Outlier
Garrison City Beerworks

 

 

Single 16oz can obtained this afternoon from Prost! in North Hampton NH, $4.99. Sticker on the can indicates "8/09/16 199". Poured cold into a tulip.

A pungent burst of hops is ejected from the can immediately upon popping the ring. Brew pours a murky golden tan with a thin bright white head which settles to a ring around the glass. Smells yeasty and a tad peppery, with some resinous hops and a faint light caramel sweetness. Flavor is much the same. The hop is moderately strong but not too distinct, hard to pin it down. Finishes with lingering bitterness and a slight acidic fruity (strawberry??) twang. The mouthfeel is creamy and somewhat thick, which slightly overpowers the carbonation which would be otherwise adequate but feels a bit flat.

I could not quite understand why I was tasting strawberry in this beer, so I quickly researched Belma hops and discovered this is indeed what they're known for. It's a very unique and distinctive flavor, glad I tried it, but I would not enjoy it on a regular basis. I got it almost exclusively in the finish, not up front. Something of a novelty. Kudos to the brewer for exploring new territory.

I understand the utility of classifying beers into style categories and Fr. Saison is a reasonable fit for this brew, but only because other descriptions would be less accurate. Relative to a traditional saison this has a thicker feel, a very slight caramel sweetness (not bone dry), and def. has a stronger hop presence. Purists should take warning, this is not typical brew for the style but it's a fun experience.

 

Sampled at the Granite State Brewers Fest. Slightly hazy light golden color. Earthy spicy peppery nose with just a bit of bready maltiness and light funky yeastiness. Pretty damn good Farmhouse ale.