New Beer Sunday (Week 688)

Happy Sunday, NBS crew! I have the pleasure this morning of adding a new beer to the site from my favorite Philly brewery. Also the closest brewery to me, which works out nicely when I find myself buzzed and with a dead cellphone.

Crime and Punishment is just killing it right now. I don’t know how they pack so much flavor and body into a session ipa, but this stuff is just incredible. Their house style (maybe its their yeast?) just ticks all my boxes. @vabeerguy this one is even better than the one I sent you.

Tatarka - Crime and Punishment
Session IPA - 5% abv
Growlered on 4/27/18 (2 days ago)
Score: 4.54 (rDev 0% - first review)



L - 2-finger dense and bright white head is slow to recede, leaving gobs of sticky lacing. Body is an opaque, cloudy, murky yellow.

S - grapefruit, orange, pineapple, melon, pine, a faint hint of cheese/funk.

T - super tropical citrus. The melon is most apparent, but the other fruits from the nose are there too. Super-clean middle. A bit of cheesy funk, but its more of an accent. No earthiness or herbalness. Finishes with a mild bitterness. No sweetness, no booziness.

F - medium body with medium carb.

O - this thing packs some crazy hop flavor for the low abv. Juicy with a great body. The Citra dry hop is hugely apparent, and makes this a joy to consume.

 

Howdy everybody and happy NBS!

Congratulations, @lordofthewiens, what an enormous and fun change. I love that area of the country and it will be nice for you to be that much closer to family (at least after the initial headache of doing it). On the subject of big moves, I am at a little review anniversary today and have something significant (at least to me) picked out for the occasion.

When I moved up here to Montreal I was coming from a verifiable craft beer desert, it was January after a huge snow storm, and I was helping my now-wife to move across town with no boots, no gloves and a terrible coat. My first night in town she took me to "a convenience store with some beer" near her old place. She is not a beer drinker and so she had no idea that it happened to be the bonafide biggest, best beer store in Quebec. I was happy to be somewhere with great beer again and I picked out an oatmeal stout from Le Castor. It was very nice after moving, chilled outside cause we didn't yet have a fridge, and it was my first Quebec beer. Little did I know that being effectively unemployed, confused by French, far away from everyone I knew, and starting to actively participate on this site would help my love for beer bloom into what it is today. I now have a job I really like, a beer-industry gig on the side that's really fun, I speak French and I have good boots. Life is good.



Well, Le Castor has grown in that time as well and they now make some really tasty wild and barrel-aged beers. Since they were my first taste of Quebec brewing, they might as well be my 900th review.

According to the bottle:
"A blend of saisons made with malted and flaked grains and a traditional saison yeast aged 8-12 months in wine barrels with lactic acid"



It pours pretty clear and golden with a short-lived little white head. The aroma and flavor are both tart first and foremost with some supporting earthiness and barrel funk. It is very drinkable with barely-there alcohol and a dry finish. I'm not the biggest sour guy, but I do love funky saisons and I feel like this one strikes a good balance between all its components. It tastes similar to Sophie with some added sourness. Here's to 900 more!

If you want, here is my official review.

Santé!

 

Hey good for you @lordofthewiens - New Mexico is a great state, totally underrated, and more importantly home to a lot of good beers. No idea what distribution in Las Cruces is like but at least you have a Bosque taproom, and the hot-as-hell beer scene of Albuquerque isn't that far away. You'll love it. Great food, hot times, great beer... I'm a little jealous (yes yes even though I live in Colorado). Only thing to start planning is a rooftop rainwater collection system. No panic button suggestion, but Las Cruces often suffers real droughts and some water shortages. We adjusted ourselves here by putting a timer on our showers.
ENJOY!

 

Congrats on the house! Sounds like y'all leaped, not stepped, out of your comfort zone, but also sounds like you're ready for it.

I need a New Beer this Sunday and will look for something a bit uncomfortable when I get to the store. After surviving my first trip abroad, color me ready for anything.

Happy NBS, NBSers!

 

New Old Ale Sunday (Week 688)
Greetings fellow NBSers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY. If you are a mushroom picker, like am I, foggy, cool, spitting rain kinda days are what get the motors started this time of year. Puddles everywhere and high creeks almost guarantee a good season. That is the scene here, happy to report. Can''t wait, already drooling at pics of morels from south of here.

Speaking of drooling, I have let many a delicious drool drip loose enjoying the beers sent me in our latest BIF by @richj1970, who I do need to thank once again, not only for all these amazing beers, but for a container of barbecue sauce that is so delicious I have been putting it on almost everything.

Here though is some really special beer. I love this style, have for, well, more years than I will here admit, and this is just excellent. Anyone lucky enough to get STA distro should put this on their shopping list. Unobtainium Old Ale, one 2016, one 2017.

Note: One can has a legible date, Nov. 2017. I cannot make out the date on the other can, but was told it is a year earlier canning.

The nose on the 2016 is much more barrel influenced and strong, with whiskey, vanilla, and spicy alcohol leading the way for a complex, full strength aroma that also features raisin bread, treacle, and dates.

Interesting that in the 2017 aroma I find the same flavors, but they are dialed back and blended. I say interesting because I am not sure I would have identified them from the blend so readily without the other glass to compare.

Oh, man, this 2016 is fucking delicious. It is a faithful and perfectly balanced version of the aroma, with just enough alcohol warmth to push this taste to 11. Clean, and possessing the strange characteristic of being brightly flavored while also tasting blended, each sip seems to present a little differently.

What a difference a year makes! In the 2017 barrel notes dominate the taste, which is nuts, since they are so much more prevalent in the aroma of the 2016! Strong alcohol presence too, and the fruit bready characteristic is a minor, less balanced, player than the older one. There is bitterness here, not strong, but def. evident in the end of sip, that isn't in the 2016.

The mouthfeel is identical in both 2016 and 2017, even though appearance, smell, and taste are not. Both are med. bodied, highly viscous, low carb, refreshing for style, with a clean, long lasting finsh.

Gee this is a really great and delicious experiment that I love to do, since there is no other way to find out what time does to beers that are big enough to possibly benefit from being laid down. My overall impression of both vintages is--- go get some, what are you waiting for! If you are a fan of Old Ale or BSDA you are gonna love this!

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

 

Sosus By Toppling Goliath

Out of my comfort zone? No, this is smack dab in the middle of it

4.4/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Bomber poured into teku glass

Hazy amber liquid, two finer frothy white foam cap, sticky lacings settles to a dense layer

Tropical hop aromas, pineapple, papaya, pine

Taste is tropical, citrus

Medium sudsing, hop nibble

Good beer

 

Congrats on the new home, Doc! We have camped with RV a couple of times in Las Cruces, and places in NM up to Colorado border and have enjoyed the people, food and site seeing; and for those unfamiliar with NM, the beer scene rocks! From Bosque Brewing to La Cumbre to Marble to Taos Brewing there is some mighty fine local beer to be had!

Speaking of mighty fine beer, New to me is “Sunday Morning Stout” by Weyerbacher:



Poured black with ruby edges at 56 degrees; clarity under fast fizzy reddish tan head that disappeared immediately; not a spot of lace or a trace of a ring; weak legs on swirl. 3.75

Boozy bourbon nose; no coffee; dark fruit notes. 3.75

Flavors of bourbon, oak, bittersweet dark chocolate, dark cherry and plum; semi medicinal-like finish...maybe the booze? 4.25

Medium full feel; moderate carbonation; alcohol bite on tip of my tongue; body is kinda thin; warming sensation from the alcohol; dry barrel/cocoa powder tongue coating. 4.0

I didn’t really pick up any coffee notes; I did like (personal preference) the alcohol and bittersweet chocolate flavors; the body is too light (imo) but the light feeling makes this a deceptively easy drinking 12.7% stout. I’d drink again, but I think I prefer their Sunday “Mole” version. Overall 4.0

Cheers!

 

NBS beer #1



Caught In Webs

1st Republic Brewing Company
Belgian Pale Ale / 5.25% ABV

3.81/5 rDev 0% | Score: 3.88
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Canned 04/06/18

This is an American Blonde ale with Blood Oranges, not a Belgian Pale ale as noted in the style here on the website

L- The beer pours a hazy yellow with a one finger white head. The head recedes to a thin central island leaving a few spots of lace on the sides.
S- The nose has a mix of blood orange and light crackery malt.
T- The blood orange is much more subtle here on the palate than on the nose. There is a dry mustiness from the malt which gives it a bit of saison like quality, which makes the miscategorization of the style here understandable.
F- The mouthfeel is on the lighter side which works for the style. Carbonation is ample and prickly.
O- A decent, if not wholly successful attempt to jazz up a non descript style. I would have preferred a little cleaner flavor profile and a little less must. In the end it's an ok attempt at a summer refresher, but probably not something I'll return to.

 

Circle Square a International Dark Lager from Twin Elephant Brewing. This beer won Best in Show in Motown (Morris Town NJ not Detroit MI).MASH. I can taste why this is an outstanding brew. The owners of TE are friends with the home brewer and worked with him to scale it up for their 5 barrel system. It pours what i would call a golden black it dark but clear some light passes through it. There is a thick brown head. The aroma is of white bread with some and cocoa. The taste is the same and slightly sweet. Saaz hops are used for a nice clean finish. The mouthfeel is light and creamy. This is a very enjoyable beer i had 2 pints at the brewery yesterday and have a 32 oz growler for today.

 

Congrats on the move! I lived in Alamogordo for a while and with exception to zero hockey, can’t really complain much about the area. Weather is perfect nearly year round, beautiful as one could imagine and it’s a really chill area. Check out Cloudcroft and Ruidoso when you get a chance, and allow the White Sands to inspire your inner photog.

 

First up is this cheery little number from Aslin, Progeny - Devil’s Son in Law



4.2/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

About an inch or two of white frothy head was all this dinghy and murky yellow beer could manage, resulting in only a thin layer below moderate lacing. Nose has an immediate garlicky hop pop that doesn’t stray from the initial impression. Taste follows the nose at first until overripe tangerine slips in. Very wet and light in feel, with only a slight citrus aftertaste. Maybe just a tiny feeling of heat on the back of the throat, but no heat play in while drinking it.

 

New beer #2.

A Fantastic Voyage - CT Valley
NE IPA - 6.5% abv
Canned 3/14/18 (46 days ago)
Purchased for $5.49 at Monde Market
Score: 3.87 (-0.8% rDev)



L - 1-finger dense white head atop a translucent orange body.

S - citrus, pineapple, sugar cane, bubblegum.

T - semisweet orange and grapefruit to start. Some tropical fruits, a little dankness. Sweet bubblegum middle, with a tiny pine presence. Low bitterness, no booziness.

F - medium body and carb.

O - sweetness dominates in this one. Wish the hops were more forward.

 

My theme today is sourish porters... for lack of a better way of putting it. Harvey's Imperial Extra Double Stout is a favorite of mine. I decided to drink one last night as can be seen in the picture below (bottle on the left). It's a beer that pays tribute to brewer and exporter A. Le Coq, an integral part of the Russian Imperial Stout narrative. This isn't a new beer to me, but I want to briefly describe it as a point of reference. It's a beast of a beer. Full on medley of dark fudge, tobacco, and maraschino cherry... with a sour aspect, firm hop bitterness, and a burnt edge. It's a miracle that the elements don't really clash but instead generate layers of goodness. It's a truly special beer in our land of plenty. On another website, it has a style score of 17 out of 100. The people have spoken. Now for my first new beer of the day - which is the unopened bottle on the right. As can be seen in the pic, it is clearly referencing the A. Le Coq label as well.



De Dolle Brouwers - Special Extra Export Stout



Like the Harvey's beer, this is from 2013... and it's 9% ABV like the Harvey's... and it's imported by B United like the Harvey's. According to De Dolle Brouwers, they brew their stout a couple of times a year upon request by their American importer. Hmmmm. My conspiracy theory hairs are standing on end.

De Dolle Brouwers (The Mad Brewers) is one of the key breweries in today's beer resurgence. This beer is supposedly a poor seller for them, but one of their favorites. They developed it after researching historical stouts of the past. If I'm interpreting the brewer properly, this stout features "lactobacterial fermentation."

It gushed a little bit upon opening. This beer is nothing like the Harvey's beer. The Harvey's is rich and syrupy in comparison. This one feels like the ghost of something more substantial. The substance is like a wisp that vanishes on impact, with only some lingering bitterness, a hint of licorice, and subtle sour cola remaining. The sourness is nice and soft - an essential component but not a lead role. The slightly spritzy carbonation hurts this one for me.

There's nothing at all off-putting about this beer for me. It's actually very nice in its own right, and the drinkability is fantastic. While I don't want to hold it to a standard that it's not trying to achieve, comparing it to the Harvey's beer is just inevitable unfortunately. These beers are very different. While I tend to lean towards "drinking beers" more than big beers, the Harvey's beer is just so rewarding and satisfying that the De Dolle beer had a huge hill to climb.

I'll have another related beer later.

Cheers

@TongoRad
@cavedave

 

Good morning, NBS crew. Actually, I guess it officially became afternoon here as I typed this up. Had a good day on the treadmill yesterday, I figured I'd try to step it up a notch today. Well, I did step it up, but not as much as I wanted to. The pace I tried to keep was killing me after just 3/4 of a mile. I managed to meet my mile goal, but not so for the whole workout. I often adjust my goals after I get on the treadmill, but usually to a higher level of performance. Today was one where I reset my goal lower, and at least hit that. Small victories, like the fact anything is better than skipping the workout.

Anyhow, a quick trip and a little breakfast and I am now ready for a new beer. No, make that two new beers. The GF has already snuck a can of each of these, but they are completely new to me. Both are NE IPAs, and I figured I'd try them together to for some compare and contrast action. One is my last Foreign Objects offering, Death Posture, out of NY with a can date of 00318 on the 8.1% DIPA. The other is Sonic Charm, from Old Bust Head (OBH) out of Vint Hill, VA, about 15 or so miles from me, and its contents were canned 04/??/2018 and clock in at 7.9%.

Th Foreign Objects beer has a lighter, more yellow look to it. The body is highly hazy, but not opaque. The head doesn't build up as much as the OBH beer, which has a butterscotch amber body. The Virginia beer is medium hazed. I like the Death Posture's body more, but Sonic Charm has the better head about it.


The Foreign Object's can says to expect an "intense citrus meringue and ripe tropical fruit" from the Galaxy, Motueka, and Calypso hops - I definitely get a lemony citrus note, with an aspect of sweetness. Reading the description, I can see the classic pie impression. I think some of the sweetness comes from ripe canteloupe and papaya tropical undertones.

The Old Bust Head can says to look for "nectarine, tropical citrus, and grapefruit" from the Citra and Mosaic hops. I get a little catty dank note in this up front, actually. There's a cereal like malt aspect, but not a huge juicy aspect. What is there is citrus-like.

So, the nose of Death Posture is more like what I expect from the substyle, while Sonic Charm almost seems like a regular IPA.

Death Posture starts with a raw frictioned feel (I always guess oats with this feel). A pineapple, orange, papaya juice note sneaks through under this, muted by it. The rawness turns bitter "green" - pine and grass, which gains in strength to the end of the taste. By the end, this almost seems like a regular old IPA with a bit of a filmy feel.

Sonic Charm also has a muted tropical aspect, though not by another flavor or aspect of the beer. It's just a lighter-powered flavor. Melon, maybe a passion fruit/mango melange. A citrus-tinged bitterness hits by mid-taste, very reminiscent of Citra, with just a hint of cattiness. A lighter, cleaner, feel with an overall less bitter ending.

So, Death Posture has the raw NE IPA feel (that I think is not an aspect the better NE IPAs have), but a more classic ending (not overly typical of the substyle, but I like it). Sonic Charm had a softer flavor profile, with a little juiciness and a cleaner feel that ended up being smoother to my palate, oddly enough.

The Foreign Objects offering kind of fits in between the other two offerings I've had by them, maybe a bit more like Chaos Therapy. The OBH beer also fit in line with my experience for their offerings - mediocre beers that are fine, but you're likely to have a better offering available. I'd say, by a bit, that would be a true statement if you just had these two offerings to choose from.

 

Bull Falls Bock (my review is here)



After missing "Bock Season" at retail, I was happy when a friend brought over a couple of Wisconsin brands which we don't see too often in the Twin Cities. Bull Falls was available here in town, but left a few years back, so I never tried this one 'til now.

Not a bad beer for what it is, but lacks the sort of malt depth and overall character ("complexity", I suppose) that I've come to expect from a 7%+ bock -or- doppelbock.

I suppose I'll crack open a fresh Helles Bock when I've finished my coffee.

 

Shelter Island Craft wins my 4+ scores week of April 28
Liquid Sunshine | Shelter Island Craft | Beligian Wit
4.35/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Glad to be 1st reviewer of the 2018 line up at Shelter Island Craft on 4.28.18.
This wit grabbed our attention after a hard work out restoring the garden.
a) Sunshine body, cloudy with a firm 1 finger dense white head that lasts and laces.
s) Wit shineshine, lemony, belgian, slightly sour, sunny, bright.
t) Follows the aroma, but big in the mouth for 5% ABV. Girlfriend loved it. Our favorite for the day tied with King Gambrinus.
f) Bright, clean, souring to dry finish - wine - like, astringent. Great first beer of the evening.
SI Craft gets it all right.

King Gambrinus | Shelter Island Craft - AIPA
4.3/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Must try it if you can get it. $10 for 16 oz. Thrilled to be first reviewer/poster of this great Eastern IPA.
a) An aggressive pour into a wine glass produces 3 fingers of lava lamp lively head, over a cidery, hazed body, that lasts and laces.
s) Oak, wood, the forest are the predominant aromas.
t) All sorts of wood shop flavors: Cedar, sawdust, fresh shellac, flower shop, wood glue, along with an astringent, drying, bittering finish. Great originality and finesse.
f) Light-to mid weight, low carbonation, excellent drying, bitter finish.
o) Scotch like, powerful IPA for its ABV, definitely east coast to English. Try 24.

Imperial Stout | Samuel Smith | RIS
4.3/5 rDev +4.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Glad to fill this gap in my beer tasting. Deserves to be near the top of RIS.
a) Pours black with ruby/amber edges supporting a thick head that lasts and laces.
s) Church like aroma of dark wood, shellac, beeswax, burning candles, incense, herbs, myrrh.
t) Follows the smell, something magical and ancient incense wafts along side the roasted core of black malt, balanced coffee sweetness, prunes, and a bit of balancing hops. Layered.
f) Fills the mouth with powerful flavor and leaves the mouth in a better place. A beautiful beer. Clean finish.
o) Beautiful beer that I'd like blind taste w friends vs other great RIS like Ten Fidy etc.

Agnus Dei (Abbey Pale Ale) | Corsendonk | Tripel
4.23/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Up there with Fin Du Monde, and not quite Chimay or Bernardus.
a) Pours a wine-like slightly hazy, golden body with a mounding three-finger white head that laces well in a white wine glass.
s) Funky yeast, wheat, medicine cabinet. see-saw of sweet and white pepper.
t) More spicy, mineral, and yeasty, Sauvignon blanc/ chardonnay like, easy afternoon sipper.
f) It's crisp, sharp minerally, with a dry finish. A lighter tripel with a meditative yeasts, tongue ticklers and alcohol warmth.
o) Love these beers and this is just below top tiers. Try 24.

Don De Dieu | Unibroue | Belgian Strong Ale
4.2/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Wonderful Wheat Triple.
a) Pours a clouded cider body with a 2 finger tan head that lasts and laces.
s) The Apple Cider impression is upfront in the aroma, with additions of . pineapple, lemon, biscuit, wheat, yeast, and spice.
t) The sour apple cider core grows larger, with all the flavors (lemon, pineapple, wheat) expressed in a very long caramel malt finish. It's a caramel coated sour apple.
f) Highly carbonated, but continues in the sediment, minerally body and puree feel.
o) Belgian inspired but definitely French Canadian. Try 24.

 

Firestone nitro Merlin milk stout
..color is solid black
..Body is just above average,somewhat creamy,definitely below average carbonation
..aroma is mocha,cream, and roasted malt
..taste is mocha,cream,roasted malt,just slightly sweet. Almost no bitterness or obvious hop element at all.
...overall it is an excellent beer,not too complex but still enough flavor to keep it interesting. I'm not usually a nitro fan though,throughs off the feel a bit but that's just me

 

Poured into my 16 oz Alchemist IPA glass canned on 3/23/18. Pours a very hazy yellow orange with a massive 2 finger off white head that leaves plenty of thin wisps of lace behind as it slowly settles into a thin film of bubbles. 4.5

Smell is guava, mandarin orange, papaya, pineapple, and some grapefruit rind. 4.75

Taste follows tropical front to back, guava, papaya, mandarin, pineapple, and just a hint of grapefruit bitterness in the juicy finish. 4.75

Mouthfeel is a little bigger than medium, soft feel with moderate carbonation, not dry but a tad sticky from the massive amount of fresh hops, and goes down way to easy at 8% ABV. 4.75

Overall I feel I have had a good amount of this style and this is as good as any. Just an utter juicy bomb, that just leaves you in a daze of tropical haze. 4.75

 

I'm a bit tired after my side-by-side as well. Though I only had two half-beers. Could be that workout I mentioned, as well, though. As always, enjoyed your post!

Looks like I need to not stop at just re-visiting an in-state BA , but maybe one from a couple states away as well.

Nice little surprise. Sure seems like it all worked out!

 

Hey what's going on?!

I got lots of new beer to drink! So let's get started! What's new for our hero today?



Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Canned March 29th 2018.

New England style IPA, looking more like a personal classic gorgeous West coast beaming crystal clear copper orange body. Streaming even and plentiful carbonation through the middle, reaching to a solid nice simple three finger white head, soapy and thick, with big retention. Classic looking IPA and beautiful and shimmering, a muddy turbid NEIPA? Not really, but looks fantastic.

Aroma is of sharp sensing bitter hops, with a match of faint citrus zest and limited sweetness. Plays a little bit with juicy qualities, but has a good sense of almost bitter heat coming off. Pretty solid.

Good simple palate. Spicy sensing front, with touches of juiced orange, almost flirting with tangerine sweetness. Finishes with a bit of playful carbonation, and nearly creamsicle soda like in flavor. A straight forward basic mouthfeel, supportive but doesn't add too much to a basic sort of soda orange like sweetness.

Pretty good simple IPA, however NE fans might want to look elsewhere.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 | BA: 4.03

Cheers!