New Beer Sunday (Week 717)

Thanks for the great review. I happened to have this for the first time just a couple weeks ago myself and agree it is impressively delicious (not to mention dangerously drinkable).

I wasn't expecting much due to the connotation that comes along with the 'Malt Liquor' descriptor on the label here in the states. I mostly bought it for the relative novelty of a 14% non-dark beer and I wonder whether those words might scare off some folks who'd otherwise give it a shot.

 

Paradox of the Powerful

8.5% DIPA from Southern Tier, the sixth in their "Science is the Art" series... Pours a medium gold color and close to clear under a coupla fingers of ivory foam... Brewed with Citra and Simcoe "hop dust" and whole flower Mosaic hops, this beer unsurprisingly presents an array of floral and fruity impressions, ranging from the tropical to the citric, and gets a little aeration by way of pine currents... Up front, the fruits and flowers seem light and clean, but a honeyed sweetness creeps and weighs it down a bit toward the finish...The body is light-medium-feeling and smooth, with a little bit of sticky shellac on the finish... 10/28 canning...

Cheers...

 

Radaberpilsner
..gold color
..medium carbonation and around medium body
. Aroma is bread,cracker,yeast,grain
Taste is similar,a bit of a sour bitter taste but not unpleasant
..overall it's a decent beer when out for dinner with limited choices

 

On the small of your back.

 

Nicely done.

Eh, ok enough done, I guess.

 

Yeah. Where else would I get one?

 

New Beer Sunday: New England IPA

Evenin’ NBSers with a heads up for SEPA fans of locally brewed beers worth trying.

This evening’s new beer is A.C.E.S. from a Philly brewery called Urban Village. (The name of the beer comes from the hops used: amarillo, centennial, enigma & simcoe.)

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

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47787/368989/?ba=drtth#review


The aromas/flavors are full of citrus, both grapefruit and some other citrus. There’s also some tropical fruits. In the background there’s a lightly sweet malt backbone and some pine. The light bitterness has both some citric and earthy character. I think I’ll be looking to have another one of these.

No music on the player tonight. We’re watching the Eagles lose to the Saints.

Cheers, all!

 

My new beer for this week is Mounds of Coconuts from the Bruery. Imperial stout aged in bourbon with toasted coconut added. This comes in at 14.8%. Poured from fridge temp. Pours motor oil black with a nice light brown head. Nose is incredible. Notes of molasses, vanilla, black licorice, strawberries dipped in dark chocolate, caramel, bourbon, and some nice roasted malts. Taste is interesting. Definitely a dark chocolate/coffee ground burst upfront. This creates quite a bitterness. There is some bourbon sweetness on the back end. The coconut comes through, but isn't really strong. Some sour cherry seems to be in there. Honestly, the nose was better than the taste. Almost like the beer is heading south. Mouthfeel is definitely thick and creamy. Overall, a bit disappointing after the wonderful nose, but still really good. Cheers!

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

Thanks! The insane thing to me is the quality, history, and availability of something like this so easily available for FIVE F*@#ING DOLLARS and how it's so completely overlooked! Taken for granted, actually. 14% is a hefty commitment for a Sunday afternoon, especially for (as you mentioned) its dangerous drinkability. A task I was happy to take on.

Cheers!

 

Yes! The price tag was indeed the kicker. Just an all around pleasant surprise.

 

Awesome post! Love rye as well.

 

What beer?

 

Greetings, NBS friends. I have a couple of beers for your perusal tonight. The first was issued a month or so ago, and is a long-time want for me. The fact that it’s now available in cans speaks to what is hopefully greater and wider distro.



4.75/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

This looks very similar to Double Sunshine, a very hazy burnt orange color with a dense, foamy light tan head. Absolutely gorgeous, IMHO.

The nose is dank tropical fruit on PED’s - huge amounts of pineapple and grapefruit, and an earthy herbal note, too.

This translates to the taste, with the pineapple most prominent, but the earthy herbal note is note far behind , and then there’s a bit of alcohol burn, which is common to the style in my experience, but not off putting in any way.

I’m not a huge fan of triple IPA’s, but this is magnificent. It’s a hop bomb for sure, but it’s also exceptionally balanced, which is a challenge for a hoppy beer with the gravitas this one has in spades.

 

Happy New Berliner Weisse Sunday!

Pretty nice day on the Western Slope, around 44, sunny at the trailhead. Lot's of people riding today. Having a tasty brew. Picked up the usual chicken tacos. Watching some Enterprise reruns.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24300/241738/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

I was involved in some recent talks in the Industrial Arts brewery thread about their upcoming Winter Landscape seasonal, which is slated to be a black lager (one of my favorite styles), and also some other regional NYS black lagers that are available. It was with that in mind this weekend when I spied this one from Ithaca on the shelves, and just had to pick it up.

Midnight Sun Black Lager

So, I didn't even get to put the bottle down before I had this one pegged as being essentially a porter fermented with lager yeast; the careful and judicious use of roast malt, and fine harmony of flavors, that you'd associate with a schwartzbier or other continental beer in the black lager family are most definitely not a part of this beer's makeup. Like I said, I immediately got a strong whiff of 'espresso' from arm's length.

So we're just going to have to take this one on its own terms going forward, which is fine by me since I kinda dig porters, too . Flavorwise I'm getting a nice blend of the aforementioned espresso and dark chocolate, with some clean toffee-like malt underneath, amber rum, and touches of sweet spice here and there. It's got a milky fullness at first, but finishes dry with a clean snap of bitterness. But there are also some issues, at least at first, that have nothing to do with style or expectations: that 'old coffee' twang and astringency on the finish. As I am down half a glass their impact is diminishing, but still present.

Overall it's a slightly flawed, but pleasant enough beer where I can take off my evaluating cap and just enjoy a few glasses casually. So, on those terms it gets a solid enough B+ (3.85), but could also stand for some improvement.

 

I've found "black lager" in American brewing vernacular to be a crap shoot at best, like you've stated. It's a pretty loose term around here. Some are good regardless. Most, not so much.

 

Many thanks @cjgiant, great start as always. Regarding a potential NBS tasting of Resilience, I know at least Russian River and Revision have committed to the project. The Revision participation should help wider distro availability. I fully expect Bear Republic to join the effort. So I think you've found a GREAT idea and simultaneously supporting a GREAT cause!

First of likely several contributions from me today is Faction's Hipster Conformant industrial lager.



L: Light golden with 3 fingers of variable density white soapy head with great retention and left minimal spotted lacing.

S: Pleasant grain forward nose, hints of citrus hiding underneath. Citrus increases in prominence as it warms.

T: More citrus dominant than the nose. Finishes very clean.

F: Low body with moderate carbonation, light on the tongue, crisp on the swallow.

O: Really nice lager, will definitely buy again.



BA score = 4.14, rdev = +3.5%

 

Oh yeah, and I find that the ones who do get it right are to be treasured.

 

Indeed.

 

#2, keeping things on the lighter side, I love the base beer, so I’m literally quivering with excitement to try this.



4.53/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Jet black pour that shuts out the night, the dark tan head is so dense, it looks like a nitro. The first thing apparent on the nose is the barrel - it is big and it is boozy and it is bourbon. But there’s also char and dark chocolate and, dare I say, stone fruit?

The taste confirms - stone fruit, which tames the barrel a bit, and spruces up the char and dark chocolate quite nicely, and lends balance to the mouthfeel, which is creamy and just the slightest bit spritzy at the same time.

I’m glad I have a couple of bottles of this to age, because I think it will do so exceptionally well. As it is, this is world-class, IMHO.

This was a pretty extraordinary beer night for this beer nerd. I’m glad I could share it with as fine a group of folks as I could imagine anywhere. You are all stellar.

 

Haand Bryggeriet Odin's Tipple Imperial Stout, 10.2% ABV. Pours black with a .33 finger brown head. Nose is faint chocolate and roast malt. Taste is roast malt, and strong bitterness. Decent mouthfeel, overall very good - just not a fan of the bitterness.

 

Great gose. Nice fluffy head retention/lacing. Aromas and flavors of big juicy/fairly tart/tangy raspberries, mango, fruit skin/seeds, lemon, lime, orange, peach, pear, melon, red/green apple, red grape/wine, sea salt, hay, straw, and grass; with moderate wheat, cracker, white bread malts; light pepper/lacto funk, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, fruit tang, and light spiciness on the finish. Medium carbonation, light-medium body, and fairly crisp/clean finishing. Balanced bready/grainy malts, lactic acid, and some fruit tang/tannins in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing acidic/tangy fruit dryness, no pucker. Very flavorful/refreshing, not overly lactic or salty, 5%. Nicely jammy fruit, with balanced Lacto complexity, and pale/wheat malts against acidity. Very well made style example. 4


Fantastic as expected. Great fluffy head retention/spotty lacing. Aromas and flavors of huge milk/dark chocolate, cocoa, nutty dark roast coffee, caramel, molasses, toffee, vanilla, cream, bourbon, toasted oak, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili peppers, and dark/brown bread; with light notes of coconut, licorice, raisin, prune, fig, date, smoke, charcoal, leather, tobacco, and yeast earthiness. Bit of booze in the aromas as it warms, but not overwhelming. Light herbal/roast/char bitterness, and cinnamon/pepper/bourbon/oak spiciness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and fairly full body; very creamy, silky, velvety, rich mouthfeel; light sticky spice, chalky char/roast, and oak tannins. Lightly increasing lingering char/spice bitterness, no cloying/acrid. Dangerously smooth sipping. Mildly increasing warmth of 12%, and lingering pepper heat; minimal barrel booze. Did not like as much as Krakatoa, but still spot on stuff. Perfectly balanced rich malts, coffee, spices, and bourbon barrel integration; with nice pleasant pepper/cinnamon spice/heat presence, without overdoing anything. Will gladly get more of any of them since they are in cans this year. One of my favorite stout series. 4.25


Cheers, have a good night NBS

 

Not sure of the actual style, I would say old ale aged in Knob barrels. Pours a very attractive amber mahogany with a 2 inch sticky off white head that leaves a wall of patchy lace as it slowly settles, poured at near room temperature. 4.25

Smell starts with bourbon, oaky vanilla, toffee, caramel, dark fruit, and some molasses. 4

Taste follows bourbon, vanilla, toffee, caramel, dates, and some molasses. 4

Mouthfeel is about medium, gentle carbonation, a tad dry, and extremely approachable at 9% ABV but drinks bigger than 9 for sure. 4

Overall this one impressed me, I know how tough people are on this brewery, but for me this was a nice collaboration. A very complex beer that I will be sipping once a week for the next month or two. 4

 

Hello New Beer Sunday!!!

Long day at work over for the day, and a good new beer is needed.


Central Waters Rye Barrel Chocolate Porter.

This is a heavy hitting beer at 12.65%. The hing is, it doesn't drink like one. Little alcohol burn, or harshness. Fairly smooth, and easy drinking.

4.22/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Pours a nice black color. The head is tan, 1 finger slightly frothy, and has ok retention. It dissipates to a ring around the glass.
The nose - The rye barrel is very forward in the nose. I do get slight chocolate, but the barrel is the star of the aroma.
Taste - Started consumption at 52 degrees - A nice smooth chocolate flavor is up front. Nice and rich, more than the nose let on. On the backside the barrel kicks in, but not harsh at all. It is hard to tell that this is a beer that is over 12%.
The body is fairly thick. There's very little alcohol harshness. Just a smooth feel.
Damn tasty porter. Really is put together very well.


Since it's a heavy hitter, and a big bottle, I'm one and done tonight. I'll see you all for the next NBS. Cheers.

 

NBS#2 Will fully admit the discussion about Maduro and Bell's Brown definitely influenced this selection. I'd been considering it, but that tipped the scale.

Modern Times Bedrock. Can dated 10/25/18 into a tumbler.



L: Vigorous pour yields a hazy mahogany with thin layer or high density khaki head with moderate retention, and left no lacing.

S: Nice nose but a bit mute, mostly malt and coffee, hints of coconut (but they become far more intense as it warms).

T: Follows the nose but adds in some chocolate. The coconut is more pronounced and overpowers the coffee for my palate and preferences. Finishes with mostly chocolate on the palate with a very subtle bit of bitterness, nothing lingers.

F: Low-medium bodied, with limited carbonation, silky smooth on the tongue and swallow.

O: Can wasn't labeled as a nitro beer, but I suspected based on its appearance. Even with a vigorous pour it didn't yield the typical visual cascade. It's a very nice brown, but for my preferences I'd want more coffee (or chocolate) and less coconut.

BA score = 4.1, rdev = -2.6%

 

I love that beer!

 

My first offering from Libertine, as we just rec'd a case of 1234 on Thursday. I would have ordered more if I knew then what I know now. Oh well, beer happens.



4.21/5 rDev +5.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Gentle to moderate pour yields a 1/2 inch slightly off-white head over a bright amber body with some creamy, lumpy lacing. Musty nose of citrus (grapefruit, lemon), funk (cellar, slight wet horse blanket), and oak. Taste mirrors nose somewhat closely with a nice tartness, pink grapefruit flavor, grass, and oak. Nice feel with a white wine-like finish. Overall, a very nice Biere de Garde from California's Central Coast. Cheers!

 

Enjoying a crowler of Dewey Secret Machine-Pineapple/Mango/Boysenberry. A tasty beer but not the best Secret Machine from Dewey.

4.02/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

32 oz crowler poured into teku

A- A clear ruby red with a two finger pink head.

S- Boysenberries, some pineapple, touch of mango, tart, slightly chalky.

T- Tart, pineapple, boysenberries, touch of mango, some wheat, a touch chalky.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A decent fruit sour, not Dewey’s best Secret Machine, but still solid.

Cheers!!

 

Busy day with not much accomplished. Last beer of the night I believe. Thanks @CanConPhilly. Cheers!

3.73/5 rDev -1.1%

12 ounce undated can. Poured into a tulip. Pours brown, with a latte colored foam cap. Decent lacing on the glass.
The nose is fresh coconut and malted milk chocolate.
Candied coconut, coconut milk, chocolate, streaks of coffee and vanilla at the finish.
Silky but thin body, low carbonated. A touch more body would definitely be a good thing here.
Overall a fun beer, worth a try but not something I’d have again.

 

Last new beer of the day, last beer of the day...

From Exhibit 'A' Brewing, Hair Raiser NEDIPA (8% abv)...

Turns out this is my favorite beer of the day, too! Murky, opaque, medium-gold color with a coupla fingers of head on top and lotsa messy lace left behind... Aromas of mild floral citrus preview a delightful sweet grapefruit fruit smoothie of a beer - lush, plush, moderately sweet, mildly bitter, and without much tartness or tang - which I really dug - like sweet, creamy grapefruit pith juice beer... 10/31/18 canning...

Peace out, NBS...

 

Great idea! I have only tried the tequila variant, and it was absolutely stellar!

 

Good evening, all, and thanks for getting things going this morning, @cjgiant. It was cool learning a bit more about the historical origins of this thread from your opening post, and some of the responses. I like the idea of a single beer NBS, and Resilience seems like it could be a good candidate.

Now, onto my first new beer today- Neshaminy Creek’s Maximum Mocha Porter, a 6% porter brewed w/chocolate and lactose and conditioned on single origin Rise Up coffee. There’s no canning date on this one, but it showed up around here fairly recently so I’ll assume it’s a recent release.



It’s dark brown with a tan head that recedes quickly. The flavor and nose are both dominated by strong coffee. There’s also some chocolate and vanilla-like sweetness in the nose. The coffee in the flavor is mixed with semi-sweet chocolate at first, but that gives way pretty quickly to a nice roasty bitterness that balances out the mild sweetness. Mouthfeel is pretty light, and sweetness and bitterness both linger in the finish. Overall, this was an outstanding coffee porter that was really nicely balanced between sweetness and bitterness.

 

My last beer of the day, and a new beer.
Great Divide Collette, farmhouse ale.



Comes in a hazy yellow color with a fluffy white head. Decent retention. Some rings of lacing are left behind.
Smells like banana runts, banana bread, tart apple, pear, and lemon, crackers and hay. Smells very enticing, actually.
The taste upfront is mostly the orchard fruits. Lots of intense green apple and pear, with hints of lemon zest and under ripe/green banana. Crackery malt with some hay leads to a dry grassy finish with hints of white pepper. Dry but not particularly spicy like Belgian-styles. However, the fruitiness is prominent without being overly sweet, and it dries out nicely. Its 7.3% abv is hidden well.
The feel is medium, well-carbonated, neither too thin nor too thick. Appropriately drinkable.

Wow, this is actually a surprisingly good farmhouse ale. I could see myself drinking lots of this. I like it!

 

Another weird offering by Coopers.

Sparkling Ale.

Lots of sediment, aromas of lime and caramel. Taste follows but to me tge flavour it's too much 7up or Sprite alike. Mouthfeel is crisp to the point of not being able to enjoy the beer.

Very weird beer, as their Original Pale Ale.

 

Second new beer of the night

Dragon's Milk Bourbon Barrel Aged Stout - New Holland Brewing

4.04/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 ounce 10/10/18 bottle into a DFH tulip. Color was a typical rich dark brown imperial stout color with a nice substantial head. One of these days I'll remember to take these imperial stouts out of my cellar fridge at 50 degrees and let it warm to room temperature because at an immediate pour, I just can't smell anything until it warms up; once that happens I get a delightful snootful of vanilla, booze, malt and barrel. Every sip leaves a nice coating on the mouth so it keeps on giving.

I'm kind of embarrassed that it took me this long to discover what has been a known entity for most. For reasons that aren't ultimately important, I was late to jump on the stout train and recently have been striving mightily to make up for lost time. And this is a *great* time for stouts, barrel aged and otherwise. That said, as good as it is, I consider this on a second tier from the grade A ass kickers. It pains me to say that because it is very affordable and I am one cheap SOB. Perhaps in a blind taste test I would be revealed as a fraud, and if so so be it. This is still a very positive experience.

 

Next up is Stoudts Old Abominable Barley Wine -



The beer is translucent and is an orangish ruby color. The head disappeared pretty quickly and there’s no lacing

Flavor and aroma are both leathery, along with some dark cherry and prune. There’s also noticeable alcohol in the nose. The flavor has a mild herbal bitterness going on as well.

It’s medium bodied and a bit syrupy, but pretty light and easy drinking for a barley wine.

 

Abomination - Not From Concentrate

Having had the four Sierra Nevada IPAish beers, this final IPA is the cherry on top. Every so often, a thread pops up that asks if people buy a beer because of the label. I did just that with this beer, not because I loved the label, but because of what it represented.

When I saw this can at the store, it really gave me a DIY feeling. The look of it was like the record sleeve of a 45 from a garage band of teenagers who recorded their own music and drew their own band logo. Who would have thought that the world of beer would occupy the same space one day? It’s a little crazy and a bit special. Who are these teenagers and what are they creating?

Well, in this case, I’m gonna assume that no teens were involved. It’s from “nomadic brewery” Abomination Brewing Company out of Pennslvania... with their Yahoo email address and Wix website. The can says it was brewed by Veracious Brewing in CT... another brewery I never even heard of - they are so much like weeds these days that I don’t even TRY to keep up with who is who. I’d sink. OK, so far this is proving to be exactly why I grabbed it in the first place. I wonder if my son’s elementary school friends also have a beer brand? Yeah, I’m being glib, but I really do think that this is something special.

This so-called “DDH double IPA” was brewed with strawberries, blackberries and lactose. Wait, what? It’s called “Not From Concentrate” and the art shows an orange getting sliced in half and orange juice/blood splattering everywhere... but instead of oranges it’s actually made with strawberries? Um. I’m confused, but also not, because “DIY”... that and it’s like a 60s horror movie poster for a dubbed movie that has no resemblance to the sensational poster art... only in beer form. I love this a little.

I suppose this can be called a “milkshake” IPA due to the lactose and fruit. The beer is a very hazy coppery gummy color. Carbonation is pretty light. The beer is pretty nice and (very) surprisingly restrained given the packaging vibe. Nothing is too loud about it and the fruits give an impression of vague fruitiness rather than a “strawberry flavored beer.” In fact, it’s nothing like that. I’m surprised by how “beery” this is. The real kicker is that it tastes of orange more than anything else! Is this the power of artwork on the mind, an incorrect beer description on the label, an incredible case of the sum of the parts, or just an odd coincidence? Whatever. It tastes good. The body isn’t overly heavy or thin. The beer is a bit overly sweet, but it maintains drinkability for 16 ounces. This isn’t Sierra Nevada level craftsmanship, but I bought it precisely because of that. It was fun.

Looking this beer up on BA, here is the desciption here: “This Northeastern Double IPA is Insanely hopped with Citra, Mosaic, and Amarillo... And then Hopped some more. Brewed with Lactose and Oats For a nice creamy mouthfeel.”

Um, what? That seems more like the “strawberry” beer that I had, but the desciptions are nothing alike. Forget it zid, it’s Abomination. (Said to myself as if it was the end of Chinatown.)

 

Glad you liked it! The first ones I had were super green but it's come along nicely since then. Cheers.

 

Busy day today but finally having beer. Started off helping a coworker move some furniture, not sure why people always seem to ask me to help when it comes time for the bulky, heavy stuff. Not that I mind helping though... Then I took my six year old to my parents for a bit, my dad got him a new to us go kart. He was quite happy to trade in his pedal car for a gas engine. Had to govern it down for the littile daredevil a bit until he gets used to it. Have a few minor things to do to it but he was glad to ride today.

Now for a beer!

This one ours a cloudy golden orange with two fingers of white head.
Smells of ripe citrus and tropical fruits. No particular fruit stands out but it smells juicy and decent.
Taste follows with juicy ripe citrus, not bitter at all. Pineapple and pine notes also.
Medium bodied with good carb levels. Smooth feel.
Overall a pretty tasty DIPA that's better than average but doesn't really stand out. I would drink it again.