Prairie Gold
Prairie Artisan Ales

 

 

 

PIcked up 6 of these on a clearance special. Four years old? Will it hold up? Sat in the fridge for months, oh what the heck, let's try one.
Clear pour, gold, turning cloudy near the bottom of the bottle. Very fine bubbles and lots of them. Lemony and tart but not sour. Funk is there, but integrated and submerged. Yeasty finish, very long and very fine. Hmm. this could almost pass for a Champagne. Perfect balance. So flavorful. 5 minute finish. Wow, omg, this is the best beer I have had in many months. Unique.
Update: Not all bottles are equal, but 3 of 4 have been fantastic. Do not be afraid!!!
Tip: Pour until you get a bit of cloudiness, leave the last inch in the bottle... the heavy dregs at the bottom tend to overpower the balance in this amazing beer.

I am in trouble when reviewing anything brewed by Prairie - simply because whatever they make is so outstanding that is hard to describe by words, let alone adding something new and unique to my reviews about them.
What I can say though is that Prairie has such a talent in craft brewing like no other, and they make such a unique taste like nobody else can even imitate. The ideas, the ways they make a beer with is simply outstanding and every piece becomes an artwork, drinking them will be a joyful event, let alone how rare and expensive it is in foreign countries.
In my opinion, they have such a remarkable Brett yeast that has become almost like a trademark for them. Funny that I say this, because normally I do not like yeasts at all, but the only exception seems to be Prairie, where their yeast is so fascinating that I can't wait to try their beers, being excited how it will taste this time, what flavor they come up with?
This time it was a bottle conditioned Brett that smelled almost like champagne! So dazzling, so finely carbonated, that not only its aroma but its mouthfeel was almost like drinking a champagne! But it was a beer, with hops and malts! It is really amazing, truly a piece of magic they achieved this taste and feeling with!
I am in awe every time and wish their beers would never end... at the same time my biased reviews contribute with nothing useful, still I have to say again and again that Prairie is an amazing brewery and their beers - including this Prairie Gold as well - are among my all-time favorites! They can change your taste and the way you think about beers. Therefore they are highly recommended.

 

 

A: Poured into a Duvel tulip to a nice bright light gold with a finger and a half of dense white head that fades quickly to a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of some nice barnyard funk with a slight hint of band aids. There's a little fruity note on the nose as well.
T: Taste is ever so slightly tart with some nice orchard and tropical fruit notes with some nice underlying funk. Swallow is more light tartness with some more orchard fruits and lingering funk.
M: This beer has a fairly light body but it is not watery. Carbonation is effervescent and slightly prickly while the beer has a drying finish.
O: Overall this is a really nice beer. It has good flavors and is very refreshing with just the slightest amount of light tartness and a hint of funk. Well done and the complexity is very nice.

 

There is a slight chill haze in this otherwise clear golden ale. Rapidly ascending tiny bubbles of carbonation replenish the inch and a half fine white foam before it eventually settles to half an inch, leaving no lacing. The chill haze completely clears within five minutes.

The aroma opens with a strong lemon funk, followed by light black pepper and celery. Sour lime and sea breeze are discernible after warmth. A consistent light background of pepper and white bread lasts throughout.

Lemon and lime open with moderate tartness followed by celery. The flavor lacks earthiness and is sharp and crisp. The long peppery finish is mild, occasionally touching back with lemon and lime. Equal parts sweet and bitter are both minor. Warmth has a pleasant impact.

Vigorous carbonation helps lighten the medium body and nylon texture. It is drying with faint metallic notes.

This is a relaxed beer that I enjoyed while brewing a batch of Hefeweizen for my aunt and uncle to enjoy mid May.

 

This was poured into a tulip. The appearance was a hazy pale grapefruit color with a quickly dissipating slim foamy head. There was barely any lacing. The smell starts with a sour and bitter grapefruit rind, bold lemon pulp and rind - a light sweetness from the lemon rolls in to blend in with some light grape-like vinous-ness. Luckily, that part maintains a nice background. The taste was a moderately sweet to sour balance in the grapefruit and lemon rind. A quick dry grapefruit pith aftertaste runs into the finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light on the body with a moderate ability of balancing between a sipping and sessionable sour drying feel on my tongue. Overall, this was a pretty nice sour ale that I’m pretty sure I’d have again.

 

 

 

 

 

500ml bottle with some Lost Abbey stemware
Last had this on 09/22/15

An okay session but somewhat of a letdown. If you are looking for a sour bomb this not be it.
Bright straw gold. Unfiltered look as it distorts the light creeping through. Frothy white foam topper with some ample hang time and a few mild streaking dots of lace.
The nose is made up of wheat grains and a lemony lactic acid mostly. I get some golden fruitiness with a little white wine and a dusty mineral semblance to it. There is definitely some lemony lactic tartness to this but didn’t find this to be all that sour really. Soaked grains and straw hay, golden pear, grape skin, with an earthy mineral like yeasty note. Very light in body with medium high pop from the carbonation. Frothy and slightly sharp in the finish. Tart and lemony. Sways between being effervescently dry and slightly watered down.
Didn’t hate this one at all but it just lacked depth or complexity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Smell is banana, clove, with slight barnyard funk. Taste is citrus, light tartness, a hint of breadiness, and some stone fruit. A nice, essentially sour saison.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reviewed from notes. Had on-tap at Stein & Vine in Brandon, FL. Served in a snifter.

A: Hazy dark yellow with a one-finger white head and good amount of visible carbonation.

S: Lemon zest, farmhouse funk & earthiness, yeasty, with some citrus tang and grassy hops.

T: Citric bite with a tannic sourness, citrus fruits and some tropical hops. Biscuit malts (with maybe some wheat character here) and some Brettanomyces dry pineapple flavor. A definite Brett and Lacto funk, but this never becomes overboard. It finishes with tannic, almost vinous dryness along with some hop bitterness and mild residual funk.

M: A light crackly body, great carbonation sensation and a low alcohol presence.

O: This is quite tasty, and easy to slip into drinking without thinking and just enjoy. But there’s a lot going here; and my opinion on how well the elements in the beer meshed together seem to be fluid from sip to sip. But still quite enjoyable, and I would certainly be happy to have another glass of this one.

 

 

Gusher. I'm talking two minutes of gushing. Don't be like me, don't age this.