Bisongeist
Meadowlark Brewing

incredibly unique beer, they do a lot of that here it seems, but this one really stands out to me, what a cool beverage! not even sure what the base beer is, seems one part strong blonde, one part pale lager, one part belgian, but the key is that its done with niagra grapes, which i know as a common varietal in the finger lakes region of new york for dessert wines, not always the most desirable fruit, but it grows there, cool to see it in a beer from way out in montana. this has a little color to it, but is golden and clear and pretty in the glass. its snappy and fast and bright and bubbly to drink, refreshing for being as strong as it is, so thats the easy lager vibe this has, even though its an ale all the way. its spicy and sort of estery and maybe a little warm fermented with a not neutral yeast, but the grapes add obvious tannins and play uniquely with the malt in this too, its also fully effervescent and dry at the end despite having plenty of middle sweetness with fruit and grain alike, so that kind of makes it lean a little belgian, its subtle for being so dynamic, and the grapes really stand out, up front they are vinous and a touch sharp, in the middle they are sweet and have hints of pear and green apple to them, then in the finish they are dry and crisp but also kind of juicy too, even a little floral thing comes up late, this is springy and vibrant, and it has good malt depth while still being pale, i swear im picking up a little terroir on the grain side too. i love the way the grapes are all through this, but its still beer first, and its one of the non wild or saison type grape beers ive had that still hits on all that complexity that beer/wine hybrids can offer. gorgeous refinement, unique recipe and use of this specific varietal. way cool!