New Beer Weekend #106

Day 2, I visited the brewery last Monday and mulled this beer and beer #2 back home. If you’re in the Cincinnati area and want to go to the Kentucky side of the river, this place is worthy of your consideration.





3.66/5 rDev -1.6%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Pours a nearly clear straw color with a soapy white head that provides minimal lacing. The nose has a little bit of bread, a little bit of straw, and a little bit of lemon. In other words, it’s a bit muted on the nose.

It opens up more on the taste, with the bread and lemon notes most pronounced, and the straw flitting around in the background. The mouthfeel is very clean and VERY crisp, right on point for the summer crusher this beer is.

 

Beer #2, they had me at:

Scotch Ale

Rum Barrels

Figs

Let’s see where this flavor adventure from Covington KY takes us.





3.97/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 4
Pours a beautiful rich copper color with a sizzling light tan head that decides to move on rather quickly. The nose is rum, a touch of toffee, and lots of stone fruit, including the fig mentioned on the bottle and dark cherries.

The rum and toffee notes are present but in the background - this beer is all about the fig and dark cherry flavors, which work well with the base scotch ale to provide a very drinkable BA scotch ale, something we don’t see all that often in the beer nerd universe.

The mouthfeel is a little watery and softer than I’d prefer to see with a beer of this magnitude (9.6% ABV). Still a fun little ride, I look forward to more Braxton beers in my beer nerd future.

 

Here you go @JackHorzempa I was curious so I did a search in the Notch thread:

Those are both the beers I tried I wonder if the location of where they brewed has to do with the clarity...

 

Behold!
The latest Skadoosh from just up the road!!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46317/615346/



look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

Mosaic Dank.
16 ounce can.
Canned this week (7/28/22?)

Moderate pour yields a nearly one inch white head over a slightly hazy, golden body with lacing.

Nose of tropical fruit, slight citrus, and nicely dank.

Taste of tropical fruit, grapefruit, and not over the top dank at first, but it builds in dankness with each sip.

Requisite Skadoosh feel, as always.

Overall, yet another winner in the series.
The wizard of Stowe has done it again.
Come and get it now!

(Just upped a couple numbers after getting halfway through.)

Cheers!!!

 

PipeWorks Fluffo Sando Imperial Milk Stout, 10.5 % ABV; 3.12 overall

Pours a very effervescent mahogany with 2 fingers of rapidly disappearing mocha colored head. Zero head retention or lacing

S: Peanut butter, not much else, maybe a little vanilla

T: Peanut butter, traces of marshmallow, alcohol heat & traces of coffee up front. Some dryness, coffee notes, booze & a little Vanila & Peanut Butter & roastyness once warm. Dryness, roastyness & fake marshmallow flavors

MF: Medium body, firm carbonation, warming

Didn't come together for me, considering the price, hard pass

 

A couple hours ago, I hit another pilsener, this time a traditional Czech-style one from Brewery Vivant, courtesy of @Whyteboar.

Another great beer for a hot day. It's 100° out. I know this because I just made a quick grocery run. Gotta finish off some leftover shredded pork, so I had to get some tortillas and salsa. Anyway, if this were a local pils I'd hit it regularly. Only thing I'd change is maybe a little more crisp of a mouth feel, and I feel like my score is harsher on that score than I intended.

Not sure what I'll have next. I have an embarrassment of beer riches right now that aren't going to drink themselves. Perhaps an IPA, or, if the heat doesn't kick in too much after dinner, perhaps a big stout. To be continued...

 

Just spent three nights camping at a state park a couple hours away from my home: Lake Wenatchee. Beautiful lake, nice campground. Lots of people. And highs above 100 every day (felt like 1000+). Luckily there are lots of trees and I could mostly stay shaded, and I came armored with a ton of cold, delicious, local beer (also lots and lots of water).

Most of that beer came to me as leftovers from my brother-in-law's wedding reception last weekend. He provided the beer, the venue provided the servers, and he overbought. Although I had a couple of these at the wedding, and then a couple more at Lake Wenatchee, once again this is the first time I've been able to sit down and be attentive to the beer. So here it is: Fremont - Head Full of Dynomite v39.

2x 16oz cans served in a big mug. Dated 07/12/22. Leftovers from my brother-in-law's wedding last weekend. The mug was a gift for being a groomsman in the wedding.

Pours a hazy light orange with a smallish head. Smell is mild, mostly citrus pithy.

Taste is a bit more lively. Citrus pith is there, but fairly soft; mango, pineapple, and bubblegum/melon are a little stronger. Light bitter finish.

Mouthfeel is almost creamy; smooth, light, clean. Overall...the series continues to be solid, but rarely earth-shattering. I'd place this one near, maybe slightly below, the 50th percentile (within the series).

Other notes: I have tried this beer while sweating in a fancy rental suit, and while sweating in a swimsuit, and while while sweating and unpacking my pickup from a camping trip, and now while comfortable, clean, cool, and dry on the couch. The beer performed equally well in all circumstances.

 

Here we go with an interesting brew from Allagash:



I think this beer was brewed in late Spring, but it was in the cooler and we did get a taste before buying.

Allagash Upward Movement. From the website - the Allagash Pink Boots team landed on an unconventional black IPA. This dark, hoppy beer blends chocolate and coffee notes with hop aromatics of mango and pine.

Pours black coffee dark with a luxurious dense tan frothy head that falls to a decent layer with some creamy peaks and some cling. Nice looking brew.

The smell is a mixture of good coffee, chocolate, sweet toasty malt, pine, and fruity. I do not get the usual Allagash yeast profile, but it doesn't seem like it would belong. Its not a layered smell. It all more or less hits at once.

The flavor is interesting and kinda fun. It is almost like a porter at first with the roast malt, coffee and very slight chocolate, but the hops want to play too and come on strong so the finish is quite like a traditional IPA. Hop and coffee bitterness combine on the end of the taste. There's definitely a bit of tropical fruit happening and I can go mango with that. a subtle contribution building an interesting top note to the resin flavors. Mango can taste a bit piney at times, so it makes synergistic sense. The net flavor effect is actually smooth, especially after repeated sips let things meld.

The feel is quite smooth and that residual foam layer helps - adds a luxurious feel. Its slightly drying, and the bitter is substantial but not overwhelming.

Overall this is a very nice beer. This is what Haunted House wants to be when it grows up. Its nicely rounded and clearly makes the IPA statement over the dark beer base. This is an easy 4 to 4.25 for me. Glad I have three more and might could go fetch another four pack.

 

I love when a beer performs under all circumstances.

Im still envious you can escape to such wilderness so quickly in the PNW.

Did the temp drop substantially at night or stay high too?

Oh and how were the stars?

 

Here's my first taste of Dirt Church, East Haven, VT.
Listed as an English Porter.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/61360/577881/



16 ounce can.
Canned 04/26/22.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 1/2 inch tan head over a dark, dark brown body with nice lacing.

Nose of dark malt and chocolate malt.

Taste mirrors the nose somewhat with a bit of caramel and a nice hop bitterness.

Feel is good.

Overall, a nice stab at a Porter, English or otherwise.

 

(1) The PNW is awesome.
(2) Temp dropped substantially at night. I think the temps fell into the upper 60s. Last two nights, I was cold around midnight-2AM and actually crawled inside a sleeping bag.
(3) Fremont performs, man. They're beyond a "safe bet" -- not sure what the right word is for a near-guaranteed return on investment.

 

Workhorse Prickly Pear Margarita - I am a big fan of the Gose style, Margaritas in general, and their regular Margarita version and while this has some age on it (canned on 04/18/22) I can't imagine that this will be bad and wow, was I right! Pours a hazy light orange color from a 16 oz can with a nice head. Smell is prickly pear, sea salt, lime. Taste is delicious and all of the flavors roll across the tongue and it ends on a nice salty and sour note; and on this hot and humid day it's really hitting the spot. Give me this over most IPAs all day every day and at 4.9% it's not overwhelming there either, reminds me of a session-able Founders Mas Agave with the Prickly Pear. Budmo!

*I will seek this out fresher to see how it may drink with less age on it but again, the age hasn't seemed to have hurt this beer at all.

 

Mine was bottled on June 14th so it was a month and a half old. Not too bad, but could be better.

 

We get Pliny the Elder here in the Philly area but only on draft.

FWIW I have read a number of BA posts which state that Pliny the Elder is 'good' up to a month from bottling and then rapidly declines. If you ever get a chance to purchase a bottle of Pliny the Elder with just 2-3 weeks of bottle age you might want to give it another chance, a fresh bottle might live up to the hype?

Cheers!

 

Bentonville Brewing's Grapefruit Wrecker IPA, 6.3% ABV; 3.62 overall

Pours a very effervescent honey color with3 fingers of eggshell colored head. Great head retention & lacing

S: grapefruit in spades, plus a little breadyness; fades as this warms

T: Pink grapefruit up front, some dryness & grassyness as well. Dry, grassy with grapefruit once warm. Finishes dry with some grapefruit & some lime

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation, body thins a touch as this warms. Alright balance

Drinkable, but not enough depth of flavor to get excited about. I didn't necessarily need more grapefruit, but I did need more body/malt

 

I would concur on the Freshness issue with Pliny

 

That is doing it in style!

 

Bourbon Barrel Aged Imperial Mayan Mocha from Oddside, a gift from @superspak in NBS BIF #15, and my special way of celebrating my appreciation for Willis Carrier, the inventor of air conditioning (as my 11-year-old daughter informed me).

12oz bottle poured into a WABL sample glass. Dated 09/27/18.

Pours black with a roughly three millimeter head that collapses into a light dusting with a fairly thick ring. Smell is boozy, burnt caramel, vanilla, cinnamon.

Taste is cinnamon and spicy. Moderate to high sweetness, leaning toward vanilla / butterscotch. Some sweetened coffee character.

Mouthfeel is medium-ish. Smooth, maybe a little sticky. Overall...I'm always leery about a beer that says cinnamon on the label. I think with nearly four years on it and a habanero kick, the cinnamon is balanced out reasonably well.