New Beer Sunday (Week 646)

Well, they score 10 out of 10 for giving me the Flanders red fix I was looking for. I didn't rate it 5s across the board but only in the interest of personal restraint.

You sent a mysterious (to me) collection of hop soups in cans that had me scratching my head on how to order them. With no date codes to help with the decision (not your fault), I decided to go highest rated first just because. So I entered the Bio Dome:




Do we know if they use hops grown in New York? The website says they brew five barrels at a time, which is kind of bad ass.

And this beer is kind of a bad ass. It's a borderline grapefruit bomb and sort of slaps you in the face and says I'm full of hops, malt's for wussies, deal with it. My kind of DIPA!

The review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/34104/278763/?ba=Premo88#review

4.18 (-1.2% rDev)

I'm not a big American IPA/DIPA fan, so my 4.18 is really about a 4.6 translated to average BA math. Bio Dome really is my kind of DIPA because it's so hop forward. All malt seems to do in the American pale ale family is get in everybody's way, junk up the place, make things too sickly sweet or caramely (IMHO, of course ). Bio Dome's malt is staying out of the way. This brew is bitter, full of grapefruit aroma and flavor with some pineapple and mango kicking in, and the malt seems to serve only as a sweetening agent that isn't adding any specific flavors of its own. As hop soups go, this one is strong and good.

Cheers!

 

That's a damn tragedy

 

Greetings, NBSers, and a special thanks to @lordofthewiens for the magnificent start to my favorite thread in BA. First up, a beer I picked up whilst visiting my Mom in Dayton, and a trip to Warped Wing with my "baby bro" (who is 39 years old) to try some beers onsite - and purchase some beers to mule back to Texas (of course - that is how a beer nerd rolls).





4.09/5 rDev +9.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

The pour reveals a murky, dark-straw colored beer, with a head that is lightly tanned.

Aromas are dank, juicy hops - citrus, mango, pineapple, which is in line with the Citra/Mosaic hop combo. I'm literally salivating. The taste follows the aromas, but there's a slightly boozy component that diminishes this a bit.

The mouthfeel, though, is excellent - enough of a punch so you know you're drinking a fairly big (7.0% ABV) beer, but with the "oiliness" I really prefer in an IPA.

I'm glad I muled this back to Texas, because it's worth trying. Nicely done by Warped Wing.

 

That's debatable.

 

Iirc, there were also a few 'not-beers' in there just for extra confusion.

What I really appreciate about Greenpoint is that they put these releases out for distro at the same time that they start selling them themselves. As a result, they are a reliable, easy to acquire source of hop soups for when you're in the mood. Glad you liked it!

 

Alright, so I'm showing up for a second week. Did I admit last week that I dig this thread?



I dig this thread!


https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/39297/289629/?ba=Lone_Freighter#review


Now go get "dented", BA!

 

Hello New Beer Sunday.

Once again it's ime for a new beer, and I almost screwed up - I almost picked a beer I've had before to drink. My friends went to Two Harbors and picked me up some Castle Danger growers. One of them was Double Crossing IPA. I was planning on drinking that tonight, and review. When I opened up the link to that beer, I see a very familiar bottle. CRAP! I've had it already - though not reviewed here.

So a change of plans was in order.

Here's the change:

Kolsch from Montgomery Brewing in Montgomery, MN.

I do have a soft spot for this place, even though it's close to a 2 hour drive for me to get there. It's close to where my sister and her family live. It's also the first brewery to be open on Sunday after it became legal to do so in Minnesota.

So, what's my take? Well, I was surprised by it. Most Kolsch beers I've had are not much better than water - minimal flavor, weak bodied. This isn't. It packs a lot of flavor into such a low ABV beer. Montgomery brewing did a good job with this beer.

So will I have another beer tonight? Maybe, but I have to be careful - I plan on going to finally visit Surly tomorrow on my, very rare, day off from work. A hangover is a big no no.

3.83/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

This beer pours a darker golden, but fairly clear color. The head was white when poured from the can, but minimal.
The nose has got a malt presence, but not much else, which isn't surprising given the style.
The taste is actually quite rich. It's got a pleasing sweet taste to it. There's a hop presence on the backside. Nicely balanced.
The feel is on the watery side, but that's to be expected.
Damn good overall. I've had Kolsch beers that were basically water, this isn't. It packs a lot of flavor into this small ABV beer.

531 characters

 

Greetings from the Great Northwest where it has been warm. Sunny with temps in he upper 90's.

Today we have Faster "Hopped Up Amber" from Iron Horse Brewing.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/11212/290921/

A nice hoppy amber, but without the fruity hop presence. More of a charcoal and pine flavor. I make it more of a red ale than an amber. But what the hell. It's a nice beer.

Until next time,

Happy Trails!

 

#2, this beer is pretty much exactly as described on the label .....



3.79/5 rDev +6.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

The pour unveils this BEAUTIFUL golden colored beer with a barely tan head. The nose ..... the nose is all over the place.

There's a sweetness (from the lactose), there's some citrus (from the orange peel), there's some licorice (from the star anise). And the taste follows those aromas, so you're literally drinking a Thai-style iced tea with alcohol.

And that's not a bad thing - but I wouldn't sit and drink more than a couple of these, because there's a LOT going on here.

 

SN/Duvel Beercamp Across the World Hoppy Belgian Golden Ale. 4.13 Overall rating

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/140/281131/?ba=russpowell#review

 

Tonight was a very good one with Trillium at my side, sorry the glass is almost empty it was too good !


4.3/5 rDev -4.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Hazy yellow liquid with a white head diminishing to a circle around the glass.
Nose is super fruity, smells like passion fruit, pineapple, sweetness, looks like mosaic, Azacca hops has been used in this brew am I wrong?
Taste is less fruity than smell, light pineapple, light grapefruit, grassy, intense resinous bitterness.
Slick mouthfeel, light to not even medium body, lighter than expected for the abv! High drinkability, another great brew from Trillium!

 

First of the night was from Bissell Brothers!




3.74/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Hazy straw looking beer with a creamy sticky white head that doesn't want to disappear.
No doubt they added lime in this brew, the smell sells it, I barely can notice anything else than lime fragrance.
Taste is fruity citrus, without being sour, light cracked grains, some pleasant bitterness.
Mouthfeel is pretty incredible for the 5% abv. It's way better than having a bud lime or a corona, you don't even have to add a lime quarter to hide the skunk and piss aromas!

 

Hahahahaha ... there *are* a few "not beers" in there. A cider and coffee soda. Pretty excited about that second one especially.

If the puzzle pieces fit like they appear to fit, Greenpoint must can a ton of stuff and all in these five-barrel batches. Yes? The website only shows a handful of regular lineup beers, but their list of "current" beers here on BA.com is 121 deep. If that's half right, they sound awesome and kind of unique.

Digging back into what has become Michael's box of hops, I grab this one:

cool can ... and check out the mad brewer with the bag of hops:



With almost 700 ratings, Neshaminy Creek's The Shape of Hops to Come likely has crossed paths with a few of you NBSers. It's close to the standard American DIPA profile I run across here in Texas with plenty of pine and grapefruit bitterness mixed with some sweet biscuity malt in the background. One main thing helps it stand above the average for me, and that's the formidably impressive strength of bitter hop bite which chews through a big chunk of malt. Allowed to sit in the can for awhile, I could see this one turning barleywine-ish because there's a lot of biscuity malt sweetness in it, but man ... the hops ... they don't quit. And because I like these kinds of beers to be bitter, they work really well for me.

The review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29021/133560/?ba=Premo88#review
3.91 (-6% rDev)

I hate to underrate it because Neshaminy is a perfect 2 for 2 with me and both of those brews have been very well-made no matter what I thought of particular flavors or aromas. If Neshaminy and I lived in the same distribution world, there's no doubt I'd try everything of theirs I could get my hands on.

Went outside about an hour ago and started begging for the rain gods to stop teasing:


Happy to report more than a few drops fell. Not *many* more than a few drops, but this time of year we celebrate each drop how Ray Wylie says ... keep your gratitude higher than your expectations.

Cheers!

 

It's difficult to believe the sun is setting on another NBS already! A nod to @lordofthewiens for starting off with some kid stories that made me laugh so hard I nearly fell off a bar stool at lunch. I certainly needed the humor watching the Cubs at the time who were already down 10-0 in the first inning. The day did improve greatly later with a matinee showing of Hamilton in Chicago. A stellar performance I'd gladly see again! I better move on to a beer as I feel sleep starting to grab hold after another busy summer weekend.

I've seen a couple of the locals drinking NE style IPA's from Windmill Brewing in Dyer IN over in the WBAYDN thread and I finally managed to stop there last week to grab some cans. A pint of Two If By Citra NE style IPA with no date on the can, but a sticker on the plastic carrier stamped 07/05/17. The label states 40 IBU's and an abv. of 6.0%. Let's give it a pour in my trusty 12oz. tulip for the review.

It pours a thin and cloudy pale yellow revealing a small finger of soapy white foam that quickly settles to a small ring. There is a little lacing left in it's wake. The smell is mango, passion fruit, grapefruit and spicy floral. Taste is grapefruit, mango, peach, passion fruit and a hint of floral. The feel is very thin and watery with a slightly bitter semi dry finish.


The label reminds me of an old school black light poster sold at record stores or head shops back in the day. That observation aside, this is a pretty solid beer for the style. The biggest detractor was the lackluster feel, otherwise it delivered for me. My score is 4.19 / rDev 0%. I pass near the brewery quite often and will be watching for future releases of other examples of the style.

I'm certain it's one and done for me today as I struggle to type this on my phone through tired eyes. Have yourselves a great week! Here's the official scorecard......

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/41990/255378/?ba=Prager62#review

 

"The sucker rod on the windmill creaks
Now and then you hear a car
There's thunderheads across the southern sky
But they wont get this far"



Yeah, Shape of Hops is definitely seeming downright old-school these days. Which is why I'm glad that they finally made it a year-rounder .

 

Thanks for the tip. I'll check them out.

 

This is number 8/12 of the Beer Camp Across the World.





Appearance: dark red and about a one finger head with some nice lacing on the side of a snifter glass. The head retention is very nice for a beer style that usually runs in the 10-12% range

Smell: Smells like a sugary candied dark fruits. Really makes me wish it was cold outside honestly

Taste: Follows the nose. Right up front you get a burst of sweetness that tastes like sugary plums or dark cherries. In the middle you get a little bit of alcohol (but not much) and at the end it's bitter with a bit of alcohol going down into your belly for a warming effect.

Overall: What can I really say about this beer? Coming from a company that makes probably one of the most loved barleywines in America it's a very well done version of the style (but lighter than what you're used to when it comes to their usual offering). Is it Bigfoot 2.0? Nope not at all. Is it appropriate for the Summer and enjoyable to drink when it's sticky outside? Nope not at all. Is it a good tasting beer? Yes it's pretty good. It is suffering from being apart of the Beer Camp set and not being a Christmas release. If this thing dropped in 6 packs in November I bet that it would be talked about more and sought after by everyone for some Christmas cheer. And that's what really sucks about this set to be honest with you, the fact that this was brewed one time only and released during an inappropriate season.

3.75/5

 

I'd agree, we're pretty much in the same page.

Was out in the middle of no coverage enjoying a family get together, with Bud Light, which is not new to me.

Night cap is a Chardonnay barrel-aged wheatwine by a small Nebraska brewer. I had to add Farnham House Brewing Company's The Reaping to the database. I am in the middle of writing up my official review, but this one didn't work well for me.

It came with a light tartness in the tannic wine-grape flavor. The malt balance was okay too. That mild tartness just conflicted with the light oak and pine bitterness to me. The beer ran a little hot, as well - though at 10% and within the style, this wasn't so out of bounds.

The one style category it killed is the looks - a very pretty beer:

 

Lovely coincidence - I've picked the same brew today. I've written my notes on the beer earlier, and it's crazy how similar our thoughts are on it.



Von Trapp Kolsch Style

The four words above equal an automatic purchase for me. Zero hesitation. I've been hoping and wishing to bump into this beer.

The beer is an exceptionally pale straw color and I'm very surprised by the ultra-haziness.

It has a rounded breadiness that makes it feel like a good Helles, but there's also a nice lemony bite at the front that smoothly transforms to a spicy, soft, and solid bitter finish.

Stats - 5% ABV, 28 IBUs, Tettnanger and Hallertau hops.

This is definitely one of the better American attempts at a Kolsch for me. If I had my other cans already chilled I'd be opening another one up. It's very drinkable but not at all plain.

@JackHorzempa
@TongoRad