New Beer Weekend #192

Two heads are better than one?

Today’s beer is a collaboration between Jack’s Abby and Human Robot: SLO Lager.

From Jack’s Abby website:

“SLO Lager

Slovenian Style Lager

Inspired by Slovenian hops and rustic amber lagers, the teams at Jack’s Abby and Human Robot collaborated to brew this limited lager featuring Czech floor malts and open fermentation. Life and Lager are both best enjoyed a little SLO.

ABV 5%”

This is the first time I have read “Slovenian Style Lager” but there seems to be a recent trend to ‘create’ new style names based upon where the ingredients are grown, in this instance the aspect of Slovenian hops.

I conducted a web search to learn which specific variety(s) of Slovenian hops were used to brew this beer but I had no luck here.

I have used Styrian Goldings (Celeia) hops from Slovenia in my homebrewing (e.g., Belgian Trappist/Abbey style beers) to good effect. I wonder if perhaps this is the hops used to make this beer?

There is no such thing as a “Slovenian Style Lager” on BA so @Bhubbard34 made a decision to enter this beer in the BA database as a Kellerbier / Zwickelbier and considering the detail of “rustic amber lagers” in the above Jack’s Abby description I get this. I have in the past homebrewed an Amber Kellerbier of the Franconian variety and I am a fan of these sorts of beers (e.g., Mahr’s Kellerbier Ungespundet).

Let’s see what a “Slovenian Style Lager” tastes like!

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance:

Golden colored with a white head which dissipated fairly quickly.

Aroma:

A combination of bready/crackery malt and floral/herbal hop aromas.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with a combination of bready/crackery malt flavors and floral/herbal hop flavors. There is a firm bitterness

Mouthfeel:

Medium bodied, a smooth mouthfeel with a dry finish.

Overall:

This is a very good beer, I enjoyed drinking it. I really enjoyed the balance between the malt and hop flavors.

FWIW I think that categorizing this beer as a Kellerbier on BA is OK.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet @JacksAbbyBrewing @springdalebeer @zid @KP7

 

Thanks for kicking us off @DoctorZombies. I was just about to do the same!

Not sure how wise it is to kick off the morning with a 12.1% beer, but hey, it's a crappy, rainy March day here in CT and I'm not going anywhere, so why not?

Up first is Votive, a double barrel aged imperial stout from Fox Farm. From the brewer "We’re pleased to introduce Votive No. 2 - the second in our series of Double Barrel Imperial Stouts. Once again, Votive began as a rich and hefty stout aged in bourbon barrels. After a year in bourbon, we transferred the beer into 15 year-old French Armagnac puncheons and allowed it to rest for another 8 months. This layering lends undeniable complexity and depth but demands patience. It’s also a process fraught with risk - one of the two puncheons held together just long enough to see the beer to safety but not much longer. Votive is truly a labor of love and a celebration of barrel character."

Two notes....One, I've always loved Fox Farm's clean labeling, and this is no exception. Two, yes, that is Stretch Armstrong photobombing in the background.

4.23/5 rDev -1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.25
Batch 2, from 2020

As with most stouts, this one is the deepest of browns bordering black. While there isn't a huge head, it's much darker than I expected, which I find visually appealing for unknown reasons.

The aroma is interesting. It's not shy, as I could smell it pretty easily from a couple feet away. At that distance, it was mostly sweet, with chocolate like characteristics. Up close, it's much different (and I think more interesting). The barrel notes really shine. Moderate bourbon barrel booziness presents itself, but there's an additional complexity that I can only assume is coming from the Armagnac puncheons that's creating light brandy notes and a faint wooden earthiness.

My very first impression upon sipping this was how smooth and full bodied this is. Really nice, full mouthfeel and wonderful alcohol warming that goes on and on. The taste itself is barrel forward, but with plenty of roast coming through at different points. I find that each sip is a little different, and that the taste evolves with each sip. Sometimes I get mostly BA stout, but other times I taste brandy. Sometimes it's a mix of things I can't place. Not at all sweet, this may not be for everybody, but I'm a sucker for complex, unique beers, and as such I'm enjoying this quite a bit.

 

Thank you for opening up the weekend @DoctorZombies !

Have two Maine IPAs scheduled for this weekend. Don't get a wide variety, but love picking up new ones when I have room on my NBW/NBS slate. Actually have a third, a porter, I'm saving for a future weekend to clear my IPAs/Drink Fresher beers first.

Maine Wolfe's Neck



Bottle Notes: Purchased at Beer on the Wall at store temperature on 2/22/24 for $8.00, refrigerated upon returning home until this morning. 16.9 oz bottled 1/23/24 at 10:17:06. 6.5% ABV. Drink this beer fresh within 90 days of the stamped born on date. India Pale Ale.

Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture & the Environment is a farm-based education, research and visitor center set amidst more than 600 acres of conserved open space on the coast of Maine. Their work is focused on the implementation of regenerative agriculture principles to create healthier ecosystems, increase farm resiliency, and build soil health to mitigate the effects and adapt to a changing climate. wolfesneck.org

Appearance: About 2/3 bottle pour into a nucleated tulip glass. Nice creamy full bright white head covers the clear golden tan base with mild carbonation. 4.25

Aroma: Nice grapefruit, pine and citrus leads with a caramel malt backing, medium plus strength. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, though pine bitterness in the pole position, followed by a malty caramel backing which works well. Pretty mellow in terms of strength. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Carbonation light, feels a bit flat. Light crisp body. Strength at or slightly above the ABV, bitter and a bit dry, in good measure, herding the fruit sweetness like a good sheep dog. Nice bitter pine finish. 3.5

Overall: Digging some aspects of this, a good offering. Flat feel and light taste strength preventing a higher score here. Bottle wasn't kept for about a month by the store, so perhaps this beer suffered as a result. Would like to revisit fresher or on draft. 3.75

See you tomorrow with a fresher beer which hopefully feels like it.

 

50 cL can poured into a lager glass in Toulouse, France.
Foams up aight, but settles into just a scrag.
Flatline resistant nose. Little wheat, but that’s about it.
I found this brew OK when ice cold. It progressively gets skunkity, and there is an urgency to get it down before the last swig. Cuz you don’t sip a sweet high gravity malt liquor, or get your beer geekery going.
Pretty thick mouth. Low carbonation.
Overall, a cheap (€1.90) quick buzz with no redeeming quality, equivilent to US gas station pounder bombs.

 

Poured into a 13 oz Snulip glass bottled on 2/02/24. Pours a clear straw yellow with a half finger sticky white head that leaves webs of lace, with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma fresh cut grass, lemon, biscuit, pine, and grapefruit. 4

Taste follows grass, lemon, biscuit, pine, and grapefruit well balanced and clean. 4

Mouthfeel is medium, maybe a tad dry, plenty of life, and at 7% it goes extremely easy. 4.25

Overall I am enjoying. It is nice to have something crystal clear and tasty. 4 Thanks for getting us going @DoctorZombies . Cheers all.

 

I enjoy reading about both good and bad beers, and the juxtaposition between these two back to back posts made me laugh

@Roguer with "This is one of the best BBA Imperial Stouts I've ever had" immediately followed by @MadMadMike with "It progressively gets skunkity, and there is an urgency to get it down before the last swig. Cuz you don’t sip a sweet high gravity malt liquor.....Overall, a cheap (€1.90) quick buzz with no redeeming quality, equivalent to US gas station pounder bombs"

 

Good People Brewing Haze Snake IPA





Orange Amber gold color with small white cap and little lacing.

Aroma of sharp, bitter, piney/citrusy hops with an emphasis on the citrus.

Taste on entry is delicious hop icing on a sweet malt cake. Yes, this stuff is good. Hops are sharply refreshing and redolent of citrus zest. Malt is rich, plentiful and could stand alone in other beer styles. The thing that strikes me most is balance from beginning to finish which is clean, lasting and refreshing.

Full texture with balancing carbonation.

The overall impression is great balance matched with satisfying flavors.

 

Switching gears from a heavy stout to a wild ale. This is an old bottle of Bretta Rose from Firestone Walker.

Picture background explanation - I am a big Stephen King fan, which explains the books. I'm not a Mets fan (Phillies for me), but my dad always loved the name "Mookie", so I keep a Mookie Wilson card on the shelf for nostalgic purposes.

Bottled November 20, 2017

Appearance is a very clear, light orange / amber with a small amount of fizzy white head.

While the appearance is good but nothing special, the aroma really pops. Given that this beer is over 6 years old, there is an astounding amount of raspberry aroma bursting from the glass. It's not complex, but damn it's tasty smelling.

Taste is raspberry forward, but with an underlying, almost bitter funk. The raspberry makes it hard to tell if this has gone south. It's tasty, but the earthy funk has a slightly bitter edge that I don't normally experience with wild ales like this.

Overall, this is ok, but hard to rate given its age.

 

Well now, a new beer for me that is not related to the current NBW BIF that’s happening. I heard about it and wanted to try it so went to the source.

Double Barrel Triple Mash.
The regular one this year clocks in at 18.7%, this one is a mere 4% higher.
And it is maybe 15% smoother than the regular version. So much malty goodness in the coffee, chocolate and dark fruits sort of way, with a hint of oak and bourbon.
The feel is lightly viscous, which is the norm for Dragons Milk in general. This occasionally makes me curious, but it must be what the brewers intended.
OA, I tried hard to get a crowler to go to send to my target, but no dice. Sorry! I would really like to share this.

 

Good afternoon NBW
Mrs Jkblr is out of town today, so I sent the morning hitting up some bottle shops that I rarely visit. Found a single of this one and some other interesting things.

Atomic Torpedo
19.2oz canned 011824 poured into a tulip pint glass at fridge temp 9.2% ABV. The beer pours bright medium amber with light khaki head. The head recedes to a splotchy ring, island and total coating of the exposed glass. The aroma is intense starting the minute you pop the top. Notes of candied orange, sweet caramel malt, pine sap and tropical fruit all are in play. The taste is bittersweet caramel malt with more intense citrus, pine, tropical fruit and dank, final, lingering bitterness. The mouthfeel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a semi dry finish. There's no real cloying aspect affecting dryness, just a ton of sticky hop oil. Overall, excellent IIPA.

Cheers all!

 

My local Retail Beer Distributor also stores their bottles of Maine beer on a shelf (room temperature) with elevated pricing as well.

FWIW, that is how I consume Maine beers. Paying BIG bucks for a single bottle of this beer that was stored at room temperature at the retailer is a 'no go' for me.

Cheers!

 

And you decided to kick things off with a stovepipe of an IIPA!

Cheers to you!!

 

Juicy Ass by Flying Monkeys

new beer, new brewery (Canadian) for me


3.92/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brewers notes Juicy is the word we use when we talk about hops. This award-winning American IPA moshes bright, fruity notes, dank hoppy bitterness, and fresh verdant resins with sticky malts for a softly carbonated, unfiltered flavour. From the busy minds and happy hands of the Flying Monkeys comes Juicy Ass IPA, Art within Art.

Three finger white foamy cap , good retention, hazy yellow liquid

Aroma is tropical fruits

Taste is pine, citrus, tropical fruits

Crisp , nice hop bite

Good beer

 

You've been in California a lot lately it seems? All work related or are you travelling for pleasure on the weekends?

And PS: that is one beautiful looking beer.

 

Last time I was in California was November, I think. My company has an office near LA. Last week was AZ, before that NM. Japan about 2.5 weeks after this trip. This trip is initiated by work, but extended to visit friends and breweries, and hopefully meet @2beerdogs