New Beer Weekend #255

Greetings, New Beer People! And a hat tip to @WunderLlama for kicking off what has become my favorite weekend thread.

My first New Beer of the weekend is a collaboration between two great breweries in Astoria, OR.



Obelisk Beer Co. The Incomprehensible Enormity of Time WCIPA
Collaboration with Fort George Brewery & Public House. 16-ounce can purchased at John's Marketplace in Beaverton, OR. Date stamp reads "ABOUT DAMN TIME 05/05/25". Enjoyed in a nonic half-pint glass.

The body is a cheerful yellow-gold with excellent clarity. The head is as white as iodized salt, and rather loose. It lasts a third of the way down the glass, and leaves a few scraps of lacing on its journey. The nose is a delightful fruit cocktail of grapes and gooseberries fortified with mango and honeydew. This is backed with some pine and earth and citrus oil. The flavor is ripe with grapes and notes of pineapple, apricot, and orange zest. There's enough sweetness to brighten the fruit character. Earth and pine rise up in the middle, along with a rewarding bitterness that gains momentum into the finish. The aftertaste is loaded with tangy citrus, while grapefruit pith bitterness, a pine breeze, and hints of plum jostle for attention. Light-bodied with invigorating carbonation.

I am not always the biggest fan of Southern Hemisphere hops, but this is a flat-out terrific WCIPA. The fruit character is terrific, but the gathering bitterness in the finish is the key here.

 

Hello NBW, here's Modist Breffix:

Appearance: Dark brown, good head.

Smell: Coffee, sugar sweetness.

Taste: Starts sweet, then stays sweet and adds moderate coffee and brown sugar. Pretty light body for 8%, almost watery feel. The coffee and brown sugar stick around through the finish.

Overall: This was discounted so picked up a 4 pack. I don't think it is too old but the flavors don't seem to mesh together too well, and the body seems way too light. Tastes decent enough though.

 

Otsukaresama from Godspeed Brewery

Poured a 355ml can, dated Jan 14, 2025, into a Pilsner glass. A big three finger fine white head on a very slightly hazy gold.Excellent head retention. Stick around to the end. Sheets of fine lacing.

The nose is floral hop. Slight citrus. The taste is malt forward. Bread. A very mild herbal hop finish.

The mouthfeel is very smooth and balanced. Medium body and carbonation. Overall a fine European / Dortmunder Export lager. The balance characteristic of the style has been well pulled off. well worth a try.

4.02/5 rDev +0.5%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4

 

It's good to see an artist taking credit for their work!

 

Good day BAs! Off to a sunny start here on the tundra of NW PA! Today's cross-post with WBAYDN:



Bourbon Barrel Imperial Porter (2025 Release) from Great Lakes. 16 fl oz can. Reviewed 07/06/25 (Review 3533). Note that I use DD/MM/YY protocol.
Bottom of can stamped “21:35:29 2025A1 7MH.” Didn’t get stored at home – straight from the distributor’s reefer to my glass. $4.75 (including tax)/ $ 0.297 per fl oz. Served at 56.6 degrees F in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter. The final temperature is 62.2 degrees F.
Appearance – 4
First pour – Deep Amber (SRM 15), clear.
Body – Brown (SRM 20), opaque. Under direct light, same but with moderate precipitate showing. When rear-lite, amber at the edges, grading into red before becoming opaque.
Head – Large (Maximum 4.5 cm, aggressive center pour). Sandy tan, medium density, short retention, quickly dropping to a 0.3 cm crown and a thin partial cap.
Lacing – None.
Aroma – 4 – Not particularly strong but distinctly a mild, sweet bourbon. No yeast, no alcohol, no hops, no malt.
Flavor – 4 – Marginally bitter, little bourbon flavor, weak cocoa. No alcohol (12.5 % ABV, according to the label). No dimethylsulfide or diacetyl. Mild gastric warming.
Palate – 3.5 – Medium: somewhere between watery and creamy: soft carbonation. (i.e. typical porter)
Style: Follows the loose style guidelines as condensed by BA.
Final impression and summation: 4 Come on people! Start dating cans in a format that doesn’t require a Little Orphan Annie decoder ring! Uncredited label artist. In general, this is a slightly pumped-up porter with a bit of bourbon flavor – nothing special – even GL agrees – just check the price point! One and done.

Rating 3.95, rDev -2.5%

 

I've walked the dogs, picked up groceries, and swept the patio.
Time for a beer.
The beer pours black with a small, quickly disappearing, ten head. No lace.
Good aroma. Vanilla, chocolate, and booze.
The taste is even better. Vanilla, dark chocolate, bourbon, a touch of molasses.
Big bodied beer to sip and enjoy.

 

Happy weekend, Other Half’s Ain’t Nothing Nice this afternoon. Cheers

 

Covert Artisan Ales' Æther

4.39/5 rDev -0.2%
look: 4 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.5
Courtesy of @bbtkd

Pours a deep black, minimal head, just a faint ring of bubbles. Nose is dark chocolate, vanilla, bourbon and a hint of spice (cinnamon or rye barrel). Taste is very rich dark chocolate, incredibly chocolate-forward in a good way. While sweet, it's not cloying sweet. The combination of barrel choices remains in the background providing just enough bourbon, char, oak notes to prevent this from venturing into dessert beer category. The choice in barrels (Willet and 4-Roses) definitely lean sweet on their own. The label suggests toasted coconut, vanilla, and cinnamon adjuncts--I don't personally pick these up over the chocolaty goodness. I'm not a coconut person in general so I'm thrilled to not taste it. Mouthfeel is thick, silky, creamy, and decadent with low-to-moderate carbonation. Finish continues the dark chocolate vibe that never really lets up and ends with a touch of spice (likely the cinnamon). Fantastic.

 

Central Waters Brewing Twenty Seven Elijah Craig 12-Year Barrel. An imperial Stout aged in Elijah Craig 12-year barrels for 25 months. At Central Waters Brewing MKE. Posted after the required phone thrown against the wall and making a scene in public due to frustration that comes with being an Imgur user for photograph hosting. The look is pitch black. It is beautiful in front of these tap handles. The smell is milk chocolate, vanilla, graham cracker, caramel, and light bourbon. It is very appealing. The taste is bourbon, dark chocolate, brown bread, vanilla, graham cracker, and tobacco. It is good, but this does not come close to the almighty Black Gold or pre-Twenty Six collection of anniversary ales. It does not have the milk chocolate flavor I love. The mouthfeel is silky and smooth, but it cannot escape the usual accusation of being Central Waters Brewing thin. Overall, this is a decent barrel-aged imperial stout, but it does not reach the glory of many previous Central Waters Brewing barrel-aged imperial stouts.

 

I designed almost 100 labels for The Bruery between 2013 and 2018. In most cases I created 2 concepts for them to choose from.

They were a terrific client.

 

I designed the logo and label template for Radiant Beer Co. (Anaheim, CA), and also the label for Home Away From Home, their collab with French brewers Les Intenables.

Beyond that I've done a few one-offs for other breweries in Oregon and California, but nothing on the scale of my work for The Bruery.

I don't have any brewery clients at the moment, and I'm thinking I really ought to do something about that.

 

That is very cool!

 

Returning under better review controls, finishing the weekend with two from 3 Floyds. Miss their taproom and my broken 3 Floyds glass.

Thank you to the Mod who updated this beer per my request, removing "Mild" from the title, but keeping the same beer after confirming it's the same beer.

3 Floyds Pride and Joy

3.29/5 rDev -15.2%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3



6/7/25 - (Bottle - Home) (Chicago, IL) Bottle Notes: Purchased May 22, 2025 at Beer on the Wall at store temperature for $2.84 including tax, refrigerated at home until opening this afternoon. 12 oz bottled April 30, 2025, 5.0% ABV. Pride and Joy Pale Ale. With a soft malt foundation providing the stage for bright, citrus hop aromas, and a crisp finish, this pale ale will leave you feeling anything but foolish. Brewed and bottled by Three Floyds Brewing LLC, Munster, Indiana.

Appearance: Poured all but an ounce or two into a shaker pint glass, yielding bronze tan unfiltered base with minimal carbonation. A creamy egg white head that lingers a bit and leaves soapy lacing and a sustained creamy cover over the base. It looks malty. 3.75

Aroma: Citrus, caramel and unsweetened ice tea with lemon. Medium strength, ice tea a bit unexpected, enjoyable. 3.5

Taste: Very consistent with the aroma,. Unsweetened ice tea with lemon neck and neck with the caramel malt, less "soft" than advertised on the bottle. Citrus hanging in there, but mostly a third wheel on this trip. 3.25

Mouthfeel: Dry and bitter, drinks at or perhaps a little lower than the listed 5.0%. Malt flavor strong, hops more felt than tasted, not sure about the source of this ice tea flavor, which I experienced once previous with Jai Alai, though that beer was dated and this only one five weeks old. Carbonation light, near flat. Ice tea lemon citrus finish. 3.25

Overall: Not sure if this bottle had issues in transit, but a below average Pale Ale for this stalwart. I like ice tea, though not necessarily via a beer tasting. Unlikely I return to this one. Average 3.0 score, though far below average on a 3 Floyds scale. 3.0

Saved the Saison for Prime Time Sunday, likely the correct choice.

 

Just one new beer for me today:

Proper Pour Cabernet Cask 2024 | Boulevard Brewing Co. | BeerAdvocate



Don't plan on having any new to me brews tomorrow, so happy NBW and cheers everyone!

 

Good afternoon NBW
I picked up a four pack of this Hoosier state collaboration and I'm happy I did.

Sun King/3Floyds Fourth Rider of Light

16oz can stamped 11:26 BEST 08/01/25 poured into a Sun King glass at fridge temp, ABV not indicated on label, but 8.6% per BA. The beer pours mostly bright medium amber with khaki colored head. The head recedes to a rocky cap and leaves plenty of lacing. The aroma is moderate in strength featuring sweet candied orange and grapefruit alongside caramel malt. The taste is bittersweet citrus melange with more light caramel malt and a firm, earthy bitter finish. The feel is medium bodied with average carbonation and a mostly dry finish. Overall, excellent IIPA.

 

Finishing off my Treehouse haul from a few weeks ago. My wife has been drinking most of the Pilsners from that trip. Its time I give this one a shot.

4.14/5 rDev 0%
look: 4.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Purchased cold 3-weeks ago at Saratoga Springs for $14.40/4-pack. Kept cold until served. Poured to a Pils glass from a 16-oz can stamped “ALL THINGS MERGE INTO ONE, SUMMER 2025”.
The beer pours out medium-rich gold. Even with a mild pour the white pillowy head is too big to empty the can in one shot. Nucleated bubbles rise throughout the session. Lacing is 3D with sideways hills sticking out from the glass wall! And it clings on for dear life.
Biscuit and grass meet the nose
The taste is balanced with a cracker front and a hoppy, dry finish.
The mouthfeel is very Pilsner as is the carbonation.
I liked this beer a lot.

 

Old Stove - Castaway, BBA barleywine, 2024 vintage

12oz served in a stemless BA rastal. BW 12.03.24 is printed on the bottom, and it's a 2024 vintage. Don't remember where I picked it up.

Pours translucent dark amber, medium to small sized head, leaves a thick dusting or a thin cap with a maybe 2mm ring. Smell is rye spice and toffee, grain and musty oak, somewhat boozy.

Taste is more on the woody and astringent side, some vanilla and generic sweetness, lots of wood. Strong earthy bitter, lots of nuts.

Mouthfeel is medium to light, dry and clean, surprisingly refreshing. Overall, nice beer.

 

All right, after work and at Koronis Brewing in Paynesville, MN.

Fashion Air - NEIPA- 6.4%

It has an amazing aroma, but the flavor falls off from it. Ok, and a good start for this new brewery.
https://www.beeradvocate.com/beer/profile/70266/748707/
3.73/5 rDev 0%
look: 4 | smell: 4 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
On tap at the brewery.

This beer has a very juicy murky appearance. It has an orange hue to it with a white head.
The nose is extremely tropical from the hops. Grapefruit, pineapple, mango are strong.
Taste - the flavor doesn't hit me like the aroma. There's a bit of pineapple and mango in the flavor. There's a touch of grapefruit. Faint bitterness on the back.
Light body. Very soft oat like feeling.
Not bad, but the aroma is way better than the flavor.

Be back later for more.