New Beer Weekend #218

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. I have two new beers to review today. The first is from a new-to-me brewery, Ever Grain Brewing Co. in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. My wife grew up near Camp Hill, which is across the Susquehanna River from Harrisburg, and her parents were teachers in Camp Hill. So I was excited to try a beer from a brewery there.

Canned on 7/14/2024. It is opaque and a slightly muddy tangerine color. The cap resembles gelato - fluffy and bright white with very thick, clinging lacing. Its smell is initially rather sedate - mostly faint white wine and peach - but as it warms it bit the fruit becomes much more fragrant. It's very dank with ripe tangerine/orange and peach balanced against Sauvignon grape and tart lemon and grapefruit. Beneath the fruit is a grassy, slightly herbal base. There is a hint of bitterness throughout but it doesn't overcome the ripe fruit. This ale has a very nice mouth feel: plush and creamy with moderate carbonation, and the 7.9% ABV gives it good substance. Overall, considering it is nearly two months old, it has held up well. Shallow Be Thy Name is a well-crafted fruity DIPA and it gave me an excellent first impression of Ever Grain Brewing Co.

4.21/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

My next review will be of a very different style. Cheers!

 

Another back-to-back NBW review. It's easy to focus on reviewing beer when you are a recovering Giants fan (I'm shocked they actually won today!). This is Bourbon Barrel-Aged Lord Grizzly, a Wee Heavy brewed by Lost Cabin Beer Co. in Rapid City, South Dakota. I brought this bottle back from our trip there last month. I still have a couple of cans of the base Scotch Ale. I have to say, this is a weird brew and not what I expected. I don't know what bourbon barrels were used but I'd swear they held Port rather than Bourbon.

2024 Vintage. It pours a reddish-brown color resembling dark iced tea. The ecru-colored head fell off immediately leaving a slight ring. Bourbon is heavy on the nose, along with brown sugar, raisin, and just a whiff of cola. The taste is surprising. To my taste there is a strong red wine influence. Sadly, I'm having trouble tasting the base Lord Grizzly. I'm not suggesting the taste is bad - just different from what I expected. In fact, it grew on me as I sipped it. The mouth feel is appropriate and the 12.16% ABV is quite well hidden. Overall, I can't quite figure this one out but I enjoyed drinking it.

4.06/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Have a great week, everyone. Cheers, NBW!

 

Anytime you decide to take that leap, you have a beer drinkin’ friend waiting to show you some cool shit.,. Cheers!

 

Crux - Fresh is Best fresh hop IPA

16oz can served in a tulip. Canned on 09/05/24. Bought it yesterday at Beer Authority.

Pours clear light amber / dark yellow, about a centimeter of head that settles into a remarkably uniform one millimeter skin, maintaining most of its centimeter of altitude in the form of similarly thick lacing. Smell is pears, peaches, a little bubblegum. Some grain tea sweetness.

Taste is grassier, greener than the aroma suggested. Still get pears, though they're a bit on the unripe side, don't get any peaches, maybe the bubblegum has transmuted into an underripe melon. Yeah, there's definitely some relationship between the two vibes.

Mouthfeel is medium and smooth. Overall, pretty solid fresh hop. Good IPA.

 

A few times, the memory is shite these days

 

Maximator doppelbock by Augustiner Brau


3.85/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

Brewers notes : The pleasant, dark Doppelbock of monasterial origin, especially suited for festivities during the chilly season.

Chilled 11.2 oz bottle , date stamp of L038122436 , poured into a tulip produces a clear brown liquid with one finger tap foam cap that quickly dissipates

ARoma is dark fruits, figs, raisins, plum

Taste is slightly sweet, molasses,dark fruits, toasted malts

Surprisingly Light bodied Smooth creamy, medium sudsy mouthfeel

Good beer

 

Deschutes — Kernza Lager

A curiosity purchase after trying another version.

The beer pours bright yellow, with lacing on the white head.

The nose is yeast and almost Belgian-like spicy coriander.

Similar to the nose, the yeasty sourish champagne-like taste is more like a fine AAL.

A slightly bitter aftertaste with a thin mouthfeel rounds up this beer.

Overall, it could've been an Allagash (which I learned has their version of Kernza lager too) with their Belgian-like lagers, but it is too simple. Interesting beer for sure, but it is unlikely I'll get more of it.

 

Good Sunday evening NBS/nbw and thanks to our host this week @jonphisher for the great start to this great weekly adventure. Today is clearly the first day of fall here in the 413. Cool, grey, and moody.
Took time to revisit an old haunt with my sweetheart and returned home to a crisp Festbier from Jack's Abby. I like the offering, Marzen it is not.
Cheers all

Munich Fest

Festbier / Wiesnbier | 5.4% ABV
Jack's Abby Brewing in Framingham, Massachusetts

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.06/5 rDev 0% | Average: 4.06
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Poured from a 16 oz can dated 07/16/24 into the test glass.
A - Dark yellow color, excellent clarity, lively carbonation. A thin quick to exit cap left no calling card.
S - Lovely biscuit, earthy hops. a hint of lemongrass
T - Here it falls of a bit for me, muted flavors, seem to meld into a simple monoculture of light bread, and a bit of caramel sweet
M - Lite in body, pleasantly crisp, with a nice dry finish
O - A fine addition to the FestBier catalog, I may have been looking for more than what is offered here.

 

I think this beer was brewed by a bunch of breweries across the country. Kernza, by what I understand, is a perennial grain and supposedly more sustainable. FWIW, I had the Allagash version and it was very drinkable. I thought it was a bit overdone with the hops, but otherwise a pretty typical Allagash lager.

 

I forgot to post last night’s stouts in WBAYDN, but they were new to me and both were excellent.

My brother in law has a premium membership at Phase Three so we split buying some of their limited releases, like this collab with Maplewood aged in Elijah Craig barrels. One of the heaviest legs I’ve ever seen on a beer, and this was in a solo cup. No adjuncts, but super sweet and hot.

I brought this one to share, from another favorite local brewery. Barrel aged stout they worked on with Iron & Glass (my two favorite bottle shops).
Excellent, but the first beer was better.

 

Drinking this now. I’m not the biggest fan of the style, but this is pretty good.

 

Many breweries are participating in this project now, but the one I tried before was a Dogfish Head Plisner two years ago (was it that long?). Neither one was interesting enough, but they weren't bad either. I'm still curious to try what other breweries can make.

 

Happy NBS!

Having a very tasty/juicy NEIPA from Cerebral Brewing (CO).

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/41719/717354/?ba=Wasatch#lists

Cheers!

 

Slipped off the wagon to try this new one from Waitsfield, VT!

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/17980/668724/



16 ounce can packaged 09/10/24.

Moderate to vigorous pour yields a 5/4 inch white head over a fairly bright, golden body with sticky lacing.

Nose of tropical fruit, mostly passion fruit and melon, with slight citrus.

At first, the taste has the aforementioned melon with some passion fruit which then takes a sharp left turn to the west coast with pine bitterness to finish things up. Quite unique and rather tasty!

Nice, nearly full mouthfeel with more than medium carbonation.

Overall, will be crushing another with dinner, while watching the Mets crush the Phillies!

Cheers!

 

Good evening NBW
I reviewed a couple oktoberfest beers on that thread this weekend while in Ashville, NC. Here's my first "proper" review for the weekend.


West Side Festbier
(Cincinnati, OH)
12oz can stamped 07/18/24 poured into a mug at fridge temp 6% ABV 32 IBU per label. The beer pours bright, light golden amber with off white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. Slight lacing. Aroma is mild with sweet pale malt, honey and floral notes. The taste is semisweet pale and lightly toasted, bready malt with herbal mild hop flavor and bitterness. The feel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Cleanly lagered. Overall, excellent festbier. Drinkable with a perfect balance of malt sweetness and subtle hop flavor.

Cheers all!

 

Another from southeast Ohio.

Grainworks Oktoberfest
(West Chester, OH)

12oz CANNED 07/22/24 poured into a mug at fridge temp 5.7% ABV. The beer pours bright copper tinted amber with very short lived eggshell colored head. The head disappears in 60 seconds and leaves nothing. The aroma is mild with heavily toasted malt, bordering on burnt whole grain toast. The taste is semisweet, mildly nutty, toasted whole grain and nondescript mild bitterness. A hint of astringency lingers after a sip. The feel is thin bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Mostly clean lagering. Overall, ok.

I have too many new-to-me oktoberfest beers to fit into the next couple NBWs. Some will inevitably be posted on the oktoberfest thread only. I also have two new country ticks to ring up once I'm fested out...
It's feast or famine for new beers around here.
Cheers all!

 

What a great read!