New Beer Weekend #92

From @snaotheus I’m enjoying Georgetown Bodhizafa IPA while I get dinner prepped.



Pours a deep gold with ample foaming head that dissipates slowly leaving a thin film across the top of the beer. Light lacing.

‘Olde fashioned’ balanced IPA aromas greet the nose. Light pine, sweet grains. A hint of the dank.

Taste follows. Strong malt backbone, as they say, with some now classic PNW hop notes jumping around on the tongue.

Medium body.

This is a top notch classic IPA. As a ticker, I’m willing to say I’d buy this in multiples were it available near me. Thanks Ryan!

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Samplers and commentators. We spent a nice couple of days at the Shore - looking forward to getting down there more this season. I actually spend a fair amount of time on the mainland visiting favorite breweries. Yesterday, I stopped briefly at favorites Ludlam Island and Slack Tide, and then we had dinner at MudHen Brewing - one of the few brew pub licensees in the area. I ended up reviewing 4 new-to-me beers but this is my only "official" NBW post: Reuben's Brews' Robust Porter, which I received from @snaotheus in last fall's BIF #14.

Canned on 9/28/2021. It pours mahogany brown with cola hues and sports a full finger of creamy, light khaki head and clinging lacing. It has a full, fragrant nose with burnt coffee, dark chocolate, bready malt, and burnt nuts. It's nice and roasty with lots of toasted brown bread, burnt coffee, bakers chocolate, and earthy, nutty char. There is just a hint of caramel sweetness but on the whole it's roasty and bitter. It's medium-bodied and moderately carbonated and the 5.9% ABV easily allows for a second pour or can. Overall, this is a very solid, well-crafted Porter with enough substance to pair with a hearty meal but also appropriate for casual drinking. Thank you, Ryan, I enjoyed this one a lot!

4.05/5 rDev +3.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Cheers, NBW!

 

Exactly the way I felt about this beer. I didnt post it here just WBAYDN. Same thoughts about the many similarities between NEIPAs...

 

Here's my second Schilling beer for today... another new-to-me experience. A foeder-lagered smoked Baltic porter clocking in at a generous 8.9% ABV.

Pours a nice deep-brown with some red undertones around the edges. The lagering process has made it fairly clear for dark beer standards, with some slight translucence if held up to direct light. Head formation is quick and dense, with modest retention and stable bubbles appearing. Not much lace, though legs are nice and the surface is very much covered with a blanket of khaki suds for a while after decanting.

Nose is rich with brown bread and roasty maltiness, though I think the smokiness leaves something to be desired. It's very subtle and, though I know such an element can be very easily overdone and come off unbalanced, the amount present here seems like it barely qualifies as "smoked." Still, I think everything else about this seems nicely on-brand and on-style. Hoping to taste some smoke and enjoy the smoothness of the usual Baltic porter flavor profile.

First sip is charred grains followed by a clean finish of soft smoke. Okay, the smoke does come out a bit, but it's still a little under what I expected. That said, this is very smooth, and I enjoy the rich maltiness. Flavors of raisin, molasses, and toasted bread crusts with just a hint of toffee-like sweetness. Smoke enhances a bit as it warms, but never quite gets to the level I'd want. Don't wanna dwell on that element, but I'm kind of a fiend for the smoke so take it with a grain of salt I suppose. Enjoyable stuff.

 

And now there mystery beer, courtesy of @ovaltine BIF 15.



Pours a slightly opaque, verging close to clear, bronze color. The head formed quite quickly, remains in he form of a nice see through layer of white with some bigger bubbles mixed in a sheet of white. Swirling the glass leads to some nice lacing. 3.75

On appearance alone, I haven’t smelled yet, I’m going some sort of more traditional hoppy beer. Aroma time…

So the nose sort of supports my initial guess but also there is something slightly acidic going on like verging on saison like territory, there is even some super low level of funk to me. I also however do still get some hoppiness. There is also an almost white grape/white wine like smell to it, I also pick up on some orangey citrus. This beer is throwing me for a loop which I like so aroma…4

At this point I’m guessing this is some sort of different take on a hoppy beer…still haven’t tasted…

Well OK!! My hop theory just went out the window. But…there is definitely a noticeable grassy like taste in the finish. But it is mostly ester yeast driven flavors. Little bit of spice and a slightly sweet touch paired with that spice. Also I’m editing to add a brown sugar like taste as well. Comes out as it warms. 3.75

Now I’m leaning some sort of Belgium dibble or tripel but maybe with an American twist…

Mouthfeel, soft yet pretty noticeable carbonation, grassy low bitterness, warming alcohol in the chest and a lingering after taste. 3.5

Ok I’m gonna go with some sort of dubbel or tripel but there is something else going on that is throwing me off. Im gonna sip while I grill and then reveal…this was a fun one Mike! I’m not sure how much my initial impression skewed what I smelled and tasted. We’ll find out soon

 

Im on your side on this one. The thing that really dissapoints me though is they changed the formula significantly from last year- MHO. And Im thinking that has to do with the buyout...just Loke Brown Shugga and the many others....

 

This next new one is tangentially related to NBS BIF #15 in the fact that I bought the bottle to send to @FBarber in a box this weekend. but, on my way downtown this morning, my duffel bag fell of the bench at the bus stop, and landed just so, that the cap started leaking just a bit of bubbles. Obviously, FBarber will have to wait until I swing by and grab another bottle.

Any way, Otherlands Explorer's Club Extra, Well Hopped Saison, Batch 2 is a tasty brew: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/59482/600776/

 

Tofino Kelp Stout

3.89/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4




Can poured in a snifter , both received from @Beersnake1 in Bif15

Brewer Notes: If there’s one sentiment that’s constantly repeated among craft beer drinkers it is, “This beer is good but it needs more seaweed!” If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it a thousand times. Well folks, message received. Tofino Brewing Company presents to you the Kelp Stout. A dark, rich, full-bodied ale brewed with locally harvested Kelp, giving a unique, umami-type quality to this complex beer.

Dark cola like liquid capped by a bubbly taupe foam cap, good retention, good lacings

Aroma is milk chocolate

Taste is roast malts

Good sudsing, lighter body

Good beer. Kelp stout! Who knew? Thanks @Beersnake1

 

Here’s an interesting note: you’ve had that beer before me (it’s a new release from the brewery).

Surprise!!!

 

Greetings and salutations all,
NBS BIF #15 share date and I finally got to take a break and drink my mystery beer. Here are my thoughts-
Poured dark brown, with carbonation so exited to escape the can it flowed out into the sink. The half life of the head was about 3 seconds, the head was completely gone by the time I finished pouring.
The aroma was interesting, dark roasted malts and red wine. Okay, I’ve had stouts aged in wine barrels before.
The taste followed for about a sip. Then vinegar shows up for a sip or two. Then around sip 3 or 4, the heat kicked in. Cinnamon? Peppers? Flavor suggests the former.
Somewhere around sip 6 the heat takes over and elbows the subtler flavors out. Oddly a burst of port appears for a sip occasionally, but never stays long.
The feel is curious as there is no carbonation and virtually no viscosity.
I think it’s a stout brewed with either peppers or cinnamon and aged in wine barrels. If it’s peppers, then there may be no wine barrels.

No reveal, @colts9016 kept the label. It’s a true mystery!
So how close did I get Jammin?

 

Talk about a new beer … I had to create the profile for this one just to review it (apologies if it’s a duplicate, I searched both Ale Apothecary and North Fork and found nothing).

Brouwer’s Cafe 16th Anniversary: The North Fork Collaboration

Preliminary review below:

4.28/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
by draheim from Washington

375mL bottle (bottled 12/15/2020) into a tulip. Pours a clear golden color with minimal head that dissipates almost instantly, champagne-like. Lively carbonation rises from the bottom of the glass.

Aroma is tart and bright, lightly funky. Clean pale malt, wild yeast.

Taste is likewise lively and crisp, tart and vinous. Pale malt, Chardonnay, honey, oak.

Mouthfeel is light and refreshing, clean. Carbonation tickles the palate and finishes crisp and sharp.

Overall a really nice, straightforward oak aged beer, delicious and well crafted.

 

And the reveal...a dry hopped 9% saison. I knew there was some hoppiness and some belgian to this thing. Reading back I'm gonna say I wasn't too far off with this one surprisingly. I wanna say I went dubble/tripel just cause of the heat and abv...that was a fun one, good one for a mystery beer @ovaltine. I'm hoping mine does the same for you. Cheers! PS if you forgot mine mystery beer I sent you is 6.9%

 

Two beers from you are on my beer menu this evening, including the mystery beer. Can. Not. Wait.

 

Okay, last entry for the week...



This is Definitive/Dream State's collab triple IPA, Dreaming in Space. It clocks in at 10.5% ABV and features Nelson, Citra, Galaxy, and Simcoe hops. That is a veritable who's-who of modern, awesome hop varietals... think we may have a big-time winner on our hands here, folks.

Pour is nice... saturated properly and looking dense, with a cloudy body that is topped off by a modestly-retaining head that lingers for a few minutes before sinking to a quarter-finger. Lace is an impeccable sheet of solid thin suds, and the legs are well-defined as well. Great pour... looking forward to sinking my teeth into this one.

Nose is intoxicating all on its own... a mélange of crushed white grape with hints of guava and passion fruit. Intense acidity here, which I do typically associate with Nelson-forward IPAs, but this one has it in spades. Dank and complex... punchy yet round. Grassiness and elements of tangerine peel come out as it starts opening up. Oh yeah, this one is worthy. I can just tell!

Flavor profile is exquisite, which isn't surprising. Thick and lingering, with flavors ranging from pineapple to gooseberry to yuzu to mango and many things in between. It's not creamy like a smoothie or fruited IPA, though, and the body is well-attenuated without being too dry. Bitterness hits in the finish right alongside a pronounced deep stone fruit aspect that somehow comes across as if it fits in perfectly here. Maybe due to the contrast it provides? Not sure... I just know that this is excellent. Love it... will seek out again.

Until next time, NBW... good stuff today!!

 

Waits patiently...

 

Back to the punishment delivered upon me by @Roy_Hobbs , this time with The Cottage, a Helles from Fox Farm. Fuller and a bit sweeter than I'm used to in the style, but still nicely quaffable: https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/45832/399457/

 

It was a bit of a chore, but not hard work......

 

Jealous of your Slack Tide visit, seriously has to be one of my new favorite NJ breweries and it seems like they had a few new beers, just no distro yet. That barleywine and the citrus saison, my brother in law lives in Estelle Manor. We're hoping to visit the brewery sometime in the summer together.

 

PS: I think you were all over the style, IMHO, Jon. “Imperial Dry Hopped Saison” is just a fancy way of saying “Belgian Tripel.” Very well done.