Equally Dreadful Cities
The Courtyard Brewery

 

a braggot style ale made with a unique raspberry honey. there is no fruit in this beer, simply honey from beers that pollenated the flowers of the raspberry bush, pretty unique ingredient to use, and i think the subtle nuances of the honey come through well in the beer, which appears somewhat simple for what it is, very basic and pale grain bill, a ton of honey, a really high abv that produces a slightly hot flavor and finish, and a gorgeous floral sweetness that seems far to delicate for a beer this strong, but it all works. the flavor shows some citrus notes, honey and vanilla sweetness, and a light yeasty tang that is unexplained. aside from the alcohol, this drinks kind of lightly, like it doesnt have much grain weight to it at all, and its not overly sweet to finish despite the honey. i can appreciate the unique raspberry honey here, and that is exactly what i wanted from this beer. we dont see enough braggot in american craft brewing. this was a good one. courtyard impressed me with their innovation and quality overall. a slow sipper here, but something quite distinct...