Bush Fire
Beau's All Natural Brewing Company

 

 

600 mL bottle from the LCBO; one of four included in their 2016 Best of Beau's mixed pack. This one was dated Oct 31 2016 and served well-chilled.

Pours a foggy, translucent orange-amber colour, producing a half-cm of soapy, bone white-coloured foam that seeps away before sixty seconds have passed. A thin, bubbly collar frames the perimeter of the surface, which is largely barren, save for some scattered patches of filmy suds. A small amount of lace is deposited, but overall it's pretty average-looking. The aroma is unusual - and having had little-to-no previous experience with either rooibos or honeybush, coming up with accurate descriptors is a challenge. It's quite floral and herbal, akin to a pungent tisane, and just a tad spicy. The botanicals and hops obscure relatively subtle hints of grainy pale malts and honeyed sweetness.

An interesting flavour, but finding terms to describe it isn't any easier than it was for the aroma - in fact, it might be even harder. The backdrop is mostly engineered by clean, grainy pale malts, with minor notes of honey sweetness, citrus peel and berries. Their presence pales in comparison to that of the botanicals, though, which are pointedly herbal and leafy. Hints of floral rosehips, earthy hops and spicy tisane build towards the finish, followed up by a tea-leafy, mildly bitter/tannic aftertaste that dissipates gradually. Nearing medium-bodied, with fairly lively carbonation that prickles and pokes the palate with each sip, giving it a nice, crisp bite that complements the herbal/spicy qualities of the flavour. Surprisingly drinkable, but not something I'd care to consume in bulk.

Final Grade: 3.76, eking out a B+. Beau's has always been prolific with regards to experimental herbed ales and gruits - arguably in terms of quality, and indisputably in terms of quantity. Fitting into that loosely-defined category, their Bush Fire Rooibos Honeybush Beer is yet another odd, but enjoyable brew that I'm glad I had the opportunity to try. The herbal tea flavours are potent without being distracting or overemphasized, with the underlying blonde ale working out as a decent scaffold. I wouldn't go out of my way for another bottle, but if the price was right I'd pick this up again.

 

Pours cloudy dark golden. Honeybush tea and Rosehips rarely blended in beer, creates a complex and refreshing blonde ale. Bottled from the LCBO as part of a Beaus mixer pack.

 

 

 

600ml bottle (sort of getting used to that by now) - made with two kinds of teas that I don't typically drink.

This beer pours a cloudy, medium golden amber colour, with two fingers of puffy, loosely foamy, and bubbly off-white head, which leaves a bit of cresting sea-wave lace around the glass as things gently recede.

It smells of musky artisanal tea (that stuff that is languishing in the back of my tea drawer), bready and doughy caramel malt, earthy honey, a pale orchard fruitiness, and some spicy, leafy, and floral green hop bitters. The taste is bready and slightly biscuity caramel malt, more earthy and musky tea leaf astringencies, some wayward son yeastiness, a generic floral acridity, muddled dark fruity notes, ephemeral damp smoke, gritty honey, and more leafy, weedy, and herbal verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is quite pleasant in its genial and palate-coddling frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and mostly smooth, with a nice aerosol creaminess kicking off right from the get-go. It finishes well off-dry, the complex malt and floral-forward tea character predominating.

Overall, this is an interesting enough tea-infused brew (sorry), with the choice of two South African varietals lending an exotic flair to the proceedings here. Another one of those offerings which seems to be a whole lot better when you just freaking stop analyzing it, methinks!

 

600ml bottle served cold into a pint glass. Part of the Christmas 4-pack from Beau's. Bottled on Halloween. Batch 5552.

Appearance - hazy golden color, plenty of white head that last for a few minutes. Minimal lacing at the edges of the glass.

Smell - rooibos and rose hips are at the forefront with some grainy notes in the background. Earthy and floral. A tea like aromatic sensation as well.

Taste - earthy initially and the rooibos and rose hips come out here in the flavor. Perfume to taste, some leafy hops and mild bitterness. Different but interesting. Not sure how well this works. A little bit of lemon and pepper to close.

Mouthfeel - smooth and light with good carbonation and a very soft feel. Drying finish.

Overall - a fine effort that is certainly unique and tasty. Worth a try especially if you like leafy hops , rose hips and rooibos.