Alba
Rising Tide Brewing Company

 

this beer is absolutely wonderful, huge thanks to my homie for sending it my way! i live for oxbow, and i love smoked beer, so this was a double treat for me. cant believe how light this pours, looks almost pils-esque to me, slightly wheaty hazy, but just soft yellow in the glass and with an airy white head a couple inches tall and lasting, real fizzy too, gorgeous. the nose is incredible too, hardwood smoke, oak specifically even, none of the extinguished campfire intensity, depth, or acrid character, instead its organic and earthy, gentle and actively smoldering, nutty too, walnut and even hazelnut nuances, and some cool fermentation character, almost slightly bretty or at least saison-esque, could be the oxbow contribution, new still, but funky in a way that works amazingly well with the smoke and the pale wheat malt, subtle graham cracker, lemon, and even salinity too, amazing aroma. the flavor is cool, decidedly fresh which is uncommon to observe in a style like this. definite lemon, yeasty uniqueness, bone freaking dry, perfect amount of smoke, very natural and woodsy, oak, almost has a wood aged character, the wheat is hearty but also light, amazing how robust this can be in flavor, and how downright satisfying in texture, at just 3% abv, unheard of! i love the funk on this, subtle as they come and all on the finish, but a distinguishing feature of this. the smoke profile is also incredible and the beer on the whole is positively epic, love the layers of flavor, the effervescence, and the ferment. world class grodziskie, as good as it gets!

Can: Poured a slightly hazy pale yellow color ale with a rather large foamy head with light retention and some lacing. Aroma of light smoed and wheat malt is enjoyable. Taste is a good mix of wheat malt with light smokey notes and light residual sugar. Body is about average for style with a nice greasy feel with good carbonation. Easy drinking with just enough smoked notes.

Canned 2022/02/10
Pours a fluffy fizzy 1 finger head with moderate retention, mild lacing, slight hazy light pale water color

Nose plenty of smoke, sweet smoked meat and cheese, little campfire, quite fruity like smoked Nordic berry Scandinavian beer, creamy wheat and cake batter, vanilla, honey, rose water potpourri, really interesting

Taste more smokey but not overpowering, smoked meat cheese like, touch of mild campfire, fruity Nordic farmhouse berry sahti like thing, doughy creamy wheat with more cake batter and vanilla, then spicy hops kick in, starting with med bitterness then high spicy bitterness

Mouth is med to lighter bod, med higher small bubble foamy carb

Overall really nice until the hops kick in, great smoke and wheat beer blended nicely, and interesting fruit, just those mildly overpowering spicy hops that bring this down

 

Can. Very pale gold with slight haze lasting head and lace. Smoky grainy bready aroma. Very light grainy sweetness minimal wheaty fruitiness with long smoky grainy finish with just a touch of herbs. Very light body lively soft carbonation. Beer of the Year so far for me. FUCKING EXCELLENT.

From a 16 oz. can dated 02/10/22. Sampled March 13, 2022.

This is a collaboration between Rising Tide and Oxbow, both from Maine.

The appearance is a slightly cloudy or smoky straw yellow withy a moderate white head.

The smoke is forward in the aroma followed by sensations of wheat, grass, and lemon zest.

The mouthfeel is light and thin.

Smoke is not as forward i8n the taste but I pick up more in the grainy, lemony, and grassy aspects. Crisp and clean finish.