New Beer Weekend #195

Awesome Superbowl Squares Payoff from @brutalfarce Barreled Souls Nebula ( Basil Hayden Bourbon, Extended BA Barleywine, 14.4% ABV; 4.41 overall


Pours a fairly thick mahogany/ebony with rapidly falling mocha colored head. Viscous, zero head retention & lacing

S: Plenty of barrel, vanilla, dark fruits

T: Bourbon Barrel, leafy hops, cola, boozy figs & treacle upfront. Once warm, brown sugar, maple candy, plenty of barrel warmth, Finishes with a Bourbon/ Maple flourish, lovely brown sugar & Oakyness/Sour Mash as well, some vanilla & a kiss of Treacle

MF: Chewy, low carbonation, plenty warming

Really enjoyed this one, ABV is well hidden other than the fact it just gets you in the end.. If all was as good as the flavor; world-class

 

Good afternoon NBW
It's rare to happen upon a newly released black IPA, but I did this weekend and I'm enjoying it.

18th Street Soulful Abyss


16oz undated can without ABV information (7.4% per Untappd) poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass at fridge temp. The beer pours fairly dense black with very little light penetration and abundant light brown colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. Spotty lacing. The aroma is mild with a mix of roasted malt, chocolate and pine. The taste is bittersweet with hints of roasted malt followed by citrus and pine. Moderate bitterness. The feel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, tasty black IPA.

Cheers all!

 

With my absence yesterday today will be a twofer

Just an absolutely beautiful day today: flag football, yard work, running around our back, now I sit on our deck and enjoy a beauty….

Today was beer shopping day, fridge was empty, almost. I went with a mostly south jersey haul; two beers from a brewery I’ve really come to trust and love. Only one new to me though, their flagship witbier. This place brews some basically perfect to style, no off flavors beers in my experience, today is no different. Brewing a perfect witbier is no easy feat, many I’ve had are too sweet, too much sulfur, overbearing spice, etc. this one deserves a side by side with Allagash.

Mudhen - Holly Beach Wheat (Witbier 5.5%)



Appearance wise it is spot on, maybe little dark but it sports a cloudy burnished yellow with some orange hues, depending on light; the head is big fluffy and gelatinous; the retention isn’t much but I get a nice white film for the duration.

The nose mostly shows some clove ester presence, some light wheat and white bread character; the faintest bit of orange peel, shows mostly as it warms.

The taste is wheat, light bread; a perfect little dose of clove ester, light pepper like spice character, and a citrus peel bite, this is where this beer stands out to me; no sweet orange character just a drying tart presence that is unmistakably citrus like, same of the pepper bite, a great example of balance.

Mouthfeel; light, very soft, carbonation is great; Belgian to a tee, higher than normal but microbubbles smooth, that pepper note leaves a super light little bit of perceived bitterness; this is a clean drinking wit, the finish shows the orange as it lightly coats the back of my mouth with an ever so light residual orange tartness; this finishes incredibly clean

This is an incredibly simple, yet complex and balanced beer, super refreshing. I love drinking this style as the season changes to warm and I’m so happy I grabbed a six. A beer is highly recommend to local and would love to share.

@MacMalt

————-

Really excited for my Sunday night supper later on, see you all soon, let’s keep up the good work.

 

More Tree House, this one is Queen Julius.

16oz can served in a very large snifter. Can is dated 03/12/2024. @Roguer sent it to me in NBS BIF #18.

Pours murky whitish-amber with a ginormous head. To be fair, I was pouring very vigorously, in a @beergoot pour attempt, so YMMV. Huge, pillowy, mixture of big and small bubbles, settling surprisingly slowly, sustained with pretty substantial visible waves of carbonation rising from the bottom of the glass. Smell is citrus rind and the vitamin C tablets I used to love as a kid.

Taste is way more on the bitter side than other Tree House IPAs I've had. Still firmly in the citrus area, lots of rind and a little zest, but not a specific fruit. Bitterness comes in primarily as grapefruit rind, though.

Mouthfeel is medium, fairly chalky. I like this beer a lot.

Officially my first positive rDev for Tree House.

 

Turn around is fair play. Oakflower Brewing has made a highly-regarded NEIPA called Sunstar, hopped with Citra, Motueka, and Riwaka. Autodidact's version is named Sunster! And it's a great effort. To my taste there is less orange sweetness than Oakflower's, but the flavors here are nuanced and more earthy and grassy. Canned on 4/5/2024.

The color is a dirty tangerine and it sports a full 2 finger head of bright white foam and lots of thick, clinging lacing. A very attractive pour. The nose is dank and herbal with lemon, lime, grapefruit, tangerine, and white wine. Its taste is earthy, grassy, herbal, with tart lemon and lime, and white wine grape. I know there is no Nelson hops but it has that taste. As it warms there are hints of sweeter fruits: melon and passion fruit. But it's not a sweet ale and I don't think it has the fruit sweetness of Oakflower's Sunstar. The flavors are sophisticated. It's only mildly bitter. It shares its 7.2% ABV with Sunstar and is luxuriously creamy; a great mouth feel!. Overall, I think the taste is less sweet but more sophisticated than Sunstar. A very fine effort by Autodidact!

4.29/5 rDev +1.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Both Oakflower and Autodidact hit the ground running. On Reddit r/NJ Beer some posters consider Oaky to be in the same league with Kane, Troon, and The Seed. I don't quite agree with that assessment. Both Oakflower and Autodidact brew mostly hazy IPAs. In my opinion neither has yet produced a memorable Stout. But they are fine brewers with great future potential and I'm glad to have access to their beers. Autodidact, in particular, is located in my home town and I'm a regular there.

Cheers, NBW, and have a great week, everyone!

 

Hey, Jon. I haven't had this one yet but I'll look for it. Excellent review and tasting notes!

 

It’s glorious; in my opinion at least if you have it I hope I don’t let you down.

 

Been awhile but had to drop in with my first Maibock of the year.
A collab between Schloss-Eggenberg of Austria and Schilling of NH.
This is truly one of the best Maibocks I've ever had. Pours an amber/gold, clear with a slight haze. Pretty beer with quite a decent off white head leaving a surprising amount of lacing.
Freshly baked sweet bread and grain on the nose with a touch of orange peel, lemon and mild pine, floral notes. Sweet grainy dough up front that lingers with mellow yeast, mild tropical and citrus oil notes. Slightly sweet caramel malts and white pepper. Herbs and grass on the drying, lengthy finish. Hot damn this is good.

 

Stopped off at Equal Parts in Houston this afternoon. Two new beers for me...

First up is Redbud IPA, 6.3% ABV. With Mosaic and some hop blend I have never heard of...



Pours a clear golden/yellow color. A one finger white head forms with good retention and lace left behind.
Big aromatics of fruit and even flowery. Peach, citrus, and orange rind. There is a bit of old school pine, and the balanced between that and the fruit is nice.
Taste wise. like the nose. a lot of fruit flavors up front. With a flowery/perfume like character. Ripe peach, orange rind, some pine and bitterness. Though a substantial sweetness in there as well.
A medium body with moderate carbonation. For me, this could be drier and crisper. While, there are some things that are not my ideal IPA, this is really easy to drink and come back to. So I can look over those minor "issues" if that is what you want to call it.

Maybe not everything I would personally want in an IPA, though it is a very well done example of melding new and old. With enough fruity character and just enough pine and bitterness. Tone down the sweetness a bit and this is exceptional. As is, just really good and enjoyable anyway.

Overall score is 3.93, easy B+

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/44383/698139/?ba=champ103#lists

Next is Cascade Classic, 5.5% ABV. West Coast Pale Ale brewed with Cascade, Chinook, Simcoe.



Pours a clear pale orange color. A one finger white head forms with good retention. Rings of lace are left behind.
Aroma is all the C hop characteristic you would want i the nose. Pine, resin, grapefruit, citrus. Very nice.
Taste wise, all the C hop additions. Again, pine and grapefruit/citrus. This becomes a bit "woody' which I tend to get from time to time with some hop forward offerings. There is a nutty malty character, and a lingering bitterness. This is really well balanced.
A medium body with crisp carbonation. Finishes dry and clean. Really easy to drink, this is a classic pale ale for sure.

I really enjoy this. Well made, and everything certainly screams "classic" and really well balanced to boot. Well done, and I'll be looking for this more often

Overalls score is 4.05, A-
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/44383/652263/?ba=champ103#lists

 

@snaotheus pour game is on point this weekend, you juicin’..?

 

High Cotton Brewing Co. Scottish Ale





Deep cola color with orange/Red tinges around the edges. Small tannish cap with little lacing.

Aroma of bready malt with touches of caramel and light peat.

Simple flavors of lightly roasted caramel malt, richer than average dark malt and a hint of smoke in the background. Hops are there as a balance and do that job well. Flavors work well together and produce an above average beer.

Medium texture with enough carbonation to pop.

This comes across as a less intense version of the Scottish Ale stye.

 

Opalescent Rose, yet another Tree House DIPA provided by @Roguer in NBS BIF #18

16oz can served in a footed pilsner glass. Can is dated 3.21.2024. @Roguer sent it to me in NBS BIF #18.

Pours a very whitish-orange with a moderately large head on the pour, which turns into a very thick, stiff cap after settling for a while. Tons of active carbonation. Smell is hop resin, first and foremost. Some orange zest character, maybe some floral stuff going on, but mostly hop resin and orange peel.

Taste doubles down on the aroma, and adds in a nice dollop of tropical juice. Bitter greens, hop resin.

Mouthfeel is big, fluffy, and (yet again) a bit chalky. Overall, I think this is my favorite Tree House so far. This is really, really good.

OK, so now there's two positive rDev Tree House reviews for me...

 

I keep trying for the @beergoot pour, and failing, but still really liking the results!

 

Happy NBS!

Having a very tasty TIPA from a local brewery Ramblebine Brewing (CO). Pretty easy drinker for a 10%.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/59593/698203/?ba=Wasatch#lists

Cheers!

 

Cheers to @2beerdogs for this Superbowl Square payoff! Cerveza Cito Firme Lager, 5.3% ABV; 3.23 overall

Pours a light, bright & effervescent straw color with a pinky of fast falling beige head. Stays bubbly throughout, no head retention or lacing

S: Sweet grainyness, some lime

T; Sweet breadyness, dryness, a little citrus on the edges, a kiss of grainy sweetness & grassyness up front. Dryness & lime once warm. Grainy sweetness, lime & dryness once warmed up. Finishes dry with lime & corny sweetness

MF: Light bodied, lively carbonation, skews a little too sweet for me & thins out once warm

Nothing fancy, stays in its lane & would do well with food, but otherwise..

 

Hey NBSers/NBWers,

Back with a fresh review of a beer that I've been destroying lately.

Fieldwork Brewing's Saint Thomas O.G. West Coast IPA. 6.7% - Both 4 packs I've purchased and enjoyed are from 3.13.24. Already destroyed one 4 pack in one night last week, hence my uh... standard deviation on the review below. Just one of the best, purest, expressions of Mosaic hop I've ever encountered. Take standard Pipeworks Lizard King, then turn it to 11.



4.44/5 rDev +5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

L - clear as day, decent but not abundantly foamy, not much lacing...
S - Oof - Mosaic explosion of blueberry cannabis, a little cut grass
T - Where it shines - Full palate of dankness, berries, blue Smurf goodness, and some cut grass... just full awesome Mosaic goodness. Like a Lizard King full send.
F - Great balance, presence, palate is full but not oily or overbearing as an IPA.
O - one of the best WCIPAs I've had in MONTHS...maybe years?

 

Dank Beast from Lake Louie Brewing, Verona, Wi, Imperial IPA that clocks in at 9.1%, 55 IBU's.
3.68/5 rDev -5.2%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Pours a bright, hazy yellow, decent off white head fades quickly, some spotty lacing. Snot factory gets some tropical fruit and bit of citrus. Taste buds say tropical fruit juice. Sticky mouth feel and long lasting carbonation. I was expecting a more traditional American IPA, but I think it's closer to NEIPA. I don't care for NEIPA's, but I'd have this again. Nice beer.

 

I was ordered by @snaotheus to try this beer he sent me in NBS BIF #18. He is really scary, so I am obliging with his intimidating request.

The fact that this is the #1 tripel has nothing to do with my decision - I am truly terrified.





4.77/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 5 | smell: 4.75 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.75
Pours an absolutely gorgeous golden copper color with just the slightest bit of an unfiltered look in the glass, but novels could be written about the head on this tripel - it is a creamy white color, dense yet fluffy, and it DOES NOT GO AWAY. It literally becomes part of the glass and maintains a quarter of an inch of cap atop the body of the beer 15 minutes after the pour. It is majestic.

The nose is likewise spectacular, with spicy phenols of clove up front, followed by a floral, fruity note that is the requisite esters in a tripel, a little funk from the yeast, an earthy, rustic aroma, and a substantial slightly sweet malt note. This is “Babe Ruth of beers” territory we’re entering here.

The taste is ….. poetry. I’ve found with these big, complex beers, you’re usually rewarded by letting them settle and warm a bit, and that’s the case with this beer. There’s spicy clove flavor and the earthy, rustic flavor which flows exquisitely into the fruity, estery notes that brighten the beer, with the sweet malt flavor at the back of the palate - and no hint at all of the 11% ABV. Incredible.

The mouthfeel is creamy and full, truly perfect for this beer. This is maybe the best beer I’ve had I. The last two years, and I’m fortunate to have a chance to enjoy many beers. This is tippity top world class stuff.