New Beer Sunday (Week 686)

NBS beer #1....so now it's a DIPA edition



Broken Spoke/WATA DIPA

The Alchemist Brewery and Visitors Center
American Double / Imperial IPA / 8.00% ABV

4.04/5 rDev -1.7% | Score: 4.11
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Not to be confused with the 6.0% APA of the same name. This one is an 8.0% DIPA version.

L-The beer pours a cloudy amber. The head rises a good 3 fingers of off white foam. Lacing is excellent as the beer recedes to a thin film.
S- The nose is pith and pine. Rather light in intensity for an Alchemist brew.
T- The pith is a little more prominent here than in the nose, but the pine still rises just to the surface. Bitterness is light but noticeable.
F- The mouthfeel is medium and there is a touch of slickness. Carbonation is light after the initial pour. The bitterness dries this one out some at the end.
O- This is exactly what you would expect. It's a bigger slightly more substantial version of the APA of the same name. It doesn't really standout amongst DIPA's, and I prefer it as a lower abv APA. That said it's still decent, but lags behind the alchemists other outstanding DIPA options.

 

Me too! One thing we try to do is acknowledge each others interests and try to reconcile them. She enjoys bird watching and we both like going for walks. So I'll ask her to pick a place to go for a walk together and we'll combine with with something beer-related, like stopping at a brewery or eating at a place that offers good beer. She's not a big beer drinker but likes sampling what I have and she likes to tell me what she smells and tastes. It all seems to work.

 

Wulver's one of my absolute favorite beers!!

 

Hi Gang!
Pardon my humble drive-by post here on this eminent juggernaut of a thread.

Relationships?
I’m currently trying to wear out my third wife but I must say she’s holding up quite well and only seems to get stronger. I clearly don’t deserve her but for the last 5 years I’ve been thankful each day. Her pure positive energy keeps me alive and she “gets me”.

Beer: My first Firestone Walker beer arrived in a big box of beer around Christmas last year courtesy of @cjgiant ...THANK YOU!!!

(I have so many amazing beers from BAs lined up to enjoy in the coming weeks. Yes, the generosity of this virtual community is amazing.)

Parabola Imperial Stout
This beer currently has a 4.61 score after 6,690 ratings. Easily one of the most amazing BA scores.

Anyway. So I don’t think there’s much I can say that hasn’t been said in praise of the deliciousness and amazing blend of chocolate, vanilla, coffee, subtle cherry coke ignited by big crushed dark fruits as it circles back to milk chocolate and yes finishes with an astonishingly smooth bourbon component. And that’s just the aroma!!! ohmygod

Taste: By God it’s the same as the aroma!!
Yes, there’s quite a bit going here. The creamy slightly thick mouthfeel allows excited taste buds extra time to evaluate, enjoy, and inform my brain that this is one of those beers I won’t forget.

Predictably, I think this might be the best imperial Stout I’ve ever had.
I mean Yes, it is.

Listening to: The Yes Album

 

In preparation for posting my next review, I'd like to preface this review: I've been listening to my girlfriend have a Skype call with one of her closest friends (currently living in London), who has been nagging me for years abut when I'm going to propose to my GF: she has sent me dozens of rings and settings and articles about how to pick diamonds. It has become one of my favorite pastimes to harangue her with fake photos of engagement rings I haven't purchased, but that will come to an end in the near future. Also coming to an end, my pour of:


Damn this weather today. This photo could have been wonderful out in the sunshine we had yesterday, but alas, I had to take it in our bathroom. And on we go.

Sixpoint Posse
My score: 4.35

4.25
Pours a hazy, slightly dull, golden color. Medium white frothy head that quickly dissipates to a ring around the edge.

4.25
Aroma is stone fruit first – apricot, nectarine, plum – and passionfruit and guava. The aroma doesn’t blow me away, but the notes are strong and clear. There’s a fruity marijuana around the edges.

4.5
Flavor is big time juicy tropical fruit up front that quickly steps into the background to allow the citrus from the all-New Zealand hop bill to step forward: lemon, lime, a little tangerine. Dankness emerges with a pleasant strength around the back of the tongue and the end of the sip, leaving a distinct bitterness behind that balances out the juicy front end. The dankness also holds a slight edge to it reminiscent of white wine, which is likely coming from the Nelson. Warmth brings a greater variety of flavor, but nothing specific comes to mind. Just a layered hop profile that all works well together really well.

4.25
Full mouthfeel, very soft. Low carbonation, which works well with the style. Definite resin on the tongue, a touch of dryness that gently urges me towards the next sip. There's a bitterness in the flavor that comes through at the end that is

4.25
Really great beer. NZ Hops are subtle, and this beer matches that. There’s a lot of nuance here and warmth brings out a lot of detail. It has all the requisite characteristics of a DNEIPA, or INEIPA, or is it NEIIPA? NEDIPA?: hazy, juicy, fruity, soft. But the exclusive use of Kiwi hops creates a different experience that doesn't bash you over the head with flavor and aroma, but instead invites you to get to know the beer over a 12 ounce pour. It reminds of some of my favorite Grimm beers, which is another brewery focused on creating unique flavor and aroma experiences.

 

I actually would like more flashbacks like this.

Awesome! Love (get it??) the spark @lordofthewiens has... well, sparked. I love the stories.

I also want to encourage all to join this week or next (or next...) with a new beer their significant other is allowing/encouraging/sharing with them.

Cheers to all enjoying this NBS!

 

4.72/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75

A: Beer pours a hazy yellowish orange body. Strong pour gave a solid two fingers' worth of white head. Lots of lacing left behind on the side of the glass while drinking.

S: Lots of tropical fruitiness here on the beer. Big amounts of pineapple and orange notes coming from the nose. The aromas from this beer are top notch. Big tropical sweet aromas all over the place.

T: Flavors are very similar to the nose. Lots of tropical fruit flavors on this beer. Grapefruit and pineapples stand out over other fruit tastes. Beer is very creamy tasting also.

M: Very soft and creamy mouthfeel. Almost no clesr amount of alchol on the feel of the beer; very well hidden. Very smooth and easy drinker. I imagine this is something I could drink a large amount of fairly quickly.

O: Outstanding beer. Big tropical feel all over the place. Almost no noticeable amount of alcohol. Easily one of the best IPAs of this style I have drank.

 

That beer is pretty magical. The aroma is like one of those $40 woodwick candles. Glad you enjoyed it as much as I do.

 

I'da swore I've had that, but I don't have a review entered.

 

greetings all! Thanks to our host for the thoughtful opening. I married late, just as I turned 40, and while I think I bring at least a couple of halfway decent assets to the party, I am nevertheless thankful and amazed that my wife puts up with the rest of me.

This week I've got a not so hyped beer from a pretty well hyped brewery: Foley Brothers' Longbeards Oatmeal Stout clocking in at 6% ABV. They get a fair bit of attention for their IPAs in these parts, and the one I have had was indeed pretty good (I think it was Citrennial). But oatmeal stouts are my favorite type of stout so this was the one I grabbed a 4 pack of when I had the chance in Vermont.





Pours pitch black with a nicely frothy head that leaves super thick lacing as it dissipates. Smell is of coffee, dark chocolate, some sweeter 'hot chocolate' sort of notes, as well as roasty - almost a little smokey - malts. Taste is considerably more bitter than expected. A black coffee and baking chocolate sort of flavor is more prominent here than the sweeter and softer notes on the nose. Feels nicely full and soft in the mouth with pleasant chocolate and coffee, but the finish is a bit more sharp and bitter than I like. This reminds me more of hoppy west coast stouts than it does something like Ipswich Oatmeal Stout which is my favorite. A very good beer, but not exactly in my sweetspot for the style. I should also note that this was $15 for a 4 pack of pounders which I thought was rather expensive for an oatmeal stout (I can get a 6 pack of Ipswich for $9.99 every day of the week).

Cheers all. And my wife and I are heading to the Azores (off of Portugal) next week so with a little luck and reasonable data charges I'll be checking in next Sunday with an *especially* new beer!

 

I don’t like to give @WesMantooth too much credit because, you know, one or both of us are dicks, hidden well

... but he, out of the blue, offered to send me this based on my professed love of Backwoods Bastard and desire to try it. I’ll never thank him enough nor forgive him for the courtesy.

For the record, it has won out barely in at least 2 side-by-sides since (think one tie). Nice to see you’re review of it.

 

Relationships, well wife and I just made it though a complete remodel of 1400 sq ft of our house without calling attorneys so that calls for beer! This beer came by way of NBS BIF and the generous @TongoRad, Kent Falls, Anachronism, a German Gratzer style beer that I'll admit, I had to do some research on. The pffft upon opening told me that this one had some carbonation and a gentle pour generated half a glass of puffy billowing head. It took 5 minutes to get this beer from the bottle into the glass, but man, well worth the wait. The initial assault was very tart, sour and prickly that had me wondering just what we had here. A bit of barnyard, saison, white grapes, with a sharp finish leaving nothing behind, just wanting more to distinguish and enjoy the slight smokiness and tart sensations. This was a unique beer that I thank Mike for sharing!

 

I forgot you had that lying in the dark reaches. Glad you enjoyed!

Funny you mention $40... it could be a tad cheaper, even at the brewery. I almost popped one last night (f#*%ing cat), but might tonight, an almost one year anniversary of sorts. Cheers, my friend!

 

A-Pours a nice dark amber color with a some nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has some piney and hoppy hints
T-The taste follows the nose with piney and hoppy flavors
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A decently made beer

 

Shoveling in April is stupid, but there was enough snow that I had to clear some of the driveway. Decided to make snowman with my daughter so we could remember this day. The face says it all.


Milwaukee IPA pours a bright and clear golden orange with a soft 2 finger white head. Good retention and webbed lacing on the glass. Aroma is a very bright notes of tropical fruit, melon, mango along with a light sweet malt. Flavor is similar with the flavor of tropical and fruity hops with some of the nice mango and melon notes. The middle moves into the sweeter caramel malts and yields to a light bitter finish. Feel is lighter and refreshing, finishes somewhat clean and dry.

 

A-Pours a nice clear light amber color with a nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has some piney and hoppy hints
T-The taste follows the nose with piney and hoppy flavors
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A decently made beer

 

Thank you to @lordofthewiens for kicking off this NBS. Today I am reviewing a 2016 Java Cask by Victory Brewing. I am really amazed how the coffee notes remained after all this time. The beer is just fantastic in every way.


4.59/5 rDev +6.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A: Jet black with a rich tan head and impressive lacing that just stays put.
N: Malty coffee notes up front with some barrel, vanilla, and chocolate.
T: Follows the nose, awesome coffee flavors with a perfect barrel hit and soft malt/vanilla to even things out.
M: Medium
O: This rating is for the 2016, blown away how the coffee notes remained. The ABV is soft but present and the barrel is blended in with just the right amount of flavors to not overpower but show themselves. One of my favorite beers.

 

Enjoying this courtesy of my wife and her trip to Iceland to learn learn about and make Skyr.

Sable brown beer with a fine head the color of chocolate frosting pulled back to leave a healthy ring and good lacing. 4.25
Faint grapes with some ash - interesting but lacks some punch. 3.75
Taste follows nose but with an unexpected herbal quality supplanting the typical sweetness. Alcohol and coffee finish. 4.25
Smooth and full with the expected warming from the alcohol. 4
Nicely done but strangely not picking up any of the licorice influences the brewers assert and that I have experienced with American Imperial Stouts. 4
Composite 4.06

 

Hello New Beer Sunday!!!

On the third day of blizzard my true love gave to me...

A wasted day at work!

Seriously, I had one customer at my restaurant today. Such a complete waste of time, and I closed 3 hours early. I really shouldn't have even opened today. So not worth it.

Second, onto @lordofthewiens topic:

Relationships:

I am almost 45 years old. I will be in June, and I am still single. It's not by choice, I just haven't found a compatible woman yet. I keep looking, but it isn't going well. I don't need a relationship, but I want one. I don't want kids at this point in my life, but I really want the companionship.

I was involved with a great woman 5 years ago. She was, and is amazing. We've known each other since freshman year in high school, 1987. She was, and is, extremely beautiful and sexy. We were friends in HS, but after, we lost track of each other. She got married almost right out of HS, and had 3 kids. We reconnected back at the 10 year, and rekindled our friendship. At the 20 year she was divorced, but dating some other guy. 2 years later we started dating, but, with my work, and distance from her, we just couldn't make it work. It hurt, but we remained best friends, and are to this day. She has since married, and they are perfect for each other. I am so happy for her.

But it still hurts a bit that we couldn't make it work.

So, enough about this topic, and on to the new beer.


Tsar Bomba from Wicked Wort Brewing in Robbinsdale, MN

This is my first beer from them. I picked up my bottle at a stop there back in February to get a birthday present for a friend. I didn't have time for a beer there, at the time, just time to get beer to go.

So how is it?

AMAZING!

So thick pouring. Such a beautiful appearance. The smell is amazing. Rich with caramel, chocolate, vanilla, coffee notes with some notes from the barrel. The taste is mellow up front, but on the backside it kicks in like a mule on steroids. Thick bodied.

Damn amazing!

I am going to be enjoying this for quite a while tonight, and see how it changes as it warms up more.

REVIEW

4.26/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25

This beer pours a pitch black color. It is a thick puring beer. The head is 1 finger, brown, with moderate retention. Minimal lacing on the glass.

The nose is rich with barrel notes. There's also a bit of sweetness, vanilla, some coffee notes, and some chocolate.

The taste is very interesting. Up front, there's a mellow flavor, but on the backside the flavor kicks in HARD! I get vanilla, caramel, chocolate, coffee. There's also a nice barrel presence.

Feel - Very thick, full bodied beer. There's a nice alcohol burn from the barrel.

This is a very fun RIS to drink. Very well put together, and the rye barrel adds an extra layer of flavor to it. Damn good. Damn solid.


Will there be more? I don't know yet, but it's early, so there's a good chance for another beer.