New Beer Sunday (Week 717)

Good afternoon NBS, hope all is well. Trying to get through some my my hoppy beer before Thanksgiving to help make room for some big stouts, I’m very excited to pick up Victory Java Cask Maple!!

Starting my Sunday with some Creature Comforts Imperial Tropical Haze thanks to @JBowenGeorgia!

4.23/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thank you JBowenGeorgia for for this
16 oz can poured into a tulip

A- A hazy golden orange with a two finger white head.

S- Citrus, some pine, resin, tropical fruits, guava.

T- Citrus, some tropical fruits, pineapple, guava, resin, piney.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A really nice DIPA, good balance, easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

Really excited to try it. I'm not a liquor drinker, just a beer drinker, and I've never had anything scotch barrel aged (pretty sure) so I'm sure it will be a completely new experience to me!

 

New Beer Sunday: American Wild Ale

Afternoon NBSers with an alert for seekers of sours or beer-wine hybrids.

This afternoon’s new beer is the Dark Swan from Lagunitas.

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

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/220/254756/?ba=drtth#review


An interesting hybrid beer that involves fermenting Petite Syrah grapes as part of the beer. The aromas/flavors are almost entirely about the red wine grapes. But there’s also some light earthy hop character that blends in nicely with the sour tartness all tempered by a bit of sweetness.

Cheers, all!

 

Beer number 2 is kinda new kinda not. I've had Buriels Shadowclock Pils before and it's outstanding, but the new part is that this is a fresh hop brew.

This beer comes in at 5.5 abv, and the hops they used were from Michigans Hop Head Farms and it's Zuper Zazzer. 600 pounds worth then lagered for 3 weeks.

Terriffic pour, nice color, retains the head till the end. The first think I noticed was the zest, a lemony one, I was expecting a bit of sharp hops at the finish and it's not there. I feel like I'm trying to drink a beer after sucking on a lemon drop, the zest for me is a bit distracting. I'd really just prefer a straight up hop kiss on the finish. Much prefer a Pils like Red Oak here at home, but I'd still rate It like 3.75 or so. Could be a beer that grows on me now that I know what it is, but the zest part is a bit of a pucker.

 

I visited a beer from this brewery a few weeks ago - an English Dark Mild. Last night, I stepped foot into the brewery myself and tried several beers and took more to-go. Starting my tour with this simple lager, since there is nothing to hide behind.



Apex Alework's Czech Pale Premium Lager.

Pours a straw color with a translucent consistency. Head formation is low out of the can, with a finger of white foam resting on top. Aroma is pale, pilsner, and bread malts with a clean, dry finish. Light spicy, herbal hops interject just before the finish. Flavor profile is pilsner malts intermingled with spicy, herbal, and floral hops. Together, it generates a flavorful beer with a crisp, semi-dry finish. Mouth feel is crisp with the medium bodied crispness breaking apart ever-so-slightly due to a slight injection of lightly grainy texture. While the fuzziness adds a touch to the texture in a favorable way, it also detracts from the crispness, neutralizing any benefit. Overall, a light, semi-dry, crisp lager with a splash of herbal, spicy hops. It drinks refreshing, while still providing a little hoppy, malty playfulness.

Score: 3.75 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | BA Score: 3.99 | rDev: N/A (first review/rating)

 

The only scotch barrel I've had was a JW Lee I think it was, Lagavulen barrel. That beer was wierdly horrible in its own right, and destroyed a terriffic Islay peat and smokey monster of a scotch.

What Scotch barrel did they use?

 

Crosspost:
OK...I'm minding my own business, sitting outside with my dogs, reading an issue of New Mexico Wild that my brother brought out from Las Cruces, and generally enjoying a beautiful morning. You see, my main job in the AM hours on the weekend is to keep everything quiet, and then when the family stirs to life, fix breakfast.
As I was about to post a comment about last night's side by side with the Bruery's Chronology 6 and Chronology 24 BA Scotch ale, my brother comes in and asks about the "box on the porch."

I knew not of what he spoke.

So, a mystery box, from the NORTHWEST? But dropped off instead of shipped? What the HELL is going on.
#LNBA???
Stalker???

And this is what I beheld:

Fremont:
BA Dark Star
BA Dark Star: Spice Wars
BA Dark Star: Coffee Edition
Dark Star (in a can- didn't know that existed)
Mod Pod IPA

Chuck's Notion IPA by Great Nation
Cold Beer by Skagit
Offertory by Holy Mountain
Inside Passage Ale IPA from Boundary Bay<--- does this narrow down my suspect?
Bootjack IPA from Icicle Brewing

And... Rye Whiskey Caramel Sauce by Hot Cakes

So, my question is this! Who? When? And are you in town?

 

Just time for one quick post maybe before I get dragged off to do yet more chores.



Society & Solitude #12 from Hill Farmstead...

From a 750ml growler, filled at the brewery three days ago. Served in an IPA glass.

A thick-appearing beverage, turbid and murky, like a glass of caramel sauce. Actually, it looks like something way nastier than that but, in the interests of decorum, we're going to go with caramel sauce. Two-plus fingers of whipped tide-pool scuz, retention is very good, leaving a thick, creamy cap and huge gobs of suspended lacing. (2.75)

A fairly faint aroma of mildly sweet, damp grain and something vaguely fruity, maybe lemon tea and apple peels? (3.75)

There is an inexplicable burst of Welch's purple grape juice right off the bat which I can in no way account for based on the list of hops which supposedly went into this beer but which quickly fades into the background. Otherwise, the taste is a complex melange of toast and tobacco, brown sugar, lemon tea and pine bark. Earthy, seltzer-like, with a subtle balance of mild sweetness and piney/citrusy bitterness. (4.50)

Feel is clean, sharp and zippy, medium-thin bodied, with bright, tingly carbonation. (4.50)

Overall, this may be the ugliest beer ever commercially available, albeit on a limited basis. It was, however, delicious. (4.50)

 

You got your porch buckled by a loving BA guy, nice job there whoever you are. Might be a spy if he could find your house unasked.

 

I can't seem to find the scotch barrels they used for this. Only know that it was in them for 12 months and released in 2016. Would love to hear from someone if they know.

 

If that's an IPA, it looks and sounds oxidized, unless they used a lot of Munich and dark caramel malts.

 

Happy Sonday folks.
Decided to capture the half inch of snow we got last night.

Today's feature : Blue Pants Pinstripe Stout (Peanut Butter). This one was a little less awesome than I thought it would be, but it's still a good beer.



3.87/5 rDev -4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

12 oz can poured into Crane snifter.

Shiny black body with a beige-brown head of three fingers. Leaves sheets of lacing as it recedes.

Aroma is like opening a bag of raw peanuts. Earthy, nutty shells; slight dark coffee; faint chocolate bar.

Flavor is primarily roasted malts, followed by earthy flavors of peanut hull, wood, and faint mint; faint bakers cocoa/chocolate, slight ashy coffee, and finally a hint of metallic peanut butter. Earthy roasted malts follow through to the finish.

Feel is very creamy and full, it's fantastic. Nice moderate buzzing carbonation, and a dry roasty parched finish.

Overall don't break your back trying to find this one. It's decent but their Coffee+Milk Pinstripe is quite a bit better.

734 characters

 

New saison Sunday sounds interesting. I’d be up for it, but I don’t have any today. What I do have is a beer called Ole Buddy from Chandeleur brewing company. This beer only has one rating on BA so I will add it’s first review. I have to thank @SouthernSips for this one he sent as an extra in our ghost in the machine for southern grist trade. Ole Buddy is a New England style ipa (don’t jump me @zid, it’s what the can says!).



Holy thickness Batman! This thing pours like a milkshake and I immediately regret eating lunch before trying this beer. This beer is a beautiful banana/pineapple yellow color, very attractive to me since I love them both. Little head, maybe a finger which dissapates fairly quickly to a ring with spotty islands in the middle. The aroma is ripe, maybe almost overripe, orange, grapefruit, and pear? It immediately entices me to take a sip. Taste follows the nose exactly but is accompanied by a hop burn which lasts all the way through to the finish. A nice crisp bitterness appears and quickly vanishes on the finish. Mouthfeel is surprisingly not as thick as I originally thought, just on the full side of medium. Overall a good beer and better than expected. Thanks James!

BA score 4.2

 

Hey what's going on!?

Holy SMOKES! my beer fridge... is EMPTY!! Wow when does this happen?! So after a defrost I really needed a beer, and what a better opportunity then to go litteraly down the street and get a crowler from my local. Boy this could become a habit!

What's new for our hero today?

Astro Lab Brewing Company - Out Of This Whirl , Pale Ale



Poured from the crowler Canned November 17th 2018, into a nonic pint glass.

Hazy bodied, with an opaque dull lemon NEIPA looking like body appearance, with mild turbidity. Top is capped with a very fluffy creamy bright white head, almost ice cream cone looking, with clumpy chunks of thick head and lace as it settles.

Aroma is a big hop chunky mix of tropical fruit. Large amounts of pineapple burst off the nose, then settle to a little bit more of a grass bit and perhaps some lemon. Fruity big, even a little zest, and this is coming off more like an IPA.

Palate brings the goods. Light bodied malt base definitely more akin to pale ale simple qualities, little bit of sweetness from the malt, mixing in with more hop goodness. Minimal bitterness with excellent touches of light tropics continuing a mid palate of pineapple and light grass, possibly even some herbal green qualities too. Finishes quick, almost session like in feel but more full rounded and a bigger body.

Another great solid brew from these guys, more hop forward and style blurring it seems, but another solid brew in the bucket.

look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Cheers!

 

I had a local ipa that looked like that, unlike the above I poured that crap out. The one I had looked ugly and tasted worse.

 

In my quest to try all the Bell's beers I've missed out on over the years, I discovered yet another darker beer that just came out in time for the holiday season. Very cool. This is Bell's Christmas Ale, categorized by the brewery as a Scotch ale, clocking in at 7.5% and packaged two weeks ago on 11/1/18.



This one pours a very attractive deep-red color with a thin, retentive head of light khaki foam (<1 finger). No lace to speak of and not much head buildup, so this unfortunately seems like a pretty uneventful pour. That being said, I do love the hue of this one, and there's just enough haze in the body to give it a spectacular appearance of translucence when held up to light. Kinda torn on the appearance here, but given that Scotch ales typically aren't too foamy, I'll give it a pass and say it's a nice looking beer for the style.

The nose is richly malty with notes of caramel, toffee and biscuity maltiness. It has a slightly nutty aspect, as well, with some breadiness and an underlying earthy hop aspect. No alcohol presence is apparent here. Very simple, stately and traditional scent. I'm hoping it is slightly more interesting on the tongue, but even if it's not, it will probably still be quite good and drinkable.

My first sip leaves my palate coated in rich caramel with a surprisingly bold hoppiness toward the finish. Rather slick and oily with notes of baked bread and sticky toffee and a massaging carbonation. Clean and simple finish albeit with more earthy and herbal hop elements than I expected. Slight warming alcohol, but it's not obtrusive in any sense. Light orchard fruit flavor balances the sweet and heady maltiness. Somewhat nutty with a bit of dusty cocoa in there for good measure. Fairly chewy on the tongue. Subsequent sipping reveals a beer with a slightly deeper flavor as it warms; a bit toastier, nuttier and with more caramel, but it also does seem to acquire a veeeery slight metallic element. Anyway, as with most good Scotch ales, this opens up well over 10-15 minutes in the glass; a fairly-rewarding slow-sipper, for sure, but I don't think it stands out too much. That said, it's yet another feather in the cap of a brewery that I have been very grateful to finally enjoy beers from after only having heard about them for so long.

Pairing this with some good, weird tunes.

 

My first beer ever from Spellbound Brewing in Mount Holly NJ. Simply named Pale Ale, it's a 5.5% ABV APA and a very nice one. It pours a pale golden color with a long lasting white head, Citra hops are used and give this brew a nice mild citrus aroma. The taste is also citrus but a bready malt flavor is present. Mouthfeel is medium and the finish is day and lasting. A very enjoyable and drinkable pale ale.

 

It's a sad but common fate for small breweries. I learned to identify oxidation in beers real fast. A certain local brewery has been plagued with it. Oxidized beer is garbage.

 

New beer #4. Thanks @JBowenGeorgia !

Zoose Joose - Westbrook feat, Angry Chair
Sour ale - 4% abv
Score: 4.02 (-6.1% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24134/377316/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
A wild mishmash of adjunct flavors. More of a fruit beer than a sour, I get the cherry and citrus most of all, but there are like 8 other additions to this. Somewhat overwhelming to my palate, and a little too sweet, but it is tasty! Thanks again John.