New Beer Weekend #178

Asbury Park stout
...solid black appearance with a very thin tan head
...medium light carbonation with an above average body, just slightly creamy.
...roasted malts,roasted coffee beans,dry dark chocolate.
...taste is dry,black coffee, bakers dark chocolate yet has a very slight sweetness which adds to the flavor in a nice way.
...overall its a really good beer that I would look for again

 

Prairie Razzle Dazzle BA Aged Imperial Stout with Raspberry, Toasted Coconut & Marshmallow Flavor, 14.0% ABV; 4.12 overall

Pours an effervescent mahogany with rapidly disappearing mocha colored head. Plenty viscous

S: Raspberry, dark fruits, not much else, some booze edge

T: Follows the nose, barrel dryness/rawness, figs & marshmallow come through as well, a little chocolate sneaks in as well up front. Sweet raspberries, a little fig, cola & dark chocolate, plus a kiss of marshmallow as this beer warms up. Finishes with some barrel edge, plenty of raspberry & carob/chocolate, some coconut shows up at room temp

MF: Medium/chewy body, tamped down carbonation, warming

Glad I got to try this, but this isn't 4 pack worthy. The raspberry dominates, just a little toasted coconut showing up late. Thrilled I purchased this in Tulsa, about 3-4 bucks a bottle cheaper there than here as a single. This needed all the air & warmth to get up to speed

 

I really like the taste & feel of this one. A real easy drinker. Cheers!
Clown Shoes Burnt Caramel American Brown Ale. 7% ABV
3.91/5 rDev +5.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
12 oz can best by 11/31/25 into a Becher glass.
L: SRM 14 Pours dark mahogany & light brown with a 1/4" creamy khaki head, ok retention to edge foam, hardly any lacing.
S: Caramelized malts, brown bread, lightly floral. Clean & simple.
T: Gently sweet mixed fruits, light bready notes, red grapes, a hint of plum, very light tannins, late arriving background citrus zest, has a light bready & malty aftertaste, light sweetness tapers off to a bittersweet finish.
F: Lightly brisk medium-bodied mouthfeel with a slightly juicy middle and a medium-length finish that is a bit drying, becomes lightly creamy with warming.
O: Very tasty and easy drinking. Malt forward and gently sweet and is lightly zesty and dry in the finish. It has a very nice balance and flow overall and is not complex. It is very good in its style.

 

Good day BAs! Back with today's New Brewakfast Beer:



Snowblind White Stout – from Kettlehouse Brewing. 16 fl oz can acquired from @muchloveforhops in BSBIF #1. Reviewed 17/12/23 (Review 3197). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 55.7 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 61.5 degrees F.
Appearance – 3.5
First pour – Pale Straw (SRM 2), clear.
Body – Pale Gold (SRM 4), clear.
Head: Large (Maximum 4.7 cm, aggressive center pour), cotton, initially high density but opens as the level drops, short retention, dropping to a 0.2 – 0.3 cm crown, and a rocky partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 3.5 – Coffee. A bit of caramel. No malt, no yeast, no hops, no alcohol (6.2 % ABV as marked on the label).
Flavor – 4 – Begins slightly sweet with coffee. Is that a ghost of vanilla tempting my palate? No yeast, no malt, no hops, no alcohol. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. No gastric warming.
Palate – 4 – Somewhat less than medium; slightly syrupy; lively but thin carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 3.5 (After deducting 0.25 point for an undated personal container) If I were blindfolded and served this, if not for the carbonation I’d think I was drinking sweetened coffee.
Rating 3.75, rDev -3.6%

 

Good morning Sunday BAs! This morning’s new to me imperial stout is another early Xmas gift from my beer buddy - “The Descent” (2023) by Martin House Brewing, Ft. Worth, TX:



Canned 1/15/23. Poured at 54°. Black body with ruby edges; dark tan fizzy head; excellent cap retention; solid ring and bands of lacing; thick n legs. Chocolate and whiskey; cherry wood nose; boozy exhale. Chocolate, cherry, whiskey, black licorice, semi sweet; some hazelnut as beer warms; no vanilla. Medium full body; moderate minus carbonation; mouth warmth from 10% abv; alcohol bite on tip of tongue. Overall, good balance of of base and barrel flavors; the cherry vibe I can’t figure out, but I like; a solid BA impy stout.

4.5 | 4.0 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.25


I’d gladly drink again. I’ll have to keep an eye out for BA offerings from this brewery. Cheers!

 

Sierra Nevada Dank Little Thing - I drank this last night but didn't get a chance to finish the review here and doing so now:

In small print on the side of the can is "ALE WITH NATURAL FLAVORS" so already I am a bit concerned, as this is not usually SN's MO and my palate can be picky with added flavors. 7.5%, 10/18/23. Looks similar to HLT but maybe a touch darker, generous head. The nose is typical hazy with some fruitiness going on and the hops are in there, a bit grassy also. Taste is a bit dank and earthy, piney, fruity...but it is more WC than hazy to me and the flavors are clashing a bit. Remember when White IPAs were a thing and what they tasted like when they first came out? This reminds me of one of those, as there is a hint of some spice underneath it all but the bitterness is on the higher end. Strange beer and not what I was expecting and a single was enough for me.

 

Very well said

 

The intriguing and mystical darkness of Edgar Allan Poe on BA is very nice for sure!

 

I'm a little late to the party this week, but hopefully can squeeze in a couple beers while I catch up on work, watch soccer, and figure out what the heck I'm going to get my wife for Christmas.

My first beer is Central Waters' Barleywine Ale. This has a ton of BA reviews, so apparently it's a popular (or at least widely distributed) beer. It's new to me in that this is my first time trying it, but old in that it's been sitting in more or less same spot on the same shelf in my cellar for a long, long time.


3.8/5 rDev -11.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.75
I'm finally getting around to drinking this beer, just short of its 8th birthday (bottled in early 2016).

First impression is favorable, as the glowing amber color on the pour was very enticing, and there was a surprising amount of (admittedly short-lived) head. Aroma similarly impresses with plenty of brown sugar and sweet molasses.

My first impression of the taste & feel is that.....I'm not sure what I think. It struck me as a little watery initially, and the flavor profile didn't jump out at me. As I drink more of it, what I'm noticing is that a) there is more barrel than I was anticipating (and in a good way), and that there is a brilliant alcohol warming on what ends up being a long finish. Much less rich than the aroma implied. Hard to know if the notes I picked up on the nose have faded over time in terms of the taste.

Overall, this is an enjoyable beer.

 

Well thanks to @CarolinaCardinals for this one. Sent all the way back to California from North Carolina in our Barleywine/Stout BIF #1. Nicely played, Good Sir. Nicely played.

Old Stock Ale 2020 by North Coast Brewing Co.
Thanks to CarolinaCardinals for sending this to me in our Barleywine/Stout BIF #1.
Pours a burgundy tinged copper in hue. Sandy head leans forward with about a finger of fine foam that slowly dissipates to a thin cap. Very lithe, layered lacing.
Nose begins with a melange of the usual suspects. Toffee, dates, and caramelized sugars. But chiming in right away are: some deep barrely brandy notes, some dried apricot, tawny port, and a most mild toasted almond.
Flavor is still a balancing act between what one would expect from a barleywine and the brandy barrel. This is a sipper that calls to you to sit down, relax, focus in a meditative way. The interplay between everything the nose hinted at is like a tennis match played in molasses. At times, the subtlety of the toasted almond note gives way to the deep fruit. Moments later, the fruit goes from deep and almost tannic to bright and sweet, then comes around to a wet barrely must. Leather notes give way to chewy date.
The mouthfeel is medium, low carbonation, and gently warm, a hint of vanilla comes in on the finish.
Overall, a sublime sit and sip is offered up for you to escape this modern world.
4.29/5 rDev -4.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25

 

Drove over to Mesilla to do some Christmas shopping and stopped at one of my favorite breweries, Spotted Dog. I decided to have Bad Santa, an imperial red ale with an ABV of 9.8%.
The beer is a dark red/brown color. A one inch white head with some pretty lace.
Caramel taste giving way to hop bitterness.
Nicely balanced. Alcohol well-hidden.
A nice beer.
The brewery has some 6 packs, and I might need to pick some up.

 

Good afternoon NBW

A cross post from the holiday tasting.

I have always wanted to try this beer, but have never seen it in the wild. I had the good fortune of grabbing the last six pack at my local shop on Thursday, so here we go.

Hofbräu Winter Spezial

330mL bottle with a 10/11/2024 stamp poured into an small mug at fridge temp 8.4% ABV. The beer pours opaque dark brown with mahogany highlights and light brown head. The head recedes to a thin cap. Slight lacing. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring sweet toasted bread and toffee. The taste is bittersweet burnt sugar caramel and toasted rustic bread trailing off into earthy hop flavor and moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with just less that average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Cleanly lagered. Overall, very good.

I'll probably put a dent in this six pack today. Also of note, my wife put up our third full size tree yesterday (pictured), not including a few themed pencil trees scattered around the house. Cheers all!

 

My new beer for today was inspired by @beergoot's post a few weeks ago. When I saw it at my local I grabbed a pack, and am glad I did.
EDIT: I think @jonphisher may have posted this as well earlier in the fall.

Sullivan's Black Marble Stout
5% Irish dry stout





Pours a deep black with a two-and-a-half-finger off-white head that lingers for days.

I'm getting a surprising amount of toffee and caramel on the nose, blending with the roast malts to make a kind of hot cocoa aroma.

The unexpected sweetness continues onto the palate with milk chocolate, burnt sugar, a hint of toffee, and roasted grain blending together wonderfully. Roast bitterness comes to the fore on the finish and builds through the aftertaste. As it warms the roast/burnt/char notes start to really express themselves, including that great combo of roast and fruit you get with premium coffee, and now it's the sweetness that is having a moderating effect.

Medium bodied and eminently smooth. The nitro really does its job here.

Overall, a sweeter stout than I was expecting but it works so well together with a big roast profile as it warms. This is one to let warm up a bit before you start. But does it pass the most important test for the style? Yes, I absolutely want another pint.

 

We just rec'd a few cases of this on Friday by the man.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/47666/682705/



500 ml. bottle.
Bottled July 2022.
Bottle conditioned for 16+ months.

Moderate pour yields a one inch white head over a slightly hazy, light straw colored body with sticky lacing.

Nose of citrus and balsam fir needles and branches, I guess; definitely not pine or oak.
Very interesting!

Taste of citrus and a bit of pine-like flavor with a little something like white balsamic in the background before a bitter finish from the balsam fir and not necessarily from any hops. Very refreshing with a fairly gentle sourness from start to finish. Excellent!!

Great Wunderkammer mouthfeel with medium carbonation.

Overall, yet another wonderfully unique offering from Albany, VT and one worth seeking out.
Cheers!!!

 

Good afternoon beer friends!
Went to the Grand Rapids Christkindl Market today and tried the beer from Brewery Vivant, who made it special for the market.

Nice and easy quaffing, I got both cloves and banana so I assume this is Belgian style. Though the Christkindl I think is German.
Yes, they did have some mulled wine available to, but ran out of the little mug that they served it in.
The market itself is new this year, hopefully it will be back and better next year.
Cheers all!

 

Welcome one and all to New Beer Sunday #982! Closing out my Christmas Holiday Winter Beer Thread selections with this new to me selection from another brewery I have enjoyed over the years.

Samuel Smith Winter Welcome Ale 2023-2024



Bottle Notes: Purchased December 8 at Trader Joes Park Ridge for $5.89 at store temperature, refrigerated thereafter until opening now. 18.7 oz, smudged bottle code, bottled likely in August 2023 based on social media post. 6.0% ABV, Strong Beer / Biere Forte. Brewed and produced by Samuel Smith's small, traditional British Brewery, The Oldest Brewery in Yorkshire, Tadcaster UK, established 1758. Imported into the United States of America by Merchant Du Vin Corp, Tacoma, Washington.

Tradition, Greetings. Blessing of your heart you brew good ale - W. Shakespeare

This season beer is a limited edition brewed for the short days and long nights of winter. The full body resulting from fermentation in stone 'Yorkshire Squares' and the luxurious malt character, which will appeal to a broad range of drinkers, is balanced against whole-dried Fuggle and Golding hops with nuances and complexities that should be contemplated before an open fire.

Appearance: Nice clear bronze ruby base, light head lingers leaving egg white creamy lacing covering the base and thin generous lacing covering the sides. Medium plus sustained carbonation. 4.25

Aroma: Caramel malt, citrus, clove, very light in strength. I like what I can gather. 3.5

Taste: Taste much stronger, a puckering amount of malt from sea to shining sea. Getting a bland vegetal bitter, perhaps stale cake or bread. Chalking this up to the hop combo 2.5

Mouthfeel: Crisp, drinks with heft beyond the listed 6.0% ABV. Just a joyless malt and bitter concoction, reminds me of attempting barley soup, malt bitter meh lingers. Dry and bitter without flavor rewards. 2.25

Overall: I've enjoyed or at least survived my other Winter Warmers this season but ran out of luck with this beer. I typically like Samuel Smith offerings, but will leave this on the shelf for now on. It tastes like winter feels. 2.5

Hoping for more enjoyable selections for my palate over the new two weekends.

 

Green City a hazy double dry hopped IPA from Other Half Brewing
This brew is a hazy gold with a thick long lasting white head. The aroma is mild and fruity. The taste is the same. The mouthfeel is soft no doubt from the oats in the grain bill. This was the first beer I’ve had from Other Half and was excepting a better beer than this. Won’t be seeking it out.

 

Yup that is one I had a few weeks back and urged @beergoot to try along with his other Sullivans. I loved it, my new preferred Irish stout. Glad you enjoyed it too.