New Beer Sunday (Week 668)

Sunday two-fer... in a couple of ways. My second beer review post with two new beers from a new brewery to me. Saw these in my local shop even though I had never heard of the brewery out of Norfolk, VA before seeing them. This was a pre-mixed four-pack with two of Bench Top Brewing Company's most rated (8 times each) beers. These are both currently rated over 4, but on such limited reviews, let's see if I can help confirm the "hype" or if I happen to think their may be some "local bias" at this point.

First up, Proven Theory, a 7% IPA (shown on left). This beer looks pretty nice for a near-cloudy beer. It's a yellow gold that isn't quite opaque. The nose isn't strong but has aspects I've become familiar with for some of these hazy IPAs - a grain presence (oat I assume) and some tropical notes. This has both in light and near equal amounts.

My initial sips were promising, but it quickly seemed like a little beginner's luck. The grain/oat aspect of the beer coupled with the carbonation started tiring out my tongue. The grain gained more and more of my attention as the neutral-sweet tropical notes became an afterthought. Warmth helped a little, and the tropical notes became more like the skin of the fruits, with a light reedy to light-color wood bitterness in back. Overall, just not enough of the hop profile for an IPA for me, but an ok pale ale profile in a higher ABV form.



Next, Hazing Face, didn't look quite as nice as the IPA. It did have a similar profile, and I could even see this being the little brother of the other. This beer actually seemed to fit the style a bit more, however - and didn't seem quite as rough on my palate. Both were too heavy on whatever "thickening" agent they used that got into the taste too much (versus staying in the feel, as I'd prefer).

Kinda glad they split the four pack, two of each is enough at this stage for this BA.

 

Maple Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Mexican Biscotti Cake Break...

You know the drill: features coffee, cinnamon, almonds, cocoa nibs, vanilla, and habanero peppers, but this time aged in maple bourbon barrels...

I am not a huge fan of the Mexican Cake/Biscotti Break collab, but I do like the individual beers. My particular take is that the combination of flavors dilutes the character of each, while presenting an overall somewhat muddled mess of a stout. Bourbon barrel aging it, particularly in maple barrels, didn't necessarily improve on that. The high sticker price in my area ($25-30?) is also frustrating since I don't feel like its worth it, but that's on me, as I could have held off on the buy.

Alright, after that somewhat gloomy preamble, here's what I got: My particular palate really picked up on the almonds and chocolate, with that tingle of spice, cinnamon/habanero, tickling my tongue and a slight air or bourbon vapor hitting the roof of my mouth. Not getting much I'd attribute to coffee, but I do detect a maple sweetness, although I'm finding it a bit too sweet - not cloying, but I'm not really digging it. The feel is full-bodied and smooth, all sweet, with little to no roast, and no drying on the finish. Has a sticky feeling, and again, a bit of a tingle of heat.

It's not bad, and I'm sure it's received differently by many, but to my tastes, a bit overdone without delivering anything really memorable.

That'll be my send-off, NBS; gonna finish this over in WBAYDN, and anything else I drink'll be familiar territory...

Here's to new beer, cheers...

 

Tried the new IPA from Sierra Nevada's Snowpack. Holiday Haze reminded me a bit of their Fresh Hop Session IPA and a heart breaker beer they brewed earlier this year called Wildflower IPA. Very low bitterness much like orange juice.

 

Frost Beer Works "Whisky Barrel Aged Heavy":



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/39297/311663/?ba=Lone_Freighter#review

Bottled 10/26/2017.
This was poured into a tulip.
The appearance was a thick black color with a finger's worth of tan foamy head that slid off fairly quick. Nice film of spider webbing lace coated the sides of the glass.
The aroma started off with some frisky sweet fresh sprucy/pine needles that seemed to play with a nice milk chocolate backbone and woody barrel sweetness. Light wafer-like sweetness. That cocoa powder dryness came in stealthily with some dark chocolate nibs that bit away at the damp needle-like pineyness for a healthy remarkable balance.
The flavor presented a moderate sweetness coming from the milk chocolate with some of the dark chocolate sliding in there as well. Some earthy to woody sweet barrel displayed an affectionate personality in this department. Dry and roasty aftertaste touching upon a light herbal and light dark toasty character.
The mouthfeel was about medium bodied with a fair sipping quality about it. Carbonation felt fine. ABV did feel just a touch under than what was projected. Nice finish with a slight gripping roastiness about it.
Overall, from the creator of Ten Fidy, we get our first whiskey barrel aged stout by Frost Beer Works and it's well done. It's one that I would definitely come back to.

 

Went to your review to check your specific numbers and rdev, and couldn't help but notice that was #6500 for you! Holy shit, congratulations man! Hard to believe it, and I will accept whatever blame I'm due for any part I played in you getting to that number. Wooo hooo Cheers, my friend!

 

Eagles are up, loving how this game is going. Enjoying Victory Mighty Things.
4.3/5 rDev +5.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

12 oz bottle poured into a snifter

A- A hazy golden straw with a two finger white head

S- Dank, citrus, hints of pineapple, piney, a little tropical.

T- Citrus, pineapple, dank, piney finish, touch of pale malts, hint of sweetness.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A really nice IIPA, looks hazy, but more west coast like than NEIPA. Just wish there was more tropcial fruits given the hop profile.

Fly Eagles Fly,cheers!

 

I thing that is my favorite CBS picture this year.

 

Greetings NBS gang from lightly snow dusted SW Ohio. Yeah, I like winter except when my skin drys up and falls off...but I digress!

Hoppin Frog was one of the first small craft breweries that blew my mind. Specifically B.O.R.I.S. and D.O.R.I.S and more recently T.O.R.I.S. Imperial Stouts! All spectacular and highly recommended.

Located in Akron, Hoppin Frog brews great beer and are widely known to have one of the strangest logos. I'm sure there's a story there but I don't have time to research that for you. Besides...

I think their logo is GREAT! ...and I wouldn't want to upset their genius brewmaster Fred Karm. Maybe he designed it?

Anyway, here's Fred:



Beer...is Daredevil's Got Game Oatmeal Imperial Stout! A Hoppin Frog collaboration with Cigar City.



Look...it's utterly dark.

Smell...was a chocolate explosion that carried right from the glass to my nose about 3 feet away as I shot the pic on this chilly afternoon. This excites me to...

Taste. Pure Hoppin Frog richness! Nice coffee, molasses and milk chocolate. No hint of the classic 10.4% ABV. WOW this has a thicker mouthfeel than their other all-stars. I love this. I love the thickness. Must be the Cigar City addition to the recipe? Never had a Cigar City Imperial Stout but I suspect that may be the case. Anyway the...

Mouthfeel...is THICK. Creamy wonderfulness and I love it. Reluctantly I swallow...but more awaits and...

Overall...I would rate this beer a 4.5 if I rated beer.

It's not likely I'll ever drink this again since it has been retired...but there's always BORIS DORIS and TORIS lurking around...thanks to FRED.

Great NBS start @lordofthewiens and Cheers to all!

 

CaveDave you have been a continuing inspiration and a hell of a good drinkin buddy... Na zdravie

 

A huge thank you goes out to FFFJunkie and Dragginballs76, for getting this bottle to me. Poured into my Surly glass at 50 degrees. The beer has a 2 finger dark brown head with okay retention. The head is billowy and creamy, as it dissipates it does not leave any lacing on the glass. The beer is dark brown like used motor oil and opaque. Every now and then I can a couple carbonation bubbles popping up on the side of the glass.

The first initial aroma of the beer is dark roasted chocolate, dark roasted malt, and vanilla. Additional aromas I smell is coffee, earth, molasses, bread/yeast, cinnamon, brown sugar, pepper, and pastries.

The beer has a very pleasant dark roasted malt, rich dark chocolate, vanilla, espresso, molasses, brown sugar, wood, earthy, the peppery note is on the tail of end of the beer. Other flavors I get is bread/yeast, floral, and a touch of citrus.

The mouthfeel of the beer is full body, chewy, medium carbonation, a touch astringent, a little bit dry, and full finish.

I was a bit apprehensive about trying this beer. I read there were habaneros brewed in this beer; however, I think the pepper really makes this beer unique and flavorful. The pepper note comes on the back end for me. The beer has an incredible balance to it; furthermore, the beer is velvety smooth and deceptive. I am very grateful to get this beer, thank you so much.

 

Right back atcha!

 

Alright, onto my second NBS entry of this week. Wasn't gonna do another one since my previous beer was so big, but I barely felt it (took me an hour and a half to put down, but whatever)... this is like the polar opposite to the Grimm Cassiopeia. An 11.2 oz bottle of fruited sour ale clocking in at 4.5%. Haven't had this one, but Crooked Stave has been decent to me lately, so we'll see what this has in store.



Petite Sour Reserva - Marionberry pours a beautiful deep-red color with some pinkish/blush wine undertones. The head is somewhat more retentive than some other CS sours I've had, but overall it looks much the same as something like Petite Sour Raspberry.

From what I know via previous brushes with marionberries (in both cuisine and beer), they are essentially a blackberry species with some differences due to crossbreeding of strains. Turns out fruit and hop varietals/cultivars are really similar, in that way! The nose here is tart and full of blackberry, raspberry and light strawberry notes. This definitely has more "dark berry" elements, however, with some deeper sniffs revealing Cabernet Sauvignon-like depth. There's some slight acetic acid-like (vinegar) notes here, though, which inhibit my full appreciation of the nose.

Strong oaky and tannic flavors on the tongue with hefty marionberry and blackberry fruitiness. Light raspberry tartness with an almost-"cranberry" like note as well. Stiff woodiness and evocative jammy flavors. Wheat-like base beer comes through quite a bit, with some saison-like funk, but overall it's kind of boring. The feel is a little too smooth for me, too, though, and the carbonation isn't up to snuff. It just doesn't have the finishing bracing tartness that I want from this kind of thing. A little too sweet, but it also doesn't push the fruit as far as it could be pushed... the finish feels a little undersold, like it closes out too soon or something. There's no "oomph" to this one, and the fact that the palate feels a bit deadened is disappointing to me. CS is somewhat hit-and-miss, in my opinion, and this beer isn't one of the better examples of their work that I've had. Too bad, because I was quite looking forward to it.

 

Got in line yesterday for this release around 6 am for a 10 am release. Knocked out a few wants from the group we sat with on a beer share (CBS and BCBCS). Overall a really enjoyable day and a smooth release overall from Prairie. My nose is super stopped up and I wonder how this effected the smell portion of the score. Will likely have a side by side with regular Christmas Bomb on Christmas and wonder how today's thoughts will vary with me feeling better next time I open another bottle.



4.76/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

2017 bottle

A: Beer pours a cola like black color from bottle. Not much head at first pour. The slight head was tan in color. Almost no lacing while drinking.

S: Pepper and cinnamon at first smell. Smells seemed to change as the beer warmed. I started noticing more barrel and coffee notes as the beer got warmer.

T: Outstanding varieties here in the beer. First tasted spices and cinnamon. Later on picked up more chocolate sweetness. Many different fllavors melded well together. Nothing over powers and I seemed to notice different flavors almost every drink.

M: Beer has a full mouthfeel. The many flavors mask the barrel aged kick. Some tingle during swallow. Flavors and feel linger about after swallowing.

O: The variety and noticeability of all the different flavors stand out on this beer. Would have liked to have seen more carbonation and head on the pour. Overall, an outstanding beer and worth waiting in line for release.

 

Back for a second new beer today and this one's a local from TailGate, just canned last week:


Love the can artwork as always. According to the can, this is a Northeast style DIPA brewed with El Dorado, Simcoe, and Citra hops. It was somewhat hazy but nowhere near the turbid OJ look of many NEIPAs. A golden color with a frothy off-white head. Nice fruity aroma right out of the can on the pour with watermelon, oranges, pineapple, mango, and some pine. The taste was a bit different with a slight lemony flavor at first which yielded to pineapple and mango. Some earthy pine/resin which balanced it out. A soft feel with fairly soft bitterness as billed. The ABV was hidden very well and this beer felt medium-bodied but not boozy at all. Overall very nice.

 

Decided today's the day I should check this out. It's been sitting in my fridge for a few months now.



Bell's Black Note Stout. 2016 vintage.

Pours black with less than a finger of off-white head. Head retention is okay with no lacing. Aroma is bourbon, molasses, caramel, chocolate, and toasted and roasted malts. It's all wrapped up in a well balanced package. Flavor profile follows suit, with bourbon throughout a display of caramel, molasses, toffee, and dark chocolate. It masks every bit of its 11% ABV, and displays robust notes of bourbon without ever coming off as boozy. Lovely balance and complexity, and yet retrains a refreshing simplicity compared with other adjunct and flavor added stouts. Mouth feel is medium-thick, with a smooth, creamy, velvety texture. Overall, this beer packs a presence, but doesn't have a mind-blowing complexity, instead it's a wonderfully balanced, straight forward bourbon stout - and a great one at that.

Score: 4 | 4.75 | 4.75 | 4.25 | 4.75 | BA Score: 4.66 | rDev: +2.6%

Personal notes: Prior to this beer, I always thought bourbon barrel aged beers should be in your face a little. At least by way of feel, and presence. This beer carries itself well without being thick and grainy enough to leave malt flakes in your teeth, and yet it packs a wonderful dark and roasted presence. I see where this beer gets its hype. So glad I finally got to try it. This is my first bottle of it ever. I somehow managed to purchase 4 total of the 2017 version, so I'm looking forward to aging those for various years. Marvelous stuff.

 

I don't see the name of the beer in this review, but based on the photo - it's a Barrel Aged Christmas Bomb?

Regardless, it sounds great. My little brother just got into beer, and has recently been trying heavy stouts and enjoying them. May have to surprise him with a regular Christmas Bomb and see what he thinks!

Cheers! And that's for sharing!

P.S. Congrats on enjoying some of your wants lists in line. I try not to wait in line for beer, but if I knew there would be a little bottle share, I may be more apt to show up early and patiently.

 

Beer #4 for this fine Sunday is "Lugene" by Odell.

4.1/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

A: Pours black with less than 1" head and decent lacing.
S: Nose is pretty faint for a barrel aged beer, notes of vanilla, whiskey, char, and chocolate.
T: Taste follows the nose, decent whiskey notes with chocolate, vanilla, some burnt sugar, and minor bite.
M: Medium feel on this one, I would not guess 10.5% ABV.
O: It was an ok beer but honestly a little underwhelming for the style. Seems a little short on flavors for the class.

 

Happy New American Impy Stout Sunday!

Pretty nice day here on the Western Slope, around 47, sunny at the trailhead. Having a pretty tasty brew, surprised me, worth checkout. Picked up some marinated pork tacos on the way home. Watching some Law and Order reruns.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28226/89313/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

I was going to have a couple cases of barrel-aged goodies from Fremont and Selkirk Abbey parachuted onto your lawn by the Golden Knights, but after you hit that beer I'm afraid your palate was too marred to carry out that plan. I'm afraid you'll have to make do with a "Happy Birthday " from me.

 

Yeah it is a Barrel Aged Christmas Bomb. I think my favor beer I had yesterday was Trilllium Dusk Trill Dawn. Girlfriend and I went and met some folks from Dallas area. We all drank beers together and enjoyed the company. They held are spots down while we went to breakfast, probably my girlfriend's favorite part. It was between 30° and 40° yesterday but we had layered up pretty good. Not sure what all your brother has had but Prairie just released Bourbon Paradise and it is really nice too. I would recomend that one over the regular Christmas Bomb.