New Beer Weekend #240

At Brewery Vivant for their release of Shadow Raven, which is “a rif” on Love Shadow, their BBA Imperial Stout.

It’s the one on the right-
The pour is stout black with an almost 1 cm light brown head that left very little lacing.
The taste is definitely English in profile, the yeast, the barley, not sure what all, it’s just soft yet bitter at the same time. Coffee bitter and burnt toast are the edge that keeps the rest from getting sweet. Good, well brewed coffee, cacao, oak, and a very faint taste of bourbon.
The feel is very lightly viscous, making it feel like a sipping beer, which is probably a good idea.
OA, very pleasant change from the often too sweet modern stouts that I generally find. While out talking to one of the brewers (who is heating up pokers to stick into beers)
I find out that not only is the yeast different than most but they ph balance their water to match Belgian water. That fascinates me.

 

Greetings, fellow NBWers,
It's an odd weekend on Moran Prairie. On the weekends at the school I work at, a youth basketball organization rents out the gym for their games. Normally, my immediate boss and the next senior guy take turns working weekend events, but the one whose turn it was decided he needed the weekend off to celebrate his wife's birthday, and no one else wanted to step up. So, I'm picking up the double time! Cha-ching! (Well, eventually. The school district never pays overtime on the same paycheck as the hours were worked. Hopefully, I'll get it in time for taxes).

Temperatures are currently around 40°. While there's been some melting of snow over the last day, it's going to take about a week of above freezing temperatures to make much of a dent.

Last night, after getting off work at the usual late hour, I hit a beer from a local brewery that I'd drank 5 times previously (per UnTapped), but had neglected to review on BA:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/63795/644723/?ba=woemad#lists
This was a delicious "new school" WCIPA, redolent of citrus and stonefruit, ending about as crisp as an IPA can. Uprise has become one of my favorite local breweries.

 

Odell Old Doods Irish Dry Stout, 5% ABV. Pours black with a nice 3+ finger light-brown head that left great lacing. Aroma is roast malt. Taste follows, faintly bitter. Excellent dry mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.09/5 rDev +3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Had to try this after they named it after me.

 

The beer on the left in the photo above is Quantum Quaker, an oatmeal stout from Broadleaf.
On tap at Brewery Vivant.
Poured stout black with a 4 cm head that left sheets of lacing.
The taste is undeniably stout, but not sure I would have guessed it was an oatmeal stout from the flavor or feel - the brewery tends towards Belgian style, so there is more roast flavors from the malt as well as some hops and European yeast. Coffee and a little chocolate, some really, really dark fruit.
The feel is, well, unlike most oatmeal stouts. Virtually no viscosity from the oats.
All that said, I really enjoyed it. Just wasn’t what I expected.
It is also the beer I chose to get a hot poker jammed in.

Definitely sweeter after that.
All in all, a nice lunch break.
Now I’m off to a march in support of Ukraine.
Cheers!

 

Surly Oakenator Smokenator

Appearance: Clear amber, good head.

Smell: Smoky, not too strong.

Taste: Some mild sweetness, then a smokiness comes through that is helped along by a coating mouthfeel. Hammy oak and mild sweetness.

Overall: I jump at almost any smoked beer so when Surly posted a smoked doppelbock, I got a crowler at the first available opportunity. It's not overpowering smoke, and it's nicely balanced, not too strong or too sweet. Tasty!

 

What's the food(?) in the foreground?

 

Please say thats chipped beef on toast!
Cheers

 

Where’s the shingle?

 

People are trickling in for my daughter's family birthday party. Taco bar and chocolate cake.

Kirkland - Helles Style Lager

12oz can served in a tulip. Best by 09/09/25. My father in law brought me a couple for my daughter's birthday party.

Pours clear golden, big fluffy head, lots of carbonation. Headd settles slowly, turns into a creamy uneven layer. Smell is grainy and grassy, a little yeast and bread.

Taste is a bit heavier on the earthy / grassy hops than I expected, but refreshing and nice. Plenty of grain. Some lemon rind, some cut greens.

Mouthfeel is light, very dry, airy, almost fluffy. Overall, very tasty, though seems to be pushing the boundary of a pilsner in my opinion. Could definitely drink a lot of these.

 

I’ve been in San Diego for the last few days and picked up a few local IPAs at the grocery store soon after arriving. This is the second new-to-me beer, Mongo from Pizza Port. Preliminary review below. Cheers!

4.21/5 rDev +2.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
19.2oz can (packaged 11/1/2024) into a hotel tumbler. Pours a slightly hazy golden amber with a frothy head.

Aroma is sticky and resinous with copious pine and grapefruit notes. Classic West Coast imperial IPA character.

Taste follows nose. Bitter resinous malt ahead of a sticky chewy malt base. High alpha acids. Great balance between malt and hops.

Mouthfeel is on the heavy side of medium, again sticky with a lingering aftertaste.

Overall an excellent DIPA—not a beer I’d reach for every day but a definite go-to if I’m looking to scratch that big WCIPA itch.

 

So my dad, a Navy vet 1965-2012 was a member of the VFW/American Legion post in Easthampton Ma, for years.
Annual Vets dinner was a production, 150-200 any given year, French meat pies, Perogies, Pasta dishes
One year he suggusted SOS.
Huge hit, vets were asking for the recipe!
Best ever and other comments, fewer members now and no Seabee leading that operation any more.
Cheers and thanks for the memory

 

Hope everyone's enjoying their weekend and their new beers. While I've only been joining for two years, I'm always happy to take part in a party. I've got something good saved up for tomorrow. And I heard there will be cake?

For today, it's a new stout from an also new-to-me brewery:

Austin Street Brewery Six Grain
6.7% milk stout



Pours black with a two-finger brown head that leaves great lacing.

Aromas of milk chocolate and roasted coffee beans strike immediately off the pour. From there it opens up to include cocoa, a little brownie, and an earthy hop foundation.

You certainly won't mistake this for a non-lactose stout. Sweet milk chocolate is prominent along with brown sugar and slight toffee at the beginning and into the middle of the sip. Some coffee notes come through in the middle as well, but this beer is all about the finish. Roast coffee, milk chocolate, earthy hops, and dark fruits all come together in wonderful combination as the roast and hop bitterness builds through the aftertaste.

Low and fine carb with that lactose smoothness creates a creamy feel. Just a little more body would make this delightful.

Overall, great stout. Reminds me of Sam Adams' cream stout from their heyday.

 

Happy NBW everyone and thank you for all this history info @ChicagoJ and @cjgiant. This thread is one of the main reasons I continue to come to this site so much. Since I joined the fun, and only cause I joined the fun, I've add 600+ reviews, thanks to all you who read and put up with my words. I've also tried beer from many of you and met three of you in person, the two tagged above plus our very own @snaotheus. All thanks to this here thread, so in the spirit of the celebration I'm going big with a beer sent from another regular these days @KP7.

Alesmith - Speedway Stout (Imperial Stout 12%)



Pours viscous and near black, the head slowly forms after a vigorous pour; nice thin layer for creamy light brown persists.

The nose is roasty and slightly sweeter leaning coffee, almost as if it has some creamy dark chocolate aspect to it; little bit of that green pepper I sometimes get from coffee in beers.

Taste really leans into heavy dark roast coffee; not quite espresso but near to it; the comes a really rich hit of dark dark chocolate; on the finish I again get that green pepper skin thing I sometimes get in these coffee beers.

Body is big; moderate viscosity, lower carbonation lends itself to the creamy richness of this beer; finishes with a good hit of bitterness; warms the throat and chest slightly as you take each sip.

Lots going on in this beer; for what it is it is quite tasty but not a beer I need to go out seeking for again, just a preference thing. It is a well made beer and I'm glad to have tried it though, thanks for sharing @KP7.

That may be it for me this weekend unfortunately as we will be pretty busy with multiple obligations. You never know though, if the chance arises I'll join again.

 

Today I am reviewing my 2nd Schilling beer.

4.18/5 rDev +2.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 16 oz can dated 01/14/24 to a Nonic at fridge temp.
The body is dark (duh) and what light gets through on the sides and the bottom of the glass is root beer colored, bordering on red. A topographical beige head sits above and laces aggressively.
The aroma is malty, strong on caramel, and a little musty.
The taste is quite dry despite the caramel on the nose. The flavor is quite musty, and charcoal comes to mind (but in a good way).
The mouthfeel is light and carbonation is strong but not over the top.
I love a very dry beer and this scratches that itch.

 

That was my take, too. Glad I could give you the experience, but I'll be sticking to lesser stouts as well!

 

Just one new brew for me today, Timber Ales Chasing Shadows Imperial Stout:

Chasing Shadows | Timber Ales | BeerAdvocate





Thought it was a good overall brew. Should have one more new to me brew to post tomorrow. Cheers!

 

Anniversary beer (MadeWest's 9th) for an anniversary thread - I preferred their 8th anniversary WCIPA, but this is a solid hazy offering - cheers!

3.94/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Packaged on February 3rd, imbibed on February 22nd, 2024. Poured from a pint can into my Dogfish Head shaped pint glass.

Turbid peach-gold body with a soft magnolia cap. Rich, soapy lacing; very good retention.

Potent aromatics, lots of crushed orange with lower tropical notes suggesting pineapple and passion-fruit. Sweet and inviting.

Waves of rock candy and tropical fruit on the palate. Moderate but persistent bitterness. Medium-dry finish with a touch of residual sweetness suggesting barley, vanilla wafers, and blueberry.

Creamy, medium-light bodied, rich yet refreshing.

Well crafted, balanced example of the style, with a kick of extra intensity compared to their (quite good) standard hazy offering.

 

My father was an Army veteran who loved his shit on a shingle. Cheers

 

Central Waters Cassian Sunset

4.33/5 rDev -0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Brewers notes: A bourbon barrel-aged imperial stout with local Emy J's coffee, whole vanilla beans, and cinnamon. The flavor profile of this wonderful beer boasts a lush mouthfeel, with just the right amount of creamy spice character to meld with the rich malt and barrel-aged profile.

Can received from Bishop in stouts and barley wines 2 bif

Canned 12.19.24 / opened 2.22.24, poured into an Ozark beer co snifter

Dark brown cola liquid produced a creamy taupe one finger foam layer, reduces to a thick layer , spotty lacings

Aroma is sweet bourbon, whiff of cinnamon, whiff of vanilla

Taste is sweet bourbon , cinnamon , vanilla

Mouthfeel is smooth and relaxed , slight bourbon heat , medium mouthfeel , not light, not syrupy

This is a fine beer