New Beer Weekend #173

More from @BigIronH, Odd Side Bourbon Maple Wishes & Pecan Dreams



You don't see pecan as an adjunct too often, but it's very fun. The Porter base helps balance this one more than I think a Stout would, though it can come across a bit thin at points. Not super boozy but the barrels add just enough and both adjuncts are very present. Great beer

4.33/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

11 Pages of NBW! Trying my first Rauchbier, this one from the popular lager brewery Von Trapp.

3.63/5 rDev -9.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
Poured from a 12-oz can stamped “BEST 03/09/234, to a tulip glass at fridge temp.
Body is black and a small khaki head of mixed bubbles sits above and quickly fades to a glass hugging ring that laces with a full film that falls soon by gravity.
Sniffs are full of raisin, caramel, and leaf mulch.
Tasting brings dried plums and fig. It's not overly sweet or dry, but somewhere in the middle. Only after a swallow is there a hint of smoke.
Carbonation seems a little high, and the viscosity is light, but still there is some tongue coating.
Overall, fine and drinkable. I’m at a loss to rate to style other than reading descriptions as this is my first Rauchbier.

 

Boulevard Spiced Imperial BBA Stout, 15% ABV. Pours black with a three-finger light brown head that left some lacing. Aroma is apple and cinnamon - apple crisp. Taste follows, plus bourbon, slightly sweet, slightly bitter, some bourbon burn. Decent dry mouthfeel, overall excellent. I'm not usually a an apple-beer fan, but this works.

4.29/5 rDev -2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Watching the Packers win, at least at the moment.

 

Cross post first from the Belgian Appreciation Thread

Level Crossing - Eternal Pursuit


Illegible canning date, yearly release though, and that's Feb.
Purchased from the brewery cooler for $6
Poured at about 45°F into a chalice.

24 IBU
8.8% abv
33 SRM - Deep Copper Brown
"Eternal Pursuit is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale with complex malty aromas of black cherry, raisins, plumb and figs. The low hop bitterness allows the mélange of fresh stone fruit, caramel malt and hints of chocolate-covered banana flavors to shine. Eternal Pursuit has higher carbonation and a medium body which finishes dry with some residual alcohol warmth lingering in the mouth."

Pours that deep cola brown with bright coppery edges and a dense khaki colored head. Some thin/fine trailing lacing and steady retention. 4.25

Aroma is some fruity esters, banana, and dark stone fruit-fruitcake. 4

Some roasty cocoa, banana bread, raisin, and mmm my favorite Belgian Candi Sugar, not so noticeable but it's present along with some nice herbal and earthy hop oil finish, and back with a soft cocoa lingering character. 4.5

Initially there was some very hot whiskey-esque booze but that immediately faded after the first sip. Rich, but not so thick it takes hours to finish. Sticky, full with moderate to low carbo. 4.5

Overall a very delicious Belgian dark ale I'll hope to get my hands on again and look forward to the 2024 release, (perhaps do a side by side!) 4.25

Cheers friends!

 

Wine + whiskey BA sounds VERY interesting and worth a try

 

Really liked that one

 

Cheers to @Bhubbard34 for this Tired Hands Lush Life Tripe IPA, 10.6% ABV; 4.54 overall

Pours a hazed with a thumb of ivory colored head. Good head retention & superior lacing

S: Plenty of tropical & citrus fruits. Great nose!

T: Guava, passionfruit, tangerine, lime, oranges, & pineapple up front. Picking up a little mango & sweet orange as this beer warms up, long with pineapple, passion fruit & lime. Finishes with grapefruit, pineapple, guava, dryness , lime & passionfruit

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation; great balance

Great take on the style, super drinkability for the ABV

 

Totally forgot about the stout/barleywine theme. In my fridge I have been saving some special beers from @Ozzylizard . Both the weather and the ABV on these have had me waiting for winter to try these beers.
Here is my first Hopping Frog experience.

4.32/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 16-oz can stamped “BEST BY DEC 15 2023, to a tulip glass at 50F.
The pour stream looks like root beer, but the liquid in the glass is black. There is no head, but for a really small ring that is gone in 30 seconds.
This baby smells rich. Plums and oak with a floral background. The first whiffs bring the alcohol, but that goes away as it airs out.
The flavor is just as rich- plums, cinnamon, raisins, dark coffee. Not sure if it's the cinnamon or the alcohol but there is a little burn mid-taste.
Despite zero head, there is medium carbonation. Oiliness is also a mouthfeel feature as is a lipsticking sensation.
There is a lot to this beer. The more you sip the more you find.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. And to all of our veterans, thank you for your service and I hope you've had an enjoyable holiday weekend.

After drinking a big BA Stout last night, I was going to review something hoppier today but with all the luscious-appearing Stouts being reviewed this NBW I couldn't resist joining in. So I'm going with Alesmith's Barrel-Aged Speedway Stout - Coconut Vanilla Edition (2023). It's boozier and hotter than I expected. Poured at 64°. The color is a dark walnut with some cola hues at the bottom of the glass and it sports a foamy, medium-mocha head that diminishes quickly. Its nose is big and rich with vanilla, strong bourbon, and earthy malts. The bourbon dominates the taste. Beneath is roasted malt, bakers chocolate, burnt coffee grounds, nutty char, and vanilla bean but I'm not tasting much coconut. The bourbon influence is warming. Its mouth feel is silky and pleasantly thick creamy with lite carbonation. But there is no escaping the 13.2% ABV - it's hot and boozy and should be sipped slowly. Overall, while it is very good although I'm not sure it's world class. I wish the barrel influence were more delicate. Nonetheless, I was happy to see cans available in New Jersey.

4.28/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

 

My wife is probably pissed at whoever introduced me to this thread...but anyway...

I realized I hadn't tried any of the barleywines @CBlack85 sent me as part of the Stout/Barleywine BIF and felt guilty. So...



This was a very pleasant surprise...

Appearance was a (rather unappetizing) muddy tan, with a mild head that disappeared quickly. Nose reminded me of raisins/dates/figs, along with something wine-like which I assume is the sherry. Taste was very similar to nose - I think I’d describe it as dried fruit, only a lot sweeter. The feel was incredibly smooth, with a medium body. And an 11.5% ABV that was completely hidden.

I haven't been posting my numerical ratings here, just my thoughts -- but this one gets a look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25 -- but the 4.5 taste may be a low rating.

 

Part of BIF - barleywine and stout edition, a Mystery beer from @2beerdogs.

A soap bubble-looking initial head that quickly retreated to edges. Dark brown body that is opaque.

Vinous nose and flavor. Not a stout or barleywine. Solidly sour and vinegar flavor. Something sweet way in the background. Neither malt nor hop character present.

Medium to thin body with light mouth covering, a light tingly mouthfeel.

Wild ale?




The Mystery beer is indeed a wild ale: Bruery Terreux Hoarders Cuvee (2018).

Perhaps the time has faded the blended stout elements and flavors unless they were super subtle even when new. Or perhaps my palate simply isn’t sophisticated enough to find them. Not my favorite style, but a fun mystery beer that was a poser.

 

Yesterday, while beer shopping I came across cans of Tired Hands' DDH Oblivex (Simcoe). Oblivex is a series of DIPAs with different hop profiles. I checked the BA rating and was very surprised that this variant wasn't in the database. I never thought I'd get to add a Tired Hands beer to BA. I'm glad we're starting to see more TH options than just Alien Church and HopHands. When I was down the shore two weeks ago I saw Punge (one of my all-time favorite IPAs) that was canned in July. I was bummed because such a great beer doesn't deserve to sit on the shelf.

This pack was canned on 10/2 and it's still magnificent. It pours a hazy, dirty-orange color with a two-finger cap of fluffy, bright-white foam and lots of soapy lacing inside the glass. A big, fruity nose featuring orange/tangerine, pineapple, berry, and soft floral hops. Wow, it's good! Big flavors of orange, peach, berry, lemon, and grapefruit, along with oaty sweetness, but it's also earthy and floral with strong notes of pine sap and spice which nicely balance with sweetness of the tropical and stone fruits. The brewer used spelt to great effect. The mouth feel is plush and creamy with pleasant carbonation, and you'd never think the ABV is 9.2% - it goes down very easily for the gravity.

4.43/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

I hope to find some of the other Oblivex variants locally. Cheers NBW and have a great week, everyone!

 

Day 2 (for me) we enjoyed a great day on the beach here in West Palm, so a beer is in order. We went grocery shopping this morning, and I was very surprised to find I’d never tried this before, so my new beer was an easy choice.





4.35/5 rDev +11%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Pours an unfiltered golden color with a soapy white head that provides moderate lacing. Looks great in my glass. The nose is rife with tropical aromas, including candied orange, mango, and pineapple, and there’s a bit of berry as well. Very nice.

This drinks SOOOOO smoothly, with the candied orange and mango most prominent, but those flavors allow room for some pineapple and berry flavors to shine as well, with a nice little malt note to balance this juicy and surprisingly bitter DIPA.

The mouthfeel is medium and adds to the drinkability, but it can sneak up on you, with some residual alcohol warming as you allow the beer to settle in. Really glad I picked up a 6er of this to enjoy whilst vacationing!

 

The view from our room …..

 

New beer #1 of today is a beer I'd be wanting to try for a while now and finally went for it...a local cream ale based off a popular corn variety grown in south jersey, called silver queen; I don't think this beer has that specific corn in it, but it may, but I do know that it is 20% of the malt bill. This beer is their ode to home and a place I love...south jersey.

Bonesaw - Silver Queen (Cream Ale 4.7%)

L

Pours a clear super light pale; white head, big and frothy, gives way to rocky terrain then a thin film, some lacing present.

A very fragrant and refreshing nose; very lightly sweet; corn like but very pleasant, wafer like malt, and a light mix of floral and herbal that is intoxicating to me; reminds me of smelling sun dried laundry, just super fresh and clean smell.

The taste is lightly sweet, AAL like but much more refined and clean; just like the nose a unique wafer like malt; sort of nilla wafer like without the vanilla, prickly hops almost zesty to a degree, lightly grassy with a dash of spice on the finish. The aftertaste is that fresh air smell I got on the nose and it is just delightful to me.

Feel is another shining spot for this south jersey beer, incredibly light body that steers clear of being to thin; just the perfect hint of corn sweet, dries out like a lager with just enough bitterness to poke its head out; effervescent and smooth carbonation.

Overall, if you’re ever in south jersey, try this beer. It’s a perfect example of simplicity at its finest.

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Gonna go start a fire outside to make s'mores with the boys, then I'll be ready for my big old imperial stout I bought thanks to all you crazy dark beer lovers. See you all later tonight!!!

 

Had a spicy barleywine yesterday, going for sweet today. Maple Pecan BA Bligh's from Dry Dock courtesy of @beergoot via the barleywine etc. BIF.



Pours with short lived fizz but the body is a pretty, clear chestnut color. Cold, the maple syrup has an unpleasant metallic note, but that disappears as it warms. This is more to my liking than the pumpkin pie spiced version. Sweet caramel, booze, and maple glazed pecans all play really nicely together. Some bitter heat and oak at the end found things out. Good stuff, thanks Dave!