New Beer Weekend #75

Resident Culture Free Skate
The last ratings here are from 2019. Citra, Mosaic, Ekuanot, and El Dorado hops. This release is 7 %.

Gold beige murk. No floaties but a load of precipitate left in the bottom of the can. One finger fine white head, spotty lacing, full surface ring and islands.
Aromas include striking lemon peel, pineapple, piney like Simple Green
Citrus, big dank note, pine, pale malt, faint savory smoke flavors. Quite unique.
A good combination of hops, nicely bitter, no alcohol heat, good carbonation.
I enjoy everything that I can get fresh from Resident Culture.

4.15/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

At Wander, waiting for my friend Chris, and what has become a tradition: drinking here until they tell us to get. Having the only new thing on the board, Lemon Basil Plum Bob sour. Nicely tart, lots of lemon, and noticeable basil. I'll get a review in later.

 

Hoping for a speedy recovery. In the long run, a quiet Christmas at home with the family will be looked at as ideal. Cue the Harry Chaplin music Merry Christmas!

 

Thanks for getting this started for the long weekend, @SawDog505.

This evening, I'm having one of the beers from the Sam Adams Beers for Cheers pack.

Sam Adams Winter Lager
ABV: 5.6%
IBU: 22

Crystal clear red-gold amber, moderately carbonated. 1 inch khaki head with 3-5 minute retention, leaving a thick wall of lacing. Great festive look.

Nutty roasted malts aroma. Spices (nutmeg, faint cinnamon) as well.

Taste is crisp with good lightly roasted malts, caramel, nutmeg, cinnamon is there but very lightly so. A touch of ginger as well. A crisp but light bitterness begins with the initial taste and remains throughout. Very easy drinking; very enjoyable.

The mouth feel is crisp (as I've noted already) with a moderate to thin body.

Overall, this is a very well balanced winter bock with restrained spices. The winter flavorings are under control so as to not overtake the bock beer. The end result is a nicely spiced bock. A beer for having one or two (or ...) on a winter evening.

L: 4.25 | S: 4.0 | T: 4.0 | F: 3.75 | O: 4.0 | Rating: 3.99

 

Merry Christmas, NBW friends. I’m heading to Belgium today with a trio of beers from NBW BIF #14, aka “The Porch Crushing Fridge Killer - I still have a pile of beers to work through in a BIF that “ended” 2 months ago. I’ll be enjoying beers from this latest BIF well into January.

But I digress.

Beer #1 tonight is from our friend @snaotheus, and the glassware for all beers is courtesy of our friend @Ozzylizard.

Let’s do this.





4.25/5 rDev +8.4%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

Pours a slightly hazy straw color with a sudsy white head that is clingy. Beautiful beer. The coriander and orange peel are prominent on the nose, but it’s the Belgian yeast strain that hooks me - it has that slightly funky, significantly estery note that aims me at Belgian witbiers.

The taste has the orange peel up front and loads of the coriander mid palate, but again it’s the Belgian yeast that makes this beer for me - a little funk, a lot dry, and spicy floral notes that immediately draw you back for another drink of this refreshing beer.

Exceptionally well done by a brewery that’s new to me. I need more from these guys.

 

I had that on tap last week in the DFW airport and thought it was delicious. Your review reflects my experience with that beer. Very well done.

 

#2, courtesy of our friend @BBThunderbolt. I love dubbels, and don’t have the opportunity to try them very often, so I’m excited to try this dubbel that is from a brewery that’s also new to me.





4.04/5 rDev +6.6%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Pours a nearly clear brown color with red tinges on the edges and a creamy light tan head. Beautiful beer. The nose has a significant toffee aroma and some stone fruit notes, and a nice, estery aroma that fits with the stone fruit notes.

The toffee flavor is forward on the taste, with the stone fruit in the background, and some estery goodness from the abbey yeast, which actually works well on the mouthfeel, with a full drying effect that makes this 8% ABV dubbel dangerously drinkable.

Really good stuff, especially if you enjoy Belgian dubbels. Guilty as charged, your honor.

 

Last one today, this is also from @BBThunderbolt and is also a Belgian, this time a strong ale.

I am suddenly craving a Belgian waffle.





3.92/5 rDev +4.3%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Pours a gorgeous clear straw color with a sudsy white head that laces the glass surprisingly well. The nose is led by a fragrant pineapple note as referenced on the can, and comes across pretty sweet.

The taste has some of the pineapple, but is really dominated by the sweetness, and would have benefited from a bit more of the spiciness mentioned on the can. Still a really nice Belgian strong ale I had the opportunity to try.

 

Happy Christmas Eve NBW!!! Tonight I drink my last of my 4 holiday beer advent for NBW. This one has got some ABV to it so Mrs. Phisher and I will sip on it while we await the time to put out presents for tomorrow.

Hardywood - Kentucky Christmas Morning
*had the regular Christmas Morning last week, let's see which I like more...



Pours a nice dark black, a semi vigorous pour leaves a nice head to start. As with most barrel aged beers though the head doesn't last long, ring of tan around the glass and some islands for those misfit toys.

Aroma is bourbon and oak forward; followed by chocolate, coffee, spices and vanilla. An interesting note here I feel like I noticed and recognized ginger immediately in the regular one but in the BA one its more just general holiday spice smell.

Taste is like drinking a holiday spiced mocha latte, though the creaminess is much more restrained. I say mocha for the milk aspect only in feel, it cuts the bourbon and coffee nicely. I notice a lot of chocolate to this beer just as I did in the regular.

Big bodied beer, low carbonation, creamy silky mouthfeel, a coffee like bitterness, a lingering chocolate/coffee mouth coating with an ever so slight warming sensation that stays in the upper esophagus.

I think I enjoy this more than the regular christmas morning, its almost like the barreling toned down some of the dessertier aspects. It still definitely resembles gingerbread/dessert but now it gives the sensation of sipping an after drink spirit after dinner more than just a dessert itself @cjgiant

Hope everyone has a great Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I'll be back tomorrow in the meantime its time to sip this by the tree.

 

Survived thirsty Christmas shoppers, now home for the latest from 2 miles away.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/46317/582722/




16 ounce can.
Canned 12-22-21.
Two and a half days old!

Moderate pour yields a one inch white head over a semi-bright golden body with sticky lacing.

Fairly intense nose of tropical fruit and citrus.

Taste mirrors nose somewhat with tropical fruit throughout while slightly giving way to a bit to citrus, pear, and watermelon in the middle and finishing with slight citrus pith and stone fruit.
A lot going on with this, but it works very nicely.

As expected, mouthfeel is always better than most from J.K. and crew.

Overall, seek this out and you will be rewarded with another fine offering from The Alchemist while knowing you will be helping native communities.

Cheers!

 

Sooo, I shouldn't send along the hoodie I have for the current one?

 

12 ounce bottle.
PKG081321.

Moderate pour yields a one inch plus tan head over a near black body with sticky lacing.

Nose of spice, evergreen resin, dark malt, and dried fruit.

Taste is very complex with spice, bitter resin, dark malt, chocolate, cola, dried fruit, and burnt wood.

Good mouthfeel with fairly long lasting head.

Overall, yet another unique and tasty "Our Special Ale" from San Francisco.
Cheers to 47 years of flavor, and trees!

 

Hello New Beer Weekend!!!

Wow! What a day at work. We just killed it, worked our butts off, and made more sales than last year when all the bars were shut down. It was crazy, and fun today. Once we close we popped open a 2015 Abyss thanks to our bud rep, and some mixed drinks from a fellow employee, and some sparkling wine from the store manager.

But, now I'm home, and on to this:

Surly Darkness 2021 - Gimme S'more - Russian Imperial Stout - 12% ABV

Damn, I am liking this. Really a s'more in a can. Damn good.

Review:
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/13014/580283/

4.01/5 rDev -7%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

This beer pours pitch black. The head, which dissipated as I poured was a bit frothy looking, as it disappeared. It was 1 finger, at most, and brown. There was no lacing on the glass at all.
The nose is full of aromas. I get vanilla the most. I also get hints of coffee, chocolate, caramel, toffee, like I'd expect from a RIS.
Taste is like a S'more. Chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker. I also get some vanilla, and toffee and caramel from the base beer and barrel.
This beer is boozy, though the burn isn't too strong. The body is thick and full.
Not bad overall. Good to try.


All right. I'll be back tomorrow night, after I get home from my family event. Cheers! Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it.

 

Jumping in with a late night beer after a beautiful day in Chicago.

Revolution Cuvee De Grace



Can Notes: Canned 4/2/21 @ 9:19:26 AM, 14.6% ABV.

Blend found online:
14 barrels of Straight Jacket 38.9%
11 barrels of Deth's Tar 30.5%
7 barrels of Ryeway to Heaven 19.4%
2 barrels of Thundertaker 5.6%
2 barrels of Ryeway to Heaven/Straight Jacket 5.6%.

Appearance: Dark brown rosy base, creamy tan head lingers for a few minutes before receding, leaving nothing behind. 4.0

Aroma: Faint barleywine aroma, barely registers at first, but warms up, nice smooth bourbon follows back by rye. 3.75

Taste: Full rich and pleasant flavor, wonderful blend of rye, bourbon than barleywine, nice balance, light sweet fruit backing. All comes together well. Light syrup, caramel and toffee on the back end. Top shelf release! 5.0

Mouthfeel: Medium creamy body, bursts of sweetness balanced at times by strong bourbon and rye notes. Light at first but ABV hits you as you broach the first 1/3, and it gets stronger from there. Creamy somewhat sweet barleywine aftertaste on the finish. 4.25

Overall: This is a wonderful experience, nice blend of bourbon, rye and barleywine, bursts with flavors, highly recommend if you like these flavors. Another great cuvee by Revolution. 4.5

Planning on a "side by side" over the next two days comparing the 2020 and 2021 Unibroue Traders Joes Annual release. Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

 

That beer is soooooooo fucking good!