Ground Loop
Two Roads Brewing Company

 

 

 

L: yellow permeated with streams of rapidly rising bubbles with a moderate haze under a frothy 1" off-white cap with fair to poor retention

S: citrus, light fruit, light berry, light grains, traces of over ripe fruit, grape and spice aromas along with a light Saison yeast character and a hint of white wine

T: Granny Smith apple tart flavored by citrus, lemon and lime notes

F: light bodied beer is highly carbonated and mildly tart

O: refreshing, lemony, summer, sessionable Saison

 

Poured into a tulip.
The appearance was a glossy burnt yellow to hazed over copper color. Foamy to semi-bubbly little white head quickly slid off. Just a wisp of concave lace sat along the sides of the glass.
The aroma had some sour lemon jolly rancher-like sweetness up front with some hay and grassy hop tones.
The flavor brings the sour features forward and pushes the hay and grassy hop tones further back. Nice level sour citrusy blend in the aftertaste.
The mouthfeel was between light and medium bodied with a fair sipping quality about it. Carbonation felt fine. ABV felt on par. Nice sour lemon finish with some sticky rind.
Overall, pretty nice sour saison that I would come back to.

 

16 oz

Pours hazy lemon golden, coarse white head is thick and pillowy before dissipating to a lacing.

Aroma of lemon drop citrus and sweet bready malts. Hints of grape and pear.

Flavor is of mild bready and cracker malt with a mild lemon tartness.

Light body, light carbonation on the roof of the mouth.

Decent summery sour beer that drinks very easily. The flavor is good if not especially memorable. Worth trying and very sessionable.

 

 

Pours a hazy maize color. 1/4 inch head of a white color. Slight retention and slight lacing. Smells of salt, pale malt, hint of bacterial funk, slight citrus hops, floral hops, citrus, and a hint of dough. Fits the style of a Saison/Farmhouse Ale. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level. There is an elevated dryness. Tastes of salt, pale malt, hint of bacterial funk, slight citrus hops, floral hops, citrus, and a hint of dough. Overall, weak appearance and feel, but good aroma, body, and complexity.

 

L- Straw gold colored beer with a nice one fingered fizzy head. Looks the part for sure.
S- Sweet and sour wine aroma with a slight phenol and spicy aroma. Crisp, sweet and ripe smell. Hoppy, piney bitter aroma with a slight citrus note to it.
T- Sweet, bitter, sour and hoppy. Slight phenolic notes as well. A bit bready-biscuity flavor. Definitely some wheat in there.
F- Crisp and dry.
O- Very tart, crisp and light saison. Seems like a delicious summer beer that I would enjoy pool side. Combined with that assumption and the quality altogether, I say this beer is worth a try by anyone.

 

Aroma is tropical fruit/zest, grapefruit and sour fruit. The flavor is tropical fruit, grapefruit, malts, spices and and a slightly sweet/tart finish.

 

the beat of interesting collaborations goes on for stillwater, who sort of permanently has my attention. this is a good beer, even very good, but i am just sort of getting over the style, these overly hopped front end soured pale or wheat types, and make no mistake, with this level of hops, there is very little saison-like about this one, despite what it says on the can. frosted but bright in the glass, between straw and golden brassy, with a short but lasting and fizzy white head, looks nice in my tulip. the aroma is quick lacto souring, so familiar now, but clean and good with lime zest and lemon juice notes to it, and then the hops, which sort of feed on the citrusy bacterial profile and pop with tangerine and grapefruit, a real fruit basket on the nose here, mosaic maybe, tropical and juicy like that, overdosed for a saison of any kind i think, but as a tart pale its nice. the flavor is all too familiar now too, albeit better than most, clean and tangy without strong acidity, a light ale yeast strain thats faintly belgian but doesnt hit the saison mark for me, and then more hops than the beer knows what to do with, juicy and post fermentation, no bitter at all, and with a smooth wheaty feel, expressive carbonation, and a snappy dry finish that leaves on the excess hops on the tongue. its good and its drinkable and its fun, but its like the thousandth one of these ive had, and i am looking for a bigger point of differentiation at this point, although i suppose quality is probably the best defining element, and its certainly on display here. very good beer, if a little "been there done that"...

16 ounce can into tulip glass, canned on 9/26/2017. Pours slightly hazy pale golden yellow color with a 2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty foamy lacing clings on the glass, with a fair amount of streaming carbonation. Aromas of big tart lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, red/green apple, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berry, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, light musty funk, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/spicy yeast, earthy hops, and light-moderate pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tart lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, red/green apple, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berry, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, light musty funk, and yeast earthiness. Moderate peppery yeast spiciness and light-moderate lactic tartness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit, peach, pear, pineapple, red/green apple, papaya, mango, melon, guava, berry, peppercorn, hay, straw, grass, wheat, cracker, light musty funk, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Incredible complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/spicy yeast, earthy hops, and light-moderate pale malt notes; with an awesome malt/tart/spiciness balance, and zero puckering/astringent flavors after the finish. Moderately crisp/clean finishing. Moderate increasing dryness from tart/spiciness and carbonation. Medium-high carbonation and light body; with a very smooth and moderately grainy/acidic/sticky balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 4.5%. Overall this is a fantastic sour/wild saision! All around outstanding complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/spicy yeast, earthy hops, and light-moderate pale malt notes; very smooth, crisp, clean, and refreshing to drink with the modestly acidic/spicy/drying finish; never overly lactic. Flavorful and never watery for the ABV. Amazing well rounded tropical/funky Brett complexity, nice earthy hop presence, and solid pale malt backbone. I love Brett saisons, and this just nails it all around. A highly enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.