New Beer Sunday (Week 761)

Imperial Pumpkin Smash by Crown Valley Brewing
While not quite in line with the Oktoberfest beer 'theme' of the NBS, this is certainly seasonally appropriate. It is also more than good enough to recommend.
My 12 oz bottle has been emptied into a Belgian snifter. It poured with a dark, nearly opaque, brown body topped with an off white head that soon reduces to a thin ring yet leaves some lacing.
The aroma is lightly spicy with a complex yet harmonious blend of pumpkin, dark dried fruits, toffee and spices.
The flavor is almost as good and has a near even balance of sweet and bitter. The high ABV is well hidden, especially in the flavor and feel. Very smooth, full body with light carbonation.

 

Earlier:



A-Pours a hazy amber golden color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has generous citrus and tropical fruits notes, mostly pineapple and grapefruit
T-The taste follows the nose with a generous citrus and tropical flavors, but the pineapple and grapefruit flavors are dominant
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A very good NEIPA

 

Earlier:



A-Pours a vibrant hazy orange color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has generous citrus and tropical fruits notes, mostly mango
T-The taste follows the nose with a generous citrus and tropical flavors, but the mango flavor is dominant
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A very good Berliner Weisse

 

A-Pours a hazy amber color with a nice head and lacing
A-Aroma has generous malt and piney hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a generous malt and piney flavor
M-A medium bodied well carbonated beer
O-A good IIPA

 

I live in a wasteland for good Oktoberfest beer. I think this year we got Ayinger. I haven't seen it. The better local breweries haven’t made any either. So, it is wet hopped beers for me instead.

This is something entirely new for me. A wet hopped Pilsner. The base beer is a good hoppy Pilsner that I quite enjoy. IPL or hoppy Pilsner is one of the new styles I can really get behind. So, my starting point with this beer is a very positive one.

Bellwoods Wet Hopped Paper Tiger Pilsner. Canned on September 20th.



Pours a bright golden straw with a nice active head that dissipates slowly leaving sporty lacing as the beer is consumed.

Very mild grainy nose. Some very indistinct herbal and grassy notes. Mild.

Light soda cracker on the tongue with more of the difficult to pinpoint herbal notes. Maybe a little mint and a little lemon balm. The brewer says rosemary, but i don’t get that at all. It finishes with a taste I can only describe as dirty lemon.

Crisp and very drinkable.

I much prefer the original. The lemony finish is not quite unenjoyable, but isn’t entirely pleasant either. I’m glad to have tried it, but am also glad this is just a ‘fresh hop season’ beer.

 

Hi All.
Normally I come in about now with a... "Hello Late NIGHT NBS."
But I am here tonight after having a few...
And I'm posting a LIF...
For any former NBS BIFer's that join in our 10th, YES I said "10th" NBS BIF, I offer a cool box of hops plus malts...And the first entry is our very own @Lingenbrau . So starting tonight, and anybody who is a former NBS BIF'er in good standing (Yes, and whomever joined before tonight as well), will be entered in my LIF.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/nbs-bif-10-sigh-up-thread.622562/page-3#post-6631797

Plus...anybody who is a new, yet highly endorsed NOOB to our shenanigans, will be entered in a separate LIF. Sorry if I don't remember correctly. So basically, lingenbrau is entered as either a former BIF'er (Thought you were in one or more before) or a "NOOB.' So Folks, help me here. I wanna send a few boxes of beer...
One way or another 2 boxes (maybe more) will go out after next week. Join by the end of next NBS. Great fun. Great People. Great Chaos. Plus you get to send beer, and you receive beer. What's better than that?

 

Recycled pic



Cheers!

 

Decided to open this crazy can, so I figured a full review was in order. Haven't done one of these in a little while, so please forgive the rust.

Other Half X Hudson Valley — Silhouette Daydream
A Sour IPA w/ peach, granola, vanilla, maple, cinnamon, almonds, and milk sugar. Yeah...
Canned on 09/11/19



Look: Dark orange, murky body; the head formation is relatively weak for a DIPA, no retention or lacing either.
Smell: Smell is a bit too complex to describe, but this beer is relatively pungent, and peach and coconut notes dominate.
Taste: I don't even know where to begin. Peach and coconut are still there, and I can sort of taste some maple upfront, and maybe some almonds... It's a lot, and my palate is not nearly advanced to pick out all individual flavors. The final product, in my opinion, is rather tasty, though very sweet. (is Sour IPA still the correct term for something like this?). I can say, that there isn't a hint of hops in the taste, and I'm treating this beer as a sour.
Feel: Great. Medium body, creamy, and without a hint of alcohol. Both Hudson Valley and OH usually murder this category, so this wasn't a surprise.
Overall: I can safely say that I've never had anything like this before. The label makes this out to be a Sour IPA. It's neither sour nor hoppy. However, letting go of any stylistic preconceptions (which I admittedly don't often do), the final result is a delicious treat. It's not something that I could enjoy even semi-infrequently, but as a one-time showcase, it works great.

4.0 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.75 | 4.5 ||| Overall: 4.44 (rDev: -0.7%)

Cheers!

 

Can't wait for the III and the remaining four. I liked the second release better than the first one, Bell is an excellent brewery, definitely in my top 10.

Bell's signed with a Vegas distributor either this year, so my brother is stoked, but they aren't getting these anywhere.