New Beer Weekend #306

Fantastic work by all you beautiful NBWers!

Technically I could legally (sorta) post a review of regular Corona here as a NBW review to get us to the next page, but I will not do such a thing b/c I've been drinking Corona for 30 years. Somehow I've yet to actually review it.

And now I leave any of you Late NBWers to finish us out for the week.

Cheers!

 

I followed that challenging smoked saison with something more straightforward and drinkable...



Hetty Alice Czech Pils

Nice yellow-gold color with a thick head of snowy white foam which shows terrific retention and below-average lacing. The nose offers plenty of doughy malt balanced by an abundance of floral hops. There's also a little twinge of sulfur.

The flavor tilts the balance in favor of hops, and this Czech-style pilsner drinks more like a German pilsner. It starts with nice, soft, doughy malt, which collides with a pile of spicy and floral hops. The malt is a hair sweeter than I prefer in a pils. It dries out nicely in the finish, though. And the lasting impression is a good balance of malt and grassy, floral hops. Light body with appealing carbonation and excellent drinkability.

Overall, Hetty Alice Czech Pils isn't quite in the top tier of Czech-style pilsners available in this region, but it doesn't miss by much. A tasty beer for this sunny and breezy spring afternoon on the patio at stately Vurt Manor.

 

Callsign Brewing Co. Lifter Irish Red Ale, 4.4% ABV; 3.98 overall

Pours an effervescent honey color with 2 fingers of cream-colored head. Average head retention & lacing

S: Toasty some caramel, really good nose

T: Toasty, some woody hops, a little toffee too up front. Plenty of pine & toastyness once this beer is warmer, very dry, a smidge of caramel too. Finishes toasty, dry with woody hops

MF: Light/medium body, slight carbonation, skewed hoppy for the style

Delivers great flavor for the ABV, solid stab at the style

 

Sounds awesome! Here in Minnesota Hammerheart has a beer named Stjordal, it may use the same alder-smoked malt but most likely a different yeast.

 

Odell MRDN IPA, 5.8% ABV; 4.03 overall

Pours an effervescent & slightly hazed straw color with a thumb+ of pearl colored head. Above average head retention & lacing

S: Citrus, peaches & green melon

T: Follows the nose, also getting strawberries & dryness up front. Lime, passion fruit, & pomelo, plus dryness as this beer warms up. Finishes dry with green melon, citrus & white grapes

MF: Medium body, restrained carbonation, nice balance

Easy to drink, flavors pop

 

Half Acre Beer Company - Foam Fairy
5.5% American Pale Ale hopped with Docita and Mosaic.
Has anyone else had a beer with Dolcita hops yet? Very interesting.

Cross-posted in WBAYDN #4972 and What Mid-Atlantic beer are you drinking now? (2026)

 

Last weekend I commented to my buddy @SeaAle , "One of the things I like about the craft beer trend towards lighter ABV beers is the resurgence of American pale ales." Of course, we were drinking a rum barrel-aged imperial stout with coconut at the time, but the point remains: more pale ales is a good thing.



Living Häus Randall
Pale ale with Idaho 7, Citra, and Krush hops

The clear body is deep gold that leans a bit towards orange. The thick head of eggshell white foam quickly shrinks to an uneven collar and a thin hurricane-shaped skin which deposits great lacing. The nose gives citrus peeking through a dense hedge of apricot, mango, and mixed melon. The flavor opens with grapefruit peel and sweet orange juice, tangy and bright. A rather creamy stone fruit character follows, which I'm not a big fan of, so I'll attribute it to the Idaho 7 hops (which I'm also not usually a big fan of). Moderate bitterness ushers in a brisk citrus finish with a hint of...yellow mustard? Hmm. Medium body with sharp carbonation and high drinkability.

Overall, Randall is an enjoyable pale ale that is a touch sweeter than I enjoy in the style, with a hop bill that doesn't quite work for me. I'm still glad I tried it, though.