New Beer Weekend #64

Alright I couldn’t resist the special fresh hop beer @snaotheus sent me. I was gonna call it a night but I had to open one.

Fremont - Cowiche Canyon



Clear color somewhere between gold and copper, it’s a really pretty color. Very nice dense white head, minor lacing as it settles. Retention comes in the form of a nice thin layer of white that persists.

This beer has a lot going on, it’s very fruit forward and there is almost some faint smell reminiscent of cotton candy to me. The fruit to me is hard to pin down and I’d say it’s just very fruit cup like. Had to edit cause as this beer warms the grassy, earthy and pine all come out as well and it adds a whole nother layer.

Mouthfeel is very clean and soft but at the same time resiny and bitter mouthfeel, a very nice combination.

Another really really tasty fresh hop beer. As if it wasn’t a treat enough to be in Seattle for fresh hop season, now I have some more! Can’t wait to try the rest.

 

Hi NBWers! I've been absent due to a variety of reasons, but I had a moment to sneak in and write something up real fast, so here we are.



Cellador Ales - Fraises Et Rose - 6.8% abv - wild ale

Collab with Beachwood Blendery, described as "wild ale with strawberries, saffron, and rose petals. Bottle conditioned with honey."

L - Murky peach with some sediment, thin creamy white head that quickly dissipates to a ring that sticks around.

S - Huge strawberry, but steers clear of candy like sweetness, think perfectly ripe strawberries. There's something else here too, a bit of funk as expected, but I imagine what I'm smelling is the rose petals/saffron, although I certainly wouldn't have identified those specifically on my own.

T - Strawberry up front, tending toward jammy with a bit of tartness. The rose petals are present as a floral/spicy note, but I struggle to identify anything in the flavor as saffron. There's definitely something in the finish that I *might* believe is the saffron, but it's hard to say. No signs of that medicinal/band-aid type flavor that sometimes happens with strawberries.

F - Medium carb, bright, finishes on the dry side

O - Incredible strawberry wild ale, easy to drink, and the addition of the saffron/rose petals add a nice layer of complexity. The amount of strawberry on the nose promises so much, and the flavor delivers. 4.3

 

Really glad you could make it today, and it's just being busy that keeps you away. Really hope all is well.
Cheers!

 

Today is a new beer to me.

Goose Island Brewing – Bourbon County Brand Brunch Stout Test beer (2019)

12.5% ABV

This test beer is akin to the 2020 release titled “BCBS Special #4”, which is listed as an oatmeal stout aged in Bourbon barrels with intelligentsia coffee and Bissel Maple syrup” – and listed as “Stout - Oatmeal” on BA.

The beer was removed from a 50ish degree temp fridge after having been refrigerated for approximately 10 months. Beer poured into a 2012 B1 BCBS tulip snifter. Consumed across approximately 1 hours, across 2 separate pours with the beer kept refrigerated between pours.

First Impression: As soon as you pop and pour it, you know it’s BCBS – from it’s first hiss and pop of bourbon to its’ dark and thick (but not thicc as pudding) pour. 4.35

Appearance: Classic BCBS. Not much to say. As is always the case from bottles, a small very dark brown head forms which quickly dissipates to a light khaki ring around the class, lasting for as long as you let the beer exist. I love BCBS, so perhaps I am bias, but this gives me all the right feels, and I’m not sure one can ask for more from the appearance. The only way I think you can is if you’re looking for that thicc as hell pudding pour, or specifically wanting a thick head, or you’re not into that oily-slick coating on the glass. 4.8

Smell: Pretty much all coffee. Smelling this reminds me exactly of opening a BCBCS – it’s straight up BCBS with intelligentsia coffee. Very little if any barrel on the nose, and no maple on the nose (but, it is 2 years since bottling). 4.0

Taste: It’s actually incorporated better than I remember the coffee in 2017 BCBCS, and even after nearly 2 full years the coffee hasn’t turned to green pepper. I know that isn’t the case for everyone, but it happens to me sometimes, and 2017 was one of those. If I am being 100% honest, there’s perhaps a small amount of that here, but it’s hard. With coffee in a stout, it’s very hard when adding coldbrew for it to not have a certain astringent quality to it that is almost like coffee beans were ground directly into the coffee. That sounds like a negative, but it’s not something that bothers me here. Perhaps because the maple is offsetting anything too strong. I am really loving this. I only get a touch of maple – a kiss of it. Wish there was more, but it is 2years old. Lots more to say, but see ‘Overall’ below. 4.8

Mouthfeel: This is a little thinner than I’d prefer, but it’s a coffee stout, and coffee stouts are always thinner than their non-coffee counterparts. Also, this isn’t worlds thinner, it’s maybe 5-10% thinner than standard BCBS. Perhaps the use of an oatmeal recipe is what’s helping the thickness, because this feels thicker than I recall 2017 BCBCS. Or maybe it’s the maple Syrup. Either way, this is great, and totally doable for 12 – 16.9oz. 4.75

Overall: This is basically everything I want KBS/CBS to be, but better. I know KBS is supposed to have chocolate, but mostly I get coffee. -And, I know CBS has maple syrup, but no chocolate. This is nothing short of great and really enjoyable. Would I pay almost $30 for 16.9oz of this on the regular? Not a chance. It’s far better than CBS, but it’s not 5x the price better. I’m not normally someone to make that comparison, but it is true. This just isn’t special ‘enough’ to warrant the price. –Perhaps because it is so close to BCBCS, and that is ~$17, or about 33% less (although not brewed for several years). For me, this is one of the best coffee-forward BCBS variants.


One question that I have to ask myself is whether I would rather have this or Revolution’s Supermassive Café Deth. That’s tough. I think the coffee is actually better in Rev’s, but I prefer BCBS. Also, I feel like I detect more barrel in this than Rev’s, but I detected less barrel in BCBCS. Overall, I think I’d rather have this, but given prices, I’d rather buy Rev’s about 4 out of every 5 purchases, or perhaps even 6 out of every 7 purchases. 4.7

BA Review Score: 4.52

My review can be found here: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/1146/503628/?ba=Beer_Economicus#review

Cross-posted with WBAYDN, Cellar Reviews, and the official BCBS Vintage Review Thread (started by yours truly) can be found here: https://www.beeradvocate.com/commun...bon-county-review-thread.646099/#post-7342772 )

 

Earlier today I posted about Smog City "Sideways Rain" IPA and was bemoaning the fact that I could not identify the flavor. Then I found this on their website: "This blend delivers massive tropical, stone fruit, and citrus aromas. We've also got some Ahtanum & Ekuanot hops in there for an added flavor punch. Sideways Rain is a bright and drinkable IPA that brings refreshing flavors of juicy fruit gum, gooseberry, and touches of geranium all atop a cracker malt profile."
OK, I got little or no citrus (maybe some peel) and no tropical fruit, but that odd flavor I picked up could be that geranium that they reference. I gotta admit this is the first time that geranium was in a beer profile for me.

 

Well Hello Late Night NBW.
Finally got to try one of those iconic NEIPA's from Tree House.
this comes courtesy of our very own @Roguer who hit me with some random fire during our little round of NBS BIF chaos.

Gggreennn!

Hazy, for sure. Nice fluffy head, great retention.
The nose bursts with guava, followed by orange zest, melon, mango, pineapple and, well, green notes.
The flavor jumps off with the citrus first. Zesty orange, creamy tangerine, mango, slightly sweet gritty grain note (in a great way), and a fine line between juicy and a gentle bitterness. But overall, a very smooth ride allowing for all of these flavors to take a turn in the limelight.
The mouthfeel is fluffy, medium weight, with a good carbonation level. A smooth bitterness closes it down.
Overall, this is what I hope for in a NEIPA.
4.45/5 rDev -2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Now that I went back to the listing to cut and paste I noticed some extremely similar numbers (ahem) from my benefactor.

 

I will buy any Beer with a Robert E. Howard Call back & a FFF tie in, don't feel bad. Conan commands it!

 

It's a shame you didn't like Crom's Beard, or don't have Broo Doo available (your Wet Hop comment) @jkblr . I tried and enjoyed both for the first time last weekend, only ceased from buying more to allow clearing the rest of my beer backlog but looking forward to picking them up next year.

I'm calling an audible to save my planned barleywine for a dual local tasting weekend later this month. In the interim, I'm pulling out two cherry beers, under two styles, to celebrate New Beer Sunday #868! Cues Cherry Cherry

Ommegang Rosetta



Bottle Notes: Ale aged on cherries with other natural flavor added. 11.2 oz 5.6% ABV, serve at 40 F / 5 C. Traditional Belgian Kriek, Pleasingly Tart with a Touch of Sweetness. Best by date July 2023, or currently 3 years 3 months old.

This elegant fruit beer, matured on cherries, is brewed exclusively for Brewery Ommegang by Liefmans, A Sister Brewery, in Belgium. Brewed in Belgium. Please enjoy as you would any fine beer and serve in a proper glass. Fruit Ale, matured on cherries, with other natural flavor added.

Appearance: Single pour into a large tulip glass. Dark brown base, creamy full light caramel head lingers a few minutes, leaving a generous coating over the base, heavy carbonation. 4.25

Aroma: Tart acidic cherry comes through loud and clear, pleasant, not much else noted despite several attempts..3.5

Taste: Tart cherry, sweeter with more depth than expected. Lightly acidic, helps balance the sweetness. Getting a light malt back, cinnamon toast. Simple, well executed. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Medium, somewhat creamy, faint carbonation complements well, sweet overall, but held in check near balanced by the tartness. Lightly dry, ABV negligible, very light easy and refreshing, clean finish. 4.25

Overall: Very nice, simple, easy sour. Well executed, very enjoyable, perfect after meal or mild sunny day. Glad I have three more. 4.25

Hoping the second one is as solid.

Musical accompaniment, another Neil Diamond tune, appropriate for Sunday.

 

Wow! Great review @Beer_Economicus ! Hope to see more of your reviews in the future!

 

Good day BAs! Off and running with a cross-post with WBAYDN:



Pipeworks is almost a mystical brewery for me - one of my earliest beers was Imperial End of Days which introduced me to well-balanced chili beers. So choosing today's New Breakfast Beer was a no-brainer, even if it's full term.

Your Brain on Brunch with Coffee from Pipeworks Brewing. Purchased 7/10/21 from Franklin Beer, Franklin, PA for $9 (Including tax)/16 oz can ($ 0.562/oz). In reefer at store. Stored at home at 40 degrees. Reviewed 10/10/21. Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Stamped on bottom rim “PKGD 1/20/21”. Served at 55.2 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. Final temperature 61.3 degrees.
Appearance – 4.
First pour – Brown (SRM 20), nearly opaque.
Body – Deep Brown (SRM 30), opaque. When rear-lite, same except some light penetrates at the extreme edges.
Head – Average (Maximum 1.6 cm, aggressive center pour), brown with caramel, high density but fizzy, short retention, diminishing to a 0.5 mm bubble ring and no cap.
Lacing – None. Not surprising at 10% ABV.
Aroma – 4.25 – Initially like pancakes with maple syrup and butter, no hops, no malt, no yeast, no coffee.
Flavor – 4.25 – Flavor follows nose - no yeast, no malt, no hops, lightly sweet. However, there is a slight roasted coffee flavor. No direct ethanol (10 % ABV, as marked on container) taste or aroma. Moderate gastric warming. No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl.
Palate – 4 – Full, creamy, soft carbonation.
Final impression and summation: 4.25 Definitely pancakes with butter and maple syrup on the nose and tongue, with coffee eventually making its presence known. Lactose builds the body without contributing much other than some sweetness. No vanilla found. Since fenugreek adds a maple syrup flavor, it seems redundant.

Rating 4.15, rDev -6.5%.

 

Good morning, fellow NBS / NBWers. I'm looking forward to a day of reviewing beers, reading beer reviews, and plenty of football (Eagles this afternoon, US Men's National Team tonight).

Up first today is Nose Hozzle, a Baltic Porter from Oliphant Brewing. I received this in NBS BIF #13 this past spring from the ever-generous @Victory_Sabre1973. This ended up being a very good choice for a morning beer. Thanks, James!

3.75/5 rDev -4.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.75

Pours a clear, cola color with surprisingly fizzy, very short-lived head that again is just like pouring a Coke. While the aroma isn't coming out of the glass in waves, up close it's really nice. Plenty of caramel & toffee notes greet the nose, followed by some underlying roast. Smells very appealing.

Dominant flavors are the reverse of the aroma. Roast dominates the palate, with almost none of the malty sweetness that showed up on the nose. Pleasant level of bitterness, I'm mostly just surprised at how little I'm picking up the malts overall. Feel is lighter and less carbonated than expected.

Overall, this is a well done Baltic Porter that I'd be happy to have in my fridge at all times.

 

North Coast Barrel Aged Old Rasputin XXIII.



Pours a beautiful ebony with a 1.5" tan head. Moderate lace. 4.25

Aroma of molasses, coffee, roast malt, oak. 4.5

Taste of molasses, toffee, coffee, bourbon, oak, caramel, roast malt. 5

Full body, thick & oily. Semidry, astringent finish. 4.5

Outstanding! This is one to try before you die. 4.5

 

Ok, all you style adherents (I am sort of calling myself out as well), where does this one fit?

Saison? Rice beer? Adjunct lager? Adjunct Saison?

Elder Pine's Arctic Villein is listed as a saison here, and that's fine enough, although I think it'll take some 'splainin' in the review whichever side I fall on. We passed by the brewery twice yesterday in our trip out to Waredaca, and didn't have the gumption to step in for a beer. I don't know if this beer was on, but let's find out if I should kick myself for not finding out.

Pours a hazy pale straw colored - almost like some really pale NE IPAs. The head is fluffy falling to creamy, ending at tightly foamy. I did notice a little bit of red wine as I poured, and was surprised enough by it that I wondered if it was mental, power of suggestion and all.

But nope, the wine definitely comes out in the nose - a little overpowering of the other aromas. It's not purely overpowering, it just hides the lemons, hay, and grainy notes that I also get. First sip, and this one is nicely complex (got my foot cocked back already). Before I delve into the flavors, the beer is light, with pin-prick carbonation that is so prevalent, it acts like a good bed of nails - never applying enough bite to damage the palate. It finishes quite dry.

The start involves lemons and I believe a mix of oat and rice; I actually do pick these out despite my own doubts that I would, although it is possible that the oat impression could be a barrel influence. Anyhow, there's a saison-like earthy hay in the mix before the oak more distinctly gets involved. I feel the barrel treatment drives the dry finish, and I'm more sure of it driving the finish than the opening.

In between, there is a fruity component which my mind distinguishes as the wine grape, but it's not nearly as obvious as it was on the nose. In the very end, there is a little bit watered down lemon that has a pithy aspect when it joins the remaining oak tannin bitterness. The GF mentioned getting a "pineyness," and while I was not quite getting that, I can see how the mix of what I called "earthy hay" and the oak gives the impression, now.

So yes, a fun one that I bet I would've enjoyed had I found it on tap at the site of its making. I'll refrain from self-flagellation though, since I think my beer store might have some left on the shelf.

 

Having now read your great writeup, I have to admit I'm fascinated with this beer.

 

It is a fun one, in some obvious (oak is starting to wear on me a tad) and more subtle ways. It's one of those where I'd be willing to bet I'll get a couple different (minor) things the next time I crack open a can.

 

I have a fundamental appreciation for brewers who are willing to experiment / be a little different. In particular, I'm fond of consistently good brewers who take some risks, as opposed to some brewers that seem to throw a bunch of stuff against the wall to see what sticks. I'm not familiar with Elder Pine, but hopefully they fall in the former category.

 

Here is my second new to me beer to celebrate New Beer Sunday #868!

Brasserie D'Achouffe SA Cherry Chouffe



Bottle Notes: 11.2 oz, 8.0% ABV. Beer with natural flavors and colored with vegetable juice. Imported by Duvel Moortgat USA, LTD. Cooperstown, NY. Product of Belgium. Purchased room temperature a little over a year ago ($1.67 Binny's), refrigerated since. Best before March, 2022, not sure if this beer is 1/2 through 4 1/2 years old.

Appearance: Full single pour into a New Glarus Pilsner glass. Dark cherry read clear base, heavy carbonation. creamy generous cherry white head and lacing, base covered throughout. 4.25

Aroma: Cherry cough syrup, very artificial, light tartness must mostly very sweet. No bueno. 2.5

Taste: Taste similar to aroma, very syrupy cough medicine like taste and texture. Nominal to faint tartness, liquid sweetarts, hard the tart. Perhaps this is just too old, but it's not for me. 2.5

Mouthfeel: Medium body, fizzy carbonation throughout, syrupy, cough medicine texture, sweet cherry aftertaste, feel a little more alcohol than cough syrup. 2.75

Overall: I like well made fruit beers, and perhaps this one is too old. However, it is still within the best by date of the brewery. Very glad this was a single purchase from the discount rack. Hard Pass. 2.25

After rating, I checked the other scores, and this appears to be an anomaly from most takes. I love fruit beers, including Founders and New Glarus offerings. The age is the wild card here, though I'm not sure age can turn it into cough syrup. Bottom line, I'm glad others liked it, just not for me.

Cheers!