New Beer Weekend #244

Bottle Logic Flash Point BBA English Barleywine, 12.5% ABV. Pours deep brown with a one-finger light-brown head that left no lacing. Aroma is banana, rum, toffee, cognac. Taste is banana, rum, dark fruit, brown sugar, moderately sweet, faintly bitter, light bourbon burn. Excellent mouthfeel, leaving sticky lips, overall outstanding.

4.44/5 rDev +6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

Thanks to @Beersnake for sending me this outstanding BBA barleywine in a LIF box as part of the Stout/Barleywine BIF volume 2. This is going down waaaaay too easy.

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. Yesterday and Friday I posted from our neighborhood brewery, Autodidact Beer, as it celebrated its second anniversary. Auto is highly collaborative and they released 4 special collab brews this weekend: a New England IPA with Twin Elephant, a TIPA with Conclave, a West Coast IPA with Wild Fern Brewing, and a Vanilla Doppelbock called Things Behind Things Behind Things with Icarus and Wild Air Beerworks. I drank a pour of the Doppelbock yesterday and had a great time discussing it with friends from Oakflower Brewing. Now it is time for a proper review:

Reviewed 3 days after canning. It pours a cloudy, pretty rosy-amber color with a large, frothy, ecru-colored head and abundant thick lacing that lasted through the pour. The smell includes grainy malt, vanilla bean, caramel, and a whiff of plum. The taste opens with well-toasted bread and roasted caramel malt which give it a pleasant initial bitterness. But what sets it apart is the vanilla, which becomes more evident as it warms in the glass. While it plays against the roasty bitterness, the vanilla bean is far from sweet. But it adds nice depth of flavor. It has a pleasantly full mouth feel with moderate carbonation, and I really like that it wasn't brewed too big at 8% ABV.

4.22/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

The Imperial IPA brewed with Conclave features all New Zealand hops. It was a bit green when I tried it yesterday and I think I'll wait till next weekend to pop a can.

I still count my blessings that Autodidact chose Morris Plains as its home. It's less than a 5 minute drive from my home and the beer has been excellent from Day 1. In addition to brewing outstanding hazies, they typically have several sub 5% brews at any time, including Lagers and pub ales. Their business model is effective: Small canning runs weekly which sell out quickly. Good distro in local bottle shops. They introduce new recipes regularly but continue to can favorites. I never purchase cans more than a week old. I particularly enjoy the frequent collaborations with Oakflower and D96.

Have a great week, everyone. Cheers, NBW!

 

Poured into a 16 oz Snulip glass canned on 1/14/25. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow with a finger sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace with solid retention. 4.25

Aroma is white grape, peach, mandarin, mango, and apricot. 4.25

Taste follows white grape, peach, mandarin, mango, and apricot. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, soft gentle carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 8% big flavor, but easy going down. 4.25

Overall this nice and very unique. I would say it is worth a try for sure. 4.25 Cheers all.

 

Sixpoint Resin



4.18/5 rDev +1.5%

look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 12 oz can into a New Belgium globe glass

The beer pours a slightly cloudy copper/orange color with a big off white head that recedes slowly leaving behind quite a bit of lacing.

The aroma is slightly sweet; citrusy and piney with some herbal and spicy notes.

The flavor is piney and bitter with some nice citrusy notes: grapefruit, orange, lemon, and a light malt presence with just a hint of caramel to add sweetness to the beer. Medium bodied and moderately carbonated. Finishes slick on the tongue.

Overall, this is a great old school DIPA

 

My NBW for today is Toubles End Brewing’s “Kith ‘n Kin” dinkel lager!

This pours a clear golden color with a thin head. I’m getting a lemony aroma and some very faint bread notes. A citrusy tartness is upfront that follows with an almost earthy finish. Light mouthfeel with light carbonation. Overall, quite nice! This brewery and beer specifically were featured in this local show! This brewery is on my route and I routinely chat with the head brewer Zach who’s in this video!

 

No Boat - Glass Cannon "international pilsner"

16oz pour at the brewery in Snoqualmie.

Pours clear brassy gold, orange glow from the heat lamps, thick even skin clinging a centimeter up the side of the glass, not much in the way of active visible carbonation unless I jostle it. Smell is grainy and grassy with a hint of lemon rind, a little bread and yeast.

Taste is on the sweet side, not exactly sugary, but strong grain tea vibes and moderate grass.

Mouthfeel is light and dry. Overall, it's clean and good, but unexciting.

 

Troubles End Brewing “Concheros “ Dark Mexican Lager!

Pours a beautiful dark amber color with a coarse thick head. Dark breads and some corn. Caramel, dark breads and that Mexican beer flavor. Moderate mouthfeel with light carbonation. True to style and enjoyable!

 

No Boat - Mozzie WCIPA

16oz at the brewery.

Pours clear amber with a dense, creamy 1.5cm head. Lots of carbonation. Smell is bright lemon blossom and lemon rind and pine. A little honey sweetness, lots of hop resin.

Taste is bubble gum and pine resin, melon rind, strong bitterness balancing the strong sweetness. Some of the bitterness is just the vague, ambiguous bitter of a so-so old fashioned WCIPA -- not bad, but not inspiring.

Mouthfeel is medium, a little on the dry side. Overall, not bad.

 

Fidens Blueprint

Blueprint
Fidens Brewing Company

Canned 3/4, picked up in Albany 3/7 and cracked 3/23 pours glug glug out of the can murky yellow milk with 3 finger head creamy & resilient, head reduced to meringue and stuck on top with delic lattice down the glass. Aroma is peaches, lime. Taste is peaches, pineapple Dum Dums, strawberry Now & Laters, grapefruit bitter tang. Feel is super creamy, soft sweet bitter, hint of chalk into juiciness. Overall superb Fidens, uniquely special to this brewery and a great score! Love it!

You:
4.27 | rDev +0.2

 

Damn, y'alls beasts! 9 pages so far?!? Killing' it.

Big thanks to @Luscious_Malfoy for sending this absolute gem in our Barleywine/Stout Big #2 (in support of NBW).

Battle of Barbarians
Thanks to Luscious_Malfoy for sending this in Barleywine/Stout BIF #2
An absolutely gorgeous pour. The creamy, pillowy mocha foam is downright luscious. For style this one has more head, even more retention, than expected. But it really translates into glory in the flavor/mouthfeel. She finally settles down to a consistent 1/2 inch of flavorful fluff.
Nose brings forth a smooth roast of both barrel and coffee, baker's cocoa, fig, whiskey, and an delicate melange of deep fruit.
The mouthfeel is a solid partner with the flavor. They dance together in a way where it is challenging to discern who is leading. A velvety cocoa and whiskey embrace starts off. A slightly fluffy, almost milk stout, delivery really makes this a pleaser. Notes of dark coffee, date, fig, and barrel char keep things alive, not too sweet, and constantly alive.
Overall, solid!
4.23/5 rDev -2.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

 

My first gaming beer:

This was part of the massive hit @DIM hit me with in the second Stouts and Barley wines BIF.

The pour was cola brown with a tight light tan head that left scant lacing
The taste is full of malty goodness, with a touch of corn - and not in a corn syrup sort of way. Didn’t know corn in a beer could be a good thing.
Lots of caramel and butterscotch and dark fruits, no hops harsh/hard edge.
The feel is delightfully viscous, very much a barleywine feel.
OA, I had my doubts with this but was very pleasantly surprised. Good beer!

 

@Whyteboar that lost battle plan from Gettysburg The Wheatfield May have changed to course of the Civil War, of course it could also be the Back 40 of the The Land Of Oz, the Cheewogs are known for rusty tin men armies.
Also great beer review!

 

Unless they add a bunch of extra stuff (horchata) Jackie does barleywine right, glad you enjoyed it!

 

@2beerdogs knows the way to my heart.. coffee and chocolate

this is awesome. Cheers!!

 

Central waters Why is the cake gone?

3.88/5 rDev -6.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Bottle received from @Bishop in the barleywines and stouts #2 BIF

Brewers notes: Did someone say cake? This robust porter has been aged in rum barrels and comes together with vanilla and natural flavorings to deliver a cake experience in liquid form.


Chilled bottle poured into a snifter

Dark cola liquid, fluffy two finger brown foam cap with stripped lacings , settles to a clinging rim

Aroma flows from the pour, rum , vanilla

taste is ….cake batter…rum and vanilla…tastes “ cakey” . I like rum and I like cake ( and cake batter) but this is off putting to me …vanilla is first and then the rum…I think its the vanilla that puts me off on this one.

Mouthfeel is boozy but not not , low sudsing

This should be a perfect hit for me. Rum is probably my favorite liquor, my wife bakes cakes ALL of the time. I generally prefer vanilla over chocolate …The combination from one of my favorite breweries should be a perfect fit, right? Alas no, the booziness of the 13.3% abv combined with the taste simply does not appeal to me….Thanks @Bishop for sending me this one..If i saw this one on the shelf I would have certainly grabbed it….but this didn’t work for me..thanks for sharing this brew !

 

I love, love this beer

Laguntinas Hazicus Maximus, 9.0% ABV; 4.7 overall

Pours a hazed & effervescent gold with two fingers of fluffy pearl colored head. Good head retention & better lacing

S: Tons of melon, grapefruit, great nose

T: Plenty of melon, some dryness, sweet and bitter oranges, & a little passion fruit up front. Dryness, green melon & pink grapefruit once this beer warms up. Finishes dry, grapefuitty with green melon hanging around

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, great balance

So easy to drink, glad to see these guys still have it; ABV is well hidden, best thing I've had from these guys since Sucks!

 

Said the last one was my "first", so this one is my last (just of the weekend!)
Another from @DIM and one I've been yearning to open since I pulled it out of the box.

Not sure if it was my imagination or what, but I saw an almost black aspect to the coffee brown pour. A head tried to form and failed.
The taste is, well, very good. Bare Hands has maximized their relationship with Anchorage Brewing. Caramel and Worther's candies, chocolate and raisins, figs, dark fruits that I don't even know the names of but can taste. A touch of leather and a dose of bourbon. just enough edge to keep it from being sweet (I know, after that description how is that possible? Can't say, but they manged to pull it off.)
The feel is viscous. It could define "Viscous". Not even close to syrupy, but it certainly comes to mind. This just nails the barleywine genre.
OA, we don't get Travour, so I am completely dependent on the kindness of friends to send me beer that I could not otherwise have tried. DIM sent me this and it is very well done.
Tempts me to search out the OG at some point.
Thank you so much for sending this my way Dan! And I have so many others yet to try.
Cheers to NBS and cheers to all of you!

 

I liked this a lot too but, as good as it is, the OG is better. As ridiculously priced as they are, I think they're worth seeking out once. Very happy to have sent that out, cheers Craig!