New Beer Weekend #62

Good afternoon NBW
Another new-to-me Oktoberfest beer and my 100th review in the combined styles.

I'm quite surprised that I had to enter this one in the database.

Hi-Wire Brewing Festbier

According to their website, they didn’t brew Zircusfest this year and produced this instead.

16oz can PACKAGED 08/31/21 poured into a dimpled mug at fridge temp 5.8% ABV. The beer pours bright straw yellow with hints of gold and off white head. The head recedes to a thin ring and single layer of bubbles. The aroma is pils malt and a hint of grassy & floral hop. The taste is semisweet pale malt with immediate grassy and floral hop notes trailing off to a slightly mineral, mildly bitter finish. There is a hint of diacetyl here that is distracting, but not enough to ruin the sip. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, very good. This would have been excellent given just a few more days or a week in the tanks.

I hope to be back with a nice closer later. Cheers all!

 

Syndicator a 8.2 ABV Dopplebock from Bull n Bear Brewing in Summit NJ. Poured into a tulip this beer is a deep redish brown. There is a powerful aroma of roasted malt. The taste follows the aroma this brew is a malt bomb and a very tasty one. The mouthfeel if full. Lasting slighty sweet finish. Another excellent beer from a brewery that keeps knocking out fine beers.

 

Getting my Oktoberfest on today, starting with von Trapp Oktoberfest.
4.06/5 rDev +4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz can poured into a mug

A- A somewhat clear amber with a three finger white head.

S- Caramel malts, biscuits, floral, a little earthy.

T- Toffee, biscuits, earthy a little on the bitter side, caramel malts, floral.

M- Smooth, medium body.


O- A nice Oktoberfest, just a little on the bitter side.

Cheers!

 

Welcome one and all to New Beer Sunday 866! Back today with my third and final IPA from the most recent Revolution Variety Pack. Not sure if these go to the entire Revolution distribution reach, but worth a shot if you find them within the first 1-2 months of canning. This one is the hazy offering in the pack, and was first released in this pack.

Revolution Action-Hero



Can Notes: 12 oz canned 8/11/21 @8:58:55, 7.3% ABV. Explore The Forbidden Haze.

Brewery Online Notes: 35 IBUs. Venture into uncharted territory with a haze that combines soft, supple wheat with complex chambers of juicy hop flavor. A daring union of enigmatic hops unlocks careening notes of ripe tropical and stone fruits.

Appearance: Hazy tan orange pour, light creamy white head which dissipates quickly. 3.5

Aroma: Light pineapple and citrus, and hop bitterness. 3.0

Taste: Somewhat sweet stone fruit and pineapple, hop bitterness backs. Balanced, but uninspiring. 3.25

Mouthfeel: Light to medium body, fizzy carbonation holds on throughout, dry and overall bitter, both linger post taste. 3.0

Overall: This hazy pour is not overly sweet or bitter, but really brings nothing to the table. I'll drink the remaining cans, but wouldn't seek out in the future. 3.0

I'm still glad I bought the variety pack, but the haze can be hit or miss on my end. May come back later with another beer since I don't particularly want to end the weekend on this note.

Cheers!

 

My second beer from the Samuel Adams Sweater Weather pack, and a beer that (perhaps surprisingly) I have never had.

Samuel Adams Oktoberfest
ABV: 5.3%
IBU: 15



Deep amber, clear, with sparse tiny bubbles rising to a tall, thick, off-white head with excellent retention. Not much lacing.

The aroma is not too strong, but it is quite good. Bready, toasty, with some caramel.

The taste is very malty with lots of bread and caramel. The caramel is more obvious than in the aroma. The flavor carries through to the finish, with just a very slight bittering detected. The aftertaste is, as the initial taste, bready malts with caramel. On the sweet-dry scale, the finish is sweet, but not cloyingly so. The sweetness is well controlled. The overall flavor is pleasant and enjoyable, but relatively straightforward without complexity at all.

The mouth feel is thin, while also being coating.

Overall, I can see why this beer is popular with the public, while also not being a favorite of the beer enthusiast. I am enjoying it, but it wouldn't be a repeat purchase. (I like the Adams Festbier much better. That one I might buy again, if available separately.)


L: 4.0 | S: 3.75 | T: 3.5 | F: 3.5 | O: 3.5 | Rating: 3.59

 

I like your assessment of thag beer @MNAle. I almost always have at least one each year while over other’s houses. Like you said, and it’s true, it is very popular amongst your average beer drinker I think.

I still haven’t had mine for this year yet but I do have a wedding this coming weekend. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was a craft option at a fall wedding.

 

This is the first barrel aged blonde I’ve ever had. Courtesy of my friend @jkblr

First off, pours a beautiful, cloudy straw gold. A finger of off white, yellowish foam that clings to the glass the entire way down.
Aroma is biscuit, honey, caramel, and burnt oak. Taste follows suit with a very sweet overtone, almost cloying. Burnt sugar, honey, caramel, toasted bread, and a smooth bourbon undertone with vanilla and barrel notes. Feel is thick, very full bodied, velvety and almost oily mouth coating. Not a bad beer, but a big beer. One is enough for me but I’m glad I got the opportunity to try it. Cheers.

 

Greetings, fellow NBWers,

Beautiful day in the city where there's a brewery named after a trash can (it's pretty cool, as trashcans go, but it's still a weird factoid). Sunny and warm as I gear up to watch the Seahawks.

No new beers were consumed yesterday, although I went to Whistle Punk's "Punktoberfest." I had their excellent German Pilsener and their Altbier. Matt absolutely nails German style beers.

My first new beer of the weekend is Lupuluminati, from Trap Door, generally a reliable brewery, but it was a bust.

When I picked this up on Friday, I misread the canning date and thought it said 8/23, but it was actually 3/23, so this one has been past it's prime for some time. There's glimpses of a good beer left, but only glimpses. I think I'm gonna bail on it and come back with a FH beer.

 

Ahh, that's better...

According to BeerAdvocate, I have had this before. However, that was a version from a prior year, and since this is an annual fresh hop release, I can't help but feel it should count as a new beer. It's pretty tasty, as you'd expect an already excellent pale ale brewed with fresh Centennial and Simcoe hops to be. Canned 11 days ago, it is in its prime.

 

Keeping things going with Sierra Nevada Oktoberfest.
4.02/5 rDev +3.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

12 oz can poured into a mug

A- A clear amber/copper with a three finger off white head

S- Caramel malts, toffee, bready, earthy, a little floral, some light fruits.

T- Caramel malts, bready, some light fruits, touch of toffee, earthy, slightly floral.

M- Smooth, medium body.

O- A tasty Oktoberfest leaning towards the sweet side.

Cheers!

 

Gotahold Brewing's Bury The Hatchet New England IPA, 6.2% ABV; 3.79 overall

Pours a very effervescent & hazed gold with one finger of beige head. Nice head retention & lacing

S: Pineyness, bread & faint citrus notes

T: Follows the nose, pretty dry as well up front, some grapefruit too. Leafy & piney hops, a little green melon as this warms, a touch of grapefruit. Finishes dry & piney with a little grapefruit & leafy hops

MF: Medium body, low carbonation, decent balance

Flavor profile doesn't make me think this is a New England IPA, fairly drinkable. Grossly over priced at $ 4.50 a pint can

 

Is this year's version a collab with a German brewery? I've been chasing FH beers most recently, and have only been drinking hyper-local O'fests, so I don't know.

 

Happy NBS, NBW-ers! I got ahead of myself and I'm already on my second new beer, so I'll just load them up into one post. Today's going to be a day of fresh hops. I have a backlog. A delicious, enticing, ginormous backlog...

Starting off with Head Full of Fresh Hops, perennially one of my favorites of the season. I entered it and am treating it as a new beer, because it seems to be a different mix of hops from previous years. This year appears to be Citra and Mosaic.

16oz can served in a snulip. Dated 09/24/2021. Bought it at the brewery on Friday.

Pours hazy creamy white-yellow with a big fluffy head and good retention. Smell is bright, ripe, resinous hop fields. Glorious. Citrus zest, pith.

Taste is moving in the same direction, strong slow bitter finish to even it out, a hint of creaminess of some kind, something about it reminds me of unripe peaches.

Mouthfeel is smooth, creamy, lightly effervescent. This is a great beer.

Next up...

Three Creeks Conelick'r Fresh Hop IPA. My first beer from the brewery, I think. It's been getting some love in the Fresh Hop 2021 thread, I think. Listed on this website as a Pale Ale for some reason.

12oz can served in a snulip. Dated 09/13/21. Bought it at Ridgewood Bottle & Tap on Friday.

Pours a clear light coppery amber color with a smallish head. Smell is moderately grainy, moderately green. Light honeysuckle sweetness.

Taste is a very nice beer -- nice combination of malty flavors and resin sweetness, but not screaming fresh hops (maybe because it's two weeks old?). Wait a moment...the hops are coming out. Lots of resin bitterness. I still get more of a strong bitterness than a fresh hoppiness.

Mouthfeel is medium but very dry. Overall, perfectly nice IPA, definitely better than average and leaning strongly in the West Coast direction, but not a standout for me in the fresh hop field this year.

 

It looks like that they just did it solo this year.

 

Well the Gmen season is probably shot again after another dissapointing loss at home. This era is starting to remind me of the 70-80 pre Parcells era. Fans are already starting to boo..
Time for a good beer and if previous experiences with Beachwood are an indication this will be tasty.
Another courtesy of the very generous @Nugganooch
Beachwood Hoptical Telescope DIPA
The pour is crystal clear amber gold with a bleached white 3 finger head that has good retention settling to a thin ring with great world map lacing.
Lots of columns of rising bubbles make this a beautiful looking beer to start.
The smell is classic West Coast pine, grapefruit, grassy hops and a bit of candied tropical fruit.
And the taste follows with a bit of berry, melon and and such very tiny hint of sweet before that almighty bitterness hits with a dry finish. Hot damn this is classic WC x 2 with no hint of 10%. Its going down fast - and I need a painkiller!
Excellent beer Dane!! Thank you.

Wont be long before theyre gone. They were crazy on this butterfly bush this afternoon. Must be storing up energy.
Cheer!

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. I stopped at Kane Brewing Co. today on the drive up from the Shore. I hadn't been there in almost a year. The indoor tasting room is still closed but there's a nice outdoor space. I can now buy Kane's flagship IPAs locally but I was in the mood for some blended ales and stouts. Plus, the shore traffic has eased up making the jog over to Kane much easier.

Each year for its anniversary Kane releases (among other great beers) a blended strong ale. 2920 was the 2019 release. It's nice that it's still available. Kane's most famous stouts, including A Night to End All Dawns, are sold over the internet and are gone within (literally) seconds. But I was very happy to pick up 2920 and a few other special releases.

2920 pours a very dark cola - nearly mahogany - with a generous, creamy, medium mocha colored cap and lacing. It has a wonderful nose: raisin, fig, brown sugar, toffee, roasted malt, coffee, tobacco smoke, oak, and whiskey. The taste opens with considerable sweetness: lots of toffee and candied raisin and plum. There is also dark chocolate which I didn't smell but absolutely taste. The rye whiskey is immediately discernible and compliments the other flavors without any distraction. It adds a subtle dryness that balances the fruit. There is also a pleasant spiciness at the finish - not quite Belgian but it adds to experience. The flavors blend seamlessly. This ale is delightfully creamy when swished in the mouth. The carbonation level is appropriate. You can feel the 12.1% ABV. I'll save the rest for later tonight. I'm enjoying it with a plate of sharp cheese and Wasa Brod

4.43/5 rDev +2.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

The only other brewery in the area that blends this well is Rushing Duck. Maybe some day Kane and RD will collaborate. Oh, what a day that would be! Cheers!

 

Greetings All from the Great Northwest where we are mostly sunny and seasonal with temps in the upper 70s.

Today we have Iron Rabbit IPA from Loowit Brewing.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30176/440330/

It's just ok I'm afraid. Sweet and short on hoppines. A little low on ABV as well.

Watching the Seahawks with the kettle going on the back porch. Brewing up a porter for Thanksgiving.

Until next time,

 

Next new fresh hop of the day is Fresh Hopped Mass Ascension from Ex Novo.

16oz can served in a snulip. Dated 09/10/21. Bought it Friday at Ridgewood Bottle & Tap.

Pours a hazy light amber color with a fairly large creamy head and pretty good retention. Smell is resinous bitterness and a little bit of sweet grain.

Taste is some light tea flavor, fairly strong and lingering resin bitterness, lots of lemon rind flavor. Moderate grapefruit juice, just a hint of honeysuckle floweriness.

Mouthfeel is medium to light, very dry and clean. Overall, nice beer.

 

Another one that will end up in the Oktoberfest tasting as well.

Solid day so far and a great weekend with the family. We’re having lots of fun in this beautiful fall weather, fires, s’mores, running around outside, oh and fall beers. A new brewery and beer to me, I also go their northern German pils which I look forward to trying soon.

Aslan - Das Boot



Beautiful clarity and color, they call this a Helles style Oktoberfest but I’d say by color it’s light amber. The head is impressive at first but gives way to just a ring of white with nothing in the center with no lacing present.

The smell is mildly toasty at first. Then I start start to notice a huskiness/grain to it and a mild hop presence.

The taste is similar to the nose but I notice more of the huskiness and grain. The hops again come out and add a little bit of spice which is welcoming. There is also a tea like quality to this beer.

Mouthfeel is really nice, medium but full body. Finishes pretty dry and there is a really low bitter finish. I could be perceiving the toastiness as bitter though, hard to tell.

Another really well made beer form the PNW, I’m noticing a theme here…

 

One of the the coolest things about being a craft beer enthusiast is when a local brewery suddenly advances from okay - good - enjoyable - beers to holy shit, this is great! For the last year I've been enjoying the beers brewed by Ludlam Island Brewing Co. in Ocean View (Cape May County), New Jersey. The flagship stuff was okay but nothing memorable. But lately, I've been really digging what they're brewing. This weekend, I had an Imperial Milk Stout, Thunder Jacket, that is excellent. And now I'm reviewing DIPA #5 with a blend of Cryo Pop hops. (unfamiliar to me). This reminds me a lot of the DIPAs brewed by Equilibrium when it first opened - before the mass distribution ruined the franchise as far as I'm concerned.

Reviewed 2 days after can release. Poured into a snulip glass. It pours a murky, dirty tangerine color with 2 full fingers of fluffy, milk-white head and thick, soapy lacing. A great look! Great smell, too. Lemon, lime, grapefruit, pine needles, and just a hint of tangerine. Nice! The taste leads with the pine followed by tart, bitter citrus, and a soft sweetness that is vanilla-like. As it warms, there are also notes of stone fruit. It's bitter, sweet, and hoppy at the same time. This ale is crisp and lite for its 8.5% ABV, with moderate carbonation. It's very easy to drink. I have to say I'm very impressed with this DIPA

4.38/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.25

Methinks Slack Tide has some competition in upper Cape May County. That's a good thing as they're only 10 minutes apart. I couldn't be happier. Cheers!