New Beer Weekend #227

My tour down the malt liquor aisle this weekend comes to a close with:

Natty Daddy


Appearance: Clear gold, big head.

Smell: Not great, solventy, a bit of wet hay.

Taste: Some sweetness, then kind of chemical tasting. Some apple notes in the background and maybe a hint of hay. Reminds me a little of the solvents used in coating.

Overall: Definitely more flavor than its little bro Natty Light, but not a particularly good flavor. Not terrible tasting in my opinion and a definite small step up from the Evil Eyes and Camo's of the world. Maybe will have to try some of the Minhas malt liquors next.

To wrap up my thoughts on these three malt liquors (Milwaukee's Best Ice, Icehouse Edge, Natty Daddy), they weren't terrible but of course I'd pick most craft beers over them. Beast Ice was my highest rated (2.8 vs 2.57 for Edge vs 2.3 for Natty). What an experience!

 

This is enjoyable. Very enjoyable. Happy weekend!
Pizza Port Mongo DIPA 8%
4.08/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
16oz can canned 9/10/24 into a nonick pint glass.
L: SRM 12.5 pours a lightly clouded deep amber with a rocky 1/2" domed matte white head, very good steady carbo bubbles, head recedes to heavy creamy froth, medium-heavy complex lacing with some banding.
S: Pineapple, citrus, juicy fruit gum, hard candy, caramel malts emerge more with warming.
T: A sweet candied fruit mix, melon, emphasized and stately pine resin, a long earthy note. It is rich, candy sweet and deeply bitter. Very hop frwd and is gently tart. It has a long lingering resinous finish. I sense light alcohol on the very last drink.
F: Brisk then smooth medium-bodied mouthfeel with a broad center and a long drying finish. It becomes more smooth with warming.
O: Fruity, sweet, resinous, and full-flavored. Has a nice lusterous feel, well masked ABV and not intense. Just bold overall. It drinks fairly easy and is smooth start to finish. It is very good to excellent in its style.

 

You’ve been a brave man this weekend; thank you for your service

 

Good Morning my fellow beer enthusiast and drinkers. I am sipping on April Showers from The Bruery. It is a dreary day here in Idaho, we are under a winter storm advisory, hopefully the white stuff descends on us and makes it a white Thanksgiving.

 

Firestone Walker XX Anniversary Ale
13% strong ale



I brought this fine ale to a Friendsgiving supper and shared with a few friends. The beer was well received by all. Only a few comments as I did not take notes in such an environment.

Well balanced with an assortment of flavors that work well together (oak, toffee, bready malt, chocolate) and an assertive strength that warms. Good mouthfeel and light carbonation. Very easy drinking considering its ABV. Delightful beer. Cheers.

 

Continuing my journey through the Big Beer Box with this entry from Firestone Walker.
A pretty beer. Very dark brown/black with some garnet at the base. Small tan head, some lace.
Aroma of booze, roasted malt, hint of smoke.
Taste of bourbon, chocolate, coffee, smoke.
Medium-bodied.

 

Dropping in today with a question for the mods: What's the plan for next weekend? Can we open on Thanksgiving and ride through the weekend?

 

Im just thinking the purists who wanted it to stay new beer Sunday!! I vote for 4 days of turkey,stuffing and new beer

 

Brewing Projekt Planet Burst Fruited Sour, 7.3% ABV. Pours merlot color with a 1.5 finger pink head that left wispy lacing. Aroma is purple grape and strawberry. Taste is mostly purple grape, some strawberry, the watermelon lost in the shadows, quite sweet, faintly tart. Decent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.38/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Trying to clear the must-refrigerate sours out of the fridge to make room for Thanksgiving food.

 

You take down the drone?

 

Nope, it didn't come back last night. Maybe we're too boring to spy on, daughter crocheting, wife cross-stitching, me surfing beer sites on my laptop, watching Twitch game streamers on TV.

 

Hey what's going on?!

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying themselves. Been insanely busy but having a good weekend so can't complain.

Digging into some of the little East End offerings I have which is a nice treat.

Let's see what we have in store today.

Gratitude - Rum Barrel aged 2023



Poured from the can into a teku glass. Vintage 2023, canned February 3rd 2023.

Creamy and frothy like forming head, billowing and khaki colored nicely. Tight bubbles and big staying power, with dollop like lacing you could scoop right up it seems. Bright copper red body, with excellent orange light rust clear tinges as well. Great looking brew just like regular gratitude.

Bright but also subtle aroma. Subdued tree sap, but with a real surprising vanilla cream quality. Good mixes of marmalade and dried citrus fruit angles that come out real nicely. Strangely though no rum or barrel character.

Palate is real delicious and dangerous. Light touches of sap and marmalade, but more of that spicy rum heat finally kicks through just ever so slightly. Creamy texture and almost pina colada fruity tasting cocktail qualities in flavor, as just a hint of light molasses kick in. Fruit angle comes off dried, intense and varied, from deep orange rind, dates, prunes, to even tropical pineapple. Finishes light bodied without a heavy boozy kick which is surprising, and more of a vanilla sweetness that makes for easy drinking.

Real nicely accented and at this part nicely aged and controlled. Excellent barleywine with a barrel that really brought out and added some extra character.

look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5 | Final 4.44/5

Cheers!

 

A few thoughts before diving into New Beer Sunday.

Friday

• Sorry about your local brewery experience @champ103 . I have one two blocks away, gave them two shots, they won’t get a third. Glad you had a better beer Saturday.
• Really appreciated your review of Natchez Brewing @JackHorzempa ! I plan on doing a Winter beer focused road trip into the South, likely Winter 2026 as I want to get a bunch done around the house before my next vacation. The Natchez Parkway is an excellent drive for those looking at an enjoyable slow paced journey through the South.

Saturday

• The FOBAB beer I pulled and rated yesterday was hard to finish due to the high (13%) ABV. A primary reason why it’s not a good idea to rate on a couple ounces, or on the flip-side order flights. Still enjoyed it, just a rough two days with all the high ABV FOBAB offerings.
• Thanks for the positive Montreal Habs news @Coronaeus , which this Expos/White Sox + NHL Hawks fan needs in this nadir of sports fandom. Glad to see you back and also @superspak during his Saturday outing.
• I’m going to have to track down a Barreled Souls offering after all the positive discussion yesterday.
• Fat Heads is awesome @turfy !
• Enjoyed your Malt Liquor journey @Mdog . Colt 45 is my go to.

Will return shortly with my lower ABV Sunday selection.

 

As readers of yesterday's WBAYDN may know, I visited Tox Brewing's gorgeous new place and had a great experience. I walked a way with this holiday version of their flagship-Holiday Fugu.
Brewer notes-
6% Our flagship American IPA scaled down ever so slightly, but only in ABV. We adjusted the whirlpool selection to be extra juicy and a dry hop variation that is screams holiday treat... Citra, Simcoe, and Chinook. Citrus and Pine for days!

This beer was only put in the BA database this morning and I am the 1st reviewer.

4.13/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 16oz can dated 10/21/24 to a Nonic at fridge temp. Purchased yesterday at the brewery for $13/4-pk.
The body is apricot orange and opaque. The white head is puffy and even after fading, it creates topologically textured islands in a sea of smaller bubbles. Lacing is pretty good.
Citrus rind aroma is prominent. Pine needles are there also.
Pine jumps to the front in the tasting, but the rind stays. There is a great dry finish.
The mouthfeel is rather thin for the style and carbonation is about right.
A very enjoyable beer.

I'm going to pour another right now.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. Our daughter and son-in-law, who live in Central Missouri, sent me a couple of local beers this week and I'm going to review them both today. The first is Missouri Loves Company, a Triple IPA. It is a collaboration of the Missouri Craft Brewers Guild and it was brewed and canned at Narrow Gauge Brewing Company. It was brewed with Anchovy and Vista hops in the whirlpool and then dry hopped with Citra, Anchovy, Vista, and Chinook. Flaked Oats were also used. Canned on 10/28/2024. As a bonus, I get to legitimately use my Narrow Gauge glass, which I received in an NBS BIF.

It pours a hazy, burnt orange color with a full finger cap of frothy, milk-white foam and thick lacing that lasted through the pour. The nose is soft and floral with notes of lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, and ripe melon. Its taste offers a nice balance of tart citrus, candied fruit and oat sweetness, and pine sap. As it warms I notice some red berry in the background, as well as ripe honeydew. Dry hopping with Chinook and Citra adds a clean bitterness throughout. For a TIPA the mouth feel isn't as thick as I expected but the 10% ABV is well-hidden. Overall, this is a very good Triple. Narrow Gauge excels at brewing hazies. And I really like the idea of the Missouri Craft Brewer's Guild.

4.23/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

I'm glad J+D sent me two cans. Cheers!

 

Really enjoyed FOBAB this weekend. Have two new to me breweries on my radar for future visits (Milieu Fermentation in Aurora Colorado & Seedz in Union Pier Michigan). Also look forward to formally rating the two double barrel offerings by Spiteful once they are available on draft or packaged at the taproom.

Welcome everyone to New Beer Sunday #1031! Going with a lower ABV selection to close out the weekend, a rare new to me Bell's now that they limited their skus in our market. This was released in Winter 2023, but finally got around to picking up a single bottle. Oberon was a go to Spring beer for me, and I enjoyed a barrel aged version at the Binny's festival, which was great until they stopped it after 2019.

Bell's Oberon Eclipse

3.74/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5



11/24/24 (Home - Chicago, IL): Bottle Notes: Purchased on 11/16 refrigerated from Beer on the Wall. Comped from Beer on the Wall Points, $3.49 plus tax retail. 12 oz, best by date 3/30/25. Citrus wheat. When the sun sets early, you've gotta make your own sunshine. Oberon Eclipse brings together warm notes of bright orange and cozy coriander to make the perfect post-summer citrus wheat ale. Shine on. Brewed and bottled by Bell's Brewery, Comstock, Michigan.

Appearance: Poured most of the bottle and finished with a top off into a 16 oz Weizen glass. Creamy rich egg white head provides rich generous lacing and a creamy cover over a crystal clear bronze orange base with steady sustained carbonation. Looks great. 4.5

Aroma: Coriander and caramel malt lead, both generous and enticing. Getting banana clove and citrus secondary. Flavor strong and pleasant, a nice blend. 4.25

Taste: Much lighter in strength, somewhat dull actually though picking up the caramel overall and coriander secondary. Good, but disappointment after the aroma bouquet. 3.5

Mouthfeel: Faint carbonation, body watery, sweet overall. Drinks about at the ABV. Malt and sweet flavors though not overly. Caramel from start to finish, coriander secondary. 3.5

Overall: This started with a lot of promise, but it's a bland tasting beer, and not up to par with the standard Oberon release in terms of flavors and enjoyment. Still glad I tried. 3.5

Looking forward to whenever New Beer Weekend #228 kicks off, hoping for a Thursday midnight / Wednesday 6 PM CST start to feature five next weekend.

Cheers!

 

NBS #2. Another new-to-me beer from Missouri: Imperial Stout Heart from Bur Oak Brewing Company in Columbia MO. I've had a couple of beers from this brewery which were okay but not impressive. This one is. I can't recall having a barrel-aged Imperial Stout where the bourbon is this delicate. I can taste it but it totally compliments the chocolate and other flavors.

Poured at 60° It's a very dark walnut with a half finger of creamy, light khaki-colored head and a thin film of lacing. On the nose is chocolate, caramel, freshly-brewed coffee, and nutty char. I don't smell any bourbon. But I'm impressed by the taste! It is chocolate-forward with notes of coffee, vanilla, and burnt nuts. The barrel effect is quite delicate; I can taste it but it doesn't overwhelm the other flavors. It has a terrific mouth feel: thick and creamy, almost chewy, with low carbonation, and the 11% ABV is barely warming. I don't like the phrase "dangerously drinkable" but it applies here.

4.22/5 rDev +1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

I am glad I received two cans of this gem. I think I'll try to arrange for more!