Surfcasting
Oxbow Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a can into a pint glass. Pours hazy orange yellow with a small white head that dissipates quickly. Smells of wheat with lime, inviting. Tastes of sweet wheat with the sour lime, which makes a very nice refreshing balance. Beer is light bodied and easy drinking, good carbonation. Overall, a very good beer.

Only my fifth from one of North America's most accomplished saison maker, yet all of Oxbow's I have rated below the average. What is wrong with me?

Surfcasting Looks unappetizing; murky lime juice without foam. Smells are better, the citrus dominates. Tastes are tart, but still balanced. Surfcasting seems like it would pair well with shellfish or other fish. It cleanses the palate. I do give Oxbow Big Overall Hugs because they seem to have many followers.

 

 

Draft at the brewery
Fair creamy smaller head with moderate retention soapy lacing, hazy cloudy pale color

Nose doughy malt and creamy wheat but also an interesting earthy grainy maize and straw like, light citrus lime

Taste brings tartness with lime and salt up front, light citrusy grassy hop, grainy earthy wheat straw, but also creamy wheat, bready doughy, fair citrus and lime, drier finish little flemmy acidity, more salt

Mouth is lighter bod, med frothy carb

Overall pretty nice,

Nice nuanced brew. It actually comes across quite nicely as a light wheat beer, if a little light. But then again, it is a Grisette. The lime and salinity hit the nose pleasantly, but seem weak in the taste.

It’s a mix of good and bad, with a fairly good base beer distracted by watered-down tartness. As it warns, I think there’s a hop bitterness that is helping the watering down impression. More lime and/or salt could help, but too much and you push into questionable beer range. I think it could use a little more of either/both of the additions (line first), but not much.

Just needs a little something to get beyond the watery impression, which warmth and continued sips help with. Even though it’s a low ABV beer, I’d say let it warm a tad, and then give it some time to grow on you.

On draught at the Double Windsor, Brooklyn, NY.

Pours a hazy golden beige color. A fingernail length head quickly dissipates. It leaves a thin ring of lacing.

As expected, the nose is dominated by notes of fresh lime along with a subtle touch of sea salt. Aromas of bready, cracker and wheat malts, lemon, grass and peppery spices.

Lightly sour with lots of lime flavor and accompanying notes of tart fruit, including grapefruit and lemon. Lightly briny notes of sea salt add a Gose like touch. Lightly peppery spices and hints of grassy and earthy hops add some balance. Solid malt base comprised of wheat, cracker and sourdough.

Light bodied with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. The finish is very dry with an easy going mouth puckering tartness: the carbonation is moderate to lively.

Nice easy drinking Grisette, light and refreshing. The sea salt and lime added a nice touch. I would have again.

12oz can purchased from the fridge as a single for $3.99. Canned on 09/16/20, making this just over 9 months old. The can says to enjoy within 6 months, but I think we'll still be okay here.

Look: Pours a light straw color with a nice haziness to it. A nice head upon the pour, it has reduced to a thin fluffy white layer.

Smell: Up front - lime zest, lime juice, a bit of funk. The finish shows grassy hop notes as well as some pepperyness. Allusions to nice yeast and mineral character. Smells refreshing. After pouring the bottom of the can, I am getting a lot more lime zest, fruitiness, and also earthy hop character on the nose. Also getting some interesting tar-like notes. I think this is further expression of the aromatic oils in the lime rind, and combined with the salt it makes for a very interesting mix.

Taste: Yum. Up front, it's very lime-forward. The mouthfeel is very nice - effervescent with tiny bubbles. The finish is full of minerality and salt, and it is very drying on the mouth. It's a nice balance, because my palate feels like it is left a bit parched and thirsty and I am compelled to get some more of that juicy and refreshing lime from the initial sip. Very drinkable and delicious.

Feel: Very nice mouthfeel. It's a relatively light beer at only 4.5% ABV, yet it packs a full weight for its class. It's very flavorful and their yeast culture and brewing process has produced a very soft and tiny-bubbled fermentation.

Overall: This is my first Oxbow beer; I have been excited to sample their beers and I was fortunate to pick up a nice assortment recently. It seems like my kind of brewery and Surfcasting is my kind of beer. I also think that it's awesome that Oxbow is canning these types of beers. Why not? As long as they don't explode, who cares. This is a super drinkable and fun beer. Having this beer in a can means that you could take it to the beach - amazing! I think that it would be super fun if Oxbow did a variant on this beer and aged it in tequila barrels.

Canned 10/22/21, advised to drink within 6 months. Oh well

It's not often you see a saison type with weird adjuncts, but this one sounds like it'd be right up my alley. With these additions, it seems almost more like a gose, and I have a feeling it will taste closer to that than a saison anyways. I guess I should just dive in and see what it's all about

Pours a cloudy pale straw with 2 fingers of white head that fades o a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

Well, it certainly has the nose profile of a light and tart gose, without much of the earthy funk a saison usually carries, but it's quite good regardless. I'm picking up on aromas of tart lime, white peach, sea salt, earthy wheat, crackery malt, white pepper, and just a kiss of sharp oak. Basically just a very tart margarita

In taste, this diverts more into beer territory though the aroma did not suggest such, but it is a welcome detour in this situation, despite my deep love for margaritas. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting juicy lime, lemon, doughy malt, wheat, and orange rind. The swallow brings notes of tart lime, sea salt, wheat bread, toasted grain, and light citrusy hops

A light medium body pairs with moderate carbonation, resulting in a crisp and tart beer. Finishes almost entirely dry and super refreshing

Listen, I understand this is not exactly to style, but this is a fantastic and easy drinking beer, not to mention quite flavorful. Oxbow has been impressing me lately, I think I'll have to start actively seeking out their stuff

12 oz can into a tulip glass.

Pours a hazy bright lemonade color with a finger of fluffy head. Not much retention or lacing as expected from the style.

The aroma is fairly simple, but pleasant. A little bit of wheat and funk, followed by some lemon and lime zest, with a touch of grapefruit. Saltwater is present on the back.

The flavor follows the nose: Light funk before some limeaid and a touch of wheat and grass. Finishes with a pleasant dose of sea salt.

The feel is medium-light bodied with moderate carbonation. Has a nice, dry finish. Definitely needs more of a crisp bite from the carbonation.

Overall, a relatively simple, yet good all-around farmhouse ale. This would be an easy crusher with more lively carbonation, but otherwise a nice, drinkable beer.