New Beer Weekend #92

Starting my Sunday with Oude Pinot Gris Tilquin à L'Ancienne.
4.35/5 rDev -2.2%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by larryi86 from Delaware

750 ml bottle, 2020/2021, poured into a flute

A- A clear golden copper with a two finger white head.

S- Sour, grapes, some lemons, oak, a little musty, touch of leather.

T- Tart, grapes, oak, touch of wheat, some lemons, leather

M- Smooth, crisp, light body.

O- A nicely balanced lambic and easy to drink.

Cheers!

 

This'll be my first NBW since becoming a married man so I figured I had to do something to mark the passage of time. Also: covid sucks y'all. Don't get it. 0.00 rating (-- rDev). We both tested positive the day of the wedding and were completely laid out for about a week and a half. Getting that 'in sickness and health' thing out of the way early!!


Floodland is a somewhat reclusive brewery out here. I used to live just down the block from the building which they currently use, and I THINK I used to see the head brewer brewing in his garage and watching Futurama when I'd walk my dog around the neighbourhood. If only I'd been a nosy neigbour and made friends back then! Anyway, if I'm being completely honest, they at first blush seem to embody some of the more pretentious side of our shared hobby. And I say that as someone who writes beer reviews on the internet! Their beers are expensive, hard to get ahold of (not sold in stores, only during their periodic sales direct from the brewery, and you have to be on the mailing list and the wait list is a million miles long, etc), and generally the kind of thing those outside of the hobby look at and roll their eyes (lots of fruit, yeast-play, and subtlety of craft). I sound like I'm bagging on them, but it all comes from a place of love, because the lane they occupy, they fucking nail it. The beers may be expensive hard to get and pretentious, but they are almost universally INCREDIBLY well done, and well worth all the hassle.
So that seems like a good bottle to grab to mark this occasion.

I opted for the MMXX Chardonnay bottle, honestly mostly because my charge nurse last night was talking about preferring white wine to red wine, and the topic of our drinks of preference and relationship to consumption came up and I had to admit that I am a pretentious dork who dives way too deep into each glass of beer I drink, ha.



Pours a slightly murky golden yellow. Initial fizzy white head dissipates almost immediately, leaving nothing behind. Large bubbles pop once they reach the surface and leave no trace, like the good little campers they are.

Nose goes through an interesting transformation as it warms. The first blush definitely leaned into the fruit: white wine grapes for sure, and kind of sweet at that (maybe some influence from the honey). In the time it took to start typing things up, however, the fruit element cedes preeminence to the saison lurking underneath, and this transfer of power only continues to grow as it warms. The way this saison expresses itself is more in the barnyard sense... I used the 'horseblanket' descriptor in my review, even though I have very low confidence in the accuracy of my use of that term, and feel weird about it anyway. It's funky in the way that certain cheeses are funky. The like 'it kind of smells like feet, but totally in a good way!' kinds of cheeses (brick cheese is disgusting, though. Fight me.). There's still a kind of soft fruitiness lurking behind all this, but it gives way to its underlying saisonity pretty convincingly overall.

The flavour harkens to the nuance and craft that I mention above when talking about the brewery in general. There's a good balance between the fruitiness from the grapes, and the yeast of the saison. There's even a bit of bittering hops that make themselves known, and the center is a rich core of fermented honey that marries the other three named elements actually quite well... it meets the sweet of the grapes, the funk of the yeast, and the green of the hops, and really ties it all together. That rich central current leads to an ultimate destination that offers some earthy hops alongside the green fruits that is tart/bitter and sits on the tongue for a bit, but not unkindly.

For a near-10% saison, this is dangerously drinkable. Carbonation is appropriate, and density or whatever feels just about right. Surprisingly dry on the finish, and ultimately just really well constructed.
It's not my favourite from these guys, primarily because I'm less enthused by white wine grapes, by honey as a fermentable (as much as I want to love it because I love honey in general otherwise), and with that type of funk from a saison. If those are more your jam, this will absolutely fill your cup of joy, and I still find myself enjoying it quite a bit, and appreciating it somewhat more than that. The beer is incredibly well done, it's just not my preferred expression of the style.

(I'll be honest... all I think of any time someone mentions chardonnay is the SNL celebrity jeopardy sketch where Sean Connery* changes the topic 'I have a Chardonnay' into 'I have a hard on.' I had a hard time keeping a straight face throughout this review as a result.)

Cheers everyone, stay safe, be excellent to each other, so on, so forth.

 

It is a beautiful day today in the Garden State. We have been organizing our garages and working outside all morning, time for a beer. I had planned all @ovaltine beers today but this weather screamed Hefeweizen and I had a lovely one sitting in my fridge courtesy of @FBarber, sent to me via BIF.

Dovetail - Hefeweizen



This beer has a beautiful color to it, it has a beautiful orange like gold that is just slightly cloudy. The big initial head subsides but thin non see through layer of beautiful off white foam remains.

Nose is a beautiful balance of all that a Hefeweizen should have. It has this beautiful touch of sweet spiced bread smell to it, with some awesome bubble gum undertones. The bread like aspect is pretty stunning and gives it this full bodied smell.

Taste leans more into the spiced bread notes with a sweet banana like finish. This is quite tasty as again the fullness of it all is front and center with the other notes perfectly balancing it all out.

Nice and soft mouthfeel with a creamy carbonation. An interesting and incredibly subtle grainy like bitterness comes out on the back of the roof of my mouth only as the sip goes down.

This beer is so well balanced and drinkable!

Well Frank this is about the perfect beer for this situation: Sitting on a beach chair in garage with the door open, admiring our organizing and just taking in this perfect day before spring break ends.

Can’t wait to be back with more lager, my goal is three new beers for this share weekend. See you all soon.

 

I happened upon this beer while doing my online shopping last month. It was a bit pricey ($13 for 330ml) so I initially passed it by.

Then, I saw it was from Estonia. Since I've never had a beer from Estonia, I bought a couple. Giving away the review, I'm glad I did. This beer is wonderful!

Põhjala Triple Barrel Barley Wine
ABV: 13.0%
IBU: 25

Opaque black, nothing visible even with a back-light. Very short, and short-lived, dark tan head, quickly becoming a ring with a scattering of islets of bubbles and finally a completely still surface.

The aroma is quite strong. No need to even get close. Alcohol. Whiskey. Molasses. Brown sugar. Plums. Vanilla. Rich aroma with many intermingling smells.

The flavors are, as with the aroma, rich and multi-faceted. The alcohol/whiskey is obvious, backed by the flavors previously mentioned in the aroma, most prominently the sweet flavors of brown sugar and vanilla. Also dark fruits of raisin and fig along with plum and molasses. Barrel, including rye barrel. Obviously, as with the aroma, rich and complex. I think the more I sip, the more flavors I can identify to the point that it seems pretentious to keep naming them. The finish is sweet and sticky, getting into the dessert beer territory; with the booziness, it is definitely a sipping beer.

Mouth feel is substantial tending toward thick and syrupy, smooth with some bite from the alcohol.

Overall, an excellent, enjoyable, fabulous beer. I suppose it is classified as an American-style Barley Wine on this site because of how far it strays from the traditional English-style. The American-style Barley Wine is a much broader style, allowing for deviations such as this. It is black, sweet, complex, and boozy.

And awesome.

L: 4.0 | S: 4.75 | T: 4.5 | F: 4.0 | O: 4.5 | Rating: 4.48

 

Opening up one of the mystery beers you sent. It looked like something from Germany. A dark hazy protein laded beer. My mind went to dunkle wiese. The head retention was excellent leaving some lacing on the glass. The appearance overall was above average. Nosing the beer I smell chocolate, caramel, roasted malts, wheat, orange, and vanilla. I am still thinking maybe this might still be of German descent. Taking a sip, I knew right away it was not. The beer malt bill is wheaty and lightly roasted with loads of chocolate, vanilla, resin, and herbal. Now the confusion set in. What in the hell is this funky brew? Still proceeding with the review, the mouthfeel is tannic yet slightly creamy. The body is full and has medium carbonation. I am completely perplexed. This is a funky chocolate beer with an odd flavor profile. Unwrapping the can, I knew I would have never guessed what was in that glass. It is a chocolate milkshake IPA. Make sense now, why it was a funky beer. I am generally not a fan of milkshake IPA. The more I sipped, it registered to me that yup chocolate and hops created the confusion. Thank you Peter for not letting me go down the yellow brick road, but some bumpy minefield loaded with peril.

 

Starting of this warm, sunny Fourth Corner Sunday with my Mystery Beer of NBS BIF #15, courtesy @Roy_Hobbs . Here's the writeup from G-docs:

Mystery beer courtesy Roy_Hobbs as part of NBS BIF #15. The only clue is written on the plain paper wrapper: “Ovaltine couldn’t finish, can you?” Well, of course I can. 16oz can, date covered (upon uncovering, canned on 3/1/17), style unknown. Poured into 14oz teku. Poured a very dense and murky dark orange color with over an inch of just off-white head that had good retention and very light lacing hallmarks of the Murkbomb style. 3.0

Some frooty hop aromas popped out of the can upon opening. Upon closer sniffing from the glass, a dank (a dirt basement dank, like a serial killers basement, not weed), musty scent took over from the frootiness. A stale hop scent. Some light grain, and perhaps a touch of pine as well. 2.75

Similar on the tongue, with a bit of alcohol kick right at the front of the palate that carried throughout the tastebuds. Some of the frooty hops carried through, but the dominant taste aspect was still the stale hops. 2.5

The body was the light-medium of the presumed style, carried good carb, and had a medium finish that dried out after a moment. 3.0

Drinkability was OK, well, as OK as an old, stale IPA gets. A slight chore to finish, and I probably wouldn’t want another.

Overall, an unimpressive brew. Maybe it’s better fresher? 2.5




And now here is the review, officially entered:

https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/2210/269906/

 

Howdy NBW! I have a few new ones up for today, and I'm glad to be able to share them with you all. I played my first show with the modular synth rig last night. It went alright. Most of the issues weren't performance-related but rather sound quality related. Live sound is very tricky, and the show was geared more towards noisy stuff. My set was noisy but not intentionally... modular synths spit out a very hot signal that needs to be brought to a "normal" level for live play over a PA system. I used a friend's mixer to attempt to achieve this but it just sounded very uneven. There were times where I was happy with it, and luckily during that time I was happy with the performance but... I'm my own biggest critic and thought it was extremely flawed. Oh well, I know what I need to work on for the next times I get to play out.

Anyway, enough about me... here's a new American lager by Abomination Brewing Company.



Old Ghoulish is a cool 4.7% ABV and was canned on 2/10/22. It's not super fresh but a nice little lager like this should feel that couple months a lot less acutely than your typical hoppy beer these days, so not too worried. Pours clear golden with a voluminous head of bone-white foam that laces rather nicely as it sinks to a half-finger. Consistent though lazily-rising carbonation is apparent even five to ten minutes post initial pour. The nose is clean cereal grains with a hint of corn-like adjunct (not sure if this has any adjuncts in it, and I doubt it does but who knows? It is marketed as an American lager, after all...) and a surprising whiff of grassy, slightly-"dank" hops. I find it funny that I use this word because the store employee who recommended I get it told me he had gotten into an argument with his co-worker's wife at a home beer tasting when she described it as smelling dank. When he was retelling the story, said co-worker didn't seem to be on his wife's side either but, ya know what? It's not like a Mosaic bomb or something of the sort, but I see what she's getting at! Not skunky or anything, but the grassy profile leads to a similar conclusion to my senses.

The flavor profile is rather well-balanced, with an upfront kiss of semi-sweet graininess mixed with a light parting note of subtle Noble-ish hops. Slightly sweet finish here as well; not dry at all. Slight grassiness and not much sulfur or anything notably-"off" to my tastebuds. Smooth feel and quite drinkable. I would definitely give this one a good drink any day!

 

NBS BIF Official Share Days are marathons, not sprints. With that in mind, my next one from @Roy_Hobbs comes from Forest and Main, a foeder-aged Mild Ale. it came across more as light Porter, but was still a nicely enjoyable brew: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/27273/596048/

 

Starting off quite light with a 4.2% IPA. This is my first beer from Five Boroughs.

3.71/5 rDev -4.4%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
by woodchipper from Connecticut

Poured from a 12oz can stamped “Canned on 03/04/22” to a Nonic at fridge temp.
A bright white head overfills a 16oz glass with a 12oz pour. The body is a light gold and slightly hazy, but far from opaque.
The aroma has a mild floral hop quality.
The taste gives the impression of a watered down NEIPA. No off flavors, just a real light version of a good beer. Finish is surprisingly dry.
The mouthfeel is similar to the taste, thin.
Not a bad choice if you want a low ABV IPA.

 

Up next is my first of two Schilling beers, though this one is part of their Resilience side project, which is focused on hoppy American ales. This is Arethusa, a 5.6% pale ale with Vic Secret, Citra, and Mosaic hops. I can't find a can date for it on the packaging itself, and this beer is conspicuously missing from their social media postings that I can see, but I think it's probably fairly fresh as the store I got it from only posts pictures of fresh beer they receive from more-local breweries and this was posted last week or so. Anyway...



Pours a pretty solid, cloudy pale-ish orange/gold color with a collar of head that doesn't ever really dissipate. Lacing is pretty decent and legs are minimal. Not much else to say here, honestly, but I feel like the unsaturated appearance doesn't do this one any favors. Kinda uninspiring.

Nose is great, though. I am an unabashed lover of Vic Secret, and I put it above many other modern hops due to its complexity and intriguing spice note, and that comes out here, too. Leafy and a bit dank with slight fennel undertones and notes of peach rings, passion fruit, and ripe mango flesh.

Flavor is crackery and fruity upfront, mixing flavors of tangelo and white grape with peach/apricot and some of the spice/herbal complexity from the nose. Mosaic is helping here, for sure, but VS is seemingly the main act, and I'm totally okay with that. A hint of grassiness and even subtle floral aspects as it opens a bit... feel is nice and crisp, drinkable and enjoyable. I haven't had many of the Resilience beers (maybe I semi-consciously skip them over typically due to the lack of can dating, who knows) but this one is worth a look. It has an amount of complexity balancing well with a drinkability that is kind of exclusive to pale ales... not overly hoppy and aggressive, but just right in my opinion, and with a low-ish ABV to match. Into it!

 

Ok I’m going to cross post with WBAYDN because this is a new beer to me and I thought it was worth posting about. So my daughter’s third tournament game after two on Saturday was canceled. We were not too broken up about it since it meant enjoying a sunny Sunday at home. So now I’m reading a book on the patio while drinking and pausing to hit up BA.

My new beer is Schilling Paulus Munich-style Helles. I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve had so far from Schilling and this one is no exception. Pours a light golden color, slightly cloudy, not clear. Smells a bit like hay or grass. Taste is slightly malty but with that almost spicy and a little bitter noble hop bite. Nice, clean aftertaste. Great example of a helles lager. I’d happily drink this all spring and summer. Cheers!

 

Good afternoon NBW
I was holding this one for an upcoming tasting, but it's right at three months. No time like the present.

Maplewood In Dark Trees
16oz can stamped 01/21/22 poured into a becher glass at fridge temp 5% ABV. The beer pours opaque, medium brown in color with light brown head. The head recedes to an uneven ring and a few scattered bubbles. The aroma is mild with earthy unsweetened cocoa. The taste follows with earthy, roasty malt flavors and moderately strong bitterness. The mouthfeel is thin to medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, good.

Cheers all!

 

I was also a fan of that one. A lot of flavor.

 

I thought this was a beer worthy of post here....Pipeworks Special Reserve 2017...

3.96/5 rDev -5.5%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4
by ZebulonXZogg from Illinois

Pours a ruddy reddish brown, tiny khaki head faded in a flash, no lacing. Booze, upfront and foremost, toffee, caramel leather some ash and burnt sugar., taste buds get all that and more. Thin, but it feels "oily and sticky".. I expected some heat from the 3 years it spent in barrels and 14.9%, but this went down pretty easily, I'd buy this again in a heartbeat!

The can notes say Bourbon Barrel Aged Ale with Cacao Nibs, Vanilla and Milk Sugar, I didn't get the Cacao and Vanilla, but it was really good if you like big ballsy beers, I do!

 

Late start for me to New Beer Sunday #896. Part Deux from Jester King, this one an English Dark Ale I can't wait to try. I see these are being canned now, but this bottle is nearing 5 years old, and more concerned with how this style may have held up vs. the saison enjoyed yesterday.

Jester King Commercial Suicide



Bottle Notes: 25.4 oz, 3.3% ABV. Brewed and bottled by Jester King Brewery, Austin, Texas. Batch #11 06/15/2017. Purchased May 2020, cellared until 1/9/22, refrigerated thereafter.

Ingredients: Infiltered Hill Country Well Water, Two Row Pale from Blacklands Malt, Malted Barley, Oats, Hops, Mixed Culture of Brewers Yeast, Native Yeast, and Native Bacteria. Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans.

Inspired by traditional English Mild Ale, Commercial Suicide retains the sessionability of its classic counterpart while taking on its own unique sense of place through fermentation in an oak foudre with yeasts and bacteria native to the Texas Hill Country. Unfiltered, unpasteurized and 100% bottle conditioned.

Appearance: Clear ice tea colour base, light carbonation, generous off-white leaves generous thin bubbly lacing. 4.0

Aroma: Roast malt, barley, cinnamon, oak. Smells like a spiced / Christmas ale. 3.75

Taste: Malt, nutmeg, cinnamon, chocolate, light oak. Getting a bit of milk chocolate as well. Many flavors, unexpected from this style but really enjoying this beer which held up well over time. Not sure how this changed from the original, but digging it now. 4.25

Mouthfeel: Dry, lightly bitter overall despite the sweet taste. Thin body, mild carbonation sustained throughout. Light easy drinking, clean finish. 4.25

Overall: This beer held up well over time, bottle conditioning worked well. Somewhat of a hybred between a traditional Dark Mild Ale and a "Farmhouse" style. See that these are being canned now, will try to hunt down a fresher version to compare against my experience today. Overall, I enjoyed this take by Jester King, and would seek again. 4.0

Looking forward to catching up on the threads now that I have some time.

 

NBS BIF #15 Share Day continues with another from Fox Farm, via @Roy_Hobbs , Quiet Life Czeck Pils. Quite a nice quaffer: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45832/342782/

 

Waldo’s Special Ale


A divisive release if the comments in WBAYDN are typical. I have always passed in this one as most related experiences from friends has been you’ll love the hoppy bitterness and dislike the maltiness. I’ll leave off descriptions as this beer is very well documented.

Well, they were right. I do enjoy a bitter beer, even very bitter beers. However when maliness crosses over too far to syrup, I check out. I understand this maltiness will be a point of pleasure for some folks. More power to you. Not for me. I’ll get another single next year to see if the ratio shifts a bit.

 

Greetings all from the great northwest where we are sunny and warm. Temps in the upper 60s so we'll do a little spring planting.

Today we we have Moon Man from New Glarus brewing.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/590/56738/

It's ok. A little on the light and thin side.

Until next time

 

Switching it up from a quaffable light lager to a decidedly heavy, thick, turbid DIPA. DDH Double Nelson Daydream from Other Half. I love what they do with Nelson hops and this beer is crazy.

Pours a thick, turbid orange with a big old fluffy head. Smells somewhat like gummy bears or some other candy. Also a whiff of white grape juice. Taste is a big hit of white wine/grape juice. Sweet but also bitter. This is juice in the best way when I’m in the mood for a NE style IPA. Very thick and creamy, especially with the hot of lactose. Great beer but for me, a once in a great while type of beer.

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