Strangers Are Strange
Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew

a really cool single malt single hop beer done in collaboration with cellar west, which is where i had this one. they use mistral hops and and italian pils malt, probably two ingredients that have not been combined in a smash beer before, and certainly probably not one done in a wine barrel with a whole bunch of interesting bugs. this is really interesting and there is a lot to like. the malt is really flavorful, possibly because this beer is so darn strong, they had to likely have used a whole mess of it, but the flavor is interesting, fresh, and crackery, with a little bit of a doughy thing to it and some obvious minerals too, clean and solid, would make a fine lager, but works well in this funky beer context too. its neat to showcase a lighter grain like this by being so bold with it, good call there. the hops are somewhat delicate, noble-esque, with some light earthy spice to them and a soft tea-like botanical property that seems old worldy enough for something like this. i also havent loved the wild beers i have had from these guys, but its cool to see the new combination of yeasts take shape where more mature bretty funk from cellar west balances some of the acidity i have known in these types of beers from our mutual friend, i think that was a neat idea to blend their cultures. some clean oak on this, a light vinegar sourness, and honestly more flavor from the malt than any other element, which seems like maybe the point of making this as strong as it is. hides its strength well, has awesome carbonation, and is a really clever and unique collaboration that i really enjoyed. cool effort here for sure, and likely to age super well, i hope to try it again in about a year and see where its gone!