New Beer Weekend #138

You’re intros certainly beat the stereotypical “morning paper” weekend mornings @AzfromOz thanks for the virtual beer trip

I’ll join ya later today, and by the way it’s so bizarre you’re talking about stepping into fall and we’re slowly stepping into spring, damn earth and it’s tilt.

 

Thanks for kicking off the weekend @AzfromOz ! Glad that beer held up for you after all those months, and hope you get a chance to enjoy more down the road that are fresher, assuming you drink the same beer more than once. It's one of my favorite offerings from 3 Floyds, but I have several.

I will return later today with my Saturday New to Me Beer, but just wanted to give a heads up we will hold a three week beer tournament called March Beer Madness you'll be able to find in the Beer Talk Folder, like all of our other Style Tastings. The tasting thread will open Monday.

All that is required to "vote" or participate is drink, photo and post beers you are enjoying among the 68 beers biding for the title. We will have fun, and crown two champions, The Overall March Beer Madness Champion Beer and Beer Advocate Tournament Champion! Check out the Planning Thread link below this weekend to learn more, vote and provide your thoughts.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/march-beer-madness-tournament.671808/

You can also vote on the format through Sunday evening. The primary open decision at this juncture is to curate or to strictly use the Top 68 Popular beers?

• Bracket - Other List or Curated Method or
  
• Top 68 of the Popular Beers List

The difference between the two lists are summarized here.

Thanks for your consideration, and I hope to see you join our March Beer Madness event next week!

Cheers!

 

Thanks @AzfromOz for kicking us off again, you always do a great job. Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass canned on 3/06/23. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow orange with a half finger sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace, with nice retention. 4.75

Aroma huge tangerine, mango, passionfruit, and apricot, tangerine dominates and not a complaint. 4.75

Taste fresh tangerine, mango, passionfruit, and apricot amazing really. 4.75

Mouthfeel is above average, soft gentle carbonation, maybe a little sticky, and at 8.3% it drinks extremely easy. 4.5

Overall this one is crazy tasty if you love tangerine and I do. The name says it all, Orange Treat. 4.75

 

I am all about drinking those as fresh as feasible

 

A couple of Surlys this weekend:

Surly Skeleton Key

Appearance: Clear dark ruby, good head.

Smell: Nice roastiness, then fruity.

Taste: Slow arrival, not immediately sweet, bitter, or roasty. Dark fruits surrounded by a roasty flavor mixed with some mocha notes. Medium-heavy feel.

Overall: A tasty big porter, Surly can and has made a lot of good non-IPA beers (even post-Todd)! A slow-building treat, nice mix of dark fruits and roasted malts.

Surly Cyber Wolf

Appearance: Black, good head.

Smell: Cocoa powder, pine.

Taste: Moderate roasted flavor to start, then then piney bitterness and a combination of piney bitterness and dark chocolate bitterness in the finish.

Overall: From the Surly mixed pack, this is a pretty good black IPA. The style is one I don't visit often as the roast/chocolate and hoppiness don't always mesh well. This is fine, but not one I'm super enthused about.

 

Some months ago, I added and reviewed Bad Astronaut Brewing, and wrote up some NBW reviews to go with those. I wasn't particularly impress then, though as these things go you need to give places more than one chance.

So ended up at Bad Astronaut again for a few yesterday afternoon.

Fire Net, Munich Dunkel Lager in the glass. 5.3% ABV.



Pours a dark ruby brown color. A small white head forms, and recedes to a ring. Not much lace left behind.
This has a very neutral nose. Some cereal grains and toasted malts.
Taste wise, cereal grains and toasted malts again. No nuance here, and its just very basic malt flavors.
A much lighter body than expected. Watery, with high carbonation. Not something I have to think about at all, its just a very generic character. That being said, something that is easy to drink.

I don't have a lot to say about this. Very basic in every way. There is no nuance to the malt character at all. With the style, I need something with more depth and richer. As is, something kind of grainy/malty, that you don't need to think about...so sure not bad. Can't recommend it otherwise as its just generic.

Overall score is 3.01, about the definition of average.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63715/644942/?ba=champ103#lists

I also had their pale ale which I forgot to write the name down, cause they are all so stupid and random I can't ever remember them if I don't. No notes or pictures either. So no proper review. Looking on their website or social media, they have no mention of it either...so I'll just say it was like drinking bitter soap detergent. Was not impressed with either of the beers I had. But hey, at least that have proper glassware, instead of plastic cups, this time

Can't say I'm looking to come back again though.

 

Is it spring yet?

Well, according to the calendar it is not spring until March 20th but there was not much of a winter this season in the Philly area – not a single snowfall of measurable amount so...

Which brings us to today’s new beer: Dogfish Head Nordic Spring IPA.

This is an ‘interesting’ beer on a number of levels. First it is fermented with a Kveik yeast which I suppose is a nod to the “Nordic” theme of this beer. In addition, on the can it lists: “Ale brewed with orange peels, juniper needles & berries”.

The Sahti beer style, which originates from Finland, typically is brewed using juniper in a rather unique manner. A wooden trough called a kuurna would be utilized as part of the wort lautering/filtering; the kuurna would be lined with hay and juniper branches. I was fairly certain that Dogfish Head did not use a wooden trough and through a friend who has contacts at Dogfish Head I further learned:

“We used the juniper berries in the whirlpool and ground them coarsely. We also used juniper needles in the lauter tun, but not enough to cover the bottom since the lauter tun is designed for maximum surface area and minimal bed depth. That would have been way too much juniper flavor. We added it to the lauter tun as the mash was being transferred so it would get hot-steeped and add flavor, but not so much that it overpowered the other flavors in the beer.”

So, between using a Kveik type of yeast and juniper (e.g., Finnish brewing) this beer does indeed seem to have a “Nordic” aspect to this beer. But how does the beer taste?

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

A hazy straw yellow with a BIG white head.

Aroma:

Enticing aromas of citrus, some pine and a hint of cedar.

Taste:

The flavors follow the nose with a combination of citrus, pine and hint of cedar. A moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel

Light-medium body with an off-dry finish. There is a hint of chalkiness to this beer.

Overall

I enjoyed drinking this beer, I think it is very good. It had an interesting & enjoyable flavor profile.

Cheers!

@RobH @rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @ESHBG

 

Especially with a "John Holmes" reference.

I wonder how many of the younger BAs understand it?

Cheers!

 

Good question, but with such stellar work as "Long Dong Silver" in his portfolio (Holmes) the classic film buffs will surely know of his full legacy........

 

Well now, it sure sounds like you are informed.

Do you know the other name that John Holmes used for some of his 'artistic' films?

Cheers!

 

A recent limited release from Pollyanna included this lovely beast. In their words: "We had a few super tasty Whiskey Acres Distilling Co. Bottled in Bond Bourbon and Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey barrels that (had) a new Imperial Stout aging for 20 months and decided it was time to awaken the beast lying inside of them. World class whiskey and a new adjunct infusion process led to the creation of these flavor packed "Barrel Aged Sinister Soul!"
The two variants are:
1. Darrel Aged Sinister Soul Vanilla Chocolate Rye Whiskey - 13.5% ABV - Imperial Stout aged in Whiskey Acres Bottled in Bond Rye Whiskey Barrels with Vanilla & Cocoa Nibs 2. Barrel Aged Sinister Soul - Toasted Coconut Chocolate Bourbon - 13.5% ABV - Imperial Stout aged in Whiskey Acres Bottled in Bond Bourbon Barrels with Toasted Coconut & Cocoa Nibs"
This is the rye barrel version and they weren't wrong.

Aromas of roast malt and rye whiskey envelope the nose coated in vanilla, cocoa, and booze. I can lose myself in this aroma with a smile on my face.

Flavors match. The adjuncts seamlessly align with the rye spice notes to evince an evenly sweet experience. Roast malts and whiskey are enjoyed completely side by side combined with vanilla and chocolate without devolving into bakery sweetness.

Mouthfeel is creamy and slick, yet still finishes with a whiskey remainder that needs no water back. No real booze heat, especially given the abv, yet it threatens.

Overall a great barrel integration and enjoyable sipper.

 

Nope. I saw that on the marquee at the Star Theater years ago with "Lady Godiva Goes West".I was bound for the little bar next door..

 

John the Wad is the only one that comes to mind…

 

I will award you a point here despite the missing "d". Johnny Wadd.

Cheers!

 

Good Day BAs! TBBW has been kicking my butt for the last seven days, so I’m (mostly) committed to staying home today and drinking a (another) great beer, this time in the peace and quiet of my own space…this morning’s new to me beer is a long time want - The Bruery’s “Black Tuesday”(2021):



Poured at 54°. Black body with some ruby see-through and good clarity; light brown rocky head dissolved quickly leaving no cap retention, ring nor lace; thick legs sheet the glass on swirl. Nose is bourbon and black licorice; boozy hot retro nasal; molasses as beer warms. Bourbon and bittersweet dark chocolate entry; oaky vanilla; molasses middle; hot phenolic finish. Hot mouth warmth from 18.9% abv; alcohol bite on tip and sides of tongue; full, non adjuncty body; silky feel, light carbonation; barrel dry finish. Overall, you better like boozy (and I do); layers of base and barrel flavors which are well balanced all but for the alcohol which is hot; dry oaky linger; definitely a beer to be enjoyed one sip at a time.

4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5 | 4.5
Score: 4.47 rDev -1.5%


My takeaway - I enjoy boozy imperial stouts, and I would drink Black Tuesday again, but this beer is perhaps a great share bottle among like-minded palates (and no one is driving ). Cheers brothers and sisters!

 

Good morning NBW
I would usually spring for a 6 pack of any black IPA that I stumble across, but there were only singles of this new seasonal at the store

Left Hand Black IPA
12oz can BEST BY 05/05/2023 poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass at fridge temp 7% ABV. The beer pours medium brown in color with chestnut highlights and light brown head. The head recedes to a thin cap and leaves lots of tightly webbed lacing. The aroma is moderately strong starting with pine followed by lesser notes of caramel malt and citrus. The taste is bittersweet caramel malt with just a hint roasted malt before the piney and citrus hop flavor pops through. Moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very good.

The normal complaints for this style don't apply here as the dark colored malt used has not imparted a dominant roasty note. It actually tastes like a malty, east coast IPA from the bygone years. Tasty and a nice change of pace. Cheers all!

 

A great opening for the thread, @AzfromOz. You have a lovely style of writing, and I hope you will continue to lead off New Beer Weekend whenever you can.
My local beer store has had an influx of Prairie beers. I've purchased several of their stouts, for which I am grateful. Today I'm drinking Chocolate Noir, a barrel aged imperial stout with cacao nibs and vanilla, with an ABV of 14.3%.
Dark brown color, thin tan head, no lace.
Aroma of chocolate, coffee, booze, vanilla.
Chocolate/chocolate fudge taste. Bourbon, vanilla, a little coffee.
Incredibly smooth.

 

I'm a bit ashamed to admit that this isn't one of my recent series of revisiting beers to write up reviews; genuinely the first time I've had it. Despite living in MA for almost 20 years, this is my first:

Allagash White, 5.2% witbier

Format and age: 16oz can purchased from a local store, canned Jan 31, 2023.

Cold chain: very good. Transported to the store in winter, stored in coolers at the store (at least the packs on display), transported cold, and kept in fridge at home.

Impressions: pours a pale and hazy yellow with a three-finger white head that dissipates to a lasting coating, leaving a nice lacing. Tons of grapefruit and orange citrus and spice on the nose. The wheat character comes to the fore in the taste, complemented by a menagerie of fruitiness: more citrus, a bit of banana, and maybe even a hint of bubblegum. Refreshing on the finish, leaving the tongue with a slight tingle. Medium bodied with a full, smooth feel.

Overall: this is one heck of a beer. Incredible flavor and texture all in a supremely refreshing package. This is the hazy beer that New England should be known for, not that other style.