Atomic Strawberry
Bacchus Brewing Co.

Tried on-tap at Dejavu in Melbourne during Good Beer Week 2013.

Pours a bright, light red colour with solid hazing in the body. Weight is fluid but fairly solid. head is a pink-tinged white, creating a foamy styrofoam edge to the beer that leaves lace in specks. Looks good.

Nose is big and sweet, with all the aromatics of strawberry. Jammy, rich, sweet and sticky. There's not a hint of acid or tartness. It's extremely unusual and a little disconcerting, while still maintaining a pretty impressive true strawberry aroma.

Then, the beer spins on a dime. On the palate, the strawberry almost disappears. Light, crisp spritzy entry with the only suggestion of that fruit aroma we'll again see. Aspirin and biting acid on the mid-palate, clean and bright. Clinging tartness on the back, and dry as bone. White, dusty earth in the aftertaste. Feel is dry and acidic.

This is extremely refreshing, but utterly weird. I can't get over the difference between the nose and the palate: it's sweet and jammy in the aroma, but cuttingly acidity in the flavour. Very, very strange indeed.