New Beer Sunday (Week 661)

Morphed into delicious, Belgium yeast, plums, sweet fruit, chocolate, coffee.. complex and very different style.

 

Cyberbullied from Bolero Snort in New Jersey. A 6.9% 0 ibu ipa. I've had another 0 ibu ipa from The veil so this obviously is what I'm comparing it to.

L: Poured from a 16oz can into a teku glass. Dark orange color with foamy white head that leaves nice lacing. Not murky at all. 4/5
S: Not sure what hop(s) were used but I'm getting passion fruit and orange in the nose 4.25/5
T: Pineapple, orange and mango with some juicyness with little noticable bitterness. 4.25/5
F: Medium carbonation with a light creamy mouthfeel. 4/5
O: A nice ipa with very little bitterness. Really nice to have something different at a lower abv. 4.25/5

 

Cigar City - Good Guord 2017 vintage

Been sitting on this for a while, waiting for the weather to actually start feeling like fall. Today was cool and windy, and we started it off with a trip to the pumpkin farm, so it felt like the perfect time to dig into this.

look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

A: dark ruby red, quarter inch head faded quickly and left zero foam.
S: graham crackers, vanilla, nutmeg
T: potent cloves dominate the other spices, with a graham cracker like malt base, followed by cinnamon in the finish.
M: medium body, easy drinking for the higher abv
O: great fall beer, has a stronger clove like punch than most in the style.

 

G' evening NBS-ers! Back atcha with another one, thanks to @oline73 .


Poured from a 12 oz can into a JK Snorkel snifter.

Appearance: Golden sunshine colored body with some sediment in suspension. Tiny islands of lacing left on the glass like frozen crests of waves.

Aroma: Cracker malts and small hints of lemon.

Taste/Mouthfeel: Lemony and with some grains with a light mouthfeel.

Overall: A really lovely tasting beer and definitely not one of my favorite styles, but a great beer nonetheless. Would I drink more? Oh, Hell yes! Should you? Oh Hell yes!

I thought it kind of fitting that this was sent to me...

Mary was my mother's name and this time 2 years ago her and my Pops were down here staying with us and enjoying some family time. Spending time at the parks, stuffing ourselves at the EPCOT Food & Wine Festival, enjoying life; and of course joking about her drinking Colt 45.
She got ill a week after they got back home to PA and a month later I had to fly to PA to visit her in the ICU. The following night, she was gone.
So this beer, #999, I raise in honor of the greatest woman I have ever known.

Be back soon with number 1000!

Cheers!

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @cjgiant for getting us officially started off this morning. Another normal weekend over here with some nice weather. After much laziness, I finally kegged the Sierra Nevada stout clone kit I made last month. Turned out perfect as expected. I think I only really stayed away from liquid extract for so long because of a few bad experiences. The last 2 kits I got from Morebeer were top notch quality. I like the faster brew day. I will have to brew again soon as I have a nearly empty keg again, but for now I have a fully stocked kegerator.

I got a nice generous second NBS BIF box from @jdell15 last Thursday, which includes a mystery beer I will do today. He sent a ton of local cans and a 4 year vertical of a Charleville Barleywine. I am overloaded on review beers now with the addition of a trade that hit on Friday. My 5900th review will be on Wednesday. Not totally sure what it will be just yet. I have plenty of candidates to choose from right now. Just finished up the laundry for the week as usual, hopefully things won't be too busy at work this week. Been pretty mellow lately, except for a few hectic days here and there.

New Beers:

Delicious bock. Great head retention and lacing for the style. Touch of haze. Aromas and flavors of big honey, caramel, brown sugar, brown bread, toasted biscuit, and nutty malts; with light notes of roast, toffee, and herbal/grassy/peppery hops. Very mild herbal, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-full body; with great bready/grainy Munich malt creaminess in the mouthfeel. Slight slickness, sticky hops, and chalky roast. Minimal dryness, no cloying sweetness. Perfectly clean lagering, no esters/off flavors. Very rich and complex, with clean Munich/Vienna malt and honey flavors; just enough noble hops to balance the sweetness. On the paler side of the style, but is spot on. 3.9


Blind beer time. He said it was a boozy beer, so I am getting a snifter out for it. Hazy ruby red/copper appearance. Not much head or lace to speak of. This was fantastic! Aromas and flavors of huge caramel, brown sugar, toffee, bourbon, vanilla, toasted oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, clove, biscuit, and brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, roast, molasses, raisin, plum, fig, date, and herbal spice earthiness. Increasing booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Light herbal/spice bitterness and bourbon/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; with a very creamy/silky mouthfeel; light slickness, syrup, spice stickiness, and bourbon/oak tannins. Slightly drying tannic oak/bitter spice. No cloying sweetness. Light-moderate increasing warming finish, some booze. Not overwhelming. Really smooth sipper. As is already obvious, this is some kind of BBA pumpkin spice barleywine. The balance between malt, spice, and barrels was awesome. Nothing overdone or feels out of place. Really loved this a lot. Some mellow English yeast notes and stuff too. Really rich and complex. 4.17




I was thinking about opening the Brandy MILF, but saw some other reviews about gushers (@thebeers ) . Will be doing this instead. Don't feel like dealing with that possibility right now. This was excellent! Nice head retention and lacing for the ABV. Flavors of big milk chocolate, cocoa, caramel, brown sugar, vanilla, toffee, rye whiskey, toasted oak, and brown bread; with lighter notes of coconut, raisin, fig, cherry, tobacco, ginger, cinnamon, clove, juniper and spruce. More balanced dark fruit/malt notes in the aromas. No booze to speak of. Very mild herbal spice bitterness and rye/oak tannin spiciness on the finish. Light carbonation and medium-full bodied; very smooth and creamy/silky mouthfeel. Slight spice stickiness, chalky roast, and oak tannins. Touch of increasing spice/tannin dryness. No booze. Leaves a lot to be desired. I was expecting more spice presence with all the vermouth/bitters supposedly added to this beer. There isn't a ton of it. The rye barrel has great balanced presence though, which upped my overall opinion. Brooklyn did it way better with Improved Old Fashioned, but I still loved this one. Solid 4 across the board.


Cheers, have a good evening NBS!

Been listening to this album all day. It's a rotational occurrence, but usually when I am at work.

 

I haven’t had fresh WWS in years but based on my notes from the week a did a five year vertical I feel that OAVWWS was better than fresh WWS and somewhere between 2-3 year WWS IMHO. Personally I feel WWS needs at least five years on it, definitely a beer that needs to be aged!

 

Ommegang lovely dark and deep,cola black color.Aroma is roasted malt followed by some coffee.Taste is identical. Perfect amount of carbonation and an excellent feel. This was a really nice stout that hit every mark very well

 

Little bit about my glass and then I will move on to the actual beer. Fur Shop is a dive bar in downtown Tulsa. A few months ago I was drinking with a friend who has since moved to Kansas City. He had a glass that looked identical to this one other than it had a Prairie logo on the back. I tried to get it from him then and he would go for it. Anyways my girlfriend, who can't stand the place or dive bars in general, went to Fur Shop last night to watch the end of the OU game. Found this glass and took it home with me. It cost more than my pitcher of Coors but was worth it.



4.48/5 rDev -1.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

A: Hazy orange bodied beer. Looks similar to orange juice. Lots of lacing left behind. Poured a solid 2 finger head out of the can.

S: Lots of fruity hop flavors coming out. Noticing some grapefruit and other sweet fruit smells.

T: Lots of fruit flavors. Tasting grapefruit and pineapples. Taste one this one is really nice.

M: Very smooth mouthfeel. Soft texture and hides the ABV fairly well. This could be a quick drinker.

O: Probably my favorite of the handful of Hill Farmstead beers I have had. Easily one of, if not, the best NE style IPA that I have had. Awesome beer.

 

Stone Neapolitan Dynamite Imp Stout. Good, not as good as I hoped. 3.99 overlall

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/302621/?ba=russpowell#review

 

Trillium brewing s Vic Secret dry hopped Fort Point Ale

Canned 10/18/17 poured into a pilsener glass

Hazy golden yellow , two finger, frothy off white foam cap, sticky lacings

Aroma of citrus , lime, tangerine

Citrus hop taste, gentle bite, lingers nicely

Smooth , well balanced

Good beer

 

Back at it here NBS players. Looks like I jumped the gun a bit on that Jets victory. A pretty bad lose. Anyway, watching the late games and settling in for a little taco night. Probably gonna watch some 60 minutes, and then the walking dead. Although, that show has gotten so bad I don't even know why the hell we still watch it. We gave up on that train wreck fear the walking dead last season.

My second new beer today is Love Shadow, a bba imperial stout, from Vivant brewing. Again from the awesome ba known as @superspak and his NBS box. The brew checks in at 11.7% and has no apparent canning date.

A pitch black color on the pour with a quick tan head. The nose is full-barrel with a mix of the bourbon and oak. A big rush of chocolate malt on the initial sips with a rather smooth flow and finish. The barrel really hits on a medium level- not to strong or weak. I get good notes of oak, bourbon, tanning, smoke, vanilla, caramel, and toast. The mouth feel is rather moderate with a dry wood feel to it. The abv hides very well as I barely notice it.

Overall, decent but not great. Everything just seems to be in the middle here. Not to strong or weak, good balance, nice flavors, but it just doesn't wow me. Right around a 4 again and maybe a tad lower,

 

Alright, here's my second and final NBS entry for this week! This one's a "double altbier" by a brewery located right down the street. I've covered these guys on NBS before (NBS 607 on 10/10/16 and NBS 640 on 5/28/17), and I could've sworn I reviewed their original altbier, Alt Hypothesis, on BA before but I guess not. There are only two ratings for that beer on this site, which seems unfair (esp. considering the horrible average it has between the two), as it was really good by my recollection. Anyway, this is a 9% malty, strong beer aged in bourbon barrels with tart cherries and Dominican cocoa. Intense!



The pour here had me a bit worried as the cap practically flew off when I popped it with my opener. I get leery with stuff like this, especially from local/smaller breweries who may have issues with infections. I got ready for an overflowing of foam, but luckily... nothing! The pour presented with a rocky and really thick head that eventually calmed down to several fingers, leaving behind voluminous lace. Loving the color on this one... it's a somewhat-clear yet still translucent copper-red with burnt orange highlights. Lots of barely-moving micro-particles within the haze, but overall this seems quite clean for what it's worth. Happy with the first impression I'm getting here... glad my fears were allayed!

I've had issues, as I'm sure many of you have had, with malty beers featuring cherries to any specific extent. I tend to associate this kind of thing with Robitussin cough syrup... Mad Elf, for instance, tends to be a messy booze-bomb (when fresh, anyway). I know altbiers, as somewhat of a hybrid style, tend to delineate themselves from the pack of "unclean" ales due to the cold-storing/lagering process they typically undergo, and I'm not sure of the lengths to which Merrimack actually goes to emulate this rather old aging method, but I will say that the nose on this one is very satisfying. I get a tannic hit of wood from the barrel-aging as well as moderate barrel funk, a good dose of rather bright and lively Montmorency (or similar) cherries and a solid hit of toasted bread, milk chocolate, caramel and cocoa husk. Nary a hint of ethanol is present here, which likely means this is going to be a dangerous endeavor . More than anything, though, I am happy that this seems very "clean," as any altbier worth its salt should be. There are no off notes or weird esters... it just seems to allow the stated elements from the label to breathe without distraction. I'm excited for this one!

Oh, damn. Tart and malty by turns, with a dusty/powdery Belgian chocolate note toward the mid-palate, Chocolate Covered Cherry absolutely seems to succeed upon my first sips. I'm very glad the bourbon barrel character is restrained and mostly just lends a tannic and stiff wooden/oaken note to the finish here rather than being boozy or buttery-sweet as bourbon can tend to be sometimes. This is super drinkable for 9%... I can barely taste any ethanol at all, and though the body of this brew is on the bigger side of medium, it doesn't feel like a grand undertaking to drink. Very bubbly, frothy carbonation, too. Lacing appearing in sheets as I sip and sip away. I'm impressed! Merrimack continues to do well by me... they're easily the best brewery in my general vicinity, and I'm always excited to see them experiment with unique ideas. More of this, please! Hell, I might buy one of these to age, as it seems like an interesting candidate for the cellar. How long will the cherry flavor last? Will the cocoa fade? Will it get funkier or more barrel-focused with some aging time? The gears in my head are turning... always glad to be enjoying some high-quality, unique beer at the virtual tavern! Cheers!

Since I moved recently, I had to lug all my CDs and records from a few zip codes over to the new place and have been going through some forgotten gems in my collection here and there. I've always been fond of this keyboard-heavy black metal project from Sweden. Though this is his only full length album, the Swedish one-man act Sapfhier delivers a really direct and punchy work that stays consistent throughout.

Great review and I agree, PB&J Framinghammer is not an age-worthy beer... it falls off fairly quickly from my experience. You should contribute more often!

 

Transient Orenthal



16oz can poured into Transient grenade glass

This is "The Juice Is Loose" base brewed with lactose sugar, orange & Meyer lemon peel.

Great can art. A herd of Buffalo bills with a few scattered white broncos. OJ jokes never get old, especially now since "The Juice" really is loose! Pours a turbid, dried apricot colored orange with a small cap of foam. Big citrus on the nose. The orange/lemon peel is really heavy here and shoots the bitterness up the charts. Nice feel, but the lemon just lingers a little too long. Going to leave the rest of these in the fridge for a couple weeks. I think it needs some time to mellow out.

 

I have only made it through the first two pages and look forward to reading the rest of today's post. Rough sports weekend; Yanks and niners loose. However, Today I have a beer that was brought to me from Belgium by my sister and brother in law (along with some other goodies).

My first ever Cantillon.

Bottled on 3/29/17

Score:
Look: 4.25
Aroma: 4.5
Taste: 4.5
Feel: 5
Overall: 4.75

The beer pours with absolutely no head. Its light orange color with almost some pinkish hues. Smell is slightly fruity and a little funky. Each sip is delicous. At the start of the sip there is very mild fruit flavors, neither sweet nor bitter or even acidic, but towards the end a big clean hit of acidity and dryness hit the palate. Its not overwhelming and is quite pleasant. There is some nice light funkiness to go with some of the fruitiness. The beer is easy drinking and has a nice tingly carbonation. Overall, a fantasticly well done beer. No flaws, clean, and very drinkable. The complexitity, clean flavor, and overall feel remind me of a Hills Farmstead Saison.

 

One of the best beers I've ever had.

 

One more to wind down the evening. Untitled Art/Horus Aged Ales English Barleywine colab.

Pours a deep golden brown with a 1 finger light tan head that fades into a thick ring and leaves some lacing on my glass. Aroma is quite pleasant with some light coffee and toasted coconut. The malts lend a nice caramel and toffee smell. The coffee is upfront in the flavor along with the coconut. Coconut is subtle, but I can pick it out. The malty English style BW works well as hops would seem to distract from the adjuncts used. The finish does have mild bitter aftertaste that could smooth out over time. Feel is medium and not too heavy with nice carbonation. Overall solid BW with a creative flavor.

 

Deschutes Black Butte XXIX 29th Birthday Reserve - cocoa, cinnamon, and cayenne with 50% aged in rum and bourbon barrels
Huge shout out to @aoampm for this one. All the way from Hawaii to Arkansas for the NBS BIF

I'm gonna write out a detailed review when I get a little more time later but my goodness this is awesome. One of my favorite barrel aged beers is the BA vereion of the imperial porter Old Mad Joy from Great Raft Brewing and this one could go toe to toe with it easily. The barrels - especially the rum - really shine through and aren't bogged down in an overdone chunky sludgy malt base like some BA stouts can be.

Full of complex flavors mingling joining the roasted malt with a not too hefty body so the adjuncts and barrels can be the star of the show here. High alcohol is totally hidden. Unsurprisingly Deschutes knocked it out of the park here. Thanks a bunch Alex!

 

Narragansett - Bancroft Up Or Down Ale

This beer is an odd partnership with Rhode Island’s Bancroft Tennis Co. Narragansett really loves to push the RI thing. Nice 60s/70s font on the can. Tastes like an American blonde ale with some nice supporting bitternes. It features Cascade and Chinook hops. Grainy. Simple, but well done easy drinker. No off flavors (never a guarantee with Narragansett for me). I’m really pleasantly surprised by how nice this one is. Cheers.

 

Hello, NBSers. Did you know Full Sail has 10 beers in its Session lineup? I surely did not. Drank more than a few of the Session Lagers when I first started drinking. May have had a single of the Dark at some point. Don't think I've seen any others. Until...



The Session Pilsner, clocking in at 4%. Poured from an undated can, but Trader Joe's usually has freshish beer.

Pours golden, frothy white head, good carbonation, looks like a pilsner.

Light pilsner smell. My sinuses hated me today, so it could be me.

Taste is crisp cracker. Dry. Not much hop flavor or spice. There's something astringent about the aftertaste that I don't care for. Good carbonation, easy drinking, works much better with food.

A decent 4% beer. I've had much worse at the abv. Packs a decet amount of flavor. That said, I doubt I will get it again.

 

Mystery beer time!

Based on some the swag from @Roguer ‘s box, I suspect this one might be from Aardwolf Brewing so I went with their glass from the box. Love the oversized snifter. Guessing you might can get a 22 oz bomber in a single pour.



As soon as I popped the top, I knew we were in stout territory. Very dark with a rich mocha head. Large bubbles that seemed to roll like you would see in a nitro beer.

Getting lots of rich chocolate, some coffee, and vanilla both in flavor and aroma. Hints of oak and bourbon suggests it is barrel aged but these notes are somewhat subtle so probably not.

As it warms, I’m picking up more cinnamon and a little bit of pepper heat. Thinking this could be a Mexican stout in the same vein as Mexican Cake or Bomb!

And the reveal. El Mariachi!



Poured from 32 oz crowler

A: Pitch black with 2-3 finger mocha head comprised of large bubbles that dissipated reasonably quickly. Zero lacing.

S: Coffee, chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, and bits of chili peppers.

T: Chocolate fudge, coffee, vanilla, cinnamon mixed with a little pepper heat.

M: Full bodied and lightly carbonated. Coats the tongue with a syrup like quality. Finish is a little sweet.

O: Tasty stout and right up my alley. Not on the same level as Cake or Bomb! but very enjoyable stout. Thanks to @Roguer for giving me the chance to try it.