New Beer Weekend #159

3.83 rDev -6.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75


Poured from a 12 oz. can into a Willi Becher glass

The beer pours a crystal clear golden copper color with about 3 fingers worth of fluffy white head that recedes slowly leaving behind the slightest bit of lacing.

The aroma is biscuity and clean with notes of grassy hops, maybe just a bit too much hop aroma. The aroma is very inviting.

The taste is similar to the aroma; biscuity malt character with grassy and floral hops. As with the aroma the hops are a bit too much for my taste in this particular style, teetering on the verge of astringency as the beer warms. The beer is medium/light bodied and on the heavier side of moderate carbonation with a somewhat dry finish.

Overall, I found the beer to be enjoyable when taken out of the context of the style, but it kinda misses the mark for me when compared to other Festbiers.

 

My thoughts also. It's a good beer on its own but if you're looking for more traditional and true to style, this isn't it.

 

Day 2, a couple of beers from Wax Wings, a slightly under the radar brewery out of Kalamazoo that is pretty exceptional, IMHO.





4.24/5 rDev +3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours a slightly hazy golden color, definitely a more unfiltered look than what I associate with the style, and sports a frothy white head that provides moderate lacing.

The nose features those noble hop aromas I love in Bohemian Pilsners, with lots of earthy spice that blend well with the bready malt aromas and triggers my salivary glands.

The spicy, earthy hop flavors (thanks, Saaz hops) lead the taste and are absolutely delicious, especially with the accompanying bready malt flavors and the crisp, tight mouthfeel. This is quite simply a beer drinker’s beer, IMHO.

 

Social Project Brewing Muddy Buddy Hazy Black IPA, 7.3% ABV; 3.4 overall


I guess Black IPA/Cascadian is no longer a style, bah.. This one is made in collaboration with Memphis Brewer Soul & Spirits Brewing

Pours a very ruddy hazel/chestnut with a thumb of tan head. Good lacing & decent head retention

S: A little woodiness, banana laffy taffy, some cakey notes once warm

T: Pretty dry, piney, cakeyness, hints of other woody hops up front. Pineyness, a little cakeyness, dryness once this beer is warm, some strange green banana notes. Finishes sweet, piney & dry

MF: Medium/beefy bodied with restrained carbonation

Very picky on my Black IPAs, this one doesn't make the cut

 

Happy New Beer Weekend friends! Only one for me this weekend, busy these days. Still out of our house for a 1-2 more months. They finally finished all the foundation work and deck footings, framers should be done their thing by end of week, fingers crossed.

This beer has got a lot of discussion, it is interesting to read so many takes on it. Mine matters not, but here it is anway...

Sierra Nevada - Oktoberfest (Festbier 6%)



Pours a beautifully light brass/gold, beautifully clear, head is white, sort of splotchy and airy but it does leave a thin film that persists, no lacing worth mentioning; on this pour at least. Swirling it around rouses some beautiful carbonation.

Nose initial impression to me was hefty and biscuit malt up front, has a slight grain like note, something lightly sweet; the hops are interesting as they are grass like but very lightly herbal in nature too.

Taste is again pretty hefty on the pale malt; rich biscuit like but with a pleasant toasted/browned character to it as well, the hops show themselves on the finish and come with more of an herbal tone than I picked up in the nose, they finish grassy; the malt presence also lingers in the aftertaste with the hops.

Verges right on medium body for a lager, it finishes dry with just a touch of linger malt presence on the tongue, the bitterness is light-moderate, cleanly lagered.

My take, I really really like this beer; the hops are not overdone IMO, yes they are more forward than their German counterparts but I have no problem with that; heck there is Cascade in it...it has every characteristic of a well made festbier with just an extra bit of hops. Sierra Nevada was very forward about this and I agree with their description of punchy..."..a punchy blend of German and American hops." That is exactly how I would describe these hops, not overdone, not hopped to hell. I think this beer strikes a nice balance between traditional and, well, Sierra Nevada. Glad I grabbed a six pack.

I also don't need any more traditional festbiers, I got Weihenstephan for that

I think I’m gonna save my other new beer in the fridge till next weekend. Have a great week my fellow beer friends.

 

A bike ride has brought me to the new Breakside beer garden in Beaverton, Oregon on this beautiful mostly sunny afternoon. The temperature is hovering in the low-80s, and it's humid, but the breeze is keeping things cool and comfy here in the shade.

Barrel-aged imperial stout? Don't mind if I do!



Breakside Are You Afraid Of The Dark BA Imperial Stout
9-ounce pour enjoyed at the Breakside beer garden in Beaverton, OR. Enjoyed in a snifter.

Look:
A deep brown-black color with lovely deep golden brown highlights. A small head of tan foam shrinks to a solid collar. No lacing.

Smell:
Bourbon, molasses, burnt toast, dark chocolate. Notes of prunes, red grapes, and caramel. A touch of soy. The apple brandy barrel component starts to come forward about halfway through the glass.

Taste:
Starts with high-percentage cacao dark chocolate filled with bourbon-flavored caramel. Lush, concentrated dark fruits follow: prunes, raisins, a little black current. A little hit of soy and umami leads into the finish, along with flavors of apple brandy, mild vanilla, and the molasses note which sems to be a signature of Breakside's barrel-aged stouts. Finishes with burnt marshmallow, milk chocolate, bourbon, and a kiss of apple Brandy at the very end.

Feel:
Full-bodied with a gorgeous velvety texture. Soft carbonation. Some alcohol warmth, but less than I'd expect from a 13.3% barrel-aged stout.

Overall:
Another delightful barrel-aged stout from Breakside. Plenty of bourbon character with delicious layers of fruit and chocolate (both dark and milk). I wish the apple brandy character was a little more prominent, but that is a tiny quibble, and won't stop me from picking up a bottle to enjoy when the weather turns cold and rainy.

 

Looks like we both enjoyed that one a lot, Jon. I don’t buy many 12-packs these days, but I’m really glad I bought that one.

 

#2, the other end of the beer nerd spectrum from beer #1, Wax Wings is versatile. To say I enjoyed this would be an understatement of mythical proportions.





4.6/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a dark cola brown and settles onyx black in the glass with a sudsy mocha colored head that is surprisingly resilient. Beautiful imperial stout. The nose is an amalgamation of rich toffee and milk chocolate, oak (via the barrel), and stone fruit (tart plums and dark cherries).

Wow. Double wow.

The taste is led by that almost candy-like chocolate and toffee flavor, which reminds me of Heath bars, which I loved growing up, so I’m already. Then you pile on the oak, tart plums, and dark cherries, then tie the knot with a nice warming bourbon flavor at the back of the palate, and you have a scarily drinkable 15% ABV beer.

Especially when you toss in a rich, decadent mouthfeel that paints the palate in imperial stout goodness. A masterpiece of a BA imperial stout, IMHO.

 

I got a 6 pack but I wouldn’t have been upset in the least with a 12 either

Now I wait and see if I can hold off on more O’fest beers. I gave myself two weeks to clear down the fridge a bit. We’ll see how I do.

 

The Pollinator by Grain Shed Brewing:

4.38/5 rDev 0%

look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

A 12 ounce draft pour into a tulip glass from the Steam Plant Restaurant and Brew Pub.

Look- Straw, mildly hazy, frothy white head, average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Clementine, pine resin, dank, medium strength of scent.

Taste- Pine resin, clementine, dank, high bitterness, high strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, average carbonation, high bitterness, mildly creamy, moderately mouth warming.

Overall- Nice look with straw color and mild haze. Bouquet was medium in strength and a nice mix of citrus and pine. Flavor was high in strength and provided the citrus and pine flavors expected from the style. Feel was medium body with high bitterness and moderately mouth warming. Overall this beer provided a great experience with very desirable and vibrant flavors.

 

Given your affinity for fall beers did you see Cape May has a pumpkin one now too. Says distro soon and includes PA, DE and obviously NJ. I’m looking forward to giving it a try when I see a single.

 

Saw this next to the Blueberry and was curious. Probably not my best decision of the day. I say that as I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin beers but not adverse to a good one either.
This one may be better than I think it is but I swear the impression I got when it was cold and my first couple sips was pumpkin cappuccino that you might find at at a gas station.
It warmed up and I'd like to say it got better but just different; the bourbon aging takes center stage. I had hoped for an old ale sort of thing but it was rather one dimensional.
Maybe it's to fresh or something. Seriously not certain what they were aiming for here. But hey, if you see it and try it. you might find it very different. Couldn't say. I'll likely be back with another as this didn't scratch that itch.
Cheers all!

 

I did not and do you have any info? I checked their site recently and the seasonal I saw was their usual Marzen. I enjoy their beers so I imagine a pumpkin from them would be a hit with me also.

This sounds right up my alley but I was on their site recently and did not see this. Breweries really need to get it together when it comes to site updates, far too many fall behind on this and it's a missed opportunity.

 

Just added it to the database a little bit ago

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25890/666296/

 

Going back to the well with another beer from Barreled Souls. I thought I'd reviewed a bunch of their beers. What I think happens is we stop there frequently, share a flight or two, buy one or two out of the eight, then just drink them.

At any rate, playing catch up with one that's been in the pantry for a few months that somehow escaped notice.



This is Munro, a 10-ish percent Barreled Souls Scottish Ale. This is the plain version.

Pours a very clear cola color with a couple fingers of tan head. It didn't last too long, leaving a residual ring.

Aroma is totally malt driven, very toasty and a hefty dose of caramel and toffee. There's a bit of a peat smoke note and a pretty strong nutty smell. Dark-sweet cherry, raisin or fig, a little apple or pear. Earthy hops.

Big flavor but not overwhelming. Malt leads the way - not quite brown bread but in that direction. Kind of a combination of toffee, caramel, molasses sweetness. More fig than raisin, dark cherries, and a little brighter fruit that's more pear than apple. Petty, slightly acidic smokiness. A little spice on the back end that strikes me as licorice - teasingly light on that component, but it does linger..

It's medium bodied, medium carbonation, and maybe a bit light for the style. It's ridiculously easy drinking at 10%. Finishes dry with that little spice lingering a little, but not really accumulating.

This is a very good beer. Way too easy to drink. Landing zone will be in the 4.2 neighborhood.

 

I will wait for a single, I am in the same camp when it comes to Pumpkin beers

 

Prairie Espresso Marty BA Imperial Ale, 14.0% ABV; 4.34 overall. A good beer, but not really breaking any new ground here

Pours mahogany with a rapidly vanishing tan head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Coffee in spades, some caramel notes once warm

T: Coffee, dark chocolate, a little vanilla & caramel & a touch of barrel up front. Pretty dry with plenty of coffee, caramel & vanilla sweetness as this beer warms up, plus a kiss of barrel booze. Barrel dryness, vanilla & loads of coffee in the finish

MF: Chewy with low carbonation, warming

A sipper, just really seems like a Bomb with more coffee & no peppers. At this price, a one & done

 

I just checked the BA page for this (as I was about to review it) and there is now 1 "got" and it's a person in PA, so apparently it's made some progress in distribution.

 

Good evening NBS denizens!
My last for the weekend, needed a actual stout. It’s not the stout I wanted, but it is the one I grabbed from the cellar.

Not sure if this is the original, but it states it is brewed with Barrel Aged Chocolate malt and cocoa nibs.
The chocolate is noticeable and the espresso (not a listed additive) is present as a hard edge. Not quite bitter, but brash coffee. Definitely takes it out of pastry stout territory.
The feel is lighter than expected but still within parameters of the style.
OA, I hoped for a softer stout but can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. If you like the bitter stouts, give it a shot.
Dang, 1 out of 3 today. Normally I do better.