Meowzah!
Jester King Brewery

 

neat beer, kind of a saison with the usual jester king fermentation profile, but built like an esb on the grain side, a batch one from 2018 here, still doing great at this stage of its existence. not sure if or how this is different from the meowsonry, which is a newer iteration seemingly with a similar intent and nearly identical packaging, maybe this is a touch darker, i had that one recently too, a little more of the english crystal malt to this, a little more caramelization, amber in tone, nice tan head of little micro bubbles from the bottle, exceptional bottle conditioning as always from these guys. the nose is tart and lactic with some orange peel character to it, exacerbated by a little maple sweetness and dark bread richness in the malt, but its funky too, bretty and farmy and drying, pretty complex for what it is, and the english roots show through plenty. the flavor is similar, a little less tangy than it smells but still with a clean acidity on the swallow. love how funky it is too though, obviously the brett has kicked up a bit in the cellar over these years, and its nice with the earthy and richer malt, surprised how dry this actually finishes as a result. hints of raisin and fig and even rum to this, great carbonation and very drinkable for being on the malty side. fun bottle, cool idea for a beer, i think they could put their culture in just about any recipe and its going to work!

 

 

Having their fans screeching like a pained feline, Jester King teams up with The Masonry for a traditional farmhouse styled Belgian ale with a serious pepper and pine spin.

With a bright golden straw color and in a fine shadowy haze, Meowzah! builds a tall, arid white froth for a cast of aromatic characteristics of dried citrus, pepper, hay, white wine and a flowery, candied bouquet. Sourdough frames the initial taste along with a faint sweetness of honeysuckle.

With a burst of carbonation, the ale races across the middle palate, shedding off any insinuation of maltiness and in favor of a lemon, orange, grapefruit and peach peel character- all dried and void of succulence, sweetness or pulp. Nearly champagne-like in its fruit portrayal, its yeast spices are peppery, piquant and sharp against the tastebuds. A grassy, hay-like bitterness comes with its own spice for an almost soapy finish.

Light, crisp and succinct, the beer's bitterness shines head and shoulders above any other flavor for a highly unsettled bite that's intimidating to the throat in aggravating fashion. Its intense spice resonance renders the beer unenjoyable and highly distracting late, late, late in aftertaste.