New Beer Weekend #100

Happy Hundred, NBW. I will catch up with the thread later. Grocery shopping and light brush whacking today while it is cool with low humidity. A little worn out...

Today's brew:



From Banded Brewing, this is Aglow, a 7.6% American stout featuring peppermint and chocolate. This is a collaboration with Maine Coastal Gardens.

It pours cola-colored with a nice khaki head. Typical look, but nice enough. Takes its tome falling to a uniform cap, tenacious cling.

There is obviously peppermint on the nose, not finding a lot of chocolate. There is a pronounced green herbal note, and mild roasted malt.

The taste is mainly the stout base with mild peppermint and a little bitter chocolate. Very herbaceous and the flavors conflict a tad. I think with a bit of sweetness this would be a better brew. The mint is not overpowering but there's no counterpoint to speak of with the chocolate mostly absent. Go milkstout and boost the chocolate - yeah. Fairly bitter and that trainwrecks a little against the mint and greenish herbal bits. I'm making it sound horrible, but it is really an accumulation of little misses.

The feel has a minty sting to it, a bit of creaminess from the foam cap, fairly astringent. Low carbonation.

Overall, I think I'd like this better with some sweetness and more chocolate. This one feels "almost there" to me. Thinking this lands 3.5 to 3.75 of thereabouts.

 

Drekker Strawberry/Passionfruit/Apricot BRAAAAAAAAins Double Fruit Smoothie Sour, 6.6% ABV. Pours opaque brownish orange with a 1.5 finger light-yellow head that left puree residue. Nose is strawberry, apricot, and vanilla. Taste is strawberry, apricot, vanilla, and salt. Mouthfeel is thick and creamy. Overall excellent.

3.94/5 rDev -6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

Vanilla Maris, a collaboration between Timber, Horus Aged Ales, and Mindful Ales. A beer I actually purchased for myself.

16oz can served in a footed pilsner glass. Can is dated 03/25/21. Bought it at A1 Hop Shop in Seattle.

Pours a very dark brown with a very small head. Lots of fine, slow carbonation. Smell is tons of dark chocolate, and some vanilla. A little bit of a red licorice aroma.

Taste is soft, sweet milk chocolate, vanilla with a marshmallow vibe. Mild coffee notes. Dates and some oak.

Mouthfeel is thick and chewy. Overall, this is tasty. I would have guessed that there was a mix of stout with this barleywine.

I think I gave one of these to someone in NBS BIF #15 -- I think @FBarber. I don't think he's tried it yet.

 

Well, 1188346[/URL]]@Roy_Hobbs reached back for one so I had to - this one from 1244969[/URL]]@Mbgreg over a year ago in NBW BIF #13
I’ll have to post more later, but this was flat out amazing for the style. Malty goodness up to 11!

 

The second beer of a new beer and confirmation of my FIRST rating of a 5 across the board. So fine. Somebody is doing something right. I got the last one today at Total Wine. Please send more. Do What's Right~amen

 

Glad you enjoyed it! I almost got 2 of their holiday 12 packs just for that one.

 

Last (new) one for today, methinks. I've had a few Andechs but never their doppel. Everything from the monastery flirts with perfection.



Pours super dark, with very tight bubbles on the head. Smells of dates and figs with a good deal of simple caramalt, not quite dark and roasted but certainly caramalt. Thereafter is a hint of spice, almost like rye but not quite. Reminds me firmly of Korbinian's malt bill.

Oh wow. This is awesome. Fig upfront, with those classic dried fruit, but there's no real brown sugar there. Those can feel so sweet. There's a hint of almost oxidized character but I mean that in a good way, in the way that aged beer has that kind of flavor about it. Tastes so good. Just beautiful, rounded malt character with spice and some very tidy hoppy elements. Mostly though, it's just so full and decadent but in a drinkable way.

Cheers, Completely earns every ounce of its reputation.

 

Bike Rack Kviking Kviek IPA, 6.1% ABV; 3.71 overall

Pours a very hazed gold with 3 fingers of rocky pearl colored head. Good head retention & okay lacing

S: Green melon, peach,

T: Green melon, a touch of grapefruit, dryness & a little grassyness up front.
Sour orange, a little green melon & dryness as this warms, plus a little pear. Finishes dry with sour orange, dryness & a little white grape

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, kind of rough & grainy, skews a little bitter

Drinkable, but not in my flavor wheelhouse, very few beers using this yeast are

 

Man; I would love to see that beer in my local store, so good

 

Back for more fun…this one another local lager from the same brewery as the pils. This one is a czech amber

Triple Bottom - Ambrite (4% czech amber)





A beautiful beer, crystal clear medium brown; a thing of beauty when held to light. Light brown head that leaves some nice lacing. It settles to a thin creamy film of light brown that sticks around the whole time.

This is super crusty fresh baked bread all the way with a little spice; and nutty or husk like bite.

Same awesome bread notes with some spicy hop note; and again a nice grain note all flavors so balanced. A little touch of sweet; just barely noticeable, but it then finishes so dry it pairs perfectly.

So light and easy to drink; it has a super smooth and almost creamy carbonation. Super clean finish; and a little gentle hop in finish.

This is beer is awesome…a toasty rich little lager with a little hoppy kick that is so perfectly balanced and easy to drink. Two amazing beers back to back form this brewery; I will 100% revisit this place.

PS glad you enjoyed that one @ovaltine. You have me thinking about opening mine soon now.

 

Good evening NBW
It's been a long couple days, but I couldn't skip #100. Showing some class...

Hap & Harry's Tennessee Lager
12oz bottle coded 10722 poured into a paper hotel cup. Fancy. Appears to be golden in color with long lasting off white head. The aroma is mild with toasty and bready malt notes. The taste is semisweet toasty, bready malt with additional herbal hop presence. Mild bitterness. The mouthfeel is best part with a soft feel, thin to medium body and mostly dry finish. Overall, good.

Cheers all!

 

Toppling Goliath/Blackstack Suds & Buds Triple IPA, 10% ABV; 3.74 overall

Pours a slightly hazed honey color with fingers of eggshell colored head. Below average head retention

S: Super catty, a little cakeyness, a little orange cream sickle

T: Papaya, passion fruit, a little sweet vanilla & orange, plus dryness up front. Weedyness, dryness & more orange cream sickle as this warms, a touch boozey pineapple as well. Plenty of boozey pineapple in the finish, a little cattyness & vanilla

MF: Medium/chewy body, tamped down carbonation, pretty good balance

There are plenty of flavors I like here, I do think they don't necessarily play well together. The sum of all the parts don't really work great together

 

Last beer for the day. This one is Oskar Blues BA22 Volume 8. I've generally enjoyed this series, but this one just didn't do much for me.

3.22/5 rDev -23.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25

Very, very dark brown with a beautiful, dense mocha colored head with excellent retention and lacing. Good looking beer. Aroma is nondescript. Faint roast, but not a lot going on here. Taste follows. This is oddly muted. It's not bad, there's just not a lot going on. A little bit of barrel flavor, but that's about it. I feel like I'm missing something. Medium bodied. Very forgettable beer.

 

Duck's Ass English Barleywine from Foggy Noggin, a little local place run out of a dude's garage for the last 20-ish years.

12oz bottle served in a tulip. 2019 written with a sharpie on the label. Bought it at the brewery a few weeks ago. Cap bears the mark of a hand-operated capper.

Pours a dark mahogany color with a small head and a small amount of carbonation trickling up to the surface. Smell is dominated by fig, maybe a little wet cardboard, maybe a little boozy and medicinal.

Taste is odd. There's a sharp tartness that might be sour plum. Booziness is noticeable but fairly subdued. Somewhat woody, some figgy/toffee sweetness. As I sip it (or as it warms), the sharp tartness fades a little but doesn't disappear. Strong fruit skin bitterness.

Mouthfeel is medium to heavy. Overall...it's not bad, it's far from what I would consider a traditional English barleywine (at least based on what I know, which is probably Americanized).

 

Péché Mortel

9.5% stout from Brasserie Dieu du Ciel

A magnificent stout with a bold in-your-face roasted coffee flavor. Poured from a twelve ounce bottle dated 2019.

Body poured bible black and with a short initial head that receded to a thin ring around the edge during the tasting.

The nose is roasted coffee with chocolate flavor expressed from the malts. Very pleasing.

The body follows the nose but adds a significant bitterness. Chocolate malts and char arrive with the bitterness then all fade to a dry finish.

Mouthfeel is good though a bit thin for my expectations of a stout of high ABV. The powerful flavor more than compensates.

Coffee fans must track this beer down. You'll thank me later.

 

Greetings all from the great northwest where our unusually cool weather continues. A little rain overnight and blustery today with temps in the low 60s.

Today we have Hopnosis from Firestone Walker.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2210/575701/

Decent IPA if not a little on the light side.

Until next time

 

Plankowner John Paul Jones Colonial Ale. I had this late last night.



This was received in a blind trade and I was quite looking forward to trying a ‘colonial style’ amber ale. Sadly, it tasted a little like it had been brewed and canned in colonial times…

Pours a deep amber with minimal head that disappeared before I could whistle the first bars of Yankee Doodle Dandy. Looks dull and flat.

The aroma is dominated by candy sugar. Some bready malt. No hop notes to speak of.

Sweet and maybe even a little stale, mainly a candy sugar sweetness, but there is a little toffee in there. Hops left this beer for greener pastures some time ago.

Lacks carbonation. I’m guessing a bad seal on the can.

This was - I can only assume - a bad can of this beer. It was flat and stale and overly sweet. Disappointing. I donated 2/3rds of the can to the City of Toronto Water Filtration Plant.

 

Thumbprint Mocha Berry Bock - New Glarus



Here’s another instance where I’ll get rotten tomatoes and pumpkins (and berries) thrown at me:

Look
Looks as it should for the style; Ruddy-amber/brown, topped with a medium tan head. Good duration, good lacing.



Smell
Berry all over the nose. Raspberry is my best guess. Much lighter notes of caramel, toffee, and darker, roasted malt. Very, very clean and neutral.

Taste
SWEET. Much sweeter than I was anticipating on the first sip, and with much less of the mocha (or Bock-like, even) character than I would have expected or liked. A bit lighter and “fizzy”, carbonation-wise. Not sure what to make of that altogether, although I expect (and prefer) Bocks to be a bit fuller in body.

Mocha character emerges about mid-palate, but is very subtle, and is subsumed by the berry character and the overall sweetness. Very little bitterness to this beer, also, so it seems a bit less than what it aimed to be (Bock beer has at least -some- bitterness, right?)

Feel
Much lighter in body than I had expected, but is very, very drinkable despite this.

Overall
The sweetness and fizziness (combined with the berry flavor dominance) is not what I expected, and if I were being 100% honest (with respect to my personal tastes) I’d rate this one a bit lower.

As it is, I expect that this is exactly what the brewmaster was going for, and I also expect that it is the sort of beer that would be well received by the “people who don’t like beer” crowd (this refers to the people that disdained and disparaged American Adjunct Lager for the last forty years or so — some of whom probably still do so!)

Cheers… and Happy Father’s Day!

 

Earth Rider North Tower Stout


Busy yesterday so I'm joining in today for NBW #100 with this excellent stout.

Appearance: Black, ok head.

Smell: Roasted malts, some coffee.

Taste: Roasty and balanced, low sweetness, mild bitterness, roasty finish.

Overall: Saw that this beer recently won a medal at a big beer fest (GABF?) so got a six pack. Very good standard stout, nicely balanced roast flavors, mild sweetness and mild bitterness. Very good stuff!

 

Good day BAs! Thanks @SawDog505 for starting this weekends thread! Well, episode #100 - nearly two years-worth of increased inclusivity by changing NBS to NBW.
Today's New Breakfast Beer is:



One I've been saving for a momentous occasion like today!

Dark Apparition Maple Barrel from Jackie O’s. Received from brewery 02/02/22. $ 15.82 (Including tax and shipping)/12.7 oz bottle ($ 1.246/oz). Stored at 37 degrees at home. Reviewed 19/06/22. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated bottle. Served at 55.7 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King Snifter. Final temperature 60.9 degrees.
Appearance – 3.5
First pour – Amber Brown (SRM 18), clear.
Body – Brown (SRM 30), opaque. When rear-lite, opaque with light penetration at the edges - amber.
Head – Small (Maximum 0.6 cm, aggressive center pour), wheat, high-density, short retention, diminishing to a 0.1 to 0.2 cm crown and a half-dozen thin tiny islands.
Lacing – None. None expected at 12.2% ABV.
Aroma – 4.5 – Burst of bourbon and maple when the cap was removed. Settles into molasses and fainter bourbon as it warms. No hops, no yeast.
Flavor – 4.5 – Begins with moderately sweet caramel with dark fruits, molasses, maple, bourbon, and a hint of chocolate. No ethanol (12.2 % ABV as marked on label) aroma or taste. Mild gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4.5 – Full, creamy edging toward syrupy, carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated bottle) Smooth! Flavors are well-integrated, so nothing really stands out, just a delicious melding of ambrosial flavors hiding the ethanol. There is nothing in the appearance that prepares you for the delights of the nose and taste buds.
Rating 4.34, rDev +0.7%

 

Very fortunate to stop by Decorah yesterday and enjoyed an Assassin (and several other very delicious brews).

4oz pour at the brewery
A: Pitch black, no head
S: Bourbon, cocoa, touch of heat
T: Delicious & complex; bourbon/cocoa/vanilla/hints of maple & coconut
M: Full-bodied, super smooth, none of the heat of the nose
O: Very well made, very enjoyable beer

 

Happy Fathers Day fellow dads out there...today I treat myself to a little sample size sweet treat pour to enjoy with my BLT for lunch in peace and quiet. That's right, mrs phisher took the kids to her parents house. Now I celebrate a few hours of peace which always end the same, with me missing my family hoping they return soon. Am I the only one that on Father's Day feels like I more owe it to my kids and wife for making me a dad to begin with??? I can't be...

Human Robot - Stone House Mornings (stout with maple, coffee, and chocolate I think)



This one pours nicely, slow moderately thicker stout. Head forms slowly, nice initial look quickly turns into a little ring. This beer is black in color.

Very pleasant nose; nice maple sweetness followed by some rich coffee and dark chocolate. The sweet maple goes nice with the bolder less sweet sides of chocolate and coffee.

The taste mirrors the nose closely but the maple takes the backseat. It is first and foremost rich roasty stout, with coffee and dark chocolate. There is almost a berry like fruity as well.

Big body, creamy mouthfeel, bitter coffee note on the finish with a pleasant sweet sensation on the tongue.

As far as adjuncted beers go this one is pretty tasty and well balanced. I'm glad I bought some to give it a try. See you all later today with several more, gonna enjoy this beautiful Father’s Day this year.

 

Inspired by @Ozzylizard's Maple Barrel Dark Apparition, for my first beer today I've chosen Brandy Barrel Dark Apparition, courtesy of.....you guessed it, @Ozzylizard in our most recent BIF.


Dark brown on the pour with a reddish tinge that is no longer discernable once in the glass. Thin, dark khaki head that quickly receded to a thin ring. Nice legs. Aroma is rich chocolate, molasses and a really nice added dimension from the brady barrels (note I'm getting more of the brandy on the nose than the barrel itself)

On the tongue, there's a brilliant medley of flavors. The roasted malts lead off, and remind me of coffee, although I don't believe any was added in the beer. Mid-palate is where the chocolate and other sweet flavors show up. Finally, the brandy barrels show up on the long finish. They all work together to form a very tasty, full bodied beer.

 

4.01/5 rDev -12.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4

Poured from a 12 ounce can into a tulip glass.

Look- Very deep gold, moderately hazy, no visible particulate, frothy white head, above average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Clementine, pineapple, biscuit.

Taste- Clementine, pineapple, sweet biscuit, moderately astringent.

Feel- Medium body, moderately bitter, moderately astringent, creamy, average carbonation.

Overall- A malt heavy pale ale with a pleasant nose and moderate astringency.

 

Fremont BBA Coconut Cacao Barrel Aged Dark Star 2022 Imperial Oatmeal Stout, 13.5% ABV. Pours thick and black with a half-finger brown head that left no lacing. Nose is coconut, cacao, and bourbon. Taste follows, plus toffee and vanilla, with coconut in the lead, slightly sweet, slightly bitter. Incredible thick and smooth mouthfeel with adequate carbonation. Overall outstanding to world-class adjacent. Not a pastry stout.

4.43/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Kids coming over for BBQ pork in the crock, and I'm starting with a special beer for father's day. I appreciate that Fremont uses real wax, not that heavily plasticized crap others use to keep you out of your beer. Broke the wax tail off opening it though.

 

Welcome one and all to New Beer Sunday #904! Pulled out a bottle I finally came across after hearing great things.

Allagash Coolship Resurgam



Bottle Notes: Packaged November 2021. Purchased at store temperature from The Beer Temple, $15.99 + tax. 12.7 oz, 6.3% ABV, brewed and bottled by Allagash Brewing Company in Portland, Maine. Spontaneously fermented ale aged in oak barrels.

Coolship Resurgam is brewed with Pilsner malt, raw wheat, and aged hops. The beer is cooled overnight using outside air temperature in a traditional large, shallow pan known as a "coolship". During the cooling process, naturally occurring microbiota from the air inoculate the beer. In the morning, it is transferred into French oak wine barrels where fermentation and aging take place.

Coolship Resergum is a blend of this one-, two-, and three-year-old spontaneously fermented beer, The finished beer has aromas of apricot, lemon zest, and candied fruit. Notes of tropical fruit and flavors of funk lead to a clean, tart, and dry finish.

Appearance: Single pour into a large tulip glass. Golden orange base, slightly murky, heavy carbonation. Substantial creamy rich white head lingers for a few minutes before leaving a rich layer over the base. Lacing slides back to the base after a short burst of glory. 4.5

Aroma: Nice tart aroma leads backed by a lighter funk. Lemon, pear and apricot blend well, getting some apple as well.4.0

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, sweet lemon predominant, apple backing. Mouthfeel more substantial and broad than tastes beyond these two flavors. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Blend of sweet and tart, consistent with sweeTarts. lightly dry, nice levels of funk, carbonation substantial visually but soft like a pillow on the tongue. Drinks light and easy, sweeTart aftertaste. 4.25

Overall: This is an enjoyable beer, the sweetness somewhat out of the boundaries I typically enjoy, but this works well. Nice, mellow and easy drinking, sweeter than typical for the style, enjoyed the tart lemon. Good offering. 4.0

 

For decades I've bounced back & forth between Boodle's and Broker's as my everyday go-to, lately I've been liking Citadelle when I want something a little less juniper forward.

Jack's Abby has released their summer variety pack consisting of four 4% ABV radlers; Lil' Lemon, Lil' Lime, Grapefruit, and a Pineapple/Guava/Passion fruit. The only info given is that radlers were invented for German cyclists and that this is the "most refreshing beer style for fun in the sun". The lemon and lime aren't even listed on JA's website.



Lil' Lime turns out pretty good.
A translucent pale tannish green (like 2/3 ripe lime 1/3 straw) with a short lived eggshell white head and the faint aromas of malts and lime zest.

The taste is light malts (about 2/3 strength of their Haus Lager) over a backbone of quality limeade. Unfortunately the "quality limeade" drifts into lime popsicle territory as the beer warms.

Light bodied with lots of carbonation leaving a clean, dry, lime zest aftertaste.

Lil' Lime is a very nice summer beer as long as you drink it cold. Light bodied and refreshing without being filling. The lime is present without dominating. This is an enjoyable beer for a hot summer day.

4.13/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

 

Up next is this bottle of Cygnet, from Off Color Brewing, courtesy of @FBarber. Frank, you've sent me so much beer the last few years that I'm not even sure which BIF this was associated with.

The bottle describes this beer as "Foedre Aged Wild Ale With Koji Added". Did I know what Koji was? No. I had to look it up. Would I have been better off not looking it up? Maybe.

Pours a bright, golden color. Brilliant clarity. Small, short-lived head. `Aroma is lemony funk. Taste is relatively understated. There's a solid amount of funk without being overwhelming. Tiny bit of lemongrass, but beyond the funk there's a unique taste that I don't think I've picked up before in a beer. Could it be the Koji? Maybe, but not sure. Bright, and lively. Interesting, enjoyable beer. Digging the small bottle (8.5 oz) format as well.

 

Had to add this one, so my 4.18 rating is the standard. Spent two hours painting in the hot sunshine and this was amazing.
Poured warm straw color with very active carbonation and a 1” off white head.
The aroma was faint for me (chemically damaged nose) but grassy something and crackers seemed to come through.
The taste followed, really good combination of the noble hops and German malts. Crackers abound in a grassy, herbal base that is amazingly refreshing.
The feel, with it’s very active carbonation, seems ideal. I’d rate it higher but I don’t know what perfection is for this style.
OA, it’s so good I had to get a second pint.
Cheers all! I will be back later.

 

Next up in the Jack's Abby summer pack is their Grapefruit Radler


This one pours an almost clear gold, with a reddish blush and an off-white head that quickly dissolves into a ring, and the faint aroma of fresh hay and grapefruit zest.

The taste of ruby red grapefruit juice is well balanced behind some sweet malts, noticeable without dominating.

Lots of carbonation with a thin coating on your tongue and a pleasant sweet/tart pulp, pith, peel aftertaste.

This is a very fine light bodied, fairly low (4%) ABV beer for sunny days. My favorite of the variety pack. JA has this in a 16 oz 4 pack and that's probably what I'll buy next time

4.18/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

Transient Artisan Ales -- Kentuckley
Imperial stout with vanilla, Tugboat coffee and Michigan maple syrup, aged in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels
ABV: 14.5%; pouring temperature: 43 °F; bottling info: 2021 Vintage

4.45/5 rDev -0.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Tar black body; very fizzy carbonation; thin, patchy, brown head. Rich, roasted and charred grain aroma; heavy chocolate presence; cocoa. Immense dark malt sweetness greets the palate; milk chocolate; coffee and caffeine; bourbon tones bleed midway through the malt sweetness and linger through the finish. Heavy body; dense, sticky residual sugars; huge alcohol warmth permeates through the density.

The initial appearance makes you think this is just another heavy-duty barrel-aged imperial stout. Distinction begins with the aroma, announces itself with the taste, and is undeniable with the incredible mouthfeel. An amazing stout!

 

Happy Fathers Day to all the Dads past and present.
Another tough week at the restaurant. This summer is killing me so far.
But...Im off today. Didnt have any new beers so I grabbed this Little Willow.
Had one of their beers just a little while back and it was excellent.
Unfortunately I didnt read the label and just noticed its Sabro and Citra.
Just reviewed a Sabro beer last week-
Not one of my favorite hops but it turned out swell.
LW Beachcomber DDH IPA, 7%
Pouring a hazy gold with off white head thats quite large and creamy with great retention and nice rings of lacing.
Smell is very citrusy- orange, tangerine, lemon-lime. Not getting any coconut yet.
All juicy cutrus in the taste with some pine and grapefruit bitter on the end with yes, just a touch of coconut. Really balanced easy drinking creamy middle with a drying finish. Medium body no hint of alcohol.
Well another really nice beer from LW.
Once again proving you dont know you like it until you try. The Sabro was not offensive to me at all here. I actually dug it.
Cheers!

 

Lost Coordinates by Bottle Logic Brewing

4.51/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5




Bottle received from the generous @Beersnake1 in Bif15

Brewers Notes: This three vanilla bean blend is the grand finale of our Fundamental Coordinates vanilla showcase series. The base liquid is a diligently selected blend of Fundamental Observation 2019 for a little extra-aged complexity and double mash Fundamental Observation brews from 2020 for a chewy, silky body. Once our favorite casks were selected, they were aged with a combination of Cook Island, Comoros and Costa Rican vanilla. Floral aromas (Cook Island) melt into sun-soaked dates and raisin on the mid-palate (Costa Rica), with a nutty, brown butter-chocolate finish (Comoros). What was once lost is now found …three points of origin converge with sun-soaked island tones of raisin, tropical fruit, and soft florals

Poured into a Smog City snifter is a Pitch black motor oil as viewed at midnight, thick, dark , viscous , pencil thin dark brown creamy foam layer quickly recedes to a ring

Aroma is bourbon, vanilla, whiff of raisin

Taste is sweet , bourbon, vanilla , hint of roast malts without the char , hint of a chocolate note , hint if subtle spice such as a cinnamon

Soft luxurious mouthfeel , the 14.5% abv is invisible

Smooth , sweet and delicious, a well crafted beer as they have expertly hidden the high abv behind a wall of flavor, good beer

 

Happy Father's Day to all BA Dads and Dads of BAs! It's been a fun, relaxing weekend for us. I FaceTimed with both progeny which was great. Our daughter the archaeologist is still in Israel working on an excavation. Thankfully, she'll be back in the States soon. Our son is spending his weekend at the beach (not the Shore) in North Carolina.

Yesterday, Mrs. Mac and I hit two new-to-me breweries in Orange County, New York. The first was "Dubco Acres," which is the upstate tasting room of Destination Unknown Brewing Co., which is located in Bay Shore, NY (South Shore of Long Island). This venue is located on a farm near Warwick, NY. It's about 5 minutes away from Drowned Lands and maybe 10 minutes from Tin Barn. Rushing Duck is less than a 20 minute drive so it's in very good company. I've never seen Dubco cans in New Jersey but I've had a couple of their beers and have been impressed so I was excited to visit.

Cosmic Continuum is a NEIPA. It recently won the gold medal at @tapnyfest. And it's a very good ale! It pours a hazy, dirty tangerine color with two fingers of fluffy, eggshell-colored had and a thick coating of soapy lacing. A classic New England appearance. A great, fruity nose featuring pineapple, tangerine, melon, lemon, lime, grapefruit, and soft floral hops. The taste follows the smell closely with sweet, sticky, ripe honeydew, pineapple, and tangerine, along with tarter notes of lemon and grapefruit. The hop bill is a bit hard to discern; the only reference I could find is "Yakima Chief CryoPop hop blend." It certainly provides a lot of citrus and a clean bitterness throughout. It's well-balanced between sweet fruit and tart citrus. The mouth feel is thick and creamy with appropriate carbonation, and it's surprisingly lite for 8.8% ABV.

4.31/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

This won't be my last visit to Dubco Acres. Cheers, NBW!