Surf Melon
Oxbow Brewing Company

Look: It pours a deep rich opaque orange, not unlike that of a NEIPA

Nose: It smells like a margarita. The lime is upfront but I also get an assortment of other fruits grapefruit, peach, maybe mango? There’s also a distinct brett funk and a clovey belgian yeast thing.

Taste: Much more tart and salty than I expected. It drinks like a Gose, but you can tell the saison and brett yeast character is there which gives it a beautiful complexity. The lime is big flavor, but I think part of it is coming from the natural sourness of the beer. The watermelon is definitely there, but its pulled back. I actually think the subtlety of the watermelon is a good thing, it lets the other flavors shine. Not as fruity as it was on the nose, but not in a bad way.

Overall: A super crushable refreshing beer with the added bonus of being super complex and interesting like most Oxbow beers are. Its a cross between a Gose and a Saison that works incredibly well. It’d be an excellent beach beer.

 

Pours a very much unclear yellow with a foamy white head that ends as a thin layer of bubbles.

It smells like a slightly malty beer with whiffs of watermelon and lime. There's a bit of a grassy hay and green herbal note as well.

The taste - well, I get the lime up front but it isn't obnoxiously strong. The watermelon eventually shows up and lingers well into the aftertaste, but in my opinion it is too weak. There's a little green note along for the ride. There is quite a bit of mineral impact without being overly salty. There's definitely a maltiness letting the other flavors play. Decent bitter hit on the swallow. I am not getting any of the other flavors mentioned in the notes.

The feel is light and lively, certainly refreshing.

Overall, pleasant enough beer. It's nicely made and not heavy-handed. I think you need to be in the mood for this one. Glad to have tried it, but I don't need to have it again. Watermelon could definitely be boosted to counter the lime.

12oz can purchased from the fridge as a single for $3.99. Canned on date is illegible.

Look: Pours a moderately hazy straw, almost peach color. The head dissipated very quickly. Became more hazy and gained a pinkish hue after pouring the bottom of the can.

Smell: Big lime aromas up front - lime juice and lime zest. There's also white pepper and some floral notes on the nose. I don't really detect watermelon on the nose; smells more like watermelon rind or cucumber. There is a grassy, herbal component coming through also along with a bit of funk. Smells acidic and refreshing.

Taste: Very nice. The flavors follow the nose, but it's not as acidic as I thought it would be - the finish is quite dry and the watermelon flavor comes through in a subtle way. Lot of minerality and saltiness, along with some green vegetal notes (in a good way) on the finish. After pouring the bottom of the can, the beer gained a lot more complexity and fruitiness.

Feel: It's light and nicely carbonated. The yeast culture that was used her makes for a soft and refreshing mouthfeel.

Overall: I've had a few other Oxbow beers. Compared to Surfcasting and Paloma Daydream, this is very similar. I found the other ones to be a bit more refreshing but this one may be an old can. My other critique is that I don't think I would be able to tell that this beer has watermelon in it if it was a blind tasting. It comes off more like pink grapefruit or cranberry to me than watermelon, and this could be due to the combination of lime, watermelon, salt, yeast, hops, and how these flavors interact with each other over time. Again, this could be due to age and I still like this so I give it the benefit of the doubt. Regardless, it's a tasty and refreshing beer.

Can purchased at Tap and Mallet in Rochester, NY.

This one smells like hay, very light barnyard funk, coriander, wheat, and very light watermelon.

I honestly like how lightly fruited this one is, adding just a hint of refreshing watermelon sweetness. There's a clean Belgian-ish yeasty funk to this, a touch of clove and minerally funk, some coriander-ish spicy citrusy character, and a rustic bitterness.

This is crazy drinkable, with a nice refreshing bitterness, and a very crisp feel.

This is super solid and just well brewed with no faults to it.

 

 

Big fan of these lightly fruited farmhouse ales that Oxbow produces. They lean towards that funky, wet hay, barnyard character but without having that bretty aspirin-like bitterness. This one could use with a little more filtering of the yeast sediment, but otherwise very refreshing and crushable

80/100

Can. Wacky beer. Pours a slightly hazy wheat beer looking color. Weird, thick chunks of sediments dance around. Aroma and flavor is all over the place. Smoky! Belgian, fruity, zesty, rustic. Has a rauchbier quality to it. There is a huge pop of watermelon which is great. Just a ton going on. One sip I love, the next I am perplexed.