New Beer Weekend #278

Winner for name…Prost Malone

 

Love the glass

 

1) Phase Three All Pixel Everything (8.0% canned 8/18/25): A NEIPA from Chicago with Citra, Motueka and Nelson Sauvin for flavors of orange, green melon, berries, tropical grape.
versus
2) BlackStack Honeymoon Phase (8.0% no canning date): A NEIPA from Minnesota with Mosaic and Krush for flavors of bright pink grapefruit, orange, pineapple, dank pine and stonefruit. (Correctly matched the two blind)

Phase Three vs. BlackStack IPA Battle. First is Phase Three, All Pixel Everything. My favorite IPA of 2025 and bought so many and it's nearing three months so putting it up against pretty much everything I buy.
Up against BlackStack with a fresh, wet hop IPA. This is BlackStack's first wet hop IPA. Some Mosaic and Krush for flavors of pink grapefruit, pineapple, and stonefruit, but also a distinct dank pine note. But the dankness starts to tame as the beer sets allowing more of the hop flavor complexity to come through. It's smooth and really good. Great fresh beer from BlackStack. Some of these names though, I don't know.
Winner: Phase Three All Pixel Everything

 

Quick break of the likely final shorts weather day of 2025 in Chicago. Opted for an NA I tried at FOBAB last week. The brewery rep gave me a six pack to take home, so able to take a deep dive and properly review this afternoon.

Best Day Brewing Kolsch

4.41/5 rDev +17.3%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.5 | overall: 4.5



11/15/25 - (Can, comped from courtesy six pack by brewery representative at FOBAB) - Can Notes: 12 oz canned 9/3/25 @ 4:01 PM. 55 Calories, 11g Carbohydrates, 3g protein, 0g fat. Ingredients: Water, Barley, Hops, Yeast. Near beer contains less than 0.5% Alc/vol. Brewed and packaged by Best Day Brewing Sausalito, California and under special agreement Waunakee, Wisconsin & Salt Lake City, Utah.

Brewed for doers, surfers, climbers, early-risers, free divers, chefs, gardeners, dancers, oyster farmers, dreamers, painters, builders, mothers, fathers, runners, hikers, walkers, makers, ranchers, nurses, wood workers, teachers, skiers, bikers, doctors, hot-air ballooners, entrepreneurs, clowns, bakers, tree huggers, people huggers, photographers, pit masters, neighbors, snowshoers, fishermen, fisherwomen, foragers, fans, musicians, poets, lifeguards…

Appearance: Poured about 2/3 of the can into a pint glass, yielding a generous bright white head that leaves generous splotchy lacing and a bubbly cover over the yellow golden hazy base. Mild sustained carbonation throughout. 4.0

Aroma: Nice traditional Kolsch flavors of grain and noble hops, medium plus strength. 4.25

Taste: Consistent with the aroma, noble hops, cracker with light pepper notes. Full flavored within my limited Low Alcohol beer experience. Very enjoyable. 4.5

Mouthfeel: Light and easy drinking, light body with some depth including light carbonation. A little dry, balanced, no artificial or off flavors I sometimes get with this style. Cracker noble hops finish, very nice. 4.5

Overall: This is an excellent Kolsch style beer, full stop. By far the best low alcohol beer I’ve tried to date. So glad I ran into this at FOBAB, and plan on getting more down the road and trying others from this brewery. 4.5

See you tomorrow with one from the BA Big Box.

 

Well it's the weekend, and like everyone else here, I'm in for one or more new beers.
I'm still working my way through a unique mix-case of uncommon Treehouse IPAs. I am saving the new ones for the weekends, though that plan may fall apart during this next week.
The description in the photo is hard to read so here is a copy-
Dear Cascade
(American Pale Ale, 5.2%, 16oz) Dear Cascade is an ode to the most legendary American hop: Cascade! Made with pale malts, classic American Ale yeast, and boatloads of field-fresh hops on both the hot and cold side, Dear Cascade is the most beautiful expression of this hop imaginable.

3.9/5 rDev -1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 3.75
Purchased cold nine days ago at Charlton in a mix-case, but it is priced at $16.40/4-pack. Kept cold until severed. Poured to a pretentious tulip-like glass from the 16oz stamped “LIVE WELL 10.24.25”.
The body pours out a slightly hazy orange. It does pass light and nucleation can be seen in the narrow lower part of the glass. Color is approximately SRM 4. The head is white, and large but fades to a single layer with a fat ring against the glass. Lacing happens, but it is subdued. The body clears up some during the session.
The aroma is mild and of sweetened grapefruit juice and subtle pine.
The taste is a little spicy, but the grapefruit really comes out, though more bitter than its play in the smell. Some pine on the finish, but not like a hardcore WCIPA.
There is a crisp character to this beer and with that slight haze it's a surprise. Carbonation is appropriate.
Overall- Well done, but not a wow beer. Probably a good way to experience Cascade if you love it or if you're one of the three craft beer people in the world that have never had it.

 

Apologize, I was posting in the wrong thread today. SMH

 

Never happens to me

 

Have a great Saturday BA. Me and my wife were up late and had some Cookout at 3AM. Slept in to 3pm and we came to Wise Man for the cider fest in Winston salem. I got a bba apple wine to start. Checked in on untappd. We only been here once to foothills. The parking was a nightmare vs Greensboro lol.


Wise man bounce back brown. This is fantastic. Aromas of big caramel, brown sugar, bread crust, toast, chocolate, coffee, nuttiness, pepper, pine, and yeast earth. Flavors of big caramel, brown sugar, brown bread/crust, toast, chocolate, biscuit, nuttiness, coffee, wood, peppercorn, pine, citrus rind, herbal, floral, grass, yeast earth. Medium pine, rind, herbal, roasted bitter finish. Medium carb and body. Balanced creamy bready malts and sticky resinous hop mouthfeel. Lingering resin dryness and minimal hop/roast astringency. This is a spot on American brown with a ton of malt complexity and balanced American hops. I love it. Will buy a 4 pack. 4.25/5


Cheers

 

Russian River DDH Pliny the Elder. Courtesy of @Resistance88. This is #1 on my "wants" list. I am drinking it right after the OG. The original artwork is courtesy of @Resistance88. I took seven infinity pictures with my state-of-art new Google phone, and zero zoomed in on the can. The look is gorgeous. The foam perfectly filled this glass. A Polaroid camera would have not ruined the picture like this. The color is slightly more cloudy than the OGs perfect beer color. The smell is buttered popcorn, biscuit, lemon, spice, and slight hop bitterness. Very inviting. The taste is lemon, grapefruit, buttered toast, popcorn, with a light pine finish. Absolutely delightful. The mouthfeel is crisp, clean, creamy, and silky, with medium carbonation. Pliny the Elder is my favorite WCIPA. This is not as perfect, but it is a wonderful variation. I would drink this on a 2:1 ratio if I lived in California. Thank you, @Resistance88! I hope I can provide a similar legendary experience for you, very soon.

 

I will follow the man who gifted me this beer last weekend - Tungtvann from Hammerheart.

My first from this brewery, (one I’ve wanted to try since I first saw they existed) and it is quite good.
Poured transparent brown with a beige head that shows up and goes right away. As in gone. Struck me as curious for a lager, even a German one.
The taste is nice; smoked caramel forms the backbone and dark fruits with crackers fill out the rest. It all works well.
The feel was much more viscous than I expected, but then I read their intent (a take on the German Dunkel) and the feel made more sense.
OA, very glad to have been able to try this one, it was a gift from @GreenBayBA.

 

That is from @Mdog, my Hammerheart Brewing dealer.

 

Finished up my stouturday with some Destihl Black Angel Stout, I thought it was a tasty hoppy stout:

Black Angel Stout | DESTIHL Brewery | BeerAdvocate





Not sure if I'll have any new brews tomorrow but we'll see. Cheers everyone!

 

I will follow the man who gifted me this beer last weekend. Bell's Brewery Sweet Potato Stout. By my request, while he was at the brewery. The look is pitch black, with some red, when held up to the falling sun. There was a little bit of brown foam. The smell is pumpkin pie. More potent than I expected. Very inviting. The taste is quite sweet potato-forward, with coffee, roasted nuts, brown bread, and toffee flavors. It exceeded my expectations. The mouthfeel is rich, thick, silky, and crisp, with medium carbonation. This is a delicious stout. It has a unique flavor. I really like it! Thank you, @Whyteboar!

 

Nissos Organic All-Day Lager

Poured a 330ml brown bottle into a pilsner glass. A solid one finger fine white head on a clear light gold. The head diminishes to a persistent layer. Lots of fine lacing.

A good malt smell. Some corn. The taste is malt forward. Slightly sweet and spicy. A slightly watery, cloying finish. mild hop flavour but low bitterness.

A medium/light body and good carbonation. Overall a decent European Pale lager. Better than most Mediterranean lagers. True to the style.

3.69/5 rDev +9.2%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5

 

Thanks to @Victory_Sabre1973 for kicking off NBW. You may want to try this one.

Covert Artisan/White Elm collab Team Lift Old Ale, 12% ABV. Pours very dark brown with a one-finger beige head that left no lacing. This is a cuvée of a BBA Stout, a BA Belgian Dark Strong, and a Cognac BA English Barleywine, lastly was conditioned in Rye Barrels. Needless to say, the aroma is pleasantly boozy, plus chocolate, rye spice, oak, and wine. Taste follows, slightly sweet, faintly bitter. Aroma and flavor are quite similar to Utopias and Dystopias, though less boozy. Excellent thick mouthfeel with light carbonation. Overall outstanding to world-class. They should have a cologne with this aroma.

4.58/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.25 | smell: 5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

I saw 'Old Ale' and took a chance on one to review. If I had taken the time to read the description on the can, I'd have bought a pack. I'll be going back for more.

Team Lift is a blend of three oak-aged ales: Bourbon Barrel-aged stout, Hungarian Oak-Aged Belgian Dark strong ale, and a cognac Barrel-aged barleywine from White Elm Brewing Company. After blending, we conditioned it in Far North Distillery Rye Barrels. Thanks White Elm for the Team Lift assist.

 

DynaBoost. Sounds like a weight- lifting supplement from Joe Weider in the late 60's.

 

I liked that one. It had a ginger note to it that I really dug. And a good amount of lemon-lime character too.

Dial back the terpenes a smidge and I could see myself having a couple of those. I guess my threshold for added terpene flavors is kinda low.