New Beer Weekend #185

Alt-ernative Pursuit at R. Shea’s original location. An Altier, 4.80% IBU: 27.



I enjoyed a pint while chatting with a few friends so no opportunity for extensive notes. Overall a very enjoyable alt with a nice bready, sweet malt flavor complemented by a light hop finish.. Body was an appealing amber color with modest lacing. Good mouthfeel and light carbonation. Very drinkable. Cheers.

 

SweetWater - 420 Strain G13 IPA

12oz can served in a tulip. Can is dated 11/17/23. Sent to me by @Mr3dPHD

Pours a hazy yellow-orange with a huge fluffy head, settles slowly into a chunky mass, lots of carbonation. Smell is orange rind, old hay, moderate pine resin.

Taste is more on the dank side. Old hay still has a strong presence, but a lot of Amsterdam is there for the tasting. Some pine resin bitterness.

Mouthfeel is resinous, not heavy or thick. Overall, pretty good, though maybe starting to show some age, even though it's less than three months old.

 

New trail elk tracks
...seriously looks like a glass of motor oil and having absolutely no head adds to that.
...light carbonation with an above average body with a slick oily slightly creamy feel.
...aroma is roasted espresso beans, roasted malt, fresh ground peanut butter ,with a little cream and vanilla.
..taste is where the chocolate and vanilla show up but otherwise its very similar to the aroma.
...overall its a solid 4

 

American Solera Petit Cochon Cherry Ale Aged on Oak. 5.0% ABV; 3.86 overall

Pours a little hazed pinky/purple with rapidly falling beige colored head. Zero head retention & lacing

S: Some cherries, lemons, salt

T: Follows the nose, oaky dryness. Some saltyness as this beer warms up, tart cherry & limes , much dryness. Finishes dry, tart with a cherry lemonade vibe

MF: Light/medium body, delicate carbonation

Interesting sour. Drinkable enough, pretty drinkable, but didn't blow me away

 

Une Annee - Framboise

16oz can served in a small snulip. Don't see a date on it.

Pours clear light peach-pink with a small head that coalesces into a dense, creamy ring with a light, wispy dusting across the surface. Smell is tart, lightly chardonnay buttery and oaky, mostly berry jam.

Taste is very, very tart. Berry jam is secondary to the sweet-tartness. Butteriness is mostly gone, oak is still there a little bit.

Mouthfeel is light, dry, slightly slick. Overall, it's pretty good.

 

4.78/5 rDev +5.5%

look: 5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.75

2023 vintage: 10.5% abv

Poured from a 750ml undated bottle into a snifter at 51 degrees.

Look- Black, opaque, dark brown frothy head, slightly above average head retention, above average lacing.

Smell- Ancho chili, cacao, vanilla, slight marshmallow, medium strength of scent.

Taste- Cacao, vanilla, marshmallow, Ancho chili, slight Ceylon cinnamon, mildly spicy, moderately sweet, high strength of flavor.

Feel- Medium body, average carbonation, highly silky, mildly spicy, moderately sweet, mildly mouth coating, moderately mouth warming.

Overall- Outstanding look with deep black color and dark brown frothy head. Bouquet was medium in strength and very pleasant, but not as much marshmallow as I would have expected from this variant. Flavor was high in strength and a wonderful balance of cocoa, Ancho chili, vanilla, cinnamon and marshmallow. Feel was thinner than expected, but extremely silky with some mild spice. Overall this was an outstanding beer, but I don’t believe it really improved on the base beer.

 

Hello Late Night NBS, er uh, I mean NBW.
Yes, for those of you that are regulars here, New Beer Weekend was a broadening of our inclusivity to this little corner of BA.

Speaking of inclusivity... @Roguer made an announcement today regarding the fun of this thread and a related BIF that pollinated herein.

I digress. It is Cellaruary. So I have a new take on an old love.

Brewer's Reserve Bourbon Barrel Stout by the magnificent Central Waters
My original take on this was a straight up 4 in all categories minus the taste which was a 4.25. But I couldn't find my notes.

So here are my notes from a 9 1/2 year old bottle.

2014 bottle opened for Cellaruary 2023. Pours nearly pitch black. Slight attempt at developing a head but that stops right away.
Some fruit notes start off. Currants, stewed cherries, prune, and undertones of dates. After that warm, gentle caramel and chocolate notes come in gently. A wet, slightly charred barrel note comes in at the end.

This is definitely more complex, perhaps partially due to the age. The fruit notes picked up in the nose dance all over the stage. Deep, dark fruits show up with the malts. A back and forth waltz sways from prune, sherry, and slightly tannic barrel, to deep unsweetened chocolate and meek whiskey notes. But a smooth melding happens at times.
Mouthfeel is chewy enough for me with a soothing warmth.
Overall, I wish I would've written this up the first time I had it when it was only a year old. This was definitely different, but still a fun ride.
3.93/5 rDev -7.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4