New Beer Sunday (Week 667)

Happy NBS, NBS-ites!

It was a nice, late-fall kind of day here in Montréal and I am just hanging around and prepping some things. I'm headed to Boston next weekend, which I'm excited for. I've never been, I've wanted to go for a long time, and I am eager to get to try (and bring back) a bunch of new beers. Aside from that I've been enjoying watching my third attempt at brewing bubble away in my coat closet all week and am getting antsy. So far this one seems like a winner (or at least not a loser like the other two batches). I will report back once I have a bottle ready in a couple weeks! Although I'm worried that now I've jinxed it. Dammit....

For my beer today I am going to try a new one-off from a brewpub in Montréal. They make very nice beers and will occasionally package them. This is the first time I have seen them in cans; but considering the 'hip' image they try to cultivate I am not surprised. This can really ticks off the hype list. IPA? Check. Tallboy? Check. Sticker label? Check. Modern-looking artwork for the label that has nothing to do with beer and tells you nothing about the beer? Double check. I don't want to give the impression that I don't like these sorts of things, etiher. I actually like that cans are so pretty these days. However, I have noticed that, at least in Quebec, there are a few people that put more effort into their can (heh) than into what goes in it (heh heh). Anyway, this is a black rye IIPA so that is different and I am looking forward to trying it. No reviews on it yet, and I got to add the picture so that's always nice. Let's see how she fares...



It pours a nice thick black with a billowing khaki head. The head actually has some noticeable layers, to the point that light comes through the foam in stripes when I hold it up.



The ppicture doesn't do it justice, they were much more obvious in real life. Never seen that before, but now I'm gonna start checking every beer I drink.



The aroma is the least strong part, but it definitely improves after it warms up a bit in the glass. There is a real milk chocolate character to it. Beyond that and a whiff of hops not much else is going on. The flavor follows with a layered sweet roastiness and bright hops that fade into a puddle of resin and mocha. It feels lovely and is generally drinkable. I liked it and will probably see if I can find another couple cans this week.

My full review is here.

Cheers, all!

 

Greetings all. There are few things in the world I know less about than college football so I think I'll just sidestep that conversation and wish everyone luck with whomever their chosen team is.

A couple weekends ago I went camping with some friends and we decided to have everyone try to bring an unusual beer along. I brought a handful of different things and this weeks NBS entry is the one we didn't get a chance to try then: Taybeh Beer. It's a dark beer from Palestine that bills itself as "The Finest in the Middle East" and clocks in at 6% ABV.




It gives forth a big frothy head that sticks around a while and is a deep, dark, amber brown that lets only a hint of reddish light though. Thick and clingy lacing continues even when the head settles down to just a film. The nose is big roasty malts with some coffee and chocolate overtones. Blind I would likely guess this was an oatmeal stout. Taste follows suit with a subtle and very pleasant sweetness. Again, it's very stout like but the mouthfeel is very different. Much thinner and crisper than a stout with an impressively clean finish that pulls it much closer to the realm of a Schwarzbier. Just a hint of bitterness on the back end.

This is an absolutely delicious beer that is hugely drinkable despite it's dark and heavy appearance. I'll be interested to do some more research into this brewery.

Cheers all!

ETA: I usually don't post actual reviews/ratings but since this beer had very few and I enjoyed it so much I went ahead and did so.

 

I believe this will likely be my only December NBS entry as we have friends in town the next couple weekends, then Christmas Eve is debatable -- I will be home, but not sure how much of a posting atmosphere will exist with the girlfriend's sister and mother in the apartment for the weekend. There will be plenty of delicious imbibing, so I may try and hide in the bedroom to post a review of something barrel aged -- the girlfriend's sister is a huge fan, so I'm planning a nice tasting for that day.

@jrnyc hooked me up again with something Other Half, as his generosity is wont to do, so let's get into it:



Other Half DDH Mylar Daydream
My Rating - 4.12

L - 4.25
Pours an opaque orange-yellow very similar to freshly squeeze orange juice, with a frothy white head that slowly recedes to a ring, leaving ample lacing behind.

S - 4
Aroma is nice, but somewhat generically tropical.

T - 4.25
Flavor follows along the aroma. I get some mango and a little bit of orange, but overall it tastes "tropical fruit"-like. I can't say I'm overly impressed, but it tastes quite nice. There's a slight sweetness that I wasn't expecting based on previous OH experiences.

F - 4
Medium-to-full feel, not much in the way of carbonation zing. A little resin/slickness on the tongue, very smooth.

O - 4
It's very tasty. I am enjoying drinking it. That said, I wonder if I'm a bit off today as the beer doesn't blow me away as it has past reviewers. I think it's quite well made, I just don't think there's anything about it that really sets it apart from other IIPAs/NEIPAs. Perhaps I am not one for the oat/lactose combination? Hard to say -- I hope to find it on tap somewhere or they re-release to try again someday.

 

Founders CBS, 11.7% ABV. Pours thick and black with a right pretty 2+ finger brown head that left thick foamy lacing. Nose is coffee, chocolate, maple, and a hint of bourbon. Taste follows, with moderate sweetness and slight bitterness. Nice amount of bourbon flavor, but not overly strong. I had expected the maple to leap out of the glass and really grip my nose and tongue since they play that up, but it's more subtle than that. Excellent mouthfeel, overall outstanding. While no doubt it is top ten, and possibly the best BBA stout I've had, it didn't meet my expectations. Granted it has yet to fully warm, and my expectations have been high based on wanting this since I got into craft.

 

Its good to have friends in Iowa where I can score TG beers! Toppling Goliath Fire Skulls & Money, the aroma is fantastic, hazy orange with one finger head, tropical fruit, mango, pineapple, little sweet, medium mouthfeel, sticky lacing, another TG masterpiece.

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. A nice chilly day here on the island. Not terribly cold yet but it's enough to remind you that winter is here to stay for a bit. Watched a pretty nice Jets victory despite a miserable start. Went out after to buy some wreaths and other decorations (I actually just followed directions and carried it all). But it looks like I will be getting my ass and house into the xmas spirit in no time.

My new beer today comes from a very nice box that I received from @GreenBayBA this past week. It is Paid Time Off, an imperial stout w/toasted coconut, cocoa nibs, and walnuts, from 3 Sheeps Brewing. Had my first beer from them on Friday and it was excellent. The brew checks in at 10% abv with a 9/28/17 bottle date.

An ink black pour with a fast off-white head. Nice roasted chocolate notes on the nose. The drinking starts with a big rush of chocolate malts upfront. A rich and smooth flow with a slightly bitter finish. The mouth feel is full bodied with a nice rich and lush feel to it. Just enough stick for the flavors to really coat the palate and linger nicely. All the added flavors are on the subtle side and really play nicely in the background without overpowering the base or coming on as artificial. I get the dry coconut feel, the sweet cocoa nibs, and a touch of toasted nutty flavor.

Overall, another excellent beer from these guys. If you haven't already make sure you put 3 Sheeps on your map. I'm in the 4.2/4.3 range here,

 

Oh yeah, one of my favorites from 3 Sheeps. Glad you got to try it.

 

Have had it twice now hoping to fall as in love with it as others have, but I too was not impressed and was almost disappointed with it. Perhaps I am spoiled by other similar, better IPA's made more locally to me. Good beer for sure, but not the masterpiece I hoped for and expected.from others' reviews..

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone had a good Sunday so far. Got all the laundry done for the week, was a bit overloaded from the holiday last week. Bottle returns all taken care of, and got some new beers as well. Still have plenty of overstock after the holiday weekend haul, with more on the way from my usual stores. I have a Utopias waiting for me, should be picking that up in the next few weeks.

Beer:

Fantastic saison! Slight gusher. Amazing lasting head retention and thick lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big lightly tart lemon, lime, peach, pear, pineapple, mango, melon, red/green apple, white grape, white wine, oak, hay, straw, grass, and peppery yeast; with balanced wheat, cracker, white bready malts; with lighter notes of leathery/musty funk, white vinegar, and oaken vanilla. Light fruity/lactic tartness and yeast/oak tannin spice on the finish. Medium carbonation/body; balanced grainy wheat creaminess, acidity, wine tang, and oak tannin in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing tart/tannic dryness; no pucker. Insanely drinkable. The Brett/Saison yeast complexity is beautiful. Perfect balance of fruit, barnyard funk, and spice. Great wine barrel presence and malt backbone. Jackie O's has been seriously killing it on the wild ales. I'm not really sure when they started making them, but I have only been able to find them the last year or so in NE Ohio. 4.28


Randomly found this today, apparently we are one of the test markets? This was really excellent! Not much haze, but the head retention was insane. Lasts the whole glass. Aromas and flavors of huge tangerine, peach, apricot, pineapple, passion fruit, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berry, lemon/orange zest, and light pepper/pine hops; with balanced wheat, cracker, biscuit, light honeyed malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Minimal pine, citrus peel, grassy, spicy bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; nice bready wheat creaminess and light hop stickiness in the mouthfeel. Slightly increasing bitter dryness, no hop astringency. Extremely easy drinking. Super juicy and lightly dank hops; balanced malts, never overly sweet/heavy feeling. Got to hand it to Sam's here; it's a spot on NEIPA, despite no haze. Super fruity/tropical hops. The mild bitterness is spot on. Galaxy, Simcoe, Mosaic, Citra, Cascade hops. Glad I got a 4 pack, this is delicious! 4.08


Awesome Mexican stout! Great head retention/lacing. Aromas and flavors of big milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, nutty medium roast coffee, caramel, brown sugar, cinnamon, chili peppers, toasted oats, dark/brown bread, light smoke/char, and herbal spice earthiness. Mild roast/char bitterness and cinnamon/pepper spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation/body; great creamy/silky/bready malt mouthfeel; slight chalky roast and spice stickiness. Slight bitter/roast dryness; no acrid/astringent flavors. Minimal lingering pepper heat. I am really impressed with this one. The balance between stout, spice, and coffee is damn near perfect. Nicely rich for the ABV. Never overly roasty/bitter. Extremely drinkable, 7%. Will pick this one up again. Grew on me through the glass. They really nailed it. 4.1


Vivid Sauvage. Red wine barrel aged Brett Tripel IPA? Fantastic! Awesome head retention and lasting lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big tart lemon, lime, cherry, grapefruit, tangerine, pineapple, peach, mango, melon, apricot, guava, berries, orange peel, red/green apple, red grape/wine, toasted oak, peppercorn, pine, hay, straw, and grass; with balanced wheat, cracker, bready malts; and lighter notes of oaken vanilla, leathery/musty funk, and red wine vinegar. Moderate peppery yeast/wine/oak tannin spiciness, fruity/lactic tartness, and pine/grassy hop bitterness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; balanced grainy creaminess, acidity, wine tang, hop stickiness, and oak tannins in the mouthfeel. Slight barrel silkiness. Lightly increasing tart/bitter/spicy/tannin dryness. No pucker/astringency. Very smooth sipper, minimal warming 11%. They absolutely nailed this one. Perfect balanced fruity/spicy Trappist yeast, Brett barnyard funk, wine barrel, and citrusy/piney hops; nice malt backbone, with no residual sweetness. Absolutely love this one. Got the Divine Sauvage Tripel last weekend as well. Tripels are always my favorite. 4.2


Cheers, have a good evening NBS!

 

I've seen your many posts for EQ, so you're definitely spoiled . I think most of us in the NYC/Hudson Valley/Long Island area are -- expectations run high these days

Your 'almost disappointed' phrasing hits the head on the nail. I'm working on the second half of it now and, even after a nearly-too-aggressive pour, I still find myself let down. Tough lives we live!

 

Hey NBS! Been a while. Just got back from the gym and just picked up some groceries for the upcoming week of work, so time to ruin all my hard work with a nice beer! Just kidding, this shouldn't ruin too much as it's only a 12 oz can clocking in at 4.6% ABV. Glad this brew made a move to smaller cans, as the bombers Brian was putting it out in seemed not to really fit the profile he was going for, and the price is much better this way too!



This is Moneytree$ and it's billed as a "Gose-style session IPA," which seems like a weird way to say "dry-hopped Gose-style ale" but I guess mincing words is pointless when it comes to a brewery like Stillwater who regularly break genre and stylistic conventions with their strange and inventive brews.

The pour is a pale and cloudy yellowish color. Almost milky looking in a sense, with splotchy lace that retains pretty decently. The head is thin-ish and diminutive but has some sloppy legs and keeps around a bit on top of the surface. Not a super attractive brew, but I don't come to the Gose style for its beauty, in all honesty.

The nose has some bright citrus (lime, grapefruit, pomelo) and white grape skin-like tartness combined with a yogurty, tangy, lemony zing that punches through big time. Huge, evocative nose on this one for such a little beer. A hint of herbal spice and minerality are present here too, but the dry-hop character certainly stands out further.

The flavor is big and refreshing too, with huge, explosive mango, guava, pomelo, grapefruit and lemon zest building atop a slight sour base that continues through the entirety of the palate. The finish is modestly bitter, but mostly just fruity and spritzy. A bit of that Nelson-ish white wine note toward the finish/swallow, for sure. Feel is on the heavy side with a strong wheat component, but the sourness cuts it a bit, leaving it in the realm of "medium-heavy" for the style, especially considering the ABV. Pretty similar to some of Grimm's dry-hopped sour pale beers, at the end of the day, but the hop combination feels rather unique. Fun stuff!

Just bought this great album on LP earlier while shopping at a new local record store for my dad for Christmas. I know my mom's getting him a new record player, so I figured I'd hook him up with some new music for it... couldn't help but grab something for myself too, of course.

 

Switching styles, but staying within the state. This time, I'm checking out an imperial stout from a southern Missouri brewery - Mother's.



Mother's Rated R.

Pours black with two fingers of khaki head. Head retention is good with great lacing left behind. Aroma is roasted and toasted malts right up front. Light notes of a medium coffee roast, vanilla beans, and molasses slither in among the malts. Flavor profile is light bodied notes of medium-roast coffee, milk chocolate, vanilla beans, and molasses all sat between notes of roasted and toasted malts. Mouth feel is medium-thick with a velvety texture that borders on filling. It isn't as thick as a meal in a glass, but it certainly has good presence. Overall, its a well rounded, medium-heavy stout with coffee and vanilla beans.

Score: 4.25 | 4 | 4.25 | 4 | 4.25 | BA Score: 4.17 | rDev: +2.7%

 

Happy Sunday, BAers! You all are killing me with these CBS reviews. Despite living two hours from Founders, I've yet to indulge in that sweet nectar. It doesn't hit distro by me until this week, and the last couple of days have been too hectic to chase. With a little luck I can load up this week.

Today I'm having a brew from one of my favorite little-known Michigan breweries: Batch Brewing's Dicksmasher in the Rye.



Imperial stout aged in rye whiskey barrels. Nose is sweet booze with dark chocolate notes. Creamy head dissipates after a bit. In addition to the rye, getting anise and mocha. Light bakers chocolate bitterness in a long finish. Perfect weight.

Digging this quite a bit. Cheers!

 

Greetings All from the Great Northwest, where we are awaiting the start of Sunday Night Football and the big bird fight between the Seahawks and Eagles.

So this SeaHops IPA seems appropriate. With the '12' glass of course.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1304/111932/

A pretty good IPA, surprisingly malty for the shiny gold appearance.

A pretty day here in the Columbia Basin. Sunny. temps in the low 40's and most importantly, no snow in the 5 day forecast.

Until next time,

Happy Trails!

 

New Wild Ale Sunday (Week 667)
Greetings fellow NBSers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY. Lovely fall day with early fall temps despite the late fall date. Enjoyed some amazing beers at Hudson Valley Brewery together with a great friend and beer lover who I will miss for the months he's away. Almost tempted to join him, he has offered a chance to go with on a cross country beer quest, but I am tied to the creative tasks here at hand in these final years I have left to finish them.

One new beer worth noting was a sour IPA done with lactose (I think), vanilla, chocolate, and a super juicy hop blend that brought a smile to my mouth each sip. Called Subglitch. Really delicious. Also had a pale ale called Thoughtlet that was quite good, excellent hop blend, super refreshing, if not one that stands out in a forest of great APA, but whose refreshing character and hint of tasty bitter in finish was enjoyed greatly by us both.

Luckily there were still four bottles of my NBS beer, Hylozoa, in the bar fridge, and it didn't take more than Prof. Bill offering the beer server to share a bottle of Elaborative 5 for him to agree to let us both take one to go. Okay, he would have done anyway (pretty sure), but cracking that HF bottle sure didn't hurt lol.

Full aroma with both rounded tart and sharp sour notes holding hands with overripe stone fruit funk leading the smell parade. Grapefruit, earthy spice, and light herbal bitter complete an exceptionally alluring bouquet.

Full flavored and then some. A complex blend of tart and sour notes hits first and hits hard, joined immediately by citrus bitter, overripe peach, peppery/earthy funk, to finally end with a delicious and balanced blend of all the flavors resolving to lasting sour and tart with the bitter herb from the aroma appearing. Outstandingly delicious.

Med. bodied, med. high carb., quite viscous, yet totally refreshing with a super clean and lasting finish that primes the palate for next sip.

Another amazing beer from two amazing brewers I have had the pleasure to follow for years. So strikingly bright, delicious, and full flavored, without descending into sweetart territory. Highly recommended.

Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

 

New Beer Sunday: A New Bourbon Barrel aged Coffee Stout.

Evenin’ NBSers with an alert for lovers of Bourbon Barrel aged coffee stouts and a special thanks to @cjgiant for his start up today, especially since his starting question triggered lots of memories for me when he asked about beers that have effectively disappeared from a brewery’s rotation.

In the last 10 years it has happened a lot, but two in particular stand out for me. One is the Weyerbacher Raspberry Stout, a beer I got my first and only six pack of from the last batch they brewed. Weyerbacher are quite firm in their resolve to not brew that beer again. The second is the Victory St. Victorious, a Doppelbock, which I used to order a case of every year. While technically it is still being brewed as a "limited seasonal draft only release,” that basically means it's no longer something I can count as a regular.

Well, the weather here today was mostly cloudy with some occasional sun showing in the afternoon. Temps were in the upper 40s (meaning it was a good day for errands and tackling the “honey-do” list ).

This evening’s new beer is the Java Cask Stout from Victory. While many others on this site have caught the fever generated by releases of Goose Island BCBS and of Founders CBS and KBS, I'm not a chaser any more so I was quite content to have a chance to sample this year’s bottling of Java Cask which is in 12 oz bottles for the first time. Not too many days ago a friend opened one of his new 12 ozers and poured a few ozs each for three of us. Since I’ve had this 750 ml 2016 bottle resting quietly in the basement for a while after acquiring it from a neighbor, I decided, based on that small 2017 sample, it was time to open this bottle and review the 2016, both to see what it is like with a bit of maturity, and to see whether I want to get a few of this year’s 12 oz bottles for cellaring..

As usual, my review, subject to revision until this pour is finished, can be found here;

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/345/184932/?ba=drtth#review


Not surprisingly the aromas and flavors are filled with coffee, Bourbon, and dark chocolate but are also complex enough that there’s both some vanilla and oak notes showing as well. There’s also both a touch of sweetness from the malt and a bit of bitterness from the dark roasted malt showing towards the end. interestingly the coffee persists throughout and even still shows a bit in the finish. If you like strong coffee stouts aged in Bourbon barrels this one is definitely worth trying and I’m expecting I’ll probably add a few bottles to my stock of beers being cellared. My one reservation has to do with the strength of this beer, both the flavors and the ABV. In my view it’s a beer for once in a while sipping and sharing with others.

Tonight’s original cast recording, while waiting for the Eagles-Seahawks game to start, is Bye Bye Birdie with Dick Van **** as part of the original cast (and who also reprised his role in the Movie version).

Put On a Happy Face


Cheers, all!

 

"I got it for the label!"

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24299/258601/

As per label:
Santa Gose "Fuck It All!"
Gose-style ale brewed with Passionfruit, Guava, and Mango.
Santa gave up delivering presents and took a holiday to the Bahamas.




Moderate to vigorous pour yields a one and a half inch white head over a very slightly hazy, light golden body with nice lacing. Nose of citrus and a slight sweetness from the passion fruit , guava, and mango. Taste of the three fruit plays nicely with the tartness of the lactic acid with a bit of salt coming forward on the finish. Nice feel for the style and overall, a real nice example of a fruited gose. Cheers!

4.23/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

So we have never had any of the Bourbon County stuff distributed this way, so I jumped at the chance to grabbed a bottle of Northwoods even though I had to pause at the price.

Some nice flavors and aroma but the almonds are a bit overpowering and it’s quite a bit below normal BCBS standards. It’s a fail in my book.



Poured from 16.9 oz bottle dated 8/10/2017

A: Dark black with 1-2 finger tan head with decent retention and moderate lacing.

S: Bourbon, caramel, and raisin mixed with berries and almonds.

T: Blueberry, bourbon, almonds, chocolate, and caramel. Nice blend of flavors but way short of the original BCBS. Almond extract is a little dominating.

M: Full bodied but not thick. Average carbonation. Finish has some alcohol heat and lightly sweet.

O: Very nice stout but not near the price of admission. Send some regular BCBS our way next year!

 

Did lots of chores around the house today after church. It was in the 70's here today, so I didn't mind the work outside. I'm still making my way through the anniversary beers my wife bought me in October. This may be my first time with a Wheatwine. And the name is a mouthful. It's a Wheatwine, made with honey, then aged in both bourbon and red wine barrels for 14 months.

COOP Aleworks
2017 Territorial Reserve
Barrel Aged Wild Wheatwine Honey ale



The beer pours a clear, deep amber color with a fizzy, quickly dissipating head that leaves a small ring and no lacing.

Immediately upon opening the red wine hits along with a strong oak smell. My mouth puckers slightly expecting a dry red wine from the smell. There is a small bourbon presence also.

The taste is heavy on oak, along with red wine, and bourbon on the finish. It's a bit tart also.

The mouthfeel is effervescent and heavily carbonated, which detracts from the beer a bit. There's a very dry, quick finish.

Overall this is interesting. The oak flavor overpowers most everything else. The other flavors are good but subtle.

 

Happy New American Wild Ale Sunday!

At the trailhead today it was windy as hell, cloudy, around 56. There were a few cars there. Lots of MTBers checking out the new trails that were built recently. Having a pretty tasty brew, nice take on the style. Some chicken tacos and a marinated pork tostada.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28226/212362/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!