New Beer Weekend #180

Here's their Dark Czech Lager.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63669/619560/



12 ounce can
Best by 2/8/24.

Moderate pour yields a one inch tan head over a black body with some lacing.

Nose of dark roasted malt, slight hops, dark fruit, slight caramel, slight pumpernickel, with a tad cocoa.

Flavors mirror nose and then some. Flavors come forward, nicely and deliciously!
Chocolate and roasted malt lead the way to a nearly dry finish.

Very good mouthfeel with medium carbonation.

Overall, a real nice Czech Dark Lager and worthy of one's consideration.

Cheers!!

 

Welcome back, and cheers! Definitely jealous of that one!

Nice to see some locals I don't normally see outside the state. Certainly not my favorite of theirs either, they also serve their stuff on draft at their restaurants and brewery WAY too cold.

 

4.07/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
16 oz can filled 12/01/23 into a nonic pint glass.
L: SRM 2 Pours radiant light lemon yellow with a thin white head that quickly recedes to medium-thick edge foam, good fine steady carbonation bubbles, random skeletal soapy lacing.
S: Melon, bright citrus zest, generally fruity, lemon, a hint of white grape, has a light industrial funky dank notes, a hint of alcohol with warming.
T: Melon & rind, lemon zest, earthy vinous hops, grains, a hint of berries, distant green apple, it leans towards lightly sour, well balanced sweet candied malts, pine resin, it is lightly sharp and has a long lingering finish.
F: Crisp medium to med-light bodied feel with a wet middle and a fairly fast moderately drying finish. Dryness lingers and grows. Has very light grit in the finish.
O: A very fruity tasting and crisp feeling beer that is dignified and agreeable. It yields a delicate sour note that balances out tastes of zest, resin and candied malt sweetness. I'm calling it "elegantly wild". It is very good to excellent in its style.

 

So, had one of these last night from last year. It was apparently infected so turned into a sour stout.

This one is considerably better.
Still has a bit of tart flavor out on the edges, but I don’t know if that’s my imagination or not.
Still, I get plenty of good flavors, the coffee (very mild; breakfast blend?) and oak and some cacao. The bourbon is almost non existent, but then I’ve never had 4 Roses Bourbon so what do I know?
The feel is good, lightly viscous and a good sipper.
OA, as I like “Black Chocolate Stout” from them so much I expected this to be just as amazing. But it’s not quite. Definitely other BBA stouts I prefer.
Cheers!

 

When I moved here they didn’t brew IRS anymore so I had only had it “old” until last year, my first 2015 however so basically a new beer… (right?!)

 

I also threw em in the cupboard after the first one I had last year. It wasn’t terrible but was awfully tannic and oaky which I’m assuming wasn’t intended. A year on them and they were better. I skipped this year regardless. Compared to black chocolate stout, it’s a shadow.

 

4.22/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25
16 oz can into a nonic pint glass. Rqr'd 3 Pours to fill glass.
L: SRM 1 Pours straw light pastel yellow with a large 2" bright white head (soapy bottom, creamy top), very good head retention, has a dormant volcano shaped cap, steady dense carbonation bubbles, semi-thick patchy lacing.
S: Apple, ginger, distant vinegar, barnyard, lemon, background honey.
T: Medium sharp tangy fruit tastes, green apple, lemon, white grapes, melon rind, light yeast, light honey, wheat, a hint of hard candy, pink grapefruit. It is pale and lightly tart and is redolent of a light fruit punch and has a gentle fruity aftertaste.
F: Brisk, puffy, medium to medium-light bodied feel with a bright middle and a moderately brut dry fast finish.
O: This has whispers of Wit Beer but is instead dry and tart. Very quenching and refreshing, decent head retention with my pour, fruity tastes, dynamic feel, great dry finish. It is excellent in its style.

 

Today I started with Mélange 15, I discovered it was infected. That was sad! Moving to Mash Spumoni 2016, A soft, cakey, gooey, creamy flavor that is tempered with the Barrel and bottle aging. Fantastic beer to sip tonight. I will be digging deeper in my cellar in February, going to give my liver a break in January.

 

I miss the older Stone beers, and the bottles.

 

Alrighty, fully settled into tonight's new beer recommended to me by @AzureVice on BA discord months ago

Left Hand - Candy Cane Nitro



Illegible canning date
Purchased from the dabc for $4
Poured at fridge temp into a snifter glass

Pours a deep brown nearing black with plenty of visible rising nitro even after sitting for a spell. Persistent tan head and trailing sheet like lace. 4.25

Aroma is lightly cool peppermint, with a touch of mild milk chocolate. Doesn't change much as it warms but it's candy/dessert-esque and I'm enjoying it. 4

Initial peppermint menthol give way to chocolate and lightly roasty coffee. On the end as it sits a nice semi-sweet bakers chocolate bitterness sets in with some earthy hops. 4

Body is very delicate and soft for packing a 9.5% punch, I honestly would've guessed it to be 5.5 maximum for how it drinks, cold and warm. Pillowy and a tad watery nitro body, but it's not thin, just still. 4

Overall as a fan of regular LH Milk Nitro stout, I adored this and was left satisfied and smiling as Jim Halpert would say. A fine adjunct stout I'm happy I had the foresight to buy a second. 4

Cheers friends!

 

Good evening all!
Tomorrow I have my annual bonfire, mostly because I really enjoy a good fire, but it’s also an excuse to invite some friends over and clear out some of my cellar.
So not sure if I will be posting tomorrow, though one of my friends is bringing some beer his BIL sent from California (strictly non whale variety) so I will try to keep notes.
Have a great New Year’s Eve!

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

All right, I am done with work for the year, and it's time to relax till the 1st, when I go back at the liquor selling business. Tomorrow I'm going to my very local brewery for their NYE party, and it's a good one, because it ends at 10. Being a geezer, it's just right for me.

Now to a beer, and it's one from my next closest local.

Five - Pantown Brewing - St. Cloud, MN - Fruit and Field Beer - 6% ABV

It has a canning date of 361 day of 23, so it's fresh canned. We got it into the store yesterday, and I couldn't resist.

It's an interesting beer, but it is very mild on flavor. It's not bad, just not a lot there. Maybe they missed the mark a bit.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/54849/684736/

3.48/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
From a 750ml Crawler.

Very bubbly looking beer, almost reminds me of a sparkling wine. There's lots of carbonation rising in the glass. Golden in color and a bit murky. The head that formed was 1 finger and white in color. Not extremely long lasting, and there's no lacing on the glass.
The aroma almost reminds me of a lambic in some ways. I know it's not a wild sour, but I get an earthy sent to this beer, and a good punch of sour apple. Very interesting aroma.
Taste - Well, there's a bit of apple to this beer, but it's not a lot. Very light flavored. I am not getting the tartness I got in the aroma much. I do get some sweetness and a bit of cinnamon. Nothing is wild and funky in the flavor. I do get a slight buttery biscuit undertone in this beer.
Very light bodied. Not watery, but light.
It is an interesting beer, but I don't know if they hit the mark they were looking for.


All right, see you all on the 365th day of 2023 in a few hours. Cheers all!!!

 

Thanks @2beerdogs for this Kern River Bad Santa Doppelbock , 8.5% ABV; 3.85 overall

Pours an effervescent amber/copper with a thumb of cream-colored head. Some head retention & lacing

S: Brown bread & toffee

T: Brown bread, a little brown sugar & toffee, some leafy & woody hops up front. Dryness, brown sugar, brown bread & a little grassy hoppyness as this beer warms up. Finishes dry with toffee, brown sugar & woody hops

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, slightly warming

Solid Doppelbock

 

Toppling Goliath Cage's Castles Hazy DIPA; 7.8% ABV; 4.37 overall

Pours a super hazed gold with a thumb+ of cream-colored head, Pretty nice head retention & lacing

S: Tangerine, green melons & passion fruit

T: Follows the nose, some pineapple & sweet oranges as well up front. Limeade, pineapples, dryness & tangerine as this beer warms up. Finishes pretty dry with lime, pineapple, a little green melon & a kiss of grapefruit

MF: Medium body, pretty firm carbonation

Lovely drinkability, hits all the right notes for the style

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned on 12/13/23. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow orange with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves thick streaks of lace, with excellent retention. 4.25

Aroma is pineapple, mandarin, peach, mango, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows pineapple, mandarin, peach, mango, and apricot well balanced. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, soft gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 8.5% a good amount of flavor but easy going down. 4.5

Overall this NH brewery always brews good NEDIPAs and this one is good also, but just not amazing. Recommend for sure. 4.25

 

Happy New Beer Sunday #984! Closing out 2023 with my final Treehouse and final from my August trade with Adam.

Tree House Old World Double Bourbon



Bottle Notes: Obtained via trade from Adam, @Qu3st on Beer Advocate on August 19, refrigerated until opening this morning. Double Bourbon Barrel-Aged Scotch Ale. 13.1% ABV, 12 oz with no bottle date but released in July 2023 per social media. Brewed and bottled by Tree House Brewing Company in Charlton, Massachusetts.

Old World Double Bourbon is a traditional Ale brewed with a complex array of malts and fermented with a classic Scotch Ale yeast, resulting in a delightfully smoky tribute to the eclectic world of Highland Whiskeys. This beer was placed into Bourbon barrels for six months and, after this initial rest, transferred a second time into a variety of fresh Bourbon vessels.

The extended aging and double barrel treatment results in amplified characteristics of some of our favorite Bourbon offerings. The base beer's mellow smokiness wafts from the glass accompanied by pronounced char and sweet vanilla notes. Beneath this first impression, a figgy syrup awaits the palate, reminiscent of British puddings and Turkish delights. This special libation is a welcome addition to our barrel program, blending historical brewing with American innovation. Enjoy!

Appearance: Very dark brown base, clear while pouring, with a tan white head providing about an inch head via a single pour into a pint tulip glass. After a couple of minutes, the a part fine part bubbly remnants and the fine white lacing retreats very, very slowly back down. 4.5

Aroma: Getting a heavy malt several minutes after opening, which broadens as it reaches proper drinking temperature 15 minutes in. Barley, raisins, plums, figs, mellow in terms of strength, more enjoyable than I typically get from this style. Getting faint bourbon even at this stage. 4.0

Taste: First impression is the flavor is very strong compared to the nose. Much sweeter than I expected, Jim Beam cocktail my first impression. Vanilla, bread pudding, baklava, maple syrup are what I'm gathering. Not getting the smoke noted in the bottle tasting notes. The malt presence from the nose appears as this is at proper temperature. Really enjoying this one. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Creamy full rich body, light sustained carbonation. The bourbon and barrels take awhile before slowly emerging about 20 plus minutes in, to balance out the very sweet notes while still cold. Would start drinking at this stage for peak balance, matches my palate preference. Feels light at first but the emerging bourbon brings perceived strength exceeding the ABV, but very smooth and enjoyable. Malt and smooth bourbon finish. 4.75

Overall: Well, my weekend of Tree House Barrel Aged beers have been a huge success. Scottish Ale / heavy malt beers are not my jam, but this one retains the traditional flavor profile enhancing what I enjoy and the bourbon barrels really shine if you are patient. Thank you so much Adam, I must visit Tree House when I return to the area. Highly recommend this one if you can find it. 4.5

I am planning on my annual year end Trader Joe's Vintage Spiced Ale (2023) to kick off 2024 tomorrow.