New Beer Weekend #267

Huge CONGRATS!

 

Finally, @Victory_Sabre1973 and @gatornation, I can get into this beer. Brau Brothers Brewing Bancreagie Peated Scotch Ale. Courtesy of @LesDewitt4beer. But please allow me to shout out all the Minnesota BeerAdvocates, who are an incredible collection of people. My heritage is southwestern Minnesota, and Marshall, Minnesota, is an important location on that map. The look is apple juice clear amber, with a thick, off-white foam fedora. The smell is sweet apple cider, burnt leaves, brown bread, cinnamon, and cloves. Very inviting. The taste is apricot, cinnamon, brown bread, apple cider, campfire, honey, and butterscotch. Sweet, and juicy. The mouthfeel is thin, sticky, juicy, and light, with medium carbonation. Overall, this is not what I expected. This tastes like a cider. A delicious cider. I don't think of peated Scotch ale at all. But, I do like it.

 

In 2018, a liquor store manager sold me a one-month-old 32oz growler of the maple bacon variant of this beer for $1. It was really good!

 

Hopefully you can grab some more next time you pay me a visit!

 

Sierra Nevada - Trip in the Woods Vintage Bigfoot

750ml corked/caged bottle served in a tulip. At least right now, I don't see a date on the bottle. Got it from @Resistance88 in California a few weeks ago (or at least it mysteriously materialized in my hotel on the morning after a fog-ridden night of debauchery).

Pours murky dark brown, medium sized head. Seems like a substantial carbonation sustaining the small head. Smell is booze, oak, a hint of vanilla, lots of bark. Dates are there, but strong bark/oak astringence is dominant.

Taste is...basically bigfoot with a half-shot of bourbon. Not that this is bad in any way, it's just not surprising in any way, either. Most of the aroma notes are echoed pretty strongly in the flavor.

Mouthfeel is surprisingly thin, maybe even thinner than regular Bigfoot. Overall, tasty and good, strong on the woody / oaky flavors, tones down the barky bitter I usually get from Bigfoot but also doesn't overwhelm with cloying vanilla sweetness like you sometimes get from BBA barleywines.


Ladd & Lass - The Night is Dark and Full of Terrors (CDA)

16oz can served in a Fremont stemless glass. No date on the can that I can see. Bought it yesterday at Full Throttle Bottles.

Pours black with a small to medium sized head, plenty of carbonation but not a lot of a retention. Smell is nice. Pine and toffee, grapefruit and burnt sugar. Floral and french toast.

Taste is similar, but a bit more focused on light and fruity, bright tropical IPA stuff. Toasted / roasted malts are not lacking, but it's surprisingly fruity and bright.

Mouthfeel is light and smooth. Overall, this is really nice. I had little impression of Ladd & Lass before now, despite having tried several. This might have put them on the map for me.

 

Big ups to @2beerdogs for this Smog City Infinite Wishes Bourbon Barrel Imperial Stout, 14.3% ABV; 4.29 overall

2023 bottle

Pours an effervescent mahogany/cola color with rapidly disappearing mocha colored head. Carbonation bubbles crawl up the glass as this beer warms up, near zero head retention & similar lacing. Some gritty residue as well

S: Dark fruit, Bourbon, chocolate & vanilla notes once warmed up

T: Follows the nose, dark cherries, caramel, & chocolate notes, just a little barrel up front. A little barrel dryness, dark chocolate covered cherry notes, a kiss of sour mash as well once this beer is warmer. Finishes a with dark chocolate sweetness, Bourbon soaked cherries & just kiss of barrel

MF: Medium/chewy body, subtle carbonation. warming booze notes. Carbonation picks up a little once warm, pushes the flavor along

Drinks super easy for the style & heft. Loved the chocolate cherry flavors

 

They canned this shit in 16oz this year. Absolutely ruined a half good thing they had going on.
A god damned shame cuz it was the only good thing they still had , as with 90% of CA breweries
Still god tier , but like El Segundo Brewings Old Jetty and Standard Crude , going to cans just ruins the 'magic'


@snaotheus it's around 10 years old. I THINK its from 2015-2017

 

I will always believe bottles are the way to go for these monsters. There are some beers where they never went there or I was late to the party. Sure as Hell doesn't for cellaring. Our local hero BDCS falls of IMHO after 6 months moist batches. Not horrible, but also not worth hiding away either

 

@jonphisher
@snaotheus

Just an FYI. I sent a couple small packages south recently, in part to test the customs waters. Let’s just say my staff was pleased with the test results and we are ramping up for stage 2. Don’t do anything hasty. There may be consequences.

@Beersnake

If you are up this way in November, and have a little free time, let me know. I’d love to buy you a beer or two.

Cheers!

 

Tomorrow is not a work day, but today is still a Sunday, and I like to ride out a Sunday with a big imperial stout. Like this one:



Bombastic Big Dumb Beer
This beer hits the glass as thick and heavy as old motor oil, and an aggressive pour raises a finger and a half of dense foam that looks like cake batter. The head didn't budge for five minutes, looking at me as if to say "I ain't going nowhere. Your move." (Five minutes later, the head was gone like it had better things to do.)

The smell is rich caramel and dark chocolate and charred malt. Kind of reminds me of Old Rasputin without that beer's huge budget for hops. There's a bit of stale, acrid coffee, earthy hops, and a sting of alcohol. Underneath is a hint of something meaty/savory and a little ominous.

The taste follows dutifully from the nose: dark chocolate and mellow caramel lead the way, followed by deep roasted malt and a hint of beef stock. Manages to convey a handful of pulverized milk chocolate Whoppers and Trader Joe's high-percentage cacao dark chocolate at the same time. The sweetness quickly turns bitter, pivoting on a slight acrid/metallic tang of char and a landslide of earthy hops. The finish is dark chocolate pudding, semisweet chocolate morsels, a sprinkle of instant coffee, and a somewhat plasticky wave of alcohol.

The body is luscious, rich and smooth and warming. Carbonation is soft, not quite strong enough to push through that thickness, but ultimately enough to get the job done.

Overall, the lingering impression of this straightforward, no adjunct, non-barrel-aged imperial stout is that it's a punk cover version of Old Rasputin, with the majestic bitterness replaced with pure alcohol power. That said, the deep caramel flavors feel like the result of patience and a long, slow boil. The luxurious body is a good foil for all that chocolate and caramel and booze. This is, indeed, a big dumb beer. But that's okay. I happen to be a big dumb beer drinker.

 

2025 Temple of Minerva from Jackie O’s. A blend of Imperial Stouts aged for 26 months in Bourbon Barrels. Chocolate, Bourbon, Vanilla, Oak and some slight barrel char all contribute to making this a wonderful beer. Special thanks to the one and only @Blogjackets for the opportunity to try this amazing stout.

 

Drekker Kiwi/Pineapple BRAAAAAAAAins Double Fruit Smoothie Sour, 6.5% ABV. Pours golden with a one-finger snow-white head that left puree residue. Aroma is kiwi, pineapple, and vanilla. Taste follows, quite sweet, slightly tart, salty on the close. OK mouthfeel overall excellentish.

4.27/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Mia had to check it out since I was using the spot she uses to spy on critters and neighbors.

 

Greetings NBW - pushing into the high 90s here on this first day of September - cooling off with this little guy from Side Project - cheers!

4.11/5 rDev -1.9%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Blend #1 (saison & blond ale with peaches) - poured from a 375mL bottle into my Unibroue tulip.

Cloudy antimony yellow with a fist of cosmic latte foam, receding to an active surface slick and a minimal popped collar. Fine lacing, adequate retention. Plenty of suspended yeast solids at the bottom of the bottle.

Stone fruit, lactic funk, taleggio, horse sweat, wildflowers, and fermenting oranges in the nose. Light peppery yeast notes as well.

Alternately puckeringly sour and intensely sweet with a core concentration of peach surrounded by waves of barnyard and cheese. Evens out in the end to a complex (if never quite mellow) balance between the fruit and the wild yeast/bacteria. Clean grainy undercurrent and very low bitterness from grassy hops throughout. Medium-dry finish.

Smooth, well carbonated, and medium-light bodied. Modest tannins. Not quite refreshing.

I really enjoy how unrestrained this is, though the funk is never off-putting. An excellent homage to Logsdon's classic (though no bargain at $23).

 

Drekker Sparklers On The Carpet NEIPA, 6.2% ABV. Pours hazy golden, with a 3+ finger white head that left decent lacing. Aroma is citrus and slight bubblegum. Taste is mostly unsweetened bubblegum, getting stronger in the aftertaste. Dry mouthfeel, overall OK.

3.44/5 rDev -10.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3

Sparklers On The Carpet is a bad idea, IRL and in this beer. This is my lowest rated Drekker out of 388 I've reviewed.

 

Happy New Beer Monday, everyone! I'm finishing up vacation and need to ease up on my beer intake but it's a perfect day to review Chill Bees, a Belgian Blonde Ale with chamomile and honey, from Rushing Duck Brewing Co. It was canned in mid-July. A perfect late summer ale.

It is hazy and bright tangerine in color with a milky, bright-white cap and modest lacing. Quite effervescent. The nose is heavily herbal but as it warms I can smell the honey. I also detect lemon, orange zest, and some subtle Belgian spicing. The honey is more noticeable in the taste and it plays against the tartness of the lemon and the earthy, herbal flavor of the chamomile. I'm not tasting any clove or coriander; rather, the chamomile adds a dry, musty herbal quality. This ale is lite and crisp with lively carbonation, and it is super drinkable at 5% ABV.

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

I cannot be certain but I suspect that the flavors popped a lot more when it was first canned.

Have a great week, everyone. Cheers, NBW!

 

Meant to post this deliciousness up the other night! Was graciously sent my way by @sulldaddy several months back..

Caius Farm Brewery - Domitianus 2023 (cognac and bourbon barrel-aged barleywine)



Notes:
First experience w/ Caius Farm
Bottle #36/168

P deep mahogany w/ a small khaki cap; darker than anticipated; looks good
N a bold, rich blend of toffee, booze, and barrel; super inviting; cognac and cocoa as it warms
T delicious combo of caramel, toffee, raisin, barrel, and plenty of sweet booze; maybe some date as well; rich, complex, and well layered; vanilla, some nuttiness, and cognac/port-like notes as it warms; 15.1% abv is well hidden
Mf med-full bodied and sticky, w/ soft-med to med carb
O exceptional stuff - didn't want it to end; thanks again for the opportunity, Sully!

Cheers, BAs

 

Wayfinder Hell
3.98/5 rDev -2.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4
04/18/25. Poured into a Samuel Adams Perfect Pint.

A: Brilliant gold with 1-finger white foamy head with good retention but not a lot of lacing.

S: Aroma is light but pleasant with soft pils malt breadiness and floral noble hop notes.

T: Flavor is solid with more grassy hop character and a similar pils malt breadiness but not sweet or strong.

M: Light bodied with moderate carbonation and a dry finish.

O: Excellent lager but I prefer a bit more malt forward version of helles.

 

New beer #3 for the weekend. This one was acquired while in PHX last November. Being a sucker for anything Firestone Walker, i picked this one up with high expectations.

Onto the review of No Ends, Only Beginnings from a 2022 collboration with Highland Park:

3.99/5 rDev -0.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Beer poured black with a nice brown head with the original pour.

Nose is very nice as the barrels shine while the chocolate addition is playing second chair.

Taste initially had a decent roasted malt base but as i sip on the chocolate is slowly taking over the palate. There was some nice bourbon heat initially, but now the barrel is trying to balance the sweet chocolate. In the end the finish is a bit unbalanced and sweet with the chocolate and malts winning over the barrel balance efforts.

Mouthfeel is medium to full bodied with each sip being soft and smooth.

Overall, this could have used another 9-12 months in the barrel to make this more balanced.

 

Maplewood - Tiger Mountain

16oz can served in a curvy Monhegan pint glass. Canned on 04/14/25. I think I picked it up in Chicago, but I don't remember which store.

Pours clear light gold with a big fluffy head. Moderate carbonation. Smell is grainy and clean, a little earthy and grass, little bit of musty dusty silo.

Taste is more lemon rind than the aroma suggested, almost a sourness to the grain, lots of husk. Earthy but clean.

Mouthfeel is light, smooth, borderline watery. Overall, nice.