New Beer Weekend #175

Not the first, but cheers @lordofthewiens for the opener today!

A very fitting first beer of the holiday, from Kiitos, which means "thanks" in Finnish.

Kiitos - Double IPA


Canned 10.12.23
Purchased from the brewery cooler for about $3
Poured at about 40°F into a fake Pretentious glass.

Pours a fairly deep orange/copper with a very dense eggshell colored head. Very persistent with some very fine lacing. 4

Big citrus rind and citrus zest. Grapefruit, lemon, some underripe lime. Hint of alcohol for the 8.5% and some sweet malty grain. 4

Taste is heavy bitter citrus rind mainly orange oil h and grapefruit, and some spicy earthy hops. 4

Hop oil mouthcoating, dry bitter finish, and moderate carbo make this a easy drinking double. Abv bite dies off after a few sips. 4

Overall a nice double that leans more towards a wcipa classification in my opinion. Pleasantly and firmly butter without being a pine bomb. Would buy again. 4

Be back soon, cheers friends!

 

Yay, just in time, as I opened this beautiful example of an Oude Gueuze.

Tilquin a L'Ancienne, 6.4% ABV.

A blend 1, 2 and 3 years old lambics from Boon, Lindemans, Girardin and Cantillon.



Pardon the bad lighting here, my over head kitchen light went out right as I took it ha, though a funky cheese snack before the main event.



Pours with a light chilled haze at first. A golden/orange color. A bubbly white head forms and settles, then recedes to a ring in a moment.
Aroma is musty, and almost vinous like. Grapes, apples, peppery spice. A musty basement like funk and earthiness rounds everything out. Almost like hay in a basement ha.
Taste wise, everything is so well balanced here. Starting off with a fruity tartness of apples and grapes, that make this almost like a dry cider, to the musty, funky, earthiness. The acidity and sourness builds towards the finish, and just a faint amount of woody flavors.
M/O: A medium body with effervescent carbonation. This is spritzy, and finishes wonderfully dry, with the perfect amount of puckering. This is a great Gueuze to sip on.

All around excellent. Not sure why I waited so long to try this one, as it is a blend of many of my favorite Gueuze breweries (Boon, Lindemans, Girardin and Cantillon). A classic and excellent example of the style.

Overall score is 4.36, solid A to an A+ for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/25923/70745/?ba=champ103#lists

This is my early afternoon beer for the holiday. With a stack of books I'm working through on this long holiday weekend. Just finished the Jose Eduardo Agualusa short story collection, then on to Clarice Lispector who is otherworldly. Then some Ursula Le Guin, and my favorite modern Russian writer, Andrei Makine...I think I can get all that done in the next few days ha.

 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Special thank you to @lordofthewiens and my Viking brother, @NorsemanOne, for getting things going! Alaskan Brewing Smoked Porter. 2023. A beer I have known of since the dawn of my transition to craft beer. Right now is the ideal moment to experience the tradition and glory. During my first few sips, Jared Goff fumbled twice. Very nice. The look is cloudy dark brown. There is a slight brown foamy covering. The smell is honey-baked ham, in the best way possible. Buring leaves, brown sugar, and freshly-baked brown bread finish the ambiance. The taste is honey-baked ham, freshly-baked brown bread, molasses, cinnamon, malt, and milk chocolate. The mouthfeel is thick, smooth, full, and creamy, with medium carbonation. Overall, this beer lives up to the legend. It is an exceptional beer. I can't think of a better smoked beer.

 

@GreenBayBA you'll be getting a message from me once snow hits the valley as to where you're at and if you're here yet!

Next up,

RoHa Brewing Project - Bluebird American Wheat


Purchased from the brewery cooler for $2.25/can, $8.99 4/pk
No canning date
Poured at fridge temp into a weizen glass.

Pours a pale/ near unfiltered golden with a rich fluffy foam head. 4

Smooth and sweet wheat and malty grains. When I think beer this is the scent I think of and love it. 4.25

Taste is a blend of earthy and floral hops. Touch of sweet honey, and fresh grain. Man wheats are delicious. 4.25

Moderate carbo, and body, lingering hoppy bitterness. 4

Overall this is exactly what I want out of an American wheat, and though I prefer fruited wheats, a plain wheat beet this good is something worth celebrating. Thrilled I had the foresight to pick up the 4pk and will absolutely buy again. 4.25

 

Boulevard Rested Reserve BBA Imperial Stout, 12% ABV. Pours black with one-finger brown head that left some lacing. Aroma is malt, bourbon, and I'm picking up cinnamon bun. Flavor is bourbon, dark fruit, roast malt, rye spice, moderate sweetness, slight bitterness, some bourbon burn. Decent mouthfeel with good carbonation (none of that lame-ass carbonation here). Overall outstanding, should have bought a pack.

4.38/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Go Pack! Hoping we continue the good showing today and carry it forward to the next game in Lambeau on the 3rd when we play KC. I'll be attending, and plan to meet up with @GreenBayBA and in-laws for a beer or two.

 

I have big plans for us!

 

50 cl can, poured cold into a snifter in Toulouse, France. Rich maroon head forms atop burgandy-colored French-made brew, leaves beet juice colored lace.
Aroma is wildly dark cherry juice.
The combination of a bitter hop note behind the cherry juice balance this strong ale flavor bomb. Nice little pucker at the juicy finish.
Medium body, medium carbonation.
Overall, this mixture should appeal to a wide demographic of IPA people, sourpusses, fruited beer lovers, and buzz bombers.

Ch Ch Ch Cherry Cheers!

 

Happy Thanksgiving, NBW. I’m breaking out a beer from my cellar that I’ve had for 5 years and always wanted to try, but never got around to taking the beer nerd plunge.

That changes today with this 25th Anniversary beer from a brewery that knows its way around extreme, high ABV beer. And the fact that I’m breaking out the Schell’s goblet shows how pumped I am to try this beer.

Let’s GOOOO, NBW.





4.6/5 rDev +7.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a dark mahogany brown and settles as nearly black in the glass with a rich, creamy tan head that lingers and provides a surprising amount of lacing, given the high ABV (14.5%). Absolutely gorgeous Belgian Dark Strong Ale.

The nose is complex, with alcohol and fruity esters most prominent up front, then chocolate malt and stone fruit aromas following, with all components in balance. This is gonna be good.

The taste is led by the chocolate malt and stone fruit flavor, which is comprised of the dates and raisins, and there’s a significant warming alcohol component at the back of the palate that settles in your chest, but what holds it all together is the oak, which reigns in the sweetness and allows all the flavors to shine. This is exceptionally well done.

The mouthfeel is medium and commensurate with the style. My only regret is that I don’t have another bottle to age for another 5 years and see how this magnificent beer evolves. World class stuff here, IMHO.

 

Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Wolfenoot, and Happy birthday Terry: our very own @BBThunderbolt!!

Even though it happens to fall on Thanksgiving this year, we figured we'd do Wolfenoot tonight, since we're doing the big family turkey day celebration tomorrow to facilitate work schedules.
I'm still learning the regional differences in the beer scenes between home and out here, and one is a theme that's harder and harder to escape even at home, but it is damn near impossible to find any big stouts out here that aren't sugared up like a dreamy winter plum. I thought I'd succeeded more or less with today's offering, until I got home and my wife pointed out on the bottom of the can, the date text reads, 'coffee cake,' so I figured it was another adjunct laden dentist's-favourite variant. Was I right? Well... partly.



Beer Tree - Morning Timber

As best as I can tell by looking at the other variant listings on here, the variants are clearly listed right under the 'Morning Timber' aspect of the label, and that is not present on my can. So I think 'Coffee Cake' on the bottom is just flavour text (*rimshot*), and not indicative of some uber-sweet variant. Cool. Now that we've got that solved...

It pours a lovely deep dark brown, like the dark chocolate my wife likes. A small head quickly dissipates to just a dusting of deep khaki bubbles with slight accumulation in the corners.

The nose starts with a big hit of roasty coffee. It's smoothe and soothing... a character that I initially attributed to an almost wood-esque character, but it's really not that. I can't quite nail what it is, then, but it's not entirely dissimilar. Behind the coffee is some bakers chocolate and roasty and toasty malts.

The flavour kicks in the door with a high sweet maple note that is closer to what I'd feared above, but which ultimately (spoiler alert)... really works. It helps that the sweetness is a maple sweetness, and I really like maple in general, but it's a sweetness that does not end up cloying, does not overwhelm. It's very sweet. Don't get me wrong. But it works. Anyway, the maple sweet intro transitions to the bitter black coffee and rich dark chocolate and some toasty malts.

Lively carbonation at initial pour, but after sitting for about an hour (or two... I'm slow typing these up...) that dissipates. Body is less... robust than I would have imagined.



Overall, this is undoubtedly a sweet beer. But it's not as overladen as I'd feared. It works. I enjoy it quite a bit. Cheers, and hope all y'alls celebrations are going well, whatever it is you may be celebrating (except the Niners. Fuck the Niners)!!

(post script: Apropos of very little, but we made potato rolls out of a gigantic [and veiny!] pueple sweet potato my wife has been excited about for a while. We didn't make them the prettiest, whatever, but when they were sitting on the drying rack, we realized they looked like potatoes! They'd come full circle, ha! Just figured I'd share because it gave me a chuckle).

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Kinda strange saying on a Thursday, but here goes. I had a great day with the family. The only bad thing that happened was my old iPod kicked the bucket on the way there. It sucks, but, what can you do with old technology.

I was absent last weekend because I was battling a cold, but I'm getting close to 100%, time to jump back in to the fray with this one:

KBS Blueberry - Founders Brewing - Imperial Stout - 11.2% ABV

I am liking this somewhat, though, no where as much as the standard KBS. It's good, but nothing I'd go out of my way for.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1199/659629/


3.94/5 rDev -3.9%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From a 12oz bottle bottled on 07.10.23

Slight hiss upon opening the bottle. Pitch black pouring beer. There's no light at all shining through. The head that forms is a bit less than 1 finger, and it is brown. Decent lasting head for the ABV, and there's just a bit of lacing on the glass.
I was hit strongly with blueberry as I was pouring the beer. Up close, I don't get as much of it, which is kind of surprising. I do get some decent coffee notes, as well as some chocolate, caramel and toffee.
There's a good deal of the standard KBS here. I am getting a lot of coffee, caramel, toffee, and chocolate. The blueberry is also in this mix. I have had blueberry beers where this flavor is very artificial, this beer is the real deal here with real blueberry. The blueberry is somewhat of an undertone, and it's probably a good thing, because a lot of it would overpower the standard KBS flavors.
The beer is crisp feeling, and somewhat full, though not as full as standard KBS.
Interesting take on this, and I do have more to age to see how it ages.

This is it for tonight. I do have to work tomorrow, but I'll join you all again Saturday, and from the road at Valkyrie Brewing in Dallas, WI. They're closing, because the owners are retiring after 30 years, but they have a new to me, yet old beer on tap. Cheers all.

 

Southern Tier Caramel Pumpking, 8.6% ABV; 3.81 overall Thanks Jeff! @jzeilinger

Pours an effervescent amber with a pinky of cream-colored head. Solid head retention & lacing

S: Caramel & vanilla, some cinnamon late.

T: Follows the nose then cinnamon & nutmeg, plus dryness up front. Over sweet vanilla & caramel mix with dryness & more aforementioned spices as this beer warms up, Finishes dry with plenty of cinnamon & nutmeg, oversweet caramel

MF: Medium body, medium carbonation. Carbonation smooths out once warmer

Alright drinkability, didn't wow me, but glad I got to try this

 

Good evening NBW
I usually review one pumpkin beer a year just to remind myself that I don't like them...
I hadn't bothered this year, but I saw this in a single and the brandy barrel aging piqued my interest.

Lakefront Brewery Imperial Pumpkin Ale

Ale brewed with pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice, and vanilla, then aged in brandy barrels.

12oz stamped CANNED ON 31MAY2023 3L3587 11.1% ALC/VOL poured into a tulip glass at fridge temp. The beer pours bright medium amber in color with meager khaki colored head. The head recedes to a pencil thin ring and small island of microscopic bubbles. The aroma is moderate with brandy up front and hints of pumpkin pie. The taste is semisweet pumpkin and vanilla up front before the pie spice, brandy and oak barrel finish things off. Minimal bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Would never have guessed 11.1% without reading the bottom of the can. Overall, very good. There's a lot going on here, but it's all very cohesive, subtle and tasty.

Rather surprised I'm the first review of a beer canned in May. I've always assumed Lakefront has pretty broad distribution since we get them in Southern Indiana, but maybe not.

Cheers all!

 

Hold On To Sunshine
7.6% stout by Treehouse

Poured from a pint can, a coffee black body with a mocha brown head. Light lacing throughout the tasting.

Aroma is a delightful sweet coffee and chocolate with a wee hint of peanut.

Taste follows nose and adds a fuller peanut flavor that pairs well with the milk chocolate and coffee flavors. The latter is more assertive in taste: a bold, roasty flavor. The lactose flavor is present but it stays in the background and is subservient and complimentary to the other flavors.

Mouthfeel is creamy with solid carbonation.

Really great coffee stout.

 

Happy Thanksgiving! Going with an New Zealand/Italian Pilsner from a local MN brewery.

Blackstack Land Line

Appearance: Clear yellow, ok head at first but poor retention.

Smell: Bit of dankness at first, then a little strange lemon/Belgian yeast phenol note.

Taste: Mildly sweet, then kind of settles into a wheat thins-like flavor. Maybe a little lemon note. Light bodied.

Overall: Tried a 4 pack of pilsner from the hazy factory, what am I going to get? A pretty decent tasting beer, not nearly as hoppy as I thought it would be, seemed more on the cracker malt side. Pretty good.

 

I pretty much refuse to drink any pumpkin ale under 7.0% ABV any more. This one sounds pretty good.

 

Ommegang Belgian Essence Triple 8.4% ABV; 3.79 overall

Pours an effervescent amber with 2 fingers of cream-colored head retention & lacing

S: Bready notes, some yeasty notes once warm

T: Pears, white pepper, clovers, some breadyness & some phenol notes & a touch of wet hay, plus coriander up front. Pears, dryness, green apple skin & grassyness as this beer warms up, just a touch of pomelo as well. Finishes dry with some pear, more green apple skin, a whisper of pineapple & white grapes, plus coriander & yeastyness

MF: Medium body, lively carbonation

Solid Tripel, but was wanting little hop flavor pop. I have high expectations on Belgian style offerings from these guys, this one kind of fell short. The nose was underwhelming as well, a little too safe for my tastes

 

Thank you @lordofthewiens for opening up the thread to kick off the four day Thanksgiving Day weekend! I wish you and your extended family, friends, loved ones a Happy Thanksgiving Day 2023!

Have four Illinois selections planned for the weekend, starting with two new BA releases from July. All proceeds who purchase this beer through the rest of November at the Revolution Taproom or Brewpub will be donated to Alex Kidd, creator of Don't Drink Beer who is fighting Stage Four cancer.

https://nitter.net/dontdrinkbeer/status/1722310652231098555#m

Revolution Life Jacket



Can Notes: Four pack part of the Revolution Deep Woods Season Ticket. 12 oz canned 7/13/23 at 6:56:50 AM. 15.04% ABV. Barleywine Ale with mango, guava, passionfruit, coconut, and natural flavors aged in bourbon barrels. Bright and breezy, malt vacation.

Appearance: Full pour into a handheld snifter. Crystal clear ruby bronze base, steady carbonation after the initial burst. Light bubbly tan white head lingers for a minute plus before leaving without any trace. 4.50

Aroma: I let this sit for 5, 10 and 15 minutes and pretty much get their standard barleywine Straight Jacket aroma on each attempt, which is plum, brandy, oak and bourbon, the last component increasing slightly in strength as this warms. Surprised I didn't get any of the additional flavors listed. 4.0

Taste: OK, getting the additional flavors from go. I'm sweet sensitive, so it hit me pretty hard, but as I grow accustomed to it and this warms my appreciation increases. The blending works well, the traditional barleywine and bourbon barrel remain with plum and figs front and center, and the additional flavors blend well. Starts with the mango and passionfruit, which is enjoyable and adds extra sweetness. I am not getting the coconut and not familiar with isolating guava. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Sweet sweet then begins to chillout as it warms and I grow accustomed. Very strong, can't tell if above / below the 15% mark at first, marking it stronger felt as I progress with my weak ass current tolerance. Broaching on a full creamy rich body, light carbonation felt throughout, getting the passionfruit plum bourbon blended finish. Very nice. 4.5

Overall: I appreciate this barleywine and while I prefer straight jacket for a profile better suited to my palate, this is a solid offering and I'm considering picking up more for personal enjoyment and to share at future gatherings. Another example of me raising an eyebrow coming in and being pleasantly surprised with the result. Thank you Revolution and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! 4.25

Glad I cracked this open in time. If you see me with a beer haul before the end of the month, for the first time I can claim it is for a good cause! Cheers, and I'll be back with the last remaining July DW release that sadly quickly sold out and I'm expecting great pleasure.

 

Equilibrium Almond Pop Imperial Stout with Almonds, Marshmallow, Vanilla, Cake & Lactose, 11.0% ABV; 4.15 overall

Pours very thick with a sliver of mocha colored head. Slightly below average head retention & lacing, viscous as all get out

S: Faint chocolate notes, cola notes, fairly muted

T: Dark chocolate, marshmallow, vanilla & hint of cola mixing in with lactose sweetness/dryness up front, some woody hops as well. Chocolate, &marshmallow pick up the [ace as this beer warms up, some woody dryness, just a touch of vanilla . Finishes dry, sweet & with dome vanilla & oaky notes

MF: Thick, low carbonation, very rich & decadent

Very rich and flavorful, but the nose, not so much. A sipper to be sure

 

Is/Was - Bourgeois Daydream

500ml bottle served in a snulip. May 2023 release. Picked it up in Chicago in June, I think.

Pours a murky pale yellow with a medium sized head that settles into a lumpy layer with a thick, coarse ring. Smell is light lemon and lots of grass, some earthy, lightly spicy and quite bright.

Taste is very funky, way more grain husk than the nose suggested, lemon, grass, earthy oakiness. Some earthy bitterness.

Mouthfeel is light, a little clingy. Overall, good, bright, light beer.

Cancer scare is over and no longer scary. My Alaskan math teacher friend is still in ICU without a clear date to get out (except that it's probably more than a week out). We had his family over for Thanksgiving so they'd get to have the full meal without having to deal with making it or cleaning up after.