Southern Gold - Candied Pear
Lazy Magnolia Brewing Company

Another one of the Craft Beer Week firkins provided by Lazy Magnolia and tapped at Soulshine Pizza in Oxford, MS. I haven't ever had a beer with pear in it. It was officially described as Southern Gold with agave syrup, dark sugar, pear, cinnamon, Mexican vanilla, and aged rum extract! After waiting a few hours for this to be tapped, here we go ...

A: The lights had dimmed in the bar by the time this was tapped and a shaker was served, but it appeared to be extremely hazy, only letting light in at the top surface, when held at an angle. Looks like dark apple cider and arrived with a tiny off-white head that dissipated rather quickly. Minimal lacing left behind as the head receded and body was consumed.

S: CINNAMON. Man, does this have some cinnamon in it. Overall, the aroma smells like cinnamon apple sauce. Hints of pear, brown sugar, and vanilla are present, but the dominating characteristics is cinnamon. It's not completely overwhelming, but rather inviting and invigorating.

T: The tast is very similar to the aroma. Cinnamon is right up front, along with some pear, apple, and vanilla. I didn't pick up on any of the rum extract, and I wish that I had. Whereas the aroma clearly had cinnamon present, yet wasn't overpowering, the cinnamon in the taste is. It started out wonderfully, with a slightly warming taste, paired with sweet fruit, vanilla, and sugar. As it warmed slightly, however, the cinnamon completely took over. In fact, it was almost like taking the cinnamon challenge (that may be a bit of an exaggeration), but it did begin to feel like cinnamon was present on the tongue, and dried the tongue as time went on. I wish I had only taken a few sips; it would have left a much better impression.

M: Medium bodied and medium-low carbonation. Nice texture and weight on the tongue. Very drying as time went on, from the plethora of cinnamon. Here I am, two hours later, with a dry tongue, and still hints of cinnamon in the back of my throat.

D: This started out great and the first few sips went down almost too easily. As the cinnamon took over, it was harder and harder to put down, though. If the cinnamon was toned down a bit, to let the other characteristics and flavors have a fighting chance, this would have been exceptional. I absolutely love cinnamon, so although it was a bit much for me, it was still very good and something worth trying. Another solid effort Lazy Mag; thanks for the great beer and fun night!