New Beer Weekend #11

Oh man this is the beer I need right now!

Kawa with Blackberry and Lime Berlinerweisse - Astro Lab Brewing



Poured from the can into a goblet/tulip glass.

Super frothy rich head, billowing out like a balloon at an easy three fingers plus tall height. Creamy topped with lots of retention and staying power, clinging with a giant volcano mountain top and an off white orange tinted head. Body color is quite unique, mixing hinted pinky orange notes and maybe even some purple in there with and opaque and nearly turbid appearance. Real neat looking brew.

Aroma is surprising. Lots of graham and vanilla sweet like malt sensations, along with tart dark berried fruit and lime. Real fascinating character, but doesn't seem to have much classic Berliner character. Still it's impressive and real enjoyable.

Palate gets more familiar to style. Tart mid palate of dark berried fruit, blackberry indeed. Light tart lime and hits of oily zesty and even some rind flavors in the mid palate. Hits of light vanilla, some almost key lime pie like qualities to this as well on subsequent sips, but doesn't show up on first taste. Real nice biscuit malt profile which is unexpected too.

A unique berliner that wins me over after more sips.

look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25 | 4.2/5

Cheers!

 

Hope all are having a great weekend. Its been great weather here and went to the beach one day.
Treehouse Brewing Autumn Galaxy DIPA
Pours a hazy orange juice with a creamy white 2 finger head with good retention and lots of sticky lacing.
Aroma is juicy peach, mango, passionfruit, lime, lemon and grass.
Taste is passionfruit, peach, apricot, orange, lime and dark berry notes. Finishes earthy with pine and grapefruit bitterness.
Feel is medium/thick, chewy, oily yet fairly soft with a sprizy carbonation and finishing rather dry.
Another nice expression of Galaxy hops from one of the tops with hops.
Cheers!

 

Strata Dust from Barebottle.

16oz can served in a big snifter. Dated 08/17/20.

Pours a hazy pale yellow. Smallish head. Smell is pineapple. Hop resin.

Taste is following the same notes. Pineapple, tropical juice, hop resin.

Mouthfeel is medium, kind of gritty. Overall, not bad.

 

Last new beer for the evening... an old bottle of Mikkeller Spontancranberry. I picked this up the other night after the wedding rehearsal I attended... Berman's in Arlington, MA still had a few of these and Spontanseabuckthorn (mental note: need to go back and hoard the rest of those, as I remember it being fucking phenomenal), so I picked this one up knowing I've never had it. I have had at least three or four other Spontan varietals in the past... I specifically remember being able to get (I think) Spontanmandarin on tap in Haverhill, MA at The Barking Dog around 2014 when I was dating a girl from that area. But, I'm excited to see what this has in store for me. I fucking love the Spontan series, and I loved the "Danish-based" Mikkeller brand in general back in the day.



Pours a dirty copper color with some reddish, burnt-looking highlights. Good lacing and bone-white head that sticks around the entire time I sip at it. Lots of chunky sediment on the bottom of the bottle, but... like I said, this is an old-ass bottle. Says it's good for another four years, so I bet it's from 2014-2015, at least somewhat in that realm.

Nose is that of a definite Brett aspect with that plasticy farmhouse note plus tart cranberry pulp, just absolutely acerbic and wild with some horse blanket, rustic funk, and spicy redcurrant. It almost has a numbing element to the nose; medicinal and over-the-top in its dedication to being a dirty cranberry lambic-esque brew. Man, I'm excited for this one.

Sour, sour, sour... tart, acidic... you know the drill. It's not harsh, though! Very balanced flavors with some surprising oaky tannins helping null the lower pH here. Soft and fluffy wheat with more juicy cranberry and darker currant flavors. Modest bitterness and light Brett farmhouse-like character on order. Probably a touch more subtle and less aggressive than I thought I'd get from the nose, though it is definitely very tart. I mean, you're adding an already very sharp and biting fruit juice to a base that only serves to highlight that element. It makes sense is what I'm saying. This is fantastic. I need to go snap up all of those Spontanseabuckthorns and just let 'em chill for a while... they may be the absolute last of their kind in the world!

 

If nothing else you're getting an accurate representation of the Arkansas beer scene - inconsistent but there's gems if you know where to look.

 

Switching things up and going with a stout. I'm not quite sure how I've never had an Ashlawn from Fox Farm, but according to my check-ins. Each batch uses different coffee, but all are procured from Ashlawn Farm Coffee in Old Saybrook, CT. This particular batch uses a bean from Kasama Estate in Zambia.

4.2/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Canned 9/9/20. Pours more or less jet black with a very attractive, pillowy coffee ice cream colored head. Head retention was a little less than I would have hoped for. Aroma is nice, but fairly one dimensional, as it's all coffee. I'm sure more experienced reviewers can pick up additional notes, but not I. I don't drink coffee, so maybe regular coffee smells different than this, but if you put this in front of me blindfolded I would guess it was a cup of coffee, not a beer. That said, still smells good. Taste is coffee forward, but not as overwhelming as on the nose. This has a nice balance of roasty malt, coffee, and chocolate. Feel is on the heavier side of medium, and this is all kinds of smooth going down. Good beer.

 

I'm going to break my rule of posting a full review here on NBW. I just had to drive across town to the less "crafty" part of town to get a couple four packs of this...

Quick 12 minutes in the freezer and a fairly hard pour. Baker's chocolate, roasted malt and slight ethanol on the nose. Taste is delightful with more dark chocolate and slightly ashy roast. Feel is nearly perfect, might be my first 5 when I take the time to review. Overall, outstanding. Get some!

 

Poured into a 13 oz Nordic pint glass best by March something 2021. Pours a hazy dark yellow with a finger sticky white head that leaves big thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Smell is ripe melon, peach, papaya, pineapple, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows cantaloupe, papaya, peach, pineapple, and apricot really balanced and tasty. 4.5

Mouthfeel is bigger than medium, a tad sticky but not dry, soft gentle carbonation, and at 8.1% ABV loaded with flavor but goes down easy. 4.5

Overall this is one of the best Brewery’s take on a NEDIPA I have had. $13 a 6 pack and I will be getting more. 4.25

 

Back home and one more new beer for the weekend.


Coffee Vanilla Stout from Brickway Brewing.

Pretty standard coffee stout. The vanilla adds a tasty extra to this beer.

4.04/5 rDev +1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a nice brown color. 1 finger tan head. The head retention is good. No real lacing on the glass.
The nose has a nice coffee aroma, and there's a hint of vanilla on the backside.
Taste - Coffee is more up front. It's not as strong as i was expecting from the aroma. The coffee is backed up by a nice hint of vanilla.
The body is decent. Not too thick.
A tasty beer.


This is my last new beer for the weekend. See you all next weekend.

 

Time for more new beer!

The Harvest - Saison conditioned on caramelized figs and French oak.



Poured from the can into a Goblet/Tulip style glass.

Pale copper orange body color, somewhat hazy with a fleeting two finger khaki fine bubbled head that dissolves to a simple 3 mm big bubbled collar. Sits with some fast rising carbonation, and a little bit of an active top.

Aroma is a little closed unfortunately, and a bit subtle. Mild sensing toffee like caramel notes is about all that I can pick up really. Really closed beer sadly considering how it was made. Nothing faulty at least from what I can tell which is a good sign.

Palate is interesting. Light sensing toffee and caramel, with some faint hints of rounded oak quality. Mildly gaseous but also flat in feel a bit. Runs a hinting bit of booze, with mild fuit raisin like quality but is hard to distinguish or get a sense that is actually really there. Nice faint hints of saison clove, possibly sage, and some peppery heat which is the most noticeable on the swallow.

Decent and drinkable, but not all the highlighted parts are shining here, which is unfortunate.

look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.5 | 3.52/5

Cheers!

 

Today's (first?) NBW is Carrot Bucket , from The Farmhouse, a cream ale made with the fall carrot harvest.
I've had the base beer , Just Bucket, & Squash Bucket* , and liked them, but have always missed on this one. Let's see if it measures up

Right away, it held promise. I could smell it from about 10' away, with a mask on, as the bartender was pouring it
Okay, now that I've got it home :
A : Orangey-amber , with a nice creamy white head.
Like an Oktoberfest, but a bit lighter/less dense than the photo shows. Was also about half-again more head, but took some time to get the growler balanced & in the same plane as the glass.
S : Doughy/bready, light sweat cream, semi-sweet vegetal+fruit aroma - pretty much like a freshly-cut slice of carrot cake.
T : Hmmm? Like the aroma, but dryer, with moderate bitterness. Surprising, but I like it, once used to it.
F: Light, but not watery. Very fine, but pleasantly crisp/sharp carbonation bite.
O: This would be really good on a hot summer day, but I guess that's why there is Just Bucket & Squash Bucket* eh? Not the dessert beer I was expecting - dryer, more bitter - but good nonetheless.. Shared some with the neighbor/sister-in-law, & she was quite enamored with it too.

*No, not that - it's made with summer squash.

4.15/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/35315/511107/#navigation

 

Prairie Key Lime Pie Sour Ale, 5.0% ABV. 3.96 overall

Pours an effervescent straw color with near zero head, hazes a little bit. No head or lacing ever appears

S: Citrus & tartness. a little bit of fresh mown hay and wet hay

T: Follows the nose, some sweet vanilla as advertised as well up front, pretty darn dry. Limes, vanilla sweetness, dryness & tartness rule as this warms. Finishes with plenty of lime, tartness & just a little vanilla

MF: Light bodied with restrained carbonation

Pretty drinkable, I liked the sweet vanilla to counter the sourness

 

For Sunday, I have a couple of beers courtesy of @Roy_Hobbs in NBW BIF #12. He sent me so much world-class beer, I can review one a week well into (like “planting flowers” time) 2021.

What a generous beer nerd he and the entire group is that’s participating in this BIF. There are epic boxes traipsing around the country, and a lot the product of those boxes is showing up here in my favorite recurring thread on this site - and the “official” share date is next week!

If you enjoy trying new beers (which is kinda the point here in this thread!), jump into the next NBW BIF, which will be next spring. I did my first 4 years ago this month, and am now on my 9th. They are truly a blast.

On to tonight’s first beer. Suarez is the realio dealio.



4.5/5 rDev +4.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a gorgeous golden straw color with the slightest bit of suspended haze and a soapy snow white head that provides the requisite lacing expected in the style (at least by me).

The nose is a noble hop smorgasbord of bready, grassy aromas with a subtle lemon note and crackery aromas from what I’m assuming is pilsner malt. I am in pilsner heaven.

The bread and grass flavors are forward, and the lemon is more substantial on the taste, and balanced by the crackery malt flavor. Everything is perfectly balanced and finished with a crispy mouthfeel.

Suarez’s lager game is truly world-class, IMHO. They are more than worthy of the hype they receive.

 

Want to thank @MacMalt as he was the only reviewer of this beer on BA. Based on his well done review I gave it a try
902 brewery kurtos kalacs
..solid black appearance
...thin body with low carbonation
..aroma is roasted malt,roasted coffee beans,char,smokey molasses
..taste is not sweet like I would have assumed but heavy on roasted malt and black coffee. Abv is fairly high but didn't have a strong effect on the flavor to me.
..overall it was excellent but but would help going in that it isn't a typical milk stoutgif upload site

 

I’ve been trying to find locally I know it’s around haven’t found yet. All the reviews this NBW have confirmed I need to give it a try if I see it around.

 

Poured into a 13 oz Nordic pint glass canned 8/20/2020. Pours a dark orange with a finger plus sticky off white head that leaves some thick streaks of lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Smell is pumpkin, nutmeg, caramel, and cinnamon. 4

Taste follows pumpkin, nutmeg, caramel, and a little cinnamon.4

Mouthfeel is bigger than average, creamy, and really easy drinking at 8.6%. 4.25

Overall I like this more than the regular version, the nitro elevates it for me. 4.25

 

#2, also courtesy is @Roy_Hobbs, this is the base beer for the variant I had a couple of weeks ago. Absolutely love it.





4.35/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours black with a dark tan head that dissipates quickly. The nose has booze up front, followed by cocoa, then some stone fruit notes, primarily black cherry.

The cocoa and booze are forward on the taste, followed by the dark cherry flavor - and then, literally out of nowhere, some oak notes that REALLY elevate this beer.

The mouthfeel wasn’t as substantial as I thought it would be at first - it was almost a little watery when I first started on this, but it rebounded as the beer warmed and was commensurate with the style. This was a pleasure to drink, especially on a chilly fall evening in Northern Indiana.

 

Might not have rated it as high as @ovaltine but I’m loving this Suarez Palatine Pils from @EMH73!
4.34/5 rDev +0.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Thank you EMH73 for this
16 oz can, dated 9/16/20, poured into a mug

A- A clear golden straw with a small white head head.

S- Sweet bread, some biscuits, pilsner malts, slightly earthy, floral, a little herbal.

T- Biscuits, sweet bread, earthy, pilsner malts, floral, slightly herbal, hints of citrus.

M- Smooth, light to medium body.

O- Another great lager from Suarez. Very well balanced and

This is my last new lager for today, saving a big stout to help me get through the Eagles/49ers games tonight. As an Eagles fan I think I will need something strong, cheers!

 

Had to run out to the Walmart in Airway Heights. While there, decided to try the nearby Mexican restaurant that's been there for around 10yrs or so for lunch.
Had my first Bohemia.

Meh. It was what it was. Food was pretty unremarkable, too, unless a Carne Asada Burrito with steak resembling shoe leather is something one enjoys.