New Beer Sunday (Week 716)

Just FYI - It looks like that's the barrel aged 4D, which (I think) would go under a different beer listing than the one you used. Kuhnhenn doesn't make it immediately obvious.

 

Dang. I didn’t realize those were different beers! Womp womp.

 

Laaaate start to NBS, but I have tomorrow off. Hoping to get some high quality stuff in before BA goes to bed Happy Veterans Day to all BA users who are currently serving or who formerly served in the US Armed Forces! We appreciate what you do, and what you have done, to keep the country safe. My first beer for this thread is apparently kind of a remix of a beloved IPA recipe.



I've had a soft spot for Otter Creek's Backseat Berner since it was introduced, but it seems all good things must come to an end. Since former brewmaster Mike Gerhart left OC to join Hill Farmstead, the new team of brewers changed the name to just Berner. I assume the recipe is slightly different here, due to the much more "NEIPA" appearance and nose in this one.

The main difference with this, as I just mentioned, is just how hazy and opaque it is compared to BB, which was (by my recollection, anyway) more of a translucent color with a lot of hop solids in suspension. Obviously, the current market for IPAs seems to prefer their hoppy beers with a more uniform cloudiness, so I assume this has some oats or wheat going on, plus probably a larger focus toward dry-hopping. Anyway, it's really nice looking overall. Bright yellow-orange with a thin but retentive head sporting some solid tiered lacing. Good legs, too... just quality stuff!

The nose is is like a pineapple-orange smoothie, which is quite different from the more tropical/pine-y resinous element I remember previous iterations of Backseat Berner having. There's a bit of damp earth in here as well, with some leafy and grassy notes that also pop out. Nice smell... very juicy, which is a good sign.

Punchy, tropical flavor profile with a lot of bright Citra hop notes. I'm really digging the Cascade here, though, as well. It brings in this more mellow grassiness with some light florals. Simcoe lends a little cattiness and grapefruit pith toward the finish, while Citra makes an appearance once again with some mango and papaya pulpiness. Smooth feel with a definite suggestion of flaked oats or something to keep the body on the medium side. Nice, slick finish with a small hit of hoppy bitterness in the swallow. Super drinkable. I really dig it. It definitely feels like an "updated" version of an IPA I knew and loved for a few years, without losing too much of the charm of the original. I have to say, I still liked these guys a bit more before Mike left, but they have definitely crafted some superb beers since his departure. Don't sleep on Head Charge or Drip Drop if you're into big IPAs and coffee stouts, respectively!



(oh forgot to mention I just upgraded to an iPhone 8 Plus, so my pictures might be slightly better looking... woo!)

 

Scrimshaw Pilsner; North Coast Brewing Co.

3.95/5 rDev +4.5%
look: 5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Poured a 12 ounce bottle dated 7/16/2018 into a Flying Dog pint glass. Body of the beer was this pristinely clear gold topped by a fluffy white head that dissipated somewhat quickly. Smell of bread and grass with some floral hops. Taste is just a wonderful array of malts and understated hops starting out sweet and ending pleasantly slightly bitter. Mouthfeel was perfect in terms of being satisfactory until the next swallow ensues.

Although I'm a big North Coast fan I've stayed away from this since pilsners are never a hot item and I can be a slave of fashion as much as most of us here. That said, this is a very satisfying beer and a perfect start to New Beer Sunday.

 

He definitely posted asking if this was ok and at the end of the day hes making thoughtful reviews of new beers that maybe he had Saturday I'm by no means a long time contributor but have been posting here and other places and never really seen this kind of animosity over something kind of small. My two cents but I dont think hes looking for likes or notoriety just trying to contribute to one of the best threads on BA with the end goal of meeting some awesome people and getting in one of the bests BIFs on BA as well. Cheers

 

Greetings to friends and observers alike. I'm feeling late to the party (again) today, so I'll pour a beer to enjoy while I sit down for some fooseball and read everyone's reviews. Mrs. Bl00 and I spent the day yesterday in DC with friends. I'm excited to break in my new glass with a bottle from @kemoarps. DC is a great beer city if you ever have the chance to spend a day there.



Urban Family- Guava Dawn
To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what a guava tastes like. That being said, I love fruited sours so I'm totally on board.
Pours a nice clear gold. Tons of head at first though it settles into a rocky two fingers before dissipating completely.
Nose is tart, fairly funky. Not getting any fruit but there is a sweet note on the end.
Taste less tart than the nose would lead me to believe. It begins with a sweet fruity note that I can't quite place (maybe this is the guava?) it almost reminds me of watermelon, followed by lemon drop, green apple, and some lime on the finish.
Mouthfeel is on the low end of medium. Soft yet lively carbonation.
This is an enjoyable sour, its got some notes that I can't quite place which is a welcomed challenge. Thank you for another new tick Kestrel!

 

That's a dope glass

 

Oh no get your pitchforks he drank this last night....hahaha UK @LloydDobler congrats on knocking down a personal whale and equally happy to hear how much you enjoyed it. Cheers

 

New (to me!) from Bent Hill in Braintree, VT.



Moderate pour yields a 3/4 inch tan head over a dark brown body with some lacing. Nose of cinnamon foremost, followed by a bit of chocolate and coconut. Taste of cinnamon and chili pepper with a little coconut and very slight chocolate. Heat from the chili peppers keeps increasing a tad with each sip. I love heat so it won't bother me at all. Some others might have a problem, but buyer beware, read the label. Ha! Good feel for a 5.4% abv stout and overall, a nice chili beer and would have again.
Cheers!

3.83/5 rDev +10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

 

Back for an NBS encore with this collab between Blackberry Farm and Evil Twin:

This beer is actually a blend of two imperial stouts that they brewed together, with one that spent some time in maple bourbon barrels. Allan Benton is famous for his ham and bacon, and his meats have a famous and distinctive smoky flavor that (in my mind) would compliment maple well.


The beer was delicious and it paired well with steak and roasted potatoes tonight.



I loved this beer. It was opaque dark brown on the pour, slightly viscous, with a thick tan head. Good retention and the foam lingered for a while. The distinctive Benton's smoke was there on the nose, but was restrained, allowing the chocolate, char, and maple to shine through. The smoke was much more prominent on the first sip, but it played well with a rich, dark chocolate presence. Maple was also there but was fairly subtle. The beer was not overly sweet, thanks to a firm floral bitterness. Slightly warm on the finish but drinkable for an 11% beer. Overall an outstanding smoked beer with delicious dark chocolate notes. Cheers!

 

Hello New Beer Sunday!!!

First off, I'll welcome all the newcomers to this thread. I'm glad you're here, and I hope you have fun and enjoy being here.

Quick first review of a beer before I make my dinner. A friend gave this to me, and I was leery about it, but said I'd try it, and here it is.


Over The Barrel Blueberry.

The system says it's retired, and, in my opinion, it's a good thing. Overly sweet, artificial flavors, just looks strange. The body is the only remote good point. Just not worth drinking and I feel bad polluting my glass with it.

Review:

2.38/5 rDev -4%
look: 2.25 | smell: 2.25 | taste: 2.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5

WTF! It pours a strange light blue color. There is no head. There's a lot of carbonation bubbles rising in the glass.
Ooof - There's a sick artificial, over sweet aroma. Hopefully blueberry, but a fake aroma.
Taste - Syrupy, sickeningly sweet. Just not right. It doesn't taste anything like blueberry.
The feel is a lot of carbonation bubbles in my throat. It is the best part. The overly sweet flavor just lingers in my throat, and isn't pleasing.
Not good at all. Totally wrong tasting. Just bad all around.


I'll be back in a little bit with, I hope, a better beer. The rest of this is going down the drain.

 

This might be my last new beer today and it came from NBS BIF #8 in a box I got from @strohme2 . This is from Roak Brewing French Toast Devil Dog Oatmeal Stout. I really like this one, nothing artificial solid sweet maple nose but the taste on this thing is great like maple devils food cake for me. Thanks Justin!!



Appearance 4 - pours black with nice tan head that settles to a thick ring. Very light spotty lacing.

Aroma 4.25 - Big rich sweet maple syrup aroma, toffee, rich chocolate, vanilla. Lots of sweet aromas much like french toast.

Taste 4.5 - So the first sip is really rich bakers dark chocolate followed by a nice sweet maple flavor. While the maple was dominate in the nose rich devils food cake like chocolate dominates the taste. Nice vanilla, cinnamon, light breadiness adds to the whole french toast vibe.

Feel 4.25 - Full creamy feel just a little heat nice dry finish.

Overall 4.34 - A very well done stout that really hits the french toast mark. Great flavors smooth and easy drinking.

 

Welcome, Dayton - happy to see you in NBS!

 

In my defense, it was after midnight

 

Likes are relatively cheap currency here.

Excellent beer reviews are not.

Your thoughts on NBS BIF events mirror mine. They’re a veritable hootenanny.

 

Greenport - Cinnamon + Brown Sugar Imperial Stout - Local to Locals [06]

First off, let me chime in on the comic strip topic. I’ve always been attracted to graphic work like comics. While I liked newspaper comic strips in my youth, I was always more fond of comic books or “single panels” in the paper such as The Far Side. @cavedave . I always thought that the sequential timing of a three or four panel strip didn’t quite work with my sensibilities. I prefered the snapshot or immediate punch of The Far Side over the setup and punchline of a strip.

Now for the beer. I think this one was reviewed a couple of times on NBS over the past few weeks. It’s my third and final spiced stout for the day. It was also my favorite.

The look and feel of this beer are great for craft beer nerds. The relatively dark brown head had great retention. The feel was viscous and the appearance was inky.

At first taste, I thought I wouldn’t like this beer. The cinnamon was overbearing. I recall other posts about this beer claiming that this was subdued, so I’m probably just sensitive to this sort of thing. Fortunately, in this case, it just became an issue of acclimation. Once I got further in the beer, I got on its wavelength and the spice wasn’t nearly as obtrusive. The beer was smooth and a bit hoppy with a nice bitter finish. This one was great by the end of the can.

Brown sugar is a funny thing to add to a beer - at least in how it’s advertised. I assume it’ll ferment out and contribute some flavor change, but brewers list it on a beer label as if it’ll impact flavor like cinnamon would.

 

So one thing I'm picking up is: I think @beertunes enjoys raspberries. With the Raspberry Millie talk above as well as in person conversations and the he was raving about a raspberry IPA that Wander did... hey wait a minute... I picked one up this morning after hearing how much he enjoyed it!



American Scream
The pour yields a soft cranberry body with an off white head that looks like someone didn't sort their laundry before washing.

Nose is immediately fresh raspberries first and foremost. Then second as well. After digging I could find the hops and IPA side, but the raspberries are the real drivers here, and they are delightful. Fresh berries bolstered by the eventual finding of some citrus and floral hops.

Once I start sipping I gotta put my thinking cap on. A really interesting blend and flavour journey. The berries are still foremost, but they are less domineering here than they were on the nose. The hops put forth some citrus and bright floral. There's a tart character that's gotta be the hops and berries interacting. And there's some of that same starburst slash powdery aspect that I got from the previous GN murker (as well as those I mention in the GN post from Michigan). A lot of different stuff going on. I enjoy it, but not, I think, as much as Terry.

Cheers y'all.

 

Phew...I am relieved!

I did not fully review the beer like you, but your comments reflect my experience. I am glad that you felt the same way I did about the integration of the ingredients, and particularly the barrel. Great review.

 

That might be the most bizarrely appearing beer liquid I've ever seen. It looks like... like... zima with a half a watered down otter pop. Like UV Blue super thinned out. Thanks for taking the bullet for the rest of us! For science, as always!