New Beer Weekend #145

I've not seen Abomination in my native habitat and normal haunts, but I will sure be looking for them now. Heck, a road trip would not be out of the question. This can was sitting all by itself on the shelf at Tully's...the skeleton looked lonely

 

Almost through a moderately eventful weekend. My wife often works long days on weekends and that has been the case on this one. She worked from 10-9 yesterday and will be working from 10 -7 today. That means I do dad duties.

We went to visit their grandmother yesterday afternoon, and just as we were leaving, my son decided to touch the glass door of her gas fireplace. A lot of crying, running around and shaking of hand later, and he has two burn blisters that aren’t too bad, and a hard lesson learned. I enjoyed a great local hazy IPA last night, but didn’t have the energy to put down any thoughts.

This morning was swimming and now the kids are eating lunch. So, I have time to enjoy and ponder briefly a new beer. This is another one from the very generous @Highbrow given to me on his recent visit to Toronto.

This is Alvarado Street Biggie’s Bodacious Banana Split, an Imperial Milk Stout with Cacao, Vanilla and Banana.



I wasn’t sure how I’d enjoy this one as I’m lukewarm on fruited stouts generally, and have only had a couple with banana before. So, here it goes…

Pours a deep black/brown with a short head that sticks around as a partial cappuccino film on the beer’s surface as it is enjoyed. Scant lacing.

The aroma is lovely. Sweet milk chocolate dominates with banana marshmallow candy in behind. The vanilla is also present. I am a little worried this will be very sweet on the tongue.

The taste is interesting. I get a dark roasted malt note up front. The banana is not as sweet as the nose would suggest and blends nicely with creamy milk chocolate and vanilla ice cream. This is very light on the sweetness level which i am thrilled with. A happy surprise for my preferences.

The body is full and the mouth is creamy. The 10% ABV is completely hidden. Good stuff.

This is a really nice beer that I likely would never have purchased myself had it been available to me, but am very glad to have tried. I will open my mind and stomach to banana stouts going forward. Thanks Titus!!

 

Starting off today with the regular version of my favorite Gin BA beer.

Bewilder - Deseret IPA



Canned 2.20.23

Poured at fridge temp into a willi glass.

Pours a cloudy orange with a golden sheen and soapy consistency off white head. Truly a near perfect, if not, honey colored ale. 4.25

Slight earthy sweetness, from the honey I guarantee and very light hop aromas. Touch of dewy florals as well. 3.75

Floral hops, rich honey, a subtle malt backbone, very tasty and more than makes up for the other categories. 4.25

Very smooth and soft carbo, good and well made but nothing outstanding/noteworthy for body. 3.75

Overall a good IPA, almost a mead/IPA fusion imo. Wonder if allergies/hayfever are detracting from the experience. 4

 

I'm drinking Wrench, a NEIPA from Industrial Arts.

Hazy orange color. One-finger white head, some lace.
Aroma of fruit. Subtle.
Things got sorted out in the taste. Pineapple, mango, lemon, and lime.
Late hop bitterness.
Very nice!

 

I may have to look for that beer next time we're on our way to our friends house in Vermont. We always stop in Northampton and get coffee at this neat little spot and walk around to stretch our legs, I think Deerfield is the same exit or close, if I recall.

We're just a tad ahead of you here, our first asparagus was two weeks ago, no need to fight local is always best...Mrs Phisher get so annoyed cause I buy it every week till its gone, "can our pee finally stop smelling Jon?"

In backyard garden news...half of the lettuce heads are almost fully formed and second half are right behind, with the direct sown just popping up, we should be good till it gets too hot for my favorite crop...strawberries are forming little by little and radishes are being pulled up each day.

Your weekends sound a lot like ours, we just had swim too but I was the lucky one staying home prepping dinner for the night and first few days of the week...ah silence...

Hope the little one is OK and hopefully that lesson, though painful, sticks around. Good luck the rest of the day and let us hope for no more injuries.

I'm still at a loss for what happened last night, 3 games in TB, all OT winners...watching that puck just slide across the goal line, could you feel the collective sigh of the city last night?

 

Agreed local first, and a side story
A few years ago at a show, Calvin Theater early May Opened the fully occupied, mens rm door at intermission
Just stood there and said loudly "Who had asparagus?" some where from the room a voice says, "I think we all did" Loud laughter ensued

Cheers

 

I think there were more sighs of relief than cheers of joy to be honest. Now a few days off to get worked up into an even great worry!!

I’d bet dollars to donuts that tomorrow’s radio shows will spend 75% of the time talking about who they hope they face.

 

They’ll know tonight, and if that last game was any indication tonight’s Boston Florida should be a fun one! Getting that anxiety of another first round exit has to be huge psychologically and now anything can happen, and if it doesn’t I don’t even care. Seeing them flip the script on last year was so much fun, and incredibly stressful…anyway I’ll be back with some beer later

Rainy and dreary calls for English style beers…

PS I’ll pulling for those Kraken @kemoarps and @snaotheus

 

Second to last beer from @woemad's first box, and the last of four from Whistle Punk, Bottleworks XXIV 12º Czech Pilsner



Bright and snappy yet balanced in the nose, but it's a bit sweeter than I expect for the style in taste. Also a bit of a sticky finish which doesn't hurt the beer but I'd prefer something with a bit more dryness. All in all a damn good beer to start the afternoon with

4.06/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Only one more to go after this! I'm heading out in a few for a classic hardcore matinee show. The first time Gorilla Biscuits has played in RI since 1990 and a few of my friends are opening, no chance I'm missing this one. I'll join this party again later on to kill off the BIF box

 

Next up as the kids quietly do homework (thanks lucky stars), is this hazy IPA from Rouge River Brewing of Markham Ontario: Outer Moat Behaviour



For the last few years I’d considered Rouge River among the second level local hazy IPA makers. The last few visits have upped my appreciation. This is another really good one.

Pours an opaque, turbid sickly yellow with moderate head that dissipates to a fine film over several minutes.

Big grapefruit, orange and pithy nose. A little dank and some very faint fruity jelly bean notes.

The taste has a great deal more of the citrus pith. Bitter Jaffa orange juice, light agreeable burn on the finish. Weedy.

Full bodied, creamy mouth. Tasty.

This is really good if you of the hazy IPA persuasion. Really enjoyable.

 

Here's another solid in-park triple run from a local brewer:
Bad Weather Green Sky DIPA 9% ABV
4.25/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
16oz can into a nonick pint glass.
L: Pours 99% clear vibrant radiant rich electric gold w steady carbo, a 1" rounded off-white yellowish head w VG retention, splotchy lacing w thick sheeting opposite drink side. Well carb'd to end.
S: Melon, caramelized malts, light pineapple, kiwi, hard candy, a suggestion of bread, berries w warming.
T: Moderately rich sweet malts, a tsunami and blanket of fresh resinous hops, citrus zest, pine resin, melon rind, distant honey, bold juicy fruits and a hint of dark berries but resinous hops quell, gently earthy, a hint of graham cracker w warming. Long resinous finish & linger.
F: Lightly crisp w a zing, a med-full-bodied slick center and a slightly parching long finish.
O: Rich, bold & hoppy. An attention-grabbing hop forward DIPA that is a little sweet. That gets diligently swept away by the custodial nature of an intense hop bill. It's a wave that carries for minutes into a quite dry finish. It is strong and is excellent to outstanding in its style.

 

Nice write-up of an amazing enigma of a beer! One of the best of the year for me so far.

 

Another great beer from @sulldaddy Fox Farm Brewery's Fohn Franconian Style Kellerbier, 5.6% ABV; 4.42 overall

Pours an effervescent and somewhat hazed amber color with a thumb of cream colored head. Average-ish head retention & lacing

S: Bready & grainy aromas, sweet grainyness

T: Follows the nose, dryness, a touch of woody hop & lemon up front, plus just a little caramel. Brown bread, a touch of grainyness, woody hops & dryness as this beer warms up. Finishes with caramel sweeyness, grainy bitterness & bready dryness

MF: Medium, super restrained carbonation, as it should be, perfect for the style

Very drinkable & true to style probably as good as any I've had here or Germany

 

Look at the finer details of this beer, the weed theme continues…

Another cool dreary today but harder rain today, luckily I have an English beer in the fridge that came to me via @snaotheus it is a pretty tasty one. Tonewood my favorite local place does English beer very well so let us see how this one stacks up…this one has both flaked wheat and caramelized oat.

Bizarre Brewing - Teenage Jesus (English Bitter 4.20%)



Chestnut reddish brown in color, decent clarity; dense and creamy dirty white head.

The nose is noticeably yeasty at first; it overpowers the rest, toasts biscuits and oat; some dried dark fruitiness, tangy and nut skin.

Taste is a pleasant combination of the dried dark fruit; much more of a toast quality than expected from the nose; yeasties are more subtle on taste than nose, the palette adjusts and it becomes slightly less noticeable.

Soft smooth and creamy light body; it works very well, there is a subtle pleasant bitter bite on the finish; drying sensation on the tip of the tongue.

This is a well made English beer, the yeasties prevent this one from being top notch for me. It reminded me of drinking home brew too early after bottling. Small complain because that being said, I’m enjoying every last sip.

——————

I’m particularly excited about my Sunday night beer tonight, Ryan surprised me with a want that I just never got around to seeking ought…I guess he has beer ESPN or something like that.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. The weather this weekend has been dismal but if it helps our new plantings survive, then I'll take it. Two years ago Magnify brewed its first Russian Imperial Stout (my favorite style!), called Revenant. It proved popular and Mag released it again last September. So I was excited to see a barrel-aged version - aged in Willett barrels. The O.G. Stout is 9% and this version is 11% so Magnify smartly used the 12. oz. can format.

While the barrel-aging makes sense, this variant lacks the chocolate and dark fruit notes I liked so much in the O.G.

Poured at 58°. It's nearly black with more than a finger of fluffy, medium khaki head and rings of lacing inside the glass. For a barrel-aged stout it has very good head retention. I can smell the bourbon almost immediately along with dark chocolate, freshly-brewed coffee, earthy char, caramel/toffee, and just a whiff of dark fruit. However, the taste has less sweetness than I recall in the base stout. It opens with lots of char and bitterness. As it breathes I detect burnt coffee grounds and bakers chocolate. The Willett bourbon influence is noticeable but it doesn't overwhelm the other flavors and it doesn't seem particularly boozy. I'm not tasting any dark fruit. This stout is medium-bodied with low/moderate carbonation and it's very drinkable for 11% ABV. Overall, I wish there were more chocolate and dark fruit presence. Nonetheless, this is a very approachable barrel-aged RIS.

4.02/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4