New Beer Weekend #135

Next up from Gristworkz,

Cold Forge, Baltic Porter. 7.8% ABV



Pours a dark, nearly opaque black color. A two finger tan head rises with good retention. Lacing for days is left behind.
Aroma is espresso and roasted malts in the nose. Very simple, but enjoyable.
Taste wise, follows the nose with a nuanced espresso, creamed coffee like flavor. Some dark fruits like cherries in the mix. With a light bitterness lingering from the roasted character.
A full body with soft but noticeable carbonation. Ultra smooth, also clean, without being to heavy or viscous. A very nice sipper, but I can also have more than one in a sitting.

Well done all around. The malts are perfectly balanced with the roast and the softer espresso like flavors. Which makes for an overall really enjoyable Baltic Porter.

Overall score is 4.07, A-
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/58735/641314/?ba=champ103#lists

 

Looks like Absinthe.

 

Sion Kölsch in a 330 ml. can caught my eye this week. I haven't seen it in bottles at all.

The "P" date was 11/22, and best by 2/24.
Nice clarity with a short head. Slightly darker than the other Cologne kölsches I have tried.
Grassy and mineral aromas. It has a smooth feel. Flavors are pale malt, light floral, and the minerality. No fruit or other flavor notes.
It was fine accompanying a sandwich on a warm afternoon. Slightly more bitter and lacking the depth of flavors I've experienced in other kölsch style beers.

3.59/5 rDev -0.6%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5

 

White Mocha Daybreak by Wolf's Ridge
Cream ale with vanilla coffee and cacao

Poured from a twelve ounce can, the body is a clear yellow. Good carbonation and small initial head. No lacing of significance during the tasting.

Aroma was a delicious mix of coffee and vanilla with a hint of cacao.

Taste follows nose with an amplification of the vanilla and cacao. Despite these enhancements, the taste is not sweet and remains true to its cream ale style as it has a bit of hop bitterness. Finish and mouthfeel are soft with creamy malt goodness.

A solid variant of their popular Daybreak.

 

Hi NBW, opting for something pale to get things underway.

Urban Family brewing - St. Anthony’s Fire Rye Farmhouse ale (5.9%)



Pours a somewhat deep amber, predominantly from the sediment I poured off at the end. Big fluffy white head settling in.

Nose is spice, wood, a touch of ester, acidity.

On the palate it’s punchy and robust early and lends into a very complex balance between barnyard meeting pale malt and a spicy finish. It’s easy to drink and the elements all play together cohesively.

Nice offering. A tasty one to sip on albeit requiring mindfulness because of the prevailing complexities. A smidge here and a touch there: everything from rye spice to mild, balanced saison-y herbs, into pale, dry body.

I’ll be back with more I’m sure, here’s to watching tiger on a Saturday. Good stuff

 

American Solera Solero Crispy Boi Golden Pilsner, 5.0% ABV; 4.48 overall

Pours a hazed gold with 2+ fingers of eggshell colored head. Never drops bright, fantastic lacing & head retention

S: Bready, grainy. floral & herbal notes as this beer warms up

T: Follows the nose, some floral & soapy hops, grassyness, plus dryness up front. Soapyness & grassyness lead the way as this beer warms up, some sweet bready notes & a touch of lime peel. Finishes dry, crisp with a little grainyness & breadyness

MF: Medium body, fairly vigorous carbonation, nice balance

Great take on the style. I will put this in the Spring/Summer rotation for sure I I see it in six packs & fresh

 

Ooh, hadn't seen that Archipelago release yet - one of the first translations from Kurdish I've encountered.

 

Hi again.

Off Color - Very, very far (Belgian ale with mixed ferm white wine yeast) 6.0%



Hope this one’s not tart cos the nose sure is. Pale malt, white sugar, some even-keeled funk, a smidge of woody character. Esters.

Taste leads here astray from the nose. Malt. Delicate herbs and feint spice. Sweet. Mild esters throughout. Some yeast and hops, which present as chai and maybe some pale malt character. Lovely beer.

Finish is clean and dry. Drinks like a blonde ale with more charcter. This one is really asking for a finger or two of Islay to cut into the body.

Cheers!

Edit: Buy this if you see it, it's a lovely pint

 

Relax, we're professionals.... @AzfromOz Sebastian Bach is too busy getting high north of the border with the trailer park boys...



I also looked up that brewery and man does it look like a sweet spot to hang out and get some food.

Since we are professionals I guess that qualifies me to drink this beer from @Whyteboar poured into a glass on game night sent to me by @Coronaeus, may the better team win tonight!

Drafting Table Brewing Co - Professional Pilsner (German Pilsner 5.2%)




Pours brilliantly bright cold, very light cloudiness; big sticky white head forms and leaves some great initial lacing.

Big bright nose that hits with an incredibly vibrant herbal note, like fresh undried herbal; cracker like pilsner malt, lemon grass in the foreground. The nose on this is intoxicating and I'm guilty of using this analogy a lot but it is like fresh line dried laundry, absolutely beautiful nose to this beer.

Taste is very cracker like; water cracker but mixed with some of darker cracker notes, still carries lemon grass like herbal notes but with a big hefty dose of grassiness, tongue prickling black pepper on the finish.

Light body, incredibly crisp, snappy and very dry on the finish; beautiful vibrant tongue coating carbonation, medium to medium-high bitterness...the dryness is so noticeable it makes me parched for the next sip.

This has to be one of the most impressive German pilsners I have had in quite some time; it is very Jever like but with little more herbal kick from the hops. Man I could drink this by the gallon, liter sorry

PS Peter.... Go Leafs Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Been a while since I participated in New Beer Weekend, so here's my new brews for today anyway:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/7730/577144/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30179/625123/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47204/613421/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



Cheers everyone!

 

Still waiting on the little ones to nap so I can catch up on six nations rugby, and it's almost 5pm local...

So I cracked and poured this!

Grid City - Imperial Brown Ale



Pale chocolate malt seriously shines and steals the show. 8.6abv is only noticable once it's too late! Lol

Also shameless promo for BA discord for those of you not on it yet. It's a good time!

 

Awesome start to the thread @AzfromOz - really enjoyed it!
This is one I received from @Victory_Sabre1973 as part of NBW BIF #16.
Poured translucent pink but no head managed to form. Struck me as a little odd actually.
Aroma is still lost on my nose, maybe Covid related, don’t know.
The taste is all about the raspberry; started sweet and quickly went sour and transitioned at the end back to sweet. I had to wonder how they did that.
The feel was very good, quite quaffable and I enjoyed it quickly.
Cheers all!

 

Social Project Brewing's Drifting Into The Abstract Imperial Pasty Stout with Chocolate Cream Cookies. 10.2% ABV; 3.93 overall

Pours an effervescent ebony with a pinky of caramel colored head. Below average head retention & lacing

S: Oreos, fades a little down the stretch

T: Follows the nose, some toasty coconut notes, & dryness up front. As this beer warms, I a m getting a little saltiness, & some smokiness, plus more Oreos, dryness & just a little booze around the edges. Finishes a little dry with a whisper of booze, Oreos & some salty notes. a detractor

MF: Medium body, delicate carbonation, really thickens up as it warms

This was better on tap last weekend. got more coconut & no saltiness. Still pretty drinkable

 

Stonehouse coffee stout by Big Axe brewing


3.74/5 rDev +4.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz chilled Can received from @victoty_sabre1973 via bif16

Poured into a snifter , dark cola brown liquid with a one finger brown foam cap that quickly fades , taupe island floats , scant lacings

Aroma is coffee , roasted malts, chocolate notes

Taste is roasted malts, coffee, hint of bittersweet cocoa

Sudsy mouthfeel, bitter coffee feel, settles down on the finish , medium body

Flavorful Coffee forward stout

Nice beer

 

I’m cooking baby back ribs on the Weber and fighting a bit of a cold, so one and done for me on this weirdly gorgeous February evening in Northern Indiana (we have zero snow on the ground).

Let’s see what one of my favorite breweries has in store for me with this one off from their most iconic beer.



4.09/5 rDev +3.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a hazy orange color, but not in the NEIPA sense of a “hazy,” but an unfiltered hazy look. The sudsy white head leaves a bit of lacing.

The nose features mango, pineapple, some tangerine, and a bit of passion fruit, and those flavors are where the taste lands, with the mango and tangerine most prominent and delicious, but I’m partial to those flavors, so take that into consideration.

The mouthfeel is medium and a bit pillowy. I’m glad I tried it, and I’d drink it again, but I’m not sure it fits squarely in the NEIPA bucket.

 

Woke up with some cold symptoms and it was early, so I took the sever cold Nyquil; 5 hours later I was ready to actually leave the house, still took another hour to get my crap together.

 

Hey NBWs
Nice opening @AzfromOz really enjoyed it as much as I’m enjoying a new to me beer.

MI6 from Kettlehead Brewing Co. out of Tilton, NH.
DIPA alc 8% by volume

Poured from a can dated 1/9/23 Goldeneye
Cloudy thick appearance, golden yellow, white fluffy head medium lacing and thin cap

Aromas of citrus, melon, guava, papaya and hemp

Taste is tropical and sweet mandarin orange. Not really sweet not real bitter, neutral

Mouthfeel is smooth and chewy, layered flavors, creamy. Finishes with a hint of astringency and a sweet prickly lingering feel.

Overall this is a very nice easy drinking beer, nice balance of flavors, a tropical juice bomb.

4.5/ 4.25/ 4.25/ 4.25/ 4.25 4.27 rDev -0.02%