New Beer Weekend #92

Last one (likely) for tonight is another from @Whyteboar. Odd Side The Wellington Wallop. An English style barleywine aged for 20 months in bourbon barrels.

Poured at fridge temp from a can. Pours a gorgeous orange/brown with fleeting off-white head. The nose is toffee, bourbon, figs, prunes, dates, wood, almonds, freshly baked apple pie, and a bit of maple. The nose is fantastic on this. It's sweet, but a nice sweet. The alcohol is not detectable on the nose. Very inviting.

The taste does not fully align with the nose. Unfortunately, this makes it a bit odd. There is a tangy sweetness mixed with a heavy and sharp bitterness. A bit metallic. The toffee doesn't show up, but the oak does. A bit of mint. Spicy. A bit of pepper. Citrus peel. A touch of honey.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied. The ABV is nicely hidden. Overall, an interesting beer that smells very different than it tastes.

3.69/5 rDev -0.8%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

 

My final new beer for today is Leather Bound Books from Mayflower Brewing. Compliments of @WunderLlama in BIF 15.

Poured from a can at fridge temp. Pours dark brown - almost black. Good amount of off-white head. The nose is full of roasted malts. Dark German bread, campfire, burnt toffee, and a bit of brown sugar. Really nice.

The taste is fantastic. Sweet and full of toffee and chocolate. Dark chocolate. Cherries, raisins, burnt wood, vanilla, brown sugar, tar, tobacco, leather, black licorice, dark bread, and some dark roast coffee beans. Fantastic. The aftertaste is mostly burnt toffee and roasted malts.

Mouthfeel is pretty creamy, but I'll go with medium body. Overall, this is a wonderful Baltic porter.

4.24/5 rDev +5.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25

 

Time to do some catching up! We had company over last night, so I didn't feel like camping out on my computer to update BA.

First up, from our books-and-beers trip to Beer'd, some book-themed beers!



On the left is Walden, a 6.4% ABV American IPA. Really nice throwback flavor profile of grapefruit, pine, caramel, and pale grains. Between the modest ABV and the graininess of the malt base, it drinks very similar to a hoppy APA. As typical with Beer'd, a very well done IPA.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30321/600511/?ba=Roguer#lists
4.03 / added to database

The second beer is Willy Wonka Snozzberry Sour, which is, as far as I can tell, a kettle sour with berries of some kind. It clocks in at only 4.3%. You already kind of know what to expect with these kettle sours, right? Something fruity, juicy, and only tangentially beer-related? Wrong! This has a moderate level of sourness, still perhaps approachable for a sour novice, but appreciated by someone who loves sour beers. More importantly, the dancing and light berry notes are supported by a touch of funk and a lovely earthy pungency. It doesn't taste at all like someone dumped some fruit syrup into a glass; it tastes like an honest, authentic sour ale, whimsical name aside.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30321/600512/?ba=Roguer#lists
4.21 / added to database

 

Two more book-themed beers from Beer'd, yesterday.



The Help is a chocolate cream pie stout, and if you're familiar with the book, that may be a little bit disturbing. This is a wonderfully flavorful full-on dessert stout, despite clocking in at only 5.6% ABV. That both helps and hurts: it's impressively drinkable and light, especially given the huge flavors of both sweet and semi-sweet chocolate, but such a dessert base could really benefit from more thickness and body support. I loved it regardless. Weighted average is hurt by a rather unassuming appearance (modest at best head production, retention, and lacing) and a pleasant but weak aroma.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30321/600514/?ba=Roguer#lists
3.88 / added to database

Finally, we have Clockwork Orange Creamsicle. I don't know if it tastes exactly like an orange creamsicle, but it comes close, with screaming notes of orange, cream, and mango. Incredibly flavorful and straight up delicious, yet only 4.7% ABV. This was my partner's clear favorite of the four.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30321/600513/?ba=Roguer#lists
4.15 / added to database

 

Last new beer from Saturday is Valley, an 8% New England-style IIPA from Twelve Percent Beer Project, which I actually know better from other breweries that contract brew under them. In fact, this is my first review of any beer officially under the Twelve Percent Beer Project label.



Summary: this is a very good, but ultimately not great, New England IIPA. It's got tons of hoppiness, readily apparent (and lovely) on the nose, but all of those hops blend together in a kind of indistinct hoppy melange on the palate. There are familiar flavors of citrus, tropical, and herbal notes, but nothing really stands out. It feels more like a foundation for a great beer to come, a solid effort that showcases some definite skill, but whether it's just not a great mix of hops or the addition timing, the result is less than it could be.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/58760/589023/?ba=Roguer#lists
3.84 / -2.8% (2nd full review / 3rd rating)

 

Good morning again, Weekenders; I'm back with my first new beer this Sunday! Yes, I know it's not even 9 am yet, but neither my partner nor I could really sleep well last night, so we may as well relax.



This is Goat Patch Brewing's rye whiskey barrel aged Baltic Porter, clocking in at 10.9% ABV and sent my way by @beergoot as part of NBS BIF #15.

Rye whiskey tends to dominate the nose. It's moderately sour, moderately charred, and darkly fruity. Aromatics include red grape, toast, light to moderate char, prune, raisin, and nuts. While it didn't really grab me at first, it grew on me over time.

The flavor profile is basically the same exact notes as the aroma, but in better overall balance. It's still quite roasty, with light to moderate char, with plenty of dark fruit notes, but everything comes together quite nicely. It's a pretty true-to-style presentation.

The body is a bit thinner than you might expect, hitting more like an 8-9% ABV beer, instead of the double digit strong Baltic porter it is. That provides an interesting dilemma: I prefer more thickness and body in strong barrel aged stouts and porters, but I can't deny that it has exceptional drinkability. Nice lingering alcohol heat, more from the barrel influence than the ABV.

Overall, this is really damn nice. I wouldn't call it exceptional. Neither is it exactly plain. It's a very good take on the style, and the barrel aging is well done and not over the top.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/50169/558763/?ba=Roguer#lists
3.79 / +0.5% (2nd review/rating of any kind)

Thanks, David!

 

Time for my first mystery beer of the weekend from @BBThunderbolt. As I am reviewing this blind, the brewery & beer name will be at the end. No identifying information is provided other than a picture of Bluto with his "Germans bombed Pearl harbor" quote.



Pours a hazy, murky matte dirty yellow color. Completely opaque. A two finger bubbly white head forms when the beer is poured, but quickly dissipates. Some sticky white lacing coats the glass and a very thin splotchy layer of foam remains on the top of the beer. (3)

Aroma is reminiscent of a NEIPA - there are some juicy notes of orange, mango, grapefruit, and pineapple. A light biscuit malt backbone is there as well. However I am also getting this spicy, herbal note on the nose. It is more subtle and comes and goes, but it is definitely there. (3.5)

At this point I am quite confident it is some kind of IPA.

The taste follows the nose with notes of grapefruit, mango, orange, and orange pith. That biscuity malt backbone you sometimes get in these NEIPAs is present here. There are also notes of earthy pine, dank herbaceous weed, and herbal almost minty notes. That herbal spiciness is also there in the flavor profile. Moderate to medium bitterness is present starting pretty early on and continuing to the finish. It is quite bitter actually, but as its also in line with the NEIPA style, there is a decent amount of sweetness to the beer. It ends up coming across as an odd combo in this beer. (3.5)

Feel is medium to full bodied. Kind of a heavy beer - the kinds you drink one or two and then feel full from. Moderate carbonation. Sweet finish. (3.5)

Ok, so, at this point I am sure its an IPA ... I am guessing that it is at least a double IPA just based on the overall heft of the beer. The thing that has me wondering is the spicy, herbaceous notes - that has to be coming from the hops, which makes me wonder if this is hopped with some kind of old world hops or something. (3.5)

And the reveal?

Breakthru Brewing Company's Double Drip a TDH DIPA with citra, mosaic, chinook and chinook hop hash. (7.8% ABV).



Entering my scores into the database I come up with the following:

look: 3 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5 = 3.47 (rDev +9.5%)

WHich is not great, but somehow massively over rDev since the only other review is @BBThunderbolt 's review.

Final thoughts ... I think that the herbal spiciness I was getting must be from the chinook hops. That's the only one that makes sense. And with the Chinook hop hash, it could amplify the spicy notes that one might get from Chinook hops.

Overall an interesting beer - thanks Terry!

 

From @FBarber 's TDH double IPA to a DDH triple IPA.


Triple Ghost

Thimble Island and I have a long history. Back when they were a young CT brewery, they had significant diacetyl problems - on draught at multiple locations, in the bottle, it didn't matter. That might not affect everyone, but it's something to which I am sensitive, and it made it pretty much impossible to make it through a single beer. They had potential, though, and I had hoped for them to get that problem straightened out.

That seems to be the case, although I have a natural aversion to their beers in the store because of that history. (Also, when there are so many great beers available, you don't really need to roll the dice.) However, our guest picked up some IPAs on the way over, and Triple Ghost was one of them, so ... don't mind if I do!

This is a very solid offering. This reminds me quite a bit of what Resin and 2xIPA used to be: potent, flavorful, and bitter - but not over the top.

The malt base provides some pale graininess, caramel, and honeycomb, primarily in a supporting role. The 10.5% ABV can be felt by some chest heat, but honestly, this is remarkably drinkable and lively. The hop expression is very much a throwback: grapefruit, lemon, candied orange, and lightly floral, with a long grapefruit peel finish.

I'd happily enjoy another one of these, no doubt. I prefer less caramel malt in my WC-style IPAs, and I find that IPAs with more caramel malt tend to show staleness more prominently for my palate. I will probably not run out and buy any 4-packs myself, but as long as I can be guaranteed this one is fresh, I definitely wouldn't turn it down.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30922/482079/?ba=Roguer#lists
3.81 / -3.3% (2nd overall rating / 1st full review)

 

My next new beer is Cleveland Cowboy, an imperial pastry stout from Prairie with tart cherries, sweet cherries, vanilla, cinnamon, and pecans.



This pretty much is the beer that it advertises. Lots of cherry flavor, along with cinnamon, graham cracker, and vanilla. It's delicious, if not exactly complex.

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/30356/586497/?ba=Roguer#lists
3.96 / -0.8%