Dead Lines
Woodland Empire Ale Craft

a very interesting brew here, rosehip saison, had to order when i saw it, not at all what i expected though. its super hazy and dense looking, whitewashed just pink, starchy and frothy and almost sloppy looking, which has been true of some of their other beers in the past that use real fruit. on the one hand i definitely want more refinement and visual appeal, but on the other, i appreciate the use of real ingredients, these apparently were locally foraged, super cool. soupy looking for sure. it smells and tastes great though, a softness to the pale wheat malt makes it creamy, and there is none of the harshly bitter or sharp characteristics that rosehip can sometimes put off, its delicate, floral, springy, with subtle blackberry and hibiscus notes to it, a touch off dry, and without a particularly robust yeast profile, at least as far as a saison type base beer is concerned, no real esters or funk or anything rustic about it, but it does its job and stays out of the way. i like how delicate this tastes, and with the low alcohol and unique rosehip character, its a perfect beer for spring, enjoyed on their patio on really the first nice day of the year, seems about right! i appreciate this a lot, but think the execution is sort of on the fence, this could be great beer but needs some cleaning up. still, i am thankful it exists, and that these guys continue to push the envelope locally, definitely one of my favorite spots in town!