New Beer Weekend #147

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned on 4/7/23. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow with a finger sticky white head that leaves loads of thick lace, with excellent retention. 4.75

Aroma is cantaloupe, mandarin, mango, passionfruit, apricot, and some grapefruit rind. 4.5

Taste follows cantaloupe, mandarin, mango, passionfruit, apricot, and some white grapefruit. 4.5

Mouthfeel is above average, soft gentle almost creamy carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 8% it has rather big flavor, but rather easy going down. 4.5

Overall this is a very nice collaboration I would recommend for sure. 4.5 Thanks for getting us going early @WunderLlama. Cheers all.

 

Good day BAs and yinz regular BIFfoons! Thanks @WunderLlama for starting us off! Today's New Breakfast Beer is from a retaliatory strike by @snaotheus - thanks Ryan!



Milk Mustachio Stout from Tractor Brewing. 16 fl oz can from @snaotheus in NBW BIF 17. Reviewed 13/05/23 (Review 3100). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on bottom rim of can “BEST BY 08/08/23”. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 48.5 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 54.1 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.25
First pour – Amber Brown (SRM 18), clear.
Body – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear lite, opaque with light penetration at the edges – ruby.
Head: Average (Maximum 2.8 cm, aggressive center pour), tan lightening to wheat as it aerates, high density with a rocky top, quickly diminishing, reducing to a jagged 0.9 to 1.5 cm crown constantly renewed by carbonation, and a thin, rocky cap.
Lacing – Excellent! Wide band of extremely tiny bubbles, beginning to break into torn curtains.
Aroma – 3.5 – Roasted malt (slightly bitter), no hops, no yeast. No ethanol (5.1 % ABV according to BA, NOT marked on the label).
Flavor – 3.5 – Light roasted malt, slightly sweet. No yeast, no hops. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Medium; creamy; soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4 Decent milk stout – no surprises.
Rating 3.7, rDev -4.1%

 

Thank you @WunderLlama for kicking things off this weekend!

I’m getting one early this morning before driving down to celebrate my OG niece’s nursing graduation ceremony, and then heading back to 3 Sheeps to celebrate their 11th anniversary. This is one of two beers I picked up at Woodman’s on the way up yesterday.

Narragansett Lager



Can notes: $5.29 16 oz six pack picked up refrigerated at Woodman’s Kenosha yesterday. Can code C103 13 7:45, which could possibly mean April 13, 2023 (103rd day). Narragansett Brewing Company, Rochester, New York.

Appearance: Multiple pours into a shake pint glass. Clear golden straw base, mild carbonation, creamy bright white head lingers for a few minutes before settling into a thin cover over the base and significant lacing. 4.0

Aroma: Classic lager yeast aroma, grain, bread, wholesome American Adjunct Lager goodness, though no corn noted here. 3.5

Taste: Creamy buttery corn in butter is front and center, paired with lager grain and Wonder white bread, buttered but not toasted. I’m enjoying this pour, now about 1/3 of the way in. More buttery than most AALs I’ve come across. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Crisp, clean refreshing. Medium creamy body, light carbonation felt, drinks very light and easy. Minimal dryness, leans to stands sweet with the can of corn creaminess the most notable sensation. 3.5

Overall: Glad I stopped to puck this up (not distributed in Illinois). This is a clean x simple AAL that id pleasant and enjoyable. A nice easy way to start the day. 3.75

I’ll possibly return later with one or tree from 3 Sheeps, otherwise I’ll back back in New Beer Sunday #951. Hope you will all experience the great beer weekend I’m having soon!

 

Three sheets to the wind!

Today’s new beer has the word three (Threes actually) in it: Threes Vliet.

Earlier this week my wife and I took a day trip up to New York City; we took the train. On the return leg we arrived to the train station a bit early so we figured maybe we could hit up a local pub for a beer and some food. We googled for a place to go and one hit was Threes Brewing within the train station (Moynihan Train Station). It is an outlet selling can/bottles of beer. We were looking for a sit-down place so went to nearby Hudson Yards Tavern instead; in another thread I posted:

“I could see the tap handles and for three tap handles (Peak, and two others) I asked the server what beer styles they were and the answer for all three was "IPA". I ended up ordering a pint of Sam Adam Boston Lager and I enjoyed it. Obviously not an Amber Ale but it is an 'old school' Amber Lager (but remastered). Thank goodness they had this beer on tap.”

On the return to the train station, we visited the Three Brewing outlet and I had a nice chat with the fellow working there. This outlet is a recent business for Threes Brewing and he mentioned that beyond the brewery location in Brooklyn they also sold beer in other locations. He maid mention of a place in Huntington (Long Island) and a seasonal ‘pop up’ on Governors Island. Sounds like Threes Brewing is a growing business!

He also made mention that the brewery is operating beyond capacity and they have to brew some of their beers elsewhere which brings us back to today’s beer of Vliet since the cans I purchased were brewed by Jack’s Abby in Massachusetts. But when I got home and look more closely at the can’s label it lists:

“Brewed and Packaged by Threes Brewing

511 Fishkill Ave. Beacon, NY 12508”

The above address is for Industrial Arts Brewing. No matter since IMO both Industrial Arts and Jack’s Abby are high quality breweries.

I had no idea what “Vliet” means and a quick web search indicates this is a Dutch word which means "Stream or a small waterway". Maybe Threes decided to use a Dutch word since New York was originally settled by the Dutch and called New Amsterdam way ‘back in the day’.

I went to the Threes Brewing website to learn more about this beer:

“VLIET

Lagers

Category Lager

Hops Saaz, Spalter Select

Style Pilsner

Grains German Pilsner Malt

Tasting Notes Clean, Sweet Hay, Herbal Hops, Verdant

ABV 5.2%

Size 16 oz. Can”

Well, it sure reads tasty and all of this typing had created a powerful thirst.

Laten we drinken (let’s drink)!

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

A pale straw color, brilliant clarity and a BIG white head.

Aroma:

A combination of bready (white bread) and herbal/spicy with a subtle impression of sweetness.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with the combination of bready malt flavor and herbal/spicy hop flavors. There is a notable bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall:

I enjoyed drinking this beer, a very good German Pilsner.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @RobH

 

A couple of new beers for me, while out at Great Heights Brewing yesterday for Friday happy hour.

First up:

LagerJammin' 3, India Pale Lager, 5.1% ABV. Dry hopped with Zappa Hops. This is a series they have done, I missed the other two in the series, but tried this one yesterday.



Pours a clear yellow/orange color. A two finger white head forms, and recedes to leave a little lace.
Aroma is hoppy up front. Citrus, and oddly cooked green veggies. Is this DMS?
Taste wise, more malt is noticeable, with biscuits and cracker like flavors. That citrus mixed with cooked veggies is back, and an odd woody flavor, and lingering bitterness.
A medium body with effervescent carbonation. Not very clean at all, with all kind of odd things going on. Being generous, I was able to finish my pint, but not something I'm looking to come back to.

I do get a woody flavor from some hoppy beers, especially with some from Great Heights. Though the other flavors don't mingle well for me. For a lager this needs to be much cleaner as well. This is a miss from a brewery I tend to like a lot.

Overall score is 2.94, ugh is my ratting
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50326/654430/?ba=champ103#lists

Next up:

Strikes & Gutters IPA, 6% ABV. Uses Citra, Strata, and Simcoe hops. This looks almost identical the the LagerJammin' ha.



Pours a clear orange/yellow color. A white head rises and gently recedes to leave some lace behind.
Hoppy aromas of citrus, grapefruit, light pine. Very simple, and by the books.
Taste wise, again, its all citrus and grapefruit. A bit of a woody character, lingering bitterness. This is a pretty stock example of an IPA.
A medium body and moderate carbonation. Becomes smooth after a minute, and something that I can come back to at the brewery.

Great Heights does better IPA's, like their other Big Lebowski referenced IPA, Donny, Who Loved Bowling. Nothing particularly wrong with this, but a fairly average example of an IPA.

Overall score is 3.43, B-
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50326/618621/?ba=champ103#lists

I have been in a rut with new beers lately, haven't been particularly impressed with a lot around my area recently. Even with breweries I tend to enjoy a lot. Oh well it happens, I'll finally run into a sting of really good locals in a row eventually...

 

Dogs walked, other Saturday chores done.
Sunny now, but a 50% chance of rain this afternoon. A long time since that's occurred.

I was browsing my beer store earlier this week and found this beer from Hitachino Nest. A long time since I've had any of their beers, so I picked this one up. Hitachino Nest Espresso Stout, 7% ABV.
The beer is dark brown/near black in color. Small tan head.
Aroma of coffee and chocolate.
The taste amplifies the aroma. Espresso coffee, dark chocolate.
A little on the thin side, but still a very drinkable beer.

 

I have yet to brew with Zappa hops so I have no personal experience here but from my readings it sounds like this hop can provide some 'unusual' aromas/flavors. Below is a spider chart for this hop courtesy of the Brulosophy website:


https://brulosophy.com/2021/03/18/the-hop-chronicles-zappa-2020/

Perhaps what is being reported as Resinous/Woody/Dank & Catty is what is registered on your palate as "oddly cooked green veggies"?

Cheers!

 

Interesting, yeah could be. I'm not particularly familiar with Zappa either, so I was just kind of winging it as they say, with my descriptions as I don't have a good base line for that hop right now. Good graph.

 

Excuse my next 'loaded' question but...

After drinking this beer would (or should I say "wood"? ) you be motivated to purchase another beer which features Zappa hops?

Cheers!

 

LOL, I'm not sure. I think I would, and maybe that graph gives a little more context to what I'm tasting and I might be able to articulate that in a review better. Also, maybe a different style like a bigger IPA instead of a pale lager might help?

 

Joy and I are at O’Hare, preparing to fly to Phoenix for a week’s vacation and visiting our son. The Admiral’s Club in Terminal 3 has this beer from a brewery I’ve never had and a style which I’ve only indulged in once.





3.88/5 rDev +4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Pours a slightly unfiltered hazy straw color with a soapy white head that provides a surprising amount of lacing. The nose is pretty subdued, with a bit of a floral aroma and a smidge of bread.

The taste is surprisingly flavorful, with a nice amount of fruity hop flavors and a bit of bread providing a nice balance, leading to a mouthfeel that is medium, appropriate for the beer.

I’m surprised how much I like this. I wouldn’t get this often, but it would be great after a hard workout.

 

Well...I would ("wood" ) expect that for an IPA the amount of hops used would be of greater quantity and consequently more intense aromas/flavors of Resinous/Woody/Dank & Catty so...?

If I ever see a beer for purchase that features Zappa hops I will buy it just to see what it tastes like.

On a somewhat related note a couple of years ago a local (to me) brewery made an IPA that features Motueka hops. At that time I was unfamiliar with that hop variety so I ordered a draft pint. I really liked that beer; the dominant aroma/flavor for my palate was lime zest. After drinking that beer I said to myself: you gotta brew a beer like this. So I did and I really liked that batch! Just yesterday I brewed another batch of Motueka IPA. The aroma coming out of the airlock is glorious. I look forward to drinking this new batch in a few weeks.

Cheers!

 

I am with a large group of BAs. Please check out today's WBAYDN thread to witness the chaos. This is 3 Sheeps Brewing Amped Up. A barrel-aged imperial stout with vanilla, cocoa nibs, and macadamia nuts. At the brewery's 11th anniversary party. The color is pitch black, with a slight brown foam ring on top. The smell is strong with chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, macadamia nuts, caramel, and graham cracker. The taste is chocolate, vanilla, bourbon, caramel, macadamia nuts, and graham cracker. A nice blend. The mouthfeel is oily, thick, smooth, and silky, with light carbonation. Overall, this is an incredible BA stout. Join us in the celebration.

 

This is an EZ drinkin' Porter. Imagine Wookey Jack Light w/out the rye. Cheers!
Warpigs USA Nemesis Divina Dry Hopped Porter 6.5% ABV
3.9/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
12oz can from MK.IV variety pk canned 3/2/23 into a tulip glass.
L: Pours deep brown w a 2" med tan/khaki creamy & rocky head w excellent retention, lightly visible carbo, a tight center cap, good lacing with light sheeting and good banding.
S: Floral, vinous, plant oils, distant candy, very light malts.
T: Light cocoa, malted milk balls, floral, a hint of grapefruit zest, light creeping pine resin that linger throughout the finish, it is affably sweet, leaning toward thin flavors, clean tasting, gently robust with a touch of char.
F: Lightly brisk whipped-up med-bodied feel w a med-short lightly dry finish.
O: The head on this beer reminds me of an Irish Dry Stout but it does go to a center island cap with a moat and with thick edge foam. Great look, simple and very light aroma, great taste and feel. It is very good in its style.

 

Greetings, New Beer Weekenders. We're in Chapel Hill, NC for our daughter's graduation. The doctoral degrees were conferred this morning. Although I've had a bunch of new-to-me beers over the past 48 hours, I want to sneak in an "official" NBW review: Sull Train, a DIPA from Wilmington Brewing Company. It was released less than 2 weeks ago and I added it to the BA database. It's hopped with Citra, Warrior, and Chinook. And subtle it's not. It's big and brash and very good. I've really been impressed by Wilmington's big IPAs lately. I wish they distributed to New Jersey.

It pours a hazy, bright honey-orange with a half finger of creamy, egg white head and extensive thick lacing. The fruity nose offers pineapple, ripe melon, lemon, grapefruit, and sweet floral hops. Its taste opens with lots of sweet fruit notes, including ripe cantaloupe and pineapple, and tart lemon and grapefruit but it's quickly balanced by huge, dank, pine sap and bitter, biting Warrior and Chinook hops, which also add an herbal quality. There's great depth of flavor but no subtlety. This ale slaps you across the face. It has a thick, creamy mouth feel with appropriate carbonation, and it drinks below its 9.5% ABV.

4.26/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

I hope to post another review later since we'll be driving all day tomorrow. Cheers, NBW!

 

Stonecloud Brewing Classique Open Fermented Pilsner, 5.2% ABV; 4.31 overall

Pours a chill hazed honey color with one finger of cream colored head. Average-ish head retention & lacing

S: Bready, a little grassyness & citrus, perfumy hops once warm

Follows the nose, a touch of dryness, and peppery hops up front. Slight pear taste to this beer as it warms up, some soapyness, breadyness and grassyness. Finishes a little fruity with some lemon, soapyness & a little grassyness

MF: Medium body, fairly crisp carbonation, nicely balanced

Super drinkability and very much to style

 

First one for me this NBW

Bells - Expedition Stout


Thanks @Whyteboar!

Bottled 9.7.22 (debated waiting til the one year mark, but you can all see how that went)

Poured into a NH to tulip at fridge temp and warming up.

Pours dark brown nearly black with a dark mocha head. 4.25

Lots of dark and fermented stone fruit on the initial nose whiff, smidge of coffee and cocoa. 4.5

Taste follows, boozy, bitter (more hoppy than coffee), dark fruit and heavy. 4.25

Body is thick, boozy warm heat, syrupy and heavy. Everything I'd expect from a RIS. 4.25

Overall a true ris if I've ever had one, with the perfect amount of butter hops and deep complexity. 4.5

 

Not reviewed yet, so technically new to me!

Proper - Whispers of the Primordial Sea



16oz can, canned 11.22.22

Poured into a willi becher glass at fridge temp

Pours a clear and pale straw yellow with a loose off white soapy consistency head. Settles very fast and almost completely dissipates. 3.75

Strong smoked cherrywood and slightly fermented pineapple on the nose. Fruity sweetness. 4

Smoked cherrywood is very clear and presently forward, pineapple core and slightly bitter finish. 3.75

Fairly effervescent and carbo bite-y body. Light and easy drinking. 3.75

Overall a very good an unexpected mix of flavors with the smoked wood shining, but not overbearing. 3.75