New Beer Sunday (Week 659)

Second blind beer from @LloydDobler



As I poured this I immediately thought barley-wine. I was a little nervous because I either love certain BW's or just straight hate them. Color is deep reddish-brown with little head.
Smell is a nice mix of caramel and a hint of something sour. As it warms a also get a chocolate smell. My first taste was a little unexpected and very welcome. Taste is a little barley-wine and a lot of barrel aged sour. Dark barrel-aged sours are probably my favorite style and this has a lot of those flavors. Overall taste is sweet up front with caramel and a hint of chocolate with a huge tart finish that has some sort of barrel, possibly a cab or Merlot barrel.
Feel is a little thicker and heavier than a barrel aged dark sour, with low carbonation and a very dry finish.
Overall I am really enjoying this beer, but have no idea the brewery. Best guess is a barley-wine aged in some sort of red wine barrel.

The reveal:

Never even heard of the brewery, but really liked this. Awesome blind beer for NBS, thanks @LloydDobler

 

Going off today here NBS players and I'm probably good for at least one more. The Jets notch their third victory but it's pretty clear they are not going to be able to contend with the better teams in the league. The only upside of a down year is the availability of good and cheap seats. Probably get rapped next week vs the pats.

My third new beer today is once again from @superspak and his very nice nbs bif# 6 box. This is Dank Juice, ipa w/ mango and peach, from Odd Side Ales. I had the pineapple version right out of the box yesterday and thought it was very good. The brew checks in at 7% abv with no apparent canning date.

A hazy yellow pour with a big frothy white head. The nose is subtle with citrus hops. Very tangy and fruity hops upfront with a very smooth flow and finish. The hop bittering is about as non-existent as you can get. The peach and mango are there and the flavors really seem to build the more it warms but it doesn't seem to be anywhere near as strong as the pineapple version. The mouth feel is on the lighter side with just a very pleasant tropical juicy feel. It's so crushable that it goes down like water.

Overall, it's not exactly on the level with some of the bigger guys in the category, other half, tree house, etc. But it's still very good stuff. I did enjoy the pineapple version more. I'm in the 4/4.2 range here,

 

Happy NBS, everyone. Mrs. Mac and I were in North Carolina this weekend for a family reunion but I told her it was imperative that I made it home by 4:00 PM for the NBS BIF mystery beer tasting. She did her part with the flight arrangements, so here is goes, courtesy of @FFFjunkie and his unbelievably generous box. This will be a stream of consciousness review that I promise I won't edit before posting.


The only hint from Dan is that it's "not an IPA" so I let it warm a little. Appropriately, I poured it into the 3 Floyds pint glass I received in the box. It pours a rich brown color with cola hues and a foamy khaki-head and attractive lacing. The nose indicates it's a Barleywine or a Scotch Ale: lots of caramel and hints of raisin and even some cocoa. It smells great. As I sip it I'm thinking more and more it's a Barleywine. Lots of roasted malt in the base and there's definitely caramel but I'm getting more dark fruit, maybe fig? There's also a discernible bourbon that's tasty but not overpowering. And at the end, there's an additional sweetness that reminds me of chocolate. It's really good! It has a medium mouth feel with moderate carbonation, and I'm feeling some heat. This reminds me a lot of Wulver.

And as they say on Jeopardy, "and the answer is":


Wow! I'm unfamiliar with this brewery but the label's spot on. This is a fabulous Barleywine; it's full of flavor and the 9% ABV gives it lots of substance. I'll post a formal rating and review but this is in the 4.25-4.50 range, which for me is really high. Thanks, Dan! And whoever decided to include a blind tasting, it was a great idea. So much fun!

 

Remedy Espina Mexican Lager, 4.3% ABV, 12 IBU. Pours golden with a nice two finger white head that dissipated while my damn phone refused to focus. Nose is malty and somehow fresh, taste follows, with very little bitterness. Pretty smooth and great carbonation, so excellent mouthfeel. Overall excellent.

 

Brew Kettle Kitka Coconut Chocolate Milk Stout

Look= Nice chocolate colored stout with a 1 finger head that sticks to the glass good enough

Smell= A liquid Mounds Bar. Seriously that's what it smells like

Mouthfeel= A bit watery for a stout, but it's a lower AbV so you're not going to get a chewy mouthfeel.

Taste= Front of the tongue gives you a nice hit of semi sweet chocolate, fades off into a strong coconut finish that lingers of the back for a long time.

Overall= It's pretty good, I would love to see a barrel aged variant of this with a lot more alcohol.

My rating= 3.75/5

 

Happy NBS, and no I have not met any BAs face to face, but have enjoyed many BIF shenanigans with @thebeers, @tasterschoice62 and @beerloserLI. I'm a drink at home kind of guy but am sure all of you would be fun to hang out with and pound beers. Been up in northern Michigan, camping the last two weekends so decided to pass on this round of NBS BIF, love the mystery beer idea. I'm in next round!
Arbor Brewing, Treebeard Pale Ale at 6.2%, pours a nice orange with beautiful head that recedes to a lingering cap, sticky lacing coating the glass. Very pungent piney aroma, a bit earthy, is this a wet hoppped beer? Smells like it. Nice bitterness, taste of grapefruit, orange peel with again that earthy, grain finish. Overall, decent beer. Enjoy yours!

 

Well, after that last sour bomb, it was time for a complete palate reset. First some chips and salsa (that jar is certainly in the danger zone), then some unsalted chips, and several glasses of water.

Now we're ready for the next one from @RedhawkPoke 's BIF box, a beer that I noticed someone else received in this BIF; Prairie's Imaginary Friends:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30356/293771/



BTW, yes, that is the Bearded Iris glass I got from @Grizzarky last round. I'm not a huge glassware nerd, but I find myself using this glass most of the time, except for 'Drinkin' beers". Thanks again.

 

If you or your GF want to meet up Wednesday at Churchkey or somewhere else in town, let me know. I also expect to be drinking and watching football around 9pm-10pm near Union Station on Thursday, if anyone is interested.

 

Dave, I agree with you wholeheartedly. While Industrial Arts may have set out to brew a Schwartzbier, Dark Hammer could easily be described as a "Black IPA" or "Black Ale." It has a lot more flavor than what I think of as a Schwartzbier. There's a great balance of malt and hops with the sweetness you described. It's just great!! I'm hoping they brew this one again.

 

God evening NBS, At the Asfield Fall Festival, our friends at Elmers were pouring Berkshire Brewing Dunkel. I really enjoyed the offering, solid lager base but enough sweetness from dark wheat, not in the packaged production rotation, but on draft, it is wonderful.
Cheers all

Dunkel Weizen

Berkshire Brewing Company Inc.
Dunkelweizen

3.85/5 rDev 0% | Score: 3.89
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Enjoyed on draft at the annual Ashfield fall festival, poured into a 16 oz plastic cup.
L - Slightly hazed dark copper color, a thin cap of off white is fed from steady carbonation.
S - Dark wheat, some notes of clove, and grassy hops
T - Very much follows the nose, added is a nice light brown sugar, and fruit esters.
M - Dances across the palate, light in body, well carbonated quick to clean up with a semi sweet linger
O - A well crafted Wheat Dunkel, so glad to have enjoyed this offering

 

Right there with ya brother, what a great surprise this beer was!

 

Another from @FFFjunkie. My first from 18th Street Brewery but I took notice since respected BA @Prager62 has good things to say. This is a really nicely balanced DIPA that begs for drinking is hot weather. Here's my full review:

3.93/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Courtesy of @FFFjunkie's NBS BIF box. My first experience with 18th Street Brewery although I've heard of it for several years. The date on the can was illegible except that it was canned in September 2017. Poured into Spiegelau IPA glass. It pours a rich amber color with serious ecru-colored head and lacing. The nose is fruity: mostly lemon and grapefruit; I didn't smell any tropical fruit. Wow, where did all these tastes come from that I didn't smell? In addition to the citrus, there is some sweet fruit but there's also some creamy caramel. This Ale features a medium body and lively carbonation. The 7.7 ABV is not distracting but this is no light weight IPA. Overall, it's flavorful and a pleasure to drink. In particular, this is a great hot weather DIPA.

 

Odell Pina Agria Pineapple Sour, pretty good. 3.97 overall

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/267/176287/?ba=russpowell#review

 

Like @cavedave, I'm trying to drink down my cellar! This beer was an extra from my first trade with Dale, @nc41, a solid guy who walked me through the trade and threw in this beer that I stocked away as I know it would age well. I bet its been two years ago.
Deschutes, 2014 Mirror Mirror English Barlywine, A beautiful beer, amber hue with aromas of fruit, figs, berries, carmel. This a a big beer, sweet and boozy, with a sugary coating mouthfeel. This one has aged well and I thank Dale for the chance to savor this! Cheers

 

Probably my last post for the day here NBS players. Figured I would give the mystery beer a go. The only real indication I have is the bottle cap that signifies Dark Horse but this could of course be some sort of home brew right? I swear I have not peaked at all.

The pour yields a dark black malt color and I'm pretty sure that I'm dealing with a stout right away. The nose is sweet with defined notes of berry. Right away I'm thinking Tres Blueberry Stout which I've actually had before but it's been a while. The drinking starts with a big mix of malt and berry upfront, a very smooth flow with an equally smooth finish. I'm really getting the blueberry which really seems to dominate the beer. Subtle notes of the base with mostly chocolate malt. The mouth feel is on the light/moderate side with decent stick and subtle alcohol warming. The abv hides very well and I barely notice it at all.

Overall, pretty good stuff. I probably favor it since I really enjoy blueberry. And guess what? I'm the winner! Hold the fucking parade, as I was close but not exactly on point. I honestly had no idea this was the bba version. The barrel is either on the lighter side or my palate is just in shock from the Massacre. Regardless, a big time want and a humbling blind tasting. Might have to re-trade for this too Ian.

 

Until we meet again, buddy!

 

Well played, my friend! @superspak sends good stuff!