New Beer Weekend #59

Breckenridge Hop in Hand Trident Hops DIPA, 8.3% ABV; 3,5 overall

Pours a slightly hazed gold with 2+fingers of eggshell colored head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Tropical fruits, breadyness

T: Follows the nose some passion fruit, blood orange & dryness up front. Grassyness & sour orange as this warms, some lime notes along with dryness, a little doughy sweetness too. Finishes dry with grassyness, lime & passion fruit

MF: Medium body, low carbonation, okay balance

Kind of run of the mill, maybe I don't like this hop variety?

 

Covert Artisan Ales Peach Liquid Streusel Fruited Sour, 5% ABV. Pours hazy orange with no head. Nose is not much, maybe some light peach. Taste is peach and brown sugar, more tart than sweet, not picking up the other advertised ingredients. Lightly carbonated. Overall very good. I was a bit disappointed, I had expected a pastry sour based on the name and listed ingredients. Perhaps if they cranked up some of the ingredients a bit.

3.93/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

Hello Late Night (East Coast) NBW.
So I have this pretty little beer here that so intrigues me. But sadly, with some distractions here with the kids, I entered it incorrectly in the data base. Sorry Mods, I hate to add to your work load. But thanks for what you do!

Go Blue! Bunny With A Chainsaw! DDH Double Hazy IPA
by Paperback Brewing, near Dodger Stadium

No canning date, but it just came to the shop a week ago.
16 oz can. Label states, "Tropical Berry Double Hazy India Pale Ale. Double Dry Hopped."
Fluffy white head caps a swirl of muted gold haze. Solid retention for the first few minutes it hovers at about a finger and a half in height. Slowly settles to a plump, almost milky cap. Geology class example of striated bands lace the descent.
Nose pops with berry in a aromatic almost perfume way, however not in the least bit off-putting. More intriguing. Some mild herbal notes, undertones of juniper berries, melon, and peach.
Flavor follows the nose with the most air time given to the general berry note, juniper, melon, and herb. Maybe a hint of blueberry bubble gum?
Mouthfeel is slightly fluffy, active carbonation, and full enough for style.
Overall, I don't know if there were any additions beyond the hops for the nose and flavor profiles, but I'm guessing some Mosaic and/or Simcoe are what shines here. Could Belma be involved.
So many questions.

4.12/5 rDev 0%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4.5

I hope to hit a few of you NBW folks with this soon via NBS BIF #14
I'm really curious what others would think.

 

Another new to the area brewery, Equilibrium, though I've picked up a few of their beers on Tavour in the past. This is Harvester of Simcoe.

16oz can dated Jul 16 21, so a bit over six weeks old. Bought it at Pint Defiance two days ago.

Pours a moderately hazy yellow-amber with a big creamy head that collapses to heavy lacing and a couple millimeter thick layer. Smell is dank, a tiny bit catty, almost a menthol/minty note.

Taste is interesting. A fair amount of mango (which I don't usually associate with Simcoe), a pretty strong alcohol presence, resinousness comes through fairly lightly but it's there. Cattiness is definitely still there. Might get a bit of melon, too.

Mouthfeel is light and airy. Overall, it's interesting and good.

 

One more...
HAZE HAZE HAZE by Beachwood Brewing
A nice bright, tingly Mosaic and Amarillo ride.
Floral citrus, grapefruit, mango, peach, melon, and a little herbal back end.
Yes, it's hazy. Head is good, some retention, and lite lacing.
Overall, a nice ride.

3.75/5 rDev -7.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

 

Wow!

Quite the project!

Nicely done (as long as you don't have to drive anywhere soon...)

 

Hello Very Late Night NBS...

What's old is new. What's new is classic. To honor the good news of our friend rejoining the chaos of our NBS BIF, I decided to finally take down one of the beers that @MacMalt hit me with in his most generous and well planned out cornucopia of fermented fun he crushed me with in NBS BIF #13.

I submit to you, an old school, classic RIS...
Left In The Dark by United Brewing Co.

PS. Glassware provided by our very own @larryi86 in a prior round of the NBS BIF...

So beautiful. A deep, dark, nearly black, yet still profoundly brown liquid. And the most glorious mocha colored head. And what a head. Firm, proud, and thick.
The nose is straight up RIS, before all of the barrel aging fads. Don't get me wrong I love me some BBA Imperial Stouts. But this is old school. The malt is roasted well. Notes of char, leather, tobacco, and plum before you get to the sweet notes. A hint of bakers chocolate peeks in.
Flavor is ALL of the above yet it does make a little room for some charred caramel notes. So good, so classic. Some mild yet heavy, deep fruit notes make a move in the rear. A stewed apple to stewed prunes note comes through. All good.
Mouthfeel is full but not too chewy. Really spot on.
Overall, I feel lucky to have the chance at this.
4.38/5 rDev +1.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.5

 

Always glad to see when someone gets a good King Sue. I've just been unlucky until this most recent batch, although like someone recently wrote, I'm not sure one out of five makes for a great beer. What I'd really like is another batch of Sosus like that of March '20, which I bought at least six 4-packs of.

 

Guessing the X is roman number 10, for their anniversary. Have never been impressed with Almanac hoppy beers, but their sours, including their recent Sournova series, can be spectacular. Valley of the Heart's Delight was something I always sought out and bought multiple bottles of. And the Peach Sournova could hold its own against some of the best peach sours I've had.

 

I love that can! Great package. Did the beer kick the ass of thee?

 

Olde English 800


Appearance: Clear gold, huge head.

Smell: Corn, slight chemical note, plus wet rocks.

Taste: Very corny, sweetness all the way, medium feel.

Overall: Finally got around to reviewing this classic malt liquor. It was better than I expected, definitely a step or two above the Steel Reserves and Evil Eyes of the malt liquor world. Nice sweetness without being too sweet, no off or chemical notes in the taste though the nose had a bit of a weird note to it. Not bad!

 

Returning with a third and final planned new beer for the Labour Day weekend. This one also local, from Keeping Together

Keeping Together The Art of Holding Space



Bottle Notes: 25 oz, table beer.

Additional Notes: This is the second of three batches, this one released 9/4/20, purchased at the brewery, refrigerated there and since purchase. No ABV on bottle, 3% per KT's website.

Appearance: Half the bottle poured into a large tulip. Faint clear straw base, heavy carbonation, creamy inch puffy bright white head gives way within a minute to a creamy layer over the base, nominal to no lacing thereafter. 4.5

Aroma: Freshly cut lemon, lemon grass, very sweet, light funkiness and yeast after several attempts. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, bold lemon, light pear, apple and citrus back, slightly tart but mostly sweet. Light funk and pepper as I work through my first pour. 3.75

Mouthfeel: Very light and crisp, persistent firm fizzy carbonation throughout, sweet, dry, very easy drinking consistent with the ABV, clean finish. 4.0

Overall: Light saison packs a sweet lemon punch. Enjoyable, though sweeter and less lacking in nuance I've come to love in KT offerings. Glad I purchased and popped open, will enjoy the rest later today or tomorrow. 4.0

May pick up the latest batch to compare and contrast. Looking forward to catching up on the posts since Saturday, will do so while enjoying the rest of this glass.

Cheers!

 

Through the generosity of @colby600 I have this . . .

Bluster Imperial IPA from Fox Farm Brewery

Hazy golden color with small white cap and good lacing.

Aroma is a burst of citrus including zest with sweet malt in the background.

Taste is fuller than the scent with citrus, malt and hops in balance. I get these three flavors presented all at once and that carries through to the finish which is clean. Slightly sharp hop sensation in the aftertaste which manages to be both full and dry. Quite refreshing.

Medium velvety texture with balancing carbonation.

Another shining example of skill shown by the brewers at Fox Farm.

 

"Corn, slight chemical note, plus wet rocks". Sounds like the smell of the foam at the confluence of the Haw River and the Cape Fear River. That's a good and brave review.

 

Good morning NBW
Another Oktoberfest from a recent trade with @BigIronH

Oddside Oddtoberfest


12oz can stamped MFG 08/11/21 poured into a dimpled mug at 61° Fahrenheit 5.6% ABV. The beer pours bright light copper in color with fizzy off white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and little else. The aroma is faint with malty caramel. The taste is semisweet burnt sugar caramel with some toasted notes and earthy hop flavor. Moderate bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a somewhat dry finish. Fairly clean lagering. Overall, good.

I have quite a few more new beers in the fridge, but I also have quite a bit to do before tomorrow. We'll see how many beer breaks I can get. Cheers all!

 

Thanks to @colby600

Pora NEIPA from Fox Farm Brewery

Hazy medium yellow color with white cap and good lacing.

Aroma of sharp, herbal hops and equally sharp citrus.

Taste of citrus fruit, I get something like grapefruit including the zest, along with herbal, bitter hops. The hop bitterness is constrained but ever present. Citrus elements seem to make up about 40% of the flavor profile with hops making up the remainder. Malt is there as a supporter but leaves the other flavors dominant. Finish is quick, clean, refreshing and slightly lingering.

Medium texture with balancing carbonation.

I like this one, it'll do whenever I feel like having a beer.

 

I'll back. Only because I bought a six pack of Spaten Oktoberfest and needed to clean out some long neck singles.
Elysian Punkucinno


12oz bottle stamped EXPERIENCE BY 20MAR22 poured into a perfect pint glass at 54° Fahrenheit 6% ABV per label. The beer pours fairly dense dark brown with light brown head. The head recedes to a thin ring and island. Minimal lacing. The aroma is mild with cold brew coffee and pumpkin pie. The taste is pie spice, pumpkin, malt and coffee all mixed up together. Minimal bitterness as the spice provides balance for the lactose and malt sweetness. The mouthfeel is medium plus bodied with average carbonation and a somewhat dry finish. Overall, good. I'll not a big pumpkin beer (or anything) fan, but the coffee is pretty well executed here and saves it for me.

Cheers all!

 

I really enjoy the pumpkin and coffee beers so I will need to try this. I also enjoy the pumpkin/pepper combination as well e.g. NB Atomic Pumpkin.