Wildflower Pale Ale (WPA)
Forbidden Root - Chicago

It's not a surprise that the taste is floral with some earthiness in the background. This is a well made IPA but it's a 1 & done type of beer for me. Cheers! B-

Grassy lemony nose. Malty with a nice flowery/grassy hop flavor. Petty thin body. Drinkable.

 

 

 

Canned 3/28/18; drank 4/13/18 @ the Yarchives.

Cloudy dark orange appearance.

A rough pour yielded a small white head; frothy, tree-rung lace.

Dandelion, strawberry & faint cane sugar notes in the nose.

Medium mouthfeel.

Watermelon flavor up front; dry dandelion notes on the finish.

Simple & direct; watermelon for the summer heat & a dry dandelion finish. An enjoyable summer beer.

i really liked this, and in general i liked the uniqueness of all their beers in here, its a cool spot, well worth making a point of visiting. this is a cool pale ale with several different flowers in it, some of which i have never heard of in a beer before, which is neat. they sort of take the place of the hop bitterness for me, as the beer is very bitter, but the flowers are more pungent than the hops, and i think they must be responsible for a significant portion of that. they add a cool springtime essence to this, almost giving it a floral saison yeast character, unexpected but nice with the grassy and citrusy hops in here, almost drinking like a delicate belgian pale because of how unique the fragrant the flowers are. light body and quite easy drinking, carbonated better than a lot of their there beers were, and very much a refreshing boat type of beer, i kept wanting to be outside in the summer drinking this, it really casts that mood. i like how different this is, how much the flowers really add, and how drinkable it stays for being as flavorful as it is. nice beer for this time of year!

 

Located in the city but with their heart in the rural Illinois landscape, the Forbidden Root brewers bring the aura of those midwestern meadows to the sense of their fans with a host of exotic flower additions to their standard American pale ale. With the help of Elderflower, Marigold and Sweet Osmanthus varieties, their Wildflower IPA carries a unique and floral whimsy across the session.

Pouring a standard pale amber and with a moderate haze, Wildflower Pale Ale swoons the nose with the bold citrus hops and caramel malt profile that's common, but as the ale warms, more of its floral bouquet grows into notions of lavender, honeysuckle and the soft scent of pulled candy. Sweet and caramelly on the early palate, the malt impressions are also of honey and savory graham cracker.

As the flavors open up, the sweetness reduces slightly to a simmering balance while the hops develop past the floral character of the flower additions and win over the tastebuds with a bold citrus taste. Grapefruit and orange peel bring a more nuanced set of complexities in mango and lemon. Finishing herbal, grassy and piney, the lasting impressions of the ale are of a bittersweet balance and an overall flowery arrangement.

Medium bodied and with a slight hop tilted balance, the beer slowly dries and lets the botanical and sprucy hops to create a crisp, clean and refreshing taste. A medium long aftertaste resonates with bitterness, slight nuttiness and a return of a retro olfactory wildflower character.

 

A solid pale ale, but disappointed that the wildflower aspect doesn't add much to the beer - a little malty woodsiness is what is noticeable, and there's maybe a tad of marigold, but nothing that distinguishes it from much better pale ale efforts.
Fine, light drinker, but didn't leave much of an impression.

 

 

12 oz serving

 

Cheers to Goblinmunkey7 for the bottle

Consumed 5/18/17

A: Medium gold with some deeper gold at the core and some straw highlights - mostly clear, some light chill haze - pours with a large white head that sticks around seemingly indefinitely - leaves globs and streaks of lacing

S: Some citrus, with orange and grapefruit flesh, zest - leafy hops and some pine - interesting flowery aromas - not as aggressively flowery as I expected/feared from a beer brewed with flowers - earthy - pale malts, light bread, touch of honey, light sweetness

T: Mild to moderate amounts of citrus, with some orange and grapefruit zest, floral citrus - some flowery taste, with some earth and a touch of pepper - yeastiness that may alternatively be the source of the pepper - leafy and lightly herbal hops - medium bitterness - light bread, crackers, light sweetness, mostly clean finish

M: On the light side of medium, medium carbonation, smooth, finishes dry

O: Wildflowerpower

Flowers generally remind me of allergies and funerals. But this was worth a try. The flower component is nicely subtle; it adds to a solid pale ale rather than dominating the flower. Solid.

 

Modest head, but it sticks around. Some streaks for lace. The brew is cloudy, giving it a white hue to the otherwise gold color.

Pleasant, light floral hop aroma. Soft pale malt in the background, but no wild flowers that I can detect.

The taste is less soft. This is because the hop is far more biting and bitter. The malt base remains soft but get dominated quickly by the black pepper hop presence. Decent body with an elevated carbonation. A bit of a contradiction from the smell, but a welcomed one.