New Beer Sunday (Week 746)

Cypress brewing nice
..solid jet black
..medium light carbonation with an above average body. Has a slight creamy feel
..aroma is espresso, figs, dark fruit,cinnamon, roasted malt and oddly a little like fruit cake
..taste is very similar to aroma with some mild sweetness balanced by a bit of coffee bitterness. Plenty of dark fruit,spice,and again fruitcake. High abv is hidden extremely well
..overall I guess being nice is better than naughty as I liked this one better than its counterpart. Will look for this next holiday season pnc bank locations hours of operation

 

Made from Hatch | Revelry Brewing Co. Courtesy of @Dragginballs76. Cheers!
4.08/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a slightly cloudy straw color with a two inch fluffy white head that settles to a ring and left little lacing. Smells of bread dough, corn, lime and peppers. Tastes of lime, lime zest, bread, corn, wheat, mild hot peppers, floral and grassy notes. Light bodied, medium carbonation, dry and crisp.

 

Wells Banana Bread, 5.2% ABV. Pours pale orange with three fingers of white head. Nose is banana and malt, taste follows, slightly sweet, fain bitterness. Decent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.04/5 rDev +14.1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

 

This is a beer I have coveted since I joined this site. I know that expectations almost never match up with reality, especially when you’ve had years to stew on the idea of something, but I’m super excited about this beer. Not only because I’ve loved everything I’ve tried from this brewery but also because this IPA is single hopped with citra, my favorite hop. Let’s get on to it.

The beer is King Sue from Toppling Goliath



Appearance is everything you want from this type of murkbomb. Golden neon yellowish orange with zero sediment. About a finger and a half of stark bone white head which dissipated to spotty islands and a thin ring around the rim of the glass. Extremely ripe fruits, but not overripe, fruits of pineapple, mango, and grapefruit litter the aroma. A soft undertone of pine plays in the background and a bit of dankness as well. Taste follows the nose exactly. The fruits dominate the foreground, low bitterness and a little pine come in next, then give way to a slightly dank note, then the fruits come back to finish it off. One note here, the aroma is YUUUUGE, like across the room huge, and while the flavors are very big and bold, they don’t quite match up to the nose in terms of.... largeness? This is not to detract from the taste, just to convey how powerful the aroma is. They killed the mouthfeel here, soft and pillowy, almost marshmellow-like. It doesn’t sacrifice adequate carbonation for the soft mouthfeel either. Overall this beer is fantastic and I believe they did great justice to the citra hop and that this beer is world class. This is an instance where expectation somewhat lived up to reality. Roughly 4.5

 

I'm enjoying a quiet weekend punctuated by thunderstorms. I hope we never have to move, but our neighborhood is the focus of a lot of development, and I can't say what it will be like in ten years.
For today I am trying a Julius Echter Hefe-Weissbier Hell from Würzburger Hofbräu.

Julius Echter was the Prince-Bishop of 16th Century Würzburg, refounded its university, and persecuted witches and Protestants.

This bottle had a best by date of July 2019, so it had some age on it. The appearance is a slightly hazy amber with a rich white head. There is a prominent clove and banana aroma. The flavors are clove, banana, bread, and some slight citrus. Smooth and spicy dry finish.
The Würzburger Hofbräu 500 ml bottles go for $4.50, which I think is a good deal. I am adding this to the list when I am looking for a German Hefeweizen.

 

New Beer Sunday; American Pale Ale (APA)

Afternoon NBSers with a heads up for fans of APAs.

This afternoon’s new beer is the Maine Brewing APA called "a tiny beautiful something."

My review, still in progress until the beer is finished, can be found here:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20681/113339/?ba=drtth#review


This is a single hop beer that is filled with aromas/flavors of orange and orange zest. There’s also a peek at some pear and stone fruit while the sweetness lasts. The transition from the fruity flavors to the firm solid hop bitterness happens fairly quickly and the finish is dry, firmly bitter, and slow to fade away. Enjoyable, drinkable and is almost like having two beers in the same sip. Looking forward to having it again. Definitely recommended.

Cheers, all!

 

Just back from a 2-week business trip to Portland, OR, where I visited the remarkable pFriem Family Brewers in Hood River, OR; not once or twice, but thrice. Remarkable lager brewers and I reviewed the ones I had there, but since this is New Beer Sunday, I had to go with a newbie for me. It is:

Wicked Weed - Prevalence, a 7.2% American Wild Ale


A - Somewhat hazy golden-ruby with a short head and no lace
S - Brett funk, light citrus and wine barrel
T - Brett, elderberry, very mild juniper and mild wine barrel. Mildly sour. Mainly fruit and Brett funk.
M - Light-medium body and light carbonation. Quite dry.
O - A enjoyable, easy-drinkin' beer for this summer day. I'm a fan of the elderberry flavor so this really works for me.

 

Northcoast berliner weisse
...light cranberry color
...light body with about medium carbonation. Carbonation doesnt hold on too long adding to a thin body
...aroma is tart cherry upfront and way in the background is some yeast,malt.
..taste follows the nose, very dry with barely a touch of sweetness
..overall its pleasant, almost the exact opposite of a lambic in regards to sweetness,body, and yeast

 

Just got home from my 2 boys birthday party and you can say I need a couple (new) beers. It was at Chuck E. Cheese and not the only birthday party so there were plenty of kids running around. I did set the high score at the basketball shoot thing for the day, so take that!

This beer is from the super generous @Dragginballs76. I think he knows my love of all things Burial so I’m pretty pumped to get into it. Bearded Iris collaborated on this one, another favorite brewery of mine.



Smudgy date, but I can see a 19 at the end. Poured into proper glassware.

Pours a cloudy and murky orange with a
finger of off white head. Thick lacing on entire glass.
Nose of soft lemon meringue, citrus, pineapple. All soft aromas.
Taste follows. Huge ripe orange initial hit, pineapple, mango, honey cake, rotting tropical fruit( in a good way), guava, little bitterness.
Thick body and creamy mouthfeel.
Overall, this beer is mostly on the sweet side with complimentary bitterness. The smooth mouthfeel makes for an easy drinking double. Well done by collaboration.
4.26 rDev +4.2%

 

Hey What's going on?!

New beer that's what of course!

It's been a pretty full weekend for our hero. Bit of a party last night so lots of left over brewskies for our hero! Not to mention some tasty nibbles as well to partake. Small rain has hit, but it's refreshing and a good excuse to lay low back home and kick the feet up.

Have a few random brews, some quite out there from some recent trips, and some more simply close to home.

Always up for new beers! I've been slowed down a bit because of a major sinus infection which started clearing up about a week ago. I had my sense of smell completely knocked out it was crazy. Still I am better but boy this thing is being stubborn.

With that said it's time for a new brew for our hero.

Brew Free! or Die Blood Orange IPA | 21st Amendment Brewery



Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass.

Clear bodied mostly, with a pale amber color appearance somewhere between orange and yellow lemon fruit color. Classic simple egg white head, real nice retention and classic size of three to four fingers. Pill like lacing and some good staying power. Looks like a very nice classic West coast IPA.

Very nice aroma. Definitely grabbing much of the blood orange quality, with a good fruit citrus that isn't pithy, but is also adding some real nice candy like hop oils and zesty classic fruit bitterness. It'a bit one dimensional, but it's very dialed in wonderfully and nice with good balance of mixed fruit and hop scents of zest bitterness and citrus sweetness.

Palate is quite surprising. A simple malt backbone sticks out to simply let the hops and fruit quality play forward. Great simple juiced orange quality, with excellent almost mineral zesty like flavors. Excellent hop bitterness on the finish to match and balance out, and even some matching biscuit cookie sweetness of malt to add more joy in the mix. Breaded pastry and sweet orange, with a candy like zest feeling and tasting nearly like penny store candy, but with a more oily finish and bitterness to match.

Very surprised by this one, real nice fruit contrast on old school West coast IPA style.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25 | BA Generated Score : 4.23

Cheers!

 

Hello fellow NBSrs!

It’s been a long week and am glad it’s finally coming to an end. Today’s new to me beer was provided by the ever so generous @Dragginballs76 ! Mike, many thanks as I truly enjoyed this beer!

This beer is a sour ale called Double Vanilla Peachy Dream by Barrel Culture out of NC.

Let me preface the pics by saying this isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s for folks who like their sours to be sour. Like sinus clearing sour and I enjoyed every sip of it. Mega tart and mega peach. It definitely hit the spot today.

Cheers all!

 

My favorite professor, Dr. Parotti, grew up in Silver City, N.M., and insisted the desert's the only place to live. Along with everything you point out, he said living in a land with such wide open spaces and a big sky properly put you in your place, as in we are insigificant when compared to the vastness of the universe. This is compared to living in East Texas (Deep South), where the tall trees close in on you and have a way of making you insular.

Or maybe he was a bit too philosophical about it all. Either way, it's good to hear how well y'all have adjusted and found the beauty of desert living.

Hope all you NBSers are having a good Sunday!

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. A nice, warm, and breezy summer day here on the island. Watching the Mets stomp out the god damn rockies and pretty much doing nothing after a busy day in the city. I've got a ton of new beers on hand but we'll see just how many I actually get to.

My first new beer is actually my last beer from @Roguer and his NBS BIF #nine boxes. It is of course the mystery beer and thus I have no idea on the specs. Here we go.


A black oily color on the pour with a fast off-white head. The nose is decently floral with malt and spices. I seem to be getting a berry note as well. My initial guess would be some sort of fruited stout/porter. The drinking hits with lots of thick malt upfront, with a silky smooth flow, and tangy finish. Additional flavor tones of chocolate, coffee, vanilla, cinnamon, lactose, tannin, and oak. The more I consume the more I begin feel how very well balanced the brew is and all the different flavors meld right together. Full bodied and while I can tell its a high abv, I'm guessing +10%, but it hides so well and drinks so easily. Thick, but lush and silky as well. A slight decadent feel but it's not terribly sweet.

Overall, this is delicious and right up my alley. My final guess is some sort of adjunct imperial stout. I don't think its barrel aged but I could be wrong. I would put it in the low 4's to a possible 4.5.
Reveal:
Early Bird Special, imperial stout w/ vanilla, cinnamon, & coffee, from Aardwolf Brewing. Checks in at 9.1% abv and no apparent bottle date.

Sorry Andrew, I actually never removed the foil till today for fear of peaking. And when I did I kind of ripped off the under mystery label/directions.

 

This is my second time visiting True Anomaly Brewing in Houston. They do a mix of Belgian styles, Wild Ale/Sours, and a few IPA's thrown in for good measure. They are now starting to release their wood foeder beers, and I of coarse tried some today.

First up is Moonbow, 7% ABV. This is a Wild Ale with peaches. Aged for three months in wood foeders. Pours a bright hazed yellow color. A one finger white head. Tons of fresh fruits in the nose and flavor. Almost like peach skins. Finishes with a tart and lightly acidic bite. Medium body and good carbonation. Really refreshing and something that hits the spot on these humid Houston afternoons. Score is an even 4. Full review below:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/55586/420934/?ba=champ103#review


Next is Oliver Wilder. 7.9% ABV. This is a rye Saison with Brett. Aged for four months in wood foeders. Pours with a slight haze. A golden/yellow color, with the requisite one finger white head. Funky and musty up front. Then that rye takes over, and mixed with the yeast becomes very spicy and peppery. Baked bread with light citrus and fruity esters. Well carbonated, just a touch soapy. At almost 8% ABV this a very easy drinker. Overall score is 4.06. Full review below:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/55586/420932/?ba=champ103#review


The last one I had is called Trappist-1. 5.3% ABV. This is a simple Belgian Pale Ale. Pours a clear golden/yellow color. Again, a one finger white head and lace. Cracker and grainy malts. A touch of phenols, peppery spice, and fruit esters. The nose is just a bit muted, but the flavor is more robust. Very effervescent and finishes dry. Yep, another offering I would like to have again when visiting the brewery. Overall score is 3.94. Review below:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/55586/421281/?ba=champ103#review

 

Happy NBS everyone!
So I am finally back after missing one week to being busy, one to family visiting and one to being sick (which I assume was caused by the other two weeks). I missed you all and I missed rambling about my beer.

Life's good here. It has finally been nice for more than two days in a row, it feels summery, I have my balcony beer garden totally set up and ready for hanging out and today might as well be the ribbon-cutting ceremony as far as I am concerned. Now begins my tireless battle against fucking squirrels I suppose.... To top it all off, I didn't have to work today (F1 weekend, lots of unsavory tourists, but they're all at the race) so I can hang out here.
My first beer today is a new one to stores and to me. It is an IPA that I found at the corner store near my house that has finally started getting a pretty good beer selection. It has a few potential red flags (IPA with a colorful label, new, stamping technology but no date, not super clear on the brewery, bought from a convenience store, etc.) however, lately I've had good enough luck and I feel like the industry has definitely matured a little so here's hopin'.

I should heed my judgement on red flags...

It pours relatively clear, bright orange with some particulate gunk at the end of the pour. Pretty ugly and I don't even really mind yeast. There is a nice, big moussey white head that leaves decent lacing.

The aroma is bright, clean orange and toasty malt sweetness. Orange rind, herby, slightly oxidized bitterness is the brunt of the flavor. As I drink on it this bitterness becomes progressively more medicinal. At the same time I feel like the age becomes less noticeable in the flavor and more noticeable in the aroma. It is as drinkable as could be expected, fairly dry with moderate carbonation.

It is not quite a drainpour, but is definitely missing something to push it to being fully enjoyable. Ordinarily I would be more gentle on my rating for an oxidation/age issue but since this beer is brewed by big craft brewery who puts in cans, takes care of the shipping and handling and has the capacity to date their cans but chooses not to I kind of feel like they've brought it on themselves.

Thanks to some quick research I now know that this is a group of three breweries; two of which I don't like at all having tried their beers a few times before and one of which I have never had before. They got together to pool resources and release beers that they usually only offer on tap. I imagine it's a total coincidence that these beers are all IPA-esque and have cans that look like NEIPAs. Right???? But I digress, this one was not great. But I get the feeling it would be not bad at all fresher or on tap. If I ever physically see it delivered to a place I Will likely give it another shot.

I'll be back later hopefully with something else new and different from the styles I usually drink.

Santé!

 

Good afternoon NBS and thanks @lordofthewiens for the start today.
Just back home from 4 days in Pittsburgh, First time there and not our last. Fun city.
The offering is from Trillium, the Lineage Rye a gift that I have delayed opening and I think it was a good call to wait. There is a nice fruit and mineral magic at this point. Got to get after that lawn now.
Cheers all

Lineage Rye

Trillium Brewing Company
Belgian Saison / 6.90% ABV

4.16/5 rDev 0% | Score: 4.16
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a bottle dated 11/22/17 into the test glass
A - Color of late season sunflower, excellent clarity, solid carbonation feeds a rocky white cap. During the experience the froth dissipates and a ring of truth circles the glass interior.
S - Dusty with chalk, citrus reduction, white pepper, notes of honey, and a very herbal element and apricot.
T - Complicated to pull apart, spice from the Rye barrel, fruity pebbles in there, with apricot and green apple, nice mineral component like chalky French White . A very delicate grain component.
M - Dry, really dry. Semi tart start then a fruity wave, then the ashen dryness take over. Very nict to have the tart and dry play well
O - Glad to have waited on this one, Very delicate offering at this stage, Excellent stone fruit quality, and that wonderful dry finish keeps this offering inside the rails.