New Beer Sunday (Week 640)

Grimm's Cloudbusting #4...

Other than Cloudbusting #2, which I managed to miss , this has been a very rewarding beer series featuring a rotating cast of New Zealand hops. This edition has Wai-iti, Motueka, and Waimea... 8% abv, canned 5/12/17... Pale gold body with a haze; fat head of bright white foam trailed lots of lace mess behind... Aromas were full of sweet juice impressions, from pineapple to tangerine to apple... Across the tongue, more of the same, lots of juiciness, sweet and ripe, in a soft, lush body with light and airy with carbonation... a fruit-treat of a brew, sure to please... Probably my favorite in the series, far as my palate recalls...

The label reminded me of (Asian?) deities/demons of the sky/clouds, but the name may be a reference to this *awful* (IMO ) Kate Bush song/video/short film which references Wilhelm Reich and his cloudbuster device. I dunno, but I'll take mythological beings of the sky over sappy Kate Bush songs and disturbed Austrian psychoanalysts any day.

 

Cheers again BAs....(making up for lost time)!

Noon Whistle Dry Hopped Sour Ale.....HELL YEAH!

Appearance 4 - golden brown with a full finger of nice white foam and a whirl of lacing left behind.

Aroma 4 - huge tart upfront and a faint hop hiding in the background

Taste - 4.5 big tart upfront, grapefruit mid palette and a kiss of hops at the end. Superb!

Feel - 4 super smooth, moderate to low carb and just really nice

Overall 4.25 really digging this sour ale from Noon Whistle.....they know their way around tart beers and this is no exception! Really well done. Definately worthy of outgoing boxes!

 

I (we) drink alot of these NE style IPAs and that one hit the mark for me. Total agreement with your assessment. The aroma of berries and maybe even gooseberry set it apart for me. I agree very well done and I wish I had more. My can was provided by my trusted good friend @foundersasap

 

...but I repeat myself.
I can't even blame my tiny phone keypad for this one. This is all mine.

 

Incredible family history, thank you for sharing. Here's to their memories. Cheers!

 

Howdy, NBS folks!
I'm getting a late start today due to helping move a bunch of stuff in the heat all day but I have a feeling that's just going to make my new beer taste better. So I'll get right to it.


Some French homework for you all on the label.

This is a new saison from Pit Caribou out in Gaspesie (the far east coast of Quebec). It is made with all Quebec ingredients and fermented with wild yeast from a cherry orchard near the brewery. They have changed their labels (and begin to bottle date!!) recently and I like this one pretty well. Pretty and simple. I don't know how the GPS coordinates of the orchard help but it is a cute gimmick I guess (only if the beer is good, though, IMO). I guess all homebrewers can go steal yeast from the trees I guess haha.

Let's see how it drinks.



It is pretty decent. Nothing incredible but far from bad. It pours a vibrant hazy gold with an ample cap of white head. The aroma is where it really shines. Funky, floral and slightly tart. There is lots going on and there are layers of character to be teased apart. The flavor has that hearty pizza dough flavor that some saisons seem to have. Hearty bread flavor some sweet floral hints and not much else. It is dry, drinkable and fairly refreshing. I'd have it again but I wouldn't go out of my way for it.

Here's my review.

I hope everybody has a great week. Santé!

 

Hello NBS, and Happy Memorial Day weekend!

I'm back home after a quick visit to my parents' yesterday. This afternoon was spent making a couple of trips to Lowe's in preparation of a whole new landscaping project that I need to get done tomorrow. Unfortunately, now I see that the forecast calls for morning rain. I just hope it's not too muddy out there afterwards...

My new beer tonight is another from that great box that @Premo88 sent not too long ago (thanks again, Robert!). This one even seems to have been made with me in mind-

Jester King, a farmhouse altbier with smoked malt.

Served straight from my beer fridge, I fear even that may have been to cold. The nose is gentle, but also seems to be a bit closed. What I can detect is a rather nice and harmonious blend of lime juice, pepper/anise spiciness, bread crust, caramel, dried flowers and barnyard funk. Oh yeah, this going to be a "wild" ride . Some very subtle campfire comes on very late, and requires some searching. My first few sips, however, aren't as nice as the nose lets on- everything seems to be clashing in a pretty harsh and unpleasant way.

After allowing it to sit and warm considerably, and maybe even a period of palate adjustment, things are going much better. It's smoother, and the flavors are gelling quite a bit better. The funk and spice dominate the palate, with caramel and bread crust not too far behind. The finish is nicely lemon/lime tart, and that's where the smoke starts to make itself known. I'm even getting to the point where I'm sure I can pick out that 'wet bale of hay' aspect that Robert mentioned in his earlier review of Ol' Oi! But there is still a slight astringency on the finish that's keeping this one from hitting the next level. A quite enjoyable B+ (3.9).

 

#2, from a Michigan brewery providing a NE-style IPA to a Florida brewery providing an imperial porter (that looks EXACTLY like an imperial stout) with coffee. And maple syrup. And bacon.



4.6/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I looked at this beer from about 28 different angles before I finally decided to purchase it. It was the bacon - what's bacon doing in a beer?

In this case, it's merely offering a very slightly salty counterpoint to the sweetness of the maple syrup, which is awesome: it's like the kettle corn of the beer nerd world.

The pour resembles an imperial stout - jet black, dark tan head. The nose is all about the coffee and maple syrup, especially the maple. I am SOOOOO Jonesin' for some pancakes right now.

The bacon makes its appearance on the taste as a salty flavor to ease you past the maple syrup and into the coffee.

Exceptionally well executed - and my first beer from these guys, too!

 

I dunno, man, I was just posting something that I thought @cavedave could relate to. But, you're right : let's make sure we don't fan those flames or anything

 

The smoke in that one is very gentle as I recall. I don't remember how much of Jester King's signature farmhouse flavor it has, but virtually all of their beers have at least some of that in them. It's pretty uncanny.

Did you find that same astringency in the Dichotomous (blue-green label)? I've heard from more than one sour fan that JK's brews often are a bit harsh, and I think I know what they mean.

At some point I'll get you a bomber of Gotlandsdricka. Couldn't find one this round, but I'll look out for their next batch. It may be my favorite smoked beer:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24018/86286/?ba=Premo88#review

 

Hello New Beer Sunday!!!!
Long day at work done, time to have fun.

Tonight's new beer is a beer from Spilled Grain Brewing in Annandale. It is their annual Lake Series beer. This year they're highlighting Lake Sylvia in Annandale. I've never fished that lake before, but looking at the contour map, it looks interesting.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/lake.html?id=86028900

Now to the beer. It's a very juicy looking golden beer. It's also quite delicious. Damn good offering from them. I will try to get more.

4.41/5 rDev 0%
look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Canned on 5-26-17
This beer pours a very juicy, pulpy, murky golden color. I was amazed how murky it was. I kept saying over and over "wow, how juicy looking". The head was a very frothy white color. It did dissipate quickly. Just blown away with the look.
The nose is very funky with strawberry. Very strong strawberry. There's also a subtle hint of the wheat that breaks through the strawberry.
Taste I get a nice mixture of the strawberry, and the wheat flavors. They blend together very well, and compliment each other.
Feel is on the lighter side, but there's a nice pop of carbonation going down.
Overall, an amazing beer. This is a top notch beer from them, and I'm so glad I got it. Very refreshing, and would be an amazing beer on a very hot day.

One and done tonight. Enjoy the new beers.

 

Thanks to my buddy Rob for the hook up!



Moderate pour yields a 1+ inch white head over a medium amber body with serious lacing. Nose of tropical fruit, candied fruit, citrus, and slight pine dankness. Taste follows with more of the same and a very nice bitter finish. Very nice feel and overall an excellent fruit bomb that is not, I repeat NOT, cloudy. To all my brewer friends in New England: take notice!

4.48/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

 

Spent today being lazy, drinking and trying to motivate myself for chores. Not a lot got done today and I'm perfectly content with that.
Kids are in bed, time for a new beer.



After having the rye barrel aged version of Weathered Scythe, I thought I should go with this-the bourbon barrel aged version.

Poured from bottle into tulip. Dull copper and orange. Big soapy bubbled head that leaves great lacing in the glass. Bright citrus, mandarin oranges and vanilla. Taste is orange, more citrus, some oak. I don't get any bourbon notes. The beer tastes great but for a bourbon barrel beer without any bourbon, it just doesn't hit it out of the park for me. Crisp, dry finish and very drinkable.
The rye version was better for me.

 

My first New Beer Sunday post. I rarely drink on Sundays and I usually stick with WBAYDN. Glad I checked this out.

4 Hands Pokey LaFarge & The South City 3. A locally brewed German Pils named after a local band:
free upload

Pale straw yellow with excellent clarity. There's a fingernail of dishwater white resting on top. Light lacing. I smell pale malt and grassy German hops. The taste is much more hop forward than the nose indicates. Plenty of grassy German hops assault the front of my palate. I'm getting some nice bready light malt at the back. The mouth is quaffable and smooth without being watery.

 

Blue Point Toasted Lager, 5.5% ABV, 28 IBU. Pours pale orange, thin, with almost no head. Nose is malty, taste is malt, a bit bready, with no bitterness. Excellent mouthfeel, overall excellent. This would be excellent to take to a party.

 

Hmm... without knowing French and without knowing anything at all about the beer other than the geographical information... looks like a beer aged on cherrywood from the forest of Pit Caribou? Something like that anyway! Looks great! Cheers.

Edit: Alright, looked it up and read your review... hmmm, I was somewhat close, I guess. I should get points for that anyway! Context clues and knowing some Latin helped, though, for sure.

 

So, Other Half and Mikkeller collab, Crooked Crops, a wheat IPA featuring Galaxy, Jarrylo, Topaz ,Southern Aroma, and XJA hops... 7.6% abv, canned 5/11...

Dropped this into a weizen glass because, *wheat* IPA... Pale gold and hazy, few fingers of off-white foam; just a few lace motes trailed behind... Aromas were lemony sweet and wheaty - lots of citrus and grain, in other words... The tastes followed the nose - a real nice citrusy brew with ample fresh grain notes... Soft and smooth, lots of tingle and hints of tartness... the bitterness was subdued, about on par with the sugars, and both backseat to the tangy fruits... some notes akin to white wine and unripe melon popped up as well - a real nice ride, clean-finishing and crisp - a fun summery beer...

 

It's been a great weekend so far, NBS folks. Lots of playing with the kids, swimming, good food, and yard work. Lots and lots of yard work. We bought our house from a widow last spring, and everything was overgrown. Last summer we focused on the front yard and let the back yard go. So now it's time to tackle the back yard. We several hours work over two days. It was like we had one giant bush instead of a bunch of small ones. Here's a couple pictures from the halfway point.



As for the beer, I was sent an incredible box from @oach earlier this week and my first dive into it is Cave Torch IPA from Perrenial. It's described as a dry hopped tropical IPA fermented on mandrin oranges. It sounds just about ideal for what I like.



Poured from an updated can, although I'm sure it's fairly fresh. The beer pours a very light, but hazy, yellow color with a soapy, bright white head that left minimal lacing.

The smell is bright hoppy citrus with subtle oranges, lemon, and lots of floral.

The taste has a lot of orange and bitter zest flavor. The minimal bitterness lingers long after the taste. There is also a distinct floral taste.

They mouthfeel is slick and thick for an IPA with minimal carbonation.

Overall this is very good, but it's less citrus and orange and more floral than I expected from the label. I really enjoyed it.

 

New Holland Mischievous II, Pretty tasty, 3.86 overall . I would like to think I will catch up on this thread, but not sure that's happening as I'm catching up on Fargo...


https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/335/255912/?ba=russpowell#review