New Beer Weekend #136

New Beers from Tired Hands: Austere Modular 12A & Austere Modular 12B

Below is a post I made in the cask beer thread with the last paragraph discussing two new beers from Tired Hands:

I attended the annual (except for he past 2 pandemic years) Philly German Bierfest yesterday at the German Society of Pennsylvania. There were a number of beers served via cask (gravity pour).

Below is a photo of two German beers: Weihenstephaner Korbinian on the left and Andechs Doppelbock on the right.



And here is a photo of Mainstay Poplar Pils with the co-owner & brewer of Mainstay Brian O'Reilly:



There was also a cask of Human Robot Hallertau Pils as well (which I did not photograph).

All of these beers served on cask were very good – excellent.

The highlight of this event for me was the opportunity to drink two beers from Tired Hands as a side-by-side: Austere Modular 12A and Austere Modular 12B. Both of these beers featured Perle hops (with one of the two also have a bit of Hallertauer Mittelfruh as well) but the notable difference was that 12B aged in an oak foudre. I really, really enjoyed both of these beers! On the first go around I thought I enjoyed the oak aged version better but I went back for a second pour(s) I thought the non-oaked version was better. Both versions were excellent.

Prost!

 

Happy NBS is finally old enough to vote and/or drink in certain provinces!! Thanks for getting us started @NorsemanOne, and thanks for the historical context @jvgoor3786 and @ChicagoJ. 18 years. That's a long time. I haven't been here that whole time, but I'd guess that I've been poking around off and on for more than half of it!

Several weeks back, there seemed to be a run here on czech-style dark lagers, so when I saw this beer on the shelves on our weekly grocery run, I figured that was inspiration enough for me and I grabbed it. Well, it's sat in my fridge for the last month plus, as I don't really drink nearly as much as I used to in general, and especially have not been able to join in this weekly roundtable much lately as all between work and family stuff. But today, I am! Joy. For me, anyway. Y'all can deal with it. As kismet would have it, it seems there are several other CDLs (not talking driving) on the board today as well. So I shall join in!

Tmave Pivo from Lucky Envelope, in collaboration with Bottleworks bottleshop, and Weathered Souls Brewing (who I think, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I think they were the brains behind the Black is Beautiful series that everyone was brewing a couple of years back?), Evan Rail ( Czech beer aficionado), and Annie Johnson (who I guess is their friend, and I'm not sure if I'm supposed to recognize her beyond that).



The pour looks darker in the picture than it was in meatspace. IRL, if held up to the light, it was more of a crisp mahogany/cherry/garnet kind of range of things. You can see that big ol' lovely head, too, and rest assured it's slow descent into madness leaves plenty of lacy tracings along the glass as it goes down.

Nose is lightly roasted grains with an undercurrent that I can only describe as 'lager-y' (I've never really been able to pin down just what it is that gives me that impression, or find a better descriptor. The limitations of a feeble mind, I suppose). Mild sweetness in there too, but nondescript enough not to be able to really identify from where it originates.

Flavour brings the roast up a little bit, but even still just to kind of moderate levels. There's a nod to fruitiness that curtails before turning to the sweet aspect of the fruit, staying in a more stolid dry/bitter range. Think the difference between prunes and plums (though it is not truly either). It comes towards the end into a fair amount of much darker inclinations, that could be interpreted somewhere in the range of char and dark dark coffee. There's again a light fruitiness to it without getting too sweet. Towards the end it gets a swell of bitter citrus pith that carries through to the finish which builds on itself into a lingering bitter aftertaste.

Body is a little thin, carbonation is appropriately small to augment without distracting or anything. Finish is dry and bitter.

This is one where it feels like the finish product is greater than the sum of its parts, and my final feelings are better than the score I assigned it. It's got interesting complexity. I don't know the CDL style really at all, so I can't speak to it's adherence to intentions, but I find myself enjoying it even if I'm not blown away by it. The more I work through the glass the more I find myself enjoying it.

Cheers, y'all!


In honour of the weather this morning (it's not 17", more like a wet dusting up to maybe an inch, but still it was the first song that popped into my head).

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Late to the party again, but I am on the road today in the Brainerd lakes area.

At Jack Pine Brewing enjoying this

Big Buck Barleywine - Jack Pine Brewing- Baxter, MN - 10%

This is amazing! How can it be so hoppy at 6 years old? This is amazing!
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30161/126251/

4.4/5 rDev +11.7%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
2017 release consumed on 2-26-2023 at the taproom
Murky looking pour. Hints of amber, brown and golden in the pour. There's a bit of head that's slightly off white. Fluffy, cloud like looking with small bubbles. There's great lacing that clings to the glass like superglue.
The aroma is malty. Lots of caramel and toffee.
Flavor is caramel and toffee. There's an earthiness to this beer. The backside is full of bitterness, which is surprising considering the age.
The body is very full. While there's no burn, you know it's a sipper. The hop feeling lingers.
Amazing beer.

I will be back later for more

 

Congratulations on your twins' achievement! Nice to see a proud daddy.

 

Good afternoon NBW
I was intrigued enough to purchase a six pack of this beer based on it's description and Revolution's reputation. I am not disappointed.

Revolution Repo Man
12oz canned JAN/10/2023 poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 6.4% ABV per label. The beer pours opaque black with nearly no light penetration and light brown head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. Splotchy lacing covers the glass as the liquid level retreats. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring roasted malt in the form of coffee and dark chocolate plus the earthy rye. The taste is chocolaty rye, simple and delicious. Mild bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, delicious style defying beer.

Rye beers of all kinds used to be more common and I've always loved them. I'm not sure I remember a rye + roasted malt combo, but this one is really good. Cheers!

 

A nice warm day, but very windy. 30-40 mph sustained winds, with gusts to 70. The Organ mountains are obscured by dust. Fortunately, we have power.
Today's new beer is Saison from Baere Brewing Company in Denver.
A hazy yellow color. Huge, fluffy white head that recedes quickly, leaving a little lace.
Aroma of bread and fruit.
Taste is lemon, bread, a little spice.
Dry finish.
Nice beer!

 

Our local place made one a few months back too, a nice 5% rye stout, it was delicious. It too was the first I ever came across just a regular old normal abv rye stout combo.

Congratulations on your twins, they must have pretty good parents . Hopefully this week brings you a little more catch up time, solo parenting days are exhausting.

Gosh I hope that box shows up in the next few days, if not, oh well. It may be the first ever box I have sent that never arrived. That is pretty good odds cause I'm well over 100 I would guess.

 

Got a late start to the drinking this weekend so only now sitting down to my first proper pint. As no one got annoyed with me last weekend for taking this approach, here's another beer I'm treating as if it were new to write up a review. Unfortunately, it is also my penultimate pint of the variety as Springdale is now closed.

Springdale Brig Mocha Stout.

Format and age: 16oz can purchased from the brewery in Dec 2022, canned Oct 25, 2022.

Cold chain: excellent. Stored cold at the brewery, transported cold, kept in fridge at home.

Impressions: pours black/very dark brown at the edges with a short-lived tan head. Aromas of chocolate, roasted coffee and malt. Starts with mildly bitter chocolate and lactose sweetness. As it warms, it opens up and balances much more nicely between the roast and bitter flavors of chocolate, coffee, and malt, and sweetness from lactose. Medium to full bodied with a soft and smooth texture from the oats and lactose.

Overall: a great breakfast stout. I always thought that Springdale should brand this as a breakfast stout instead of a mocha stout (what even is that?) as it is much more in that tradition than it is a dessert or pastry stout. Very sad to see this one go by the wayside, but hopefully Springdale can be reborn sometime soon.

 

Back again, and at 14 Lakes Brewing in Crosslake, MN. I have had the base beer of this, and this is the barrel aged version.

Dark Shores Barrel Aged Imperial Stout- 15% ABV - 68 IBU.

I wasn't the biggest fan of the base beer. This is an upgrade. There's a lot going on here with flavors of apple and pear that I didn't expect from the style. This beer is boozy as heck, and I am only halfway done with a 5oz pour of it. You have to take your time with it.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50636/642569/

4.23/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
This is the barrel aged version of the base beer.
This beer pours pitch black. There's a hint of a head in the glass, as expected with such a high ABV.
The nose is interesting. I get some vanilla, and chocolate, but I also get green apple and pear. I get a hint at how boozy it is.
The flavor is like the nose. I get chocolate, vanilla, pear, apple, caramel and toffee. The apple and pear surprise me. It is 68 IBU, but I don't get the bitterness.
The body is boozy as heck. No way would you do anything but sip it.
Delicious, but be prepared for it. It is strong.


I will be back for more after I get home in a few hours.

 

oh those fuckers come through...they fit stovepipes perfectly!
as for the one on the downtube ; since it sits at that 45° degree angle you gotta smash half the stovepipe before riding off and it makes for a fun take off plus excitement for the one on the seat tube waiting for you.
bike rides to / from the gym are great especially if you have a fun bike .

i was a bike messenger for 8 years in Downtown LA so prolly have Stovepipe grooves on my bottle cages

 

Athletic Lite NA. Poured all over the damn counter when I opened it, gushered. The glass was clean, but got lots of bubbles on the side, yellow with a ring of bubbles that left no lacing. Nose is malty, taste follows, typical lager. A bit overcarbonated and watery. Overall meh.

3.13/5 rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3 | feel: 2.75 | overall: 3

 

Number two for today is one I’m eager to crack open. This is from another Fredericton, New Brunswick brewery, Trailway. This is Hu Jon Hops Heavy DIPA. This is the imperial version of their excellent flagship hazy IPA, Hu Jon Hops.



Pours a hazy light orange with ample head that sticks around a long while. Significant lacing as the beer is consumed.

Aromas are tropical fruit melange, citrus, pine, and some significant dank to round it out.

Flavours follow but with the tropical notes more mellow than on the nose. Citrus pith, and quite dank.

The body is medium with a slight creamy quality. Highly drinkable.

As expected, this is a an excellent imperial version of a great beer and I’d be thrilled to drink it again. Thanks @polloenfuego . Cheers!

 

I can't resist English beers and buy on sight even when I know I'm likely to be disappointed. My sixth beer from Ridgeway. Bad Elf Winter's Ale


500mL bottle stamped L24 221 poured into a nonic pint glass at fridge temp 4.5 % ABV per label. The beer pours bright light golden amber with nearly white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and island. Minimal lacing. The aroma is mild with grassy & barely skunky notes and pale malt. The taste is semisweet English pale malt with significant grassy hop flavor. There's a hint of orchard fruit coming through from the yeast and some minerality & skunkiness as well. Moderately bitter. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, mixed bag. Love the English malt and grassy hops, but the weird mineral & skunky notes detract from my enjoyment.

Cheers all!

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. Yesterday, my wife and I paid our first visit to Five Dimes Brewery in Westwood (Bergen County), New Jersey. I've been wanting to check it out since it opened last summer. Although North Jersey isn't large geographically, it's densely developed and Westwood seems a lot further than 33 miles from my home. But I'm glad I finally made it! Many new breweries keep it basic initially (IPAs, Porters, etc.) but I really enjoyed the English Barleywine, which encouraged me to buy cans of More Good News, a Belgian Blonde Ale. This is an impressive ale!

It pours a slightly hazy, bright golden-orange color with a big, fluffy, snow white cap and thick, sudsy lacing. Nice appearance. The smell is bold and Belgian-y with lots of clove and coriander, as well as lemon, banana, pear, and some musty tobacco notes. The taste is spot-on with sweet, fruity esters providing banana, apple, and pear. The clove and coriander nicely balance the fruity sweetness and add a touch of acidic bitterness at the finish. As the ale warms in the glass there are increasing earthy base notes with hints of tobacco and black pepper. The flavors are bold but compliment each other very well. This ale is medium-bodied and well-carbonated. And it doesn't drink like 9% ABV. It should be sipped slowly to allow the flavors to fully develop. Overall, More Good News is a very-crafted Belgian Blonde Ale.

I don't recall having a better locally-brewed Belgian Blonde.

4.3/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Cheers, NBW!

 

Love the glass!

 

Poured into a 20 Snulip glass canned some time last week. Pours a very attractive near pitch black, with a 2 finger sticky mocha head that leaves thin streaks of lace, with solid retention. 4.5

Aroma is fudge brownie, cherry, hazelnut, vanilla bean, and amaretto. 4.25

Taste follows fudge brownie, hazelnut, vanilla, cherry, and amaretto the fudge stands out with a little support. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, rather soft creamy carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 11.5% it is rather approachable. 4.5

Overall I feel like Kettlehead Brewing hit a home run with this one. You need to give this savory stout a try. 4.5

 

Here is a 7% Oatmeal Stout from Counter Weight.

4.13/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 16oz can stamped 12/07/22 to a diagonally cut tumbler at 55F.
A dark brown pour stream becomes a black body in the glass. A ½” dark khaki head of multi-sized bubbles lasts about a minute or so, but re-laces the glass on every tilt.
The smell is mild with notes of chocolate with some sense of the hops below.
Taste is of chocolate and coffee. Mildly sweet in the front, trending soon to bitter with a mild bite finish as the carbonation clears you out.
Mouthfeel is pretty good, not super creamy but right on style.
Overall, I don’t really like overly sweet stouts and this one is not, so I would buy again.

 

Greetings, fellow nbwers,

I've been a bit absent lately, with a lot of things going on. Most recently was a week-long stint doing some house and pet sitting for some friends of mine.

Lately, the weather in Spokanistan has been veering from nearly early springtime highs of almost 50°, to a couple inches of snow, to drops down into the single digits and into double digit negative wind chills, back to snowfall again and temperatures back up into the mid 30s. According to the NWS, it is currently 36° out, which is just warm enough to where once the sun goes down things are probably going to become an icy mess, with the amount of snow on the ground that will have just started to melt.

Yesterday, during my last day spent at my friends house supervising their critters, I had myself a couple Seattle-brewed IPAs that were new to me.

Hustle, from Fremont:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/20680/635568/?ba=woemad#lists
Not sure why I liked this one so much more than the majority of reviewers, but I did. Seemed like a nice interpretation of an old school WCDIPA. Of course, I hadn't had anything along the lines of that beer in about a week when I drank it, so maybe it was overenthusiasm at work.

Then I hit this one from Ruben's:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29693/638295/?ba=woemad#lists
Conversely, I enjoyed this one, but didn't think it was anything out of the ordinary, and was just a standard PNW juicy IPA.

 

Glad you enjoyed it. It's hard for me to judge which sours folks will enjoy from Taxman and Upland since I don't drink them at all...