New Beer Weekend #53

Do you know what it’s like to come home from a long hard day at work or from a long tiring journey? Of course you do. But at the end of the day , to receive an unexpected gift that us very delicious too, then it’s all that much better, agreed?

Upon arriving home from a 16 hour car ride was a gift from @FBarber . Both delicious and appreciated




Bughouse Square by Hop Butcher For the World

I don’t know if it’s my perverse sense of humor or what, but, I love the play on words for this brewery

4.54/5 rDev +3.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.75 | overall: 4.5

16 oz can poured into a treehouse cape cod willi becher glass

Canned 6.8.21, opened 7.23.21

Tasting notes: ripe fruit, zesty citrus and intense tropical

The liquid is hazy orange juice with a two finger off white fluffy , pouty foam cap . A fluffy island floats atop this ocean of goodness for a full five minutes. This Great retention settles to a pencil thick layer with streaky lacings

Fragrant aroma waves of “zesty citrus” orange, tangerine , hint of lemon, whiff of pine, whiff of tropical fruits

The taste Cascades out a citrusy orange , hint of pine , hint of tropical fruit , hint of white grape

Low sudsing , quaffable, gentle hop nibble



Delicious , great beer received in a ninja strike associated with Bif13 by @FBarber

I recommend this beer

 

So happy Doc opened it up today, thank you @lordofthewiens you always have a way.

Poured into a 16 oz Nordic pint glass canned on 6/10/21. Pours a very attractive hazy yellow orange with a solid finger plus sticky white head that leaves thin streaks of lace with nice retention. 4.5

Aroma is peach, pineapple, mango, passionfruit, coconut, and papaya. 4.25

Taste follows peach, pineapple, mango, passionfruit, coconut, and papaya really well balanced. 4.25

Mouthfeel is above average, not sticky or dry, soft gentle carbonation, and at 7.8% it goes down very easy. 4.5

Overall this excellent. I will be trying to get more of this one. A little different, but in a great way. 4.25 Cheers all.

 

Well, this is the latest start I've seen to this thread since it was New Beer Sunday

As such, I am actually prepared with a beer for it. In this case, it's a collaboration beer with a brewer that was there near the beginning of my craft beer journey (Alesmith) and one I have heard of but know next to nothing of (Alvarado Street).

The beer is OSO Under, a "west coast IPA with Aussie and New Zealand hops." I've generally found hops from the under side of the earth as we on the right side see it to be citrusy (lemony) and on the grassy side of herbal. Will that hold true here?


Pours with a pale haze on a golden leaning amber body. White froth formed pretty well, and I'm still looking at about 15% of it even after it settled. The nose is fruity, but not with citrus fruit. There's a tropical note - but not ripe tropical - maybe a mix of guava and pineapple core; however, the honeydew and watermelon rind I am noticing really disrupts my ability to distinguish the tropical notes.

So, tropical notes aren't generally what I think of with west coast, because tropical notes to me lean sweet. And I view west coast IPAs as being more bitter. I know the classic IPA hops can bring tropical notes, I just never found the old school beers "tropical" by an fashion. This aromas of this beer do not lead my to think "juicy" or sweet, which is leading me in the right direction.

The beer is medium leaning light, with a modest carbonation. It's pretty clean and maybe feeling a tad wet, but it stops well short of watery. A little more malt backbone wouldn't be unwelcome, but it isn't necessary, either, because...

While there is a brief moment where I get the flavors that pair with the aromas I noticed, they are brief. I could use a little more of them, but I am glad they aren't all I get. The citrus leaf and grassy bitterness I get is quite welcome even if it jumps into the taste early and somewhat forcefully. It's like, I was trying to talk to those tropical notes, but okay... we can talk about what interests you, bitter old man.

And yes, although it has "new world" hops with their own profile, the collaborators brought a good amount of bitterness to this brew that sits well in the old school IPA realm. For that, I am grateful... to myself for buying it. And to the brewers who, I guess, had a hand in what I am enjoying right now.

FWIW - the GF likes this beer quite a bit, too; she said, "I like it better than the Laser Raptors," which is the beer from Aslin she was finishing up when I poured this.

 

Post workout beers of July - 7-24-21
On the Way to Cape May No 005: Cape May Salts | Sour | 4.5%
4.25/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Rode 75 miles around Cape May with final stop at CM Brewery. This was my favorite in a very good flight.
Appreciated the salt after the ride.
a) Slim sour cloud.
s/t) Grass, sea grass, oysters, beach
f) Slim, salted, refreshing. Perfect post ride beer.

Prose Poem | Grimm Artisanal Ales | Sour | 6%
4.2/5
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Enjoyed sidewalk table at Malt & Mold 2 Av NYC (great craft)
a) per style hazed fine bubbles wine like.
s) flower shop, sour citrus, rind, yeast, grass.
t) Follows aroma. Offers plenty of fruit and pucker, balanced.
f) fresh, pungent, puckering.
o) Among the best sours.

Dune Fruit | Carton | Sour | 3.9%
4.1/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
On tap at brewer’s tasting room.
I hike their source, the Sandy Hook barrier, all year round, so the cactii are baked into my landscape.
a) As with all fruit beers a bit loose bubbled, fast fade, low lace over a pleasing golden body.
s) complex original aroma, weiss and sweet/ pungent / fall ripe cactus flesh.
t) Suitably original and tart. Follows the smell, with the cactus like melon and salt.
f) Light body and carbonation. Crisp, dry, refreshing, puckering.
o) Jersey original.

 

A generous gift from @colby600

Tree House Dreamer Hefeweizen

Slightly hazy medium yellow color with white cap and lacing.

Aroma of malt, banana, clove and lightly scented floral hops.

Tastes richly malty with clove seasoned banana. Refreshingly tart without being overly so. Pretty full flavor for a Hefe.

Medium full texture with balancing carbonation.

Very good example of a home grown Hefeweizen.

 

Dovetail Pilsener



new brewery to me , been wanting to try these guys, thanks @FBarber

4.27/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

16oz can poured into an antique Ayinger Pokal, received in a ninja strike from @FBarber, thank you!!

Two finger white small bubbled foam cap settles to a pencil thick layer over a translucent golden liquid with numerous streams of micro carbonation good retention settles to a pencil thick layer with spotty , streaky lacings

Tasting notes from the can: spicy, full bodied, satisfying


Aroma is grassy, fresh cut hay, malt, peppery spice, summertime

Taste is peppery spice, malt , hay

Mouthfeel is full, sudsy , the peppery spice nicely lingers , clean, crisp

Good representation of the style, #7 in BA ‘s style rankings

 

Quested a West Coast Style IPA from Twin Elephant Brewing. TE seems to have emerged from the pandemic in good shape. I hope all other small breweries have also. The brewery calls this West Coast but to me it’s just an IPA. This beers ABV is 7.6. The grain bill is Pilsner and Pale malts. White Wheat is also used. The hops are Strata and CTZ. American Ale Yeast is used. Poured from a pint can it’s a slightly hazy gold with a thick white head. Nice aroma of grain and fruit. The taste is balanced the hops are strong but not over powering. Nice full mouthfeel and a lasting citrus finish. A very enjoyable easy drinking IPA.

 

Today I have Weldwerks Extra Extra Juicy Bits. This is my first beer from Weldwerks and I actually found it in a local store.

4.23/5 rDev -2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25

Poured from a 16oz can stamped 06/03/21 to a Nonic at fridge temp.
Piney aroma with stone fruit.
Taste is mango and stone fruit in front, changes to a slight alcohol hit and finishes medium dry.
This one is pretty creamy.
A good beer. Would have again.

 

New beer for me this weekend, while having lunch at a new spot in my neighborhood. Da Gamma. Which is a Portuguese/Indian place, and its excellent. Only two beers on tap, both from True Anomaly. Which is A-OK for me.

Ben's House West Coast IPA, 6.4% ABV.
Columbus, Cascade, and Centennial hops.


Pours a clear golden/yellow color. A head rises to over a finger with good retention, and lace left behind.
Nose is classic west coast IPA. Citrus, pine resin an grapefruit. Big, aromatic, and fairly simple, but still enjoyable.
Like the nose, taste wise, all citrus, grapefruit and pine resin. Minimal malts, which is to be expected. Strong lingering bitterness lasts forever, and borders on unbalanced, for my tastes, in that regard but still good.
M/O: A medium to full body. Effervescent carbonation, that is clean and dry. Definitely a good classic west coast IPA. I had a few of these with ease.

This will hit that spot for the old school bitter IPA crowd, which I have never been the biggest fan of. Though over the years was able to come to appreciate it much more. This hits the classic notes, but without a lot of nuance, or much more than the basic C hops notes, and borders on being unbalanced for me. Still, a small gripe. A beer I enjoyed, even if it doesn't hit the balance perfectly for my tastes, and that is a me thing, not a beer flaw, so others probably won't have that issue. Another good beer from True Anomaly.

I can see myself upping the score the next time I have it. Currently sitting at 3.67, solid B but on a revisit might make it a B+.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/55586/446120/?ba=champ103#review

Also, lunch was wood grilled lamb ribs, in a spicy curry sauce and pickled onions. Holy crap this was good.

 

Poured into a 13 oz Teku glass not sure when it was canned but knowing @jzeilinger in the last two weeks. Pours a very hazy yellow orange with a 2 finger sticky white head that leaves a bunch of thin lace with excellent retention. 4.5

Aroma is ripe melon, guava, mango, and apricot. 4.5

Taste follows cantaloupe, guava, mango, and apricot really well balanced. 4.5

Mouthfeel is big, soft almost creamy carbonation, not sticky or dry, and at 9.1% it is big on flavor but easy going down. 4.75

Overall this is phenomenal Big NEDIPA. This brewery keeps putting out excellent stuff. Thank JZ for this can. 4.5

 

Yes, one reason you can be sure NT is fresh by the time you see it is that it sells out almost everywhere within 1-2 weeks of dropping. Great beer, have you had Goggles yet?

 

I don't think I've posted on this thread since it's become New Beer Weekend instead of NBS. So here's my new brews today:

Started off with a couple good imperial stouts from Epic and Jackie O's!


https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/22893/513841/?ba=bluejacket74#review


https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1432/549787/?ba=bluejacket74#review

And bought some Tropical Oberon from Bell's earlier this morning too:


https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/287/551179/?ba=bluejacket74#review



And the Crew just beat Atlanta today so cheers everyone!

 

So glad to see our beer nerd friend @lordofthewiens launch the thread this week - he is a beer nerd of the highest magnitude, IMHO.

My first beer this evening is from my Transient hops haul last weekend (shocker, right?), and is working oh so well on this beautiful evening at the lake.





4.42/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Gorgeous hazy straw color with a creamy white head that laces the glass beautifully, the nose is dank, almost weedy and features a really nice tangerine note as well and some pineapple.

The tangerine and pineapple are actually at the back of the palate and really linger, which is delicious, IMHO, because they balance that dank weedy flavor that is almost herbal. Truly delicious, IMHO.

The mouthfeel is full and a little pillowy per the style. Transient has the hazy style dialed all the way in - I could drink this for DAYS.

 

We're growing Buckeyes in our yard and cultivate good individuals to give to the local Ohio diaspora. They love it. We grow them in the park and local environs. There will be Buckeyes everywhere and folks will love the seeds/nuts.

 

It's the weekend, happy Saturday everyone!
My contribution to today will be a set of three as I was doing a side by side to see which, if any, were not only palatable, but worth keeping in the fridge for that person who is avoiding alcohol for whatever reason.
Samuel Adams "Just The Haze" is up first

Solid appearance and aroma, this one has the best aroma of the three and closest to a NEIPA (go figure!) of the three. Discernable citrus flavors star, just not dominating the way some Hazy IPAs manage to do. For the ABV though, I'd call this a win. Once it warmed a bit I started sensing a metallic essence in the back of the swallow. No idea what the cause was, but cemented the impression that this is quite tasty when cold.

The second was Brooklyn Brewing "Special Effects" - Whoa, nothing special about this one except to amazing fact that they released it to the public. Flavored water would be a compliment. I tried it cold and let it warm up a bit with no improvement. 2/3s the can went down the drain.

The third is "Free Wave" from Athletic. Nice looking beer, smallest head but most lacing. A little more orange that the Sam Adams but still looks good.

This one had a mild aroma and no discernable citrus when cold. It also had the distinct impression of tasting like an ESB, which I thought curious seeing how it's ranked in its class.
Once it warmed a bit I did get some citrus out and got more bite from the hops. The balance was very good and quite drinkable, but not as a hazy IPA. It looks the part but doesn't really carry the flavor off. Still, for a NA IPA, it's quite tasty on it's own right; just not when I want citrusy goodness from a solid NE IPA.
Cheers all, back again later. Or tomorrow.

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Dome with work today, and it was another very productive, and busy day at the liquor store.

I'm very happy to see @lordofthewiens open the thread again. Really brings me back to the old school days of New Beer Sunday.

Speaking of old school, the beer I'm enjoying tonight, and enjoying is the right word, is very old school for the style.

Liquid Poem - Stone Brewing - IPA - 9.4% ABV.

As I said, this beer is very old school. Tons of hops, but more toward pine. This beer has a decent bitterness to it, and the hops just cling to my throat, like super glue - they don't let go at all. This is a very delicious IPA, and I'm happy to have tried it.


Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/147/545868/

4.54/5 rDev +10.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.5

Pours a clear darker golden color. There's a decent amount of carbonation in this beer that produces a 3 finger slightly off white head. The head is very fluffy, and cloud like in appearance. The head retention is damn good, and there's some pretty good lacing on the glass.
The nose is Very powerful with a decent amount of pine in the hops. I also get a bit of a tropical aroma, as well.
Taste - wow! A total pine bomb. This is so old school, and something i really haven't had in a long time.
The hops cling to my throat like super glue - they just don't let go at all. The body is also pretty thick.
This is damn amazing. This is very old school for an IPA, and it just knocks it out of the park. Damn amazing.

 

Happy to be back from another weekend with you all. It is always a pleasure to discuss new beers and read everyone's reviews. Today was a pretty fun and busy day, took our oldest out to forage for blackberries, round 1. We did quite well, he enjoys it cause we put them in his dumptruck as we collect and of course he eats a ton as we go. Probably got a good 5-7 lbs today. Also visited my friend who just moved into a new apartment close by.

@beergoot I love the updates from the fortress of solitude. If you guys had a B and B I’d be there. Good food, good beer, and good stories.

Beer talk...a new brewery and new beer to me. The Source Brewery is sort of local (hour away), I've never been or had any of their beer. I was pleasantly surprise when I came across their kolsch down the street. They seem to sell lots of trendy stuff but always throw in traditional stuff in between so I gave them a try.

Kölle Alaaf - source brewing



Despite the picture this beer is pretty light pale, almost clear with the slightest of cloudiness. The head was very lively and quick to climb. It settled into that super airy rocky terrain head long lingering head. Almost reminded me of how some Belgian beers pour and retain. Minimal lacing but some was present.

Aroma comes of as floral, honey, bread, and pear. Maybe even a touch of citrus at the end. There is actually a lot of pleasant smells going on here that work well with each other.

The taste has the same sort of thing going on. But I notice the honey note a little more as well as the pear. The floral comes out last in the after taste in a really nice way.

Mouthfeel is on the fuller side of light. There is some lively carbonation but not overly so, given how this poured I was worried but it’s toned down when I sip. It is a very clean finishing beer and crisp beer.

Overall I enjoyed this beer and I’m glad I tried it and gave this brewery a try. The downside really being the price and it has a little more oomph and hops than a traditional kölsch. I will say for being slightly different it is still delicious and well made.

 

We are having a heatwave in a state known for heat - Florida. My best advice is to stay on the beach in shade or inside the air-conditioning. In either case, you must have light, crisp, and refreshing beer. This inexpensive six-pack of 16.9 oz bottles will do the trick. Not the best, but quaffable with a soft, malty mouthfeel that ends in a slight, harsh, and astringent taste. For the price, you can't expect perfection. I've heard that Henninger is a big seller in Germany.