New Beer Weekend #203

Wow! Talk about your Dark Horse beer of the year for me, or so I believe.

Stonecloud Brewing Hank Mardukas Black IPA, 7.6% ABV; 4.7 overall

Pours an effervescent & somewhat turbid cola/chestnut color with 2 fingers of tan head. Sheets of lacing & great head retention

S: Roasty, piney & hints of dark fruits & cocoa

T: Roasty, piney, dryness, cocoa & some smokey notes up front. Sooo much pine; roasty as well, very dry some cocoa & anise at the edges once this beer warms up. Finishes so piney, very dry, roasty, hints of smokeyness & just little licorice swetness

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, skews hoppy as it should

Everything you could ask for in a big in your face Black IPA. Perhaps the best of this genre I've had

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

All right, time for a post work beer, and it is one I'm liking.

Warm Regards - Balckstack Brewing - St. Paul, MN - American IPA - 7.2%

I am a fan of a west coast IPA. I love the pine bitterness. This isn't as strong in those categories as I'd prefer, but, it is damn delicious.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/48592/702793/
4.02/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
From a 16oz can, no date on the can.

This beer is a semi clear pouring beer and almost lemon in color. Beautiful tiny carbonation bubbles rise in the glass. The head is a 2 finger white color. Frothy looking and it has decent retention. There's a bit of lacing on the glass.
The nose has a nice biscuit aroma with hints of grain. There's also a pleasing hop aroma. The hops have a slight hint of pine and a good earthy note to it.
Taste - There's a great hop hit up front. The hops are earthy tasting and also have a bit of pine to them. The hops fade slightly and biscuit shows up and adds a slight bit of sweetness to this beer. At the same time as the sweetness shows up there's a nice hop bitterness as well.
This beer has a good body. Slightly bubbly. A good bitterness feeling.
Tasty take on a west coast style IPA.

Be back tomorrow for more.

 

River City Brewing's Rob's Vanilla Stout ( Mexican & Madagascar Vanilla Beans ), 14.0% ABV; 3.77 overall


Some level of carbonation as this beer leaves the can, pours thick with a mahogany/ cola color & a sliver of fast-falling mocha/dirty brown colored head. No head retention or lacing, plenty viscous

S: Some dark fruit, molasses, sweet vanilla

T: Follows the nose, barrel notes, leafy hops, dark chocolate & plenty of barrel. More raw barrel, cola, vanilla & leafy hops as this beer warms up. Finishes with raw barrel, vanilla, dryness & cola

MF: Very chewy, near zero carbonation ( big drawback for this series )

Slow to drink, carbonation & booziness doesn't help. Perhaps the weakest of this this series I have tried

Most likely my last post for weeks...

 

Central Waters - Vanilla Bean Stout, via NBS BIF #18. Thanks to @Victory_Sabre1973.

12oz bottle served in a tulip. If there's a date or a vintage, I don't see it.

Pours black, with a pretty substantial head, well over a finger, with pretty good retention, floating a big pillowy layer as much as a half centimeter thick several minutes after the pour. Smell is black licorice, molasses, and vanilla, some booziness, maybe a little bit of char.

Taste is a different balance of many of the same things. Vanilla comes out more prominently with a creaminess that makes me think of marshmallows, licorice is more in the background as an accent, booziness still quite noticeable but not quite front and center. Sweetness is somewhere in between molasses and maple syrup.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly light and airy, clean and dry for a 9.5% stout. Overall, very good, pretty impressive.

 

Hey, those irises moved from last weeks spot…our daisies are all back in full force this week.

Stoups NW Red is probably one of, if not my favorite beer of all time. Thanks @snaotheus for introducing me to that one.

Have you had NW Red @mactrail ?

 

Abita Brewing Company
AlphaGator Imperial IPA



Deep golden color with lasting white cap.

Aroma of sweet malt and citrus hops.

Taste on entry is sweet malt in abundance with a dusting of citrus hops. I find sweet, caramely malt to be the main flavor but hops have a close enough presence to balancing the malt richness.

Full texture with balancing carbonation.

This is a big (10%) malty brew that comes across as more finess than powerful. Like a large, heavy man who is also a graceful dancer.

 

Bad Weather Pioneer Press 175th Anniversary Beer


Sorry for the mediocre picture, reviewed this tasty oak-aged american adjunct lager at the brewery during my bike ride yesterday.

Appearance: Clear yellow, good head.

Smell: Sweet malts.

Taste: Starts sweet, honeyed, nice light toasted bread. Honeyed bread continues throughout, pleasant, not cloying.

Overall: Decided to do an on-the-road review since I enjoyed this beer so much. Very tasty adjunct lager that has been oak-aged, gives a nice honeyed bread flavor that just hits the spot!

 

Brasserie Artisinale Triple A (France) ‘Stigmate’ - a Golden Ale infused with Saffron.

This is the meeting between an exceptional brewer and a passionate organic saffron grower, which gave birth to “STIGMATE”, a beer with a tasty blend of color, aromas, a deft selection of malts, hops, 100% French yeasts, and Saffron cultivated on the heights of Anduze, France. It is this mix of flavors that awaken the senses. Refreshing 5.5% ABV.
Gorgeous and unique.,.

 

Good day BAs! Off to a humid Sunday morning with:



Barrel Aged Murderous – from Pipeworks. 16 fl oz can purchased from Half Time, Mamaroneck, NY, 17/05/24, $ 19.42 (Including shipping and tax), $ 1.21/fl oz. Reviewed 09/06/24 (Review 3292). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Undated can but the label is consistent with the 2024 release. Stored at 34 degrees at home. Served at 53.7 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature was 60.0 degrees F.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Medium Amber (SRM 12), hazy.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. Under direct light, milk chocolate brown and opaque. When rear-lite, same, but red at the edges.
Head – Tiny (Maximum 0.4 cm, aggressive center pour), fawn, medium density, and fizzy, short retention, leaving a 0.1 – 0.3 cm ring being aggressively fed by carbonation; no cap, just a continual slow upswelling of tiny bubbles.
Lacing – None; as expected at 14.3% ABV.
Aroma – 3.5 – Sweet dark fruit with bourbon. No yeast, no hops, no roasted malt, no alcohol (14.3 % ABV as marked on label).
Flavor – 4.5 – Markedly sweet with dates and slight bourbon. No yeast, no hops, no malt, no alcohol. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Gastric burning.
Palate – 4 – Medium; slightly syrupy; soft carbonation.
Final Impression and summation: 4 Not dinging the score for an undated can – style is consistent with batch #2 – beer geeks know, and beer non-geeks won’t pay the price. Decent barleywine with weak barrels versus strong dark fruitiness. Seems a bit aged to have so much burn although the burn is more mellow at the end temperature.
Rating 4.08, rDev – 4.9%

@ChicagoJ - I'd be interested in a price comparison - local vs what I paid.

 

Good Sunday morning NBS/nbw and thanks to this weeks host @Beersnake.
We have been moving the business for the last 3 weeks, I feel like taking today off so
I will use the grey and rain as an excuse.
We have more aspargus and now fresh Strawberries are in full swing. It a great time of year here in WMass
Todays offering is a better than average stout from Ridgeway
Cheers all


Ridgeway Foreign Export Stout

Foreign / Export Stout | 8% ABV
Ridgeway Brewing in South Stoke, England

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

3.88/5 rDev +0.8% | Average: 3.85
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Poured from a 500 ml bottle into the test glass
A - Dark mahagony color, thin white cap is quick to recede
S - Some cocoa, tobacco, earthy hops, hints of black cherry (yeast maybe)
T - Roasty, with a good dose of bakers chocolate, some walnut as well
M - Bounces across the palate, with a nice texture, excelent dry finish
O - A good stout that i would love to try on cask

 

Quote...like a large heavy man who's also a graceful dancer..
Wouldn't think of that as a beer description yet somehow it works.
I think I need to get more poetic in my beer reviews

 

I enjoyed your review and will consider purchasing a future release. They were sold locally here at $9.99 per 16 oz can (likely before tax) at The Dojo (Pipework’s production / to go facility).

Also, if you get a chance try to get Central Waters Four Year Barleywine which I really enjoyed 4.5 Overall).

Welcome to New Beer Sunday #1007! My selection for today is a six week old NEIPA and a variant of one of the few in this style I’ll buy if found fresh. Full review linked below.

Old Nation Brewing Co. M-43 - Tart Strawberry

3.34/5 rDev -20.5%
look: 3.25 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25



Overall: I did enjoy the strawberry, but would have preferred it playing a complementary role or even an equal role to the base. This is one note which covers up what makes M-43 great. Will stick with the regular version in the future. 3.25

The more I travel across my beer journey, the more I find the OG versions superior to most variants regardless of style. May hit a brewery or two in the afternoon for additional New Sunday beers. Cheers!

 

Brewed with grapefruit and dry hopped with Citra & Mosaic 8% Grapefruit Crush from Finback Brewery.

Poured into a 13 oz tulip glass not sure when it was canned. Pours a hazy orange yellow with a few floaties, with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace with nice retention. 4

Aroma is juicy grapefruit but still not overly bitter. Tangerine, passionfruit, and apricot lend a small hand. 4

Taste is pink grapefruit but again it is not crazy bitter, almost tropical and lively. Other tropical flavors tangerine, passionfruit, a kiss of blueberry, and apricot. 4.25

Mouthfeel is a little above average, soft gentle life, maybe a tad dry, and at 8% it is a little bigger in flavor, but not just a puckering grapefruit bomb. 4

Overall I am enjoying it, blown away no. A very nice beer experience. 4

 

A good start to the day. Two of our dogs got into a dispute over a chew toy, and one ended up with a gash in his neck area. He is getting sutured as I am writing this.
On the positive side, I'm drinking a new beer. Light Through the Trees is an APA from Ex Novo Brewing Company.
In my snifter the beer is a hazy gold color. A small white head leaves a little lace.
Nice fruity aroma. some sweet malt.
Taste of grapefruit, orange, mango, and a little peach.
Light bitterness, quite drinkable.

 

Happy Birthday to Tonewood...part II...my birthday present to myself today was to go grab a beer at Tonewood, on tap only, their new Mexican dark lager and pick up one of their anniversary shirts for me and Mrs. Phisher both so we can be twins. This is the new dark version of Poolside @cjgiant, spoiler, it is really good.

This is why Tonewood is the best...

I also told the bartender I always see I couldn't decide what I wanted so he, without asking, gave me a sample of the other beer. Another Tonewood all NJ malt lager with chamomile, it was intoxicating flower-wise and super balanced. Sadly it wasn't canned; they tried for the anniversary but he said it was too carbonated to successfully can, I didn't notice it as an issue on tap but I will trust his word, he always knows the down low of what's coming and going on brew wise.. Back to the beer on hand...

Tonewood - Deep End (Mexican Dark Lager 5.2%)




Chestnut brown with excellent clarity; slightly brown tinged head, puffy; above average retention, though no lacing.

Nose is inviting; mellow sweetness with dark toast; and light roasted nut, maybe some light cocoa.

Taste is slightly nutty, well done toast, little bit of chocolate on the finish; there is a lightly sweet malt presence to smooth it all out.

Light-medium body, smoothly carbonated; verges on moderate bitterness, mostly roast driven but there is a noticeable aspect too; highly drinkable; the light sweetness is cut like a knife by the dry and bitter on the finish.

I really hope this gets brewed again; bartender said they just pieced it together spur of the moment recipe wise but said people have liked it so it may return. Guess we'll see within the next few months.

-------------------

Great day thus far, hoping to fit in another new beer later but may not depending on the mood. My brother in law gifted me beers too, @cjgiant two of which are perfect for the upcoming tasting both AAL, one showcasing NJ malt taboot. I'm getting ready to go...

See you all around today

Told ya I'd get to that Mexican dark lager of theirs @JackHorzempa, I concur, well made beer.

 

Key City Brewing, Vicksburg, Mississippi
Mr. Sippi Czech style Pilsner



Attractive golden color with quickly dissapating small white cap.

Aroma of sweet malt and mildly spicy hops.

Taste primarily of malt that's a bit fuller and richer than average. Hops are sufficient to balance but stay quietly in the background. Flavors are good even if a bit subdued.

Medium full texture with balancing carbonation.

Easy drinking people and food friendly.

 

Brasserie La Debauche (France) ‘Big Boy’ Chili Imperial Stout.,

Side of the bottle reads:
“The noises took on a hoarse sound, without an echo in the dead air. And it seemed that the darkness was of an unknown black, thickened by the flying dust of coal, weighed down by gases which weighed on the eyes.” >>>> from the book ‘Germinal’, by Emile Zola

Got a 33 cl bottle poured at near room temp into a taster’s snifter, in Toulouse, France.

Light brown foam floats on deep mahogony brew.

Nose is a coiled snake of chocolate covered dark stone fruit, a whiff of coffee, lil bit of licorice, and sweet peppers.

Taste leads dark roast malt, balanced by a fine hop note. Then the heat attacks like a churning choo choo in the cheeks, with the 12% ABV thrusting the just-hot-enough pepper through the mouth. The heat isn’t overwhelming. It fits well within this super well-rounded Stout. The residue on finish is a lingering dry heat and sweet stickiness on the lips.

Usually when I drink Stout, I want something sweet to push the elements of the beer. My mouth craved something salty for this one., and I obliged with a small plate of local French cheese, olives and charcuterie, which was perfect.

Mouth is full and smooth, there is pulsing carbonation.

Overall, France’s La Debauche Brewery nailed this Russian Imperial Stout, and masterfully turned it into a fine glass of alcohol fueled funny peppers. Which is interesting because I notoriously don’t like chili peppers (or cinnamon) in beer., yet, here we are.,

 

Low Earth Orbit
The Alementary Brewing Co.
6.7% oatmeal stout




Poured from a pint can, the beer is a very dark brown with a finger of light brown head. Not much lacing.

Aroma is a pleasant roasted malt. Taste follows nose as the malt is featured as expected. A small amount of unsweetened chocolate and oat flavors. A welcome, light bitterness arrives mid swallow then quickly recedes.

Mouthfeel is lighter than expected given the style, but carbonation is spot on making it an easy drinker. Finish dries up nicely.


No new ground here, but they all need not be innovations. Often a well done standard style is what fits the bill. Cheers.