New Beer Weekend #245

I survived my encounter @2beerdogs! Glad I stayed an extra day so I could hang with you again, Derek. I had a great time.

Now, trying to catch up on things family wants me to do, like assemble shelves and process photos...


Obelisk - Auspicious Sign: Chapter One
Smoked bockbier at 5.8%

16oz can served in a curvy Monhegan pint glass. Think the canned on date is 03/03/2025.

Pours dark reddish-brown with a big, two finger , dense head that settles into a pretty even, pretty thick skin. Smell is moderate campfire, dates and figs, stewed cherries, malty.

Taste is again moderate smoke, sweet and earthy, dates and figs and a little wood. Something bright and fruity in the aftertaste makes it really interesting.

Mouthfeel is medium bodied with a nice prickly effervescence. Very good, interesting beer, wish it was a little smokier.

 

Absolutely mutual, my friend. You're a hero for a lot of us for your amazing retirement. Loved discussing the canal. In fact, I was speaking with my (adult) son today and told him that among the topics on last night's call were the canal in France and the merits of burning different woods in our fireplaces. How cool is that? Cheers!

 

Oh God please tell me -beer stings-isnt some new disease I could catch. Beer is the only thing that makes me happy lately

 

Both of which can be done with a beer close by

Sorry @LeRose hopefully we’re able to see you next weekend, a glass of beer; such a small thing, can bring so much joy. Hope you got some good tea or something for this week.

 

Wayfinder - Lunar Incantations black IPA

16oz can served in a big snifter. Can is dated 01/24/25.

Pours stout black. Medium sized head, thick ring and thin dusting after some settling time, lots of carbonation. Smell is roasty nutty toffee and pine and grapefruit.

Taste is definitely on the bitter side, at first I thought it was serious roast bitterness and then I was convinced it was hop bitterness...and now I can't decide. There's a lot of both. Pine and grapefruit and honeysuckle with burnt coffee.

Mouthfeel is medium, slightly chalky. Really nice beer.

 

TH No Citra, No Problems


4.08/5 rDev -1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Picked up at Deerfield 3/8 and cracked 3/30. Pours a rich golden murk glug glug with a beautiful sustained head that was sticky sweet down the side of my glass. Aroma is peach mango: taste follows with a sweet dull fruit salad (yeah no citra), feel is soft, some dry smacky for TH, getting some dank as it warms. Maybe it’s super hopped and the mild soft weed comes through. In the pantheon of great TH, this is a 4, knowing TH pushes the high end of expectations. Yes, I would in a heart beat marry Kathy Ireland, even with her best friends with Kim Alexis, Elle McPherson, and Kelly Emberg. An embarrassment of riches at TH!
#firstworldproblems!!!

 

Drekker Raspberry Cinnamon Toast Crunch Slang Du Jour Sour à la Mode, 6.4% ABV. Pours opaque dark red with a one-finger pink head that left puree residue and lacing. Aroma is raspberry, strawberry and cinnamon cereal. Taste follows, moderately sweet, equally tart. As with many of their sours, plum is used to take the sour edge off the tart fruit. Decent mouthfeel, overall excellent.

4.06/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

Haven't used the Snörkel in a while. It used to be my go-to glass, and I have at least four spares because I was worried I'd break them. Never have.

 

Covert - Egg Pie, 2024 vintage imperial stout aged in Buffalo Trace

16oz can served in a snulip. 2024 vintage. Sent to me by @bbtkd in Stout/Barleywine BIF #2.

Pours murky black with no head initially, slowly some wisps and a thin ring emerge after the pour. Smell is booozy. Tons of chocolate and molasses, some char. Vanilla, dates.

Taste is hot, but not as hot as the smell. Syrup sweetness, burnt molasses. Some cola or horehound. Pecans and looots of caramel.

Mouthfeel is thick, rich, smooth, velvet. Overall, very nice beer.

 

And best of all, no egg! Covert Artisan has a club, and the members participate in suggesting and testing beers. The nickname of one of the members is "Egg Pie", and they named it after him. Glad you like it!

 

Are you Egg Pie?

 

Nope, not me!

 

shite typing or as usually shoddy AI

 

The lack of egg saddens me

 

I am not sure I believe that, show me your non Egg Pie ID & not your fake Canadian one

 

Goose Island Big Mango Beer Hug Imperial IPA, 9.9% IPA; 3.87 overall

Pours an effervescent gold/bronze with a thumb+ of ivory colored head. Below average head retention & lacing

S: Mangos in spades, peaches & a little citrus once warmer

T: Follows the nose, a little dryness, a little orange sneaking in up front. Sweet mango, a touch of tangerine & green melon once this beer warms up. Finishes with a hint of pine & tangerine, but mostly mango with some dryness

MF: Medium body, subdued carbonation, a little acidity, skews too sweet for me. Carbonation picks up closer to room temperature

Lethal drinkability, the only thing slowing me down, not wild about mango, so too sweet & just a little under carbonated. I do think this would be dynamite with some Thai or Indian food

 

Love the top

 

Yeah way down the list when I visit in July...

 

Are you going to the Charlotte location? If so there is a great Indian food place there called Botiwalla. You can eat there or get it to go and eat at Fonta. I also suggest stopping at Birdsong for a few beers.

Have a great time.

Enjoy

 

Made it with time to spare to celebrate New Beer Sunday #1049! As promised, the second of two lagers from Indiana. Must have broke my 3 Floyds nonic glass, though this one belongs in a pilsner glass.

3 Floyds Deluxe Brand Lager

3.86/5 rDev +1.6%
look: 4 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4



3/30/25 - (Can - Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Purchased at Beer on the Wall for $2.27 on March 21, 2025 at store temperature, then refrigerated at home until opening this evening. 16 oz, canned 1/21/24. 4.5% ABV. A clean and refreshing lager. 3 Floyds Deluxe Brand Lager. Brewed and canned by 3 Floyds in Munster, Indiana.

Appearance: Poured about 3/4 of the can into a large flute cylinder Calrsberg half liter glass, yielding a generous creamy bubbly head that lingers briefly and then doesn't leave a trace beyond a light cover over the clear yellow golden straw colored clear slightly foggy base with mild sustained carbonation. 4.0

Aroma: Smells like Saaz hops and cracker, but not sure of the actual ingredients. Smells OK, mild in strength. 3.5

Taste: Pretty salty, beyond my threshold, and cracker. Somewhat sweet, nice strong hops give more balance than typicall AAL offerings. 4.0

Mouthfeel: Crisp, clean and refreshing. Easy drinking consistent with the ABV. Light to medium body enhanced by the fizzy sustained carbonation. Mild dryness. Nice finish of hops, cracker, and the salt fades as I continue or at least get used to it.. 3.75

Overall: This is a good balanced lager, better than many craft and most macro versions. Crisp hops, slight bitterness, no corn or other sweet characteristics found in many of these selections. Nice beer at an even better price for a craft selection. Thanks as always 3 Floyds! 4.0

I came across @Victory_Sabre1973 's review and thought it may be too sweet based on my preferences, but thankfully I took away more hops, less malt and any adjuncts, and this worked out well to cap off the weekend.

Cheers!