New Beer Sunday (Week 704)

Back from Vermont and enjoying a Four Quarters Hopapaluca DIPA

 

That's surprising. The Jai Alai we get in NJ is brewed in Asheville. We seem to get a fresh batch at least once a month. Last summer, I saw people buying cases of it at the shore. I think the novelty has worn off. I like it a lot and buy it when fresh. It's great with sushi.

 

Happy New American Pale Ale Sunday!

Pretty nice day on the Western Slope, 83 at the trailhead, hazy. Having a pretty tasty brew, wish they were closer to GJ. Picked up a couple of chicken tacos. Watching some The Practice re-runs. Just might be back with another from this brewery.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38773/359912/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

What up, folks?

It's been a little while since I found myself in NBS for a couple reasons; I've been slacking on reviewing lately and especially slacking on having beer in my hands on Sundays, much less new beer.

This will have to change, as of now.

New Flander's Red Sunday

Panil Barrique has always been a favorite of mine. Talk about an expressive, challenging yet delicious and refreshing beer. Well made is an understatement. I noticed Raphael at the liquor store a couple months back, another Panil production.



It's got to be good, right?

Well...

Panil - Raphael

3.81/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

750ml
$11.99
Binny's - Orland Park

Batch #2 - 2015

Raphael is a handsome Flander's style red ale. It's mahogany in body with a beautiful glow and a rather amazing clarity. The body's color transitions from bright to deep as the width of the flute expands. A dusty white head sits proudly a top in its fizzy, tightly bubbled style. The foam sticks around for the entire drink and leaves sticky, pasty lace in its wake.

The smell on this guy is welcomed. Softly tannic, musty oak get things moving before being met with mild funk in the form of wet stone and wildflowers before seguing into a medicinal quality...band-aids. Mild tart cherries pass abut here and there along with an estery stone fruit presence. All aspects are blended quite well. Nothing screams out but the medicinal quality could be toned down a notch.

The flavor tends to mimic the nose. Soft, musty oak wraps itself around tart cherry and stone fruit esters. There's a nice play between sweet & sour from start to finish. There's not a lot of acidity in this one. The band-aid blows off as it breathes and the medicinal quality becomes much easier to handle with some glasstime, more a supporting role than a distraction.

The feel is right where it should be, light and airy with a near prickly carbonation and a refreshing tartness on the swallow. The bubbles awaken the tongue. The tartness hits every nook & cranny and lingers around for a while. The finish is dry, leaving you reaching for the glass more often than normal.

This doesn't quite live up to what I was hoping for from the likes of Panil. The band-aid presence is a little in your face off the bat but, luckily, blows off. The flavors are good overall if a little weak in nature. This just doesn't have the pop and presence of Barriquee.

 

After a somewhat busy day, I'm finally able to settle in with a new beer. Yazoo is not the oldest craft brewery in Nashville, but it's close as they have been around since 2003. They have consistently made some excellent classic beers, most notably their Hefeweizen and "Sue," a smoked imperial porter, but they have chosen to largely avoid the haze, fruit, and pastry trends of late, so they are often overlooked. However, under the direction of Brandon Jones, they have been killing it in the wild ale arena over the last 4-5 years with their Embrace the Funk series. Their latest release is a "Burgundy ale aged for 2 years in Bourbon Barrels for 2 years and fermented with a classic English ale strain then conditioned with a blend of souring bacteria and Brettanomyces."

Neat, Yazoo Brewing Co., Nashville, TN


In the glass, this was fairly hazy but not muddy, with a bright reddish-brown color. A regular pour produced a small tan head which shrunk rather quickly, leaving a small ring of foam for the duration. The aroma revealed sour cherries, lots of oak, some vanilla, faint bourbon, and some floral notes. The bourbon was quite restrained and balanced, allowing the other notes to shine. The first sip brought a rush of tart cherries delivered in a warm blanket of wood and bourbon. The bourbon lingered into the finish and was joined by funky floral elements. Picture a barrel aged Flanders Red. Medium bodied and clean finishing. This is just outstanding, and I will be getting more of this one. Cheers!

 

I had their Derisive with coffee last weekend, it was pretty good! Have a couple of their other bottles that I need to try soon. I think they brew at Four String but age/bottle at Pretentious.

 

New Beer #2. Urban Artifact's Finn, a Berliner brewed in Cincinnati. I wanted to drink and review this because it was canned in May but I wish I waited for a hotter, more sunny day. It features tart, puckering (is that a word?) lemon and a nice wheat cracker finish. It's a super easy drinker and appropriate for a session on a hot, sunny day. Here's my full review:

3.84/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Canned on 5/16/2018 so 3 months old when reviewed. Poured into pint glass. It pours a hazy, bright golden-yellow color with a long-lasting, snow white cap and thick lacing. It has a super citrusy smell: lemon, lime, and a whiff of wheat cracker. The taste features tart lemon up front. There's no sweetness. It almost makes me pucker. At mid-sip there's a nose dose of cracker that remains through the after taste. There's a hint of spice at the finish. This beer is as light and crisp as they come with lively carbonation, and it's an easy drinker at 5.4% ABV. While Finn is a year round offering, it's a great summer beer - perfect for a hot, summer's afternoon with some fresh vegetables and cheese.

I hope you're all enjoying your new beer(s) today. Keep the great reviews coming!

 

A-Pours a nice dark amber color with a nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has abundant pumpkin hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a generous pumpkin flavor
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A very nice well balanced pumpkin

 

New American-made cherry-infused tripel:

New Republic's Cherrimono, a tripel with black cherries

Like most American-made abbey ales, Cherrimono is a yeast fest. People who know way more than me about beer often say it's all about the yeast, and beers like this one suggest they might be right, because when the yeast is off ... well, it's noticeable.

Cherrimono isn't a total loss. In fact, there's enough sweetness to help balance out some of the overly-earthy yeast flavor, and the cherries seems to be peeking around the corners more and more and occasionally you catch them. Also it's not medicinal and has no alcohol burn, so it does go down pretty easy.

The review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27400/274993/?ba=Premo88#review
3.59 (-7.5% rDev)

Thanks for the local scene story @lordofthewiens! It's always good hearing how the good beer is finding its way to all of us.

Cheers!

 

I get Dale’s PA fresher in Pa than here, go figure.

 

NBS#2 Foreign Objects - Venus Rising

Can of unknown date into a tulip glass.



L: Pours hazy pale yellow with 1 finger of medium density frothy white head with good retention and left spotted lacing.

S: Very lemony and grassy, bready undertones.

T: Quite lemony like the nose, but also grainy. So astringent I can't pickup much more. Finishes with some bitterness and ALOT of astringency that lingers on the palate.

F: Thinner bodied with high carbonation, tongue tingles quite a bit from the carbonation and astringency.

O: This was not appealing for my palate and preferences. Hoping this is an odd duck, as I'd really been looking forward to trying some beers from Foreign Object and this was not a good first one for me.

BA score = 3.4, rdev = -12.1%

 

Greetings, NBS friends. As a recent mover, I read @lordofthewiens opening post with a smile. Unlike he and his bride, who were moving to an area of the country they weren’t familiar with (including the beer scene), Mrs O and I were very familiar with South Bend specifically, and Michiana (Southern Michigan and Northern Indiana) and “The Region” (Northwest Indiana and Chicago) in general, so we knew exactly what we were in for both for the living accouterments (a little important) and the beer nerd options (vitally important).

Within 2 hours, we have the following breweries to enjoy:

Bare Hands
Evil Czech
Crooked Ewe
Transient
Bell’s
Founders
Burn ‘Em
18th Street
Three Floyds
Revolution
Lagunitas
Pipeworks
Half Acre
Mikerphone
Two Brothers
Ten Ninety

There are others, but you get the idea - we were coming home in more ways than one. I am truly the luckiest beer nerd in the world.

On to tonight’s beers. The first is a #DrinkLocal option. Shocker, I know.



4.08/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a hazy burnt orange color with a billowy white head. The Citra hops dominate the nose with dank citrus notes, and there’s a subtle malt component.

The hops dominate the taste, as is to this style, but there’s also a malt flavor, which I don’t usually get from session IPA’s. A nice pounder from my local (8 minutes as the car drives).

 

A-Pours a nice hazy golden color with a nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has nice lime hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a generous yet balanced lime flavor and tartiness
M-A light bodied well carbonated beer
O-A very nice well balanced beer

 

NBS #2 on the day for me. Surprisingly (I guess), I've never gotten my hands on this one, though it seems to me it's the iconic Chicago Pale Ale. Leave it to a random find in Portland to finally allow me to indulge.

Half Acre
Daisy Cutter- Pale Ale





Daisy Cutter looks the part, and I appreciate that. It has a golden body kissed by amber. It's not entirely clear, but it's beautiful nonetheless, especially donning that foamy white cap that leaves traces everywhere it touches.

That's a proper pale ale smell right there. Grapefruit plays support to a healthy dose of biscuity and ever so slightly caramelized malts, but stepping aside in respect for a wonderful damp pine (paging @cjgiant ). Something else lies deep beneath. Like a glazed melon I can't quite figure out.

Yes. This here is what I am looking for in a pale ale. A great balance of sweet, savory, spicy, and bitter. Umami for a pale ale so to speak. A flash of bread is quickly met by toasted sesame. Layers of citrus fruits come in at the middle before a piney, citric, and peppery hop finish lingers on.

I try to savor each sip, but it's remarkably drinkable. Again, this has everything you'd need in a great pale ale. A semi sweet start, a nice medium body, a crisp and bubbly finish, and an appropriate bittered end.

Daisy Cutter is my kind of Pale Ale. I would gladly purchase and consume this on a regular basis if available to me. It's old school, bold, and what you'd expect in all the best of ways. Another one of those beers that makes me question, "Why do I keep bothering with all the rest?" Well, I always will, but with beers like this, there really isn't much need to.

After my official review, I gave Daisy Cutter a rating of 4.68 with an rDev of +12.5%. As always, I stand by that.

Cheers everyone, and I will see you all soon.

 

Second New Beer today.

Tried to start some chores around the house but it didn’t work so well. I think I’m still on vacation mode.
Trying this beer I picked up in Marquette at Blackrocks. I’ve had the non BA version before.



12 ounce can, packaged 12/06/17. Bought from tha brewery’s fridge. Poured into tulip.
Pours slightly dull, dark copper. Ruby highlights. Half finger off white head. Just a smidge of lacing on the glass. The nose is vanilla, toasted oak and caramel.
Tastes like toffee, oak, coconut and smoke. Toasted marshmallow too, with a sweet bourbon finish. The mouthfeel is lacking but it’s still mellow and smooth.
Huh, should’ve bought more than one 4 pack. I intended to give 2 to my beer buddy from NC not sure now. 4.36.


Just kidding....maybe

 

The beer sounds great. They had a pale ale at 2 Silos yesterday, and I was thinking about it and sort of realized I'm not exactly sure what to expect from a plain old pale ale any more. The 2 Silos had probably a little too malty (not-too-sweet grain tea) but had a bitterness that just balanced that out to neutral. It wasn't an exciting beer, but was it a typical pale ale? Is bittering to balance a good APA? I've actually sort of forgotten.

Back a few years ago when I could find them, APAs (at least the ones I liked) seemed to me to be lightly bittered IPAs. Then came session IPAs and the low bitterness NE IPAs (and I guess now Brut IPAs) and plain ol' APAs seemed to fade from the beer lists of many breweries.

Not sure the exact point of this tangent now that I'm on it. Maybe I just wish there were a few more [good] APAs like the one you had around still. I think I'll exit this tangential post with: I think the 2 Silos Mason Pale Ale was probably a 3.5 beer to me, give or take a tenth or so.