New Beer Weekend #163

Good morning NBS/nbw and thanks @NorsemanOne for this weekends hosting.
Todays offering is and English Strong Ale, brewed at Mount Saint Bernard Abbey
A visually beautiful offering, with excellent depth, and character.
Sweet, sticky, a hint of booze, all in refined order. A delight.

Cheers all


Tynt Meadow

English Strong Ale | 7.4% ABV
Mount Saint Bernard Abbey in Coalville, England

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.16/5 rDev +2% | Average: 4.08
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from the 375 ml bottle, dated 27/07/24 into the test glass.
A - Deep cooper, mahagony color, gentle pour yields a thin off white cap. During the experience a steady production keeps a ring alive clinging to the glass.
S - Brown sugar, a bit of anise, sweet malt, dark fruit , primarily raisin. There is a spicy thread in there, not quite pepper, not quite yeasty ester, but its there.
T - Candied dark sugar, some licorice, again with that peppery thread, With a warm up, a really nice plum aspect develops
M - Sweet start, stays in the lanes, fully coats the palate. just on the edge of sticky. A nice dry finish
O - A very good Trappist, with all the elements. Make no mistake it leans hard to English Strong Ale. The peppery yeast, and dark fruit keep this lovely offering strongly in thr Trappsit camp

 

Good Sunday morning BAs. My brunch beer is from one of my local drinking buddies, who buys too many beers on Tavour - “Black dAylight” a BBA Vanilla Stout aged 18 months in Dry Fly Distilling Bourbon Barrels, “Finished with a F*** Ton of Vanilla Beans”, pe
R the brewer. Brewed and packaged by Lumberbeard Brewing, Spokane, WA. Sounds like my kinda breakfast beer, so let’s go!



Canned Nov. 2022. Poured at 54°. One finger of fizzy dark tan head disappeared quickly leaving a small island of micro dots and a solid ring; spotty lacing on swirl, and medium thick legs; black with thin ruby edge. Bourbon and chocolate nose; hot boozy exhale. Entry is chocolate followed by a little vanilla; oaky bourbon on backend. Silky feel; medium body; heat in mouth from 14% abv; alcohol burns tip of tongue; light carbonation. Overall, pleasant enough; not much vanilla; thin for abv; and I liked the booziness.

4.25 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.25
Score: 4.28 rDev +4.1%


I like boozy stouts and this one fit the bill. It would have scored higher if I had found more vanilla. Cheers!

 

Putting together a lasagna. Daughter and grandsons coming over, and that is the requested meal.
As I'm working, I am enjoying Hoppy Lager from Five Boroughs Brewing.
The beer is a clear gold color with a large white head and plenty of lace.
Aroma of citrus and floral hops, a little pine.
Taste of pineapple, lime, pine.
Crisp mouthfeel.

 

Keeping in that malty theme, I went to the basement for this malty treat.
First bottle had a failed cork, and a muddled mess. Second bottle, more succesful
A quiet pop, and voila.

Cheers all

Gale's Prize Old Ale

Old Ale | 9% ABV
George Gale & Company Ltd in Hordean, England

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

3.84/5 rDev +10.3% | Average: 3.48
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 1997 bottle into the test glass.
A - Opened with a small pop, so encouraging, poured gently, some geriatric carbonation, worked to a small island and congregated. Within minutes, still. Tawny brown color, nice clarity.
S - Madiera wine, comes to mind. Sugary, fig, leather, dark aged grape must, caramel, and the obligatory hint of umani, and kiss of soy.
T - Fruit forward, dark fruit, dried plum, fig, raisin. Dark brown sugar and light molasses. There is this young port wine aspect that runs the table
M - Slippery, full palate coating, with an alcohol exhail, linger is sweet dark candied fruit
O - The still nature could turn off some, moving past that, a complex offering that in a blind tasting may well be called out as Tawny Port. With very similar elements.

 

Welcome everyone to New Beer Sunday #967!

Going to close out the weekend with two more from Vann @Ocalafox , both from Tree House. Vann was gracious enough to share samples with the crew of this one and one I will drink later this month (Ghost In The Machine), and both were wonderful. This is my first chance at settling down with a full pour and giving a rating of this classic offering.

Tree House Julius



Can Notes: Received package from Vann, @Ocalafox from BA on May 31, refrigerated upon receipt. Canned 5/23/23, can stamp "Give Me The Juice", 6.8% ABV. India Pale Ale brewed in Massachusetts by Tree House Brewing Company.

We are excited that you are holding Tree House Brewing Company's Flagship American IPA - Julius! Julius is a bright, tropical beer filled with notes of peach, mango, passionfruit and a mélange of citrus. It is gentle on the palate while still incredibly hop saturated. It is the result of our uncompromising dedication to fresh, progressive, delightful beer. We hope you enjoy it with laughter, good cheer, and in the company of those you love.

Appearance: 1/3 pour and then slow for the second 1/3 into a shaker pint glass. Dark turbid orange, OJ color along the sides. Generous creamy bright white head leaves soapy cover. 4.25

Aroma: Bursts through upon opening the can. Citrus galore, pineapple, tangerine, pine and peach. Bold, strong, enticing. 4.5

Taste: Matches aroma in strength and enjoyment. Citrus front and center, pineapple tangerine and pine blend together for a symphony of flavors. Hard to contain gulping this all down at once. Excellence. 4.75

Mouthfeel: Faint gentle carbonation sustained, creamy light to medium body, great balance between the strong sweet fruit flavors and hoppy bitterness corralling any excesses. Drinks at the abv, very light and easy, slightly dry, held up excellently over 3 1/2 months! Nice orange juice flavored finish. 5.0

Overall: This hits what I love in a great NEIPA. Great flavors, balanced treatment, soft and easy drinking, refreshing. A simply wonderful beer. Thank you so much Vann for my second go and first crack at a pint of this. Highly recommend to all beer lovers! 4.75

See you tomorrow for what I hope to be the third and final awesome beer of this weekend trilogy!

 

1997!!?? Is that one of the older beers you’ve ever drank?

 

With the heat and humidity back, I'm holed up inside wishing the early fall weather would return. @Roy_Hobbs and anyone else who watched, I'm catching the Arsenal/Man U match on replay later today or tomorrow, so no spoilers on this thread please!

Today I have the last of my run of Jack's Abby lagers: polotmavy, 5.5% Czech amber. I'm enjoying this one a lot--really hits the spot as the heat hasn't penetrated the house too much yet, but it is by no means cool inside.

Pours a medium-light amber with a short-lived, off-white, one-finger head, which might be due to a less than vigorous pour.

Aromas of bread dough, fresh bread, and honey, with slight pepper and pine resin.

The taste is a great mix of white bread, bread dough, and honey from the pale malts and brown bread, caramel, and slight molasses (or maybe it is a fleeting taste of cola that was in their CDL) from the dark malts. The malt profile builds through the sip and when it becomes almost too sweet, the hops jump in with welcome bitterness and some floral notes. Flavor diminishes quickly on the finish.

Carb is a bit more than I'd like, but again, that may be due to a sub-par pour. Medium-light bodied and moderately smooth.

Overall, this is a really nice amber lager. For me it is far superior to their standard amber, SooB.

 

Certainly in the top 5 oldest
The actual oldest was at a holiday party.
Much older 1958
Cheers

 

Enjoying the cool(er) weather and fresh(er) air here in SoCal today - celebrating some (rare) downtime by sipping this wonderful malt bomb from Moonlight. Cheers!

4.28/5 rDev +1.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Packaged May 13, 2023 - enjoyed on September 3, 2023. This batch is 10.3%. Poured from a pint can info a snifter:

Dark yet clear auburn body with a lasting buff sand/bone cap. Light soapy lacing; thin legs; excellent retention.

Stewed fruit, port, raisins, and caramel give way to candied ginger, orange peel, and earthy hops in the nose.

Potent malt notes detonate on the palate - long and varied with caramel and toast leading to caraway, baker's chocolate, molasses, loam, and leather. Great depth of flavor from the kettle caramelization. Citrus-laden, herbaceous, earthy hops contribute moderate but lasting bitterness. Well balanced, with the ABV concealed. Medium-dry finish with a hint of rooibos and root beer.

Medium bodied, not-quite-creamy with good carbonation.

Just short of outstanding, this should appeal to both English and American barley-wine aficionados.

 

Today I've got a 9-state limited release from Lawson's.
Purchased cold from a store cooler and refrigerated at home.
Poured from a 16oz stamped CANNED ON 08-22-23 to a Nonic glass at fridge temp.
The body is not clear and not hazy but a translucent yellow/orange, clear enough to see nucleation. A 2-finger multi-sized bubble, white head sits on top but does not last more than a few minutes. Lacing is minimal.
The aroma is, wait for it,........ straight up orange juice. If I stretch I could say it smells like Tang.
The taste is also orange, but the alcohol is prominent. Despite the orange-ness, hops can be tasted. There is a bitter pith and hop finish with alcohol warmth getting the final say.
The mouthfeel is light in body but oily, probably due to the combination of citrus and hop oil.
I’m usually not a fan of flavor add-ins but this beer grew on me by the bottom of the glass, maybe it was the ABV talking to me.

 

Happy NBS all! It’s really warm here today and I just finished cutting up a lot of cottonwood branches that came down in a recent storm.
I succumbed to being influenced by this site, last week quite a few people posted about this beer so I decided to pick one up.

The pour was a beautiful bright copper color that was capped with a tall manilla colored head that left decent lacing.
The aroma was lost on me, stupid Covid.
The taste started very caramel forward and sweet malts, lots of biscuits in there too. More like a Marzen than a Festbier so far in my amateur opinion. Then the hops kicked in, not really strong, more like a grassy note with a little bitterness. Okay, not bad but not traditional either. So it is a new thing. Tasty enough, but far from my favorite Festbier.
The feel is more marzen like as well, despite the active carbonation it drank with a medium body; not something I would drink by the liter.
OA, glad to have tried it, now I know.
Cheers all, back later. Must go hang some wind chimes.

 

Up next is another beer sent my way by @Dimidiata. This is Funky Blender Peach, dry hopped with amarillo and galaxy hops, and it's delicious.

Bottled in late October of 2019

Very inviting looking beer. Bright, light yellow with a medium amount of fizzy white head that receded to a thin cap and persistent ring. Aroma still has plenty of peach even four years later, with faint oak and hints of citrus. Taste is also peach forward with oaky funk complementing the fruit. Quite acidic, but without straying over the line into Cascade territory. Light and refreshing. Very good.

 

I’ve spent much of the day in the kitchen and the laundry room; I’ve been baking several kinds of muffins for the kids’ school lunches and I’ve been getting their school uniforms clean and tidy for the start of the school year. As I take a break from the domestic science, I’m cracking open this beer that I received in the most recent CANBIF beer exchange.

This is Storm Brewing Vanilla Whiskey Stout. Storm is located in Vancouver, BC. The blurb on the can label indicates this to be an imperial oatmeal stout, but doesn’t specify the kind of whiskey barrels used.



Pours a near black with minimal head that recedes to nothing in several seconds. The pour suggests a thinner beer than I’d expected.

My first sniff of the glass reveals wet oak, a light char note and even a hint of smokiness. The vanilla in the beer’s name is not something I am picking up at all.

The taste has more of the char and smokiness. The whiskey is very light and in the background. The barrel is there too, though I struggle to find it. The vanilla I can’t find at all.

The body of this beer is very thin, bordering on watery.

While I like the smoky note quite a bit, the body is so light that I’m left searching for the beer. There is no canning date, so I’m not sure how old this beer is. It’s fine, but not something I’d search out again.

Cheers!

 

Away Days - Fresh Hop Deadline Day English Pale Ale

16oz can served in a snulip. Can is dated 08/24/2023. Bought it at Chuck's Hop Shop yesterday.

Pours a brassy gold with a large, two finger head that settles into a thick, lumpy skin with a heavy ring. Smell is lemon and clover, some honeysuckle and a hint of bread yeast.

Taste is lemon and honeysuckle with a leafy overtone, clear fresh hop character, moderate piney / earthy bitterness.

Mouthfeel is light, smooth, clean. Overall, very nice English pale and pretty solid fresh hop.

 

Howdy and Happy Labor Day weekend. Luckily Sun/Mon are my normal days off so beer me!!
This looks very interesting. It's a Hop-Toberfest. A collab with Grey Sail and Heavy Seas.
Pours a gorgeous clear copper color with a very large beige head that has decent retention and leaves rings of lacing.
Aroma is slight bready caramel with hints of sweet orange, passionfruit, and damp pine.
Taste is has lots of hop presence- the caramel malt is mild and just barely sweet. There is plenty of earthy pine, grapefruit, orange and even a hint of blueberry. The hop schedule is notably different and more complex for the style IMHO. But it tastes great!
Medium body, nice lasting tingling carb, a bit slick but dries out and has nice pronounced bitterness. At times it's hard to tell it is an Octoberfest but to be fair they do call it a hoppy angle to the the style.
If you're looking a brew that clongs to the parameters of the style you may be dissapointed. But if you're adventurous and like hops don't miss this one. I really enjoyed this one.
Cheers!

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. I hope everyone is enjoying a good, long weekend. We were on vacation last week and for me it seems like a long time since I've been in the office. I'm sure I'll pay the price later this week, LOL.

This was the second year in which family obligations kept me away from Rushing Duck's anniversary celebration. Thankfully, all of the special releases were still available yesterday. I was literally the first customer when the door opened at Noon. One of the new releases, Imperial De Levende Doden (which I believe is Dutch for The Living Dead), is a bigger version of an ale released by Rushing Duck approx. 10 years ago. The brewery calls it an "Imperial Belgian Porter with Cherries." The original was styled as a Belgian Strong Dark Ale, which I used when I added the Imperial version to the BA database.

I let it warm for almost an hour before popping the can. It pours a very dark cola with cherry hues and a small cap of light khaki foam and thin film of creamy lacing. It smells of roasted malt, fresh cherry, earthy char, tobacco smoke, and some subtle Belgian spicing. The overall flavor is earthy and slightly bitter with lite char and cigar smoke. The cherry is present throughout and provides both sweetness and tartness. There are hints of clove and peppercorn - particularly at the finish. Its mouth feel is creamy with low-moderate carbonation, and you can feel the heat of the 10.3% ABV.

Overall, Imperial De Levende Doden is adventuresome, which isn't surprising for a Rushing Duck anniversary release. When I tried it on draught at the brewery yesterday it was colder and while the cherry seemed more obvious the background flavors are more developed and interesting at 60°+. It will be very interesting to see how it ages over the next few weeks. I bought two packs and will definitely save at least one can for Halloween. It will make for a good session with Rushing Duck's Chained to the Dead. I love the can art, btw!

4.28/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

I'll be back shortly with another treat from Rushing Duck. Cheers!