The Pathfinder
Breakside Brewery - SE Taproom

 

22oz bottle - aaaaah, now I see why this offering's price was so dear: I didn't read the fine print that indicates that it was aged in gin oak barrels. Silly me.

This beer pours a hazy, medium copper amber colour, with four fingers of puffy, finely foamy, and somewhat bubbly off-white head, which leaves some decent 'tree for the forest' lace around the glass as it slowly sinks out of sight.

It smells of gin botanicals (primarily juniper twigs), grainy and crackery pale malt, muddled domestic citrus rind, a hint of wet wood, and some heady leafy, piney, and soused-up floral green hop bitters. The taste is bready and doughy caramel malt, some warm orange and red grapefruit flesh, well-blended gin botanicals (I don't know how else to say it), faded woody barrel notes, and more resinous, herbal, and yes, all ginned-up floral verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is adequate in its palate-cuddling frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and actually quite smooth, with a nice aerosol creaminess evolving as things warm up a tad around here. It finishes off-dry, the complex fruitiness and base malt keeping the lingering greenery at bay.

Overall - well, it's always nice when the essence of the barrel treatment shines through, especially when it's from a spirit other than whisk(e)y. The flavours here are just like if you'd mixed some craft gin (I'm hardly an expert in that, but still) into a big West Coast DIPA. The exact opposite of that is what really happened, but you get my drift, I would hope.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Poured into a Seattle Beer Week pint glass. Pours a medium golden amber with a thin head that dissipates to patches leaving slight lacing. Aroma of mild caramel malt, citrus hops, lots of mixed tropical fruit and light, but noticeable juniper. Flavor is light caramel malt, juniper, resinous citrus and lightly piney hops, lemon. Finishes with lemon citrus, juniper and lingering resinous hops. Medium bodied with moderate carbonation and light creaminess. A well hopped and juniper forward imperial IPA. The hops and gin influence work well together and are supported by a good malt body with little flavor character of its own. The result is rather herbal; less fresh hops, but more evergreen and earthy summer herbs. Impressed with the distinct juniper that melds so nicely with the hops, a surprisingly well balanced IPA despite being aggressively hopped and well barreled. Enjoyable.

 

 

 

 

Edition #3 of NBS BIF. Bomber poured into a tulip glass. Deep golden pour with some rust highlights. Fluffy, soapy head that recedes but laces around the glass. Nose is lemon peels, citrus, florals and juniper berries. There's no mistaking what the flavor here is. Taste is citrus, bready malts and more juniper berries and gin. Good medium mouthfeel. The scales are tilted towards the bitterness side. Leaves a lasting gin flavor that is slightly overpowering. An interesting beer for sure.

i love everything about these guys, and this series of beers has been incredible. a gin barrel aged double ipa, they were smart to blend in some fresh ipa, and to dry hop the whole thing again post barrel treatment. i have found i dont love this style because the hops tend to fade so much in the barrel, even in greater proportion than the time it takes to age and extract flavor from the wood, so that the result it a beer where the hops are gone or stale. here, the hops stay fresh and forward, without sacrificing any of the mellowness and flavor of the barrel, thats a beautiful process innovation and it has produced a much better beer. the gin character is strong here, spicy and menthol-like juniper all the way through, weird at first but the palate gets used to it, and the hops which are juicy and citrusy seem to pair really well with it, like a lime or lemon in a glass of gin on the rocks (my mothers drink of choice!). there is plenty of grain structure and earthy wood here too, fluffy feeling but substantial for sure, and its a perfect base for the herbaceous and intense hops and juniper. the wood part is really cool in a beer that tastes so fresh, those things never seem to go together, so its awesome how well they do here. despite being a huge beer, there is a cool lightness on the tongue to it, and it finishes quickly with expressive carbonation. this one is a beauty, taking barrel aged hoppy beer in a really awesome new direction!

 

A delicious and very unique beer. It stays true to the qualities of an IPA while adding in the unusual tang of gin. Appears a soft and hazy straw color with a tall, creamy head that leaves nice lace. Aromas are of tropical fruit with mango prominent. The taste starts with the tropical fruit then you quickly notice the background of juniper, finishing soft and just slightly bitter. Mouth feel is just right, nicely carbed, smooth and creamy, and dry enough to keep it refreshing. Overall, I love this beer - It's a bit pricey at $12.50 for a bomber, but well worth it for it's uniqueness and quality.