Monday is here, and it’s time to start another week. Pick of the Weekend is our weekly post where we recap our favorite brews of the weekend past.

This weekend featured some birthday celebrations, a lot of cooking with beer, and the return of an old favorite beer.

I was able to check off a few wish-list beers this weekend, but the highlight was getting a few bottles of  Field Mouse’s Farewell from Pretty Things. This beer is one of my favorites, just missing my top-5 since it is a seasonal that is tough to get a hold of in California. The beer buyer at K&L Wines in Hollywood was nice enough to track down a few bottles for me, and I could barely contain my excetment when I got them home on Friday.

Like so many of the Pretty Things beers, Field Mouse’s Farewell defies easy classification, but I’ll call it a cross between a golden ale and a saison. The beer uses wheat, oats and a generous portion of rye to supplement the malted barley, and these additional grains give the beer a luxurious, even velvety mouthfeel. It sounds like purple prose, but the beer really is noticeably thick, but also soft, and almost oily. The yeast-blend used for fermentation dries out the beer somewhat and lends a notable farmhouse twang to the brew which is generously hopped with a unique variety of French hops. For the 2012 brewing four times as much rye was used than in previous years, and there is a noticeable spicy character to the beer in addition to the darker, amber hue.

If Jack D’Or is Pretty Things’ answer to an every day table beer, then Field Mouse’s Farewell is their beer for that special summer’s evening. You just must try it!

A couple other notable beers were the excellent new IPA from Golden Road Brewing, Wolf Among Weeds, and another beer from the wish-list: The Bruery and Eagle Rock Brewing collaboration Go Team! 

The new Golden Road IPA is easily one of the best beers they’ve yet produced, and it is packed full of complex hop flavors and aromas that run the gamut from piney to citrusy to spicy. The subtle reference to Pliny the Elder, king of the IPAs, in the name of the 8%ABV IPA caused some scoffs at first, but after a few cans this weekend I’d say a comparison, overt or not, isn’t out of the question. This is a very limited release, so don’t hesitate to pick up a 4-pack if you see it locally.

Go Team! is a “Belgian-style mild” and I expected something much closer to the Eagle Rock flagship Solidarity. Go Team is a ruddy amber instead of the mahogany of Solidarity, though the body was similarly light. The caramel sweetness and bready malts dominated the flavor of the beer, and I quite enjoyed it. The beer is usually only available at the Bruery’s Provisions retail location in Orange, but I snagged a bottle at the Eagle Rock Tap-room recently, and will be heading back there for another one.

What was your favorite pour from the weekend?