King Lear
Night Shift Brewing

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured from a 750 mL bottle, marked JUL 2017, into a chilled pint glass. (Not ideal, but I don't have any tulips at the moment)

A- A deep, hazy, reddish orange, almost like ruby grapefruit juice, with a loose head which simmers down quickly, leaving heavy lacing along the side of the glass.

S- Follows up on the grapefruit look with some nice acidity, followed up by the earthy barnyard notes of the Brett. Some oaky notes along with bright red fruit and white flowers warm things up after a few sips.

T- much less sour than the nose would lead you to believe, leaning more into the bittered notes of hops, and fabulous forest floor flavors facilitated by fermentation on Brett. There are some more wine-like bursts of acidity throughout, but It's not felt as much here as in the look and smell.

F- not as chewy as I'd expect a wood-aged DIPA to be. Helped along by a sprightly effervescence and a rather tannic quality, this is an easy drinker, even at 8.3%

O- Fairly excellent beer, helped along, I suspect, by 9 months in the cellar. If this was left for another 6 months, I suspect the wine component would be even more prevalent, once the alpha acids of the hops broke down. As it is now, I'm not sure It's at its full potential.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is one of the most insane beers I've ever had! Incredibly cloudy, orange color, I was expecting an IPA but the Brett stormed the castle! It was not the best choice for a beverage with the dahl baat my wife cooked for dinner, but I still enjoyed it, and it was even better after returning from the after-dinner walk around the neighborhood. This beer is out of control, I'm glad I have a 2nd bottle but it needs a year or two, maybe by then it will turn back into an IPA!