Braxton Labs Lemon Meringue
Braxton Brewing Company - Braxton Covington

Where the lemon meringue dessert carries an inherent tartness, the after dinner delight would never have thought that it would find itself imbedded into a beer. But with the popularity of berlinerweiss, the beer carries a familiarity with the flavors in the dessert so any fusion in flavor was bound to happen.

And with the able brewers at Braxton Labs, Lemon Meringue Berliner Weisse pours the expected lemony yellow color that's cast in a translucent haze. As a stark white and foamy meringue builds above, the aromas are succinctly tart with citrus, cider, wine, berry and a light earthen must. Early sweetness is short lived as the taste of hard lemon candy comes with a light pastry taste with cream and pie crust lying gently underneath.

Sweetness quickly retreats and the sourness sets its sights on the tastebuds. Pinging and prodding sharply at the tongue, the natural lactic sourness brings a clean taste of white grape, crabapple, gooseberry, lime and lemon. The juiciness of kiwi and honeydew rounds out the taste before a semblance of balance brings the creaminess of marshmallow, the soothing spice of vanilla and a savory taste of graham cracker add subtleties of complexity for extra measure.

Medium light on the palate, the beer's acidity and fully fermented character suggests complete dryness while its adjunct sweetness and savory additions add a slight body that's absent from classic versions. A brief afterglow of burlap is the slightest hint of earthiness while its dessert-like tartness wafts gently on the after palate soon after.