Goddess of Norway
Ninkasi Brewing Company

a rather peculiar beer here, done with the hidden mother out of spokane, who i believe has a taproom opening up soon there. in any event, its a neat collaboration, a beer that might most closely be a farmhouse ale as a base, being fermented with the kviek yeast and all, but it does not fit easily into a style category at all. its brewed with lemongrass and szechuan peppercorns, neither of which is subtle here, a super unique combination of flavors in this, yet still a relatively drinkable beer, but you have to want something spicy and weird, this isnt just a blonde ale or something. the szechuan is crazy in the flavor, its obvious what it is, its tea-like and then citrusy and then black peppery and then makes my tongue go numb, im surprised how robust this element is in here, a pretty ballsy recipe really. i very much like the lemongrass in here, especially with the vinous and dried fruity esters of this yeast strain, its fresh and tropical without being sweet at all, and it adds a needed, almost soothing counterpoint to the szechuan pepper in here. a cool combination of ingredients and the yeast drying this out with a french saison sort of wine thing at the end is neat too, the spice and tongue tingle linger a little while but arent over the top like eating one of the little peppercorns straight up. a daring beer and while i might appreciate it more than i actually like drinking it, im happy it exists and that i got to drink it. this is way more innovation than i have seen out of ninkasi in awhile...