New Beer Sunday (Week 658)

@lordofthewiens

Congratulations on your move to a new stage of your life. As you think about the upcoming retirement, make it a point to find something other than golf and beer to retire to because just doing only those things will eventually become unsatisfying to you.

Rather, think of all the things you've wanted to do or to contribute your time to over the years of your career but couldn't because there wasn't time or immediate concerns had to take priority. Find one or more of those paths to follow where they lead now that you will have the freedom and time to do so and to continue to grow in new ways.

If there's any one thing I've learned from those I know who are in retirement, it is that you will be happiest if you retire to something rather than from something.

 

Great opening, Doc, and congrats on the pending retirement. Cheers!

I am def. keeping my eye out for that beer, it sounds like right in my wheelhouse

My main complaint since retiring is that there aren't enough hours in the day to enjoy it. Amazing to realize how much during our work careers our brains are consumed by thoughts of work even when not on the job. And how much better it is when that amount falls to zero..

 

Good Morning NBS and congratulations @lordofthewiens on the upcoming retirement. I'm off work for 4 days as of 6am, so I'm celebrating with a new beer.

The review:
12oz bottled 9/8/17 poured into a chalice at fridge temp 7.5% ABV per label. The beer pours very dark brown with some noticeable sediment and no highlights. The head is cola like and is gone in 90 seconds appearing light chocolate brown in color. A few bubbles remain with no lacing. The aroma is chocolate, coffee and roast with no Belgian influence while cold. The taste is a combination of sweet & roasty up front giving way to some Belgian yeast character, dark chocolate, fruit, smoke and roasty bitterness in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, lightly carbonated and undry, without being cloying. Overall, unique and enjoyable. This one is in a category of it's own. If you like smokey, roasty stouts and dark Belgian ales, give it a try. My advice would be to let this warm up a bit as it grew more enjoyable as it warmed.

I've had few beers in my life that change as much as this one does with changing temperature. I should also mention that I'm a big fan of rauchbier, and this one is pretty smoky for a beer with no indication of smoked malt on the label. Cheers all! I'm going to get a nap so I'm rested for some stein activity later in WBAYDN.

 

Vakka-Suomen Panimo Osakeyhtio - Prykmestar Savu Kataja

Described on the front label as a “smoked traditional Finnish ale brewed with juniper branches.” And the following is on the back label, “Juniper has been used to brew traditional Finnish Sahti for centuries. Here it is combined with the full body of a smoked Doppel-Bock.”

This beer is listed here twice. Once as a Sahti, and once as a "smoked beer." I could see the confusion, since the statement on the back label might cause confusion as to whether or not the brewer is claiming this to be a Sahti. I'm thinking the brewer isn't claiming that it's a Sahti although it's claiming to be traditional.

I kind of think that neither is the better classification... I'd go with Rauchbier instead. This is a lager. I do see Sahti elements, but "smoked beer" works because it's a label that simply plays it safe rather than tying it to a specific tradition of Sahti or Rauchbier.

Depending on volume and light, the beer is an opaque brown verging on black... but ultimately it's like walnut stain. Carbonation is light. Taste recalls Rauchbiers immediately and (for me) thoroughly (although lacking the smoothness in my favorite examples). I don’t get any juniper. Tastes stale, and that could have something to do with it too. A touch ashy, earthy and bitter. Slight sourness that lurks in the background.

I'm not retired, so I decided to open this while I squeezed in a little Sunday morning work before the family woke up. When my wife woke and came to the home office to say good morning, she immediately remarked that it smelled like stale beer in the room. I can never get away with anything... and she even used the same word (stale) that I used in my description above. Women are clearly the superior gender when it comes to perception.

@TongoRad , got this at ABC.

 

Wonderful start to NBS. I've got a good looking bottle I'll be popping open this afternoon, but, first, some awesome Lake of the Woods fishing.

 

Congrats Doc! retirement is something you should look forward to and enjoy . My son has not had the same doctor for more than a year or two since he was born so the relationship with the pediatrician isn't something he enjoyed. I sure did though. I went to my same docs office until I was a teenager.

Well My tomato plant is officially stunted by the first frost. I did get some tomatoes on the outdoor plant but it is too cold now for them to ripen. My indoor plant has beaucoup flowers on it and I hope to see them turn into tomatoes soon.


For my beer today I have a regional oktoberfest from Three Heads in Rochester. It's a tiny bit hoppy and a tiny bit strong.

Pours a perfect golden amber with a fat enough head of cream colored foam that lasts long enough and clings all the way down. Nose is breaddy and toasty with malt. Soft earth from hops. No off scents. A bit of sweet spice and a hint at malt sweetness make the beer seem a bit more elegant. Drinks smoothly with no real hop flavors. What ever variety they are , they are grassy. I like them and they have a sweet earthy spice. Good browned crust on the bread. The carbonation is a bit too soft and this could use a little bite from bubble. At 6 percent you can actually taste where the beer would become too light in the body from alcohol if it had gone higher. You can also taste a begining of a grapey ester that if augmented by the abv would have ballooned in the flavor of the beer. So where some oktoberfests finish more crisply than this one this beer is very very good.

Happy New Beer Sunday!

 

IMO, would be pretty cool if you show us your catch. I'm a huge fisherman and love to see the beautiful colors of all kinds of fish.

 

The Hills are Alive, with beer!?!

Von Trapp a few months ago started distributing their beer in the Philly area. I was gifted some Von Trapp beers in the past (Bohemian Pilsner, Vienna Lager and Dunkel). I enjoyed all three of the beers but IMO the Dunkel is particularly worthy of praise.

So, when I saw a 6-pack of Von Trapp Oktoberfest I enthusiastically bought one (quite some time ago). Now that the heat wave has stopped in my area it is a good time to drink this style of beer.

One the Von Trapp website they provide a description of this beer:

“Oktoberfest is brewed with a blend of light and dark Munich Malts, which not only adds to its depth but delivers a residual sweetness. Carmel and toffee notes linger but are balanced by the subtle hops additions in this beer. We use hallertau and Tettnang hops which adds a floral yet peppery aroma to this beer. It's our take on this traditional fest beer.”

On the beer label it states; “A full - bodied Oktoberfest lager. Dark in color with a fine caramel finish.”

It has been a while since I have posted in NBS a side-by-side tasting so I thought I would conduct one now with Sly Fox Oktoberfest. Some stats for this beer:

“Bronze Medal GABF 2013

This traditional Oktoberfest beer celebrates the arrival of Fall. It is a medium-bodied, smooth and malty brew made with German Vienna malts and German hops.

13.8 OG | 25 IBUs | 5.8% ABV”

Enough jibber jabber, let’s drink!!

Served in my Spiegelau Lager glasses:

Appearance

Sly Fox: Light golden amber; off-white head.

Von Trapp: Amber colored with an off-white head.

Aroma

Sly Fox: A combination of bready malt, some sweetness along with just a tiny bit of fruit and spice. The bready malt aroma is more pronounced in comparison to the Von Trapp beer.

Von Trapp: A nice but more subtle bready malt aroma.

Taste:

Sly Fox: Bready malt character dominates. The hops do not stand out explicitly but there is balance there; a moderate level of bitterness. The finish is bready with just a hint of sweetness.

Von Trapp: The flavor follows the nose with a pleasant bready malt flavor. The bitterness level is more pronounced in comparison.

Mouthfeel

Sly Fox: A medium mouthfeel and a medium-dry finish. The body is more smooth in comparison to the Von Trapp beer.

Von Trapp: A medium mouthfeel with a crisp, dry finish.

Overall

Sly Fox: I really liked this beer! It epitomizes the quality of good balance between malt & hops.

Von Trapp: I liked this beer. There is a nice/pleasant bready aroma/flavor. The bitterness level is a tad too high (lingering, bordering on harsh) for the style but I enjoyed drinking this beer nonetheless.

In my opinion, the defining feature of a well brewed Oktoberfest beer is good balance: a pleasant balance between bready malt flavors and Noble hop flavors. For my palate the Sly Fox Oktoberfest hits this mark with respect to the balance aspect but in all fairness I did indeed enjoy drinking the Von Trapp Oktoberfest beer.

Cheers to Sly Fox and Von Trapp for producing tasty Oktoberfest beers!

@ KOP_Beer_Outlet @rotsaruch @ @nc41 @RobH @zid

 

Congrats @lordofthewiens now you've got a new job!

Just kidding.

My pediatrician when I was a little tyke was an absolute saint. He helped me get through purpura which struck me unexpectedly as a kid, and I always loved his visits. It was a shame I had to stop seeing him when I... ya know... grew up... He still is hands down the best doctor I have ever had.

That being said, enjoy your retirement!

 

Good morning New BSers! Thank you @lordofthewiens for today's start. A bit of advice for retirement - add another two or three hobbies - time can become quite a burden.

Well, this dragging summer has enabled the near-completion of several outdoor projects - if it would only last until May! I'm definitely not an autumn guy - I like green forests rather than brown and enjoy the smells of water-soaked fields and the sounds of frogs rather than the those of burning leaves. And, while I'm at it, screw wasting hours of my life watching football!
Except if the Stillers are accidentally in the playoffs. Then I don't watch because every time I do, they lose.

Anyway, the turtles will be moving into their winter digs shortly. I just have to have my son help me get their winter tank out of the garage and into the house - getting old's a bitch!

Today's New Beer Sunday/New Breakfast Beer offering is one that I probably should have put on my WANTS list, but there are so many it'd be futile. @Dragginballs 76 hit me up with this for NBS BIF #6, and I couldn't wait for Reveal Day to try it! Thanks Michael - I live it!



Received in NBS BIF #6 from @Dragginballs76 – Thanks Michael!
2017 release. When I received it, I stored it at 42 degrees. It is served at 58 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Aroma – chocolate and coffee, lasts.
Head – small (Maximum one cm, aggressive pour), brown, dense, average retention, diminishing to an irregular three to five mm ring fed by effervescence.
Lacing – fair. Ring fragments, entirely tiny bubbles. Considering the alcohol content (11.2% ABV), it’s pretty amazing to even have the fragments.
Body – black, opaque, effervescent.
Flavor – Expresso and some chocolate – very smooth and lacking harshness. No alcohol, no hops, no diacetyl. After swallowing, a gastric alcohol burn slowly builds. Allowing it to warm in my mouth brings out a chocolate-covered cherry aspect, as well as some tobacco taste, but maybe the tobacco taste is a phantom from looking at the label while drinking.
Palate – full, creamy, soft carbonation.

This is an excellent RIS – well balanced and flavorful. It could easily sneak up on you if you drank more than a bomber or two.

Appearance 4, Aroma 4.25, Flavor 4.5, Palate 4.5, Overall 4.5. Rating 4.41, rDev +0.9%.

 

If the world is even around when I retire I dream of residing in the mountains. My days will be filled with reading books on the deck, fishing, drinking coffee and beer, and doing a whole lot of nothing. But I digress. I can dream, can't I? In all seriousness, congratulations @lordofthewiens on your career and pending retirement.

I have been drinking a lot of different Lone Tree brews of late. This beer is listed as JFW Vanilla Carsmel Amber in the database. I have no idea what JFW means, this is apparently an updated version with 6% ABV.

The beer is absolutely gorgeous. It's a clear rich coppery amber color with slowly rising bubbles, contributing to a frothy cream colored head that leaves sheets and swaths of thick lacing.

Other than a hint of toasted bread, as you can imagine it smells decadently sweet with bountiful amounts of melted caramel and fresh vanilla beans.

The taste does not deviate. Sweet melted caramel and plenty of vanilla are marked all over this, although the finish does offer a little bit of black tea tanginess.

The beer drinks smoothly and slightly dry.

Overall, I rated this extremely high because I'm a sucker for beers like this. Maybe it's a bit of caramel overload but that's one of my favorite flavors in beer anyway.

 

First, thanks for getting the thread started today, second congrats on your impending retirement, sounds like you are quite deserving! And finally, I am not a huge barleywine fan at
all but this sounds delicious, at least the way you describe it.
Be back later with at least one new beer!
Cheers!

 

Great start @lordofthewiens for this weeks NBS. You will love retirement.

Cheers!

 

A- An inviting darkness color with a little head and lacing.

S- A subtle vanilla and bourbon scent.

T- The taste follows the smell, with hints of vanilla and a very nice subtle bourbon touch.

M- A medium bodied stout that is easy drinking, albeit with a nice kick which is not noticeable while one is drinking.

O- I truly enjoyed drinking this beer, as is not as sweet as their Berries stout, but especially considering "OH is not know for their stouts", so I am glad I picked this up at the source.

 

Good morning all, not really a late start for me as I was up much earlier (3:26 am to be precise) with a sick dog. Alex is a big guy and he got big sick but I didn't get onto him because it wasn't his fault and I'm a lot more concerned with the welfare of my furry children than I am with carpet stains. Did I mention he is big, Alexander is a 50/50 mix of Rottweiler and Labrador, possessing the best attributes of both those breeds, and we don't actually know how much he weighs but my friend Jerry is 6'2" tall and when Alex was two years old he could easily rear up and place his paws on Jerry's shoulders. Anyway he's much better now and asleep on the floor next to my feet as I type.

So on to the beer. Fortunately @TongoRad sent me this one . . .





Beautiful clear gold color with white cap and lacing.

Aroma of fresh bread with toffeeish, caramel malt with light hop spiciness.

Flavor is malt driven and richer than the nose implies. There is a feeling of sweetness without really tasting sweet, perhaps the scent is adding to that. Just a touch of hop bitterness to offset the malt.

Medium texture with balancing carbonation.

Overall a fine example of an amber festbier.

 

Congratulations on vocational fulfillment. My brother is a beloved 70 year old dentist that just retired. He's back at school at Duke and craves learning. I suspect you are much the same. Writing about your career I know is on your mind. I love your writing and great good fortune in the days ahead!

 

A- A beautiful fall hazy yellow color with a slight head and decent lacing.

S- A slight tarty pineapple hint with a rich citrus balance.

T- Tartness with pineapple and citrus accents, light and very pleasant.

M- A light, refreshing, very well balanced beer.

O- Very nice pineapple variation gose as it is well balanced with a nice subtle character.