Poison Fumes
TRVE Brewing Co.

another gem from trve, who i miss more than anything in denver, such awesome and inspired beers across the board. this is a barrel fermented strong lager with honey in it, and one of the coolest cans ive ever seen. done in collaboration with hoof hearted, worst name for a brewery ever. the beer has a very distinctive aroma, nothing like lagers i know, more of a familar trve mixed fermentation profile to this, hard to even detect lager yeast in the taste, but if they say so... to me its bretty and a little tangy and mature, no doubt patiently done, and perhaps with a little bit of a european lager vibe, but its minimal compared to the wild elements in this, a trade i am happy to make. the honey really leaves a mark here too, more than just by being fermentable and cranking up the alcohol content. its floral and interesting, waxy and raw and very much from nature, neat with the little bit of citrusy hops i get in here too. some pils malt and maybe unmalted wheat in the grain bill, earthy, simple, and extremely dry. the wood character is light, but there is an oak tannin thing here and some very soft, well mellowed edges. the lagering process results in some crispness here, even with the funk, and i think the texture is pretty amazing overall, especially with the rampant carbonation. this is really well refined beer, unconventional as is almost always the case from these guys, but brilliantly put together. it showcases the honey in a neat way, has a distant sort of wild aspect about it, and a freshness at the same time. it seems harvesty and agricultural and organic to me as well. i just love that these guys do, and would love to crush another one right this second. smart stuff here, very unique!