Sour Anise Hyssop
Scratch Brewing Company

pretty much every single time i have a beer from scratch it blows my mind, and thats true here too. they have such interesting sour beers, less funk than a lot of them, but fully wild, like, this is bacterial and earthy and acidic, but it a way that i think is unique across scratch beers. brown to amber in color here, thicker looking than i thought it would be for the low abv, and just a short bubbly head on it that dissipates pretty quickly. it smells like fallen autumn leaves and mashed up raisins, a hint of rum, and a tincture of some strange earthy medicine, like alcohol and licorice or something, herbaceous but also dried and mature, not anise specifically, and i dont know anything about anise hyssop, but there is a freshness, an almost menthol aspect thats weird in a darker colored brew. the flavor is equally challenging, sweet for a second, then decidedly sour, with a red wine and vinegar profile, some tannins from the grain, and this medicinal element again with the raisin i smelled earlier. its like a session old ale thats sour, really strange mix of ingredients and with that unique earthy sour profile that only scratch can cultivate. i thought a little more carbonation would help this, but that its an incredibly interesting and seasonally appropriate beer, like nothing else out there, and downright impressive. these guys just keep doing it beer after beer after beer!

 

 

Draft at the brewery, quick review from written notes.
Dark amber color with frothy surface foam settling to a ring around edges.
Earthy acidic aroma, light licorice from the hyssop.
Tart and floral, interesting tart crabapple, lemon, and herbal hyssop notes. Light bodied and smooth. Nice.