The Sphinx
Samuel Adams (Boston Beer Company)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Appearance: Pours mostly clear, white head, nice lacing.

Aroma: Stone fruit, funk, and the lightest touch of acetic acid from the brett.

Flavor: Light graininess, yeast driven citrus and stone fruit, and what I call "pickle-y brett funk".

Mouthfeel: Light bodied, mostly dry with solid texture.

Overall: A perfectly fine Brett beer - it's not Prairie but it's pretty damn tasty.

Not sure when this one-time brew was originally concoted, but I had a glass on tap in August 2015 at a local sports bar that was doing a Sam Adams tap takeover. There was fairly heft sweet malt aroma with some dry plantain. Lots of banana flavor, way more than I anticipated, and it is the dominant flavor. Billed as a Belgian pale with Brett, there is pretty much no trace of anything related to either one of those. You could make a case for there being maybe a incredibly faint glimpse of Belgian yeast but if it is there it is subsumed by the banana & pedestrian malt flavor. Brett is non-existent, which was dissapointing cause I love a good Brett beer. On its own it is just a plain Jane mediocrity, but it certainly isn't what it is advertised as.

 

 

 

 

 

Honestly, this was way better than I expected. Super carbonation, just a tad tart, definitely not sour. A smidge of Belgium funk and yeast. Very refreshing and highly drinkable. Had it on tap. I'd totally drink one in the sun.

 

Had this one served infused with Sour Patch Kids through a randall. Even with the sour candy, tartness doesn't show up until the end. Mostly mild sweetness and belgian yeast.

The beer pours mildly hazy golden in color. There isn't much in retention or lacing. The nose has a mild funk to it, but tends towards a normal Belgian yeast-bass beer. There is some very light notes on banana in the background.

The taste is solid, but not exceptional. It starts just in the tart side, maybe some strawberry or watermelon rind bite over top of a decent malt background. This almost works backwards as the malt back-fills the original taste, with perhaps a fleeting bit of honey-like flavor before the taste fizzles out. The carbonation does last throughout the taste, and it is more noticeable later in the taste, providing a surprisingly biting feel on the tongue that lingers.