Swimmer
Oxbow Brewing Company

i get so jazzed to drink oxbow beer, always have! this is a fairly robust little blonde sort of farmhouse pale type with whole cone saaz and apparently lots of them, quite a bit more hoppy and bitter than anticipated, main grown malt in here too, way cool, unassuming little can, big flavors, and good, but not one of the oxbow standouts, thats a real high bar. bright looking beer, not perfectly clear but sunny still, and looks can conditioned with micro bubbles collecting in an inch of lasting airy belgian looking white head. the aroma is spicy from the saaz, bitter too, green in a fresh not overdosed way, and there is a complimentary ester in this from the yeast, which hits more clean belgian than rustic saison, peppery maybe, toasted coriander seed, that sort of drift, the grain has some richness but also presents as dry in the nose, and there is some earthy almost terroir level interest to it at its core, but the hops lead the way even in front of the ferment. the flavor is saaz saturated, less of its sometimes limey side, more of its herbal pop, with a definite dry peppery and bitter side, an early start for a noble hop, fairly bold. the grain supports it well though, light but interesting, right for this, maybe some wheat in play but also dry and pale and simple really. the ferment isnt too high tone, but brings some light fruitiness to this which works nicely with the hops, the whole thing is dry with a bitter recall, and the carbonation is really enlivening. white pepper, lemon rind, lightly starchy, dried grass at the end. of fine quality and relatively distinct in this style space, but not among the greats from this elite operation.

12 oz in draft at the brewery, in a Becker.

Appearance: A foggy blonde with a big white head. Looks like a saison.

Aroma: Floral and hoppy. Pine needles, some fruits. Looks like a saison, smells like an IPA.

Taste: Lots of tropical fruits up front. Mango, pineapple. Lots of citrus. Grapefruit. Some saison style funk. Coriander seems to be present.

Mouthfeel: Worth a slow sip despite the low ABV. Had some weight to it also.

Overall: This beer has something to do with some local band I’ve never heard of. Anyway, good for them, because it’s a very good beer. Sort of a saison meets an IPA.