Surf
Stillwater Artisanal Ales

a collaboration with evil twin and a mighty weird one, at least conceptually, brewed with lobsters and shrimp, also lemon and sea salt. yellow tinted and frothy from the can, not clear but not overly hazy either, bubbly enough even if it doesnt hold much head. the nose is mineral forward and earthy from the salt and also the lactic souring, i dont smell anything fishy at all, maybe niacin and calcium from the shells, but nothing that would suggest this was made with real seafood. tangy with the lemon and the clean sourness, bold on the citrus really, appealing, i suppose i am glad i dont smell fish. there is a little brine character to the taste, but again, its a stretch to say the lobster and shrimp can be appreciated in here. for me, if you are going to do something weird, i want to taste it, so i am let down for a second that it is minimal at best, but once i settle in, its a very enjoyable gose even without that (or maybe because of it!). there is an almost lemon candy flavor to this, but the beer finishes dry. not too sour to drink, clean on the souring and the ferment, and objectively good gose, i just dont get a whole lot from the lobster and shrimp. i would drink this again happily, but the novelty i was looking for here was absent. they definitely oversold the seafood element on the label...

 

Wow. This is a complicated brew that works.

It pours like most gose, yellow with little head but some fizziness. The aroma evokes surf alright, but not so much that it would put off anybody. It isn't too tart or too flavored - it works. I am simultaneously drinking Turf, which is a great contrast.

Highly recommended. I'll com back and write more later (maybe) but check out Turf too!