Freeheel Ale
Methow Valley Brewing Company/Twisp River Pub

I’m not a skier so I didn’t immediately recognize the reference this beer’s name makes to the free-heeled boot footings of cross-country skis. I do know this: skiing is a winter sport, Methow offers Freeheel as a spring seasonal, and it was pouring on tap when I visited Twisp in mid-August. I’m also told it’s a brown ale though a simple examination shows nothing darker than a polished, golden amber color. And although the taste of chocolate malts does make a pronounced statement, it’s tough to interpret this as a traditional, English-derived brown ale.

But the overall taste of Freeheel makes any style discrepancies irrelevant. It is an engaging and surprisingly complex beer with a curiously appealing scent of cherry and vanilla-strawberry and a similarly fruity flavor. The effect is a hodgepodge of brewing designs that integrate successfully yet defy easy categorization. Call it hard to define but easy to drink.