Hold the Pickle
Fort George Brewery + Public House

L: Golden, clear body, fizzy two finger head with good lacing.
S: Cracker malt with sea salt and a touch of pickling spice.
T: Like a lager with a briny backbone, a touch of pickling spice and dill on the finish. Faintly sweet and sour.
F: Dry on the tongue, in a salty way, but not intensely dry on the finish.
O: Interesting, and actually very well done. I don’t get much vinegar, mostly salt and faint pickling spices. I’d pick up a sixer on a hot summer day, no question. If you like lime and salt in your beer, you’ll probably like it.

so weird, but i kind of dig it, this got lost in the beer fridge awhile and almost has a yeastiness to it now, not quite funky, but like, kind of, definitely interesting, i wonder if that element is in this when its fresh, perhaps as i think the base is a berliner type sour, im sure there is wheat in it, its not super acidic, and the body is light. i thought it was made with pickling spices so was surprised to learn its actually dill pickle powder, never heard of that before. super weird beer overall, but also really effective in that it tastes like it says it will, and a pint can is not too much of this, more drinkable than almost any other ive ever had doing the pickle thing, which really is a surprisingly large number of beers. curious. anyway this smells and tastes like dill, white vinegar, salt, and light graininess, simple really at its core, and if its sour beyond the pickle element, that part is super clean and minimal and sets up the pickle aspect rather well, but its tough to tell, the flavor is that well integrated. its also not overdone, ive had a few of these that are so spicy, salty, mustard forward, all dill, whatever, but this is obvious without being absurd, and i think that really is a nice approach, more than novelty beer that way. its not really sour at all, but drying and briny. the salt is there, the dill is fresh and probably the most forward, but there is a slight cucumber vegetal aspect too that drives home the authentic pickle experience. some grain in support, bready but out of the way, almost like a pickle flavored chip or cracker. on the dry side with a little bit of body and good enough carbonation, late yeastiness and more of that as it warms, perhaps a product of its age. still, real neat effort here and i think a pretty fun beer overall. i could see thing being amazing with some tomato juice as a red beer, but its good on its own too. a little out there, even for fort george, but i liked it!

Look: Cloudy light orange with a white head that rises and noisily settles to a film, leaving no lacing behind
Aroma: Pickling spice, dill pickles, salt, sour tartness, wafts of citrus, and cereal grains
Taste: Kicks off with a tart, citrus-driven note that hits hard and fast, immediately followed by pickling spice. This literally drinks like the juice/brine for making dill pickles, except in beer form. Closes with salt, tartness, and light grains
Mouthfeel: Light, medium-high carbonation, and tart and snappy on the finish
Overall: I dig it. When I first saw this I knew I had to try it and after having and enjoying one, I procured another to review as it is the most interesting beer I’ve had this year – by far. My brain and palate seems to call this a Gose given the salt and tartness but the pickle notes throughout set it apart. Unique, fun, and tasty

Canned 8/4/23

Sometimes I like to get pickle beers to fuck with my friend who hates pickles. I don’t necessarily love them, but there’s the occasional good one in the bunch. I’m hoping this is one of those. Let’s crack it open and find out

Pours a cloudy orange gold with 2 fingers of white head that quickly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

The nose is quite sharp but does so in an artful way. I’m picking up on aromas of lemon juice, pickle, lime zest, bready malt, white pepper, floral hops, light mint, and honey

It’s much less aggressive in taste, it’s rather gentle actually. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting cucumber, white pepper, lemon zest, floral hops, mint, bready malt, and light lime zest. The swallow brings notes of cucumber, bready malt, lime zest, mint, white pepper, dill, and light lemon zest

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a crisp beer. Finishes mostly dry and quite refreshing

This one is surprisingly solid. Drinks very easy and isn’t too heavy handed on the pickle

Pours clear amber with plenty of foam in the New Belgium snifter. It's a very interesting flavor and unique in my experience. Sort of a pickle-y flavor but not overly strong, and not sour either, so it's nothing like a Berlinerweiss. Maybe a little salty like a Gose, but hardly that either. Just an oddball and rather likeable brew.

The aroma is hard to place, but then the nose has a very nice hint of dill and spice. Rather tangy with light body. Tastes slightly of brine and malt with that zingy spice note. From the 16 oz can purchased at Elizabeth Station. Dated 08/04/23.

16oz can at Hops & Bottles. Hazy golden pour, thin foamy white head. Light savory aroma, dill, cucumber. Taste is dill, savory, not overly sour, cucumber. Hot day? This!

Pour is a cloudy light amber. No head, but has fair carbonation. Taste is rather indistinct... certainly an ale with low bitterness and not much else. There's a definite spice note present, but even as we are very familiar with pickling as a way to preserve and enhance foods, we can't really put a finger on any particular spice. For us, it's a one-off. YMMV.