Hell-Broth
Off Color Brewing

 

 

Given that 2015 was the initial release, I think the 4 pack of 250ml bottles I just bought (with a different label) is an evolution of Hell Broth. The label does not mention the collaboration with Amager (nor does Off Color's website) and the mouse is doing something different; like being towed on a boat instead of rowing.

Differences in time and image noted, I still enjoyed this Wild. The opening showed a wild yeast still acting that way as it foamed out of the top. But after I got it into the glass, Hell-Broth looked fine. Smells are interesting, the lemony yeast and the honey and the cranberry are all a unique blend. Tastes are, too; no surprises, just nicely balanced, refreshing and suitable at the table. My mouth had lots of flavor and enough bubbles to scrub the palate for more food.

I'm a big fan of Off Color. (They are my #2 most rated brewer.) Off Color's diversity of styles and their ability to satisfy a Belgo-phile like me is near the tops of American crafters.

8/22/20 finally finished the 4-pack of this 2020 rendition. I hope I find it again. Hell-Broth lived up to expectations as great table beer with summer fare.

-American wild ale with cranberries, juniper berries and lemon blossom honey.

A: A billowy stone white head is audible from the vibrant carbonation factor. A towering head is three plus fingers high showing its wild nature before collapsing to a patchy covering. Few reminiscence on the glass walls. Loved the peachy-orange coloring.

S: Tart cranberries come thru really nice, fruity ocean spray like cranberry juice. Musky flowers and saffron along with some lemons. Earthy pine resins, gin and spruce tips. Some fresh baked bread, blackberries and sugar plums. A fairly good strength and very smooth.

T: Tart musky oranges on the flavor dominate with some sweet apple juice. Musky flowers and lemon grass mixes with some tart cranberries. Wet spruce, grapefruit with some damp grains. There is some musky barnwood, and damp hay as a backdrop. Soothing sour twang of tangerine and saffron.

M: Very crisp mouthful, clean grains, with a sour twang.

O: Overall a nice american wild, soothing sour, musky attributes. The art is in the delicate balance of flavors here. A respectable 90+ from me.

 

 

Released 3/2/19; drank 6/9/19 @ the Yarchives. Cloudy yellow/orange appearance. A violent pour yielded a nice white head; minimal lace. Honeyed wheat & mild lemon notes in the nose. Medium, carbonated mouthfeel. Lemon, honeyed wheat & yeast flavors; can't say I taste any cranberry, but this is a mild, pleasant wild ale. Not one I'll track down again.

Poured from a 250mL bottle into a tulip at 45 degrees,

Look: Pours a hazy peach color with a slight orange, or pink tint. Almost zero head.
Smell: Strong aroma of primarily tart fruit, mostly cranberry, but some apple followed by a heavy red wine tannin aroma.
Taste: Mostly tart cranberry with a strong red wine flavor. Yeasty with a spicy, dry finish. I don't appreciate much juniper, honey, nor lemon. Minimal sour or funk, if any. Heavy on the red wine.
Feel: Light to medium bodied. Crisp and good carbonation. Dry and palate-cleansing. Leaves nothing on the tongue.

Overall:
Compared side by side to Apex Predator (AP), it has much more cranberry and red wine tannin flavor, rather than tart lemon and pear in AP. Much less sour funk.
This is exactly as described. It is such a unique brew that balances tart cranberry, red wine tannins into a spicy dry finish. Slightly less complex than I would expect due to the lack of appreciable juniper or funk. Off Color continues to push the limits with these unique, complex, and novel brews.

 

i cannot think of a more perfect beer to pop with thanksgiving dinner! this is special and celebratory, and its absolutely delicious. i was surprised there wasnt more color to this, no sign of the fruit at all visually speaking, but this is radiant and pale, heady like champagne, and delicate looking. it smells insanely complex, and the flavor follows the nose. the cranberries add a nice tartness on a very simple malt base, and have the classic autumnal flare, but for me, the yeast and the honey are what make this special, i get subtle pine needles from the juniper, and i get a lot of lemon on it to from the honey, a raw waxy honey that ends up dry somehow, white wine notes and tannins, insane funk to this, clean sourness, and amazing maturity and depth for something so crushable and even refreshing. i like how wild it is, but also how delicate. funky mild brett like so may of the off color beers have, but seemingly more developed here, nice with the added sourness of the cranberries. there is great balance here, a botanical freshness, not too much fruit, and just highly effervescent carbonation, so awesome. one of my favorite beers of the holiday, worth the insane price they fetch for it, but im glad i picked this up. off color continues to impress me every single time. this is world class!

 

 

Had this on 2018-09-04 in Columbia, PA from a 2017 bomber bottle

A - Hazy straw gold with an explosive amount of foam, frothing aggressively out of the bottle and making a mess. Poured into the glass, the head was white and faded quickly leaving little lace. Knocked off some points for the explosive release.

S - Nice wild Brett aroma mixed with peach and honey. Smells great.

T - Flavor echoes the aroma with plenty of Brett grass/hay/yeast and plenty of peach skin and light cranberry. Tart but also some honey sweetness. Great balance.

M - Light body and heavy carbonation.

O - My wife and I both really enjoyed this beer. The aroma and flavors are wonderful. So well balanced, you don't have to think about what your are drinking; just sit back and enjoy! Reminded us of a Rare Barrel fruited golden sour.

 

 

At this point, it's hard to say any beer can justify just under 25 dollars for a 750ml, and the headspace and wallet place necessary to do so is very particular; if you can't comfortably say 'I could buy a beer for $25 bucks' without flinching, don't bother with this, because it doesn't matter how good the beer is - nothing can overcome that sensation of it being a bad purchase.

If you can, and I did, rationalizing it was closer to a good bottle of wine, me oh my. And if you like wine on the sour side of the sky, doubly so - because this drinks like a beautiful, wild-fermented Jura Chardonnay, but it costs about half of what you'd expect to pay for it. Encouraging smooth, long pulls, the sourness is brisk, but mild - it's on the mean side of tart, but I've had a lot of beers that were meaner. It ultimately drinks as refreshing, which is a lovely counterpoint to the weight, which is substantial, and much of where the sensation of being a gently barreled white comes from.

The honey races up and down this beer, dry and everpresent, but the star is cranberry - which somehow reads as sweet on the front of the sip, and cranberry sweetness is a peculiar, but lovely idea. This beer was gone much, much too fast, and I adored it, even as it chafed my wallet to buy. If you can clear that hurdle, find it, drink it - with dinner, ideally, as I think this would kill a plate of chicken.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pours an effervescent gold with a thumb of fast falling ivory colored head. Some head retention & lacing

S: Grassy, wet hay, lemon

T: Follows the nose, a little lemon& grapefruit tartness up front. Dryness, lemon, a little cherry as this warms, along with tartness. Finishes with tart cherry & lemon & some saltyness

MF: Firm carbonation, medium body

Drinks easy, tasty enough, but at over a dollar an ounce, I can't recoomend this one unless you have money to burn. That's what I feel like I did with mine

 

750mL bottle obtained for about $16.

Pours a hazy gold with a bubbly head, which quickly retracts to light lacing. Strong carbonation though not prickly.

The aroma is light lactic sourness and some cracker or bready notes. There's a faint sulfur and funky aroma as well. Some fruity notes appear as it warms. Some apple and pear.

The flavor is a little bland at first. Light lactic with some sulfur is the predominant taste. The fruit really doesn't come through until it warms a bit with some additional acidic notes. I don't really get any cranberry, rather the same apple and pear with some lemon tartness type notes from the aroma. Also, no pine or juniper flavors really come through. A light funkiness or earthiness from wild yeast or hops.

The mouthfeel is actually rather thick for what is perceived as a relatively light beer though that may be the carbonation. It finishes rather dry though.

Overall, I was expecting a little more. The beer is fine, but is a bit muted and nothing really makes it pop yet. I have another bottle of this and am planning to let it age for a bit before sampling again. It could evolve into something great. It may just need more time to come together and get more expressive.