New Beer Weekend #276

Structures - Freak Folk Retropolis Fresh Hop Mosaic DIPA

16oz can served in a curvy Monhegan pint glass. No date on the can, and I won't stop complaining until they start putting dates on the cans. Dammit, Structures. You make good beer. Stop giving me a good reason not to buy your fucking beer. You specialize in hazy IPA, with no date. So I don't buy it, except in special cases where I know it's fresh.

Pours is murky whitish-yellow with a small, dense, creamy head. Not much active carbonation that I can see at arm's length. On the pour, the beer just reeks of hops. Banana peel, tons of melon and bubble gum.

Taste is massive overripe tropical fruit, a veritable wave of melon and fruit skin bitterness. Strong sweetness and even stronger, sharper bitterness.

Mouthfeel is almost chewy, smooth, narrowly avoiding sticky. Overall, this is excellent. And fuck you, Structures, for continuing to not date your fucking beer.

 

Elder Pine Brewing & Blending Co. - Burning Brighter Than A Supernova
6.7% Hazy IPA brewed with Nectaron and Citra. Very bright and juicy up front, yet balanced with a nice bitterness and firm dryness on the finish. My type of Hazy IPA!

Cross-posted in What Mid-Atlantic beer are you drinking now? (2025) and WBAYDN #4761

 

von Trapp x Bissel Bros collab

Polotmavy

This is my first go with a Czech amber lager, and lack of comparisons aside, this is well brewed. Light in body with a nice soft drying bitterness gives this such great drinkability. Available flavors range from brown bread, graham cracker, pecan, and dark grape before they transition to a delicate dry hop kiss with indeed....a spruce note finishing things off. I wanted to savor this new beer experience and ponder its taste and order of development, but it was just too drinkable. I made quick work of this one. This is a delicious lager and belongs to a subgenre that I'll be seeking more from.

 

Welcome everyone to New Beer Sunday #1080! Back with another from the BA Big Beer Box, with this and the remaining six others traditional beers, so no fears cracking this one open.

Icarus Pound of Mosaic Feathers

4.06/5 rDev +1.8%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25



11/02/25 - (Can, Home) (Chicago, IL) Can Notes: Purchased via the Beer Advocate Fall 2025 Big Beer Box. Can Stamp Howdy, Hy!, numbers for possible can date indecipherable. Refrigerated upon receipt of shipment. 7.1% ABV 16 oz can. American Imperial Pilsner brewed with German Pilsner Malt, lightly hopped with German Callista and Huell Melon. Dry hopped with American Lupulin Mosaic during an extended lagering period. Store Cold, Drink Fresh. Brewed & Canned in Brick, New Jersey.

Appearance: Poured a little less than half of the can into a tall slender Pilsner glass, yielding and unfiltered murky golden orange base, steady medium carbonation, and and aggressive head that lingered a couple of minutes before yielding clumpy soapy lacing and a creamy 1/3 inch sustained head before diving in. 3.5

Aroma: Traditional German pilsner malts, cracker, salty backed by pepper. Medium plus strength, higher enjoyment. 3.75

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, traditional German Pilsner, cracker, pepper, peppercorns, mineral water. Stronger than the aroma, and very nice. 4.25

Mouthfeel: This is stronger than the typical Pilsner, but enjoyable and feels easier than the Imperial 7.1% ABV. Sustained gentle prickly carbonation adds to the light water body also buoyed by a heavier than typical pilsner malt and hop presence. Dry, a nice bitterness to balance out the sweetness. Pepper cracker start to finish. 4.0

Overall: I typically would gravitate toward a standard Pilsner, but the higher Imperial ABV works with this selection, more noticed in the heavier malt and hop presence. This is my first from this brewery, and this selection has me wanting more options down the road. 4.25

 

Good Sunday morning and thank you @JackHorzempa for the fun and interesting kick off this week.
Its full on fall here in the 413, leaves are mostly down, south bird migration is winding down, and the west wind is more dominant, and leaning north.
Todays offering is from Pohjala, a luxurious sipper, packed like Tetrus with layers. A true delight to be sought out.
Cheers all

Château Noir

Baltic Porter | 12% ABV
Põhjala Brewery & Tap Room in Tallinn, Estonia

Reviewed by SABERG from Massachusetts

4.24/5 rDev -3.6% | Average: 4.4
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from the 11.2 oz bottle, with a BB date of 28.1.2026.
A - Noir indeed, deep dark brown, with a thin ring of assembled spheres. a swirl shows the offerings viscous nature.
S - Dark chocolate, dark cherry, a bit of black pepper, red wine elements without any tannins.
T - German chocolate, cherry jam, bakers chcolate, white pepper, rich Bordeaux elements.
M - Sinful, luxurious. Slick on the palate, with a pleasant finish, linger is spicy and weeks long
O - A spectacular offering with every element as advertised. I will be looking for more

 

Back with another semi-holiday beer, Southern Tier Maple Warlock:

Appearance: Dark brown, good head.

Smell: Pumpkin-y, spices, smells like the candle store in fall.

Taste: Moderate sweetness, then it's a mix of mild chocolate and pumpkin spices. Medium-heavy body. Long finish, plenty of the pumpkin spice flavor remains.

Overall: Picked up a single to try, I'm not a pumpkin beer guy but I'll give them a fair shot. This is definitely interesting, has the pumpkin spice flavors but the maple and chocolate give additional depth. Worth a try.

 

Grace Street Stout from Bickford Brewing Co.

Poured a 473ml can into a pint glass. A big three finger bubbly brown head on black. The head diminishes to a layer that sticks around to the end. Some patchy lacing.

A mild coffee smell. The taste follows the nose. Toasted malts dominate. Coffee, cocoa. A dry finish.

A smooth and creamy texture. Medium body and carbonation. It hits the style of a classic Oatmeal Stout. Well worth a try.

4/5 rDev +2.6%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

Thanks to @JackHorzempa for kicking off NBW!

Today, I've got a Drekker/Widowmaker collab Pointy Pete The Sword Swallower NEIPA, 6.66% ABV. This was one of their 11th anniversary beers. Pours hazy light-orange with a 3+ finger white head that left great lacing. Aroma is citrus and light pine. Taste is citrus and pine, slightly sweet, moderately bitter. Decent slightly juicy mouthfeel, overall very good.

3.87/5 rDev -3.7%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

 

Greetings, New Beer explorers! Thanks to @JackHorzempa for getting things started.

The New Beer I enjoyed on Friday night was actually an old favorite that I haven't had in almost 15 years. It's made by a new brewer these days, so as far as I'm concerned it might as well be a New Beer.



Trader Joe's Belgian Vintage Ale 2025

Look:
The body is a deep reddish-brown with ruby highlights. It is capped by a mound of cream-colored, meringue-like foam that lasts to the bottom of the glass. It gets top marks for retention and an above-average grade for lacing.

Smell:
Leads with tons of rich malt fortified by candi sugar. Notes of allspice and pepper leap from the surface. A muted combination of prunes, raisins, and figs lurks underneath.

Taste:
The flavor sticks to the flight plan established by the nose. There's plenty of rich malt up front, laden with the flavor of candi sugar yet not too sweet. (Nice trick, that.) Dried fruits follow: mostly prunes and figs with dried cherries adding some brighter colors around the edges. The beer dries considerably through the middle. Delicate notes of allspice, cloves, and pepper peek through. The warming finish is bittersweet, with a dot of caramel for roundness and a reprise of the malty intro. Fruit and spices linger in the aftertaste.

Feel:
The body is medium, but feels lighter due to the lively carbonation. The bubbles are tiny, and they provide a subtle texture to the silken body. The mouthfeel borders on frothy. The light glow of alcohol heat is far less than expected from a 9% beer.

Overall:
It's been almost 15 years since my last bottle of Trader Joe's Belgian Vintage Ale, and the beer is now brewed by Brouwerij Van Steenberge instead of Unibroue. I really can't say how closely the 2025 vintage resembles earlier versions. What I can say is that this is a delightful dark strong Belgian Ale, rich and spicy and not too sweet. And while the price has inevitably gone up, the beer remains an incredible value. I'm looking forward to opening a bottle at Thanksgiving dinner.

 

Good afternoon BAs! My new to me beer today is The Crisp Pilz from Sixpoint Brewery:



Pale gold body with excellent clarity; tight white head; very good cap retention; heavy ring; bands of soapy lace. Bready malt nose. Taste follows nose. Crisp clean mouth feel with moderate carbonation. A very enjoyable beer on a warm afternoon.

4.5 | 4.25 | 4.25 | 4.5 | 4.25
Score: 4.29 rDev +9.4%

A tasty pilsner. Part of Sixpoint’s mix/12 pk. I’d gladly drink again.

 

A second new to me beer today - Sixpoint’s “The Piff” a “Hazy DIPA”, with Idaho 7, Citra, and El Dorado:



Deep gold; barely hazy; tight white head; poor cap retention; thin ring. Pineapple nose, barely. Taste is lemon, and pineapple; semi sweet. Light body (despite oat addition); moderate minus carbonation; no warmth from 8.6% ABV; watery feel. Overall, a pretty wimpy, watery “hazy DIPA“; tastes fine and is easy to drink, nevertheless.

4.25 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0 | 4.0
Score: 4.02 rDev +6.3%

Another new beer from the mixed 12/pk. The beer tastes fine and is poundable, but a NE DIPA?, please…

 

Tread Lightly from Muskoka Brewery

Only 4% ABV but they make up for it by packaging it in a stovepipe.

From a 568ml can packaged on July 07 2025. Poured into a pilsner glass. A big three finger fine white head on a clear pale yellow. Excellent head retention. It sticks around to the end. Sheets of fine lacing.

A very mild malt smell. A nice clean taste. A bit nondescript but pleasant flavour.

A light body with good carbonation. Overall a pretty good Light Lager. Easily drinkable and sessionable. A fine summer quencher.

3.76/5 rDev +0.8%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75

 

Good Sunday afternoon, New Beer Sippers and commentators. A couple of Bottle Logic Imperial Stouts recently landed in one of my go-to stores. They are pricey at $26.99/bottle. I reviewed Fundamental Observation a few weeks ago and it was my highest rated beer of 2025 thus far. I was hesitant to spend so much on a blueberry s'mores stout but decided to give it a shot. And I'm glad I did. Despite the adjuncts it doesn't come across as overly gimmicky. It is more tart than sweet. It takes a brewery of Bottle Logic's caliber to pull this off.

Inky black pour. The medium-mocha-colored head fizzled away almost instantly. The smell is rich with chocolate, marshmallow, brown sugar, bourbon, and just a whiff of blueberry. I wasn't sure how the blueberry would blend with the s'mores flavors but it works well. In fact, the blueberry presence is much greater than I expected and is more tart than sweet. The cocoa nibs and marshmallow rest in the background. While initially the barrel influence was strong and rather hot, it mellowed as the Stout breathed. The mouth feel is liter than I anticipated. And there is no escaping the 14.4% ABV. This is very much a sipper.

4.41/5 rDev -1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5

Cheers!

 

This beer - at least an earlier vintage of this beer - had the strongest and most authentic blueberry flavour of any blueberry flavoured beer I’ve tried. It’s really impressive. It’s one I wish was easier to get up here.

Cheers!

 

I have not had many Burlington Beer Company beers. This is the only the 2nd that I have reviewed.
This is Stainless Forest, an 8.2% hazy. The websites says that the name derives from the way they sometimes feel walking throught the tanks in the brewhouse.

3.56/5 rDev -15%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 3.75
Purchased cold yesterday from a cooler in a small liquor store and kept cold until severed. Poured to a Nonic from the 16oz undated can.
The body pours out a hazy apricot color. It is quite opaque but you can brighten it holding the glass to a light. The white head begins with medium bubbles, but fades to a topographical micro-foam, hilly head before settling to a thin covering with a thick ring over minutes. After fading, lacing is very good. Lacing is aggressive.
The aroma is rather mild with maybe hints of melon and some dankness.
The taste is more powerful with berries, melon and a considerable hop-bite finish.
The mouthfeel is slightly creamy. Carbonation is just a little more aggressive than it should be.
Overall, nice mouthfeel, good berry flavor but the finish is harsher than I wanted it to be. Reminder-there is no way for me to tell the age or cold-chain adherence on this can. The brewery’s website says that it is available all year round, but it does not appear on the “Current Lineup” page as I drink this.

 

This is not OH's best work. Canned 9/17/25 and weighs in at 6.5% ABV. Featured hops are Motueka, Peacharine, Galaxy, Citra, and Citra Incognito.

Its looks and scents are promising, but the drinking experience has me wanting a bit more. Flavors are somewhat muted, this lacks the depth that OH usually delivers. Citrus, unripened peach, kiwi, and some dank weed notes are available. Some resin and bitterness can be had. Things seem in place, but the depth is just lacking. This trends more towards NE Pale Ale territory than IPA, which is not an awful thing by any means, but considering the price this should bring the goods. Overall ok, but not awesome

 

I've been thinking a bit about the annual pumpkin beer blend that @JackHorzempa talked about in the opening post of this thread.

While I don't have anything as formal (or annual) as Jack's blend, it occurred to me that I do have a blend which is kind of a go-to here at stately Vurt Manor.

Whenever I pick up a barrel-aged Fremont stout these days, I like to have a can or two of their regular Dark Star Oatmeal Stout on hand. Their BA stouts can be really sweet, so I add Dark Star to pull back the sweetness without getting in the way of the barrel character or additional flavorings.

Example: Last year they released a barrel-aged cuvee called Coalescence. I thought it was tasty, but much too sweet for me. A 50/50 blend of Coalescence and Dark Star, on the other hand, was terrific. The roastiness and bitterness of Dark Star cut into the sweetness without stepping on the bourbon, vanilla, and coconut.