New Beer Weekend #101

Brewing Projekt Hostile Hybrid BBA Brown, 6.95% ABV. Pours midnight brown with a 2.57 finger light-tan head that left good lacing. Nose is brown sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla, real nice. Taste follows, malty and sweet, faintly bitter. Decent mouthfeel, overall excellent. Nose is much better than the taste.

4.29/5 rDev +7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Alas, I've neglected my grill, and it's time to clean it. I'm not one of those guys who scrubs the grates until they shine. That black patina mean it's "seasoned", like a cookie sheet. I just scrape the debris off the grate and various other parts, and dump it in the garbage. As long as there are no fires and it doesn't make everything smell like fish, we're good to go. Well, yeah, I also hit it with some Windex and paper towels to restore the Packer-green beauty. Once or twice a year does it, otherwise enjoy the beer and 75 degree weather. The beer is brewed 30 miles from my hometown back in Wisconsin.

 

Hair of the Dog Cherry Adam from the Wood 2021
Old Ale
ABV: 13.5%
IBU: NA

This beer has been in my ~45°F beer refrigerator for several weeks, so I let the beer warm at room temperature for 20-30 minutes after removing it.

A faint hiss as I pop the cap. The pour was not gentle and I made no attempt to decant. Even so, there was no head formation at all save a small ring and a few islets of bubbles on an otherwise still surface. The color is a nearly opaque dark brown, with lighter brown revealed around the edges with a back light. No carbonation visible.

The aroma is not strong. Tart cherries with acidity as from a Berliner. Wood, leather, and dark bread are in the aroma as well, but I have to tease them out from behind the tart cherries.

The initial taste is of leather and dark bread, but this is quickly socked by the tart cherry and acidity. The tart cherries dominate from the onset through to the finish and into the aftertaste, with the tartness becoming more astringent in the finish. There is a definite woody character underlying everything, perhaps accounting for the astringency. The finish and aftertaste are, as promised on the bottle label, sweet-tart. The alcohol is obvious in the flavor, the sharpness, and in the warming.

The body is on the thin side of moderate, with a sharp feel due to the acidity.

Overall, a very nice beer. Style-wise, it presents more in line with the Berliner style than Old Ale, IMO. However, I’ve allowed it to seek its own uniqueness, and on that scale, it is very good.


L: 3.75 | S: 4.0 | T: 4.25 | F: 3.75 | O: 4.25 | Rating: 4.11

 

Next up for me is a DIPA from Magnify, Holding Grudges. As those who frequent Magnify will attest, the brewery goes through "phases" in which it nuances its beers differently. I don't know how else to describe it as a consumer. Over the past few months its IPAs have had a particular earthy maltiness, which I like (although not everyone does). Holding Grudges is a good example. It's hopped with Motueka (one of my favorite hops), Citra, Amarillo, and Columbus. The lemon, lime, and melon flavors are surprisingly delicate and the malt base dominates. While I can understand how this could turn off some of Mag's legion of hazy, bitter IPA lovers, I enjoy it. My name isn't MacMalt for nothing.

Canned on 5/24/2022. Poured into a tulip glass. It pours a murky, muddy golden-orange color with 2 fingers of fluffy, egg white-colored head and thick, clinging lacing. The nose is rather subdued but I detect lemon, lime, and just a whiff of melon, along with a strong, earthy malt base. The taste is intriguing: while the citrus and tropical notes of the Motueka and Citra hops are fresh, they are delicate and rest above a strong, crackery malt base that is quite earthy. The Cascade hops provide hints of pine and spice and the Amarillo appears to be the bittering hop. I like the balance between the fruit and malt. The mouth feel is thick and creamy with appropriate carbonation, and it doesn't drink like 8.4%. My rating is considerably higher than the two previous ones, which is indicative of my own quirky tastes. I like the bitter, earthy malt base and Motueka is one of my favorite hops. While I wish that the tropical fruit were more pronounced, I nonetheless like this DIPA a lot.

4.03/5 rDev +8.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

Good afternoon NBW
These bombers just randomly showed up in Southern Indiana. Very reasonably priced as well!

Wiseacre Astronaut Status

22oz bottle labeled 2021 poured into a Spiegelau stout glass at fridge temp 12% ABV per label. The beer pours dense black with no light penetration and medium brown colored head. Spotty lacing. The head recedes to a thin cap. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring bourbon and fudge. The taste is bittersweet roasted malt with bourbon, charred oak and fudge up front followed by vanilla and mild cinnamon. Mild bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with just less that average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Minimal heat for the ABV. Overall, excellent.

Cheers all!

 

That beer is most definitely unfiltered. All Bavarian Hefeweizens are.

Or maybe more properly they are bottle conditioned. From what I understand, many (most?) breweries do filter their Hefeweizens but then add yeast back into the beer during bottling.

The yeast falls to the bottom of the bottle over time. If you swirl the last inch or so (only!) of beer in the bottle before pouring that, the beer will become quite cloudy. This is what I do. The body will feel somewhat heavier and the mouthfeel should be more creamy.

Enjoy!

 

Last planned pour for today, this one from overseas that I heard a lot of good things about.

Brasserie de la Senne Taras Boulba



Beer Temple Notes: Extra Hoppy Ale. $9 12 oz draft into a tulip, 4.5% ABV. Comped on Beer Temple points. Belgian Pale Ale per BA classification.

Appearance: Orange murky base, bright white head leaves quickly, a ring above the base in its wake, and spotty lacing. 3.75

Aroma: Faint citrus and white wine aroma. 3.25

Taste: Bolder flavored taste, sweet citrus, coriander, balanced by bitterness and a dryness comparable to British comedy. Enjoying more as I drink through this. Nice. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Very dry, persistent heavy fizzy carbonation adds body, light becomes light to medium. Bitterness wins out over the sweet flavors, substantially. Dryness lingers for miles, including the aftertaste. 4.25

Overall: This is a nice offering, dry dry dry, bitterness hits my preferences. If you don’t like either, steer clear. Pucker Up, Mother F’er. Works for me, but heed my warning. 4.0

Looking forward to catching up with the thread after I get home. Cheers!

 

Slushie XL Jungle Juice by 450 North Brewing

4.03/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4




Can poured into a willi becher

Brewer Notes: Smoothie-Style sour ale with Passion Fruit, Coconut, Mango, Kiwi & Pineapple.

Looks like mango purée, solid orange liquid, weird big bubbles that immediately evaporate

Aroma is mango, pineapple , passionfruit and coconut

The taste is sweet and sour , mango, passionfruit, kiwi and banana,coconut.

Smoooth Creamy mouthfeel with a crisp tart finish.

Good beer

 

I assume you made a trip back to WI for that or are you finding BP in Sodak & if so, where?

 

Sorry ... what is W12? Is it Westvleteren 12? I can't make out anything on the middle bottle.

 

Brewing Projekt is distributed here. I get mine at Fogies in Sioux Falls, but Taylor's and others in Sioux Falls have it.

 

Alright here's my second and final new beer from Spyglass. This is Stratasphere, canned on 5/7/22.



Say hello to the finished Gundam Kyrios, by the way. Apparently it can change into some kind of flight mode, which is sorta cool but it seems like the kit itself sacrificed how posable it could be in MS (normal) mode to achieve that... I spent a good 15 minutes trying to contort the thing into a vaguely badass pose... the lack of leg articulation is rough. Anyway...

Pours much more pale than the previous NEIPA I just had from these guys a couple hours ago. More "milky" looking and kinda overly-opaque to me, but the head retention is nice and the lacing is more consistent than the Mosaic Singularity, so I guess there's a tradeoff here.

Nose is quite nice. I enjoy Strata for sure, and though I think it usually works a little better alongside other hops, it can do well on its own as well. Nose is giving me Motueka hop vibes with a ton of bright lime and grapefruit tones mingling with florals and some cannabis-like dankness. Papaya and passion fruit come out as it opens up a bit, too... smells good!

Punchy citrus and deep pineapple/passion fruit coexist on the palate, along with some grassy notes and more dankness. Florals and fresh-cut grass with bright citrus in the finish. Smooth and drinkable for 8.2%, which is also appreciable.

Funny story... I guess I assumed this was a single-hop Strata beer until I realized just now that maybe I should verify that. Turns out this also features Nelson, Rakau, and the aforementioned Motueka, so... yeah, I feel pretty vindicated right now! Everything I mentioned above obviously still applies, but the depth coming out here is a bit more sensible knowing it's not just Strata by its lonesome. I believe Rakau is known for stone fruit elements, and I guess if I actually focus in on those they sorta come out to me, particularly some light plum and apricot but that element is definitely not the most apparent thing happening. Honestly this is really good; I would definitely drink it again.

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass canned on 6/1/22. Pours a very attractive hazy orange yellow with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves big thick streaks of lace with nice retention. 4.5

Aroma is mango, tangerine, peach, cantaloupe, apricot, and grapefruit rind. 4

Taste follows mango, tangerine, peach, cantaloupe, apricot, and pink grapefruit. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, maybe a tad sticky but not dry, soft gentle carbonation, and at 7% ABV it drinks bigger but easy going down. 4.25

Overall this is real solid, not earth shatter but stands out as slightly different. 4.25

 

Day 2, a couple of NBW BIF #15 beers (and glasses!), this first set is from @BBThunderbolt.





3.75/5 rDev +17.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by ovaltine from Indiana

This beer pours a hazy tangerine-ish color with a sudsy white head that provides minimal lacing. The can references tangerine, grapefruit, mango, and tropical fruit notes, and those are all present on the nose and the taste, and they smell and taste fine, they’re just a bit ….. mundane maybe?

The mouthfeel is medium, and there’s a nice overall “sit at the bar and have a couple of pints” quality to this beer (if you want a hazy), but it feels more than a bit like a “someone come up with a hazy IPA with no bitterness” exercise that was assigned and this beer was the result.

 

Hi folks, wanted to join yesterday, but it's been too hot for most of what I've purchased to review. So I've been sticking to pale lager/hoponious union.

This however, is Slue's Goat maibock lager from Berkshire. I actually really like this brewery. I didn't come across it in CT but crossed the border yesterday and grabbed the 4 pack among other things.



Right, so looks the part. Smell is very rich, almost as though I'd poured a wee heavy or doppelbock. The taste follows, it's very robust. I just finished a rueben and this feels rich comparatively. Which says a lot. It's malty, with a big caramel bite at the front and maybe a hint of pilsner character carrying it, but only if you're looking for it. Last maibock I had was Primator's and it felt lighter, robust but lighter. This is very decadent. Couldn't find an abv on the can but I see on the site, it's 7.2 which makes a lot of sense. There's some alcohol heat but I don't mind it. It doesn't betray the beer. Could be somewhat cleaner on the palate but overall really good. I'd be remiss not to mention that there's phenolic character here, like those big German weizenbocks (Vitus and kin)

4.23/5 rDev +9.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

Here's a fine beer if you like a bit of dankness and linger. Cheers!
Seventh Son Humulus Nimbus Pale Ale 6% ABV 3.89/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
by LesDewitt4beer from Minnesota
12oz can canned 5/27/22 into a pint glass.
L: Pours light clear caramel w/a 1" rocky eggshell white head w/cap retention, low carbonation, decent rhythmic banding & lacing.
S: Grassy, light dankness, caramelized malts, light diesel.
T: Mix of citrus fruits, citrus rind, berries, hard candy sweetness, honey, lightly sharp hoppy pine resin, dirty tractor diesel, a suggestion of biscuit, accentuated hips.
F: Slightly voluminous and crisp medium bodied mouthfeel w/a long lingering slightly drying finish.
O: This beer is a little bit dank! Quite hop forward with a sweet middle and a long resinous finish. Rather interesting to find a dank Pale Ale. it's real beer. 4 out of 10 on the Dank-O-Meter with Simcoe & Mosaic being well used here. Tastes great, full flavored and is excellent in it's style.

 

Scorched Earth's Exiled Angel Begian Style Golden Ale, maybe someday I'll find a Belgian Style beer I actually like..........
3.65/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by ZebulonXZogg from Illinois

Pours a cloudy yellow with a small white head, nice lacing.
There's something about Belgian beers that "offends" my trusty snot locker, but my taste buds seem to tolerate them much more. I probably won't buy a sixer, but I will have another anytime.
...............enjoy what's in yer glass and fills yer ears.........

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass canned on 6/1/22. Pours a very attractive hazy orange yellow with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves big thick streaks of lace with nice retention. 4.5

Aroma is mango, tangerine, peach, cantaloupe, apricot, and grapefruit rind. 4

Taste follows mango, tangerine, peach, cantaloupe, apricot, and pink grapefruit. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, maybe a tad sticky but not dry, soft gentle carbonation, and at 7% ABV it drinks bigger but easy going down. 4.25

Overall this is real solid, not earth shatter

 

#2, nothing to see here, move along. The pairing of beer and glassware courtesy of @jonphisher.





4.6/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
by ovaltine from Indiana

This egregiously large BA barleywine (15.5%) pours a rich mahogany brown color that has the appearance of a creek that’s been stirred a bit by the current - not murky, but not clear, either. There’s also a creamy tan head that lingers a bit. Gorgeous beer.

The barrel notes are prominent as soon as the cap is popped off the bottle - waves of booze and oak and vanilla. There’s also a significant stone fruit aroma, I’d guess from the Simcoe hops referenced on the bottle.

The taste is boozy, rich, and decadent - yet it’s led by a toffee flavor that is sublime, flowing into the stone fruit flavors, which are substantial and reminiscent of ripe cherries, and the warming booze at the back of the palate that fits like a well-sized glove.

The mouthfeel is the decadent in this world class beer, a full and creamy slalom through the ride this magnificent beer provides. The Kane “big beer” game literally has no bounds.