New Beer Weekend #262

@GreenBayBA thanks for starting us out!

Prairie Artisan Caramel Puf't BBA Imperial Stout, 13.9% ABV. Pours black with the usual Prairie stout head, none. It did have decent sized caramel floaties. Aroma is caramel and vanilla/marshmallow. Taste is bourbon, caramel, and marshmallow, moderately sweet, slightly bitter. Decent mouthfeel, if a bit light on carbonation, leaves sticky lips. Overall outstanding.

4.42/5 rDev +5.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

It's been a minute since we got a new Prairie BBA Stout, but worth the wait. And a summer stout release!

 

Mark your trail!

As in New Trail Trail Marker West Coast IPA.

This is a new beer from New Trail. It was added to the BA database by our own @jonphisher in February 2025.

I purchased a four-pack of this beer for two reasons:

· I generally prefer to drink a ‘regular’ IPA over a Juicy/Hazy IPA

· There were actual canning dates in the bottom of these cans. A rarity for New Trail based upon past attempts to buy New Trail beers. My preferred policy is no date = no sale.

Below is how this beer is described on BA:

“Take the path less traveled. We set out with a West Coast destination in mind, blazing our trail along the way. What we created is Hoppy and Clear with moderate lingering bitterness and balance. Invoking the color of a golden sunrise as you step out onto the trail. Centennial, Amarillo, and Simcoe hop additions throughout the boil and again in the dry hop bring a burst of Orange Zest and Pine. Try something new; Mark Your Own Trail.”

Since this is a new brand from New Trail I am wondering if this will be a so-called Modern West Coast IPA. I started a thread on this topic last year and below is a snippet from that thread:

“Firstly, there seems to be two versions of West Coast IPA:

· Classic/Traditional West Coast IPA

· Modern West Coast IPA

From my personal perspective the differences between the two types are a combination of malt bill and hop selection:

Malt Bill

A Classic/Traditional West Coast IPA would be a combination of Two-Row Pale Malt and Crystal Malt. When I homebrewed my Classic West Coast IPA I would use 10% 20L crystal malt. You will hear Denny in the video state: 90% two-row pale malt and 10% 60L crystal malt. A beer made from this malt bill would be amber in color and the flavors from the 60L crystal malt would be quite noticeable; also, it would provide more body/mouthfeel to the beer.

In contrast, the Modern West Coast IPA eschews crystal malt and the malt bill could be as simple as 100% Pilsner Malt. In the video you will hear that Denny/Drew chose to use a minority portion (9%) of Vienna Malt to add a bit more depth/complexity to the malt bill. This malt bill provides a lighter body in comparison with the goal of increasing the drinkability factor, and sometimes a quality of being crisp.

Hop Bill

A Classic/Traditional West Coast IPA would often feature C-hops (e.g., Cascade, Centennial, Chinook) and in later iterations Citra. Simcoe is also a hop sometimes featured in Classic/Traditional West Coast IPAs. And a notable bitterness is a must for these beers.

For Modern West Coast Hops it seems that brewers feel free to use whatever, and often newer, hops to make these sorts of beers. These newer hops may feature flavors of tropical fruits which will provide an aroma/flavor profile quite different from the Classic/Traditional version. Also, it seems that the level of bitterness is sometime downplayed in this version. Something ‘borrowed’ from the Juicy/Hazy IPA substyle?”

It would probably be better for me to approach this beer in a more ‘blind’ manner but when you know something it is hard to ignore/forget it.

Served in my Spiegelau IPA glass:

Appearance:

Light golden colored with a BIG white head.

Aroma:

The aroma is a subtle, but noticeable, combination of citrus and floral hop aroma.

Taste:

The flavor follows the nose with hop flavors of citrus and floral. Not much in terms of malt flavors. A moderate bitterness.

Mouthfeel:

Light - medium bodied with a dry finish

Overall:

I thought this beer was pretty good. FWIW this beer is very much in the genre of a Modern West Coast IPA and I would recommend it to folks who seek out this version of a West Coast IPA. For my palate/preference I wish this beer had more bitterness and body.

@rotsaruch @RobH @KOP_Beer_OUtlet

 

Not to look a 'gift horse in the mouth' but...are you an Eagles fan?

From your user name I always assumed you were a Green Bay Packers fan.

Cheers!

P.S. On a somewhat related note I replied to a post by @Providence with the below GIF but for some strange reason he wanted to hit a nonexistent dislike button!?!



P.S.S. Last year there was an interesting venue for the Eagles - Packers game: Brazil.

 

It was a wondrous experience at the Green Bay Blast last weekend, I'm full up on beers for the next few NBW's!

3 Sheeps The Wolf was handed to me by @GreenBayBA and he demanded a review asap, so here it is:

Appearance: Black as night, small brown head fizzes out quickly.

Smell: Deep barrel, rich chocolate and vanilla.

Taste: Balanced arrival, roasted malts and mild chocolate. Then more chocolate and some vanilla woodiness starts in, along with some fruit-tasting alcohol. Butterscotch. Medium-heavy body. Finishes with a long bourbon-vanilla note and a final touch of chocolate.

Overall: Somehow I missed this last year at 3 Sheeps, so GreenBayBA made sure I got a can to review this year. Excellent bourbon barrel stout, the alcohol is present but not too much, tons of chocolate mixed with bourbony wood and vanilla. Awesome!

 

Thanks, we'll have to scope out the schedule and see if we're taking in a game this year.

 

Wow, that game was only last year. Seems like it was a couple of years ago.

 

The internet might break if the two crowds actually got together. That might not be a bad thing.

The funny thing is, as vague as this particular description is, I know exactly what you mean.

 

Yea
@GreenBayBA are you an Eagles fan
Once and for all
The Easter eggs in your posts are coming together
Maybe the NFL Epstein files need to be opened
You seem to like a lot of @DavetotheB posts
Coincidence?
Discuss…..

 

In another thread @TCgenny posted:

"@JackHorzempa accused @GreenBayBA of cold playing."

I have no freakin' clue what "cold playing" means but I figure this can't be a good thing.

I am reminded of some lines in a Big Bang Theory episode where Penny was accused of being a succubus and she replied: "I don't know what that means but it has "suck" in it so it can't be good".

Cheers!

 

Just kidding Jack
It means cuddling the wrong team
All good, @GreenBayBA has been accused of way worse

 

We are starting our annual foray into Maine today. Our house owner said we could come up a day early. She told us during the week they had some severe weather - lost power and lots of tree damage. Got a sprinkle this afternoon and that took away the high 90 temperature and humidity. The grandson got immersed in the lake - for today, Papa waded in.

Picked this one up at Tully's in Wells:



Allagash Dark Lager with Cherries. It's listed as an American Lager here. The can informs me this is a darl and deeply drinkable delight with balanced notes of cocoa and coffee from roasted malts and a rich undercurrent of dark cherry tying it all together. It's 5.1%.

Well...let's see about all that...

It looks black in the glass but it's more like a deep cola color with ruby red highlights. Huge foamy tan head that falls to a substantial ring and a huge island. Good bit of bubble cling to the glass. Looks pretty nice.

Holy roasted malt, Batman. Very strong roast smell - coffee, chocolate, and very slight char. The cherry is there but it's pretty well hidden.

The cherry continues as an undertone in the taste. This is pretty malt-forward with coffee and bittersweet chocolate with just a bit of acridness...acridity...OK...a little woody char. It kinda has a little Dr. Pepper vibe to it but i think it could use a tad more cherry. There's a peppery spice on the finish.

This is dry. The char and coffee linger and add to the dryness. Is fairly thin-bodied. It's light but far from refreshing. Pretty decently and finely carbonated which gives it a noticeable tingling sensation.

Overall it's a decent beer. The malts are great but it could use more cherry and maybe a little sweetness to balance those malts a little better. I'm thinking 3.8 or so.

 

One more tonight, Wooly Pig Keller Pils:

Appearance: Clear yellow, big head.

Smell: Floral, yeast, seltzer, light grassiness.

Taste: Starts light and mildly sweet, mild breadiness and mild grassiness. The floral note comes through as well. Light bodied. Finishes with the mild bread and grass.

Overall: @GreenBayBA sent this one home with me, I believe @Blogjackets brought it. Very nice easy drinking pilsner. Not super hoppy but nice balanced flavor. The other Wooly Pig beers I tried were also great!