New Beer Weekend #297

Yes but I wouldn't buy it every week. It was a bit expensive

 

Hey there, NBW. It's been crazy at work lately and no end in sight. Not surprising as we are down over 30% of staff right now. Mostly, it means that I'd rather sit down with an old favorite on the weekend instead of diving into something new. Finally had the urge for something new today, and it's a good one. I might be back tomorrow with the last new one in my fridge, we'll see.

Schilling Karluv 13
5.3% Cerne Pivo



A four-finger tan head forms quickly over a deep mahogany liquid with ruby edging when back-lit.

Aromas of cocoa, milk chocolate, slight coffee sit atop fresh earth and wood.

It opens up wonderfully on the palate. Milk chocolate, semi-dark chocolate, cocoa, and just a hint of molasses join pumpernickel, toasted black bread, and roast coffee. On the finish, earthy and woody notes come through, bit with subdued bitterness. On the aftertaste, a wonderful earthy bitterness comes to the fore and lingers, cleansing the palate for the next sip.

Medium bodied with moderate and lively carb; it really dances on the palate. Stays on the right side of the easy-drinking/thin line. Finishes semi-dry.

Overall, wonderful. All the flavors work well together and it is simply a pleasure to drink.

 

Thank you @vurt for your Weekend open. Will catch up with the thread when I return home. Sort of a sad theme this week as I’m at one of the two Chicago breweries scheduled to close, with this one closing tomorrow. Tomorrow is a short walk from home, and I hope the beer is better there than my previous two visits.

They are out of Le Tub and a variant of it, the beer that put this brewery on the map. They share this space with SomosMonos Cervecería which thankfully will remain open after Whiner ends operations tomorrow.

Whiner Beer Company Curb Cutter

3.64/5 rDev +6.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.



Full review linked above. Barely any aroma, but a solid Kolsch flavor and nice mouthfeel. Getting a bit of honey though that wasn’t added. Have I believe my first Dark Kolsch planned next.

 

3.79/5 rDev -3.8%

look: 4.75 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured from a 16 ounce can dated 2-11-26 into a tulip glass at 44.6 degrees F.

Appearance- Medium gold, moderately hazy, white frothy head, above average head retention and lacing.

Aroma- Sharply herbaceous, earthy, medicinal, slight grapefruit, slight pine, nothing that I consider dank, between weak and medium strength of scent.

Flavor- Grapefruit, pine, slight pineapple, medium strength of flavor.

Mouthfeel- Between thin and medium body, average carbonation, highly bitter, highly creamy, mildly dry finish, mildly mouth warming.

Overall- Medium gold and moderately hazy with above average head retention and lacing. The bouquet was a mix of sharply herbaceous, earthy and medicinal notes with some mild grapefruit and pine character at an intensity toward the weak end of the spectrum. There was nothing in the nose that I would consider as dank. When I think of dank, I think pine resin and marijuana aromatics. The flavor was a pleasant, but simple mix of grapefruit, pine and pineapple, standard WCIPA flavors. The mouthfeel consisted of a thin-medium body with high bitterness and creaminess. It was mildly mouth warming and just dry enough at the finish to keep me reaching for the next sip. Overall, the appearance and mouthfeel with this beer were fantastic. But, the dankness, pungent tropical fruit notes and amped up aromatics promised on the can description were not delivered. This was more of a simple WCIPA with underwhelming, and not necessarily pleasant aromatics that provided a below average drinking experience.

 

Pryes Miraculum

Appearance: Slightly hazy gold, ok head.

Smell: A little danky, little citrus/pine.

Taste: Starts with decent citrus bitterness, then mildly sweetened grapefruit/orange. A little old-school leaning. Medium bodied. Finishes with mild citrus bitterness.

Overall: Pryes has been around the Twin Cities in some form for quite a while, finally getting around to reviewing Miraculum. It’s a solid but unspectacular IPA, leaning old school with nice grapefruit notes and decent bitterness.

 

Hi there Grand. I went away from my PC so sorry for my delay (this site sucks, can we not get drop photos?) It was very good for whatever year it was. It had no carb, but was dark as my soul. I always loved this beer but I would drink now vs later.

 

Is that beer porno!?!

 

This is their dark Kolsch, and while I’m not a malty beer first guy, this has a wonderful caramel and toffee flavor.

Whiner Beer Company 60609

3.79/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 2.5 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

 

And we're back....firstly, thank you @vurt for the kickoff and for asking us "what's in your glass?" Today is something a little different for me, so I'll counter with my bold short question of...How wit can it be?

Winter's farewell today? Maybe? Two lacrosse games coached this AM with windchills in the 20s, the kids were freezing all morning but we got two wins, but more importantly glimpses of growth and learning. I left coaching lacrosse a few years into teaching and said I knew I'd get sucked back in if my son ever played, it has been the best @sulldaddy.

Got a few minutes cause Mrs Phish took the kids to a birthday party, I will clean a very dirty house, listen to some tunes and sip on this here beer as I do so.

Athletic - Wit's Peak (NA Witbier)



Pours slightly cloudy, straw and yellow, good white head; decent staying power but quite bubbly, eventually subsides to not much.

Nose is overpowered by yeast; not esters like, yeast starter like, there is some light lemon, coriander, and oatmeal; but all masked by the yeast.

Taste is well, interesting, it tastes more like a watered down wheat filled lemon radler to me; little wort like, which for me is the norm with NA beers; this one does have wheat going on though; but after that it’s just fizzy citrus with a touch of ginger character; there is one point in this sip where this distinctly comes off Arnold palmer like to me.

Body is watery and think; carb is smooth and bites a tad which is nice; residual sweetness, but not all that much; got a touch of bitterness which I find nice.

Overall, this is one of the weaker NA beers I’ve had, I haven’t had many but there is not much wit about this beer. I really feel at some points of the sip like I’m drinking a carbonated unsweetened Arnold palmer. But hey, at least theres no alcohol so I can tack on another beer later today.

That may be it for me this weekend new beer wise, we'll see, but I look so forward to hanging out here the rest of the day, and tomorrow.

---------

Thanks for coming along for the ride friends...god knows no one else gives a shit what I think about a beer

Here's a contribution to your lyric list @vurt ...

Dripping in this strange design
None is yours and far less mine
Hold the wheel, read the sign
Keep the tires off the line
Just relax, you're doing fine
Swimming in this real thing I call life
Can I bring a few companions on this ride?

 

You better believe it! I did it with Utopias and Dystopias.

 

I suppose given the state of today's enigmatic craft beer scene I shouldn't ask this but: why did they market this beer as a Kolsch? Does this make sense to you? Why not just categorize it as an Amber Ale (too simplistic?)?

Cheers!

 

3.6/5 rDev 0%

look: 4.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.5

Poured from a 16 ounce can dated 2-3-26 into a tulip glass at 44.8 degrees F.

Appearance- Pale gold, very hazy, white creamy head, average head retention, slightly above average lacing.

Aroma- Grapefruit, mango, clementine, floral, between weak and medium strength of scent.

Flavor- Mango, clementine, pineapple, weak strength of flavor.

Mouthfeel- Medium body, average carbonation, mildly prickly, mildly mouth warming, mildly bitter, mildly creamy, mildly dry finish.

Overall- Pale gold and very hazy with average head retention and slightly above average lacing. The bouquet was a mix of grapefruit, mango, clementine and floral notes at an intensity on the weaker end of the spectrum. The flavor was simpler than the nose and even weaker in strength. The mouthfeel consisted of a medium body with mild prickliness, creaminess, and mouth warming properties with the addition of a mildly dry finish that kept me coming back for more, even with the lack of flavor. Overall, this beer delivered in the look and feel categories, but due to woeful flavor intensity and aromatic strength this beer was solidly below average.

 

Their beer list states Dark Kolsch.The BA notes state a Dark Oktoberfest-style kölsch. I’d call this more of an Oktoberfest Marzen more than Amber Ale, but could see the other side as well.

Literal last call for me, as I usually stop at two tops for beer ratings, but this is a special circumstance with no future options, and wide praise from my fellow customer for this selection. Per the owner, this beer was aged for 2-3 years, and the live yeast worked well over time. Thanks for the beers and memories Whiner and Brian!

Whiner Beer Company Rubriq-a-bra

4.1/5 rDev +7.9%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

Craftsman - Smoked Black Lager, on tap at Talon Tap & Wine in LA.

Pours dark brown with a small head. Smell is mild porter vibes and moderate campfire. Fairly muted.

Taste is interesting -- very black lager. Some nutty, dark toasted bread, something like chicory coffee. Smoke is there, but surprisingly subtle. Light roasty bitterness.

Mouthfeel is medium to light, a little on the slick side. Overall, tasty, more a subtle smokey twist on a black lager than a black rauchbier.

 

Here's Equilibrium beer #2

 

Got my first ten thousand steps in and finally started rebuilding my work desk.
Forgot I had this one, don’t even recall buying it, but I’m the only person who buys beer in this house so it must have been me.
The Schwarzbier is probably my favorite lager, after the Baltic Porter which walks a fine line between ale and lager in my opinion. But I digress. The beer is named Dark Side of the Lake Black Lager. Not certain those last two words are part of the name or merely the description. In the same font.

The pour is very dark, stout black even. The very light brown head reaches high and leaves sheets of lacing.
The taste is very much what I look for in a dark lager. The roast, the noble hops, the rye crackers, all very well balanced.
The feel isn’t watery like so many lagers, it has just a little body that reinforces the idea that you’re drinking a beer.
OA, one of the few styles that I have distinct criteria for and this one checks those boxes for me.
I’ll be back later,
Cheers!

 

Trillium - Habitat: 2025 Concord Grape

Another spontaneously fermented wild ale blend from Trillium, this Habitat 2025 was aged on concord grape juice. Blend date 2/20/2025, this one pours cloudy opaque dark pinkish amber red with a rapidly dissipating white fizzy foam head.

Smells really nice and fragrant like sweet purple flowers and berries, violet, lilac, lavender, roses, Concord grape juice, juicy black grapes, tart lemon, orange citrus, apricot, hay, straw, woody oak, bready crackery grainy wheaty malts, some barnyard funk, dusty horseblanket, peppery baking spice, and herbal earthy grassy floral aged hops.

Tastes tart and fruity with notes of candied black grape, fresh Concord grape juice, dark berries, violet, lilac, lavender, rose, purple flowers, acidic lemon, orange citrus, grapefruit, apricot, hay, straw, nutty woody old oak barrel, bready crackery multigrain wheaty malts, mild barnyard funk, dusty horseblanket, peppery baking spice, and herbal earthy grassy floral aged hops.

Feels medium plus bodied, slick and smooth with moderate high carbonation. Overall a really nice and interesting take on the Habitat series, using not only a dark grape juice but also a sweet one, providing a unique sweet and fruity blended spontan wild ale experience that has me reminiscing back to when I tried Lindemans Faro lambic sweetened with the brown sugar syrup for the first time in delight. This isn't quite the same taste and it is definitely purple fruit and concord grape flavor forward, it is interesting though having the complex funky tart wild oak aged base beer work together with the sweet flavors. Really liking this rendition and it's great to have such quality experimental brewers around here like these guys. Cheers everyone!