New Beer Sunday (Week 783)

Good day New BSers! Today's NBS entry is a mystery beer ninja'd at me by @r0rschach following NBS BIF #10.



Received from @r0rschach post NBS BIF 10 – Thanks John! Reviewed 2/23/20.
? dated 16 oz can. Stored at home at 42 degrees and served at 45 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 3.
First pour – Light yellow (Nearly colorless, clear)
Body – Yellow with a slight haze and very slight effervescence. When held to direct light, bright yellow with a slight haze.
Head – Large (Maximum five cm, aggressive center pour), off-white, low density, average retention, diminishing to a six to seventeen jagged crown and a rocky partial layer. A few small pieces of lacing remain on the side as the head retracts.
Lacing – fair - wide irregular bands of tiny to large bubbles
Aroma – 3 – Dank, reminiscent of the wrestling practice room.
Flavor – 4 – Dank and slightly bitter. No fruits or berries, no bizarre additives or adjuncts. No alcohol ( % ABV as marked on the label) flavor or aroma. No diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, watery, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 – 4, depending on whether “Minus 0.25 point for an undated can” goes into effect. Very easy drinking and pleasing IPA, definitely not NEIPA style, not as dry as “Brut” IPAs.

So I'm calling it a basic "American IPA" without all the gimmicks. The Reveal:



And the updated review:

Received from @r0rschach post NBS BIF 10 – Thanks John! Reviewed 2/23/20.
Undated 16 oz can – bottom marked “What Happens At Community”. Stored at home at 42 degrees and served at 45 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 3.
First pour – Light yellow (Nearly colorless, clear)
Body – Yellow with a slight haze and very slight effervescence. When held to direct light, bright yellow with a slight haze.
Head – Large (Maximum five cm, aggressive center pour), off-white, low density, average retention, diminishing to a six to seventeen jagged crown and a rocky partial layer. A few small pieces of lacing remain on the side as the head retracts.
Lacing – fair - wide irregular bands of tiny to large bubbles, eventually evolving into lace curtains.
Aroma – 3 – Dank, reminiscent of the wrestling practice room.
Flavor – 4 – Dank and slightly bitter. No fruits or berries, no bizarre additives or adjuncts. No alcohol (7 % ABV as marked on the label) flavor or aroma. No diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium, watery, lively carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.75 (Minus 0.25 point for an undated can). Very easy drinking and pleasing IPA, definitely not NEIPA style, not as dry as “Brut” IPAs. Maybe made with champagne yeast. Not on brewery’s current website.

Once again, my thanks to John for some excellent beers from the Dallas area.

 

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass hard to tell when it was canned but within 4 weeks for sure. Pours a hazy orange with a a finger plus sticky slightly off white head that leaves loads of thick webs of lace yielding excellent retention. 4.75 Beautiful

Smell ripe cantaloupe, peach, papaya, mandarin, pineapple, and apricot. 4.5 Awesome

Taste follows melon, papaya, peach, tangerine, pineapple, and apricot. 4.5 Excellent

Mouthfeel is bigger than medium, soft gentle carbonation, sticky not dry, and at 8.2% really easy drinking. 4.75 Incredible

Overall you call a beer a New Englander you better bring your A game and they really did. This stuff is really tasty and special. 4.5

 

Hello New Beer Sunday!!!

I'll start off by offering @Roguer my deepest sympathies for the loss of his beautiful dog.

15 years ago I sure as hell wasn't into craft beer, but something that happened to me back in 2005 started pushing me into that direction. I was on vacation with some friends in Myrtle Beach, my first time there. I was drinking a ton of beer, tons of BMC beers. Hitting on beautiful women in bars, and getting them dragged away by their friends.

At the same time, the beer was starting to get me down. I wanted more! What to do? I went to the bar in the hotel and asked the bartender if there was any beer that was local. There wasn't anything local, but he had something called Yuengling. I had never had it before, but I was interested. I drank it, and LOVED it. It filled a hole in me that wasn't being filled by BMC. I had another, and I drank them as much as possible on the vacation. Every time I'm on the east coast, I'm always drinking it, and will be again in late March when I'm partying in New Bern, NC.

Now to the main event - BEER, and new beer.

This one was kindly sent to me by @FFFjunkie . I didn't notice it was an IPA till today, or else I would have opened it up sooner.

From Untitled Art - Raspberry Cheesecake IPA.

I'm not a cheesecake fan, or even a fan of sweets much. On the nose, the raspberry is sweet smelling, the flavor is a bit more tart. It's an odd duck to me, and, even though I'm not sure it's my cup of tea, I'm glad I had the chance to try it.

Review:

3.88/5 rDev -0.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a very murky, hazy peach color. 1 finger white head. Head retention is not the best. No lacing on the glass.
The nose has a punch of raspberry. Quite sweet smelling. There's also a hint of cheesecake.
Taste - The nose was sweet, the taste is more tart. Full of raspberry. I really also get a punch from the lactose.
The tartness feeling lingers in my throat. Decent bodied.
Interesting beer. Maybe not my speed, but I'm not finding anything technically wrong with it.


Be back later for #2. It might even be out and about.

 

I Love (upstate) NY!

A couple of weeks ago my wife & I (and some friends) went cross-country skiing in the Adirondacks. On the way home we stopped off at the Suarez Brewery in Livingston, NY for a few beers. The brewery/taproom is an unassuming building so you need to keep your eyes open for the sign:





In the taproom they serve the draft beer in small-ish mugs ($4 a pour) so my wife and I got to try 4 different beers.

For our first two beers we ordered a Pilsner (Palatine Pils) and a Czech Dark Lager (River):



Below is how these beers are described on the Suarez beer menu:

Palatine Pils – 5%

Unfiltered German-style pils. Crisp and clean with a classic pilsner balance.

River – 5.1%

Czech-style black lager inspired by our trip to the Czech Republic back in November. We especially fell in love with the dark/black lagers there and we had to try our hand at something that captured the vibe of those beers. River is luscious and silky in its malt character while still retaining that classic Czech drinkability. Notes of bittersweet black chocolate, chocolate truffle/fudge, plum/prune, a touch of earthiness and licorice root, with a deep toasty background.

After we finished those two beers the next two were:

Estimation – 4.8%

Altbier that is a classic interpretation of the native Dusseldorf style. Burgundy in color and possessing deep notes of raisin, bran flakes, and light treacle, yet with a snappy and crisp palate. The malt character is balanced with an ample bitter character achieved with early kettle additions of classic German low-alpha hop varietals.

Ms Frank – 4.6%

Franconian keller lager. Light orange hue, subtle malt, crisp & delicate.

My wife and I enjoyed drinking these four beer. As I settled up the bill I also purchased a 4-pack/16 ounce cans of Qualify Pils which brings us to the beer of today.

On the Suarez published beer menu there is not much in terms of descriptive detail on Qualify Pils – it simply lists “QUALIFY PILS // 5% hop-accented unfiltered German-style pils”. No mention of what hop variety(s) were used or other brewing details. It would have been worthwhile to have conducted a side-by-side of Qualify Pils and Palatine Pils at the taproom but since Qualify Pils was not available on tap I did not do this.

Served in my Firestone Walker Pivo Pils glass:

Appearance:

A slightly hazy straw yellow colored with a BIG rocky white head.

Aroma:

A vibrant aroma of citrus (lemon) with a hint of bready malt.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with notable citrus (lemon) flavors but the bready malt flavor while subtle is more noticeable in comparison to the aroma. There is a firm bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with tingly carbonation level along with a dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is very good! It has an enjoyable combination of hop flavor (lemon) and some bready malt flavor.

This beer reminds me of Lawson’s Scrag Mountain Pils. @zid

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @RobH @nc41 @Ranbot @FBarber @Jacobier10 @scottakelly @tzieser @ESHBG @Kadonny @NeroFiddled @IGaveYouPower @cavedave

 

That beer is also hopped with Sabro. It says Galaxy but on the sign @Trillium it also said Sabro. I had a brief discussion about this with the clerk. Seems he thought it strange as well that a beer that was supposed to be single hopped originally also contained a second hop. Anyhow I just cant get away from the coconut characteristics I get from that hop. I got it in that beer and Im not really crazy about it. Wondering if you got any coco-nutz?
Cheers bro!

 

NBS - Weldwerks Juicy Bits DDH Samba (hops) - 6.7% - canned 1.27.20 (with a message on the bottom - R.I.P. Mamba)

A - Turbid as all the juicy bits are, but not quite the same density, a slightly paler color than the regular ol' JB. (4)
Ar - Smells like a muted version of the original JB - as arid as the heart of a grapefruit (all pith, no party) (4 - still has hops on the nose)
T - Good rounded citric impression, but that Samba DDH treatment makes it BONE DRY. A bit like the Enigma hops do when those are used in the dry hopping process (more arid grapefruit - intriguing) 4.25
M - Great palate impression, nothing crushing, fills the mouth with a raft of citric hops, acids on point. Nice. (4)
O - Another great DDH variant, which never come quite to the level of original recipe JB but these are fun to try. Cheers (4)

 

Happy New Clear Out the Reefer Beers Sunday (Week 783)!

Good news, I'm here! I used to shout that as I ascended the staircase at PHL's Nodding Head Brewery, only to hear the rear window slide open as owner Curt Decker would duck out onto the fire escape and take off in order to avoid me. Ppl caught on & did that in my absence until he began to listen for the dulcet tones of my voice. Later, I would have others shout as my decoy as I snuck in on him, unawares! One time, he nearly shat himself in surprise.

I was absent last week through no fault of my own. I had traveled to Staunton, VA via AMTRAK & was supposed to return on Sunday when they CANceled on Saturday night, leaving me to scramble for my return. I limped in on M, having wasted the day off.

For @Roguer : My CANdolences re. Louis. Greetings to Slink & Spirit OTOH.

Fifteen (15) years ago, I was forty (40) y/o & really honing my act as a beer buff/historian/writer/traveler. I have been a beer drinker for over forty (40) years starting as an underage imbiber & really getting into it during my US Navy career. My introduction to MUCH better beer happened in Barcelona, Spain, my first overseas liberty port, when a seasoned bartender at a dimly-lit punk bar turned us onto some aged Chimay Rouge (Red). Subsequently, while stationed in the SF Bay Area (Alameda), I hit on Anchor & beCAN frequenting Triple Rock Ale House in Berserkeley while my mother moved to Chico & turned me onto Sierra Nevada. I have made a real name for myself, more infamous than famous & she is SO proud of me as a result!

Today, I just have a buncha odds & sods inna reefer (refrigerator, NOT frop! Whaddya think, I'm some kind of hophead?!?) begging for my attention & to clear some room. Don't look for any underlying theme today, but should you find one, wrap it securely in US bills in $100. denominations & send it to an address to be provided.

And now, without further ado, here is my first of the day:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/43699/256741/?ba=woodychandler#review


And so it begins. I'll be back later with more … stuff!

 

Always difficult to lose a beloved pet. My condolences.

 

Thanks @cjgiant for the great start to this weeks NBS, should be back with a new brew later on.

Cheers!

 

Casita Cerveceria Something so Sincere 2019



A-Pours a very dark color with a slight head and lacing
A-Aroma has intense chocolate hints
T-The taste follows the nose with an incredible generous chocolate flavor
M-A silky smooth medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A great Stout

 

So sorry to hear about Louis, my condolences.

 

Casita Cerveceria Home Sweet Home





A-Pours a very dark color with a nice tan head and lacing
A-Aroma has chocolate, vanilla and coffee hints
T-The taste follows the nose with a chocolate, vanilla and coffee flavor
M-A medium bodied decently carbonated beer
O-A great Stout

 

Hey what's going on?!

Well busy concert weekend for me! Was at a show on Friday at the 9:30 club to see Refused, and today it's another to see Opeth.

I am actually doing a rarity here. I am for the record drinking this beer RIGHT NOW.. yes I am 99% of the time REAL TIME... like RIGHT NOW... but I had it first yesterday.. I know.. BUT RIGHT NOW .. that's right! NOW our hero is slamming through this for NBS.

What's sorta new for our hero today?!



Poured from the can into a nonik pint glass.

Copper to orange like colored body, with a slight bit of haze to it. Some light amounts of carbonation to be seen. Head creation is a fizzy and fine two fingers off khaki to off white color, resulting in a very quick dissolve. Slightly bubbly collar, and a thin top with a little bit of bubbles left.

Aroma consists of quite a bit of oddity. Slightly ferrous but even a bit gaseous and dioxide smelling. Hints a little bit of cream and caramel in the mix but quite tiny and non existent behind this aggressive somewhat not too enjoyable aroma.

Palate improves at least a bit. A good mix of light bitterness and creamy orange mixing in the mid palate. Those flavors transpire with a little bit of steely orange bitterness in the finish as well. However, the mouthfeel is exceptionally watery and has a very cola like carbonation. Heavily flavored also in carbon dioxide like gas that takes away much enjoyment, with a palate that dissolves very quickly.

The flavors on the palate are pretty solid and to style, but the mouthfeel on this beer is borderline ruinous. A good ESB is lurking in here but is not happening.

look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3 | overall: 3.25 | 3.15/5

Cheers!

 

Good morning NBS
I've had lagers from Blue Stallion on draft before, but not this one...

The review:
12oz can stamped 01/21/20 poured into becher glass at just above fridge temp 5.4% ABV. The beer mostly bright medium to light brown with chestnut highlights and khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and a few bubbles. The aroma is rich and malty with bits of cocoa and earthy, nutty hops. The taste follows with nutty, earthy tastes layered on cocoa with a slightly tangy, slightly bitter finish. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a dry finish. Overall, excellent. Perfectly clean, no off flavors or feel. The store signs stated this was the first ever canning of this beer, so I am assuming the January date was a canned on date not a best before.

@woodychandler, you will have the opportunity to try this as well.

Thanks for the opening @cjgiant. 15 years ago is seeming like a shorter and shorter amount of time at 45 years of age. I was always beer adventurous having bought and drank anything I could get in college from imported barleywine (Old Nick) to SA Triple Bock to any rot-gut AAL that I'd never seen before. About 15 years ago is when I remember a beer (Red Hook IPA) prompting me to sit down at our desk top computer and search our dial up Internet for the history and availability of other IPAs. Torpedo & Two Hearted soon followed and I was hooked. I had two kids by then and the idea of killing a cheap 12 pack had lost it's luster. No more next days spent recovering. Just a few flavorful beers, with friends. Still happening here at the virtual bar. Cheers all and enjoy your Sunday!

 

Time for round #2, and, again it's from @FFFjunkie , and it's a beast.

Deth By Plums - wait, plums?

Why yes, plums. Oh, boy this combo is delicious. The plum hit me when I opened up the can, though smelling it close up, it was a back side aroma. The taste kicks this BA RIS into a tasty different direction. The flavors work well together, and I'm really enjoying this a lot! I'd better, because I'm sipping on this for quite a while.

Review:

4.49/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a thick pitch black. 2 1/2 finger tan head. The retention is good for such a high ABV beer. A bit of lacing on the glass.
The nose hit me as I opened and poured the can. I got a whiff of the plums in it. Up close the plums are in the background. The barrel aromas seem to be the main aroma - caramel, toffee, chocolate.
Taste - The plums really provide a very tasty add on flavor to the standard Deth flavors. Of course, there's the caramel, toffee, chocolate flavors, but the plums just kick that up and add on to them. I wouldn't have though the flavors would mesh together, but they do very well.
Thick and full bodied. No real alcohol burn at all. Maybe the plums smooth things out a bit.
This beer seemed like it wouldn't have worked. Plums and a BA RIS? Well, they do work. It is quite delicious and tasty, and I'm happy to have tried it, and enjoyed it.


I'll see if there's a round #3 after this. I'm hoping I can have one more today.

 

Sorry for your loss !

 

New Bern is a very historic place in American history, and now on the tourist trail of Outlander locations. It was/is inland and navigable from the Atlantic.