New Beer Weekend #250

Good evening denizens of NBW!
I have had two new to me today so far and will be back later for a third.
Okay, the 1st two were both 4 oz pours, but @ 15% ABV, I learned last year to not order the full flight.
No Rules day was actually 8 days ago but I was just able to get to the brewery today.
First up is the one that was recommended;
Brewers Surprise-

The look is excellent, half inch brown head that reduces to a ring but never quite goes away.
All the depth of the regular (Barrel Aged Imperial Porter) with all the additives present and accounted for, yet not at all dominant. Very well balanced.
The feel is appropriately viscous. 15% you probably shouldn’t slam.
Darned good, I wish I had purchased some cans.

The second one looked so much the same I didn’t bother taking another picture.
One that came out last year but I didn’t try then; the White Russian variant.
Never had a White Russian before so can’t say how close it was, but it was anything but white.
Most of the specs remain the same, just the flavor is different. This is actually a little sweeter and has what I believe is coconut in it. Smooth and far too easy to drink.
That’s my report from Perrin Brewing, I will hit my cellar later.
Cheers!

 

Boat got his blood work back today and he is perfectly healthy, just needs the Prednisolone for his GI.


450 North Jungle Juice. This has been in my fridge 3 years because I was at a beer store near @RaulMondesi when he had his marriage celebration, it was a pretty amazing store, I just looked on my timeline and it was Bradley's Fine Wines & Spirits, in Tustin CA. On 4/30/2022. Pours as expected. Turbid pulpy tropical fruit juice color with minimal head retention or lacing. Amazing nose of pulpy passion fruit, coconut, mango, kiwi, and pineapple juice. Taste follows with huge passion fruit, coconut, mango, kiwi, and pineapple juice/pulpy fruit flavors; with some lemon/lime/green apple sour notes in the back end, a bit of peppercorn from Brett. Light-medium fruit/lacto tartness, herbal bitterness, and Brett spiciness on the finish. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; balanced lactic acid and fruit pulpy body with no cloying/puckering notes. Fairly crisp feeling from carbonation, super smooth slushie mouthfeel on acidity. This is the best slushie sour I've had in awhile, maybe ever. Damn, mind blowing levels of fruit flavor. perfectly balanced acidity. 4.54/5



Cheers

 

Great to see you in the threads!

 

Cross post with the What South Atlantic Beer are you drinking now thread.

Heist Coconut Junkie - Oatmeal Stout



Not a bad beer, but I wish the coconut had shined through a little bit more.

 

Good evening NBW
This single was gifted to me by my son and his girlfriend. I guess Cincinnati is on the west coast of Ohio...

Highgrain Titan West Coast IPA
12oz can stamped 01.30.25 poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass at fridge temp 7.3% ABV. The beer pours mostly bright light amber with khaki colored head. The head recedes to a thin ring and scattered bubbles. Strong lacing. The aroma is mild with pine, caramel malt and fading citrus. The taste is bittersweet caramel malt with pine and lemony, grapefruit citrus. Moderate bitterness. The feel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, good IPA.

Cheers all!

 

I spent a couple hours earlier today helping the Timbers Army paint the tifo for the Portland Timbers' 50th Anniversary Night match (July 19, against Minnesota United). Then I stopped at John's Marketplace on the way home for a burger and a beer.

(Actually, two beers. And this is the second one.)



Bend Brewing Rapid Crusher

Rapid Crusher is billed as a West Coast Pilsner. It has a pale straw yellow body that glows with a touch of haze. The head of snowy white foam collapses to a persistent collar and surface skin, and deposits good lacing on the glass. The nose is clean, soft malt seasoned with lemon peel, a shred of lime pith, a smidge of sulfur. The taste is largely the same, though slightly sweeter than the nose suggests: toasty malt, citrus peel, a drop of orange oil The body is light and the feel is crisp and quenching, with brisk carbonation.

Overall, Rapid Crusher winds up somewhere in the no-man's land bounded by German Pilsner on one side and Cold IPA on the other. It's not quite the Pilsner that I want, but it's the Pilsner I have I front of me right now. And I'm good with that.

(Side note: This is my first New Beer Weekend hat trick, with a post on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Great days indeed!)

 

Shocking that that head actually looks like it probably sustained nicely; then reading your post, it actually did.

I haven’t netted a hat trick here in a while, future goals for the coming weekends

 

Cellarmaker - Black Meridian black barleywine, 15.4%

375ml bottle served in a snulip. Don't see a date on the bottle. Not sure where I got it. Might have bought it in California a few weeks ago.

Pours black, mostly still, with little to no head, eventually a couple uneven islands and a thin ring appear and stabilize. Smell is stout with a soaring vanilla bourbon note, boozy and anise. Toasted nuts and coffee.

Taste is even boozier, horehound and rootbeer replace the nuttiness, sticky toffee pudding all over the place. Molasses takes on a syrupy quality, makes me want to put this on pancakes.

Mouthfeel is a bit thinner than I expected, but not disappointing -- just not as satisfying as it could be. Very nice beer.

 

Outstanding picture! Cheers

 

Thank you, I felt it was fitting for the beer and story.

You know how much love seeing those Montana pics when I come across them

 

Definitely not typical of the Speakeasy beers. They are definitely different beers to begin with. This one was even more different. Much "heavier" feeling whereas most of them are pretty light and refreshing and act more like the gose base.

 

I believe this is from @hoptheology from an IP trade in 2021. Boulevard Tiki Slam, (changed to Tropic Slam since I got the can). 04/21/2021 dated. Good head retention and lacing. Aromas of huge orange/clementine juice, pineapple, and guava, with light lemon/lime and lacto funk. Taste of big tart/tangy orange/clementine juice, pineapple, guava, lemon, lime, green apple, white grape, herbal, grass, light pepper/lacto funk. Light-medium fruity/lactic tartness and tangy fruit finish. Medium-high carbonation light-medium body. Very crisp/clean/refreshing, nearly bone dry finish. Balanced grainy malt, acidity, tang, and fruit sugar mouthfeel. Light sticky hops. Zero lingering pucker/astringency. Tons of authentic tropical fruit juiciness with a spot on base kettle sour that is not too acidic. A new favorite, will seek out regularly. 4.47/5


Cheers

 

Tonight, because @Dimidiata was adamant about it, I pulled out a barleywine from my cellar.
I had several to choose from, including a monster bomber from my sender in the ongoing Stout and Barleywines BIF (seriously, if you enjoy either of those, sign up next time. It’s amazing) and another from a ninja strike during that same BIF, and for whatever reason I pulled out neither. Instead I grabbed one that had been there for a while: a 2018 Goose Island Barleywine with coffee.

The thing is, I got no coffee from this.
Oh, it was really good, I very much enjoyed drinking it, but no coffee.
So now when I read posts that state “barleywine can be aged many years and hold up better than stouts” I think it depends entirely on whether you have adjuncts or additives in your beer.
So while I enjoyed it, I strongly suspect that it wasn’t what it once was and lament not drinking it sooner.
C’est la vie, no?
Cheers anyway!

 

That sounds like a bruiser, you get a North Carolina double dang from me for that one!

 

More to come, went shopping today...

 

This ass kicker from @bbtkd via the NBW Imperial Stout/Barleywine BIF#2 as a LIF

Surly 2024 Double Barrel Darkness, 14.4% ABV; 4,45 overall

Pours an effervescent Chestnut/Mahogany with a finger+ of mocha colored head. Above average lacing & head retention

S: Barrel, leafy hops, dark fruit, Bourbon showing up strong once warm. A little musty twang at the end, brings it down a bit

T: Follows the nose, woody hop, Bourbon tinge up front. Leafy hops, toffee/creme brulee', figs, raisins & woody hops; all soaked in Bourbon; dark chocolate mixed in as this beer warms up. Finishes chewy, warming with maple, dark chocolate & Bourbon-soaked cherries

MF: Very chewy, low carbonation, but enough to move it along. Plenty chewy & warming

A bruiser of a beer that brings the Barrel, Flavor & the PAIN!

 

One more & we are 9 pages