Barrel Aged Snakeskin Jacket
Urban Family Brewing Co.

 

this is one of the weirdest beer experiences i have had in awhile, and continues the up and down trend in quality and enjoyment i have encountered with urban family beers so far. this is a total gusher for one, i lose a third of my bottle down a hotel sink drain right away. the beer pours this really nasty gross milky thick fully sediment laden beige color, not pretty at all. the head is bone white and fizzy like a soda, still gushing. not sure if the gush is what dredged up all this sediment into the whole beer, or if it was already this mucky, but either way, its unacceptable and unappealing. the aroma and flavor are nice, white wine, definite barrel there, some grassy hops, apparently a wheat malt base, and some really interesting wild cultures that seem to be a mix of both brett and bacterial agents. i like the flavor a whole lot, but have a hard time drinking it though the thick even gritty yeast residue. fortunately, its super well carbonated so that helps lighten it a little, but the texture is downright nasty from all this sediment. i love the wood and the wine and the brett, so its not all bad, but how can you go through the trouble and time of making a beer this good and complex and then let it be ruined by careless filtration or bottling or whatever messed this up?! seems like such a waste. really turned off by this much sediment in a beer, but the flavor remains memorable despite all that...

 

 

In continuance of their flirtation with wild fermentation and oak barrels, Urban Family's citrus-stricken saison picks up on the oaken wine-like character with the saucy brettanomyces wild taste.

Peachy golden to the eye, its moderate haze rises to create a thin sheet of foam. Short in retention, the beer soon looks more the part of sparkling zinfindel. Cidery and citrusy to the nose, a supple musty charm seems of dried fruit and weathered cork. A light coat of sweetness greets the palate with suggestions of semi-dry cider, wine and wafer-thin grain sweetness.

As the middle palate blooms, more citrus is revealed. Pink grapefruit, lemon and lime step slightly aside in favor of the tangy succulence of orange, tangerine and kumquat. Coming up to temperature, more tropical flavors are revealed- mango, apricot, pineapple and passionfruit before a closing taste of bitter citrus peel, oaken spice and a vinous tannin bite.

Medium-light on the mouth, the promoted acidity of the beer keeps the textures dry, arid and crisp. Its sour tendencies strips the thirst with ease and cleanses the palate effortlessly. A finish of burlap and cork gives a woodsy taste with hints of pepper and herb in a short afterglow.

Flat.....Would like to try again!

375ml bottle sealed with pressure cap.

poured into HF wine stem.

Appearance: Opaque orange bodied beer with a massive white head. Head rapidly goes away with no head left.

Smell: massive amounts of oranges in the nose. Oaky and light earthy brett.

Taste: Lots of oranges, orange peel, and oak barrel. Moderate tartness about a 4 out of 10.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with low carbonation. Dry finish.

Overall: Well, watch out for the gusher! This bottle of beer is the most violent gush that I have ever witnessed. The bugs are very active in this bottle and it was like a volcano eruption. I bought two bottles of this beer and both bottles gushed violently when they were opened. This is a disappointment because it is an expensive bottle and the gusher only yielded half of the beer to drink from the small bottle. On the positive side this beer reminds me of Crooked Stave St Bretta series and the orange is extremely intense and the brett takes a backseat.