New Beer Weekend #33

Very Green by Treehouse. I had never tried any Treehouse beer before this week. Thanks to @mickyge I now have some beers to sample. Treehouse is legendary and limited in range by choice, so we work on word of mouth at forums like this one.

Treehouse fans are true fanatics. To be frank, I was very curious, but I didn’t believe the hype. Then I drank the beer... Now I realize the hype wasn’t enough. Wow, what a delicious juice bomb of a beer that works against convention for some folks. If juiciness isn’t your thing, don’t even try. If it is your jam, fasten your seatbelt. Amazing mouth feel, bursts of pineapple and orange aroma and flavor., and the 8.6% provides a not-so-sneaky kick. An absolute must try for fans of the New England style.

 

Good Sunday morning NBS/NBW and thanks @FBarber for hosting this week.
Well you now its the beginning of the end here in WMass when the sap starts boiling and that started this week. So spring is afoot (after mud), another sure sign is the return of Turkey Vultures. Saw our first pair Friday.
Todays offering is also date based, this collaboration between HArpoon and Big Spruce brewing in Cape Breton is a nod to the relationship between Boston and Nova Scotia, specifically Halifax. Anyone interested should research that story and Bostons response to a manmade disater during the first world war. A recent and quite good book The Great Halifax Explosion, by John U. Bacon is worth the read.
This ale is Abbey in style, with some smoked malts and spruce tips, then a quick rest in whiskey barrels. The feel is delighful, with a ton of flavors all without going astray.

On a side note this mornings Skype call with #1 son it was shared that our first Grandchild is confirmed and all are well. Thats going to be a long trip to see them this fall!
Cheers all

From Nova Scotia with Love

Brown Ale - Belgian Dark | 8% ABV

Harpoon Brewery & Beer Hall
Boston, Massachusetts

3.94/5 rDev -1.5% | Average: 4
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Poured from a 16 oz can sadly without any date. I do understand this to be a recent release though.
A - Light mahagony colred backdrop, conceals a steady stream of tiny spheres meandering towards the surface. A thin off white cap quickly receeds. solid ring clings to the glass during the reaming experience.
S - Light brown sugar, earthy woodsy thread, vanilla, raisin, wisps of sweet wood smoke, apple, cheery.
T - A bit more complex than the nose, with dark fruit, leading the way. Sweet malts, with thier smoked brethren in there as well. Touch of pine resin, caramel and vanilla again. Its busy and quite pleasant.
M - Medium in body, stays right in a semi sweet lane, with a fine dry finish.
O - A really good and quite nuanced offering, The base Abbey style is present and solid, the adjuncts and barrel treatment add delicate elements that all work here. Not weighted in any one aspect the sume of the parts are quite tasty.

 

Coconut Blackout from Second Wind
Plymouth, Ma. Listed As 7.5% abv on the can
#southshorebeer
Aggressive pour yielded a dark motor oil color and a big soft tan colored head. Medium lacing and thin veil

Aroma is roasty as roasted malt and coffee beans. Dark chocolate notes but no coconut to speak of

Taste is like drinking a mocha flavored mounds bar. Coconut and vanilla taste comes out as it warms, chocolate notes are really nice. Not overly sweet.

Mouthfeel is silky smooth, slightly sticky medium prickly carbonation feel and a nice chocolate finish

Overall this is a pretty interesting stout, nicely balanced between sweet and bitter dry. Fairly light drinking and enjoyable.
4.50/. 4/. 4.25/. 4.25/. 4.25/. 4.21
Thanks again Maynard, I really liked it, I’m not a big coconut fan but this one could change my mind. I’m definitely going to visit the brewery soon.

 

Nice nightcap!

And, I agree on the bottle size for beers like this.

But the absolute worst packaging choice for these big beers is the Imperial Pint (19.2 US Oz) cans! At least I can put a stopper in big bottles.

Not so this 10% barley wine:

 

They do some really nice things over there and really have the customers come first vibe down pat. It’s hard not to support them. Their prices are fair and if I sound like a fan boy so be it.
They are opening a distillery in the near future with the town’s blessings.
I’m so glad you like what you’ve had so far. Cheers

 

My Irish Great-Grandmother was born on October 8th, 1888 (Father a Conroy, Mother an O'Neill) at their home on Meath Street, was christened the following day at Saint Catherine's Church the following day just a few blocks away on Thomas. The church was closed in 1966, though it was reopened as an Anglican Church still in service today.

What's relevant to your post and this thread is the fact their home was also a couple of blocks away from the original brewery (1759) and "new" Guinness Storehouse on Saint James' Gate (see below). She was 14 when the Storehouse was built in 1902, though she and her family left Dublin for Liverpool a year earlier.

The River Liffey to the North is not the current water source, as water for the current brewing process comes from the reservoir in the Wicklow Mountains, the source for Dublin drinking water.



Hopeful to walk this area within the next few years, and have a proper pint or three at the Storehouse and seeing what my family missed out on 120 years ago when they took the leap to Liverpool.

Also, to this day there are at least a few Chicago Irish bars which continue to refuse to serve Bushmill's, a "Protestant" whiskey brewed in the North. I have and do order it where it is an acceptable pour.

 

My family was originally from Cork Co.

 

Took a second look to make sure, but yeah, the picture is about right. Slightly diluted coke with a ruby tinge. Just another thing that was off about this beer.

 

Good morning NBW, hope everyone is doing well. Starting my Sunday with SARA Callerman, thanks @BartS!
4.61/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

Thank you BartS for this
750 ml bottle poured into a mug

A- A slightly hazy golden straw with a massive white head.

S- Tart, lemons, oak, wheat, some funk, touch of grapes, hints of pears.

T- Sour, lemons, oak, earthy funk, some wheat, grapes, some pears.

M- Smooth, crisp, dry, light body.

O- An excellent and easy to drink Saison, definitely on the sour side but still very well balanced and easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

If you've lived in the Midwest for any length of time, especially close to any of the Great Lakes, spring is a great time because you finally get to see the sun after it emerges from hibernation behind the perma-cloud cover from late November through late February. Oberon signifies that for me - spring is here, and I pick up a 6er every year.

Two Hearted was my first IPA years and years ago, so it also is a beer of significance for me, and I still buy it regularly, including a 12-pack of cans a couple of weeks ago - $16 for a 12-pack of really fresh cans! My first "hoppy" experience (and my first "craft" experience for that matter) was Boulevard Pale Ale in the summer of 2005, and I had it fairly regularly (along with Fat Tire and Pilsner Urquell amongst others), then was referred to Two Hearted a year or so later by my beer store buddy.

That beer was a game changer for me, big time. I started to seek hops in earnest, and started to do research for beers I should seek, which eventually led me here, probably in 2009 before I signed up as a member in 2010. Now I'm doing do these BIFfer thingies with boxes of hops (and malts) moving all over the country.

All because Jack Stack Barbecue in Kansas City didn't have Amstel Light.

 

https://imgur.com/gallery/6ZGATb1
At Dempsey's Brewpub in Watertown, SD.
Enjoying a delicious IPA from them that is new
Two Night Stand - Milkshake IPA - 6.9%

Delicious. Nice mango, with pineapple lactose and vanilla on the back.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/9388/537902/
3.98/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

Pours a murky golden color. 1 finger white head. Frothy, and decent retention. No lacing on the glass. The nose is full of mango, with a hint of pineapple backing it up.
Taste like the nose, a very forward mango flavor, backed up by pineapple. There's a creamy lactose flavor as well. There's also a hint of vanilla.
Decent body. Creamy mouthfeel .
Delicious IPA.

Maybe more later

 

Sidewalk Chalk, a 8.3% DIPA brewed by Twin Elephant Brewing. This beer is brewed with Pilsner malt and pale oats. It's hopped with Citra, Maridian, Centennial and Chinook hops, English Ale yeast is used. Poured from a 16 OZ can this brew is very hazy with a thick white head. There is a strong aroma of melon and berries. The taste is also of melon and berries with added hints of banana. There is a nice bready malt flavor also. A full but soft mouthfeel and a lasting fruity finish. Sidewalk Chalk hides it ABV very well and goes down easy. This is one tasty and enjoyable brew. If you like fruit bombs this is a beer for you.

 

Happy Sunday everyone! Today I'm drinking a recently released version of Oenobier from Trillium, an American wild ale aged on white wine grapes made in a beer/wine hybrid style, originally collaborated with Monkish. This version is made with the grapes that go in traditional French Champagne: Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, & Chardonnay grape juice. I believe this is similar to or the same as the Champagne version that they put in magnum bottles at the end of 2019. This 330ml bottle label date is 02/11/2021.

Pours foggy hazy pale straw golden yellow with a fleeting white carbonated foam head that fizzes down to a ring.

Smells biscuity and bready like brioche, some bright fruitiness, barnyard funk, clean citrus, apple, pear, white wine minerality, floral earthy notes, crisp, vinous, fresh and nice.

Tastes so crisp, fresh and nice, fresh wine grapes, juicy crisp apples, lychee, pear, some tropical pineapple, semi-dry white wine, light biscuity bready notes, subtle oak, chalky stone minerality, hint of barnyard funk, mild spice, with grassy floral earthiness. Drinks super refreshing, smooth and easier than a wine, juicy and crisp without detection of it's 11.6% abv.

Feels juicy, crisp, creamy and smooth with moderate high carbonation. Fairly dry with nice fresh fruity flavors that linger on for a quick minute.

Overall a really great white wine style wild ale aged on Champagne grapes. This doesn't feel quite like a Champagne in carbonation and light crispness, though a nice spritzy white wine for sure with even better flavor to me. I really enjoy the aspects of white wine grapes in beer, the malt provides some rounded sweetness and balance and the grapes bring wonderful flavors with a nice crisp juiciness. Not just these Oenobiers but about every beer I've had in a wine hybrid style I'm pretty sure I enjoyed. Great beer, nice wine grape juice integration, not too funky, not too juicy or fruity, great balance of everything, I'm picking up a little oak and lees action with the biscuity brioche notes as well, super clean, one of the best Oenobiers so far in flavor and balance I think. Better than a wine and most wild ales alone to me, really nice. Cheers everyone, and happy New Beer Weekend!