New Beer Weekend #180

We’re visiting family in Dayton, so a quick one and done for me. I can’t believe I’ve never had this before, and I am REALLY glad I can enjoy it today.





4.5/5 rDev +10.6%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Pours a rich brown color with a flossy tan head that provides significant lacing. Gorgeous rauchbier. The nose features caramel and nutty aromas, some wheat bread, and lots of savory smoke, similar to what you get in a smokehouse for cured meats. Wow.

That smokehouse flavor is most prominent on the taste, and resides on all phases of the palate, with a residual smokiness at the very back of the palate, with the caramel, nuts, and wheat bread primarily mid-palate. Absolutely delicious stuff

This manages to be savory and clean at the same time, with a medium, crisp mouthfeel making this extraordinarily drinkable. World class beer, IMHO.

 

My next beer comes courtesy of @Dimidiata.....this is Lady in Grey, from Sante Adairius Rustic Ales.

B7 from April of 2020.

Nice, clean looking beer. Sparkling cider in appearance with a fizzy, white head and excellent clarity. Aroma is a clean funk that doesn't linger long, but entices from up close.

Taste is wonderful. I get green apple, lemongrass and a light earthy funk. Acidity is spot on for me....it's clearly there, but not over the top. Crisp, dry and super, super easy to drink.

Overall, excellent beer. Thanks, Christine!

 

Enjoying Burial Brewing's 2022 Houtenhamer Imperial Stout. Commercial description: Double Barrel-Aged Imperial Stout Aged Twice in Bourbon Barrels. Made of aged stock that reached nearly 16% and was blended down for legality purposes, this blended Imperial Stout was forged of 75% Imperial Stout aged twice in fresh Willet bourbon barrels for more than 1 year, and 25% young-aged Imperial Stout, which serves to both invigorate life while bringing us back to legal limits. Welcome to our 2022 Cuvee.

4.51/5 rDev +0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Beer poured black as night with an okay tan head.

Nose, upon cracking the cap, engulfed my local oxygen supply with a huge amount of chocolate, vanilla, and leather.

First sip was a belly warming experience, perfect for a low 40's late December afternoon. The large malt base is given to mild roast with notes of cocoa and chocolate. The barrel delivers as i am getting leather and vanilla and provide a perfect balancing act to the huge malt base.

Mouthfeel is thinner than expected, medium bodied and smooth.

Overall this is one tasty brew, one and done for sure today!
Cheers!
Tom

 

Only a couple new brews for me today, both from the Bruery's Distillers Select Collection release:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/684624/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/16866/681292/?ba=bluejacket74#lists



And yeah, the labels are hard to read. They're the kind that you have to hold the bottle a certain way to really be able to read the name of the beer correctly, unfortunately I couldn't do that in any of my pictures. Should have 2 or 3 more new brews for tomorrow, cheers everyone!

 

Thanks friend, that sounds like a tasty beer…also liked that description you shared and how they explained the name of it. Thanks for remembering me

 

This Alesmith Porter left behind from the "alien intuders" pre Christmas Christmas visit. As much as like stouts, porters are something else too me. My $.02 says this is one of the better ones.
3.77/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Nice dark brown pour, big frothy head and some decent lacing. Snot locker gets some heavy roast, cracker and maybe toffee. Taste buds get that also, has a "stale coffee" finish that gives some finish.

 

SN - Hop Bullet



Nose is resin and pine. Gummy bears. Smidge of malt. Clean.

Taste follows initially but very light malt characteristics. Piney. Bitter. Rind. Soft and approachable.

Heady finish tells the abv otherwise it’s not detectable. Wonderfully balanced and very clean. Love it

Oddly there were no sixers of this, wish it weren’t such high abv. Not that I taste it but I certainly feel it’s present.

 

Jester King Noble Queen Hoppy Farmhouse Ale 5.2% ABV. Rate & rev comin' soon. Brisk, tart, lively & dry. Me likey. Cheers!

 

Good evening BA! Last night I had a Black Ops BBA Stout that was infected. Not ideal.
So tonight I’m starting sweet:

For a milk stout 3 years old, this is still drinking quite well.
The appearance is stout black with a very impressive light brown head which left rings of lacing.
The taste, well, chocolate cake. Not cloyingly sweet, but no doubt as to the intent.
A little malty base makes itself known but no sign of hops flavor.
The feel is viscous and carries the flavors well.
OA, if you want a pleasant pastry stout, this fits the bill.
Cheers!

 

Last saison (and possibly beer?) of the year - ending it on a high note - cheers!:

4.21/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Released around January 2023, a combo of Cellarman, Lady in Grey, and the wood aged version of Anais. 6.8% ABV. Poured from a 750mL bottle into my Troubadour tulip.

Clear Naples yellow body supports a small dense ring of ghost white foam. Fine, sandy lacing; decent retention.

Fruity and floral aromatics with a hint of funk - melon, orange blossom, oak, vanilla...

Bright and tangy palate entry with a gentle lactic note. Strawberry and orange ice cream, pinot gris, and crackery malt offset by very low bitterness. Medium-dry finish with some lingering minerality and returning fruity sweetness. Gentle oak-influenced complexity throughout. No barnyard notes, band-aid, brett., etc.

Creamy, medium-light bodied with modest carbonation and low tannins and heat.

An interesting and unique farmhouse blend, if a tiny bit sweet for the style.

 

The seed brewery all through time altbier.
...mostly clear nice dark amber appearance with a thick lasting head.
...body is a little thin and carbonation is about medium but overall a nice feel.
...aroma seems weak at first but as it warms theres toast,yeasty dark bread, dark honey and roasted malt.
...taste is a really nice mix of everything that showed up in the aroma.an extremely mild sweetness thats nicely balanced by a dry grainy finish.
...a very solid attempt at the style,very enjoyable.

 

That particular one didn't impress me too much. If I had more it might grow on me.

The Lime Gose really turned me on to what they could do. That's one I buy again and again. Excellent on a hot summer day. The Imperial Old Al that I also posted in this thread is excellent also. I would definitely pick that up again if I pass by the taproom. I don't think it is available anywhere else.

 

Allagash - 2017 Hibernal Fluxus



I smell roast malt and coffee. It leads into some feint brown sugar, dried fruit, raisin and maybe some hidden saison-y hay character.

Lacks some dimension to be honest. There’s not much “saison” here. It’s got all the aforementioned characteristics but they sort of overlap and the remainder is a paltry, plain roast malt medium bodied porter.

Could be an issue of age I just never got round to opening it and it was rather cheap, a few bucks I think.

Tasty but nothing to write home about. Hopefully wakes up as it warms.

*** as it has warmed some spice and earthy, almost rye character appeared. Bounces off the tongue a hair snappier and louder than initially. Much more complex with those flavors present. It’s more dynamic and spry perhaps as attributable to oxygen opening it up as it warming.

All that said it is an exercise in subtlety.

 

I am thrilled this one hit you as hard as it hit me. I only traded it because I thought you might appreciate it; otherwise I'd be guarding them like Smeagole. It floored me the first time. i could only buy one bottle per visit and I went five more times to get as many as I could. It is a genuinely special and unique brew.

 

Finally getting around to two from Sacred Profane Brewery!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63669/619561/

Look at the beautiful head!



12 ounce can
Best by 2/31/24!?!
(Possibly 3/2/24?)

Moderate pour yields a nearly two inch pure white head over a golden body with sticky lacing.

Nose of bread, cracker, lemon, grass, hay, and malt.

Taste of bready dough, lemon, hay, and malt with a slight sweetness. Finish is crisp and nearly dry with a slight hop bitterness.

Feel is superb for the style with more than medium carbonation.

Overall, probably the best Czech Lager I've ever had!

Cheers!!

 

The seed fiore Italian pilsner
...clear orange/gold appearance.
...medium carbonation with the same for the body.
...aroma is a lot of yeast,yeasty bread, cereal and grain with some very earthy honey.
Taste has a mild sweetness yet the grainy cereal part makes it come off almost dry. Theres really nice semolina bread, yeasty with a dry finish.
...overall this was excellent. Was gifted beer from this brewery and must make a visit there

 

Double Dry Hopped Head Hunter

7.5% AIPA by Fat Head’s

Orange-yellow body with fluffy white head reminiscent of seemingly all Head Hunter beers with good lacing.

Aroma is a bitter citrus one with light orange and vanilla tones and a malty presence. A light dank tone is there but in the background until one agitates the glass. A nice aroma experience from the dry hopping.

Taste follows nose as the bitterness is a little toned down from the base beer. The malt provides sweetness to balance the bitterness. More malty than other Head Hunter variants, but it has enough of the base flavor to be recognized.

Good carbonation and soft mouthfeel.

A good and different variant of the flagship IPA. For my tastes, I lean to the more bitter variants.

 

I have no doubt.

Cheers!