New Beer Weekend #293

Conway irish stout
... solid black appearance with a very thin off white head
... about medium carbonation with a bit of a thick heavy feel
...aroma is roasted malt, char, smokey wood, toasted grains with some espresso and mocha
...taste has some very mild sweetness but matched really well with the more bitter elements of coffee, and roasted malt.
...overall a really nice well done irish stout that has all the elements an irish stout should have

 

Five dimes kinderkamack kolsch
.... incredibly clear light amber/orange/gold appearance
... medium carbonation with about the same for the body
... cereal, grain, flowery honey with mild buckwheat
...taste has some barley/honey sweetness, floral, grain and cereal.
...my description isn't do this justice, very enjoyable

 

Good evening denizens of NBW!
Tonight I dipped into the shrinking stash of beer that @vurt sent me in a trade.
This is an imperial stout from Fort George and it hits all the right buttons for me.

The pour is stout black with a tall light brown head that left sheets of lacing.
The taste is a very well balanced combination of the standard flavors; dark chocolate, medium brew coffee, dark bread malts and a hint of char that provides an edge to the rest to keep it from being sweet. Well done and very tasty.
The feel is just enough body to carry the flavors and is very quaffable.
OA, after I took the last sip I was sad that there was no more. It isn’t fancy but it is a solid imperial stout. I could drink a bomber of this no problem; that would be less than having a second pint, which I would also be happy to do.
Good beer, thanks Eric!

 

Have a good Saturday. I was up all day reading. Slept in the afternoon. Finished The Republic by Plato, the second half had a lot more politics info, even mentioning oligarchy in great detail. 3.75/5. Also a quick 4 hour book Six Sigma for Dummies by Bruce Williams, Craig Gygi, Neil DeCarlo. A good light overview, written in 2005 so a bit dated, but everything still relevant. Minitab is still being used in statistics today as it was back then. A nice refresher, but I will get into deeper DFSS books soon. I really didn't learn much I didn't already know. 4.25/5. Lastly I am halfway through Unruly by David Mitchell, I haven't seen his sitcoms, but I definitely will. Pretty humorous book about the kings and queens of England up to Elizabeth I. 4.25/5

Celluary review. 2/1/2021 Founders Panther Cub. Lasting fluffy head retention and soapy lacing on the glass. Aromas of huge vanilla, marshmallow cream, milk chocolate, cocoa, maple syrup, caramel, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, and light smoke/coffee. Taste follows with huge vanilla, marshmallow cream, milk chocolate, cocoa, maple syrup, caramel, toffee, bourbon, toasted oak, and light smoke/coffee. Mild herbal/roasted bitterness on the finish. Light-medium carbonation and medium-full body; very creamy/silky vanilla/malt body; light sticky hops, chalky roast, and bourbon/oak tannins in the mouthfeel. Lingering bitter/oak tannin dryness, with no cloying sweetness. Mild increasing warmth of 9.2%. Not huge on barrel, but adequate. Wonderful dessert style robust porter on malt complexity. Tons of vanilla and maple syrup prominence. 4.27/5


Cheers

 

Kismet!

 

Social Project Brewing Co. Seasons in the Abyss Double Hazy IPA w/Citra & Galaxy Hops. 7.9% ABV; 4.12 overall

Pours a super hazy gold with a thumb+ of eggshell colored head. Above average head retention & great lacing

S: Plenty of citrus, some melon rind, grassyness & peach. Fades a touch once warm, white grape skins surface

T: Pomelo, dryness, white grape, passion fruit & green melon up front. Limes, lemongrass, dryness, peaches & a bit of grapefruit once this beer is warm. Finishes a fraction too dry for me, with white grape, pineapple, white grapes & green melon

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation, nice balance, some acidity

Great drinkability, doesn't quit mesh into greatness, but would certainly buy again

 

Threes brewing volition winter seasonal black lager volition
...an almost cola like appearance with thin tan head
...medium light carbonation with about a medium body which all added up to a nice feel
... aroma is molasses/barley malt, rye grain, dark bread with some mild cocoa
...taste rye bread, grain, malt and molasses with an almost dry finish
... maybe I'm in a good mood tonight(unlikely) but everything tastes great to me tonight. This was well done,complex, very enjoyable and interesting

 

More porch slamming Montana munificence from @muchloveforhops3

Old Bull Brewing Belgian Quad, 10.2% ABV; 3.9 overall

Mad props to muchloveforhops3 for this one

Pours a bit effervescent hazel/chestnut with one finger of tan head. Minimal head retention & lacing. some viscosity

S: Plenty of green banana, brown sugar, some booze, fades once warmer

T: Green banana, dryness, raisins & figs up front, traces of brown sugar & a touch smokeyness too. Brown sugar & treacle sweetness, woody hops, plus banana taffy once this beer is warmer, also a touch of mint & green banana. Finishes dry, super sweet with green banana, brown sugar, faint leafy hoppyness & phantom woody/herbal hops

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, body thins once warm. A touch of stickyness on the teeth

Flavor is there, there the rest of the aspects, not quite. Drinks easy for the heft

 

Happy New Beer Sunday #1097! Have my Polish Lager plus Taco Burrito King in the oven, so will be a quicker review to get to the food.

Hopewell Brewing Company Zimne (Canned 1/28/26)

4.34/5 rDev +7.2%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5



Full review linked above. This is a solid Polish style beer, tastes a lot like a Pilsner with the flavors. Crisp, full flavored, well balanced, easy drinking. A great way to pregame before Pulaski Day, America's Chicago's Favorite Holiday. Dobrze Piwo!

 

I’m sure you will be eating some glorious food today so please report back, beer or no beer.

 

Good day BAs! Thanks @bbtkd for opening the thread!

Today's cross-post with WBAYDN:



40th Anniversary Expedition Stout (2025) from Bell’s. 12 fl oz bottle, received 17/02/26 in a Ninja box from @Whyteboar (Thanks Craig!) Stored at 40 degrees F at home. Reviewed 01/03/26, review 3696. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Printed on the rear label in white ink “BESTBY 19JAN53.” Served at 55.9 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 59.9 degrees F.
Appearance – 4. Basically, looks like every other stout with no head, but the color is exciting!
First pour – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), nearly opaque.
Body – Ruby Brown (SRM 24), opaque. Under direct light, same. When rear-lite, opaque with light penetrating at only the edges, ruby at the bottom and amber at the top.
Head – None (Aggressive center pour). 0.25 - 0.3 cm bubble ring fed by weak carbonation, and a thin, tiny center island.
Lacing – None. Not surprising at 13.9% ABV (As printed on the front label)
Aroma – 4.5 – Sweet Bourbon! No malt, no hops. No alcohol. As it approaches the final temperature (because there’s hardly any left!), the bourbon begins to recede, allowing a sweet fruitiness to arise.
Flavor – 4 – Slightly sweet and follows the nose. No hops. No alcohol. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Moderate gastric warming occurs.
Palate – 4 – Full: Approaching creamy: Soft, barely noticeable, carbonation.
Style: Follows the BA style description.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 Uncredited label art. The dating seems a bit hopeful – I doubt the steel cap will hold for 28 years without rusting apart. This lacks the mild bitterness expected in the Expedition Stout base beer; it’s definitely a bourbon showcase! The ethanol is well hidden. Since Oberon and Two Hearted are about the only Bell’s brews to make it to this area, I really have to thank Craig for this excellent stout!
Rating 4.17, rDev -3.2%

 

4.24/5 rDev +3.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Look: pours a hazy/cloudy gold with a thick fluffy white head with excellent lacing

Smell: pretty strong ripe tropical upfront with pine

Taste: tropical flavors of apricot, guava, mango and mandarin with pine in the mix

Feel: med body, moderate carbo, moderate pine bitterness

Overall: 6.9% IBU 34 - This was a good brew with nice tropical flavors. I like the pine accent. It's not too strong but it's there. An easy drinker.

 

Neat beer from Noble Creature in Youngstown that I picked up at Vintage Estates. Will drop a review some time this week.

One Fine Pelt | Noble Creature Cask House | BeerAdvocate

 

I’ll be at Maplewood tomorrow morning with pics. Here are the two small plates I grabbed last year from their complimentary buffet they offer each year. Mostly teachers and other government workers off for the city, county and state holiday.

Pairing with then (3/3/25) new to me

Maplewood Sabro Transit Authority

4.44/5 rDev +8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.



Maplewood Cashmere Pulaski (A Chicago Style Pilsner categorized as a German Pilsner here) #TeamPilsner

Dobre Shunka! Dobre Pivo!



Three beers is typically my limit these days, and I closed out last year strong with an Eisbock collaboration with Piece brewery. Piece is also known for their New Haven style pizza, which isn’t pretty good, though no match for tavern style Chicago pizza.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...re-you-drinking-now-4518.680109/#post-8141238

 

O'so Double Barrel Aged Narcissist


Appearance: Black, small head dissipates quickly.

Smell: Boozy, barrel-wood, vanilla, and quite a bit of molasses.

Taste: Starts mildly sweet but transitions quickly to bourbon and wood, with chocolate and molasses in the finish. Slick and heavy. Further sips bring more chocolate, but still pretty boozy.

Overall: A very nice barrel-aged stout from @GreenBayBA , this has a lot of molasses in the smell that doesn’t really come through in the taste. Plenty of chocolate and barrel though. Tasty sipper.