New Beer Sunday (Week 688)

New Beer Sunday: A New IPA(?)

Evenin’ NBSers with a suggestion for lovers of IPAs who’ve wondered what a bit of kettle souring might bring to the IPA table.

The weather today was much as forecast with mostly cloudy skies most of the day. The errands and chores took longer than planned so I'm getting to my next new beer a bit later than originally planned. But since I spent an hour or so getting caught up with a friend I've not seen in a couple of months....

This evening’s new beer is called Corrosion and it comes from Cape May Brewing down in south Jersey (almost as far south as you can get and still be on land).

As usually, my review, subject to revision until I finish the beer, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25890/157007/?ba=drtth#review


The aroma/flavor profile of this beer includes orange and lemon with a background of tropical fruits and some light grapefruit and earthy bitterness. The sweetness from the malt, the tartness, and the bitterness from the hops form an interesting background triangle in which each enhances the other flavors and complement each other nicely. While I’m not going to run out and stock up on this “hybrid” of an IPA with tartness I thought it was worth trying and would be fine with having another.

Well, I’ve pretty much finished my plan of listening to several original cast recordings of American musicals and this evening it’s time to go for Baroque and listen to a bit of Bach.

Bach -- Air on the G string

Cheers, all!

 

Excellent milkshake sour. Awesome head retention/lacing on the glass. Aromas and flavors of big juicy/lightly tart/tangy strawberries, lemon, pear, green apple, melon, white grape, hay, grass, vanilla, cream, wheat, cracker, biscuit, light lacto/Brett funk, and yeast earthiness. Very mild fruity/lactic tartness and fruit tang on the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium-plus body; with a very smooth, creamy/silky, and lightly acidic/tangy mouthfeel. Slightly increasing dryness from lingering tartness/tangy fruit. Very flavorful/refreshing, 4.5%. Nicely jammy fruit, balanced milkshake-like sweetness; and solid Brett/lacto complexity. Liked this a tad better than the Black/Blueberry one. Have the raspberry/blood orange in the fridge. Would buy any of them again. Nailed it. 4.03


Never had any of the Witch's Hat hyped barrel versions, but the base beer is shelf status now! This was amazing! Insane head retention and thick lacing the whole glass. Flavors of huge dark chocolate, cocoa, coffee, caramel, toffee, brown sugar, molasses, nuttiness, toasted biscuit, and dark/brown bread; with lighter notes of smoke, charcoal, licorice, raisin, prune, fig, leather, tobacco, and herbal/peppery hops. Light-moderate roast/char and herbal/peppery hop bitterness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and full body; very creamy, silky, velvety, and rich mouthfeel; with a fair amount of sticky hops and chalky char/roast. Light-moderate increasing lingering hop/char dryness, minimal acrid/astringent notes. Mildly increasing warmth of 10.2%. Dangerously smooth sipping. Spot on RIS all day. Super rich and complex black/roasted malts; balanced earthy hops and restrained fruity yeast notes. Glad I got a 4 pack, and will do so again many times over. 4.36


Cheers, have a good night NBS.

 

Danzig baltic porter
..Solid black with ten head that dissipates quikly
..Body is slightly above medium while just below average carbonation which created a nice feel
..aroma is roasted malts and coffee beans,smoke,char, and some butter bakers chocolate
..taste is almost identical,very slight sweet edge with a small amount of bitterness from either the hops or other elements
..overall it is really good,needs to warm up and it becomes smoother to drink and the flavors blend really nicely
..

 

Hello New Beer Sunday!!!

I'll, first off, congratulate @lordofthewiens for the new house and move. I truly hope you, and your better half enjoy New Mexico. It's a state that's on my bucket list to visit.

Ok, now on to the main event, my new beer.


Spilled Grain Brewing Train Wreck Imperial Black IPA. This beer clocks in at 9.8% ABV.

So how is it?

So, so. It is a bit watery feeling. The nose is not too strong. Flavor is ok, and it does look amazing. Good to try, but nothing I'd buy again.

Review:

3.72/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

This beer pours quite black, and seems to be a thinner pouring beer. The head is 2 finger, tan, frothy, with amazing retention. There's really nice lacing on the glass as the head dissipates, slowly.
The nose is slightly piney, with a slight malt aroma also. Not too strong of a nose for this beer.
Taste - Bitter, piney flavor up front. There's a smoothness from the malt on the backside, but the pine flavor does linger.
Feel - is actually a bit watery. Not something I'd expect from such a high ABV beer. The hop feel does linger on my palate for a while, though.
This beer is ok, but I was expecting more from it.

It's a strong beer, so I'm likely done for tonight. If so, see you all next Sunday.

 

Quite the announcement from today's fearless leader. Sounds like a great plan, @lordofthewiens . I need some pointers though...the missus here actually wants to move North for retirement. I cant seem to convince her that there are warmer places in the world. We both loved the place we stayed in in Harpswell...for the couple weeks we were there the weather was certainly spectacular. A little too remote for when conditions are more challenging.

Well today was not a total bust here and yesterday was pretty nice. Got spaces prepped for lettuce and such, a bit of elbow grease for the motorcycle. Church was our small choir - womens retreat to Portsmouth, NH. So that leaves basicall a sextet of tenors and basses. I get to pick the music and rehearse the group, and it is a challenge. Could take the easy way and just do the same numbers every year, but that ain't me...two new, one old and one of the new is contemporary. By accounts we did pretty well...quite a big crowd even with most of the ladies away. The pastor latched onto the word "abides" today...my mind did not exactly go all holy with that, as the first thing thru the brain was the dude abides...but I got there eventually. Thoughts get a bit interesting, and maybe the rev and I will be talking some theology on Tuesday...

Ok..tonight's splendid new brew:



This is money right here. It is an oatmeal breakfast stout, 7.5 % ABV from Springdale, Jacks Abby alter ego. This is just flat out fabulous. Looks great first of all, and smells like fresh brewed black coffee. Then chocolate appears, but not like a mocha. Separate layer and the follows thru in the taste. Brilliant coffee flavor, nice layer of chocolate, just a bit of char and very slightly sweet. The mouth feel is exceptional with the oatmeal texture, a bit chalky, and the aftertaste devolves into lingering chocolate over slightly acidic coffee. Diggin' this one...will be up in the 4.25 region on the BArometer. Worthy.

 

I found this to be a solid Baltic porter that I usually buy a six-pack of when I see it, even after the "sell-out."

 

I love that you turned it around!

 

To finish off my long day I am enjoying what has become a favorite of mine, the barrel aged Dubble.

Ommegang has a terrific one that pours a dark brown color with a slight reddish hue and a two finger beige head that slowly settles to a nice thin but creamy 2 finger head while leaving spots of lacing on my glass. A wonderful aroma of toffee and caramel, followed by dark fruit, light bourbon and hint of vanilla. Flavor is caramel, toffee, baked apple, brown sugar, faint dark cherry and prunes with a dry walnut-like finish. There is a nice warming sensation and a lightly sweet finish. This is an exceptional Dubble and the Bourbon to Brandy barrels were a fantastic way to finish it off.

 

Happy New Russian Imperial Stout and Old Ale Sunday

Cheers! Tried a couple new brews earlier today at the Brew Brothers in the Scioto Downs Racino here in town:





I had both the Shadow RIS and their Old Ale for the first time today. I apologize for not providing a great review, but I was with friends and just wanted to try the brews so I didn't really go too far in depth with these. The Shadow RIS was easily the best of the 2. It's a nice hoppy RIS with grassy hop, dark fruit, roasted malt, caramel and bittersweet chocolate flavors. It was creamy, coating and enjoyable to drink. Next up was the Old Ale, and there just seemed to be a lot missing with this. It didn't taste bad by any means, but the malty flavors were all subtle and it just seemed weak overall. I noticed caramel, dark fruit and chocolate, but it didn't seem like much else was there. I typically like Old Ales a lot, but this one was underwhelming. I'll say this, the Shadow RIS was probably the best brew that I'd ever tried at Brew Brothers. Hopefully they'll bring it back in the future. Happy NBS everyone!

 

I've been holding on to this one since my purchase at the release weekend at Foam. Very impressed!



Vigorous pour yields a 1/4 inch white head over a pink-orange body with no lacing as head dissipates down to a thin ring. Wonderful nose of orange and oak. Flavors follow aromas real well with the honey coming forward to sweeten the tartness of the orange. Good feel for the style and overall a delicious offering from Foam's offsite wild ale brewery. Cheers!

 

Howdie, NBSers, and thanks to @lordofthewiens for the excellent intro. As someone that’s living in his 3rd house since 3/6/17, I am very familiar with that feeling of excitement and terror. It’s a fun ride.

Mrs O and I are in Palm Desert for a week for our first vacation in nearly two years (reference paragraph #1), and I muled this first beer here from @jhavs and NBS BIF #007 so I could share it with this esteemed group. It is worthy of your consideration, IMHO.





4.44/5 rDev +6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

My first beer from these guys, this beer pours a hazy golden sunshine color with a heaping helping of floating particulate and a billowy white head. I love little floaties, so this beer is already in my sweet spot.

The nose has dank citrus notes, with juicy oranges most prominent, but also spicy passion fruit notes as well.

The taste is focused on the dank, juicy oranges, but the spicy note is really cool, and the finish is surprisingly dry and very full (if that makes sense).

This lines up well with the Alchemist and Lawson’s beers I’ve been fortunate enough to try. It must be something in the Vermont water.

 

Wow. Very nicely put Dave.

 

Good afternoon and evening for a lot if you, and happy New Blod Sunday. Træblod to be specific. But more about the beer later...

Once again, we've played host to one of my long time friends and his family. As a beer geek himself, he was very excited to come to Beervana for the first time. Even was lucky enough to be a part of Great Notion's inaugural production line canning release of Blueberry Muffin, a true treat of a beer. Fun to see the facility in it's early stages:



And as the yin to the yang, of course we did some hiking. People know by now that if you visit the Brau's, you're going on a hike or two:





With yet another glimmer of good news from The Gorge, Multnomah Falls has been opened to at least the bottom pool viewing area. Good to see some progress:



Finally, after some other delicious treats he graciously brought, time for that new beer.

Mikkeller San Diego
Træblod- Imperial Stout brewed with Maple Syrup & Coffee





As expected, Træblod pours black, smooth, and diabolical. A deep amber highlight flutters in the light and the thin, foamy, heavily tanned head barely maintains its presence other than a paint brush stroke on the surface.

Sweet maple syrup is definitely noted off the bat, but not too intense. Buttermilk batter, a hint of banana, and roasted coffee play the supporting cast with a earthiness hiding deep in the background.

This is heavy on the syrup, that's for sure. Pancake batter again comes through with a small splash of coffee to swish around and wash it down. I'm getting this banana note once more, but in a bruleed fashion in the flavor rather than just a scent. I'd even say that this has a bit of a crushed walnut thing going on, but now I'm starting to think my head is playing tricks on me.

This is almost perfect on the feel if not just for a bit too sweet. But I guess having syrup as an ingredient, that's to be expected. Very rich, thick, and smooth. Oily smooth, on the lower viscosity side. I'm thinking 10w-30. Thank God there's that roasted coffee to balance it out, even if just a touch. Though it's warming, it sure hides that 11.1% and quite well.

Træblod is near the king of maple syrup stouts (Double Stack/Triple Stack), but it's more on par with CBS, maybe even a tad better. Some will hate this opinion of mine, but I'm sorry...if you haven't had Double Stack, you haven't had maple syrup in a beer.

After my official review, I gave Træblod a rating of 4.35 with an rDev of +0.7% . Cheers everyone, and I will see you all soon.

 

#2, I only muled 3 beers here, so I had to pick up some reinforcements. Mrs O and I went to Walmart yesterday to pick up some supplies, and they had beer, but most of it was AAL stuff, so I latched onto the Sam Adams summer 12-pack mixer. I’ll share their take on a classic style.



3.59/5 rDev +11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

Pour is a hazy golden color with a big, soapy, off-white head. Beautiful. The nose has the obligatory banana and clove notes, but they’re a bit muted.

The flavors associated with the style are present on the taste, but they’re even more muted than they were on the nose, which is the biggest issue I’ve had with Sam beers for a while now - they round the edges off of so many of the beers they brew.

I really appreciate what they’ve done in the 35 years they’ve helped lead the craft beer regalia, but I wish they’d just push forward a bit more. I’ve had 50+ beers from them, so I obviously like what they do, but I wish they’d take more chances.

 

I'm honestly not sure if I've had that one, but I'll be sure to buy it the next time I see it. Thanks. After I posted about the Trve beer, I took a very quick glance at the reviews here and it seems that other people got much more complexity out of it than I did. Perhaps I just wasn't open to it.

@TongoRad , I kid you not - I didn't seek this out, but the info below sorta mysteriously found me today after my post above. From Martyn Cornell's blog:

The B. United Russian stout conspiracy is a very real thing.

 

Another new beer as the day winds down.

The review:
12oz bottled 2/20/18 (68 days ago) poured into a Stone snifter at fridge temp 10.6% ABV. The beer pours dense and very dark brown/black in color. The head is a chocolate brown color and quickly recedes to a thin ring and island. There is a thin web of lacing left behind. The aroma is modest with dark chocolate and roast malt intermingled. The taste is more dark malt and dark chocolate. The dark malt stays roasty and doesn't give any ashy tones or major bitterness. There is a hint of the ABV in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, adequately carbonated and mostly dry in the finish. The beer finishes nuetral with the bitterness cancelling the malt sweetness exactly. Overall, very good. I believe this would be divine if allowed to age properly.

I would compare this to Bell's Expedition and again find that I appreciate just a bit less than the average BA. Still a great beer & I kind of wish I would have bought more than one so I could revisit in a year or so. So goes life... Cheers all!

 

Thanks for starting us off and congrats on the house @lordofthewiens! Myself and Mrs bl00 have a house under contract as well. As a first time home buyer it's all way outside of my comfort zone but very exciting at the same time.

Tonight I'm drinking BA Ten Fidy from the NBS BIF thanks to @ovaltine


Pours jet black, thick tan head at first.
Nose is corn bread, vanilla frosting, caramel, a bit of whiskey on the back end
Taste is vanilla cola, chocolate, finishes with a whiskey bite. Goes down with some heat
Mouth feel is chewy and creamy.
This is a big, intense beer! Very enjoyable though. I'd love to pick up a few and age them a bit. Thanks again @ovaltine.

Hope everyone is having a great Sunday!

 

Samichlaus dopplebock
.. clear nice Dark burnt orange/red
..aroma is malt,malt,malt,alcohol,brown sugar, and what seems like cherries.
..Body is a bit thin
...taste is almost identical,alcohol is hidden a bit but still shows up.
..overall it's very good but you have to really be in a mood for a malt bomb to enjoy this
..

 

NBS and proper glass courtesy of @jhavs
Thanks again for the great selection of new beers.

4.18/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

A: Wonderful dark brown pour with about 2 fingers of thick, creamy foam head which was really slow to dissipate

A: Roasted malt, coffee, slight hop aroma

T: A really slight bitter bite with roasted coffee, toffee/caramel hints to it

M: A little thin, if I had to nitpick. Slight carbonation.

O: Definitely one of the better brown ales that I have had. This was enjoyable.