New Beer Sunday (Week 759)

My last NBS Contribution Bell Double Two Hearted DIPA, 11.0% ABV, lucked into this apparently. 4.43 overall, as great as I anticpated

Pours an effervescent amber with one finger of cream colored head. Below average head retention

S: Cakeyness, pineapples, fades a bit once warm

T: Follows the nose, dryness, a touch of pine & grapefruit as well up front. Dryness, pineapple cake, piney & woody hops once warmed up. Finishes dry with a little kiss of pineapple boozeyness, grapefruitty & piney hops

MF: Fairly chewy, medium carbonation, great balance

Tons of flavor, dangerously drinkable. I was lucky enough to try the draft version a few days ago, very much the same beer, right now. Probably will hide a bottle just to see what it morphs into with some age on it

 

Good to hear. I thought I missed this one, but called my bottle shop buddy...he's saving me some.

 

No tang mentioned because no tang found. This was Ghost 760 - thanks for telling what that actually means! That works out to what? about two or three new recipes a week? If they never brew the same beer twice, I guess all their beers should be listed as one-off (The beer formally known as "Limited") and most should be archived, not just the paltry 271/455 currently listed as "archived" on BA.

 

A-Pours a very characterful amber color with a nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has wondrous smoke and generous caramel malt hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a very well balanced caramel malt and an infusing well balanced smoke flavor
M-A medium bodied moderately carbonated beer
O-A great Rauchbier

 

I wish I had enjoyed the hipster brunch as much as you did, but maybe I just got a bad bottle. To be fair, my expectations were VERY high.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. Thanks for hosting, Craig. I used to be a big NFL fan. Some of my earliest memories were Sunday afternoons back in the '60s going hunting with my Dad and then listening to the football Giants game on the car radio. For most of my life I'd watch 2 or 3 games on Sunday plus MNF. A few years ago, though, the NFL began to bore me. Not enough offense. The players are too big and fast for the field. You rarely see a successful off tackle run anymore since the defensive linemen are so fast. And something's wrong when you have line up in a shotgun on a third and two. Then there are the penalties on nearly every kickoff and punt. And then the kneeling started. I just lost interest. I watch college football now. It's a lot more exciting and there's no political baggage. My suggestion for the NFL is a bigger field - like the CFL. I think that would negate the size and speed of the defensive players and open the game up.

On to beer. Two weeks ago was Rushing Duck's 7th Anniversary. Every year they release a couple of special beers, including one or more blends. RD is as good at blending BA Stouts and Barleywines as any brewer. Today I'm reviewing Farms, Friends, and Felines (Honey), an American Strong Ale aged in honey bourbon barrels. The barrels come from Orange County Distillery. This is stunningly good! the flavors of dark fruit, honey, coffee, caramel, brown sugar, peat, and bourbon are big and bold but work together beautifully. The other version released in August was aged in maple bourbon barrels. I can't wait to try it. Here's my full review:

4.65/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75

Reviewed two weeks after release. Poured from bottle into a snulip glass. It pours almost black but with dark cola hues. The fizzy, light mocha-colored head dissipated almost immediately. The Ale is highly effervescent. The smell is fabulous with coffee, caramel, raisin, fig, dark ripe cherry, brown sugar, leather, peat, bourbon, and honey. Wow, the taste is incredible! It opens with dark fruit: ripe cherry, raisin, plum, and fig, along with cola. The honey then washes over the tongue and melts - like drinking Drambuie. The bourbon is prevalent throughout. It's strong and you can feel it in the back of the throat. As the glass warms there are also notes of burnt coffee, caramel, anise, and charred peat. This ale is viscous and chewy with mild carbonation, and if anything, it drinks bigger than its 11% ABV. Overall, it's the type of blend of big Barleywines and BA Stouts at which Rushing Duck excels. It's an ideal dessert sipper - preferably on a cold night in front of a fire.

I hope you're all enjoying your new beer(s) today. And enjoy your favorite team. Cheers, NBS!

 

Second up for NBS another Juice Bomb from Pennsylvania, New Trail Brewing's RED LINE.
Strong pink guava juice that is blended well with the hops. A tasty and very juicy IPA.
Courtesy of our beloved @TheIPAHunter
Getting L A R G E !



4.13/5 rDev +0.7% | Average: 4.1
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4

A nice looking juice bomb, very juicy looking. Small head. Aroma matches the look in that this will be juicy. I get the pink guava and the hops do not overpower the juice. The taste is somewhat odd from the guava but it's good. I like different. Smooth and creamy, this will drink easy. Big gulps and chew. Overall this another fine iteration of a juice bomb and the guava carries it quite nicely. Looking for something different? Give the Red Line a try.
An undated can. Special Thanks to @TheIPAHunter for sharing.

 

This is one I’ve been excited about since I’ve seen it posted here and on WBAYDN as well. I’ve got a friend on a construction job near Decorah and he was complaining they wouldn’t let him buy bottles of stouts. Anybody with more info on this please DM me cuz I’m trying to get some stouts. Anyway, on to the beer.



Twisted Galaxy from Toppling Goliath

Appearance is murkbombish. Bright and golden with tons of head. Three fingers of bone white head. Aroma is ridiculous. You can smell the pineapple and overripe citrus fruits as soon as you open the can. There is also an earthy element and a little hit of some cheese @CanConPhilly
Taste is dominated by the overripe citrus fruits; pineapple, mango, grapefruit and a little piney bitterness at the end. Oooh I see you funky peach sneaking in on the finish. Mouthfeel is moderately thick and pretty creamy. Overall this is outstanding and I haven’t had any beers from TG that I’ve been disappointed in.

 

Stopped by Yellowhammer for lunch today, and now checking out a new BA barleywine from the crowler.

I am a huge fan of the style, and unfortunately this leaves something to be desired. It’s drinkable and reasonably enjoyable, but a BA barleywine it is not. On to the next one…



Poured from 32 oz crowler obtained at the brewery.

A: Clear brown with crimson red tint and 1 finger off-white head that settles quickly to a thin ring. Almost zero lacing.

S: Light bourbon, cherries, and sweet caramel.

T: Slightly tart cherry mixed with faint bourbon and a subtle sweetness.

M: Very light mouthfeel for the ABV. Alcohol very well hidden.

O: Tasty enough, but this is no barleywine. Not sure what to do with this one…

 

From Spyglass Brewing canned 8/29/19. Pours a hazy yellow orange with a half finger head that leaves massive thick patches of lace behind, yielding excellent retention. 4.25


Smell is ripe honey dew, apricot, pineapple, peach, and mango. 4


Taste follows really balanced melon, pineapple, peach, mango, and apricot. 4


Mouthfeel is big, plenty soft and slightly sticky, but not dry, loaded with flavor at 7.8%, but insanely crushable. 4.25


Overall this is some quality stuff, Dry Hopped with Citra, Nelson Sauvin, and Galaxy pretty darn tasty. 4

 

New Gose Sunday (Week 759)
Greetings fellow NBSers from on the ridge in Mid Hud Val, NY. Beauty day, and had a wonderful time in the woods if you discount the sting I got on my right hand. Not sure what got me, but judging by the pain of it, and how much it is swelling now, had to be a hornet or wasp. At least it wasn't a whole hive this time. Did exceptionally well, including a variety I have been looking for and never found, common name winter chanterelle. Filled my bag with goodies!




This beer is the second one in the new Bell's Leaves of Grass series. Really digging it. Bell's The Prairie Grass Dividing.

Aroma is lemon limey funk, sourdough, husky grain, cracker, peach, and floral hints.

Taste is a nice mix of the flavors in the aroma, with the grainy sweet a unique sort of flavor hard to put a name to. There is a bit of grassy taste and light sea salt mixes with even lighter spice to end the sip nicely. It doesn't have the "sweetart" thing some goses have, which is a plus.

Low carb., full bodied for style, easy drinking and refreshing, with an excellent, clean finish.

Quite a tasty gose that is one of the better ones I've tried. Recommended.

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

 

New Beer AND Brewery Sunday #3

Wild Mind Artisan Ales

Passion Noix de Coco

Thank you @Vidblain !!





Look: Translucent and cloudy straw / pale gold color. Some visible carbonation. Zero head whatsoever.

Smell: Sweet and tart passionfruit. Tropical fruit juice. Theres some nice complexity to the nose that brings out the essence of this blended, spontaneously fermented beer. There is a peppery and floral / perfume note.

Taste: Big, sweet, tart and acidic passionfruit. Huge lemon juice acidity. This beer is quite tart. I was struggling at first to find the coconut, and was a bit disappointed that was missing. But after taking a couple big mouthfuls I get a slight sunscreen sweetness (not in an bad way) that says coconut. I still wish for more, but it complements nicely the acidic fruit. A pretty nice dry, wheat-like, crackery finish.

Feel: Low carbonation. Pretty full bodied. Acidic and dry.

Overall: As far as passionfruit sours go, this beer is excellent. It’s up there with my other favorite, which is the Two Roads Tanker Truck Series passionfruit Gose. This one has the edge. Huge passionfruit on the nose and flavor, with some more complexity. For this specific beer, I do wish for more coconut flavor to really elevate the flabor. But it’s noticeable and a nice complement.

4.27/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

So, my weekend begins with a new collab.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/140/411545/



12 oz. bottle.
PKGD 08/01/19.
Moderate pour yields a 3/4 inch off-white head over a reddish amber body with nice lacing. Nose of semi-sweet malt and bread. Taste mirrors nose somewhat with the hops keeping the sweet malt in check on the palate and finishing with a bit of wheat bread. Nice feel and overall, a more than decent stab at an Oktoberfest and would have again. Cheers!

 

One new beer today, brought over by my buddy yesterday. He got a couple extra so wanted to bestow a bottle unto me. Cheers, Pat!



I had Würzburger Hofbräu Premium Pilsner last week, so I may be subconsciously comparing one new-to-me German pilsner to another here, but... sue me. This one pours a very nice looking clear-golden color with a generous dollo of retentive white foam that laces extraordinarily well (perhaps due to my usage of a Von Trapp pint glass; pilsner recognize pilsner, and all that?) and has superb legs. This definitely looks the part of a great German pilsner.

Nose is a touch metallic with a faint whiff of crackery grains, breadiness, wheat, and some Noble-type hops. Perhaps a bit corny or something, too, but it doesn't seem like an off-note. This smell is not really selling me on the beer, to be honest. Where the appearance is very close to an A+, this seems more like a C/C-.

On the tongue, however, this makes me do yet another double take! What the hell's going on here? This tastes fantastic. Very clean, though with a touch of character from the light hoppiness and a slightly dusty, dough-like/mineral-y aspect. Super enjoyable to drink and very refreshing. Light notes of white grape, apple skin, wheat, and some floral honey. Pretty crisp but still somehow has a bit heavier of a body than expected. Other than the metallic and odd nearly-vegetal note on the nose, this is quite a nice German pilsner. If we're going off beers I've had lately, however, I would definitely go with Paulaner Oktoberfest-Weisn and the aforementioned Würzburger Hofbräu Premium Pilsner over this any day of the week. Still fun to try, and I like the swing-top packaging if that counts for anything.

 

Glad the Eagles were able to make that comeback happen, time to enjoy a tasty lager brewed for Philly Beer Week.

4.07/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

16 oz can poured into a pint glass

A- A clear golden straw with a small white head.

S- Biscuits, pilsner malts, limes, slightly earthy.

T- Limes, pilsner malts, biscuits, touch of toasted malts, a little earthy.

M- Smooth, light body, crisp.

O- A fun lager with lime, easy to drink and tasty.

Cheers!

 

Since I discovered the crowler is leaking, I’m switching gears to this one from Straight to Ale - Kick Stout my Heart, a BA Stout.

Much better than the first one from Yellowhammer. This is a delightful BA stout…



Poured from 32 oz crowler obtained at the brewery.

A: Ink black with 1 finger dark tan head that dissipates immediately. No lacing.

S: Sweet bourbon, rich dark chocolate, vanilla, Jamaican coffee, and coconut.

T: Rich chocolate fudge mixed with vanilla and coffee and hints of coconut. Bourbon lingers.

M: Medium to full body with fairly light carbonation. Some warming alcohol heat.

O: Excellent BA Stout. Probably one of STA’s better offerings in the past few years.

 

Great post!