New Beer Weekend #133

Central Waters Brewing Twent Five: Variant. Rye barrels with Door County cherries and cocoa nibs. I like the black label better than the silver label on the regular version of Twenty Five. The look is midnight black with a two-finger light reddish-brown foamy cloud covering. The smell is very strong with cherry. Vanilla, chocolate, graham cracker, and rye whiskey follow a few steps behind. The taste is very strong with cherry. Too strong. A bomber may be too tough to finish in one sitting. There are minimal flavors of chocolate, graham cracker, and rye whiskey, but they are mostly hidden by the cherry flavor. The mouthfeel is oily, thick, creamy, and full, with minimal carbonation. Overall, cherry BA stouts are hard to pull off successfully. This one is good, but regular Twenty Five is absolutely incredible. This beer would be good for a bottle share. I will revisit this beer next summer in Door County, WI, to see if the ambiance alters my experience. Since most people who live and visit there are from Illinois, hopefully @ChicagoJ can introduce me to some people who would like to split a bottle with me. And who own a boat.

 

I went digging around in the cellar to see if I could dig up an older beer that was both new to me and appropriate for the Cellaruary thread, and this 2016 bottle of Juliet by Goose Island fit the bill.

Bottle description: "A wild ale aged in wine barrels with blackberries, tart and jammy with notes of rye, oak and tannins"

3.52/5 rDev -17.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Bottled April 15, 2016. Nice, bright dirty orange beer with excellent clarity and a short amount of fizzy head. Aroma is all kinds of musty funk, barrels and jammy fruit. Taste is largely what I would have expected based on the nose, with plenty of acidity, funk and oak. While I know blackberries were used, I can't detect them (go figure for an almost 7 year old beer). Light and effervescent.

Overall, good, but not great. Given the high level of acidity it will be interesting to see if I can knock out this entire 765ml.....we'll see.

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Hopefully I'll be back for more new beer tomorrow, but tonight is likely to be a long night. A friend of mine has a great basement set-up and we get together periodically for a pinball night. It's usually on a weeknight, but we're doing it on a Saturday for I think only the second time. Last time it was on a weekend I didn't get home until 3:30 in the morning. Time flies when you're hanging out having a few beers, playing pinball & shuffleboard etc.

 

Night Method
6% espresso milk stout by Wolf’s Ridge

Poured from a twelve ounce can, the body is a dark black with a light tan head. Very good lacing throughout the tasting.

Aroma features fresh roast coffee and light notes of sweet chocolate.

Taste follows nose and the coffee is nicely complimented by a bitter char flavor which should thrill espresso and dark roast fans. A bit of lactose after swallow provides an easy finish. No overly sweet tones in the taste.

Good mouthfeel and carbonation make this one an excellent choice for coffee and coffee stout fans.

 

This is a new beer for BA and a new brewery for me. Jurassic Dark by Stellwagen Beer Company of scenic Marshfield Mass. It's a Schwarzbier!



4.1/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
A sturdy pour released a finger of light tan creamy foam with long retention and sticky swatches of lacing. Very dark brown almost black color, clear with orange-ruby highlights.

Dark bread, herbal hops and cocoa greats the nose with coffee, chocolate and toasted grains.

Neutral taste with above average bitterness, roasted character is bold but not astringent. Much of the bitterness is from hops. Not as much coffee as in the smell, chocolate and toasted grains remain. Bitterness and dryness build in, the finish is quick and clean of flavors. The aftertaste is dry with bitterness slowly dropping off.

Medium light bodied with soft carbonation. Great balance of sweet and dry (until the dry finish), hop and roasted malt bitterness. Smooth easy drinker, alcohol is almost undetectable.

 

Thanks @AzfromOz for opening the taps

Green Machine by Tree HousevBrewing




4.43/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5
Brewers Notes: Green Machine is a harmonious union of our beloved Green and Juice Machine. It carries a highly distinctive Tree House flavor profile, drawing on the very best attributes of both and using the best of our hand-selected ingredients. We experience an extremely tropical nose; the flavor follows closely behind with intense notes of ripe pineapple and citrus. A soft and supple mouthfeel truly sets it apart. Cherish, and enjoy!

Green is described by TH as a cross-continental IPA. Made with Australian and American hops, this citrus heavy IPA opens up in the glass with notes of pineapple, tangerine, and orange rind. It’s sharply bitter and nearly 8% ABV. .The name comes from the initial batch in which, post boil, the wort looked green from so much hop particulate floating around.

Juice machine is described by TH as Juice Machine was originally devised and brewed to support our very first trip to Extreme Beer Festival in 2014. We’ve revived and tweaked the original recipe on a 30 BBL scale and brought new life and experience into the idea of an obscenely hop saturated yet juicy and delicate Double IPA. It is essentially a marriage of the King Julius malt bill with a hopping intensity schedule similar to that of Very Green. The use of Magnum, Columbus, Amarillo, Citra, and Galaxy creates perhaps our most complex drink with unapologetic flavors of tangerine, mango, lime, papaya, and grapefruit with waves of dankness. Hop burp nirvana, indeed.

Canned 1.2.23, opened 2.4.23, poured into a pretentious beer glass . Purchased a 4 pack in Tewksbury for about $21

Pours a thick , dense , rich mango juice purée with a one finger off white foam cap. Recedes and leaves spotty lacings

Aroma is tropical fruits, pineapple

Taste is tropical fruits. , pineapple, mango with a dry Dank finish

Smooth mouthfeel , semi dry finish , hop bite that nicely lingers on the middle of the tongue



Good beer

 

Loving the Northeast US coldsnap, but I am aware that it is dangerous and/or costly to some. Hope you BAs that are in it are doing okay with it.
Working through a TH haul from last week. This beer came in a mixed pack of other things I wanted and I was not aware of its existence before the purchase.

4.27/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 16oz can stamped THE 90’S WHERE THE BEST DECADE EVER, 12/27/22 (the first part is debatable, but we have to take their word that they canned it on that date). From the can it went to a Nonic at fridge temperature.
The gold body is slightly hazy but translucent. A pure white head of ¾” sits on top. There is generous, but not spectacular lacing through the session.
The aroma is a pretty nice Citra dominated combination of lemon and over-ripe melon. Someone should make a car air freshener dangling thingy that smells like this.
The taste is similar but with a nice drying hop finish. Another beer that goes from sweet to bitter in its trip over the tongue.
Mouthfeel is medium to large with good carbonation.
Overall this scratches the NEIPA itch pretty well.

 

Inspired by @defunksta, today's beer battle tasting is between two heavyweight BA cherry imperial stouts, from two of the finest breweries of the genre. My thoughts on Central Waters Brewing Twenty Five: Variant are earlier in this thread. Too much cherry. Let's see how Founders Brewing KBS Chocolate Cherry compares. The look is eternal black, with a three-finger light reddish-brown hairstyle, that leaves nice lacing. The smell is more chocolate than cherry. A nice blend that includes coffee, vanilla, and bourbon. The taste is pure KBS. It tastes like the original, with a hint of cherry flavor. Chocolate, graham cracker, coffee, and vanilla. The mouthfeel is oily, creamy, thick, full, and smooth, with light-medium carbonation. The winner... Founders Brewing KBS Chocolate Cherry. This is like the Detroit Lions coming to Lambeau Field and dominating the Green Bay Packers. It is unfortunate when Michigan beats Wisconsin in a competive endeavor that Wisconsin should have won, but it happens. All you can do is respect it.

 

Whoa!?!

But you gotta breathe:



If you don't breathe you're not alive. And being not alive means you can't drink beer!!

Plus, don't you need oxygen to split the beer atom?



Cheers!

 

I’d been waiting for a good occasion to open this one. I survived a three hour birthday party at Skyzone this morning that my 6 year old twins were invited to. I think that counts.

So, here we go:

Sante Adairius Rustic Ales Reverence English-Style Barleywine aged in Bourbon Barrels for 24 months.



Pours a deep mahogany brown with a modest head that dissipates to a thin ring around the edge of the glass fairly quickly. Appears to have substantial body on the pour.

Large aromas. Barrel up front, dry wood, vanilla, stewed stone fruits, a hint of red liquorice. Enticing.

Taste follows. Vanilla more prominent, blended with barrel notes, whiskey, tobacco, figs and dates. Appropriately sweet. Lovely.

Big body, with a surprisingly quick finish. Very good. The 13.4% ABV is not apparent.

This is a top shelf English style Barleywine. I’d be thrilled if I had the chance to have another. Just excellent.

Cheers!

 

Equilibrium Above the Clouds DIPA. As I've mentioned before on BA, I've recently discovered that I'm relatively close to the EQ taproom, so I've been confident in buying cans lately. And, lo and behold, it looks like they've started dating their cans (!), so I'm even more happy. This beer, canned 1/10/23, is one I'm really looking forward to. I'm prepared for the addition of lactose to give it a bit of a cheat-bump, but I'm all right with that.

Upon cracking the can, I'm hit with a huge aroma of mango from arm's length. It's been a while since an aroma was so pervasive and insistent; I remember the TG Sosus from 2020 packing a similar wallop. Appearance is hazy but not turbid, glowing gold under the light like the soul of Marcellus Wallace. Impressive head that leaves excellent lacing as I drink it down (see second photo). Aroma is dominantly mango up close, but with banana, vanilla, black pepper, and would you believe a little bit of lime?

Taste is more complex than expected, with aroma notes giving way to some light resin, orange, lemon, and cinnamon (!), but with mango still the controlling note. I wish I could say how it evolves as it warms, but I'm drinking it too fast . . . next can I'll try to slow down. Mouthfeel is predictably creamy given the lactose, but there's also a zippy effervescence that reminds me of the best Tree House hazies.

Overall, this is what I would call an incredibly well-executed, if not revelatory, NEIPA. I mean, it takes lot to achieve "revelatory" for me anymore, but I could drink this every day, for sure. FWIW, this will be added to my LIF box, which seems, at this point, to be @ovaltine's, unless anyone else throws their hat into the ring. Well worth seeking out, especially now that we have can dates!

 

Finally NBW (New *Batch* Weekend) has arrived. End of January usually means the arrival of a couple once a year favorites.

Here’s JA’s Sunny Ridge



This was stored in cellar but given how cold it has been it’s colder than ideal which is causing a smidge more haze than is traditional. Still a nice amber colored pint, soft delicate pale head atop.

Smell is clean and balanced, herbal and spice hop character against some delicate malt sugar.

First sip and it’s same as it ever was. Gorgeous beer. Lovely malty body upfront which quickly peels back and brings up a complex bouquet of hop aromatics and pithy bitterness. It’s a nuanced beer, even while a smidge cold.

Happy Saturday. I hope to be back with more today or tomorrow. I’ll try not to just outright polish off this 4-pack hah

 

Not the way I shoud've started my Saturday, Jolly Fox Brewing's Lucky Streak Blonde Ale, 5.1% ABV; 2.51 overall

Good head retention & lacing

S: Apple juice/cider, raw doughyness

T: Kind of follows the nose, some woody hops fight through the sweetness & dryness up front. Apple juice & a little woody hop bitterness as this beer warms, a little grassyness, plus dryness

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation, weird, okay balance

Probably one of my least favorite styles, so I will take that into account, but not even close to a good example of one. Still far more drinkable than that IPA was. If you told me this was cider, I would've believed you. Drain pour

 

Ah, the power of vegemite!



Cheers!

 

Hello my friends; firstly @AzfromOz please keep opening this thread, I was cracking up, you are a talented writer and story teller. I'm finishing off my last few beers from @snaotheus because I just got a nice box of goodies from @Whyteboar show up on Friday in our little mini trade; looking forward to them.

I've been running around like a mad man all day while Mrs. Phish was up in North Jersey for a baby shower...good times...well she's home, thank the lord so here I am writing this post for a beer I drank while cooking up dinner. I think this may be only my second weizenbock ever tried, it isn't a style I gravitate towards as I prefer the lower abv and lighter feel of a hefe...this is why I'm glad it was sent to me Ryan, exploring a style I would've otherwise never tried. @ATL6245 I promise I'll get to Aventinus sometime in 2023...

Wayfinder - Bär (Weizenbock 7.2%)



Pours cloudy mix of light golden brown; big white head settles to a nice looking creamy layer.

Nose is yeast heavy, banana peel, sort of grain field aroma as well; very light hint of lightly toasted white bread.

The taste is lightly toasted grainy white bread; little bit of clove like spice and touch of sweet banana on the finish. The aftertaste is very nice, lingers around a bit.

Medium body but slightly watery; a noticeable hint of alcohol on the finish…I am sensitive to it so other may not feel the same; creamy texture and a surprisingly light quick and clean finish.

This beer was pretty tasty, when cold it was a little harsher but as it warmed the flavors became more balanced and it was quite enjoyable to me. Thank you for sending Ryan...see you all later tonight or twice tomorrow. Happy New Beer Weekend!!!

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PS @AzfromOz the fork worked great, went full on man tonight....

 

Something local - silver medal winner in its category. Decent - tried to rate to style:

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

Packaged on 1/10/23 - consumed on 2/4/23 - poured from a pint can into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Clear carmine body with scarlet highlights and a fist of wheat/almond stiff peaks. Fat tendrils of lace; sticky with superior retention.

Lovely malt aromatics with a hint of earthy hops. Toast, toasted sugar, faint chocolate, light fruitiness.

Pleasant bready malt character on the palate with a light touch of mellow hops, low roast, and perhaps a hint of esters from the yeast. Crisp, coppery finish.

Medium-bodied, well carbonated, somewhat tannic.

Somewhere between and American Amber and an Irish Red - a pleasant, easy-going ale better enjoyed with food (e.g. fish and chips or soft pretzels and spicy mustard).