New Beer Weekend #54

Good evening fair tipplers, and the rest of yous as well!

I'm fairly certain I've never had a kvass before. Like almost absolutely certain, but only Sith deal in absolutes, so, ya know...
I think I was going to send this along as the mystery beer during the NBS BIF earlier in the year. Now I kind of wish I had, because I think it would have been a fun one.

Maud is a kvass inspired ale brewed by Fair Isle. They utilize rye bread from Sea Wolf, which is a really really tasty bakery located in my old stomping grounds of Fremont, just up from Fremont Brewing. Their chocolate croissant, especially when fresh, no lie may be the single greatest pastry I've ever had. And I'm not even that big on chocolate, in general. It's comfortably in consideration, at least.



For some reason I was envisioning a much darker brew than this. But a quick google image search shows I was making that up, probably because I typically associate rye bread with the dark rye, and somehow assumed kvass would be similar or something? I don't know.
Anyway, it is not dark. It pours a pale golden yellow, similar to apple juice, and just about as clear, which also ran contrary to my expectations (that one, looking at the same google image search pictures, at least seems justified!). Brightly active effervescence causes an initial swell of thin white bubbles that rise and fall more quickly than... I don't know, something that rises and falls really fast.

The nose is bright up front, with some sweetness to go with the lemon/berry/green apple tart impression. Sweet notes are in that same vein. Digging some more there's a touch of dough, though I'm always wary that could be suggestion. As it warms, the dough comes forward first, but then matures into more bread than dough, and carries a touch of the promised salinity.

Flavour is really interesting, if a bit muted. Similar ideas as the nose, it has tart berries, as well as some definite lemon. There's some saltiness, and less 'bread' so much as like the dry ingredients in the bowl before adding the wet. There's a ribbon of something a bit more rich running through the back end.

Certainly an interesting one, and one I'm enjoying, though I think it would be even better suited to more of a hot sunny afternoon roll rather than the evening ramp up to which I've condemned it.
I'll definitely give other kvass' a try if I see them, as this is interesting, and now that I have at least an initial understanding of the style, I can bring it out in an even more complementary context.



I understand the why it's labeled as such, but the labeling here does give me a little kick, ha! "ale with bread"

 

Poured into a 16 oz tulip glass canned on 7/16/21. Pours a very attractive near pitch black with a 3 finger sticky mocha head that leaves some thick streaks of lace with nice retention. 4.5

Aroma is vanilla beans, hazelnut, cocoa, caramel, and toffee. 4.25

Taste follows vanilla, hazelnut, cocoa, caramel, and toffee. 4.25

Mouthfeel is a little bigger than medium, fairly creamy carbonation, not really dry, and at 7.4% ABV it drinks a little bigger, but is very approachable. 4.25

Overall this is a really tasty Porter, I would recommend for sure. 4.25

 

We are on week two of vacation. Now located on Washington Pond in Washington, ME. Kind of a chore day restocking groceries. We found a fantastic farm stand with amazing produce recommended by a friend. I don't know whether to thank him or not after the money we dropped there! Note the strawberries in the picture - the first box we started eating on the way to the car and they were so amazingly fresh and flavorful that we went back for the second.

Cold and windy day, so not much swimming or fishing but the missus caught a nice smallmouth bass - a species that has heretofore eluded our best efforts so that was good. On a simple hook with a night crawler, no less.

Tonight's victim is a big boy stout...



Foundation Brewing Ready, Set, Bake. According to the can, an Imperial milk stout with raspberry, cocoa, and vanilla. Two-row, chocolate malt, crystal malt, roasted malt, and oats make up the grist. Lactose rounds out the added flavorings.

Alrighty then...it looks like it should but does have some floaty yeasty bits. All the information yet no date on the can...so maybe a tick off for the floaty bits.

The smell is mostly the Imperial Stout. No doubt about that. Clearly malty. Slightly sweet vanilla and a light contribution from the raspberry. Milk chocolate emerges as well and no hint of the 11% ABV on the nose.

The taste is heavy. Stout notes are Gladys and the rest of the "stuff" serves as the Pips. So it isn't really drinking like a full blown pastry type stout. Definitely stout first and foremost with the flavors in the background, some only showing strongly in the aftertaste. Slightly sweet, very deft hand with the vanilla, fruit, and cocoa. The raspberry and cocoa really come into play well after the swallow. So you get this layered effect of stout first then a light taste of chocolate, raspberry, and vanilla with just a touch of lactose sweetness in the aftertaste that lingers a bit. The oat adds smoothness and I think rounds what could be some pretty rough edges, but honestly if I didn't read the can I am not sure I'd pick it up on my own. Doesn't scream oatmeal stout at all, but has that smoothness.

The body is light to medium. This is not heavy, thick, or syrupy in the least. So it is drinking dangerously easily.

Quite liking this here brew. It is very well crafted versus being an overblown, overly sweet mess of flavors stuffed into a stout. I'd recommend this to the "dessert" stout naysayers because it hits all those targets without overdoing things. Nicely done, shows a lot of restraint and avoids the if some is good more must be better approach. A bit north of 4.0 on the old BA-o-rometer, I do believe.

 

Well, I wasn't expecting to be back, but a stop at Beaver Island Brewing on my way to my fair booth helped me get a new goodie.

Sweet Miss Peanut Butter and Banana - Sweet/Milk Stout - Beaver Island Brewing - St. Cloud, Minnesota - 6.5% ABV.

Beaver Island has a bad rap for making mediocre beers. Somewhat deserved, however they can produce really good beers, and this is one of them. I'm really liking the flavor, and the banana adds another flavor to the mix, that I really like.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/38769/561800/?ba=Victory_Sabre1973#review


3.78/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

Growler filled and consumed on 8-1-2021

Pours pitch black, with a 3 finger tan head when poured from the 750ml growler. The head retention is good, and there's a bit of lacing on the glass.
The nose is a nice combination of chocolate and peanut butter. No banana on the nose.
Taste - the chocolate, which is a darker chocolate flavor, hits first. The backside the peanut butter hits. Along with the peanut butter is a faint banana note, that adds a slight kick to the flavor.
The body is decent, similar to other Sweet Miss varieties.
Delicious over all. Not bad and would gladly drink again.


I'm done here for tonight, I don't think I'll be around next weekend, but, you never know. See you all down the road.

 

Hot tub time, Melvin 2 x 4 DIPA, peace out!