New Beer Weekend #228

Great label!

 

Here's another from Bonn Place Brewing in Bethlehem PA:


Daft, a chocolate oatmeal stout. Really quite nice and very well knit. Flavors of chocolate for sure, but balanced nicely with toffee, raisin and lavender. Nothing remotely cloying or overdone. Mouthfeel is velvety smooth with a quite dry finish and just the right touch of bitterness. Solid 4.0, and quite drinkable.

 

Good afternoon NBW
I've had this one in the fridge for a couple months, one of the last from a Jungle Jim's haul this fall.

Imperial Extra Double Stout by Harvey & Son

9.3oz bottle with ADL printed on cap and no obvious date code, 9% ABV per label. The beer pours very dark brown with minimal light penetration on the edges and little head. Directly after the pour there's a pencil thin ring, a few micro bubbles and no lacing. The aroma is mild with molasses, bakers chocolate and soy sauce. The taste is bittersweet and barely tart, remesent of a traditional stock ale. There's roasted malt, but it's in the background along with some dark fruit, soy sauce, wine soaked oak and barely perceptible cardboard...
Mild bitterness. The feel is thin to medium bodied with very low carbonation and a semi dry finish. Overall, interesting stout. Nothing like we expect an RIS to be, yet a direct descendant of an original brewed under license of A. Le Coq and the Tartu Brewery Estonia.

That's it for me this weekend. Cheers all!

 

New Beer Weekend: hello!

Other Half DDH All Peacharine Everything
ABV 8.5%

4.02/5 rDev -2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Exceptional presentation orange yellow murk with 1 finger froth. Very lime, nectarine and peach aroma and flavor. Imo has the classic Other Half smacky smacky dry finish! No alcohol presence.

happy thanksgiving: it is a treat to read NBW reviews. I love how you pros put flavor to words, and it’s very fun even for a life long learner!

 

Non-Binary
8.3% rauchweiss dopplebock by Burns Family Artisan Ales.
Thanks to @beergoot for this beer.



Poured from a 500 ml bottles, the body is yellow-brown with a big white head. Very good lacing. Nice looking beer in a snifter.

Aroma has a pleasant mix of light smoke, caramel and cherries.

Taste features a mix of fruit tones and a malty caramel. Wisps of cherry and apple pair well with a light bitterness. Not much alcohol in taste but just enough to warm. The sweet caramel approaches cloying, but doesn't quite get there. A wee bit of smoke in the background.

Mouthfeel is medium with a soft finish and good carbonation.

Overall an interesting experiment that features three styles (Helles, Rauchbier and doppelbock). Not sure what the goal was aside from an interesting tasting beer. To that end, the beer is good but not outstanding.

 

Another new beer from Charlotte, NC: Hazy Sexy Cool IPA, a New England IPA from Birdsong Brewing Co. I'm not sure what led me to buy a pack other than the basic hop bill of Citra, Mosaic, and El Dorado. While Tree House it aint, it is a perfectly acceptable, drinkable New England IPA. I could crush a few of these on the deck during the summer.

Canned on 10/24/2024 so 5 weeks old when reviewed. It pours a hazy, bright tangerine color with over two fingers of fluffy, bright white head and lots of thick, soapy lacing. The smell includes lime, tangerine, peach, a whiff of red berry, and floral notes. The taste follows: tart grapefruit and lime balanced by peach, pear, and some sweeter tropical fruits. There is minimal bitterness from the El Dorado hops. The mouth feel is conducive to multiple pours: it is fairly crisp and lite with a moderate 6.5% ABV. Overall, while not memorable, this is a well-made and enjoyable American IPA.

3.84/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

In closing out this Thanksgiving New Beer Weekend, I will note that the BEST NEW BEER I've enjoyed is Brew 6000, English Barleywine, from Fremont Brewing Co. I had it on draught at Beer Study in Durham, NC. I did not post on NBW but I rated it 4.41. It is a World Class American Barleywine. Cheers, NBW!

 

Sunday afternoon drinking at Equal Parts Brewing today. Sunday day drinking is the best Two big beers from them today...

Resinlord, Imperial IPA and 11% ABV.



Pours a clear, but darker reddish/orange color. A dense white head forms with retention and lacing for days. As I say, this is a looker.
Aroma is bright citrus and pine. Plenty of malts, that gives this a hefty bready character. While a bit simplistic, the hops are still the show.
Taste wise, again, that citrus and pine up front that is definitely resiny. There is a sticky sweetness, with bready/caramel malts. A lingering bitterness is nice.
A full body with moderate carbonation. This is sticky, chewy, and resin/oily like. The alcohol is noticeable, but enjoyable, and more of a warming sipper in that regard.

While not breaking the mold for an Imperial IPA, and a bit simplistic. It covers all the bases, and is just enjoyable in that regard. Especially if you are looking for a big sipper.

Overall score is 4.02, A- for me.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/44383/402967/?ba=champ103#lists

Second up...

Burial in Space-Ex Inani, 12% ABV. This is a Bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout. It uses Yellow Rose Distilling barrels, if you need to know (a local distillery).



Pours an opaque black color. With a small tan head that forms. After a minute that recedes to a cap that sticks throught.
A big aromatic aroma of oak and vanilla up front. Light roast with coffee. More of a nuanced, backed bread and toasted malt aroma. Almost like a bakery.
Taste wise. follows the nose with the oak and vanilla from the bourbon barrels. Light coffee and more of a milk chocolate flavor. Toasted malts intermingle again, before the lingering "oakyness" returns.
A big full body with moderate carbonation. That becomes ultra smooth as this breaths. With a chewy malt character, and light oak tannins. Alcohol is noticeable but welcome and warming, which makes this a nice sipper.

A very nice Bourbon barrel aged Imperial Stout. Something I can come back to when in the mood, and all around well done.

Overall score is 4.09, and you guessed it another A-
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/44383/725045/

Side note on the Yellow Rose Bourbon barrels (first off, yes Bourbon can be made in any state). Though this kind of solidifies my thought that named distillery barrels have very little to do with the final product. Its nice to know, but Yellow Rose is a very average distillery IMO, that charges a premium for is Bourbons, like $60 or $70 which is crazy to me. I'm not trying to put down Yellow Rose, they are perfectly fine, but average and over priced. Anyway, the point being, there is not a lot of difference between this and a lot of other barrel aged stouts I have had with rare Bourbon distilleries named as the source barrels. As always, its the process, and quality of the brewery that makes the beer.

 

Great Notion - Rimske Pivo

16oz can served in a curvy Monhegan pint glass. Can appears to be dated 03.11.24. Bought it last weekend at Chuck's Hop Shop Seward Park.

Pours clear greenish-yellow with a big fluffy head and lots of carbonation. Smell is grassy, lemony, moderate rising bread.

Taste is honeysuckle sweetness and grass herbal/bitterness. Moderate bready/grainy character.

Mouthfeel is light, crisp, clean, dry. Overall, very nice, very pleasant beer.

 

Here we go @Beersnake
Piña Colada Speedway Stout( pineapple and coconut added to base Speedway)
A variant release for the Speedway Grand Prix even at Alesmith

the piña is so weak this is pretty much a great Coconut Speedway

 

They were onto something but the beer leaned too sweet and not enough smoke to move into interesting territory. Glad I got to try one. Thanks Dave.

 

5 Year DIPA from For the Love of God Brewing

3.67/5 rDev 0%

look: 5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

A 12 ounce draft pour served at the brewery in an IPA glass.

Look- Medium gold, very hazy, white frothy head, above average head retention and lacing.

Smell- Clementine, pineapple, melon, papaya, weak strength of scent.

Taste- Clementine, pineapple, pine, papaya, high strength of flavor.

Feel- Full body, average carbonation, moderately bitter, mildly sweet, highly creamy, mildly astringent.

Overall- Outstanding appearance with an above average mouthfeel. The bouquet aromatics were very subtle. The flavor was vibrant, but had a slightly unpleasant plastic like flavor that I couldn’t identify. Overall this beer provided an interesting drinking experience, but the mystery flavor detracted from the enjoyment.

 

Late start for me for New Beer Sunday #1032. This review is for a brewery that closed October 27th. This beer was widely praised, so picked it up with another I have rated before to close out my participation with this Evanston brewer. Hope everyone lands on their feet sometime soon.

Temperance Beer Company Gatecrasher

3.89/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75




12/1/24 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Purchased a single can for $2.27 with tax on November 27, 2024 at Beer on the Wall Park Ridge. Purchased at store temperature, refrigerated at home until this morning. 12 oz, no can date, brewery officially closed 10/27/24. English Style IPA, 6.6% ABV. Gatecrasher gets into the sold-out show without a ticket, It doesn't have to shout for people to listen. It arrives fashionably late but closes the place down. Our India Pale Ale stands apart from the bitter crowd and entices with bountiful aromatic hops and a touch of malt sweetness, proving there's more than one way to crash a gate.

Appearance: Poured about 2/3 of the can into a shaker pint glass. Burst of carbonation trickling to negligible a few minutes after pouring. Nice generous white head lingers a bit before leaving a creamy cover over the base and generous soapy clumpy lacing in it's wake. Base a bit foggy, bronze orange. Looking good. 4.0

Aroma: Citrus with grapefruit, light caramel malt and unsweetened lemon ice tea. Not necessarily expecting this mix with an English IPA, but digging it. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, but a bit duller, not as crisp. Could be age. A nice blend of hops bitterness first and foremost covering the citrus, lemon and tea, and caramel. This is more expected than the sweetness. glad it is not too malt forward like I find some English IPAs to be. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Bitter, drinks lighter than the ABV. Light sweetness tries to fight back like Tyson's latest fight with not much success. Body watery, bitterness adds depth to the light to medium body. Bitter citrus and lemon on the finish.. 3.75

Overall: At a loss to tell what age may have played a role, and sadly won't likely see this one again with Temperance's closing, but overall I enjoyed this experience, most of all for the nice hops presence adding bitterness and citrus flavor to this English IPA. A slight plus departure from my limited experience with this style, but one I appreciated. 3.75

 

Happy NBS!

Having a very tasty/juicy American IPA from La Cumbre (NM).

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/24659/718343/?ba=Wasatch#lists

Cheers!

 

This might be the lates I've ever seen you post on a Sunday @ChicagoJ, may be a record.

 

One last new beer for on this extended holiday edition new beer weekend. I grabbed a Christmas beer I have not had before. I’m not sure why, I guess I don’t gravitate towards big malt heavy beers and I mostly enjoy the Christmas spiced beers of the season, Great Lakes, etc. However; I figured I owed it to myself to review this one though and it should warm me up a bit on this cold evening as we doze off into a full work week ahead...

Bell’s - Christmas Ale (Scotch Ale 7.5%)



Pours a clear ruby hued deep brown, off-white head; sticks around nicely in the form of a thick ring and opaque film, above average lacing.

Really nice malt heavy nose; caramel presence with some toastiness, leather, vague bit of fruit character.

Tastes is malt rich and very nice; big toasty caramel notes, plum like fruit presence, little bit of spice character on the finish, hop or malt driven, hard to tell.

Body is medium-full; it is hefty but goes down surprisingly easy, residual sweetness is nice, perfectly warming on the finish with a nice touch of bitter.

Really good and well balanced beer, that serves its purpose well; it is warming and cozy beer. The malt is rich and full but never too sweet or syrupy, the hops are there just adding little complexities here and there. I’ll definitely revisit this beer again in the future, glad I grabbed it, all thanks to this lovely thread.

Notice the glass @Resistance88

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Always hard going back to a full week after such great time away with family. Hope we all get through it no worse for the wear, looking forward to next week's start already. Time to slowly drift into the night, have a good week everyone!

Here is said Christmas beer @SABERG

 

My celebration for getting home from Tennessee today, a beer from Japan that I got in Tennessee.

The can is actually pinker than the photo shows.
Actually it is better than I expected - not having any idea what Sakura Mochi is I went in with no expectations.
The pour is quite nice, a tall, very dense tan head and dark brown liquid. Not quite “stout black”
The taste is chocolate forward, mild coffee and a light sweetness that features what I think is cherry. Not strong, but very noticeable.
The feel is silky soft, I don’t get many stouts that feel like this, not good for an RIS but for this one it works.
OA, wish I had bought more than one, live and learn, right?
Cheers!

 

Been a rough weekend here, glad I was able to answer the bell before the clock struck midnight.

Bell's Christmas Ale was too malty for my preferences, but glad you enjoyed. I look to bring 2 or 3 different Christmas beers to @thebeers tasting in two weeks, including the annual release of Trader Joe's Vintage brewed by Unibroue on their behalf.

Cheers!