Gin Barrel-Aged Kettle Sour
Surly Brewing Co.

a cool one from these guys. i have been huge into gin barrel aged stuff lately, especially in the sour and wild categories, and this is a cool example of how unique these beers can be. pale in color and sort of unremarkable in appearance, but fizzy enough and highly aromatic, with spruce and lavender and orange peel and even vanilla notes all hitting me at once. not sure what kind of botanicals go into this particular gin, not even sure i have had it on its own, but suffice it to say its pretty robust and interesting here. i get some hops in the taste which is cool with the juniper profile, the more classic side of the gin, and there is some cool funk here from the acidity, maybe some brett, its more sour than funky but its complex on the yeasts side too for a kettle sour, i like that a lot. there isnt a ton of wood on it, way more gin itself than the actual barrel, but i dont miss it, it tastes fresh and vibrant to me, springy and natural, very cool beer overall. always fun to drink something new and innovative from surly!