New Beer Weekend #251

I was going to comment on how I remembered your almost polar opposite reaction to this beer @champ103, always interesting how we can all have such different reactions to a the same beer.

What a beautiful picture! Coming out of the slumber of winter and seeing the colors start to pop has to be something special; now I'm just trying to visualize the dizzying amount of stars that you may see each night. Cheers.


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That sounds like a great beer @ChicagoJ, I'm not sure if I had that one or not. If I did it was a long time ago when they sent their beers out our way.

 

And , how was the attending sandwich?

 

Pizzeria Pils by Treehouse


3.92/5 rDev -1.5%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Brewers notes : Pizzeria Pils is a dry-hopped German-style Pilsner with notes of wispy malt, fresh-baked bread, and zesty spice from Noble hops.

Pizzeria Pils is a dry-hopped German-style Pils brewed with Spalter Select and Saaz hops. Pouring a brilliant yellow color in the glass with bubbly carbonation, it carries notes of wispy malt, fresh-baked bread, and zesty spice from the pair of Noble hops. The ideal beer to crush alongside a crispy Tree House Pizza, one Pizzeria Pils will never be enough! Enjoy!

Golden beer , off white foam cap

Aroma is bready

Taste is bready, malty

Good carbonation , light mouthfeel

Good beer, not great, not bad, simply a good German pils

 

Thought it would be overkill but the sandwich was great and they worked well together

 

Steel Toe Worn Sole Imperial Alt

Appearance: Clear dark brown, good head.

Smell: Caramel, dark fruits.

Taste: Starts mildly sweet, then a nice mix of caramel sweetness and toffee, a bit of raisin, touch of leather. Medium bodied. Finishes with the raisin and a touch of bitterness.

Overall: Not sure I've ever had an imperial alt before, but this is a tasty one. Steel Toe just seems to make everything well. Reminds me a lot of a doppelbock, malty but balanced.

 

I was at Holler Brewing yesterday for some happy hour. This use to be one of my favorite breweries in town, but that was a while ago now. I still visit every once in a while to see if they can re capture some of that...

Bet The Farm, Dry Hopped Saison. 5.4% ABV. I couldn't get an answer to what the hops were...




Pours a clear yellow color. A one finger white head forms with good retention and lace left behind.
Aroma of Lemon and citrus hops. Not much else, not a lot of yeast character, but fine for what it is.
Taste wise, again, that lemon/citrus hop bite up front. The faintest amount of phenolic yeast and a touch of esters. Which gives a light and generic stone fruit character. Some bitterness lingering on.
A light body with moderate carbonation. Could be more crisp for my tastes, though finishes dry. Not hard to drink at all, I can come back to this.

Not a top tier Saison by any means. Though, for what I have had from Holler lately this is one of their better ones. Its unfussy and simple. Which has its charm, and I'm always a less is more kind of guy. Saying that, I would like the yeast character to shine more. With the lemon like hops that would be a good mix and balance. Still something I can come back to when at the brewery.

Overall score is 3.57, solid B
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45647/744940/?ba=champ103#lists

Next...

Comet Me Bro, Dry Hopped Pale Ale, 5.5% ABV. Hey, this one they knew what hops were used...you guessed it, Comet.



Pours a clear golden/orange color. A white head forms with good retention and lace left behind.
The nose has some citrus and light grapefruit, and a bit vegetal. Nothing else here of note.
Taste wise, that citrus/grapefruit rind is up front. A little bit soapy, and bit of a cooked veggie flavor and bitterness lingering.
A lighter body than expected. Moderate carbonation, that is slick, a bit astringent, and not clean. OK to drink once, but I'm looking for something else rather quickly.

This isn't very expressive in the Comet hops category. Just a bit of citrus/grapefruit. A pretty average hoppy pale ale, that isn't the cleanest. Not something I'm likely to revisit.

Overall score is a generous 3.33
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45647/744941/?ba=champ103#lists

 

White Elm's Apple Brandy Champurrado

4.49/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Courtesy of @bbtkd

Pours pitch black with a finger and a half of mocha head. Head dissipates fairly quickly leaving no lacing. Nose is sweet chocolate, brown sugar, apple, and hints of orange. Taste is very decadent, a combination of dark chocolate, vanilla, cinnamon, apples, notes of sweet brandy and aged tobacco. Mouthfeel is thick, creamy, silky. Finish is sweet chocolate, cinnamon and trace amounts of chile heat as things linger. Fantastic.

 

The OG Imperial Alt, Uerige Doppelsticke Altbier:



Prost!

 

I really enjoyed Furious, but I love bitter IPA's. Try Axeman, I thought that was great.

 

Our son came down from Albuquerque for Mothers Day, and he brought along a couple crowlers from Flock of Moons. Flock is becoming one of my favorite breweries; every beer I've had from them has been well-crafted and delicious. Today's new beer is no exception. I'm drinking Radagast the Brown, an imperial brown ale with an ABV of 6.9%.
The beer is a dark brown color with a huge tan head. The head reduces quickly to a cap, leaving a lot of lace.
Aroma of chocolate, fig, roasted malt, and a hint of booze.
Taste of chocolate, caramel, fig newton. Late hop bitterness that lingers.
Medium-bodied, just the right amount of bitterness.

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Well, time once again for a new beer, and I am quite enjoying it.

Pils - Odell Brewing - Fort Collins, CO - 5%

Wow, so much flavor in here. Lots of grain, some floral and a nice hop finish. Delicious!

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/267/696529/
3.99/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
From a 12oz can. Best by 08/02/2025

This beer is quite clear looking and a nice golden color. There's a nice 3 finger white head to this beer from my aggressive pour. The head retention is decent, and there's a bit of lacing on the glass.
There's just a ton of malts hitting my nose here. I get a full on cereal aroma, some hints of biscuit, and a touch of floral notes.
The flavor profile is quite malty as expected. I get a nice hit of cereal in the flavor witgh some buttery biscuit notes. There's a nice floral flavor in the beer toward the back. The finish is a nice hit of hops and has a nice bitterness to it.
The body is light. It has a clean and crisp feeling to it. The feeling from the hops does linger in my throat.
This is a very well made beer and quite delicious.

No way that this is the only one today. Be back later for more.

 

Next up is another beer from Odell.

Mountain Standard - Odell Brewing - Fort Collins, CO - Amerian IPA - 6.5%

I probably shouldn't have reviewed this beer because it is best by the end of this month. The hops have faded to almost nothing.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/267/401438/
3.34/5 rDev -15.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.25
From a 12oz can. Best by - 05/29/2025

This beer has a lemon colored tint to it. The beer is slightly murky. There's a 4 finger white head to the beer that has good retention and great lacing on the glass.
The aroma is quite faint. I am just getting a touch of hops. I bet it might have had a better aroma fresher.
The flavor is also quite light. I do get some hints of the hops, but they've faded so much. I do get notes of mango in the beer. There's a faint bitterness on the backside.
The body is smooth. I am not getting much of a feeling from the hops.
I have a feeling this beer would have been better fresh. The hops have faded to almost nothing.

Be back later for more.

 

Next up is a very strange beer for me.

Schmoojee Puffsicle Blackberry Blueberry - Imprint Beer Company - Hatfield, PA - Fruited Kettle Sour - 6.5%

I really don't full know what to say about this beer. I think I like it, but it is so outside what I normally drink.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50965/744976/

3.94/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4
From a 16oz can. Canned on 01/02/2025

This beer looks weird, to be honest. It has a lot of red in it, like beet red color. The head is red colored, and it is really hard to tell you the size because it seems to me that the head and beer are one. It does dissipate a bit but, damn, this looks weird.
The aroma continues the trend. There's a ton of marshmallow in the aroma, and it is quite sweet. There's hints of the blueberries and blackberries that also come into play on the nose.
Taste - First off, it isn't anywhere as sweet as the aroma let on. I get full hits of the berries up front, and they provide a nice tartness to the beer. The tartness is cut by a creamy marshmallow flavor. This is a nice balance between the tartness and sweetness.


Maybe one more in me today. If not, be back tomorrow.

 

This may be one that I try if it shows up around here; beer finder shows it over the river in Philly area. We may be next

 

Well, I guess another beer is in order, and it is an old one.

Skully Barrel No. 36 - Paradox Beer Company - Divide, CO - Wild Ale - 7.5%

Well, this beer is quite interesting. The wild funk is awesome, but the hit of coconut really adds to it.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/29972/204865/
4.3/5 rDev +11.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
From a 500ml bottle. This is the 2015 edition.

There was a bit of a hiss and a bit of smoke upon opening the bottle. This beer is a murky orange color. There's a bit of carbonation in this beer, and there's a 1 finger white head to it. The head retention isn't the best, and there's no lacing left on the glass.
Holy heck this beer is funky, and in a good way on the nose. So much grass aroma, with lots of earthy notes. There's tons of wild floral elements in here. I am getting faint notes of the coconut added, but I bet it has faded off over the decade.
The flavor is interesting in a good way. I do get coconut up front. This flavor is slightly sweet. The coconut does linger for a bit. The coconut fades and is just added on to by the wild tartness of this beer. The flavor has grassy, earthy, and floral elements.
The body is bubbly, though the head didn't last long. It is full feeling. The tart feeling just clings in my throat.
I didn't ever have this fresh. I can only imagine how it was back in the day. In this day, this beer is delicious, and held up amazingly.


Well, I may be done today after this. Cheers all!

 

Just a couple imperial stouts today for me:

Shoot Out The Sun | The Bruery | BeerAdvocate



Dark Aura | Third Eye Brewing Company | BeerAdvocate



Probably won't have any new brews tomorrow but we'll see. Cheers!

 

Drekker Chonk Sundae Sour Blueberry & White Chocolate, 6.5% ABV. Pours dark purple, with a half-finger pink head that left puree residue. Aroma is blueberry and chocolate. Taste follows, plus lactose, moderately sweet, slightly tart. Slightly thick and smooth mouthfeel, overall very good.

3.91/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

The trash pandas are Pokémon deck boxes. And my daughter is crocheting Pokémon characters.