New Beer Weekend #195

Good day Sunday (#999) morning BA drinkers/reviewers! My new to me eye-opener this beautiful Sunday morning is the product of an IP Trade I did in Columbus OH last summer - Hoppin’ Frog’s “ Den Haag” a BB aged English-style Old Ale:



Best By Date Nov. 10, 2024. Poured straight out of my basement cellar at 52°. Fast fizzy tan head vanished immediately leaving no cap retention, no ring nor lace; dark amber body with excellent clarity; saving grace is the heavy legs on swirl. Nose is bourbon, fig, oak; boozy exhale. Entry is caramel malt, fig, raisin; molasses, caramelized brown sugar and bourbon; oaky vanilla middle; dark dried fruit and bourbon on back end. Medium plus body; smooth feel; bite on tip of tongue; full mouth warmth from 16.8% abv; light carbonation; hot alcohol tongue coating; dry wooden finish. Overall, a delicious collision of old ale flavors and bourbon barrel aging; layers of base and barrel flavors; boozy alcohol in the mix, which is very apparent and appealing.

4.25 | 4.5 | 4.75 | 4.5 | 4.5
Score: 4.57 rDev +5.7%

I’d drink this beer again in a heartbeat, it’s delicious. With the high abv, I must admit it is more of a nightcap than a breakfast beer

Cheers and have a great day BAs!

 

Surly Raging Furious

Appearance: Clear dark amber, big head.

Smell: Good pine and citrus aroma with malt sweetness apparent.

Taste: Pretty high citrus bitterness backed with big malt base. Full feeling, Lasting piney finish.

Overall: A huge old school double IPA, fitting since regular Furious leans old school. Big malt body, big bitterness. Just big all around. I like it better than Double Furious, which was barrel aged.

 

Perkūnas
7.14% Baltic porter by Central Waters



Poured from a pint can, the body is an opaque black with one finger of fluffy head. Solid lacing throughout the tasting. Nice looking beer.

Aroma is a nice malty char with light notes of tobacco and chocolate.

Taste follows the nose as the bill carries the load. A bit of unsweetened chocolate flavor works well with the malt. No bitterness and perhaps a wee smoky flavor.

Mouthfeel is a bit light for a Baltic, but still is solid. Good carbonation.

Easy drinking porter that I'd love to have a bit more chew and some bitterness, but quite serviceable nonetheless. Thanks to @Danmullens1 for this beer. Cheers.

 

As @DoctorZombies introduced less than an hour ago, Welcome One and All to New Beer Sunday #999! Yes, we are at that stage excited to enjoy this final go and then to watch the odometer flip to 1,000 next Sunday. Hope you can all join us and bring friends and family to celebrate 1,000 Sundays of sharing beer and camaraderie.

Back with the final Forest & Main selection in my refrigerator, also the lone one of the three with a can date. Not sure if they don't distribute much or simply choose to not date some or many cans.

Forest and Main House Lager



Can Notes: Purchased at store temperature on March 15 at Beer on the Wall for $4.50. 16 oz canned in January 2024. 4.8% ABV, Brewed and Packaged by Forest & Main Brewing Company, 241 N. Main Street, Ambler, Pennsylvania.

Appearance: Poured about 2/3 of the can into a large flute. Clear to lightly foggy straw golden base, persistent heavy carbonation yields a nice bright white head which lingers for a bit before receding to a creamy cover over most of the base, and generous soapy lacing spread in its wake. 4.5

Aroma: Strong bread and salt aromas from Go!, pepper and lemon grass as well. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with aroma, salty bread with lemon. Comes off a bit lighter in strength than the aroma, salt level somewhat high (personal salt palate note specific to select styles). 3.5

Mouthfeel: Light to mild body propped up by persistent prickly carbonation, drinks at to below the listed ABV. Dry and bitter, nice for my tastes, salty throughout adding to the perceived dry. Salty cracker finish. 3.25

Overall: This is a good lager, get more salt than my salt warped palate can enjoy, but should be appropriate level for most normal palates. Still drinking and enjoying along the way. 3.5

I do enjoy these styles, but something happened to my palate in Fall of 2021 where I am salt sensitive. Very well could be a shift in diet to mostly home prepared foods without much salt (I prefer pepper and other healthier seasonings). It's why I make notes specific to my palate, to inform any readers to pass over my salt comments.

It's a nice day so checking brewery draft lists to see if there are any that strike my fancy. If not, I'll see you next week!

 

Show Mrs FBarber and she can place the order when it’s time.

 

Patito IPA by Patito Indepiente Cervezeria


3.52/5 rDev +2.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

12oz brown chilled bottle served poolside, wrapped in plastic ( smart) to prevent breakage , poured into a plastic cup

Frothy two finger white foam cap over a clear copper colored brew, occasional bubbles

Aroma is malty

Taste is malty , floral hops , orange citrus, herbaceous

Nice hop bite in the finish

Good beer

 

Revolution - Maple Jacket

12oz can served in a tulip. Can is dated Dec 06 2021. Provided by @ovaltine in NBS BIF #18.

Pours a dark, clear amber, with a bigger head than I would have expected. Looks thick and almost syrupy. Active carbonation, which is surprising, even though there's not a lot of it. Smell is boozy with vanilla and maple syrup, maybe a hint of golden raisins and toast.

Taste is way sweeter than the aroma suggested. Need a moment to adjust, that first sip sent me reeling. OK. So. Maple syrup is dominant and it's sweet, let's get that out of the way. Aside from that, there's a little bit of a cola flavor, nuts, moderate bark bitterness clawing its way through the sea of sweetness to try and get a little attention. There's actually something between the sweetness, cola, maple, and bark bitterness that makes me think of root beer. Booze is still there, but not prevalent.

Mouthfeel is not nearly as syrupy as I would have guessed, but it does lean in that direction (which is probably good, this would be weird if it were thin). Overall, this is tasty and good, but waaayyy on the sweet side of the spectrum. If you're into that or in the mood for that, you'd probably enjoy this.

Sunday morning breakfast beer two weeks in a row...maybe this should be a thing (to be fair, this is actually about five hours into my day)? We could start a New Breakfast Beer Sunday thread, and assign responsible parties to open it...

I wanna call the thread "Sunday Beerunch" though... whaddya think, @Mr3dPHD?

 

Drekker Spread It PB&J Sour, 6% ABV. Pours opaque dark-red with a two-finger pink head that left puree residue. Aroma is 100% PB&J, they nailed it. Taste, not so much. There is a jam flavor, slightly tart, and some peanut, but it's not saying peanut butter to me. Oddly, the afterburp does. Decent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.2/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pot roast in the crock. Helluva nice weekend in the 80's, so got some outdoor stuff done yesterday and today.

 

Cheers to @FBarber for this NBS BIF#18 brew 3 Sons Brewing Co. Lite Crispy Bois American Lager, 4.2% ABV; 3.69 overall

Pours an effervescent & slightly chill hazed gold with a thumb of eggshell colored head. Drops bright, above average head retention & lacing

S: Some floral & perfumy hops

T: Follows the nose, a little lime, some dryness up front, a touch of grassyness too. Some grassy &soapy hops mix in with lime and grainy sweetness as this beer warms up. Finishes a little sweet, some lime & a kiss of dryness

MF: Medium body, crisp carbonation, okay balance

I can see this working well while on the water down in Florida, or even as a recovery beer

 

Good Sunday afternoon NBS/nbw and thank you @Snowcrash000 for hosting this week.
Back to grey and cool today, at least the water level is dropping so the basement contiues to dry out.
Todays offering is from Crooked Stave, a solid American Barley wine that follows the Bigfoot in style
Do good
Be well
Beast and Barley

American Barleywine | 10% ABV
Crooked Stave Artisan Beer Project in Denver, Colorado

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

3.84/5 rDev +6.4% | Average: 3.61
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 16 oz can, dated 01/09/2023 into the test glass
A - Dark copper color, a steady off white cap resides during the experience.
S - Candied orange, pine, sweet malt, as the offering warms elements of toffee and burnt brown sugar
T - Follows the aromatics well, add a bit of dark candied sugar, and you have it
M - Thick, semi sweet, a bit boozy. Finish is pleasantly dry
O - A very good American Barleywine,

 

Drekker Salt On The Prrrt Margarita Slushy Style Sour, 6.5% ABV. Pours opaque pale red, with a one-finger light-pink head that left a light puree residue. Aroma is strawberry and lime. Taste is strawberry and lime, moderately tart, slightly sweet. Decent mouthfeel, overall very good.

3.96/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

 

Letting Son#1 watch his Lakers, maybe if the Thunder will stop being meh or the Celtics quit gagging I'll get interested this year


Lost Forty Brewing Juicy Details, a juicy IPA, 6.3% ABV; 3.83 overall


Pours a hazed & effervescent gold with a finger of ivory colored head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Tropical fruits, some citrus

T: Follows the nose, dryness, green melons & cantaloupe & a little tangerine up front. Tangerine, lime, green melons & dryness as this beer warms up, some powdery dryness. Finishes dry with pomelo & lime

MF: Medium body, slight carbonation, okay balance

Pretty drinkable, but not really wowing me

 

Other Half -Cream Get The Honey, a 6.0% IPA courtesy of @TCgenny.

4/5 rDev -3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from a 16-oz can stamped “03/22/24” to a Nonic at fridge temp.
The body is light gold bordering on yellow and is opaque hazy. A full even-bubbled white head fades to spider lacing.
The aroma is very much lemon rind.
The taste is definitely grapefruit as the label suggests but I can’t say I sense any honey. Actually the finish is nicely dry, unexpected for ingredients of honey and milk sugar. Alcohol is completely hidden.
The body is medium in mouthfeel for an oat mash but creamy nonetheless.
Overall, better than expected for my taste given the recipe.

 

Good New Beer Sunday #999, New Beer Samplers and commentators! The owners of two relatively new, nearby breweries, Oakflower and Autodidact, are good friends and collaborate often. They recently pulled an April Fool's gag whereby each claimed the other had stolen a prized recipe and brewed it as its own. The running joke included snarky tee shirts and lots of faux outrage. So I figured I'd join in the fun and review both beers.

First is "Shmammerteeth," Oakflower's take on Autodidact's "Hammerteeth." It's hopped with Citra, Simcoe, and Strata. I bought the cans yesterday at the brewery. As an aside, Oakflower bucks the trend by canning mostly in the 12 oz. format.

t pours a murky, muddy tangerine color with a relatively thin, ecru-colored cap and modest, soapy lacing. I'm a little surprised there isn't more head from the can pour. But the smell is big and fruity with strong scents of lemon, lime, peach, and pineapple. Its taste follows and nicely balances tart, almost biting, citrus, resinous pine sap, and some sweeter stone fruit over a earthy, woodsy base. The bitterness is present throughout. I'm glad that the Citra and Simcoe hops and more pronounced than the Strata; it's dank but not overly weedy. This ale has a plush, creamy mouth feel with rather lively carbonation, and it doesn't drink like 8.2% ABV. Overall, this is a very tasty variant of Autodidact's Hammerteeth. I like the way that Oakflower handled the Strata. And for a DIPA it's almost crushable.

4.35/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

In a short time Oakflower Brewing Company has developed a big reputation in New Jersey, which I think is largely deserved. I haven't had an Oakflower beer that wasn't quite good. Next up, Audodidact's revenge. Cheers!

 

Tree House - Aaalterrr Ego

16oz can served in an extremely attractive Monhegan pint glass. Can is dated 03/27/2024. Received from @Roguer in NBS BIF #18.

Pours a murky pale amber with a generous head and lots of carbonation. Smell is citrus rind and orange zest. Definite hop resin.

Taste is pushing the orange agenda a bit more aggressively than the aroma. Sweetness is there but restrained, citrus rind is balanced well against it. Hop resin creeps in slowly on subsequent sips. Floral notes are noticeable.

Mouthfeel is light, bordering on thin, still has a little chalky texture. Overall, this is a really enjoyable and easy-to-drink IPA.

Tree House definitely has figured out carbonation. Their beers also look pretty similar to me, would have to line them up next to each other to see if I can detect any actual differences. Aaalterrr Ego seems more laid back than the double and triple IPAs I've had from them over the last couple days, which makes sense because it's the first single IPA in this tranche.

My hot take is that Tree House is good, but not as good as they're hyped to be.

 

This is Dark Mode from Revolution, an Imperial Milk Stout in Bourbon Barrels.



Pours a deep black/brown with a fairly significant head that dissipates slowly to a thin ring around the beer’s edge. No lacing.

The nose is milk chocolate, wood, bourbon and even a small mushroom note in there too.

The taste leads with barrel and drying note of from the wood. What follows is mainly roast grain, chocolate and a hint of that mushroom on the nose. Just a hint.

Moderate body and eminently drinkable for such a big beer (13.8% ABV)

Really good as expected from Revolution.