New Beer Weekend #244

Cartel - Single Barrel Enigma (2022)

12oz bottle, gold wax, served in a curvy Fremont glass. 2022 vintage, bottle number 255/300. Sent to me by @DIM in retaliatory action in Stout/Barleywine BIF #2.

Pours murky dark brown, small bone-white head that slows and settles to a ghostly ribbon and a fizzy ring. Ribbon has transformed into a pretty hummingbird shape. Smell is big, rich, dates and dark booze, toffee and root beer barrel, strong oaky / wet woods aroma. Earthy, nutty.

Taste is bark and earthy bitterness and wood, woody sweetness (seems contradictory, but there it is), burnt toffee and nut paper, something almost rye spicy about it.

Mouthfeel is thick, rich, yet also cottonmouth dry. This is a 14.7% beer that drinks like only 11.9%. Very good.

 

Digging into some return fire from @Whyteboar via the barleywine etc. bif tonight, Buckley from Transient. My first from these folks, thanks Craig!



2023 vintage
A robust chocolatey base presents itself first. I'm getting a Hershey's special dark vibe plus chocolate sheet cake. The vanilla and maple syrup come on strong towards the middle while a nice, mellow coffee note emerges towards the end. The 13.5% is extremely well disguised and body is full and creamy. This is really well made, the flavors come together wellI and I'm getting nothing off or artificial here at all. Sweeter than I generally prefer, but I am thoroughly enjoying this. Thanks again Craig!

 

Perennial Sump Vanilla Latte Coffee Imperial Stout, 11.5% ABV. Pours thick and black with a half-finger medium-brown head that left some lacing. Aroma is coffee, roast malt, and vanilla. Taste follows, slightly sweet, slightly bitter. Excellent mouthfeel, overall outstanding.

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

Thanks to @Beersnake for sharing this outstanding coffee stout in a LIF box as part of the Stout/Barleywine BIF.

 

Nice work opening the thread, @Bishop! I thought it was 6pm CST that things could get started too. This is New Glarus Brewing Tailwagger Amber. A new amber ale by New Glarus Brewing. The look is gorgeous bubbly amber, with a very thick off-white cloud cover. The smell is buttered brown bread, popcorn, caramel, malt, and almond. The taste is caramel, biscuit, toffee, buttered brown bread, and coffee. The mouthfeel is crisp, clean, light and refreshing. Overall, this is a worthy addition to New Glarus Brewing's traditional beer lineup. I look forward to drinking many of these beers outside of Lambeau Field.

 

@Bishop looks like you need a Fremont glass.

 

Nice! Way to kick us off, @Bishop

 

Moonlight Brewing Boney Fingers black lager. Courtesy of of @Nugganooch. In a glass requested by @Bishop. The look is perfectly black, with a light brown thick foam ceiling. The smell is coffee, charcoal, milk chocolate, and malts. The taste is milk chocolate, coffee, vanilla, caramel, and cocoa. The mouthfeel is smooth, balanced, slightly bitter, and full, with medium carbonation. Overall, this is a delicious black lager. Probably the best one I have experienced. Thank you, @Nugganooch!

 

Drekker - Somewhere Around Midnight IIPA

16oz can served in a Monhegan pint glass. Canned 12/04/24. Bought it last weekend at Drekker, brought it home in a suitcase.

Pours very hazy with a big fluffy head, strong retention, looks like it's going to end up as big, clumpy lacing. Smell is bright citrus rind with a slight sake twist, a little bit of fresh mushroom, some herbaceousness.

Taste is more tropical fruit with citrus and greens in the background, lots of mango rind, a little marshmallow. A bit of booziness, but not a ton.

Mouthfeel is big, fluffy, dry. Very nice IPA, particularly for being a little over three months old.

 

Bean there, brown that by Southern Grist


3.96/5 rDev -1.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Brewers notes Brown ale brewed with lactose and vanilla beans

Chilled pint can poured into a pint glass

Dark brown cola with a fizzy two finger foam cap

Aroma is sweet vanilla , coffee , roasted malts

Taste is sweet coffee, vanilla, roasted malts

Light to medium mouthfeel, low sudsing , sweet

Good beer

 

Hmmm..... I'm never too old to learn

 

Thanks for getting us started!

 

This is all in the name of tic.. er science Michelob Ultra, son#2 left one in my beer bridge, beer tax. 4.2% ABV; 2.14 overall this puts me in + dev for this beer.

Pours a bright & effervescent gold with a pinky of ivory colored head. Stays effervescent throughout, average head retention & good lacing. At least looks like a beer

S: Faint apple juice, faint grassyness & floral hop notes

T: Dryness, apple juice, a little tart, but mostly sweetness up front. More dryness & apple juice, some sweet cold cereal notes once a little warmer, green apple skin, some hop bitterness would really help the cause, but nowhere to be found. Finishes dry with apple juice

MF: Medium body, moderate carbonation, skews sweet