New Beer Weekend #250

Yeah, it’s a double post (also in the imperial stouts thread). Just finished this new-to-me beer, BCBS Backyard. Pretty good. Review below. Cheers!
_______________
4.46/5 rDev +4.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
500mL bottle (best by 10/9/2028) into a tulip. Pours an oily black with minimal head, khaki collar.

Aroma is rich and complex—chocolate, espresso, bourbon, vanilla, caramel, black cherries. I was not aware of the various berries used to make this beer, but the fruit quality is unmistakeable.

Taste is likewise a blend of rich dark chocolate and fruit—reminds me of chocolate-covered cherries my grandma used to give me. Both sweet and tart, almost juicy. Interesting for an imperial stout. Vanilla, bourbon, sweet dark roasty malt.

Mouthfeel is heavy and slick with a nice boozy warming finish. Lingers on the palate.

Overall a unique twist on the BCBS line. Me likey.

 

A Pilsner travels to the West Coast

Von Trapp came out with a new variety pack which contains four versions of Pilsner. I have already previously tasted two of these Pilsners (i.e., Bohemian Pilsner and Bavarian Pilsner) but there are two versions which are new to me. A photo of the pack:



A number of weeks ago I discussed my first ever beer branded as being a West Coast Pilsner; a draft pint at a local craft brewery (East Branch Brewing):

https://www.beeradvocate.com/community/threads/new-beer-weekend-246.680393/#post-8158244

Below is how Von Trapp details their West Coast Pilsner:

WEST COAST Style PILS

ABV: 6.0%

UNIT: 12OZ CAN

AVAILABLE: 1/6 & 1/2 KEGS,

PILSNER PACK

Brewed with Pilsner malt and fermented cool with our house Bavarian yeast, this dry-hopped pale lager has bright and juicy notes of pine, citrus peel, and ripe tropical fruit with a lightly bitter finish.”

I enjoyed the East Branch Brewing’s version of a West Coast Pilsner and I have high hopes for this beer from Von Trapp but let’s see.

Served in my Polish Pilsner glass:

Appearance

A golden yellow color with a BIG fluffy white head.

Aroma:

Subtle hop aromas mostly citrus but also some fruity tones.

Taste:

The hop flavors are at a lower level as compared to the nose with some biscuity malt flavor. There is a notable bitterness (peppery on the backend).

Mouthfeel

Medium bodied with a dry finish.

Overall

I suppose that overall this is a good beer. The highlight for me was the aroma. IMO the level of bitterness is too high for the Pilsner style.

Cheers!

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

P.S. I will be discussing the other new Pilsner, Czech Pale Lager, in an upcoming NBW post as a side-by-side with the stalwart Bohemian Pilsner. Stay tuned!

 

I’ve been drinking their Kolsch most of this week. I’ve been converted, I found some quite fresh cans and man is it drinking nice.

 

Cheers to Von Trapp Kolsch!!

 

It's May, so how about a DAB Maibock?


Appearance: Clear gold, big head.

Smell: Very herbal/vegetal, maybe a bit of malt in the background.

Taste: Mild sweetness then mild fruitiness—slight apple and white grape. Finish has some bread in it, kind of coating mouthfeel.

Overall:Not the biggest fan of this combination of flavors, too much fruitiness for my liking in a lager. Reminds me too much of malt liquor high gravity booziness.

 

Maibocks can be hit or miss for me.

It can be challenging to brew a high gravity beer and not have it come off as syrupy but needless to say some breweries (e.g., Ayinger) have skills here.

Cheers!

 

I'm a big fan of The Sound of Music, but I've never had a beer from Von Trapp. I'd love to come across that mix pack.

 

Urban South Holy Roller Grapefruit Hazy IPA, 6.3% ABV; 4.07 overall

Pours a chill hazed gold with 2 fingers of pearl colored head. Very good head retention, better lacing, some actual hazyness as well

S: Grapefruit, some grassy notes, hint of breadyness

T: Pink Grapefruit, a little lime, & a touch of dryness up front. Dryness, more pink grapefruit & a little grassyness once this beer is warmer. Finishes with some sweet breadyness & pithy pink grapefruit

MF: Medium body, fairly firm carbonation, decent balance, skews a little sweet

Easy to drink, ABV is well hidden. Would work as a warm weather option. best beer I've had from these guys yet

 

Grimm - Onement imperial stout aged in Basil Hayden bourbon barrels

500ml bottle served in a curvy Monhegan pint glass. If it's dated, I don't see it. I do not at this moment know where I got it. Thought I got it from Stout/Barleywine BIF #2 somehow, but don't see it in my records...more investigation required...

Pours black, small to no head, looks thick and still. Smell is chocolate and anise, bourbon vanilla and molasses. Boozy, but not unpleasantly so.

Taste is super chocolatey. Bourbon vanilla, molasses, mocha. Charred oak, creamy, sweet.

Mouthfeel is rich and velvety. Very nice beer.

 

Have a good NBW. Still waiting for an interview for a brewery position. And Haw River is hiring a cellar/packing person, might send off a cover letter for that too. I am actively going to get my Cicerone level 2. I ordered both Garrett Oliver books. Brewmasters Table and Oxford Companion to beer for study material. They will be here next week.

Read The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough and it was a great history book. 4/5 I will have to read more books from him, including the John Adams book. Also started China and Russia by Philip Snow which is another good history book so far. It spans 400 years and the book is 624 pages so it will take a few days to finish.

Went to Jersey Mikes for lunch and tried the new Hot Honey chicken cheesesteak. Will get again, a bit sticky/messy but the taste is delicious, quite a lot of pepper heat on the back of the throat.



Another BIF beer from @Ozzylizard . Trails to Ales Broken Spoke Blueberry wheat. Great fruit wheat. Solid head retention, light lacing. Great ruby/purple color. Aromas of big fresh blueberries, wheat, light earthy hops and yeast. Taste of big fresh blueberry juice, pear, red apple, fruit skin, wheat, cracker, herbal, floral, grass, light pepper/pine, and yeast earthiness. Light pine/herbal/spicy bitterness and fruit tang/tartness on the finish. High carbonation, light body, and crisp/clean/refreshing finish. Balanced grainy malt and sticky hop mouthfeel. Bone sry finish with no lingering hop oils or fruit acids. Very flavorful for 5%. Very well made. 3.97/5


Cheers

 

Happy weekend all! So glad it’s finally here.
Tonight I pulled one of the last, non bomber imperial stouts from my cellar that is new to me.

The pour is maybe the darkest “stout black” I’ve ever seen, certainly the darkest in recent memory. The cinnamon brown head took time to dissipate and left a golden tinge on the glass.
The taste is very much a pastry stout; chocolate and mild coffee and mallow with vanilla; I normally sense even a slight hint of cinnamon but in this case it was blended in with the vanilla, providing a bit of a sharp edge.
The feel is viscous, so much lactose or mallow makes this thick. It isn’t unpleasant, just thick.
OA, as far as pastry stouts go, this is one of the better ones I have tried.
Cheers all! One and done tonight. See you tomorrow!

 

I took three or four stouts with raspberry to my SAN (Stout Appreciation Night) group last November and they all thought it was a few too many. So when @Resistance88 sent me one of those (along with all the others in the set) none of them were interested. Too bad for them as it turned out to be the best one of the bunch. I thought Alesmith did a great job with this one.

 

From the awesome @muchloveforhops3

Ronan Beer Cooperative Stout, 5.5% ABV; 4.1 overall

Pours an effervescent Chestnut with 2 fingers of tan head. Above average head retention & lacing, barely

S: Very roasty, iron, hints of dark chocolate. Sweet chocolate picks up once warm

T: Follows the nose, very dry, more cocoa, bit some Baker's Chocolate as well, faint woody hops up front. Roasty, some sweet & bitter chocolate notes, plus woody hops & iron once warmed up. Finishes roasty, dry with a hint of woody hops & cocoa

MF: Medium body, smooth carbonation

Good straight forward Stout, easy to quaff

 

Happy you enjoyed that one, Russ!

 

My 100th Deschutes review

Symphonic Chronic Double Juicy IPA, 9.0% ABV; 4.26 overall Wildly exceeded my expectations!

Pours a chill hazed honey color with 2+ fingers of eggshell colored head. Great head retention & lacing

S: Tons of Tropical fruit, Guava. Passion Fruit, Mango. Becomes a little too sweet once all the way warm

T: Follows the nose, fairly dry, grapefruit & orange in spades as well & a little green melon up front. Starts to skew a little like Hawaiian Punch with the sweetness, a little orange & lime try to balance this out as this beer warms up. A little dryness & pineapple showing in the finish, plenty sweet

MF: Medium body, dialed back carbonation, good balance, stickyness on the teeth & acidity late

ABV is felt & the sweetness steers this beer away from greatness, pretty good drinkability. I would happily put this in the rotation. This works for me as a Juicy DIPA

 

Happy Friday evening, New Beer People. I started the evening with a new beer from Von Ebert Brewing (Portland, OR) called Tropical Substance, which is a variant of their flagship IPA Volatile Substance (just a terrific beer). I drank it while sitting on the patio and chatting with my wife, so I didn't really take enough notes to assemble a review. But it provides a good segue to my next beer, which Von Ebert also had a hand in:



This is one of two beers that pFriem Family Brewers (of Hood River, OR) collaborated on to celebrate the opening of their new taproom over in Milwaukie, a suburb south of Portland. I reviewed the other beer, a New Zealand IPA, last weekend, and I've been looking forward to checking this one out.

pFriem + Von Ebert West Coast IPA

16-ounce can purchased at the new Tanasbourne location of New Seasons Market in Beaverton, OR. Date stamp reads "PKG 04/03/25". Enjoyed in an English tulip-style half-pint glass.

The beer is a clear straw yellow color, topped with finely-beaded bright white foam. The head dissipates into a collar surrounding small islands of foam, and leaves good lacing. The nose is tangy and semi-sweet, and is loaded with peach and pineapple with notes of orange and gummy bears. Flavor is similar, leaning more towards pineapple than peach, and remains tangy from front to back. Starts off moderately sweet but dries out through the middle, with notes of sweet mixed berries and a mild floral character on the breath. Finishes dry and tangy with a mild but pleasant bitterness that's slightly woody/resiny.

Interesting and tasty beer. I prefer it to the New Zealand IPA collab with Breakside.