New Beer Weekend #10

You'll be saddened to know you've now tasted, in my opinion, the best NE IPA ever produced in Arkansas. @russpowell or @jdell15 may disagree. This is now a great state for IPAs.

 

Can't wait to try it!

 

Additionally, one thing I can't vouch for is the freshness of that beer. I can vouch that I bought it from the brewery a couple days before sending it to you. But they don't date cans and they just released the second beer in that series (Chicken and Dumplings). So that beer may have been sitting in the can at the brewery for up to two months. I just have no idea if they brewed more than one batch.

 

Central Waters Brandy Barrel Barleywine Ale, 14.8% ABV. Pours midnight brown, with a half-finger of beige head that left no lacing. Nose is brandy and toffee, taste is brandy, dark fruit, brown sugar, and toffee. Slightly sweet, faintly bitter, with some brandy burn. Excellent mouthfeel, overall outstanding. I didn't like their BBA barleywine as it was way too bitter, but this was much better.

4.24/5 rDev -3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

I'm not usually a barleywine fan, but I'll go back for a pack of this. I'd like to age a couple of bottles. For the carnivores in the crowd, that's a (low-sodium) spice-crusted sirloin ready for grilling. I cut it right off the cow, poor thing. We like it medium rare so it'll go for 7 or 8 minutes a side at full heat on the gas grill. Really incredible fall day to sit inside, watch football, and drink craft!

 

Sweetwater Super Silver Haze Lager, 4.0% ABV, 4.22 overall

Pours a chill hazed gold with a thumb of eggshell colored head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Cattyness, lime & a little lemon once warm

T: Follows the nose, some lemon & bready sweetness as well. Dryness mixes with the malt back bone plus lime and a little cattyness. Finishes dry with lime

MF: Light/medium body, nice balance

Super drinkability, I really liked this; a lot of flavor in a low ABV package

 

Brewster Bros. Brewing Co.: Bock, Chippewa Falls WI
3.84/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

tested from a 32 oz crowler bought at the tap room
look: dark brown body that will let some but not a lot light thru. Nice fine tall tan head that lasts along time leaving massive amounts of lacing.
Smell: smells good, heavily toasted bread, almost roasty
Taste: same as the smell plus a a little dry chocolate , hints of dark fruit and maybe a hint of caramel. It tastes good almost a 4.0/5. nothing heavy duty here. Only slightly sweet overall.

I call this the "Mystery Bock". WHY? what bock is this? read on
I walk into the tap room see Bock on a tap handle I promptly order a pint. I start drinking it and look up and there is nice sign on the wall that says "Leinenkugel's Bock is Back". I thought it was just nostalgia but asked about. They said the bock I was drinking was theirs and not the Leinenkugel's beer they brewed. and they just haven't taken the sign down yet. OK? they all look like the same beer to me
Evidence:
https://untappd.com/b/brewster-bros-brewing-co-bock/3826063
https://untappd.com/b/jacob-leinenkugel-brewing-company-toasted-bock/3905028

 

Windbreaker from Mast Landing, a NEIPA.

16oz can served in a big snifter. Canned on 08/20/20. Gift from @mr-jj.

Pours hazy pale yellow-amber with a smallish fine head and medium amount of fine carbonation. Smell is bright and pithy.

Taste is juicy, lots of citrus, kind of a tart/bitter orange juice rather than a sweet OJ. Still lots of pith.

Mouthfeel is medium to light, very dry. Overall, nice beer.

 

Hahahaha ... some of your beer smarts may be rubbing off on me. You and a couple other old NBSers turned me onto the Cuvee Rene, so I thought of you as I thought of that blend. It would have to be amazing, right?

Now that would be a good use of a witbier. I've never loved the style, but a little cherry kriek to sweeten it a bit? Yes. I think I'd like a little Dirty Hoe. ()

 

Looks like @officerbill and I had the same idea this afternoon. I too am reviewing Springdale's Apriculture, which is an "oak aged sour beer with apricots.". Springdale is a barrel aging / experimental arm of Jack's Abby, which itself I find to be an underrated brewery. Tree House and Trillium get much of the love, but Jack's Abby does some really good stuff.

Anyway, this is the second Springdale beer I've had in the last month or two, and I've very much enjoyed both of them.

4.28/5 rDev +6.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Glowing, mostly clear yellow with thin, fizzy and short-lived head. Smell is earthy and sour with apricots lurking beneath. Taste is really nice. Well balanced....tart, apricots, little bit of funk. Not too much of any one element. Medium carbonation. Overall, this is a well done beer. I would happily buy this again.

 

Don’t feel like getting another glass dirty but the Eagles are not going to have a good season unless everyone magically gets healthy. Moving on to Chuckanut Kölsch, thanks @beertunes!
4.23/5 rDev +6.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Thank you beertubes for this
500 ml bottle poured into a pint glass

A- A clear golden straw with a two finger white head.

S- Sweet bread, some toasted malts, floral/herbal, hints of light fruits.

T- Sweet bread, toasted malts, some fruits, getting both apples and pears, floral, a little herbal.

M- Smooth, light body.

O- A tasty Kölsch, it might be simple and straightforward but that’s not a bad thing. Very well balanced and easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

@TongoRad , this one interest you?

 

Well, as long as you're asking I'll say definitely.

 

If you come across their Melange des Mures (saison with blackberries aged in wine barrels) give it a try. Very Good

 

Next and last new beer for me this weekend is Barrel Series Brett Belgo IPA (2016) from Blackberry Farm Brewery.



This is a hoppy ale aged in red wine barrels with brettanomyces wild yeast. I've had a couple other beers from this series that weren't IPAs that I really enjoyed. Blackberry Farm makes some really good saisons and elegant wild beers.

This pours a cloudy hazy orange with a good amount of sediment right now sinking to the bottom, and a creamy frothy white foam head that settles to a thin ring around the glass.

Smells real nice and elegant, almost like a tart hoppy saison, with notes of strong leather, some barnyardy funk, peppery spice, clean citrus peel, lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange, hints of musty pineapple, tropical passionfruit, tart apple, tannic red wine, oak barrel, subtle vanilla, dark toasty malt, with dusty bitter earthy resinous floral herbal pine.

Tastes more pungent and fruity, a little intense and hoppy with brett funk, notes of leather, slight horse blanket barnyard farmhouse funk, hay, phenol spice, fruity esters like tart apple, pear, apricot, musty pineapple, tropical passionfruit, clean lemony citrus, lime, orange peel, grapefruit pith, some vinous red fruit character, red wine oak barrel, subtle vanilla, toasty malts, and dusty bitter earthy resinous floral herbal pine.

Feels medium plus bodied, thick and slick, creamy smooth with moderate carbonation. Fairly drying in the finish with a refreshing crispness, leaving lightly funky leathery phenols and toasty barrel notes lingering with an earthy hoppy bitterness.

Overall this is a real nice and interesting beer. It's hoppy, a little fruity with esters, some leathery brett right now with age, toasty malt and barrel notes, a bit floral, earthy, bitter, etc. A good red wine barrel aged brett IPA. Cheers everyone and happy NBW!

 

Anyone up for a Helles Märzen? It is time to drink an Aecht Schlenkerla Kräusen or two, from the brewery we all love in Bamberg, Germany.

I don´t really know if they follow the one year rule or not, but even if the beer is not in a perfect condition I should be fine with the BB at 05/21. First some words on the krausening technique from the bottle (I couldn´t avoid the 'spoiler' for such a special beer);





And there we go;

The Kräusen basically looks like what you see in the picture, maybe a tad lighter. Nothing impressive about it in either a good or a bad way, so I moved into the other senses presto.

Straight from the neck of the bottle the nose is already ridiculous and I can´t help but have a laugh because you know from the start this is a world class (sorry) beer, in the way your first Edelstoff or their straight Märzen were; Grassy hops, smoke, sweet malts, toasted breadcrumb, nuts, maybe a subtle fruitiness in the back. The smoke is solid but never overwhelming, and blends oh so well with the sweet malts, the 'yeasty' nutiness and the brightness of the younger beer. There is a whole lot more going on for sure, but I will leave the detail to more experienced advocates as I can´t wait to actually take a sip. 4.75+

Very tasty noble hops with the toasted malts growing from there in a perfect progression towards a lovely finish full of bitter malts, liquorice, and a moderate but expressive sweetness which persist in the aftertaste along with the grassy flavours. Actually 'subtle' but really delicious, with a drinkability off the charts.

A bit more medium than light in the body. I am not really sure if the beer is dry, watery, or possibly both, and yet it shows a creamy finish along with the explosion of flavour mentioned above, which leaves you asking for more.

Overall fantastic, and (with the permission of English cask ales) the very definition of a tasty session beer you could drink by the gallons and probably gets better and better as you go. The krausening definitely seems to work and I would say the sum of the parts might be even better than them at some point, or somehow stating the obvious; The darker/smokier malts add a welcome level of complexity to the helles in a natural way, without losing any of the balance and drinkability. Or put it the other way, the brightness of the younger beer adds another level of drinkability and lightness to the already sessionable Märzen. I find this beer definitely more exciting than the straight Helles in the least, and consider the krausening thing a success.

Also this is so obviously one of those you need 'a couple' of liters minimum to fully appreciate, and this not so brilliant review hardly manages to scrap the surface a little bit. So I won´t rate further than the nose here, and will be opening my second bottle right now, without the f****** text editor in front of me.

Luv it, and will expand this tasting in the next days for sure. It´s science!

@JackHorzempa

 

Howdy NB weekenders
Trying this offering from Vitamin Sea Brewing out of Weymouth, Ma.

Pretty neat looking can
ABV is 6.2 canned 9/17/20
Oated IPA with Citra as the single hop.

Pours golden yellow with a 1 inch pillow soft head, laces nicely 4.25

Aroma is citrus and maybe over ripe melon some breadiness. Not a strong aroma. 4.00

Taste is slightly bitter orange rind, bread and creamsicle 4.25

Mouthfeel is creamy, low carbonation, pretty full with a lingering medium bitter orange rind finish 4.25
Overall It's a nice tasting, balanced and very easy drinking IPA 4.25

as @WunderLlama would say it's a good beer

 

Admittedly I´ve been a bit confused about the krausening, as it seems the Helles is the 'mature' beer while the Märzen is actually the 'green' one? This is a bit of a paradox when using concepts like 'brightness'/'youth' here, and I don´t really know which beer brings what at some point...

The overall impression remains though, and the hybrid actually does it for me for its balance between the two beers (which I´ve had 'a few' of).