New Beer Weekend #124

Did you drink coffee while eating your Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie?

I was visiting for Thanksgiving and coffee was not offered as I enjoyed eating a slice of pumpkin pie but this might have been a good pairing.

Well, today I have a beer equivalent: Elysian Punkuccino Coffee Pumpkin Ale.

How this beer is detailed on the brewery’s website:

“A pumpkin ale with the attitude of a world-weary barista, Punkuccino packs a short shot of Stumptown coffee toddy in your pint with just a shake of cinnamon and nutmeg. Pale, brown, biscuit, C-77 Crystal, chocolate and kiln-coffee malts provide the body, German Northern Brewer lends a touch of bitterness, and lactose sweetens just a touch. Three pumpkin additions, in the mash, kettle and fermenter.”

Well, this beer sure does read tasty, let’s see if it is tasty.

Served in a tulip glass:

Appearance:

Black in color with a very thin khaki colored head.

Aroma:

There is a pleasant combination of pumpkin pie spicing and to a lesser extent some coffee.

Taste:

The flavor follows well balanced between the pumpkin pie spice flavors and coffee. There is a low-moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall:

This beer is very good – excellent! The pumpkin pie spicing and coffee flavors play very well together.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

 

Bad Astronaut in Houston just opened its taproom, and made a visit yesterday afternoon. The brewery itself has been distributing to stores and selling beers at bars for about six months now (it seems). I have had their West Coast IPA before, which is a nice if not very exciting version of the style. Here is an overview of the new taproom and a review of some of their lagers.

Its a big warehouse that has the production facility and big open taproom, just outside of downtown.





With plenty of pool tables, foosbal, and shuffleboard to play as well.



First up for me, is Cloud Punch German Pilsner, 5.2% ABV. Beers right now are served in plastic cups, ugh. Oh well.


Pours a clear yellow/golden color. A two finger white head forms with good retention and lace left behind.
Pale malts and bread aromas. With cereal grains, and light grassy hops. I like the subtle character, but it is also not the most engaging.
Taste wise, like the nose, pale malts and bread. Sourdough like, along with cereal grains. Some sweetness and grassy hops leave a light lingering bitterness.
A medium body with good carbonation. Smooth and clean at the same time, though I wish it was just a bit drier. Easy to drink for sure. I can come back to this with ease.

A good Pilsner that I enjoy and will come back to. Probably not my favorite made around town, but still well done, and can see why some people would like this one a lot.

Overall score is 3.77, boarding on a B+ from me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63715/621078/?ba=champ103#lists

Then I had Cruis'n Through, Helles Lager, 5% ABV.


Pours a clear golden/yellow color. A small white head forms, but recedes quickly. Light lace is left behind.
Kind of an ultra light aroma, as all I can pick up is some cereal grains. That is really it.
Taste wise, again, just some cereal grains. Even a bit of cooked corn. There is some sweetness, and kind of a soapiness lingers.
A light body with moderate carbonation. A bit of a slick and oily feel. Though despite some of the short comings, still something I can come back to with ease.

For sure, not the best example of the style I have come across. There is just not a lot going on overall. Though, its not really bad at all, just kind of there and on the boring side. Pretty average, but a drinkable average that you don't really have to think a lot about.

Overall score is 3.34, B-
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63715/622382/?ba=champ103#lists

Overall thoughts on the taproom, its a big loud warehouse that is reminiscent of the old way breweries use to be set up around town. Basically a production facility, and a space carved within to hang out. Though back then you could only drink with tokens you received after paying for a tour. I can't say I'll be looking to come back all that often, especially during the internally long summers in Houston as their is no air conditioning. I was never really a fan of drinking in the old warehouses of Saint Arnold or Karbach, but it was all we had for a while. Though I will look for more of their beers around town, and probably pick up a six pack of the pilsner.

My Places review if anyone is interested.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63715/?view=ratings&ba=champ103#lists

 

Schell's Snowstorm 2022 Mahogany Lager

Appearance: Murky brown/mahogany, huge head.

Smell: Earthy, mild dark fruits.

Taste: Mild sweetness, brown sugar, some earthiness, more fruitiness starts to come through near and through the finish, raisins. Lasting fruit and earthiness in the finish.

Overall: Always a treat to try Schell's Snowstorm each year, what style will it be? This year is a dark lager that is a half step below a doppelbock. Looks a little strange as it is not clear, but a good head. Interesting earthy/fruity flavor mix, kind of reminds me of a Belgian dubbel but with a more substantial body and feel.

 

And you can generalize that to all spices.

I personally choose to not brew with spices (with the exception of Witbiers) since deciding on:

• What brand of spice to use
• How much of a given spice to use
• When to add it to the brewing process (e.g., end of boil)
• etc.

A very challenging situation.

That is why I appreciate the efforts of breweries like Elysian here. I am confident that it took them several pilot batches to 'dial in' the spice and coffee additions in brewing Punkuccino Coffee Pumpkin Ale.

Cheers to achieving proper balance!

 

Happy Saturday. Some shopping and Christmas tree decorating on the agenda.
Today's new beer is Czech Dam, a Czech style pilsner from Woods Boss in Denver.
Clear gold color, large white head, some lace.
Aroma of crackers, fruit, and flowers.
Taste of crackers, lemon, hop bitterness.
Crisp, hoppy mouthfeel.
Very nice beer.

 

I went to the Schell’s website to learn (with bolding by me):

“This year’s Snowstorm is a menagerie of specialty grains with notes of sweet bread and spice. It smells of rich mahogany, and is best enjoyed while surrounded by many leather-bound books.

ABV: 6.7%

IBU: 25”

It does indeed read like a unique beer, maybe a ‘new’ beer style of its own?

Cheers!

 

Rye Barrel Brick Kiln


12.7% English style barleywine

Poured from a bottle, the body pours a dark brown with little head. Not much lacing.

The nose is a delightful sweet mix of rye, figs, and caramel. The taste follows nose and the rye comes through in flavor, but not heat. Dark fruit flavor and the barrel join to create a luxurious flavor.

Sweet without cloying. Carbonation is light and mouthfeel is lovely.

Perhaps not the most complex barleywine you'll ever drink, but it might be the most delicious. A must try for fans of rye and barleywine.

 

Thank you @Roguer for starting the thread, and to @champ103 for his beer and brewery review. I'm with you on the plastic cups, bring my own taster glass to Revolution on crowded Deep Woods release days and pour their 5 oz pours into them (they serve glass all year except the half dozen release days due to large crowds).

I don't see much in this thread or WBAYDN regarding Maplewood, but they are one of Chicago's top breweries, both in quality and volume, with their year-round regulars handled by contract brewery Great Central Brewing Company, a brewery I love as well. This beer is a seasonal first entered into BA four years ago.

Maplewood The Chill Air



Can Notes: 16 oz, 5.5% ABV canned 10/3/22 @11:38:43. Brewed by Great Central Brewing Company on a contract basis. Single can purchased at store temperature for $3.00 w/ tax from Beer on the Wall at the end of October, refrigerated thereafter until this morning.

Appearance: Multiple pours into a large Pilsner glass. Clear copper bronze base, egg-white head generous leaving lumpy lacing in it's wake. Persistent medium carbonation throughout. 4.25

Aroma: A bit spicy lead, cinnamon, rye, a bit of honey. Light in strength, enjoyable. 3.75

Taste: Malty, rye bread, caramel not getting the other aroma flavors. Hops contain sweetness, but not a discernable flavor. German Hersbrucker hops are noted on the brewer's website, but not very familiar firsthand with the taste profile. 3.5

Mouthfeel: Carbonation negligible a few minutes in, tastes a bit flat and watery. Near medium body, very light and easy drinking, malt with minimal hop interference. Malt lingers a bit. 3.25

Overall: Overall, this is a average Vienna Lager, enjoyable but not a special beer to seek out. 3.5

My planned beer for tomorrow is also from my "Chicago Beer Ground Zero", though a brand new beer by Revolution Brewing within a short walking distance from Maplewood (and The Beer Temple, DMen Tap).

Cheers!

 

Jack Horzempa -- Dubbel
Home brew
ABV: n/a; pouring temperature: 39 °F; bottling info: 4/16/22
Source: @JackHorzempa



A - 3.75 S - 4.0 T - 4.25 M - 4.0 O - 4.0

Mildly hazy, dark amber body; good carbonation; thin yet persistent head, white and spongy; excellent spidery fingers of foam inside the glass. Nice malt nose with a spicy element. Light caramel base flavor complemented with a delicious spicy note; anise and cinnamon; a suggestion of candi sugar; extremely mild bitterness buried deep within the sweetness. Medium-heavy body; nice residual sugar feel; mild hint of dryness in the finish.

This beer was given to me by one of BeerAdvocates more prolific posters. The man knows his beers and certainly can brew to style. Thank you, Jack!

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This is the third of five varieties of Jack's home brews that I've sampled. As noted in my review notes, he does a fine job of hitting the style notes of the beers I've tried so far (this dubbel, a Czech dark lager, and a Bohemian pilsner).

 

Farm to Fast, this is the 3rd review for this nice-looking Märzen by Tilted Barn of scenic Exeter, Rhode Island (home of R.I.s best IPA The Chosen One). I really enjoyed this one and wanted more but it is no longer for sale to-go in cans. The glass may have been cleaned improperly, there is a spot on the middle right of the class that is producing a slew of fine bubbles. As mentioned in my review this bad boy was drunk late in the season and will need to be revisited earlier next year. Cheers.



3.96/5 rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A 12-oz pour at the brewery was topped with thin eggshell white head with long retention and fat rings of lacing. Copper-amber color that shows gold-amber in sunlight, clear with small, cap supporting bubbles.

Bready smell of toasted wheat and grains, a bit yeasty with the perception of sweetness and medium-low floral hops.

Semi-sweet at first with medium-low bitterness. toasted whole grain bread leads the taste with rising dough and some wheat germ. Hop flavor is low yet balancing, faint unsweetened apple juice and pear appear. The finish is neutral (maybe slightly dry) with hop flavor dropping off first, the remaining tastes follow close behind. Toasted malt flavor lingers briefly.

Medium light bodied with lasting carbonation, great balance of sweetness and bitterness. Alcohol is well hidden; the aforementioned balance leads to a smooth feel. This beer has been consumed after Märzen season and they are sold only on draft now, no more cans. I suspect this beer is a little old, so I plan to get this one earlier next year. Sill very good.

 

Cycle Brewing -- BA SZN - Chocolate Orange
3 year barrel-aged stout with chocolate orange
ABV: n/a; pouring temperature: 45 °F; bottling info: 2022



4.38/5 rDev -2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Deep, dark brown body, looks nearly black in the glass, opaque; thin, light brown head, lasting; decent rings of foam encircle the glass interior. Nice aroma of bitter chocolate with a light touch of orange and tropical fruit. Huge chocolate flavor bursting with orange and lemon notes; chocolate brownies; mild booziness. Very heavy body; chewy and sludgy; immense residual sugar feel coats the palate; light alcohol warmth.

Cycle never posts the ABV for their barrel aged beers, so I'm guessing this one falls somewhere in the 10-12% ABV range. The chocolate and orange presence is at the fore and is nicely balanced with the rest of the beer's elements. The mouthfeel is amazingly dense and rich in texture. A very delightful barrel aged imperial stout with a nice touch of orange presence to add complexity to an already excellent base beer.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

...re: Cycle publishing the ABV for their big beers, I emailed them earlier this year to find out why. It boiled down to the idea that barrel aging can change the overall ABV and that they just don't have the equipment to account for that when compared to the base beer...

 

Dave, do you have any idea when the flavorings (chocolate, orange) were added to the beer. Three years in the barrel is an extended aging process. Do you think that the flavors would 'survive' that long of a time?

Cheers!

 

...the text of the June 04th, 2022 email response I got from Cycle Brewing regarding the difficulty in determining their barrel aged beers' overall ABV:


Info info@cyclebrewing.com via netorg5304821.onmicrosoft.com

Sat, Jun 4, 10:27 AM
to me

Hi Dave, the answer is actually slightly complicated but the short version is that we just don’t know it.

Something we have learned over the years is that high terminal gravity beers have some problems with measurements using basic tools like hydrometers because the density of the liquid will keep things like yeast in suspension, like humans float better in the Dead Sea, yeast floats better in dense liquids and what we actually get with too much junk in suspension are inaccurate readings because there is enough detritus to affect the bouyancy of the hydrometer. That said, with enough time solids do sink but that can be an exceedingly long time leading to gravities going up and down depending when you take them. We are still within a range and have a pretty ok idea, within 1 point probably of the ABV of the base stout as it goes into the barrel.

The next thing that happens after the beer goes into the barrel is is gains some amount of alcohol depending what the proof of the spirit that was in the barrel was and how much of that liquid there is both sitting with the char I the bottom and soaked into the wood. Every barrel is different.

The aging process we haven’t found a lot of information in the beer world relating to ABV changes over time, so while it would make sense there is a difference between the same beer aged for 1 year vs 3 years, we don’t know what that is only that we do lose volume over time.

Lastly, we take the barrels, taste them, and then select them to be blended. To this point we have:

A pretty good guess on the ABV when it went into the barrel

No clue what the proof of the spirit was, or any way to measure how much of that spirit there is in the barrel.

Some volume change over time.

A blend of barrels containing beers from different batches, with all those questions for each barrel.

This leads us to the conclusion that without a very fine piece of equipment like an alcolyzer which can pretty well measure the alcohol content of truly finished product we are doing better than throwing darts blindfolded because we know the potential for alcohol but we can’t state the ABV with the confidence required to list it on the label. Since the government has seen fit to not require this information on labels, and there is a penalty if you do publish it and you are wrong, we have opted not to publish and we can offer an approximation for inquiring minds, and the certainty that it is above a certain % that requires caution when consuming responsibly. Any small brewery aging their beer in barrels and not using a very expensive piece of equipment to measure the ABV of the product in the package is partly or mostly guessing and lying to themselves if they think they aren’t. It is eye opening to get actual lab tested ABV’s, which is how we learned how little we knew about ABV and barrel aging. The industry standard is to assume a lot of things that it turns out aren’t reliably true at all.

Hope this helps, we usually state them at 11 or 12% for different export tax purposes because we think it’s pretty close based on the beers we did get tested but if they ever tested and came back and said we were be wrong, I would not be surprised.

Take care

Doug

...I'm guessing that @JackHorzempa is sporting a woody with this info...

 

...I have no idea what their process was...I would suggest that contacting them directly may give the answer just as I did re: their ABVs for barrel aged beers posted above...the notes posted on BA about the beer gave this rather cryptic response: "...to get the orange flavor to stay crisp without being too much took some tweaking."...so, added before / during / after the barrel-aging process...???...

 

Is that an intentional pun since this beer is barrel aged!?!

If so, you are a punny guy!

Cheers!

 

...I'm just a clown...no pun intended...

 

Thanks for the opening @Roguer

Had to referee some soccer ( futsal actually) this morning…did I miss any good games this morning? Watching the Aussies and the Argies kick it about



Uberholt by jack’s Abby

4.24/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Brewers notes: TRIPLE DECOCTED LAGER
November Release 2022

Überholt loosely translates to old school, and for us that can be a good thing. Decoction is an old-school process of extracting flavor and sugars from grain, but we use it regularly to earn that signature Jack’s Abby flavor. This lager takes it to the limit with triple decoction mash that makes old school new again. American lager has little in the way of hop and malt character. A straw to gold, very clean and crisp, highly carbonated lager. Hop aroma and flavor are low to medium-low, deriving from noble-type hops. Hop bitterness is medium. Toasted, biscuit-like, and/or bready malt flavors along with low levels of fermented-malt-derived sulfur compounds may be evident.

Canned 11.1, opened 12.3, poured into a new Glarus pokal

Clear golden liquid with numerous active carbonation stream, one finger off white fizzy foam top that quickly recedes

Aroma is grassy, straw

taste is malty, bready, biscuity, slightly sweet, grassy

Light mouthfeel, crisp, dry finish

Good beer, recommended

 

That is one beautiful background right there @Amendm I spent the year right after high school living in RI on the naval base in Newport at Naval Academy Prep. I have a lot of good memories around that area.

I think it would be neat to get back up there one day having not been there since 2005, I remember it as a beautiful area.

 

Poured into a 20 oz tulip glass canned on 11/25/22. Pours a very attractive hazy orange yellow with a finger plus sticky white head that thick streaks of lace, with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma is papaya, peach, mango, mandarin, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows papaya, mandarin, mango, peach, and apricot. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 8.5% it is big on flavor, but easy going down. 4.25

Overall this is a very nice NEDIPA. I would recommend for sure. 4.25 Cheers all and thanks @Roguer for getting started this weekend.

 

Tilted Barn has a new and bigger taproom much closer to the highway, the old barn can be seen seen from the new place. I'm having a (maybe 2)The Chosen One after dinner. The pic was taken yesterday afternoon. Cheers.

 

I am very excited to try this beer. I can't think of any similar beers, and I am confident New Glarus Brewing will have executed the style perfectly. The color is dark amber with hints of copper. There was a slight very light brown foam top. The fragrance features gingerbread, cinnamon, banana, and apple. The flavor is gingerbread, fruitcake, cinnamon, and clove, with a light banana finish. The mouthfeel is bready, thick, rich, and full, with medium carbonation. Overall, this is a unique beer. The flavors blend together very well. It has the right combination of richness and sweetness. I really like it. @cheeseheadinMinneapolis, I believe this beer is worth you taking a trip east of Minnesota.

 

First beer of the day. BCBS Toasted from last year. I do enjoy Elijah Craig Toasted so I thought I would enjoy this more than I did especially because it’s already been in bed for a year. Lots of vanilla, black cherry, raisin, and burnt oak. The complaint isn’t that the flavors aren’t there. But, this is hot. Ive drank beers in the last couple months that were in the same ABV ballpark, maybe even a smidge higher and this one is just a little much. I like bourbon and I like bourbon flavors very much but I typically enjoy my BBA beers devoid of ethanol burn. 3/5 average on this one just because it’s got the flavor. Cheers.

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

I'll just jump right into the game with a beer that @Beersnake1 so kindly sent to me.

Infinate Wishes (2022) - Smog city Brewing - Torrance, CA - American Imperial Stout - 13.7% ABV

Ok, this is a heavy hitter, to say the least, which is good on this cold December day. There's a good flavor mix in here with cinnamon, chocolate, vanilla, and caramel. I get a decent burn from the ABV, but, yet, it's also smooth. This is delicious, and I'm honored to try it. Thank you!!!

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27922/154334/

4.5/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
2022 release - 13.7% ABV
This beer pours pitch black into the glass. The head is 2 finger and brown. The head dissipates fairly fast to 1 finger, and seems to slow down in going away more. What remains is a very sticky looking ring of foam on the glass.
I get a good deal of chocolate on the aroma. I also get a whiff of vanilla, and some caramel as well.
I get cinnamon in the flavor. Wasn't expecting that. That hits up front and lingers in my throat. I also get some chocolate right away, that seems to build toward the backside. Some caramel comes into play more toward the back, as does the vanilla. There's also some whiskey flavor that comes from the barrel.
The body is quite thick and full. There's some smoothness to it, but there's also a good burn from the ABV.
This is quite delicious and tasty. They do it right with this one.


This is likely it for today, but I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow after work. Cheers!

 

I swear some breweries don't even taste some of their concoctions containing spices and other "stuff". So easy to fall into the some is good, more must be better trap and just bury a beer with additives. Good to see someone keeping the deft hand here.

And the orange beer you were wondering about - I would suspect the orange exposure would be in the process - even an orange oil wouldn't survive three years of barrel aging without significant oxidation or degradation, and any juice or fruit would be even less stable. Could be wrong, but common sense- wise I'd think it was used late.

 

Larry, ironically I just posted in another thread:



I for one greatly appreciate proper balance in a beer but I strongly suspect that within the BA community I am a minority here.

Cheers!

 

I'm in that minority...and usually we aren't exactly silent! Easy to cover up a crappy beer with flavors - that shouldn't be the game.

 

On their way back from a trip to Victoria, British Columbia, my in-laws brought me (or us) this Triple Fruited Gose by Fieldhouse.

16oz can served in a tulip. My wife's serving is in the tiny stein from Japan. 123-126 146221656 is stamped on the can.

Pours a hazy light orange color with very little head in a ring around the edge of the glass, some carbonation, very fine. Smells like kettle sour and fruit juice.

Taste is orange juice, citrus pith, strong tart, and kettle sour.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, slightly effervescent, a little bit of a bite. Overall...if you like fruited kettle sours, I think you'll like this a lot.

For me, the kettle sour is pretty strong, but the juiciness is almost enough to offset it.

 

Samuel Smith Chocolate Stout 5% ABV

Dark brown color with a nice lasting frothy head.
Medium body with a creamy mouthfeel.
Taste has big chocolate flavors throughout, with just a hint of roasted malts. Definitely taste sweet vanilla at the finish along with some cherries.

Really nice low ABV stout. Even though its only a 5% ABV stout it still has a nice mouthfeel with pronounced flavors. Even though its a tad bit sweet, I'm still glad I grabbed a 4 pack!

 

3 Floyds Brewing Co. -- Dismembers Only
Milk stout aged in bourbon barrels with cocoa nibs, cherries and dried bananas added
ABV: 13.5%; pouring temperature: 50 °F; ; bottling info: n/a
Source: @jzeilinger (all for the sake of a Russian River beer or two)



4.07/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Dark brown, nearly black in the glass, opaque; thin, light brown head; solid foam sheeting inside the glass. Excellent dark malt aroma; roasted grains; mildly sweet chocolate; nice earthy sweetness. Nice, complex flavor; milk chocolate and bananas; moderate boozy phenols cutting through the sweetness. Heavy body; silky and creamy; velvety residual sugar feel; mild alcohol warmth.

A rich, smooth milk stout bringing some excellent chocolate and banana flavors to the palate.

 

Danksgiving IIPA from Magnify. From what little of this brewery I’ve had; they’re top tier. Shout out to Rob @MacMalt for the return fire in BIF 16. You nailed some king time brewery wants and I’m super appreciative brotha! On to the review:

Pours a bright orange gold with a huge rocky white head, excellent retention and sheets of sticky lacing. Nose is grapefruit, pineapple, big pine resin and bitter hop. Taste follows suit with huge tropical flavors. Feel is full but not chewy or mouthcoating. Carbonation cuts the 8% right where I like it. Killer beer! 4/5

 

Two Beers - Pilsner

12oz can served in a footed pilsner glass. No date that I can see.

Pours a clear light yellow with a moderately large head that settles to a kind of clumpy layer about four millimeters thick, lots of active carbonation. Smell is grass, grain, yeast -- simple but appealing. Maybe a hint of lemon.

Taste is similar, though with a bit of honey sweetness and stronger grassy bitterness than I got from the smell. Soft graininess.

Mouthfeel is light and clean, almost soft. Overall...I don't know that this beer is really objectively excellent, but it's excellent for me right now.

 

WBAYDN X-post. Had to enter this (new beer), and review.



4.19/5 rDev 0% (may have underrated this)

look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

L - See-through fire and bubbles; good lacing as it descends; good head if poured aggressively. Best of all, like most TRVE pales, IPAs, and some of their saisons, this thing has BUBBLES for minutes on end. Just still the only Colorado brewery who brews beer like Champagne.

S - A little muted, and not its overall strength or the best thing about the beer but the Idaho7, Mandarina, and Hallertau B hops do provide an interesting mix of bright Earth, green blueberry, and some citrus/whitegrape balance.

T - Where this beer shines with its appearance and feel - more of the dirty fruit hops of the blend hops here. Melon, orange rind, and some earthy blueberry notes echo that scent but more depth than the aroma.

F - Just fantastic CO2 management on this, stays lively on the tongue, palate, mouth, throat, all the way down. Great balance, no burn from alcohol or hops, just crisp-crisp-crisp. Finishes like bitter saltines. Awesome.

O - another banger (west coast?) IPA style from TRVE. Well done, peoples.

 

Bourbon county brand stout sir Isaac’s stout by goose island




4.5/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Brewers Notes: For years, brewers at Goose Island have brainstormed ways to incorporate figs in Bourbon County Brand Stout, but faced a daunting task due to their subtle flavor. After fresh thinking from members of the Goose Island E-commerce team, Melissa Alleguez and Ryan Hubona crafted a recipe inspired by Melissa’s childhood memories of stealing fig cookies out of her grandma’s cookie jar. Highlighting the dried fried profiles extracted from the bourbon in the barrels, our brewers used 10,000 pounds of Black Mission figs.

Pours a jet black liquid with a dense creamy one finger brown foam cap

Aroma is figs, dark fruit, graham crackers

Taste is figgy, graham crackers. Dark fruits, bourbon, roast malts

Mouthfeel is velvety, boozy

Great beer

 

Pecan Porter from New Barons Brewing in Milwaukee, WI. This is my first beer from this brewery. 6.5% ABV. The look is pitch black. I held it up to light to see if anything else came through, and it did not. Foam immediately disappeared. The smell features pecan, toffee, caramel, and milk chocolate. The taste is malted milk ball, milk chocolate, and pecans. Nice and easy. The mouthfeel is oily but light, smooth, and lightly carbonated. An easy-drinking, flavorful stout. This beer is just what I hoped for. When you go to a Milwaukee Bucks basketball game, you drink Miller High Life. But this would be a nice beer to have at the Fiserv Forum in between Miller High Lifes.

 

Here's a surprise!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9784/631385/



750 ml bottle with no discernible date.
Top of neck's side reads:
"46 22 45
03 39 2.2B"

Anyway, here goes:

Moderate pour yields a 3/4 inch white head over a slightly hazy, straw colored body with some lacing.

Nose of citrus, bread, wet hay, and a bit of peppery spice.

Taste of bread and a tad spice with a slightly peppery finish.

Good fulfilling mouth feel.

Overall, this is very well done and much better than the original can.
I hope this is can conditioned in the near future.

Go find it!!

Cheers!!!

 

Hey what's going on?!

Taking it easy this weekend, and luckily this year I am not as emotionally invested in the World Cup as I have been in the past. Enjoying some of the results, but I am fully aware of the FIFA bs and to some degree don't have a dog in this race as one could say compared to past competitions.

US got eliminated today, the right team won, I'll leave it that. The holiday season is coming full force, and I am scrambling to get ready for it.

I've been busy, and for once... I have more beer that I know what to do with let alone time to drink and try it all! I mean it could get painfull!!! baby steps...

That said, trying to put in some dents in my Ohio offerings and man let me tell you it's been some good fun.

Double shot this... what's new for our hero today?



Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Canned Oct 12th 2022.

Beaming crystal clear bronze body, with a brass dark orange glimmering shine. Reams of fine carbonation plentiful and lengthy, reaching to a foam forming superfine bubbled three to four finger off white head. The head creation is one of the tiniest I have ever seen on an IPA, nearly nitrous looking out of the can. Big classic retention and a cream top complete a near perfect look.

Tea and caramel notes on the nose complete a balanced aroma on first exploration. Soft herbs and a sweet hint of crispy caramel sweetness keep things solid. Not so much hop forward at first but slowly revealst it's self. There's some degree of exotic citrus and a unique sweetness that's hard to pinpoint. It's a very unique and distinct old school hop angle it seems, but very impressive.

Palate seem to be right on. Classic hinting West coast like flavor, sorta? but has a pine action East?. Soft caramel with some pine and citrus action and an aftertaste that is very unique. Creamy flavors in the mid palate with an excellent slow explosive heat of pine and astringency. The aftertaste bitterness really slowly builds and almost goes into a chile like experience of heat.

This is a fun and neat throwback of a beer. Very distinct and enjoyable.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 | Final 4.27

Cheers!

Who'd like to hold my clipboard? 'Pineapple' - Hoof Hearted Brewing



Poured from the can into a Spiegelau IPA glass. Canned August 15th 2022.

Muted sense of head creation for an IPA. Fleeting bubbles of bright white barely making two fingers with a quick dissolve an no retention at all. Opaque body, but not sludgy, with a nice shiny bright lemon yellow color to it as well.

Aroma is a big earthy note of hop, but doesn't hint of sweetness coming. Faint touches of tropical fruit as well, but mostly it's buried under this huge powerful earthy soil dirt smell. Big nose that nearly smells like a tree forest.

Palate though is a completely different animal. Soft bodied with a lactose touch of light sweetness, but a whole different hop flavor that really gets showcased on the tongue. Rich pineapple with a creamy sweet milk mixes wonderful with spicy bitterness for balance. Chewy and leafy touching hops of green herbs, with this pineapple juice flavor that doesn't come off like box juice either. Finishes soft bodied with a matching soft bitterness too.

Really neat take on this new evolving style. Not a sweet mush mess which is a neat surprise.

look: 3.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25 | Final: 4.05

Cheers!