2nd Anniversay Ale
Hailstorm Brewing Co.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance: reddish purple body with tall white head. Head has really good staying power.

Smell: Berry medley and bretty funk. Light grainy malt.

Taste: Berry medley and very light minimal brett presence. Very enjoyable, but pretty straight forward. The beer was crafted exactly how it was described.

Mouthfeel: medium bodied beer with moderate carbonation. Crisp and refreshing saison. Lightly dry finish.

Overall: This is a great fruited brett beer. I havent had many beers brewed with currants, but this is a good one for sure. Glad I grabbed a few bottles of this beer.

 

 

750 ml bottle, bottled March 2016 printed on the label. The Second Anniversary Ale from Hailstorm Brewing , a "Brett Saison with Black Currants" "Fermented in Oak Wine Casks" "Bottle Conditioned". Sounds good.

Poured into a Unibroue Maudite snifter.

A- Pours an impressive rosy pink colored body, with upwards of three to four fingers of fluffy frothy pinkish-tinted white foam for a head that stays a while, leaving big sheets of fluffy lacing. Good clarity when held to the light. Looks a bit like unsettled jello shots in the glass with that nice color.

S- Wonderful aromas of yeasty funk, oak wood, mustiness, trademark brett, leather, & authentic juicy black currant / black cherry tartness. Notes of red grapes, red wine, and tannins come through as the beer sits.

T- Taste follows the nose: flavors of yeast & brett, but the brett definitely is not the dominant player here. The oak comes through with subtle hints of vanilla, but the true players are the juicy black currants the wine nuances which meld together wonderfully. More nuances of red wine / red grapes / tannins emerge as the beer warms toward room temp.

M - Feel is smooth, with crisp carbonation. Lightly tart, & easy-drinking for the modest 8.00% abv.

Overall, a very nice brett saison from Hailstorm, with the brett not overpowering the other favorable candidates of this beer. Look forward to Hailstorm's third anniversary.

Hailstorm Brewing Second Anniversary Ale -----4/5.

 

750 ml bottle into a tulip glass. Also had on tap.

Pours a rosy pink or cranberry, cloudy, with a two finger head lots of foamy lacing. Smell is Belgian yeast, currants, light malt, some Brett, some funk- more as it warms, straw, some peppercorn. The taste follows with the yeast and currants, more Brett than the nose, some sourness and tartness, a little musty funk, light malt. A light bitterness throughout. Smooth, dry, refreshing, well carbonated.

This is a well crafted beer, well blended with lots of flavor. The black currants are perfect in this, and I can't think of a better use of currants... ever. Glad I have a second bottle.

 

 

 

 

 

A rose colored draft pour into a tulip glass floats a 1/2 inch pink head that lingers before disappearing.
Aroma is raspberry/strawberry with a carbonation tickle.
Taste matches the aroma.
High carbonation like a sparkling wine. (You know... for a celebration)