Latest news with #Elysian
Forbes
4 days ago
- Automotive
- Forbes
Narrow-Body Electric Aircraft Not A Fantasy, Says European Startup
Elysian Aircraft's narrow-body single aisle E9X electric airplane model concept. In a bid to reduce its carbon footprint, the global aviation industry is taking serious notice of the concept of electric aircraft. However, existing battery technology and limitations mean most startups attempting it are unable to offer high passenger capacity concepts capable of being industry scale game-changers. That's until now. For in the shadow of Schiphol Airport, one of Europe's busiest travel hubs in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, one startup – Elysian Aircraft – is busy working on a viable concept for a narrow-body single aisle electric plane capable of carrying 90 passengers over 500 miles on a single charge. Elysian calls it the E9X and has an ambition for the aircraft's service entry in the first half of the next decade. It could give airlines a workable passenger capacity for low-to-zero short-haul flights that is just around half that of a Boeing 737-800 or Airbus A320 aircraft. That makes Elysian standout in a crowded field of zero carbon aircraft developers but also courts intense skepticism. For starters, none of the company's peers are offering concepts with such a high passenger capacity. U.S.-U.K. start-up ZeroAvia has a 19-seater nearing service, while German startup Vaeridion is well advanced on a 9-seater microliner. Many others are finding it difficult to just stay in the game. Italy's Tecnam put its electric aircraft concept on hold in 2023 after three-years of trying. Germany's Volocopter recently initiated insolvency proceedings before surviving courtesy of a new buyer, and Lilium — an electric air-taxi startup — shut down after its second insolvency this year. So, how will Elysian be different in its attempt to build something no one else is? By doing the simple things right, addressing challenging aspects of the aircraft design or 'hot potatoes' and subjecting it proof of concept to rigorous expert scrutiny, Elysian co-founders Daniel Rosen Jacobson (co-CEO), Reynard de Vries (chief engineer) and Rob Wolleswinkel (co-CEO and chief technology officer) said in a joint interview. Proof Of Concept And 'Hot Potatoes' 'Before we emerged out of the shadows and took our idea fully public in 2024, we could see both the skepticism as well as attempts by others at smaller aircraft. We are nothing but grateful to these industry peers for putting themselves out there and bringing electric aviation into view. However, to make a meaningful environmental impact, there's simply no option but to go for a higher capacity aircraft,' Wolleswinkel said. Comparison of Elysian Aircraft's E9X concept electric airplane versus a Boeing 737-800 with ... More measurements. In fact, Elysian started initial work on the concept in 2020, with research, ideation and calculations, ultimately coming up with its proof of concept. This was then subjected to academic scrutiny by third-party aircraft design experts at the Delft University of Technology. 'They reverted to us describing our concept as very promising. Subsequently, in 2021, Panta Holdings, one of our main investors, came on board with seed funding. By the second half of 2022, we had come up with a design as we know it.' Thereafter, being their own harshest critics, the co-founders entered what Wolleswinkel described as a phase of risk reduction. 'We highlighted ten 'hot potatoes' – or harsh technical problems that we needed to research and mitigate to succeed. Not only did we work on these internally at Elysian, but also outsourced them to some of the finest minds in aerospace, academia and engineering. Nearly all of them have now been addressed bringing our risk reduction phase to a close.' Subsequently, the startup has now entered a preliminary and detailed design phase, added de Vries. 'Since October 2024, we have been ramping up Elysian's capabilities with our team going up from the three of us (co-founders) to around 30, of which 80% are engineers.' And Jacobson added: 'While there's much work to be done, the switch from risk reduction phase to the detailed design phase meant we were confident in taking our E9X concept aircraft public, as we have done.' The results are not what most people would visually imagine. The E9X's current design will have eight propeller engines or four on each wing, with a propeller diameter length of 3.7 meters. Batteries located in the wing-box will power each of the eight 1.3 megawatt electric motors running the propellers. The aircraft will have a wingspan of almost 138 feet or just over 42 meters. This will be around 20 feet more than existing narrow-body single aisle jets like the Boeing 737-800 (see illustration). However, the E9X will also have a comparatively thinner fuselage. de Vries explained: 'The latter design aspect will potentially improve both the structural and aerodynamic characteristics. We are now nearing the completion of version II of the E9X's design. Version I of the design is solid but we are simply making some updates around the volume of the wing. The principles underlying it remain the same.' Tackling Range Anxiety The key thing for E9X's next stage of development is that Elysian will only focus a small part of its existing resources on the total aircraft. 'The majority of our resources will be on underlying technology bricks. Because, in order to design, build and ultimately mass produce this aircraft – we need to build these technology bricks further,' Wolleswinkel said. Central to these bricks is the integration of the batteries into the E9X's wing and their power distribution into the motors, and Elysian's concept of distributed electric propulsion via eight propellers. 'This is what we are truly focused on. The landing gear, cockpit and pressurization, and ancillary avionics mechanisms are all the same as with any aircraft and have been done for many years now. They do not require a reinvention of the wheel.' As for the range, Elysian remains confident of hitting its 500 miles target. It also hopes the aircraft would be ready for a turnaround with a recharge time of 45 mins or less. There are also plans for a turbogenerator in the rear fuselage to provide an additional 45 minute power reserve, should it be needed. Elysian Aircraft co-founders Daniel Rosen Jacobson (left), Reynard de Vries (middle) and Rob ... More Wolleswinkel (right). Wolleswinkel, a qualified pilot himself, said that electric aviation or aviation in general is where the real travel range anxiety exists. 'We often talk of improved battery technology and range anxieties for automobiles. Current technology exists that allows some electric vehicles to around 400 miles. But who would drive such distances without stopping for a rest? 'The same is not true for aviation, where range capabilities define aircraft types. Elysian will never drop the ball on this one. The range we are currently predicting for our aircraft is not just based on current assessment, but also on where battery technology might well be by the end of this decade.' Elysian is also placing a heavy emphasis on industry and engineering collaborations as its journey progresses. It announced a partnership with Spanish aerostructures supplier Aernnova at this year's Paris Air Show in June, to begin initial wing development studies incorporating batteries. The startup was also in the aviation sector's spotlight when it recently launched a 'knowledge-sharing initiative to accelerate battery-electric aviation development' with Dutch flag carrier KLM, and its low-cost airline subsidiary Transavia. Academic partnerships with several universities remain strong. Elysian also shares its current premises with Fokker Services, a unit of the Dutch legacy aircraft maker, acquired in 2021 by the startup's backer Panta Holdings. The co-founders remain amenable to calling on Fokker Services' neighborly expertise on certification and design 'in due course.' Deep Pockets Needed Overall, Elysian exudes cautious optimism in finding its aviation horizon. 'We remain on track for building the EX9 prototype by 2030, and its service entry by 2033,' Jacobson said. 'Our conversations with many airlines have been very encouraging. It is our belief that E9X will emerge as the cheapest clean aviation option on a cost per mile basis, when pitted against other alternatives such as hydrogen fuel cell, hydrogen turbine planes and sustainable aviation fuels.' While Elysian's KLM and Transavia collaboration is in public domain, Jacobson said the startup was in talks with around ten airlines. However, Elysian's commercial flightpath ahead will likely have turbulence. If the prototype is successful, it will have to fight incumbency of existing narrow-body single aisle aircraft that have an operating life of decades not years. Airports will also need to make infrastructural changes and bring in charging systems, and many may resist. 'There is always resistance to change. Ultimately, we believe battery-electric aircraft like ours can replace 50% of current short-haul flights around the world bringing about a massive cut in carbon emissions,' Wolleswinkel said. Apart from a determination to succeed, Elysian will also need deep pockets. Jacobson noted that the development and construction of the prototype will cost around $350 million, and that a further $10 billion will likely be required to test, certify and produce the aircraft on initial orders. 'Naturally, we will seek a major investor at some stage. Right now, we are focused on our Series A funding that is expected to close by the end of this quarter. We remain committed to our efforts, confident in our product offering, and, most importantly, our belief that zero carbon electric aircraft are the future of the aviation industry.'
Scotsman
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Miley Cyrus' favourite L.A. solo show RUGBURN set to ignite Edinburgh Fringe as a one-to-watch production
After a sold-out Hollywood Fringe run and two high-profile visits by superstar Miley Cyrus, Mat Sanders's acclaimed solo show RUGBURN is headed for a highly anticipated 24-performance run at the 2025 Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Described by audiences as an 'unhinged performance of a lifetime,' 'wildly entertaining,' and a 'thrilling emotional rollercoaster with guts, heart, and humor,' RUGBURN blends dark comedy, physical storytelling, and raw vulnerability. Written and performed by Mat Sanders—an acclaimed LA-based interior designer whose clients include Miley Cyrus herself—this fast-paced, genre-bending production draws comparisons to the legendary solo work of greats like John Leguizamo and Bill Erwin for its dynamic shifts in character, pace, and physical narrative. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Developed at Los Angeles's esteemed Elysian Theatre—considered a hub for groundbreaking, innovative comedy and theatrical storytelling—RUGBURN embodies everything the LA underground theatre scene stands for. Elysian Artistic Director Jacquelyn Landgraf shares: Miley, Mat and director of Elysium Theatre Jacquelyn Landgraf 'The Elysian has quickly become L.A.'s foremost incubator for new work that is boundary-pushing, transgressive, and immersive. Rugburn had its beginnings in an Elysian class, and we were excited to champion Mat Sanders' as his ideas first began to crackle and this new show came to life. It's juicy, candid, unhinged, musical, barely-clad–he whips the highly personal and vulnerable into wild spectacle, and plunges audiences into an extended, gloriously theatrical and hilarious manic panic.' At its heart, RUGBURN explores queer millennial identity caught between two extremes—celebrity glamour and underground escapism. The show incorporates sex clubs, design TV references, Shakespearean interludes, vaudevillian musicality, and surreal imagery featuring Sanders wearing his signature panda kink mask and leather harness. Reviewers have called it 'raunchy, raw, touching and absolutely glorious', 'surprising, magnetic and brutally honest', and have noted Sanders's powerful presence, remarking that 'Mat carries the room with a single gesture or glance' in this 'one man, one hour tour de force confessional.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Miley Cyrus's repeat attendance further underscores the show's singular cultural cachet. RUGBURN is poised to stake its claim in a renaissance of American queer solo performance—surfing the wave of original stories like Cole Escola's Broadway sensation Oh Mary! and Jordan Tannahill's rising Off-Broadway hit Prince Faggot. Miley Cyrus backstage at RUGBURN With all eyes on Edinburgh Fringe as the launchpad for the next breakout solo triumph—à la Fleabag and Baby Reindeer—Sanders's storytelling, raw, riveting, and darkly funny, places RUGBURN squarely in the spotlight. 'Theatre was my sanctuary growing up,' Sanders shares. 'Leaving it to design celebrity homes led me down an unexpected path and now the stage has pulled me back—not just as a performer, but as someone with a story that could only be told here. Returning to the church of theatre to exorcise the madness I've lived through feels, somehow, perfectly divine.' Audiences and critics alike have praised RUGBURN as: 'Completely electric,' 'Brave and disarming,' and 'A dynamic hour of pure energy, emotion, and masterful performance.' 'An exponential showcase of vulnerability, hilarity, and true talent.' 'Perfectly executed, one of a kind, impeccable,' and 'Edgy, sexy, and left me wanting more.' Directed by Telly Kousakis (Glee, Scream Queens), RUGBURN's on-stage breakdown gets a sharp eye and comedic backbone. Choreography is by Nick Lanzisera (Sia, Taylor Swift, High School Musical), who turns emotional collapse into physical comedy. Together, the team transforms Sanders's deeply personal material into a full-throttle spectacle. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This dynamic, unforgettable theatrical experience promises to be 'one of the most memorable shows of the Fringe season,' capturing hearts and sparking buzz as Sanders prepares to make his international Fringe debut. Show Details: RUGBURN Edinburgh Festival Fringe | C ARTS | C alto July 30 – August 24, 2025 | Nightly at 9:30 PM
Economic Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Oberoi Realty shares fall 4% as institutional investor likely sells 3.1% stake. Here's what brokerages say
Oberoi Realty shares slid by 4% to an intraday low of Rs 1,751 on the BSE on Wednesday on reports that an institutional investor likely offloaded around 3.1% stake in the company. ADVERTISEMENT According to previous reports by CNBC TV-18, the deal was sized at $230 million. The floor price for the deal was set at Rs 1,753.2 per share, representing a 4% discount to Tuesday's closing price (22 July). The transaction is said to be a clean-out trade, although the identity of the selling investor has not been disclosed. Nomura has cut its FY26F/FY27F EPS estimates by 7%/4% on revised revenue recognition assumptions. It expects 30% pre-sales CAGR over FY26–FY27F driven by a strong project pipeline, 25% CAGR in annuity and hotel income, and robust cash flows supporting new business development. Projected cumulative pre-sales of Rs 161 billion over two years represent 40% of total supply, comparable to peers. The stock trades at a 53% premium to NAV versus Nomura's 75% estimate and peers' 36–140% Realty reported pre-sales of Rs 16.4 billion in Q1FY26, marking a 54% year-on-year and 92% quarter-on-quarter increase, primarily driven by the launch of a new tower in the Elysian project at Goregaon. Collections stood at approximately Rs 10 billion, remaining flat YoY but rising 30% sequentially. The company has lined up additional launches for H2FY26E. Lease revenue surged 55% YoY following the operationalisation of the Borivali mall, with occupancy and rental growth in the annuity segment continuing to remain healthy. The pace of upcoming project launches is expected to be a key factor influencing the stock's Oswal has maintained a 'neutral' rating on the stock and raised the target price to Rs 1,878, up from earlier Rs 1,850. ADVERTISEMENT The brokerage cited a revenue miss due to lower-than-expected collections, despite stable pre-sales. Planned launches for FY26 include one tower in Borivali, two towers in the Forestville project in Thane, and new projects in Peddar Road and Gurugram. Possible additional FY26 launches are expected in Adarsh Nagar, Worli, and Tardeo. For FY27, the company's pipeline includes a new tower in Goregaon and a project in Alibaug. MOSL has projected a 48% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in pre-sales over FY25–27. Antique has maintained a 'Buy' rating on Oberoi Realty, raising the target price to Rs 2,269 from Rs 2,180. ADVERTISEMENT The brokerage noted it was a good quarter and highlighted that attention now turns to the company's project launches in the second half of the fiscal year. Oberoi Realty is expected to see its rental EBITDA surpass Rs 1,000 crore in FY26, including over Rs 80 crore in EBITDA from the Westin. The company also holds significant ready residential inventory in its Three Sixty West and Mulund projects, with an estimated aggregate value of Rs 6,400 crore as of the end of Q1FY26. Antique estimates that the company could achieve pre-sales of around Rs 60–65 billion in FY26.(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times) ADVERTISEMENT (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Yahoo
The 9 Most Beautiful Wineries in Napa and Sonoma
All products featured on Architectural Digest are independently selected by Architectural Digest editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, Condé Nast may earn an affiliate commission. Photo: Courtesy of The Donum Estate Common sense says otherwise, but it's tempting to believe that the more gorgeous the winery, the more incredible the juice produced there. Of course, grapes don't know how grand or modest a vineyard they're growing in, though surely the winemakers working magic across the fields, tanks, and cellars are inspired and informed by their surroundings, both natural and built. In Northern California's Elysian wine country, mainly comprising Napa and Sonoma counties, it's easy to be wowed when pulling up to an estate surrounded by bountiful rows of vines, graceful trees filtering the sunlight, and tasting rooms that invite an immediate smile. But some properties go beyond 'wow' to the magnificent or truly sublime—think architecture by the likes of Herzog & de Meuron and Studio Other Spaces. Here, nine of the most beautiful wineries in Napa and Sonoma that each, for their own special reason, may very well leave their visitors floored—and not only because of their intoxicating varietals. Equal parts terroir-driven, single vineyard–only wine producer and monumental sculpture art collection, The Donum Estate is Sonoma's most jaw-dropping and sensorial vino mecca. There's no sip-and-go option here; instead guided tastings are immersive tours through not only the oft-awarded Chardonnay and Pinot Noirs (bearing artwork by Ai Weiwei), paired with seasonal canapés, but also the vast regenerative estate with pieces and commissions from the likes of Weiwei, Yayoi Kusama, Louise Bourgeois, El Anatsui, Jaume Plensa, Keith Haring and, added most recently, a tremendous bronze by Sanford Biggers. Visual stimulation is as much the M.O. as taste, with the hospitality center originally designed by Matt Hollis then chicly reimagined by David Thulstrup, and a prismatic microclimate-inspired conical tasting pavilion by Olafur Eliasson's and Sebastian Behmann's Studio Other Spaces. 24500 Ramal Road, Sonoma; open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; reservation required. Meaning is imbued in the very architecture of Aperture Cellars' estate, which was imagined by Juancarlos Fernandez of Signum Architecture as a deconstruction of the aperture of a camera lens—a reference to its winemaker founder Jesse Katz's father, photographer Andy Katz, who brought his son on work projects around the world. The striking vintage galvanized metal–clad building with 180-degree panoramas of vineyard and mountain has a central oculus skylight, angular rooflines, and walls that splay outward echoing lens blades, with plenty of glass but also hefty mass grounding it. The gallery-like private tasting rooms, with impressive vistas, feature the elder Katz's photography and are the place to taste the winemaking artist's latest best of the best of 300-plus lots release, Collage. 12291 Old Redwood Hwy., Healdsburg; open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Monday; tasting reservations by appointment 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. It's impossible to miss Ashes & Diamonds, a Napa winery that's as fun and funky as anything one could find in a destination that tends to take itself rather seriously. The place is an ode to the circa-1960s California Dream, with plenty of references to midcentury modern design, paired with a Palm Springs-y vibe. Almost entirely white on the exterior, save for a few pops of saturated yellow and green, the winery's zig-zag roof and porthole windows designed by Barbara Bestor help it stand out as a playful, airy place to sip organic Bordeaux varietals made with a light-touch Burgundian approach. 4130 Howard Lane, Napa; open 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. daily; reservation highly recommended. This storied Calistoga wine destination looks just like what one would expect when they hear the word 'winery.' Its castle-like stone English Gothic structure dates to 1888 and is now covered in ivy for a fairytale take with significant European references. The building, on the National Register of Historic Places, once held one of Napa's largest wineries but it closed during Prohibition and, in the '50s, came under ownership who built Chinese pagodas, gardens, and excavated Jade Lake. The '70s brought new owners who hid Irish signage throughout and an illustrious bit of its history: its 1973 Chardonnay winning the famous Judgement of Paris, which was depicted in the film Bottle Shock. 1429 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga; open 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily; reservations encouraged, walk-ins accepted. Stepping into House of Flowers, the charmingly named hospitality center and tasting destination for Flowers Vineyards & Winery in Healdsburg, is like entering a dream home, filled with light, texture, clean geometries, and wood both salvaged and bleached cypress. The adaptive reuse project designed by Walker Warner, with interiors by Maca Huneeus Design, brought a 13.5-acre 1970s winery into into a nature-embracing retreat for the sustainable wine label whose famous coastal Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are unveiled as guests make their way through a series of spaces inside a graphite black inspired by the surrounding redwoods that frame the landscape. The terraced gardens, too, are aspirational, with their contemporary cabanas, native plants and pizza oven. 4035 Westside Road, Healdsburg; open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday to Monday; reservation required, with limited walk-ins allowed. The design of Artesa borders on land art, its architecture so seamlessly integrated in the earth. It was conceived by Barcelona's Domingo Triay and built in 1991 with the goal of preserving the dynamic landscape that had so inspired the Raventós Codorníu family who founded it. The visual effect of this minimalist winery burrowed so modishly into the hillside complete with a seamless 'roof' of natural grasses is unforgettable, as is the dramatic procession of steps falling down the topography, crossing pools of water along the way. Sleek as it looks outside, the interior experience pays homage to some hallmarks of Spanish handicrafts, including handprinted tiles and filigree. 1345 Henry Road, Napa; open 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Sunday; reservations encouraged. Promontory fans like Hailey Bieber, the Kardashians, and LeBron James may not only visit this Napa winery because of its design—by wine country favorites Backen & Backen—since its Cabernet Sauvignon is incredibly highly rated, but it definitely doesn't hurt. Appropriately for a vino-maker in Oakville, oak is a recurring theme. The wood is from Austria in the all-important barrel room, and a beautiful slab of a felled California oak makes an elegant first impression in the entry, drawing the eye outward toward the trellis and well-framed view, which looks like a painting. There are hardened steel beam nods to the Industrial Revolution in the gravity-flow winery, which also has a water feature that feeds a reservoir in the lower valley. 1601 Oakville Grade Road, Oakville; open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; appointment required. When it was completed in 1997, Dominus' closed-to-the-public winery became the first U.S. project of the esteemed Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron. It was appropriately innovating: the first winery to be built with a gabion structure, using local basalt rocks to fill the galvanized cages as walls for a facade that also naturally insulates against extreme temperatures, which helps the wine age. With its low profile, the 333-foot-long, 30-foot-high monolith bleeds into its Napanook vineyard and Mayacamas mountains landscape, making it one of the most beautiful wineries in Napa. It provides a low-key yet wondrously elegant environment for winemaking by French founder and owner Christian Moueix. 2570 Napanook Road, Yountville; not open to the public. A pioneer in wine tourism, this mid-'70s classical Bordeaux chateau–inspired winery in Healdsburg's rolling green hills has consistently leveled up its own environs, which sprawl out over 1,200 acres that include lakes and olive groves. Certified sustainable, Jordan's sunny yellow home base is in the midst of a seven-year enhancement that most recently saw the new lobby bow with panels of Farrow & Ball Light Blue 22 with custom-distressed gold trim and a George V–inspired concierge desk in swirled Ponte Vecchia honed marble with a 17th-century Aubusson tapestry from Paris' Galerie Jabert. Period pieces sourced by San Francisco interior designer Maria Khouri Haidamus stun throughout, along with exquisite wall coverings and commissioned artwork—see Alice Riehl's delicate sculpted porcelain flora—that make the entire experience a total pleasure. 1474 Alexander Valley Road, Healdsburg; open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily; tastings and tours by reservation only. Originally Appeared on Architectural Digest
USA Today
27-06-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Elysian's Phaze Dust is a proper new beer. Lemon Daydream, not quite.
First, let me say I love a good stovepipe can. At 19.2 ounces, they go above the pounder but not quite to the "I promise I'm not drinking Steel Reserve" of the 24 ounce king cans in the world. I also love pretty much whatever Elysian has cooking; the Seattle-based brewer has been a circle of trust beer-maker since I first tried Space Dust a decade ago. Fortunately for me, Elysian has leaned into the trend of increasing one-off gas station sales and joined the rolling snowball kicked downhill by New Belgium's big, boozy and reasonably-priced-per-volume beers. Phaze Dust is the latest extension of the Space Dust line, joining Juice and Dank among the ranks. It comes in typical cans, which is great for the folks who don't want to drink a little more than half a liter at a time. But it also comes in those nice tall tipplers, which is great for folks like me who love beer but also the minor twinge of pomp and circumstance that comes with drinking from a big can. Big can, you guys. Let's dig in and see if Phaze Dust lives up to the Elysian standard. And, since we're here, let's talk about one of Elysian's other summer offerings. Lemon Daydream is a lemon blonde aimed toward cutting through the heat with a more crushable profile. We'll hit it with the Phaze Dust and see what's what. Phaze Dust Imperial Hazy IPA: A- It pours, as expected, with a lion of a head that roars up and slowly dissipates over about two minutes from the moment it leaves the can. For an imperial hazy, the smell is fairly tame. You've got the expected hops, but nothing that would burn your lips. You've got a little fruit, but nothing that would push this towards a juice. All in all, it's quiet but pleasant. The first sip is crisp and leans into the tart hoppiness Elysian has weaved through its best beers. The hops are clean and a little bitter, making it the first thing you realize each time you put it up to your lips. Riding shotgun is the citrus you'd expect from a hazy. It's a little orange, a little lemon and injects the sour, dry end that helps snap each sip off. That gives it the bold flavor you'd expect from a pale ale, but it's not as brash as you might expect from an imperial ale that clocks in at 8.2 percent alcohol by volume (ABV). It's not a crushable tailgate beer, but it's not something you need to sit with while recalibrating your palate every five minutes. It also gets a bit fruitier and sweeter as it warms, which helps add to that drinkability. Those powers combine to make a lighter IPA than the company's flagship Space Dust, albeit with just as much booze and milder flavor. Phaze Dust isn't as explosive as Full Contact -- my favorite Elysian beer -- but it's a remarkably easy to drink beer despite its boozy payload. I don't know if I'd rank it above Space Dust, but I'd give it the edge over Juice Dust and give it a full grade over the too-weedy Dank Dust. Lemon Daydream Lemon Blonde Ale: C This one doesn't come in the 19.2-ounce stovepipe, but I guess I can drink a traditional 12-ounce can. I guess. This pours a rich daffodil color with a quickly fading head that gives way to a very still beverage with very little carbonation moving skyward. That's not especially summer-y, but the sting of sour lemon wafting off the top picks up the pace. Except it's not lemonade lemon, since there's no trace of sweetness inside. It's wheat and citrus all the way down. That applies to the first sip. The lemon brings sourness, but it's not balanced. There's nothing pushing back against it or forcing it to be anything other than lemon aside from a tiny amount of fructose sugar toward the end. It's tart and that's about it. Underneath that you get a nice enough blonde ale -- wheat, light malt -- but this is yellow fruit in big neon lights. It's fine when the beer is cold and light enough to be crushable on a hot day. But the lemon is blunt and overpowering. It's a twist on your summer shandy, and that's nice. But it's not for me. Would I drink it instead of a Hamm's? This a pass/fail mechanism where I compare whatever I'm drinking to my baseline cheap beer. That's the standby from the land of sky-blue waters, Hamm's. So the question to answer is: on a typical day, would I drink Elysian's Phaze Dust over a cold can of Hamm's? The Phaze Dust is a yes, though there are obviously limits there thanks to the high ABV. The Lemon Daydream is a no, with the exception of a potential change-of-pace beer on a hot day. This is part of FTW's Beverage of the Week series. Here, we mostly chronicle and review beers, but happily expand that scope to any beverage that pairs well with sports. Yes, even cookie dough whiskey.
