New Beer Sunday (Week 731)

I was hoping you’d review that here when I saw you post it in the hauls thread. Quads intrigue me, I’ve had a few and they seem to span a wide spectrum. I love coffee in beers and was interested to see how you thought this was balanced. Did the coffee and vanilla overpower the dark fruits? It sounds like in the taste the dark fruits were more of a background player. Thanks, I’ll hang up and listen.

 

Angel's Share from The Lost Abbey, a BBA barleywine style ale. Sharing the bottle with my daughter. Pours a medium to dark brown with mahogany highlights. Thin tan ring of head, no lacing present. Really looks like rusty tap water. Smells of bourbon, oak, vanilla, malts and dark fruits. Tastes of bourbon, vanilla, caramel malts oak, raisins, figs molasses and toffee. Medium bodied for the style, minimal carbonation, syrupy mouth feel. An awesome sipper.

 

Yes, while I would say the coffee and vanilla overpowered the dark fruits, they didn’t write them out completely. I remember a lot more dark fruits in the original Qualified and it being more forward with fig notes and dark berries.

This was still a very solid brew, and the elements tangled together well, I just think with some tweaking it could really be made great.

Cheers!

 

Happy NBS, NBSers! I have two new beers for today and both of them are fruited sours. It's a dreary and chilly New England day, but I have to remember that 40 degrees is still warm enough to melt this godforsaken ice crowding my curb outside of my house. *shakes fist at glaciers*

Hopefully these two beers will transport me to a warmer climate in my mind. It's not the same as being somewhere tropical, but it's the best I can hope for.

Up first is Little Havana by Barreled Souls Brewing out of Saco, Maine.



Pours a bright sunburst orange with goldenrod highlights. This gose is topped off with a surprisingly retentive little head of meringue-like foam that eventually sinks to a quarter-finger and leaves behind small wisps of lace. Actually a nice gose pour for once. Too many of these have an active initial head buildup that fizzles to absolutely nothing. It's good to see one that actually hangs out for any amount of time at all. Well, the appearance here is refreshing... let's hope the flavors follow suit!

The nose is a little plastic-y at first, but it does eventually pick up some bright sliced pineapple and ripe mango notes. Very nice tropical fruit salad-kinda vibe here though it doesn't exactly leap out of my glass. Something about this reminds me of some passion fruit goses and Berliner weissbiers I've had, but this doesn't claim to use that fruit, which I find strange. I would definitely say there's a distinct passion fruit element, but my mind is likely just playing tricks on me.

Tart and strongly saline/mineral forward on the tongue... shockingly so, actually. As soon as I acclimate to it, it becomes nicely drinkable however. Subdued pineapple and a strong-showing of guava in the flavor profile... kind of a switch from the forward pineapple in the nose. A fun little dance, to be sure. It's not really too special, and I've had better fruited sours, of course, but this is an enjoyable and refreshing drink. Heady and pushy carbonation with a measured acidity and driving, wheat-forward malty mouthfeel once you get past the breakthrough sourness. I dig it, but I wouldn't get it again, especially for the rather hefty price.

 

Oskar blues ten fidy
..solid black color
..light carbonation with an above average body. Has a slight thick creamy feel
.. aroma isn't overpowering but black coffee is forward followed by roasted malts,roasted coffee beans and some milk and dark chocolate
.. taste is much stronger than aroma with bitter black coffee taking the lead. Roasted malt and coffee beans with some dark chocolate.
Flavors coat the tongue and linger with the Alchohol being well hidden

 

Next up is from one of my favorite local breweries.


Beer: First Noel (Oak smoked German style bock)

Brewery: Daredevil (Indianapolis, In)

ABV: 6.5%


Pouring from a 16 oz. can into a Willi Becher style glass, this beer pours out a medium brown in color. A beautiful, two finger, rocky but well held, khaki colored crown sits on top of a crystal clear, ruby colored beer. Absolutely gorgeous brew. 5

The nose brings notes of oak and light smoke tangling with toasted malts, slightly rich fruit notes like cherries and dark bread presence. 4.5

The taste offers a lot of what the nose did. The sweetness from the malts, slight fruit notes that resemble dark cherries, and a really nice dark and sweet bread character. All while having a nice, balanced oak coating. 4.75

The mouthfeel is a dry smokiness, while still bringing a smooth creaminess. Full bodied for the style and well carbonated. Managed to have that lager like clean and crisp finish. 4.5

Overall, yeah my ratings are high. But for what this is, it is pulled off very well. Full flavored and well balanced with the smoke, letting it be used as an accent instead of steal the show from the other characters. 4.5

I don’t ever feel like I do lagers justice when reviewing them. This is something I would love to see the likes of @TongoRad @cavedave @Lingenbrau get a crack at!

Cheers NBS!

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. Lots of rain and unseasonably warm once again here on the island. No real plans for the day but its looking like I will be inside watching some Mets spring training action. Probably check out the Oscars tonight.

My first new beer today is Dunkin Coffee Porter, from Harpoon brewing. I've been eyeing this one for a while and I finally pulled the trigger on a couple of bottles. It's very inviting with the Dunkin Donuts insignia and my fondness for dark coffee beers but also garners caution given my general opinion on Harpoon beers lately. The brew checks in at 6% abv, 28 ibu, and has a bb date of 3/15/19.

A black color on the pour with a good amount of carbonation and a frothy brown/off-white head of bubbles. Its not very floral on the nose with light chocolate malt and a touch of coffee. The drinking starts with a decent amount of chocolate malt upfront. Right away, the thin feel of this brew is very evident. I get the coffee flavor but its a bit muted. It comes off as more of a dry roasted coffee grind flavor. Decent robust notes with a subtle smoke tone. Again, the mouth feel is on the lighter side with a dry and not very sweet feel. The body even walks the line of being watery at times.

Overall, I really wanted this to be good but its rather average. Perhaps the coffee just fell off a lot from fresh? I've got another bottle to see if my impression improves. I'm in the 3/3.5 range at best.

 

From my Chicago trip last weekend we got a single of Fire, Skulls, and Money from Toppling Goliath. My second TG brew and I hope they continue to wow.



Right off the bat I’m getting mixed signals. Mesmerizing color and soft white head, perfect pour by yours truly. However TONS of floaties. This legit looks just like OJ with the pulp. With the smell were right back on track tho. Oranges, mangoes, pineapples, other citrusy fruits. And this smell is STRONG, like 3 feet away. I’m impressed already and it’s more of the same on the taste with that sweet nectar of hop burn all the way thru. Mouthfeel is fantastic for the style with some good carb bubbles. Overall I’m between 4.25-4.5 here. TG killing it.

 

Revision - Day On The Beach
Always glad to try to Revision. Currently drinking it on tap at a new spot here in Santa Rosa, which is right across the street from Russian River Brewing. Not sure how I’ve missed this place, but glad I’m here today. Anyways, let’s dive in.



On tap. Served from a pint glass.
L: color is bright hazard yellow in color. Bountiful haze appearance. Resembles a mimosa with a tad more OJ. About a finger of a loosely packed cap that didn’t stick around long. Appealing amounts of lacing coats the glass like a veil. Look wise, it’s making me thirsty.
S: tons of citrus and fresh cut grass on the nose. Tangerine, orange and lemon and the majority. Mild aromas of peach, pineapple and cracked black pepper. Hops are grassy, earthy and bright.
T: Tangerine for days. Tangerine, melon, peach and pine are the big players in the flavor. Finish is florally with lingering citrus flavors. Slightly sweet aftertaste with mild sappy pine. rather bitter on the finish, which is actually preferable with this beer considering the other flavors. The more I drink it, the more of this sweet and syrupy taste that it is leaving in my mouth and I’m not the biggest fan of it. Not a deal breaker tho, just knocks it down a rung.
F: medium in body, light to medium in weight, leaning more in the lighter side. Moderately high carbonation, smooth and fizzy texture.
O: at 6%abv, what’s not to like. It’s fresh, clean and enjoyable. Tons of citrus flavor but doesn’t lose touch with its ipa foundation. I’m diggin’ it.
Verdict:
3.98/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

New beer #4. Thanks @smanson56 !

Moon Rover - Kettlehead
DDH DIPA - 7.8% abv
Canned 2/2/19 (22 days ago)
Score: 4.04 (-5.6% rDev)



Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50850/396411/?ba=CanConPhilly#review

Synopsis:
Wowza. This is a potent and powerful ipa. Flavors are aggressive, and threaten to burn your digestive tract down to nothing. Dank orange is the primary attacker, with some sweeter candy malt and angry grassy hops. I’m enjoying the assault, but this is not something I could session. Thanks again @smanson56 !

 

Damn that sounds fantastic!

 

I usually share my highest rated beers of the past week on NBS. A long week on the road started last Sunday and I found my self in Brooklyn at other Half. traffic, parking issues and a very crowded bar but managed to score some beers


Double Dry Hopped Mylar Bags by Other Half

4.46/5 rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Canned 2.13.19 opened 2.17.19 poured into a chalice

Hazy orange liquid , one finger off white , quickly settles to a layer

Aroma of citrus, orange, grapefruit rind, whiff of pine, whiff of dank

Taste is citrus , orange, bit of dank

Hop taste, no bite, quenching

Good beer


But, I also received in a trade another beer equally High rated and that beer is

Southern Tier Samoa This
4.46/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Bottle poured into a snifter

Black liquid crowned by a fluffy taupe foam cap, few big bubbles , a few lacings, nice retention

aroma is coconut, caramel, chocolate

Taste is sweet, caramel, coconut, chocolate

Good sudsing, chocolate on the finish

Good beer

 

I had one of those and I was slightly disappointed. I was with you thinking the coffee had fallen off and the watery body. It was a shame cuz I had high hopes

 

I thought that beer was awesome. Did a side by side with Angels Share and bcbbw last year. Both were incredible in their own right but I found the Angels share to be very refined and smooth. The bcbbw was just crazy intense . Cheers!

 

It was. Unfortunately one did not make it into your box. The store was out of 4 packs and this single was winking at me, I know can you believe winking at ME, from the shelf. The other TG brews I saw there were older, November or December canning date so I didn’t buy any. It was a little disappointing.

 

Wow, sounds fantastic- thanks for the heads-up!

 

I can certainly relate to the opening post. Five years ago I wouldn’t let two weeks go by without stopping in at a new brewery once opened, and would more than likely try everything available. Now, I don’t have enough fingers on my hands to count all the breweries in my area that have been open for one or two years and from which I still haven’t had a single beer. I feel like I pass up more new offerings than I try now. 2014 me would be shocked!

My approach nowadays is to stick with the breweries I know make good beer for my new beer addiction, and hit up new places when the opportunity presents itself. The first one of the day falls into the latter category.

Today’s new beer is Labyrinth Dry Hopped Kettle Sour from Chronicle Brewing is Bowmanville, Ontario. This is my first try with Chronicle, a role playing game/video game themed brewery, two things I have little to no interest in. That said, if those are your things, they have a theatre seating set up in the tap room for vintage video game tournaments and, from what I understand, host local role playing game groups from time to time.

On to the review.



First impressions aren’t good. CAn opens with little pop and the carbonation level in the beer appeared limited.

Opaque copper with little to no head and no lacing to speak of. Not particularly attractive.

Aromas are muted. The strongest one is of brown sugar, which isn’t encouraging. Hops imperceptible on the nose.

Very slight dank grassy hop notes on the tongue. Sourness is suggested but barely present. This is under-hopped and without much flavour.

Watery, both in flavour and mouth feel.

A disappointing first introduction to a new brewery. I have a stout in the fridge that I bought as well and will give it a try, perhaps later this evening. Hoping for much better.

 

I am about to crack this beer and post it on here.

 

I have a mosaic dry hop one to try later