New Beer Sunday (Week 748)

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. It's been a spectacular weekend, weather-wise, throughout New Jersey. We spent the weekend at the Shore, which was just beautiful, and I drove back up this afternoon. I left early enough to beat the worst of the traffic.

Magnify Brewing is about 15 minutes from where I live. I've patronized it since it opened and drink and review a lot of its beers. They are inveterate tinkerers: whenever they release a new beer you can be sure that they'll brew another iteration of it shortly. For the the IPAs, that usually means an "Imperial" version. In early May, Magnify released Creamline a 7% lactose-forward IPA. Sure enough, this week, they released Imperial Creamline. It's 8.5% with larger doses of both lactose and Citra, Motueka, and Simcoe hops. It's literally like drinking an orange creamsicle. In that sense, Magnify accomplished its mission. Here's my review:

4.34/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Canned on 6/20/2019; and reviewed on 6/23. Poured into a Magnify tulip glass. It pours a cloudy - almost turbid - tangerine brown color with a foamy, cream-white head that faded quickly, and a thin sheen of lacing. The nose features, in equal measure, creamy lactose and orange/tangerine. Initially it smells a lot like a creamsicle. But there is also overripe honeydew melon and notes of onion. There isn't much hop presence in the smell. This is really delicious! It tastes just like it smells and the creamsicle comparison holds. It opens with vanilla cream and bright fresh orange. The Citra and Motueka hops just add to the fruity creaminess. But toward the end of the sip there is a strong dose of Simcoe that adds needed bitterness. The overall taste is on the sweet side. This ale is plush and creamy with a pleasant level of carbonation. It carries quite a pop for 8.5% ABV. Overall, this ale fulfills its mission of being a bigger version of the original Creamline. I like it a lot!

I hope you're all enjoying your new beer(s) on this lovely Summer Sunday. I'll be back shortly with a BA Stout from Texas. Cheers, NBS!

 

I would be happy to send you some fresh Boat beer and other Carton stuff too. Just shoot me a PM if you are interested. Seriously.

 

New Brown Ale Sunday (Week 748)
Back with another. Not feeling like my taste buds have recovered from the wild ales I drank, this is def. subject to change before putting it into the database. Digging this one, it's tasty and easy drinking.

A nutty kind of grainy sweet greets the nose. Nice floral hops with lighter spice notes join with some gentle roast and light caramel to make a lighter side of medium aroma.

Has a bit stronger taste than the aroma predicted, less sweet too, mere hints of caramel, and the floral hop notes are missing. It is a nice roasty, nutty, taste that ends with herbal bitter notes drying it well.

A bit thin, low carb. (which works well), nice clean flavor profile, and an excellent finish.

Funny it really does bring back old memories even though it is hard to put my finger on what it is about this much different beer that does it. I like it. Worth a try for sure.

Hope you also have a Great American Beer in your glass. Cheers!

 

Other Half Brewing - Double cashmere daydream


Pours a hazed yellow color with a smaller, stable white head.


Smells of an intense passion fruit fruitiness, amped up by subtle citrus and pineapple. This is on point, its smelling like tropical fruit sorbet with a hint of kiwi and ripe oranges. Quite powerful indeed, creates an amazingly intriguing nose with just a hint of grass to create a subtle counterpart to the fruitiness in this.


Has a lighter, mellow mouthfeel, which turns just a tad more vivid during the beer‘s finish, creating a refreshing, easy drinking beer, which is soft on the tongue throughout.


Tastes of juicy passion fruit, unripe mango and cactus juice, tied together by a handful of fresh cut limes. Those limes establish a decent bitterness from first glance, adding a great depth to the fruity hops of this, just emphasizing its exotic richness. Finishes heavy on the fruits with more oranges, younger papaya and prevailing lime, creating a short, slightly bitter aftertaste, which gets accompanied by a note of white bread dough and crackers.


Very well made double ipa with a beautiful nose to it, which gets mirrored and diversified in the flavors. Its fruitiness is heavenly and its mouthfeel close to world class, leading to a fantastic beer.

 

A-Pours a hazy murky golden light brownish color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has Oats and lactose hints
T-The taste follows the nose with an oats and lactose flavor
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A good DIPA

 

One more lighter colored beer, Tired Hands Parageusia 11. The nose at first reminded me of Parageusia 10 that I reviewed last week, but this taste more like some Allagash would do in he best possible.
4.51/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

500 ml bottle poured into a tulip

A- A fairly clear golden straw with a small whit wheat.

S- Sour, lemons, peaches, peach skin, nice funk, some oak, touch of white wine.

T- Sour, lemons, some stone fruits, peaches, oak, some wine notes, oak, really nice funk.

M- Smooth, soft, light body.

O- A very well done sour from Tired Hands, it is reminding me a lot of some of Allagash’s high end sours. Very easy to drink.

Cheers NBS!

 

It's funny but I have the opposite feeling. I far prefer my college reunions to high school. Part of the reason may be that my wife and I were classmates in college and have a lot of the same friends. We attended a small liberal arts school in a rural area of Pennsylvania. Our class of about 800 was very homogeneous and probably 25-30% married other classmates or alums. Lots of legacies among our kids! Also, we all drank a LOT of beer there.

 

I watched Maria's video last night! I'm surprised she hadn't had Metric before given her taste in beer and Chief's association with her town.

 

Glad the procedure went well and looking forward to reading your review next week!

 

Good evening NBS, hope everyone is enjoying the end of the weekend once again. Thanks to @lordofthewiens for today's introduction. It was actually technically my 10 year College graduation anniversary this year, but I didn't get the Engineering piece of paper until 2 years later because I was missing 2 classes. I worked odd service jobs until that was done. Got my current employment 4 months after that(2 different positions, same company). Will be 8 years with them this September. Need to change jobs soon. Was thinking about Chassis department.

Usual weekend of reviews and such. Made it to the #3 reviewer on the site last night. Only 100 more beers to be #2. Will never top #1 lol. Made a big beer haul from my favorite store yesterday, plus a nice box of bottles from one of my friends. Will be set to review for a couple more weeks.

Beer:

New Hefe from River's Edge. This was excellent! Fantastic lasting fluffy head retention/thick foamy lacing. Aromas and flavors of big lemon, orange, banana, bubblegum, peach, pear, melon, red apple, coriander, peppercorn, clove yeast; with moderate wheat, cracker, white bread dough malts; herbal, floral, woody, grassy hops, and yeast earthiness. Light herbal, floral, woody, grassy bitterness; pepper/clove yeast spiciness; and slight wheat tang/tartness in the finish. Medium-plus carbonation, light-medium body, and a a bit crisp finishing. Creamy/bready/grainy wheat and some sticky hops in the mouthfeel. Light-moderate increasing bitter/spicy dryness; no astringency. Nicely smooth/soft/refreshing finish, flavorful for 5.2%. Awesomely well rounded German yeast complexity, balanced pale/wheat malts, and noble hop presence. Minimal residual sweetness with lingering dryness. Spot on style example as expected. This brewery always does a great job. 4.03


Cheers

On track for a new record of listening track #s this year. I've been scrobbling on last.fm everything I heard this year. Including on youtube(more recently).

 

LOL! I mean, really. I just had Stout coming out my mouth and nose! But I have enough left to review.

 

I went to my 35th High School reunion, kind of hammered home why hadn't gone to any before that. When you have 50+ year adults still acting like there are cliques, you realize you haven't missed much. College, I went to night schools for my 3 degrees, so even less of a draw there...

Cabin Boys Brewing Bearded Theologian Quad Style ale. 3.65 overall

Pours an effervescent and opaque brown with one finger of fast-falling sand colored head. No head retention or lacing

S: Figs, some yeasty notes

T: Follows the nose, a little brown bread & dryness as well up front. Dryness, figs, raisins and pear as this warms, a little kiss of vanilla as well. Finishes dry with pear, white grape & fig & just a little booze warmth

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation,

A respectable take on the style, on the the Low end of the ABV spectrum

 

New “Splendid” Sunday


Today’s new beer, and glass, are courtesy of @Lingenbrau
This is definitely a beer that can be thoroughly enjoyable as long as you don’t approach it as a prototypical barelywine.





3.93/5 rDev -3.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

2019 12oz bottle

It is a murky, dull copper/amber with a foamy off white head.

It smells very rich/sweet. Vanilla and marshmallow are prominent against a backdrop of subtle toffee and bourbon.

The first few sips, and each subsequent one are full of marshmallows. Like eating one off a camp fire without the smoke. Pretty rich overall. There is some molasses/maple syrup, followed with more melted marshmallow, before rounding into some toffee/brown sugar, dark fig like fruit, and bourbon. Just a touch of oak in the finish along with some more sourish fruits. The finish is where the most/balanced flavor is for me.

Not heavy in body, but a bit sticky. I would say the lip smacking maple is very noticeable here.

This is a very tasty beer, but a little too rich for me overall. It doesn’t let the base beer shine through enough. It’s far from the overly adjuncted beers and “pastry stouts” these days though. Definitely not my favorite from this brewery so far, but I would say there’s always a time and a place for it.

 

NBS #2, courtesy of @r0rschach's return fire from the last NBS BIF. Suburban Ninja from Red Horn Coffee House and Brewing Co. in Cedar Park, TX. The only other reviewer rated it pretty low, perhaps because he had it on draught (too cold) immediately after release. I let it warm to room temperature for a couple of days and then put it in the beer fridge for about 20 minutes. Maybe I just like BA Stouts better but my rating was significantly higher. I will say that Suburban Ninja improves as it breathes in the glass. It's a very nice BA Stout. Thanks again, John!

Here's my review:

4.06/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Received from @r0rschach in a BIF box. Canned on 3/6/2019 and poured into a snifter. I let it warm to room temperature then cooled it for about a half hour in the beer fridge. It pours an inky, dark walnut - almost black - with a thin cap of foamy, khaki-colored head that slowly dissipated leaving a thin coating lacing. It has a fragrant nose featuring roasted malt, burnt coffee, earthy char, vanilla bean, molasses, and strong bourbon notes. The taste opens with a lot of acidic coffee over a base of burnt malt. It's fairly sour and I'm not tasting a lot of vanilla initially but it slowly appears. The bourbon kicks in almost immediately and it's initially hot but mellows as it breathes in the glass. There is a lot of char throughout. This Stout is fairly rich and creamy with lite/moderate carbonation, and you can really feel the 12% ABV. It should be sipped slowly. It would pair well with sharp cheese and slices of of salami and prosciutto. It's interesting that my experience was quite different from the previous (and only other) reviewer. He had it on draught and I had it at just below room temperature which may account for the different experiences.

 

A-Pours a nice light golden amber color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has nicely balanced citrus hop hints
T-Taste follows the nose with a well citrus hop flavor
M-A light bodied well balanced, well carbonated beer.
O-A good IPA

 

New Fat Orange Cat Milkshake NEIPA. This was incredible! Lasting fluffy head retention/thick foamy lacing. Aromas and flavors of huge juicy, lightly tart/tangy key limes, citrus peel/zest, mandarin orange juice, red grapefruit, lemon, peach, pear, pineapple, apricot, passion fruit, papaya, mango, honeydew melon, guava, blueberry, gooseberry, and light peppercorn/pine hops; with moderate vanilla, cream, graham cracker, wheat, white bread dough, light honeyed malts; and herbal, floral, grassy hop earthiness. Mild pine, citrus peel/zest, herbal, floral, grassy, spicy bitterness; and slight lime tang/tartness on the finish. Medium carbonation and medium-plus body; very creamy, silky, bready wheat/lactose; light sticky hops, and lime tang/acids in the mouthfeel. Lightly increasing lingering bitter/tart dryness; no cloying/astringency. Insanely smooth/soft, minimal warming 7.2%. Feels like Citra, Mosaic, Galaxy. Extremely juicy/vibrant key limes/hops, with light dankness; with a perfectly balanced lactose, and wheat/oat/malt backbone. Light residual sweetness with lingering dryness. Blows every other variant out of the water. Best one by far. Will be buying a 4 pack. 4.28


Cheers

 

Refreshing little number from Tree House Brewing Co.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/28743/421665/



16 oz. can.
Canned 06/15/19.
Moderate pour yields a 3/4 inch light pink head over a dark pink body with little lacing. Nose of wheat and dragon fruit. Taste of dragon fruit, very slight hibiscus, with a bit of wheat. Fairly dry, tart berry finish. Feel is a bit lacking for a Berliner Weisse, but overall, nice flavor and would welcome another one of these on any hot day. Cheers!

 

Hello, NBS friends. I have a couple of beers today, hopefully for your enjoyment, but first I’d like to speak to the subject @lordofthewiens broached in his opening post, class reunions.

I went to my HS 10th and 20th reunions and had a ball with Mrs O and my friends, have not been to a college reunion (nor have any knowledge of any reunion ever taking place for my 1985 class at IU-Bloomington), but all I can think about the subject is, “Facebook and other social media platforms have to be wreaking havoc with the ‘Class Reunion’ business model” (otherwise known as as “wedding reception food and drinks”).

I’m a recent (2017) Facebook member, and in my brief experience, I can say that forum checks a lot of reunion boxes for me, and the people I want to interact with more (like my “known him since I was 5 years old” buddy that provided my first beer tonight, or my IU buddies), I’ll do so outside the confines of a reunion.

Anywho, on to tonight’s first beer from an iconic Indiana brewery.





4.19/5 rDev +8.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This is beyond interesting. Categorized as an Amber/Red Ale, it looks the part mostly, pouring a fuzzy amber-hued brown color with a light tan head that dissipates in seconds (and is the first clue this is not an Amber/Red Ale).

The second clue is the nose, which has little discernible malt presence (and I love the Amber/Red Ale style for the interplay between the hops and the significant malt notes), instead featuring lemon lime, pineapple, and salt - !!!SALT!!! - aromas.

The taste is a tart sledgehammer of lemon lime and pineapple flavors, and the salt is present in quantity, and look who else finally made an appearance: Mr Malt, with a subtle biscuit flavor.

The mouthfeel is spritzy and dry, which I’d expect not from an Amber/Red Ale, but rather something like a Flanders Red Ale, which is what I think happened here: this was miscategorized as an Amber/Red Ale, when in fact it should be something in the sour category.

Alas, the Three Floyds website does not attribute a style to this beer, but does mention the sour notes (and the malt) on the website and the can, so that is the basis for this review.

PS: did I mention that I liked the beer, regardless of style? That is the important thing.

 

Happy New British Barleywine Sunday!

Pretty nice day here on the Western Slope, sunny, cloudy, around 67 at the trailhead. Made some chili, catching up on some Krypton episodes.

§ucaba | Firestone Walker Brewing Co.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Revisit: 23 Jun 19
12 oz. Bottle/Box
Capped
2019 Vintage
Reserve Series No. 008
Cases: 6000 produced
ABV: 11.3%

Poured into a Tree House glass a pretty nice translucent dark brown color, pretty nice carbonation, with a pretty nice quick/small/fizzy tan head, which leaves a nice medium size island, and some minimal sticky lacing behind. The nose is malty, with some dark fruits (cherries, figs, raisins, plums, dates), vanilla, oak, bourbon. The taste is pretty nice, malty, with some dark fruits (cherries, figs, raisins, plums, dates), vanilla, pretty nice bourbon note, oaky. Full Body, ABV hidden very nicely, a pretty complex brew. Overall, this is a big beer, pretty tasty. Glad to see it around here this year.

Cheers!