New Beer Weekend #304

Happy New Beer Weekend everyone, and thanks again for hosting us on this beautiful, albeit a tad warm, weekend here in Southern NJ. It has been a long week and day for us…addition is at that awkward going nowhere fast stage, plumbers, HVAC, inspections, etc…it is hard to watch and feel like nothing is happening, but I guess little by little it is.

Today ended a great lacrosse season for us, early morning to early afternoon coached three shorter tournament style games in the heat, picked up some Jersey Strawberries from an old farmer on the way home (win!), got home relaxed a minute, then went off to celebrate my mom’s mothers day with the family. She always tells us all, take care of your wives on real mothers days and we save this weekend for her; pizza, water ice, family, chaos, more exhaustion. Which leads me to here…

Mindfully sipping and describing a beer slows me down, so I thank you all for giving me a place to do just that. This week’s new beer is from a South Jersey brewery called The Seed: A Living Beer Project…a “boutique” kind of pricey craft brewery, as such I don’t buy, or try, many of their beers. However; I couldn’t resist this one, a favorite style of mine that is mostly non-existent these days, a hoppy red ale, clocking in at 5.5 % described as being:

Well if that is accurate I may have died and gone to beer heaven, those words will be tough to live up too for this coniferous loving beer nerd. I’m ready to find out if they’re as good as their word. Sidenote..this is a collaboration with West Kill Brewing, which having done some research, is up at the top of my hope to visit one day list.

The Seed/West Kill - Redbud (Hoppy Red 5.5%)



Pours mostly clear, light amber, no red hue leans more into light brown, slightly off-white head; cohesive and dense, average retention.

Nose is chock full of toasted malt and old school hops; sticky citrus peel, caramelized and toasty malt, earthy and vibrant sappy pine needle.

Taste delivers the goods noted above; beautiful balanced interplay of caramel malt and hop perfection, toasty and rich malt layered with sticky citrus peel and sappy pine; has that pine cone character of being both woody and piney at once; makes my tastebuds come alive; pinesol for days.

Mouthfeel is quite pleasant, medium body, lightly chewy on malt, heavily sticky on hops; a very pleasant combination, tongue comes alive with prickliness that leads to a lingering bitterness; for all the maltiness it dries out quite well and finishes remarkably clean and bright.

This is what beer dreams are made of for me; lived up to description and expectation; when pine and citrus combine with malt in a drinkable package something magical happens. I couldn’t be happier with this purchase, big NBW win for me. Sometimes hoppy reds don't have enough hop bite for me, this one does, and then some...I will cherish my last three cans.

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That’s probably it new beer-wise for me this weekend but I’m looking forward to reading the ensuing posts as we work our way through Sunday night. Cheers everyone.

 

It turns out that my next review will be my 400th review. But before I get to that, I thought I'd post an interesting graph I've been working on for a while now. Since I am kind of a numbers/data visualization geek, I started graphing the number of beers I've reviewed here since joining in 2004.

Not a lot of reviews between 2010 and 2020. There's a pretty hefty bump during COVID.

See if you can spot the point where I started posting regularly to New Beer Weekend...



Short version: I dig New Beer Weekend.

 

Pretty neat, I too dig NBW and the fact that you've been regularly posting here too

 

Transient does that style of big BA stout exceptionally well, IMHO. Glad you enjoyed it!!!

 

It is a breezy, overcast, drizzly afternoon in Beaverton, so naturally my wife and I are on the porch in our hoodies, drinking this year's brand new Fort George 3-Way IPA. The collaborating brewers are Uprise (Spokane, WA) and Shred (Rocklin, CA).

This is a very appropriate beer for review #400, as 3-Way has been one of my favorite seasonals since 2014.



16-ounce can purchased at Trader Joe's in Tanasbourne Village, Hillsboro, OR. Date stamp reads "05/11/26 WE MEET AGAIN". Enjoyed in a nonic half-pint glass.

The body is pale yellow and glassy clear, with a frothy white head that offers moderate retention and extravagant lacing. The nose has a bit of citrusy sharpness, but is mostly mango, melon, and pineapple with a whiff of diesel. Flavor is very frooty, yet not sweet. Plenty of slightly underripe mango, juicy pineapple, a splash of peach, a couple gummi bears, and some tangy grapefruit juice around the edges. Special guest star: one small, succulent, perfectly ripe strawberry. Some bitterness creeps in at the end with a bite that is gentle and not nearly urgent enough. Light, crisp malt provides an unobtrusive background, then delivers an unexpected nutty and toasty flourish in the aftertaste. The body is lean, with scintillating carbonation.

While this version of 3-Way is not quite in the top tier (2014, 2016, and 2025), it is still a fine and exceptionally drinkable opener for this year's editions. I will certainly put away a few more 4-packs of this WCIPA in the next few weeks before they release the hazy version. Recommended.

 

2022 Parabajava
13.8% Russian imperial stout
Firestone

Poured from a twelve ounce bottle, the body is dark brown with a two finger tan head. Scant, light lacing.

Aroma is coffee and booze. My cat sniffed this bottle and wretched. We agree to disagree.

Taste follows nose with even more bourbon in the flavor. The malty char is there, deep and perhaps lightly sweet. The mix is a coffee and bourbon lover's dream. Boozy but not hot. Well, not very hot. Bitterness is low.

Mouthfeel is good with solid carbonation.

East drinking stout despite the ABV. I'd prefer more bitterness given the style.

 

Hommage à la Fin du Monde from Godspeed Brewery

From a 355ml can packaged on 5 Nov 2025. Poured into a tulip. A three finger off white head on a slightly hazy amber. Some tiny floaties. Excellent head retention. A thin layer sticks around to the end. Lots of foamy lacing.

Some spice in the nose. Some phenols. Tastes of sweet malts and bready yeast, overlaid with ripe fruit. Banana and clove. the ABV is well hidden. Finishes slightly sweet.

A surprisingly creamy texture for a Triple.Medium body and carbonation. Overall a solid Belgian Triple., rivalling it's Unibroue namesake. Well worth a try.

4.09/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 4

 

Ready Set! Stout
6.2% coffee stout
Collision Bend




Poured from a twelve ounce can, the body is black with small head. Scant lacing.

Aroma and taste featured roast coffee. There is a bit of bitterness at swallow, but the flavor is like a weak cup of coffee. The malty char is a minor player. Things dry up quickly at swallow.

Mouthfeel is medium with good carbonation.

Fair to middling coffee stout. Not bold, strong, malty or bitter enough.

 

Guilty Remnant from Blood Brothers Brewing

From a 473ml can poured into a pint glass. A scant two finger white head on a hazy golden orange.. The head diminishes to a thin layer. Lots of lace rings.

Cocoa and some vanilla in the nose. Tastes of cocoa. Some coffee and vanilla. If they were trying for a white chocolate flavour then they succeeded. It tastes very different from what it looks like. A dry, slightly bitter finish.

Smooth and well balanced. A medium/light body and medium carbonation. Overall an interesting American Stout. it would make a good desert beer.

3.74/5 rDev -1.1%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75

 

Happy another NBW is upon us - enjoying this small luxurious offering from SARA this evening - cheers!

4.28/5 rDev +3.6%
look: 3.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5

Collaboration with the Berkeley winery, Donkey and Goat. Poured from a 500mL bottle into a port glass.

Unclear marigold to gold gradient with a rapidly vanishing fizzy crown. No lacing; thin legs; poor retention.

Ripe stone fruit (pear, peach), wildflowers, hay, light funk, oak, and river stones in the nose.

Vinous and complex on the palate - superbly blended mix of white wine and farmhouse ale, married by the oak. The wine is fresh, sweet, and suffused with fruit while the ale is rustic yet well matured with a certain crispness and restrained bitterness offsetting the tart/wild notes. Finishes fairly dry with a residual minerality and some lingering peach and oak.

Light bodied, initially lively but very short lived carbonation. ABV well concealed.

Curious to compare with Tilquin Pinot Gris, this is more of a wild ale than a saison, but style aside, it is an excellent beer.

 

There are some new processes to make NA beer. Most NA beers are terrible, but, as you say, some are pretty good.

It seems a bit strange to me, that from a style perspective, all NA beers are considered a "style", when in reality most NA beers are brewed TO a style. Probably all NA beers should be rated within the style they are brewed to fit, not a generic NA style.

 

One of my favorite offerings from one of my favorite breweries (shouldn't be flat or sour) - just to confirm you definitely got a bad bottle (sorry to hear)!

 

Tried this one from Odd Sides, Junk and Rubbish. Had the impression it was a pastry stout but it isn’t. Curious that they released it into the market, as it has nothing that makes it original or distinctive.

The pour is stout black with a beige head that starts strong and dissipates quickly.
The flavor, well I was expecting a pastry stout but there is no sweetness that I could taste.
It has the basic flavors of a stout; a little coffee, a little chocolate, a little dark bread, etc… but nothing remarkable at all. A for this brewery, that’s rather remarkable.
The feel is just a touch over Michigan thin. No carbonation so just the stout.
OA, happy to have tried it, but I don’t think I’ll buy it again.
I really need to find some new to me imperial stouts. Unfortunately for me we’re exiting the stout season.
First world problems, right?

 

Heirloom Rustic Ales Podium APA, 5.5% ABV; 3.18 overall ( they can't all be winners I suppose )

Pours a very hazy gold with a thumb of cream-colored head. Above average head retention & better lacing

S: Wet cereal, not much else

T: Millet, grassy hops & a little lemon up front, fairly dry. Some piney notes once warm, a little grapefruit & grassiness, just a little nectarine as this beer warms up. Finishes with pomelo, dryness & watered down grain

MF: Light body, restrained carbonation, so-so balance

Flavor picked up once warmer, but the nose & body are a mess. I suspect this might be some gluten free abomination, not one I'd buy again

 

Eh, I doubt many could hang with their big brothers/sisters comparison-wise. Plus, the amount of shelf space these near beers take up requires some consideration IMHO.

I will be taking several out on the lake tomorrow out of practicality

 

That's what came to mind for me as well

 

Welltown Brewing Cloudy Dreamsicle Citrus Hazy IPA ( with Cara Cara Oranges ), 7.1% ABV; 3.83 overall

Pours super hazy with a thumb+ of pearl colored head. Average head retention & better lacing

S: Some citrus & vanilla, a bit of pear & melon as well as well

T: Follows the nose, some sweet orange. Tart orange starts to enter the mix once this beer is warmer, along with vanilla & a little dryness. Finishes with pomelo, vanilla & dryness

MF: Medium body, creamy carbonation. good balance & a little acidity

Drinks fairly easy, fun take on the style