New Beer Weekend #225

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Swiggers and commentators. Yesterday, I visited Stony Point Brewery (first time) and Round Table Brewery, both located in West Haverstraw, New York, in Rockland County (just north of the New Jersey state line). The two breweries are located on the same street - less than 5 minutes apart. They are very different venues. Round Table occupies the original Industrial Arts Brewing Co. facility and is of substantial size. By contrast, Stony Point occupies an old German tavern and is quite intimate. Dark Rails, a Black IPA, is a collaboration between them largely based on Stony Point's Big Black Bark recipe. And it is a first rate example of a style I love to drink.

It pours a dark ruby-cola color and sports a cap comprising more than two fingers of creamy, light khaki foam that looks like gelato. A rather sedate smell; mostly roasted malt with notes of pine needles and a whiff of lemon and grapefruit. But the taste is spot-on with a firm malt base with just a hint of sweetness, along with pine sap, tart citrus, and a clean, bitter bite. The flavors are complimentary. This ale is well-bodied with pleasant carbonation, and at 6.8% ABV it is an easy drinker. Overall, Dark Rails is an impressive Black IPA. For example, I would (and did) rate it above Allagash's Haunted House.

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

Because it is a collaboration I don't know whether it will be available again but it is well-worth trying if you have the opportunity. Style points for the can art. Have a great week, everyone. Cheers, NBW!

 

Side Project + Mikkeller - SpontanFermier

375ml bottle served in a snulip. Don't see a date on it. Blend #2, 7.4% abv. Bought it at Windsor Homebrew a few weeks ago.

Pours hazy whitish amber with a medium sized head, very creamy foam, light carbonation. Smell is lambic - oak, a little funk, green grapes, gooseberry tartness.

Taste is...wow. This is real fucking good. Citrus / lemon tartness, oak and old dry grass, hint of crispy aged hops, a little floral and honey.

Mouthfeel is light, clean, dry, just disappears. Overall, this is excellent.

 

Carton - Unjunct Stout

16oz can served in a big snifter. If there's a date, I don't see it. @jonphisher sent it to me last month.

Pours dark and murky, medium sized head, big bubbles, moderate to high carbonation. Smell is cacao and coffee, black licorice, moderate chocolatey sweetness.

Taste is more straightforward black licorice and sweetened coffee, burnt roast bitter, chocolate and simple syrup sweetness.

Mouthfeel is medium to thick, not sticky cloying or chewy. Overall, very good.

 

Is this available in standalone packaging?

 

Committicated by Southern Grist


3.88/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Brewers notes : 11° plato German Lager w/ Imported German Malts & hopped w/ Hallertau Mittelfrüh, Saphir, & Solero

Collab with Little Lager out of St. Louis

Clear yellow liquid , active micro carbonation streams , frothy white two finger foam cap , good retention

Aroma is malty , floral , hint of lemon

Taste is malty, floral , biscuity

Clean , crisp, slight bitterness ends with a gentle hop bite

Good beer

 

Cheers friend.

 

I saw it in four packs the other day here in NJ.

 

Happy New Beer Sunday everyone! A long weekend for us is closing down and we had so much fun. Hard to go back to work after such a great time but such is life.

Well the smoke filled air cause for a smoked lager…we’re in extreme drought conditions here and the fire prone pine barrens have had multiple wildfires. It is nothing new really but its been a lot worse with the drought conditions and wind. The air outside this morning was brutal from a weekend fire we had only 2-3 miles away,~300 acres or so burned. No structures damaged luckily and hopefully the first measurable rain in around two months coming within a few hours. Well back to said smoked lager but that is what prompted tonights choice.

This is not 100% new to me, but I’ve never reviewed it; I haven’t seen it around here in a few years now, and it is widely distributed so I wanted to share my thoughts on it.

Von Trapp - Trosten (Smoked Dark Lager 6%)



Pours dark brown, great clarity when backlit; lightly browned head, above average retention with nice lingering cap.

Nose is tamed wood smoke, dark cocoa, little bit of roast, fresh baked bread, something in there adds some rye like spice aroma; hops lend some earthy character.

Taste is rich but so well balanced; woody smoke, some dark chocolate character, but also cocoa like; roast and darkened toast; some earth and touch of spice character.

Body is medium; gentle and creamy carbonation, light to moderate hop and roast bitterness present are present, clean rich and full with high drinkability.

This beer perfectly stops short of heftier lager territory; its toes the line so well; rich and full but maintains the great drinkability noted above.

One to enjoy and savor on cool cozy nights for sure, now I have to show restraint and save some for those actual winter evenings.

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I hope you all have a good week and that we can all come back together next weekend and do what we do. Cheers Everyone, see you in 5 days or so.

 

Happy NBS!

Having a very juicy/tasty NEDIPA from TG.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/23222/712240/?ba=Wasatch#lists

Cheers!

 

Back home now and trying this that I picked up today.

Island Digs - Back Channel Brewing - Spring Park, MN - American Stout - 6.75%

Well, I am going to have to say that this is the most unimpressive beer I've had today. The aroma is lacking as is the flavor. Very weak on both counts. It's not bad tasting, or smelling, just totally lacking.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/49773/502414/

3.49/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
From a 16oz can dated 06/11/24

This is a pitch black pouring beer from the can. There's a 1 1/2 finger tan head to this beer. The head retention is good, and I'm liking the sticky lacing on the glass.
Aroma is super light, and it's not very cold. I just get a super faint hint of malt on the nose.
Taste - Flavor is also light. I do get faint coffee notes on the flavor. I get faint notes of chocolate. On the second sip, the coffee seems a bit stronger, but still somewhat faint.
Body does seem a bit light here. The beer is quite smooth feeling.
Boy, it's ok, but really lacking in the flavor department.

I think I'll end the day here. See you all down the road in the threads. Cheers!

 

Boulevard Space Camper Juice Nova Superstellar IPA. 9.0% ABV; 4.52 overall

Pours an effervescent golf with 2 fingers of fluffed up pearl colored head. Good head retention & better lacing

D: Citrus, grassyness, a touch of weed. Great nose

T: Tangerine & oranges, some dryness, plus a touch of grassyness up front. Theres a touch of basil/weediness mixing in with the sweet orange & dryness, some nectarines show up as this beer warms up. Finishes with sweet orange, more Basil, a touch of grassyness & a little lime

MF: Medium body, dialed back carbonation, nice balance

Super drinkability, lives up to the description, very juicy

 

Hello again!
Been a busy day, moved a hole in a wall one stud bay to the left. Incredible amount of effort to move a hole. But I prevailed! So to celebrate I pulled out one I found last weekend at Bell’s for All Stouts Day- and it was the very last 6 pack I could see.

Poured like coffee yet ended up stout black with a very short very light brown head.
The taste is not quite typical coffee stout, it’s more like espresso stout. Bitter coffee leads and the malts play second fiddle. Almost as much coffee dominance as in Wig Splitter.
The feel is appropriate for the style, easy to quaff and way to easy to quaff quickly.
OA, haven’t seen this in years, glad I found it again. I’ll savor the rest as I have no idea when I will find it again, which is odd as it used to be an annual thing.
Cheers!

 

Boulevard Brewing Barrel Aged Tiramisu Stout, 11.0% ABV; 4.05 overall

Pours an effervescent ebony with a pinky of mocha colored head. Some head retention & lacing

S: Cinnamon, vanilla, a little coffee, nose fades a little

T: Follows the nose, so tastes like the dessert, a little dryness & a kiss of oak & booze up front. Vanilla cream, some chocolate notes, cinnamon & sweet, sweet coffee, a little barrel as well once this beer is warmed up, a touch of raspberry jam too. Finishes with sweet vanilla cream, some more jam, traces of coffee & barrel

MF: Medium body, somewhat assertive carbonation

Delivers on the advertised flavors, ABV is felt, but doesn't get in the way. Decent drinkability

 

Thanks to @muchloveforhops3 for this one!

Fremont HEAD FULL of FRESH HOPS FRESH HOP HAZY IPA, 6.8% ABV; 4.15 overall


Pours a super-hazed gold with one finger pulsing bubbly pearl colored head ( assertive pour ) &lots of floaties. Fantastic head retention & lacing

S: Some citrus, papaya, grassy notes, was hoping for more nose

T: Papaya, guava, tangerine, dryness, some pomelo & a little coconut up front. Pineapple, tangerine, coconut & lime as this beer warms up. Finishes with some pronounced pineapple acidity, pomelo, a little dryness & some grassy notes

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation, great balance

Lovely flavor, plenty juicy, nice drinkability

 

Half Acre Beer Company - Far Star

This was surprisingly good. Not that surprising, I mean it's Half Acre after all and just about everything they make is solid. I didn't know what to expect from it just being marketed as a "cold weather lager." It has a nice crackery, toasty malt base with a bit of lemony citrus and honey along with a dry and moderately bitter, earthy, Noble hop-esque finish. Very tasty and super drinkable!

Not proper glassware, but we do have the matching owls going on from the Half Acre branding and the Forest & Main lager glass

Cross-posted in WBAYDN #4404

 

LNBA4LYFE

 

Oops - this one was meant for WBAYDN- My apologies, BAs

 

Rhinegeist Saber Tooth Tiger Imp IPA 8.5% ABV SRM 4
Dangerously smooth and tasty!
Looks like I had this beer in 2016 as a Ltd release on the fly so time for a proper R & R.