New Beer Sunday (Week 767)

My condolences on your loss. I know how tough it is.

 

Sorry to hear about your dog.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. And thank you, @dukeandduke for hosting today. My new beer is a bit of a mystery - despite my knowing what it is. Ties the Room Together is a collaboration between Cape May Brewing Co. and Left Hand Brewing - two excellent brewers. What is its style? The can says it's a "White Cream Stout," Cape May's website calls it a "White Russian inspired Cream Ale," and on BA it's categorized as an English Sweet/Milk Stout. It has elements of both a Stout and a Cream Ale. Specifically, it looks and tastes like a Cream Ale but has the mouth feel and ABV of a Stout. It's quite sweet with strong, freshly-brewed coffee and lactose/vanilla cream, and a hint of cocoa. For anyone familiar with Carton's Regular Coffee, imagine a hybrid of that and Genesee Cream Ale. In New Jersey parlance, instead of "regular coffee" (i.e., two sugars and a cream), we'd call it "light and sweet." Because of the sweetness I wouldn't want to drink more than one can during a session but I enjoyed it. Here's my full review:

4.04/5 rDev +2.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Canned on 9/24/2019. Poured into a Cape May pint glass. It pours a hazy, bright-golden orange with a half finger of long-lasting, creamy, bright white cap and thin film of lacing inside the glass. It looks a bit like it's on nitro but it isn't. The nose reminds me of a Cream Ale: lite roasted grains, freshly-brewed coffee, and vanilla/cream. There is no fruit and little hop presence in the nose. The taste is coffee-forward, in a way that in New Jersey we call "light and sweet." It's quite sweet with a heavy dose of lactose/vanilla cream. As the glass warms, I am also tasting cocoa and corn. It's an unusual flavor that I can best describe as Carton's Regular Coffee meets Genesee Cream Ale. It finishes with a touch of spicy bitterness. The mouth feel is more like a Stout than a Cream Ale: it's quite thick and creamy with mild carbonation, and its 8.5% ABV gives it considerable heft. Overall, this is a rather unusual ale that bridges various styles but it's enjoyable. It's brewed in the Autumn but it doesn't seem like a Fall beer. It's big enough to pair with a burger or cheese steak but would work well as a dessert beer.

I hope you're all enjoying your new beer(s) today. As always, the reviews are informative and fun to read. Cheers, NBS!

 

Condolences!

 

I've lost several dogs over the years, and every time it is tough. My condolences.

 

Mythologically Speaking is a New England style IPA from Unified Beerworks (Malta, NY)
I visited today and enjoyed my time at a welcoming and tidy space with a calm vibe and pleasing brews.
This cloudy, pale yellow tap pour hosted a 2 cm foam cap and a light floral and pineapple aroma. The flavor is largely melon. The mouthfeel is super smooth. The hop bitterness is low. This is very good.

 

Second beer in my English-style Ale Sunday.

Machine House Brewery Golden Ale (English Pale Mild Ale)
IBU: 31
ABV: 4.5%


Imperial pint bottle to an Imperial pint nonic.

Mild aroma (pun intended). Biscuit and light citrus, grass.

Bright golden amber color, clear, 1/2 inch white fluffy head, with sufficient retention, leaving spotty lacing.

Taste has biscuit malts behind grassy hops, somewhat bitter in the middle, with the bittering swelling a bit with time as you drink.

The flavor from the malts and hops is delectable; biscuit, grass, a bit of citrus. Approaching the finish, the biscuit malts reassert just before the moderately bitter, grassy aftertaste carries through. A very delightful interplay among the flavors.

The body is moderately thin, with good carbonation.

It is listed as an English Pale Mild on BA; the brewer labels it as a Golden Ale English Style. I would describe it as an English Pale Mild with a tilt toward American Pale Ale character. At 4.5% ABV, this beer packs in a lot of flavor and interest.

L: 4.0 | S: 3.75 | T: 4.0 | F: 3.75 | O: 4.0 | BA rating of: 3.92

I envy those of you it the distribution map for Machine House Brewery. I had the Dark Mild from them earlier today. While I like the Golden Ale better, they are both fine English-style ales. Grabbing Machine House beers will be on my must-do list for every trip to the West Coast, along-side the Coniston Bluebird (which is not available in MN).

 

I'm so sorry to hear about Yoda. I've enjoyed the photos you've posted and I know how much he meant to you and your family. Bostons are wonderful dogs. We're on our second now. And while they can be monsters as puppies they mature into wonderful companions. I hope that you'll soon have another four-legged drinking buddy!

 

Interesting collaboration.




Poured from the bottle into a tulip glass.

Rich thick, lathering buckets of soft eggshell white foam right out of the glass. Controlled but booming head, rich with creamy off white appearances and staying power. The body color lends to slight opaque appearances, but a good orange to lemon solid looking glow, and fine middle rising carbonation. Clumpy retention, and thick chunks of foam, just a great booming looking brew.

Aroma continues more magic. Classic Belgian qualities that burst off with some other complimenting flavors. Sharp cut grass and funk. Wonderful herbal aromatics of lemongrass, and even some ripping faint smoke? Really? This beer is messing with my head and I like it!

Boy this aggressive on the palate. Sharp funk, and heavily steely notes of brett and white pepper. Heavy but large carbon dioxide push of carbonation, contributing to a real punch of zest and almost peach like flavors. Aggressive but also a bit out of kilter.

This is a real sharp hint of brett and subtle hop, but with some classic magic. I think this needs to be toned down a bit ironically, as it seems to run quite hot but it is still very good.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4 | BA Generated Score: 4.15

Cheers!

 

NBS Cumbre / Cigar City Sea to Summit IPA. Kinda let down by this one.
A- Unfiltered but not see through. Decent lace. Hides alcohol well. 4
S- weird old peach whiff on this. Ugh. 3.5
T- almost on the verge of a Belgian IPA. I suspect a weird yeast strain. Spiced peach taste. Just not for me. 3.5.
F - good carbonation and good feel. 4.0
O- a swing and a miss for my palate. If you like Belgian-ish IPAs then you will like it more than I did. Cheers!
Overall it's a 3.5 for me. Just not memorable. Doesn't drink like an IPA.

 

They do make some great stuff and it's quite a surprise to see them posted here! Haven't seen that much.

If you're a fan of those classic English styles, I'll have to throw in the suggestion of Ferment Brewing Company out of Hood River, Or. next time you're out here. Their ESB is fantastic. The Woodsman Porter, one of the best I've ever had.

Cheers, and thanks to you (and all you others) who have offered their condolences regarding my dog.

 

In fact, I have their ESB coming up later today, although I may try a MN-brewed ESB first (I haven't decided yet). I'm very much looking forward to the Ferment ESB!

Thanks for the recommendation... I'll add them to my West Coast must-buy list!

 

Sorry to hear about your hound man, always tough to take

 

The name of this brewery and beer definitely do NOT reflect my frame of mind. Either when I surprisingly found it in a local shop, or after I took the first couple sips of this damn fine ale. The antithesis of an NEIPA, the kind of throwback IPA which I very much appreciate as a respite from the ‘juice’. Big... and bitter (but not overly so), balanced by a well calibrated malt bill. After having this I’m really looking forward to having the other Surly beers I picked up: a second can of Furious as well as 2 cans of Todd the Axe Man and 1 can of Coffee Bender.

 

Last one for me tonight...and this is fantastic. Fifty Fifty Totality Imperial Stout and 9.9% ABV



Pours an opaque black color. A silky tan head rises that is dense and ever lasting. Awesome lasing left behind as well. This is a looker.

h wow, this is a big malty beast. Dark fruits, cherries, plums, raisins. That fights for the top spot with the roast. As a smoky, coffee, chocolaty aroma mingles perfectly. Black liquorice and baked bread...oh my. Taste is much the same, as everything compliments each other well. Again, like the porter the baked bread flavor is great, along with the bitter bakers chocolate lingering.

A big full body that is chewy but not overwhelming or overly viscous in any way. While still having good carbonation. Certainly some warming alcohol, and is a great sipper. Overall one of the better Imperial Stouts I have had, and would come back to this easily over any Eclipse that I have had (I have enjoyed some but overall think those are a bit too much for my tastes).

Overall score 4.45

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/14936/53580/?ba=champ103#review

With Rock of Ages...can't go wrong with this concert.






After this, off to a cool little restaurant I can walk to, to get a burger and drink for happy hour (they change it from time to time, either something like an Old Fashioned or beer) for $14. Can't beat that.

 

Happy Sunday NBS players. A rather cool but clear and sunny fall day here on the island. Spent most of the day working but managed to catch most of the second half of the Jets losing to the winless fish. Gonna spend the rest of the evening watching better teams play.

My first new beer today is from the latest NBS BIF and from the great ba known as @Lingenbrau . Sorry to hear about your loss Phil- pets are very personal and their biggest negative is the inevitable fact that you will most likely have to witness or deal with their eventual death.

This is Double Stack Maple Stout, an imperial breakfast stout- brewed w/ maple syrup and aged on whole bean coffee, from Great Notion brewing-first shot at the brewery as well. The brew checks in at 11% abv and has a 9/06/19 canning date.

A pitch black pour with virtually no last head. Just a thin ring of brown and off-white foam around the rim of the glass. The nose is intensely floral with a concentrated maple syrup aroma. I love that smell and I can't stop sniffing it. The drinking hits with big waves of lovely chocolate malt upfront. The mouth feel is very noticeable with just a thick, and full bodied feel that really coats the mouth and lingers well after each sip. Despite the nose the main flavor on the drinking is the coffee. Big and roasted coffee grinds that finish nicely bitter. I'm mostly getting the syrup note on the finish but its very pleasant and not nearly as sweet as I had anticipated it to be or what the nose suggests. Additional notes of caramel, brown sugar, smoke, charred oak, burnt toast, vanilla, and molasses. Despite it's feel and abv the brew is super drinkable and I'm starting to feel it.

Overall, WOW, just fucking wow. I love everything about this beer. Its big and brash but yet very refined with some many flavors going on. This is why the nbs bif is so worth it. A borderline 5 for me players. I could drink buckets of this.

 

Glad to hear you like the beer, and thanks for the condolences.

Great Notion does have a way with ingredients and making them come out exactly as you'd hope. This being one of them. Sometimes they can be a bit over the top, but Double Stack is pretty tried and true. Again, super stoked you like it! Cheers!

 

Happy New Oktoberfest Sunday!

Pretty nice day here on the Western Slope, around 54, sunny at the trailhead. Having a pretty tasty brew, new stuff showing up from them around here. Will be back with another new brew later on.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/18006/74629/?ba=Wasatch#review

Cheers!

 

One new one today, folks. Stoneface Milk Stout with Chai Tea.



These guys have been going pretty far afield of their original IPA/hoppy pale wheelhouse recently, making some incredible beer in the process. I loved their Double-Fruited Berliner Weisse I had recently, for example. As for dark beers by these guys, though, I've only ever had their Porter (which is a fairly good, well-built drier/roasty American porter from my recollection). Let's see how they do with a stout... and not just any stout! A stout with chai tea! I've had a few examples of this weird sub-sub-style before, and I generally think they're pretty okay. It's easy to make the beer pretty unbalanced and over-spiced however, so I hope Stoneface does a good job.

Pour is very nice. Deep brown body, bordering black, and holding up a gorgeous, off-khaki head with a light mocha hue to it as it's being poured. Almost has kind of a "nitro-esque" cascade to it, honestly. Very beautiful. Thick and dense foam measuring 2-3 fingers upon first pour. Excellent lacing (super consistent and tiered!) with solid legs. A superb looking brew.

The nose is very upfront about the chai inclusion, I must say. I immediately get hit with a lot of cardamom, cinnamon, and a tiny hint of ginger plus some light tannins and milk chocolate. A little bit of dark-roast coffee with dusty yeast and chocolate biscuits below all of those aspects. Yeah, this is likely to be a little heavy-handed on the adjuncts, but it's pretty convincing and, well... honestly, it just smells really good if you enjoy chai. Chai is known for its warming and comforting sensation, and this definitely has that element.

Flavor profile is nice and smooth... well-developed and better balanced than I thought it'd be... big hit of spices right upfront; almost peppery and piquant, with a mid-palate that leans into caramel and rich chocolate wafers before the light cinnamon and cardamom flavors come across big time once again toward the finish. Light roastiness is present in the mid as well, but the lactose that makes this a "milk stout" really rounds it all out in the end. Good stuff. Very glad to have tried it, but one and done is probably enough for me. Nothing wrong with that, though. If you enjoy flavored milk stouts and enjoy chai, this will definitely be something you'll want to give a shot. Very happy this brewery is stepping outside the box they painted themselves in for the first few years they were around.

 

Wichita Brewing Co,'s Johhny B's Beer Band IPA, 6.0 ABV, 3.65 overall

Pours a hazed honey gold with 2 fingers of ivory colored head. Good head retention & almost as good lacing

S: Grassy, faint breadyness, some pine

T: Pineyness, dryness, some bready notes up front, along with a little green melon. Dryness & woddyness as this warms. grassyness & buscuit notes along with more green melon. finishes dry with pine & woodyness

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation, alright balance

Pretty run of the mill IPA. drinks okay