New Beer Weekend #33

Good Saturday afternoon to you all! A new-to-me offering from New Trail. Cheers BA’s!

Pint can, no date.

Pours a hazy copper color with a soapy off-white head.

Nose is the classic spicy/yeast/clove profile that you’d expect from this style.

Flavor has some layered fruity notes up front, tart that gives way to the sweet. The spice and yeast profiles come on with a pleasant alcohol warmth. Carbonated a little more than other tripels I’ve had. Mild aftertaste, doesn’t kill your palate.

Overall, I like this one. It’s nice to see New Trail cranking out more than just NEIPA’s. I know they’re damn good at it, just not the first thing I’m reaching for.

I tried to separate the fruit and spice notes here, but I just couldn’t. I know some like to throw out 10-12 different flavors that they get, but I just can’t definitively call that many out. These Belgian styles have a flavor profile all their own to me, so dissecting them that far just isn’t my thing.

A nice curveball from New Trail.

 

Happy New Beer Weekend everyone! Today I'm drinking a new imperial stout collab from Trillium and J Wakefield called La Rien à Nuit.

I like the new smaller 500ml format as opposed to the big 750ml, it would be nice if the price went down a little more with the size, it is comparable to other beer prices though.

Pours dark black with slight maroon red brown edges, and a creamy lasting light brown tan foam head.

Smells real dark, roasty, baking chocolate, espresso bean, light smoky roast, blackstrap molasses, dark honey, charred brown sugar, some light fruity notes, touch of almost strawberry banana, dark dried fig, earthy complexity, hint of soy, not sweet or rich really, moderate intensity.

Tastes real balanced and interesting, real dark and savory, umami character, touch of soy sauce, charred brown sugar, sweet honey, molasses, baking chocolate, espresso roast, hint of meaty smoke, baked toffee, caramel drizzle, dried dark fig, light fruity notes, mild earthy hop, great balance of sweet and savory, earthy and roasty, richness and drinkability. Aftertaste lingers of high cacao dark chocolate and smoky espresso coffee.

Feels medium-full bodied, thick and viscous, creamy smooth with moderate low carbonation.

Overall this is a really great imperial stout. I want to say it's the best regular stout I've had in a while that isn't barrel aged or full of added ingredients, this does have honey, molasses and brown sugar added as adjuncts though, still a hefty roast character and far short from a dessert style stout. I think this would be good with more age on it as well, and probably even barrel aged like most stouts. Cheers everyone!

 

3 (4+) DIPAs at 10% near 100 IBU - March 6, 2021
Snag & Drop | Cape May | 10%
4.43/5 rDev +5.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
18th Review. Among my favorite 100 IBU DIPAs ever.
a) Hazed yellow orange springs thick white 1 finger head that laces and lasts.
s) Large aroma of orange rind , blossoms, floral shocase.
t) Fills mouth with massive caramel, orange, rind, earth, hemp, pine, and more flowers tempered by bitterness.
f) Good weight, layers of flavor, soothing. Alcohol well hidden. Crisp
o) Classic DIPA 100 Ibu special last beer of evening. (Found on sale at WFM Red Bank).

Hopslam Ale | Bell's | Michigan | 10%
4.43/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5
Getting to this famous brew, love the other offerings of Bells.
a) Satisfying. hazy golden/orange bronze, with white head lots of retention and lace.
s) Bigger, flowers and honey tempered by pine hops.
t) Sweet and honeyed while tempered by multi-faceted hops
f) creamy, bite falls in balance with the sweet, hides the ABV.
o) Lives up to its storey'd reputation.

All Orange Everything | Carton | NJ | 10.5%
4.3/5 rDev +0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
15th Review. Great collaboration w Other Half in this orange (alarming) period under the orange man in the white house.
A) At the brewer, on tap, pours a brilliant, mostly clear, pale orange body with a finger of white cap that lasts and laces.
S) Bursts: Grapefruit, tropical fruit, orange zest, mango and dank grassy hops.
T) Again big and bursty, jusicy: Orange zest, grapefruit, passionfruit with grassy, hempy and floral notes in the finale.
F) Light hearted and juicy, but sexy and well-bodied and dry on the tongue. Hides ABV well.
O) I want more time with this (last beer of the evening) But a "try 24" for sure.

 

I’m glad you liked it, I have to revisit it, I was eating pizza when I had it the first time and I think it jaded my opinion of it.

 

Did you have a copy and paste mishap in the 5th paragraph using your older post? Anna is the honey beer.

 

@officerbill - Based on your pic, that’s the lightest looking “black beer” (Schwarzbier) I’ve ever seen.

 

Howdy NBW
My new beer this afternoon comes from @WunderLlama Its a style I don’t often drink and I don’t know why, it’s a really nice refreshing change of pace for me.

Hacker Pschorr Octoberfest Marzen
label dated 3/21
Aggressive pour into a Pilsner glass makes a fluffy cream colored head that slowly dissipates to a thin veil, slight lacing. Crystal clear amber color
Aroma of malt, caramel and biscotti. A tick of yeast and toast

Taste is caramel malt forward, sweet cookie, toast and a hint of hops

Mouthfeel is crisp and clean, medium carbonation, sweet but not sticky sweet. Kind of dry finish that lingers and a tad prickly

Overall it is a refreshing thirst quenching beer, nicely caramelized malt flavor and classic tasting

4.25/ 4.25/ 4/ 4.25/ 4.25/
I enjoyed it Maynard

 

Doh! Right you are.

Cheers!

 

I opened a bottle from True Anomaly this afternoon. While I have always enjoyed them since they first opened, they are really becoming on of my favorites around town.

They are keeping with their Houston NASA roots as this is named after John Glenn's space flight in 1962. Which makes sense, some of the owners are former NASA employees.

Friendship 7, Saison 9.9% ABV

Foeder aged and fermented with Lithuanian Farmhouse Ale yeast, and bottle conditioned for 4 months.



Pours a hazy, but not opaque golden/orange color. A dense white head rises with excellent retention and lacing for days.
A big aroma of fruit skins up front. Orange rind, with mango, melon and peach. Plenty of esters to go around, with a light musty basement like funk.
Like the nose, ripe fruits. Fleshy orange, mango and peach again. Just a hint of basement like funk, and this white pepper spice lingers on that I love. Becomes a bit tart and acidic as well, which drys everything out nicely. Really well done.
A medium to full body. Effervescent and crisp, and for all the fruity flavors going on, finishes wonderfully dry. No detectable alcohol heat, but its a big Saison. So this is definitely a sipper, but one I really enjoy sipping on.

Definitely in the "Imperial" Saison category if there ever was one. Fruity esters and peppery spice is the name of the game. Which is all good with me. There is enough balance going on that I can work my way through the bottle, without it becoming a chore or cloying in any one way. Another really well done and unique offering from True Anomaly.

Its a beautiful day, and perfect to sip on out in the courtyard and finish my book this afternoon.

Overall score is 4.2, which is just barely an A- for me, almost a solid A.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/55586/523893/?ba=champ103#review

 

First new beer of the weekend for me is Persist, from Tree House. I received this courtesy of a box I received yesterday from @WunderLlama. He may only live a couple hours away from me, but he managed to send me a box of all new to me beers.

Public Service Announcement - for anybody still on the fence about joining the NBS BIF event (signups end tomorrow I think), I can't encourage you strongly enough to join in. I knew precisely jack about BIFs until a year ago, and now I'm completely hooked.

Anyway, onto the review....

Don't let the rDev fool you...this was very good. My only mistake may be that I'm trying to finish up my taxes and do some work while drinking this. If you see future reference to an audit or a new job search, you'll know that this wasn't a good idea.

4.2/5 rDev -8.7%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Jet black pour with a faint tinge of reddish hue as it entered the glass. Appearance is as expected. Completely opaque and very little head. On the nose, this is absolutely bursting with a rich, decadent maple aroma that comes out of the glass in waves. I can smell this easily from 5-6 feet away. A bit of booziness lurks underneath the maple.

Taste is maple dominant, but not quite as dominant as it is on the nose. Very slight amount of roast on the finish, to balance out the sweetness a bit. Very rich, and would be great as a dessert beer. Nice full mouthfeel and very creamy and smooth.

 

Founders Panther Cub - I am a big fan of their BA beers and this one is no exception. Pours a dark black with a very strong and fluffy head, lacing stays on the glass throughout. The Porter is definitely there in the smell along with the maple syrup and vanilla. Taste has a bit of a burnt malts thing going on, syrup and just a hint of the Bourbon and barrel but does not venture into too sweet territory which I am enjoying. Definitely opens up a lot as it warms and when it was cold the flavors were pretty muted so drink this one on the warmer side. Very good and I am glad that I got a four pack and happy that it was cheaper than some of their other BA offerings in my neck of the woods ($17.99 vs $22+).

 

My 1st new beer for weekend is Roulette, a Russian Imperial with coffee from Beer'd.
Fun fact- there are over 10 Russian Stouts in the BA database with "roulette" in the name. Which reminds me of my favorite Beer'd product name- "Name Already Taken".

3.77/5 rDev -7.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Poured at room temp from a 16oz can dated 2/14/21 to a tulip.
Opaque black with a hint of brown topped by a dark tan head the fades in 2 min. but it laces the glass for half the session along with an oily coating of the body. Ten minutes in and all forms of bubbles are gone, but the coating phenomenon persists.
Aroma is an earthy coffee, dark chocolate and malt.
Taste brings all that and some caramel. The taste is less sweet than the smell but its not all that sweet anyways. Alcohol is only detectable at the finish.
Mouth feel is lightly coating but sticky.
Overall, my kind of stout, not too sweet, coffee presence. Pretty good but not fantastic. I would buy again.

 

Fremont had enough interesting stuff that I got lured out, and that was enough to convince my wife she wanted to try this Tangerine & Pineapple Sour Weisse, so here's my thoughts on my half of the crowler.


32oz crowler served in a big snifter. Bought it at the brewery about an hour and a half ago. Filled today.

Pours a somewhat hazy light golden-yellow with about a one finger head, moderately coarse. Some fine, active carbonation. Smell is pretty straightforward -- lemon, orange, pineapple, bit of kettle sour tartness.

Taste is interesting. Kettle sour is a bit too much for my liking, but not deadly. I get some straw / graininess, which I usually don't from fruited berliner weisse. Fruit actually seems to have been incorporated with some restraint -- clearly present, and pleasantly so, but it's not a glass of fruit juice -- it's a sour beer with some fruit.

Mouthfeel is medium and smooth. Overall, a nicely balanced beer.

 

Drekker Raspberry Cheesecake Slang Du Jour Sour à la Mode, 7.5% ABV. Pours as thick as syrup and opaque medium red with a 2-finger head that just kept growing, and left puree instead of lacing. Nose is raspberry and cheesecake, taste follows, plus granola, quite sweet, slightly tart. Has actual cream cheese and granola in it, so has a gunky thick mouthfeel. Overall world-class, rating it as a pastry sour.

4.59/5 rDev +5.8%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Now my highest rated Drekker out of 95 of theirs that I've reviewed. Some might be put off by a beer with cream cheese, but damn this is good, and the granola really adds a crust flavor. I'll have to hunt down the strawberry cheesecake variant.

 

Mass Fluxes from Equilibrium

16oz can served in a snulip. Date is DEC0820, so within my three months, but not as fresh as I would like. Bought it on Tavour.

Pours hazy, some floaties, medium head. Smell is super tropical juicy, some kind of a spicy twist to it, smells very nice.

Taste is leaning toward the sweet juiciness, has a kick of zest/pith bitterness but not quite enough. A couple sips and it builds, but so does the sweetness. Booze is also apparent.

Mouthfeel is medium to thin. Overall, it's pretty good.