Tater Tot
Bear Island Brewing Company

 

cool new one from these guys, been awhile since i have seen any innovation from bear island. this is a play on their tripel tater, lighter, and almost more of a wit type to me, estery from the yeast with citrus and spice notes, also done with idaho grown potatoes which makes it super interesting, but this is refreshingly light and clean, even as belgian yeast stuff goes, and i was impressed overall, not surprised it recently won a medal at naba. maybe more rightly a wit than a belgian golden, even without appreciable wheat character to it, not even sure what they call it themselves. nice golden color, relative clarity, high shine, brightness popping, a good inch of white head from the tap. the potato element is not really there for me, either in aroma or flavor, but its cool to know its in here, and thats enough really in a beer like this that has so much else going on. light lemon and orange in the nose and taste too counteracting some of the natural sweetness this has. i get clover, apple and pear, white tea, and nutty herbal coriander seed in this too, not sure what all is in the mix, but its wit-esque in that way. fast finishing with a light spice, bubbly clean mouthfeel, maybe a little starch from the potatoes on the palate, good use of belgian yeast here, and overall a drinkable and unique beer in a space where american brewers rarely impresses me. need more new stuff from bear island, this is great for summer!