New Beer Weekend #35

Greetings fellow NBSers! A chilly, rainy, gray day here in the Fourth Corner. I've got several ready to go, and I'm starting with A Presto! Italian Export Pilsner from Stoup Brewing in Seattle. It's a nice brew: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/33525/540017/

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and Commentators. Yesterday, I visited two up-and-coming breweries for the first time since last summer: The Drowned Lands in Warwick, NY, and Tin Barn in nearby Chester, NY. The Drowned Lands specializes in Foerder-fermentation so its beers all have a unique taste. Soir, a Schwarzbier, was released this weekend and I was eager to see how DL handles this style. The answer is, beautifully. The base Black Ale is first rate and the fermentation adds an oaky, slightly sour touch.

It pours a dark cola color with a full finger of fluffy, light khaki head and a full sheen of creamy lacing. It smells of roasty, oaky malt with whiffs of citrus, anise, and caramel. The unique flavoring from the Foerder fermentation is immediately evident. As it opens there is an oaky, slightly sour taste. But underlying it is a rich blend of chocolate cake, slightly-burnt coffee, and notes of vanilla/caramel. These flavors develop nicely as the beer warms in the glass. There is also a slight spicy charred bitterness throughout. These flavors blend seamlessly. The mouth feel is lite, crisp, and refreshing with pleasant carbonation, and the 5% ABV adds to its drinkability.

This is one of the best Schwarbiers I've ever had. The only ones I've rated higher are from Industrial Arts' Winter Landscape series, which are phenomenal.

4.37/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cheers, NBW!

 

Happy NBS, everyone, and happy second day of spring!

Today, I'll be tasting the last of the BCBS variants that I purchased.

Goose Island Bourbon County Special #4 Stout
ABV: 13.3%
IBU: 60



Goose Island claims this to be an Oatmeal Stout, but other than the oatmeal, it is not really that style. Call it a Flavored Barrel-Aged Imperial Oatmeal Stout.

Initial whiff was bourbon, but a deeper smell had the bourbon fade, replaced by maple and a fruitiness that was not distinct enough to call it the blueberry claimed by the label. Nice aroma, nonetheless.

Appearance was the deep impenetrable black expected from a BCBS, topped by a short, fast disappearing, khaki head (despite a quite vigorous pour, since I was expecting a reluctant head development). Some lacing left from tipping the glass to smell, but no lacing once the head disappears.

The contributions of the flavoring additives (maple, blueberry, coffee) were quite muted in the initial taste. As things progress, the middle has the maple assert a bit, and eventually a bit of what I imagine to be blueberry shows itself as the flavors near the finish. The coffee is very much in the background, providing a nice foundation, but not assertive at all. Also appearing near the finish is a mild bitterness, which carries through into the aftertaste. The finish and aftertaste are a bit coating and sweet, with the bitterness providing some balance.

If BCBS is the baseline, mouth feel is thin. (In absolute terms, though, it is thick, just not viscous). The feel is smooth, owing to the oatmeal, no doubt, tempered by a bit of barrel bite.

Overall, a tasty Imperial oatmeal stout, but not the best of this year's BCBS offerings.

L: 4.25 | S: 4.25 | T: 4.0 | F: 4.0 | O: 4.0 | Rating: 4.08

 

Think this is my last new beer for the weekend, Heavy Seas Hydra’s Hazy.
3.94/5 rDev +1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz can poured into a teku

A- A fairly hazy golden orange with a three finger white head.

S- Citrus, piney, some caramel malts, floral, touch of grass, hints of citrus zest.

T- Citrus, grapefruit, hints of melons, touch of pale malts, a little earthy/piney, touch of citrus zest.

M- Smooth, light to medium body.

O- Not really juicy and dank like the cab says but a nice IPA no the less.

Until next weekend’s thread, stay safe everyone, cheers!

 

I wanted to go to Dartmouth but my SAT scores weren't like 1600. I came down to deciding between East Tennessee St., Furman, Beloit, and oddly Earlham in Richmond, Indiana. I have Quaker in my blood and soul. So Richmond, Va. was familiar with a great sports program and curriculum. Somehow I made the right choice...

 

Back with an Evil Twin double dry hoped double India Pale Ale. That's what the label says and thats the only info on the can about what's inside.
It has one of those long ET names- "ONCE YOU LABEL IPA, YOU NEGATE IPA" (all caps on the label also).
This beer is not in the BA data base, not on the ET NYC website and not on the ET Dutch website. Can says "Brewed and packaged by Evil Twin Brewing, North Haven CT, Distributed by Twelve Percent". Its not on the Twelve Percent Project website either. Oh well, mystery beer. Speaking of percent, the can does have 8% ABV on it. Stingy with the info here.
Love the end cut lumber pics on the can BTW. My high school yearbook casual photo was in front of such a background. But I digress....

Poured from a 16oz can dated 03/04/21 to a Nonic slightly warmed from fridge temp.
Pours super hazy- milky actually- light apricot in color with an aggressive white head that also aggressively coats the glass the entire session.
Smells of peach, apricot, alcohol and rich soil. Quite a smell.
I have read many reviews that mention a guava taste but have never experienced it. This is a guava milkshake. Pretty unique and not in a bad way.
Mouthfeel is on the thick, coating end of the spectrum, but not the most extreme I have had.
This is a really nice departure from citrus citrus citrus, pith, etc.. Not sure I could drink it often and my web searches suggest I may never see it again anyways. Overall I give a 4.5 for novelty.

 

NBS #2: Space Hurricane, a New England IPA brewed by Tin Barn. This is some seriously great juice! Unfortunately, the hop bill isn't identified but the brewery has nailed this. Tree House and Other Half (among others) would be proud to brew this beer.

Canned on 3/18/2021. Poured into a snulip glass. It pours a dense, dirty golden-yellow color with a half finger of fluffy, bright white head and thick, clinging lacing. What a nose! Lemon, tangerine, pineapple, ripe melon, and floral hops. It opens with tart lemon and grapefruit rind balanced by pineapple, tangerine, and something sweet and creamy (oats?). Unfortunately, the brewery doesn't publicize the hop bill but it's super fruity with moderate bitterness. I also love the mouth feel; it's thick, creamy, almost chewy, with moderate carbonation, and the 8.6% ABV gives it a nice kick. I'm very impressed. I've had some fine DIPAs from Tin Barn and the Queen Snake collaboration with D96 was fantastic. But this is superb. If Tin Barn continues to brew New England IPAs like this, then the skies the limit.

4.53/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5.

 

Up next is Alemanian Pils from Von Ebert (formerly Fat Heads) in PDX. Nice, clean take on the style: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/52436/514647/

 

Bizzity Bizzity Bomb a 9% DIPA from Twin Elephant Brewing. This beer is the brewers at TE showing off. The hops used are these,Simcoe & Hallertau Blanc followed with Motueka & Cascade Cryo, The grain bill is English pale malts, oats and wheat. It pour hazy with a thick head. Strong aroma of fruit. The taste is the same it mixed fruit with no flavor standing out. The mouthfeel is full but soft. The 9% ABV is hidden. If fruit bombs are your thing you will enjoy this brew, They aren't my thing but I still enjoyed this brew.

 

I had plans for today to be productive, but instead it has mostly involved sitting on the patio, enjoying some nice spring weather and some good beers. In other words, it's the way things should be.

Next up is Fox Farm's Avalonia Raspberry. Their Avalonia series is generally very good, and they are on the record that raspberries are their favorite single whole fruit. I'm a big fan of the fact that they use whole fruite vs. puree. I'm not sure if I naturally prefer whole fruit to puree, or if it's just better brewers that use whole fruit, but either way, I've generally enjoyed whole fruit beers more than puree based ones. Anyway, enough preamble.....let's get to the review.

The verdict...fantastic.
4.5/5 rDev +2.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.75 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Batch #2 bottled November, 2020.
Pours a bright, semi-translucent red with a finger's worth of fizzy white head that quickly dissipated. Aroma is tart raspberry. While somewhat one dimensional, the aroma is nonetheless very pleasant, and avoids the cloying sweetness I sometimes experience.

Taste is wonderful. Like the nose, it's tart raspberry, but with a nice balance of tart, sweet, a little bit of funk, and a little bit of oak. Nice long, finish. Great beer.

@ovaltine, if I remember correctly, you are a big fan of raspberry. Assuming I'm correct, I may have to send you one of these at some point, maybe with another bottle of Allagash's Coolship Red since I seem to recall you really liked that one as well.

 

Ski Babe, a DDH west coast IPA with Citra, Simcoe, and Amarillo, from Boss Rambler Beer Club in Bend, OR.

16oz can served in a big snifter. Bought it at Boss Rambler a week ago. Dated 02/20/21.

Pours a clear light amber with a smallish head. Smell is fairly mild, but very west coast -- pine bitterness and floral sweetness.

Taste is mild, almost watery. Same profile as the aroma, bit more bitter.

Mouthfeel is medium to light, a little slick. Overall, it's not bad.

 

I tend to agree with you on using real fruit versus puree, but I'll conceded that I suppose it depends on what result the brewer is seeking. I view real fruit as being much more subtle, nuanced, and delicate, and I feel are often used in something like Avalonia that requires a deft touch. The purees contain an almost overwhelming punch of what the general agreed upon profile of the fruit is, if that makes sense.

 

It does. Many of the beers I've tried that use puree aren't well balanced. There are definitely exceptions, but I've had several where it seems like the brewer just dumped a bunch of puree in and depended on it to hide any flaws in the underlying beer.

 

Alright... just wrote my cover letter for a new job I am probably going to be applying to this week. It's a long story, but I'm dissatisfied and fed up with my current job. Parts of this are my fault, but the end result is that I'm tired of feeling stuck. I'm back in school now, but it's not enough. I feel like I need a total change in scenery. More details if things become more concrete, but... until then... we drink!



This is Hog Wild by Rockingham Brewing Co. (in collaboration with Black Hog Brewing out of CT), a kettle-sour IPA with mango and guava. Pretty sure I had the first entry into this (very-occasionally-made) series of fruited hoppy sour beers a couple years back when they did the pomegranate and pineapple version, but I digress. How's this one tasting?

Well, the pour is pretty decent in my opinion, so we're off to a good start. It's a hazy yellow color with a quickly-forming head of bone-white foam that sinks down to a half-finger pretty quickly, retaining well (especially in comparison with other kettle-sour beers I've had in the past) in the process. Some light streaks of lacing appear as the last finger or so fades, leaving some soapiness on the edges of my glass and a large island of moderate suds lingering on the surface.

The nose is a bit... funky, and almost a bit cheesy or something, but I think its heart is in the right place. I don't mean this in a bad way, honestly, and really it does smell like mango mixed with guava, but I think that combo might be a bit more, erm, pungent than some other fruit combinations come across as on average. It smells a bit overripe, with a hint of lemony lacto-ness and some notes of passion fruit and pineapple coming out as it warms a bit.

Feel is crisp and bright, with a fairly-acidic and bright tang to it that melds well with the tropical fruit mélange right upfront. Sour mango candy and tart, juicy guava really come out about halfway into this one, and I think letting it acclimate to closer-to-room-temp helped it open up in a way that was really beneficial. This really reminds me of a combination between Gushers candy and Sour Patch Kids, without any of that gritty grainy sugar-saccharine element, and the mid-to-finish transition has a fun and invigorating move between sweet and sour aspects happen that makes this enjoyable to sip. Though my initial impression wasn't incredible here, I'm enjoying it more as I get to know it.

Cheers all... hopefully this week has some good news in store for me and for everyone else. Have a good one, BAs!

 

I went back to re-read your posts, and couldn't find what everyone was talking about... so, congratulations!

 

Happy Anniversary to you both!