"Patience for the painstaking is a rarity. It takes a.... let's say, special person to devote hours to work rooted in the meticulous. The farmer who reaches through the thickest brambles knows that the briars will take his blood in exchange for blackberries. The bartender who carefully measures spirit, tincture, and bitter into tins will start all over again if balance is not struck. The brewer who barrels young brett beer will wait, with calculated anticipation, the months it takes to reach its fullest, perfect wildness. Patience takes practice, and painstaking work means braving briars, perfecting tins, and bracing against time for brett. It takes a...let's say, rare person."
"Briars & Brett is a farmhouse ale inspired by the Pre-Prohibition Gin Fizz cocktail. Brewed with Riverbend Malt, 200 pounds of local summer blackberries and our proprietary Brett blend, this spirited ale was finished with lemon zest and fresh basil. It was then laid to rest in local Cardinal Gin Barrels for 3 months."
Last night, my intent was to consume both the Reunion Ale '12 and the Briars & Brett. I failed to meet my goal and settled to have Briars & Brett tonight after dinner while watching Clemson dispatch Notre Dame. I'm not a fan of either team, but it was the best thing on tv.
The beer was poured into a slender, stemmed pilsner glass. It has a nice burnt orange color. Very heady, could easily get three fingers of off-white colored head. First pour resulted in an overflow. Low retention, sounds effervescent. A couple splotches of lace left over with a small spot of film on top. Aromas of clove, funk, berry. The funk is strong in this one.
The ale tastes of blackberry, gin, juniper, hay, lemon peel, It's tangy and tart, a sour note lingering in the aftertaste. Average body with high carbonation. 8.3% ABV, and it'll sneak up on you.
I keep asking myself if I liked this beer or not. I think I did. I know it's a different style, one that I'm not overly familiar with. Still, I consumed the bottle and didn't find anything too offensive about it. That said, it also wasn't very memorable. I came, I saw, I drank, I conquered. I forgot. The concept was great, with brett and blackberries and gin from a local producer. I think that ultimately it was a bit too different and too rough for my taste-buds.
Grade: C
Price Paid: $9.99 (500 mL bottle)
No comments:
Post a Comment