New Beer Weekend #216

Is it like drinking soda? The head dissipating alone sorta puts me off but I really like Ommegang.

 

Enjoyed this can of Erastus from Shilling Beer Co. yesterday but forgot to post it.

4.04/5 rDev -2.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
Nice and bright with a little bit of haze. About a finger of foamy white head, good retention and decent lacing. Overall, good looking beer.

Aroma is really nice, with distinct banana notes and some light lemon aromas.

Taste follows. Hefeweizen vibes with banana bread the most distinct thing I can identify. Medium bodied, with well hidden alcohol.

Overall, good beer.

 

No. Not like soda because the bubbles in it last. The second one I had went down pretty good with pancakes.

 

Ended up at Equal Parts Brewing this afternoon.

New for me, is their simply named...Oktoberfest, at 6.1% ABV



Pours a dark amber/reddish color. A dense white head forms with good retention. Plenty of lace left down the glass.
Aroma is big malts up front. Bread, caramelized sugar, dark fruit. Cherries are apparent.
Taste wise, like the nose, big on the bready malt, and caramelized sugars. Dark fruit, plums and cherries. If I didn't know better, I would think this is more of a Doppelbock. Not that that is bad in anyway.
A full body, moderate carbonation. Clean, ultra smooth, and chewy from the malts. I enjoy this, but maybe not as the intended style. I can definitely come back to it though.

Maybe I have just really fallen in love with Festbier's lately, as opposed to the bigger Marzen's. This is certainly well made and enjoyable. Though, I think of this as more of a lighter Doppelbock. The darker fruits and caramelized sugar put it over the top there, at least for me. Maybe I'm at a point where I just want a lighter Festbier, or the heavier Doppelbock. Not something in between. Still, as always, quality from Equal Parts.

Overall score is 3.76. The numeric score shouldn't really be taken all that seriously here, as I do enjoy it. It has more to do with my changing tastes than anything.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/44383/714971/?ba=champ103#lists

 

Two in one weekend! It’s like I’m on vacation!

It’s been a lazy Sunday here in midtown Toronto. I enjoyed Canada’s win over the US in yesterday’s friendly and got to watch the repeat of it this morning. This is the first time in memory that we have players on the bench that keep the standard high. It’s been a fun run for the team. It looks like dual nationals are finally choosing Canada over their alternatives. It’s a nice time to be a soccer fan in this country. Im also keeping my eyes on the score in the Chargers game. Growing up north of Montreal, and now living in southern Ontario for the past 25 years, it’s only natural I’m a Chargers fan!

Getting supper ready now and enjoying this turbid NEIPA from Badlands Brewing in Caledon, Ontario. By most accounts, Badlands is the 1 or 1A brewer of NEIPA in the province now that Barncat has closed. This is a good example of what they do well.



This is Mind Prism, an 8.2% ABV DIPA brewed exclusively with Galaxy hops.

Pours a turbid ugly pale thick yellow with a substantial foamy head that sticks around for the duration.

The aroma is strictly fruit. Lots of stone fruit and pineapple. Lightly dank.

The taste follows. Negligible bitterness. Lots of peach, pineapple, candied/dried apricot. Dank.

The body is full, as the rather ugly appearance would suggest. Flavourful with a fairly quick finish.

This is a to-style NEIPA that is great for those that like this style. If you ever find yourself north of Toronto on a weekend, like NEIPA and stouts, Badlands is a good place to visit.

Cheers!

 

Cheers.

If memory serves, you’ve reviewed this one!

 

Away Days - Fresh Hop Deadline Day

 

Happy NBS!

Having a very juicy/tasty NEDIPA, from Odd13 Brewing (CO).

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/32514/715906/?ba=Wasatch#lists

Cheers!

 

Hellbent - Early Harvest fresh hop IPA

 

I added this beer on Thursday as a German Pilsner, but it's a Helles.
It's in the frickin' name!
Ha!!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/60182/715385/



16 ounce can packaged 05/22/24.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a one inch white head over a bright golden body with some lacing.

Nose of hay, slight cracker, ever so slight sweetness with a dash of hops.

Taste is a bit bready with some sweetness and hop bitterness. Nicely crisp at the finish.

Mouthfeel is good with medium carbonation.

Overall, easy drinking, crushable, and enjoying thoroughly!
Cheers!!

 

Last weekend @GlenFarclas posted about a beer that I gave him FOMO of last year, the beer was Harpoon Flannel Friday a hoppy American amber; in said post this was also mentioned…

Well I think that is the exact message that the folks at Dogfish were going for with this beer…from them…

Now I wasn’t of drinking age in the mid-90s but this is the style that got me into craft, it was still a dominant craft style, and I still long for and buy any chance I get. Super excited to share this one…and very happy I have more left.

Dogfish Head - Mid-90’s (American Amber 5.3%)



Beautiful colored beer; a mix of dark chestnut brown and deep dark red, crystal clear; slightly brown tinged head.

Nose is a really nice mix of deep toasty and rich malt; classic american hops present; just a light mix of stickiness.

The taste if a very nice marriage of malt and hops; its sticky malty hop toffee with a lightly toasted finish, a perfect balance between the two.

Light-medium body, for the malt presence in this beer it is very impressively drinkable, it has a great crisp finish, hop stickiness on the tongue, firmly bitter but not high on bitterness.

I really enjoyed this beer, I’m incredibly lucky to have tried this beer, and so fresh. Like I mentioned above, just the perfect marriage of big malt and well balanced hoppiness. It’s a red ale first with the hops lending a balanced yet very noticeable presence.

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Time to all go our separate ways for the work week and reconvene next Friday evening, have a great week everyone, until next time

 

DAB — Maibock

It took a while for this Maibock to show up, but considering that Greman imports hold pretty well I gave it a try. It also felt right for the season since the style is close to Festbier and Märzen.

The appearance is wood brown, with a sticky head and classic persistent lacing.

The nose is caramel, bread, and sweet malt.

The taste follows the nose with caramel and slight hop bitterness.

A full-bodied mouthfeel, with rich texture and malty aftertaste completes the picture.

Overall, this is an excellent fall beer despite being meant for spring.

 

Here's one thought by some to be retired, but it lives!
We rec'd a couple cases 2-3 weeks ago.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46275/506681/



16 ounce can less than a month old.

Vigorous pour yields a two inch white head over a hazy golden body with sticky lacing.

Nose of sweet citrus and tropical fruit with floral attributes coming out as well.

Taste is juicy with orange, tangerine, lemon, and tropical fruit.
Finish is slight citrus pith bitterness with a bit of peach pit.

Mouthfeel is a bit soft with medium carbonation.

Overall, this should satisfy the juicy boys among us.
Quite delicious and would recommend to all!

Cheers!!

 

Busy day yesterday. The morning was the local soap box race. Our grandson won his class after not even making it down the course last year. His pit crew was a lot more knowledgeable about the physics this year...lighter weight wheels, getting him + car up to the weight limit. plus practicing. Then a 3 hour drive to a nephew's wedding and it took us four hours to get home- I-90 eastbound in central MA is an absolute disgrace. Early for church this morning - first week with the full choir. Another indicator that summer is coming to a close.

Anyway...in the glass is something I have no expectations about.



Barreled Souls Raspberries & C.R.E.A.M. This is a cream ale with raspberries which I guess is pretty obvious, but with Barreled Souls you can't be too sure.

It pours with a huge, lucious foamy white head. The color is a lightly pinkish tinted pale gold - it's hard to describe. Not a bad look, just a bit of an odd hue. The foam clings well to the glass, falling to a hefty ring and about an eight inch rocky cap.

The nose is light. The raspberry is quite subtle, overlaying the malts rather than covering up the base beer. Pilsner-like malt is pretty apparent.There's just a touch of grassy/herbal hops. It also has a smell that reminds me of a decocted lager. Not sure how they made it, but it seems so far that it meets the style ( minus the raspberry).

The taste is quite smooth up to a point. The raspberry is more prevalent in the taste, approaching a jammy taste but it is mainly fresh raspberry. There is a tea-like note, slight fruity sweetness helped along by the malts, and a pretty strong fruit acidity. It has plenty of flavor without smashing the palate. It also has the flavor I associate with decoction mashing - I have yet to put my finger on it exactly...kind of a cooked flavor that's not quite in the Maillard category. Not unpleasant, just something I can't quite categorize. Minimal bitterness and only the faintest taste of grassy/herbal hops.

The feel is light. Carbonation is fairly high. The raspberry acidity stings just a bit, and the raspberry flavor lingers and gets a little heavy after repeated sips.

Overall, light, refreshing, and quite drinkable except for the little raspberry "build" - and its more that it's unexpected than a negative. It keeps the beer out of the "crisp" category if that makes any sense. I'm going to say this will be in the 3.75 region. Certainly has cream ale attributes, and the fruit is an interesting twist.

 

Zoiglhaus - Fresh Hop Kolsch

16oz can served in a shaker pint. Dated 08/29/2024. Got it at Beer Junction a few hours ago.

Pours clear greenish-yellow with an initially large head that settles into a thick skin, tons of active carbonation. Smell is bready, almost doughy, with a sharp greenness that borders on lime and leafiness. A little honeysuckle floral.

Taste is honey and bread dough, hop character isn't lost but is definitely not up front. More of a sweetened lemonade vibe to the citrusy hops. Almost a key lime pie.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied, maybe on the full side, a little bit of a chew to it. Overall, tasty and enjoyable beer, but not screaming fresh hops at me.

 

Had to share this as a "New again" beer. I had tried it before but for some reason I was underwhelmed. A much better take this time.

Liquid Candy
Had another go at this bag boy at the Hollywood Bowl. Natalia Lafourcade and the LA Phil made for a great evening BUT this really added to that.
Slightly hazy, gold in color with a bountiful white cap. Solid retention and layered, thin lacing.
Nose shows a tempting blend of orange zest, pineapple, melon, and honey notes.
Flavor follows the nose nicely but adds more of the malt base with hints of resin tossed on top of the fruity notes.
Mouthfeel has a respectable heft with active carbonation and a slightly sweet and bitter finish.
3.75/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75