapefruit flesh and white lightening - almost vodka like pucker.

f) astringent for those that like citric puckers. Almost a palate scraper.

Loved it. Brilliant for summer. True to Red Bank, riverfront salt estuary town.

IDIPA | Carton
4.2/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

A new favorite from Carton.
A - Deep orange hazcycle. Fat. A finger of white head that sticks. Hop particles float around. Lacing all the way down.

S - Big pine. Reminds me of Dales. Grapefruit, oranges and flowers with some dank, grassy, fecund notes.

T - Follows smell. Big bitterness with pine and resinous hop flavors up front. Lemon, apricot, pineapple, grapefruit, oranges. Pine linger in the finish. No alcohol detectable. Malty sweetness balances the bitterness. Chewy.

M - Medium mouthfeel with mid carbonation. Lingering bitterness in the creamy, long lasting finish.
O - Solid DIPA. Unusual - yet down the middle in dank, abundant, splendid, warming IPA.