Phrenology
Urban Artifact

 

Very unique style. Had at the brewery and it felt ancient, the smell particularly. The sourness and the bitterness mesh to provide complexity.

 

 

 

Could use a little more "wild". Great dank nose, but the IPA underneath is thin and underwhelming - not bad, just uninspired. The sour notes are distinctly absent or downplayed.

Enjoyed this in the old church courtyard that lies outside this brewer's brewing campus. Very high quality IPA which should be sought out and enjoyed.

Pours a clear gold color. 3/4 inch head of a white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of strong bacterial funk, hint of grass, citrus hops, slight piney hops, slight floral hops, and yeast. Fits the style of an American IPA. Mouth feel is sharp and crisp, with an average carbonation level and slight dryness and tartness. Tastes of strong bacterial funk, hint of grass, citrus hops, slight piney hops, slight floral hops, and yeast. Overall, good appearance, body, aroma, blend, and feel.

Far too much brett in this bottle, like a 12/10 on the brett scale.

Received from @WesMantooth – thanks Corey!
Batch #5, March 2017. Stored at 42 degrees. Served at 42 degrees in a hand washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Aroma – very faint floral and a little funk.
Head – large (Maximum 7.5 cm, slow pour). White, dense, good retention, very slowly diminishing to an irregular four to ten mm frothy ring with some frothy drag marks and a heaped partial layer.
Lacing – excellent. Wide bands of tiny to medium bubbles.
Body – first pour light gold, clear, effervescent. Subsequent pours contain more and more yeast. Additional pours are necessary due to the high natural carbonation.
Flavor – definite taste of Brettanomyces, slightly floral and a little bitter. No malt, no alcohol, no diacetyl.
Palate – light, dry, lively carbonation.

An interesting take on the IPA style. Very light and refreshing, slightly funky but not as much as it will probably get with more age. If you’re around Cincinnati, find some!

Appearance 4.5, Aroma 3.5, Flavor 4.5, Palate 4.5, Overall 4.5.

 

 

Bottle dated March, 2017:
Pours a dull yellow with the chill haze, a bit brighter later, but with just a wonderful creamy/fluffy head that provides sheets of lacing.

Nose of powerful herbs and flowery bitterness initially. With warmth, a little more distinct, including a grapefruit rind funk, a hint of wine grape, and a dry grassy aspect as well.

Carbonation adds a prickly aspect, especially early in the beer. A crisp crackery opening gets a peppery note (aided by feel) gets washed out by an herbal and grassy bitterness. This is a powerful wallop that does subside decently quickly to reveal the funk and pithy bitter ending.

I would like a little less boldness here, letting the enticing flavors come together a little more cohesively. The flavors are there, but they seem to work against each other a little bit.

12oz bottle from batch 5 (03/2017) poured into a pint glass
A: Hazy pale orange with a one-finger head
S: An initial attack of heavy brett is followed by citrus and wheat/malt notes
T: Matches the nose. Dry with brett up front and a bit of citrus and herbs towards the finish
M: Medium-bodied, dry, funky
O: This comes across to me more like a brett saison. Other than the nose I really don't get much I'd associate with an IPA. A fairly tasty beer overall if you like brett just not what I anticipated given the brewery says it will be hoppier early in life. That being said I'm curious to age one & see what happens given they say it can

 

 

 

12 oz bottle poured into pint glass

A: slightly hazy yellow slightly orange body. Head is a chunky fat white affair that stays.

S: peaches, mango, cantaloupe, a little bit of a wood smell almost like cedar and a little lemon.

T: lots of bright tangerine, cantaloupe, honey then a rush of tart lemon and slight bitterness and some of that funk hay taste as it finishes.

M: pretty high carbonation not prickly though and a solid medium body.

O: this beer is beautiful great flavors really explode on your tongue. The nice tartness is refreshing and the whole beer just works so well together.

March '17 Batch 5 release in a 12oz bottle

It is glowing gold. An unfiltered opaque with a large pillowing egg shell white head.

It smells musty and resinous. There is a herbal aroma like sage and rosemary, some lemongrass, flower petals, a little bit of funky yeast, and some tropical fruit.

It tastes like spicy mango, grapefruit rind, pine resin, lemon peel, a touch of sage and floral hops, and some earthy/funky yeast with a little bit of wheat
like malt flavor.

The body is fairly chewy. It really has a fluffy texture. Nice, but not really consistent with the style.

This one smells more wild ale (if not saison), and tastes more ipa. A nice balance of the two. Pretty tasty

``Wild Style IPA'' (Batch 5 - March 2017) poured from a bottle into a La Fin du Monde tulip. The pour is hazy, pale orange in color, and sports a big fluffy white head with excellent retention. The nose is quite musty, but not what I would call funky or foul-smelling. I get lemon, grassy herbs (like sage), white pepper, and juniper berries. The brett is evident, but not at all objectionable. It is very Saison-like on the nose.

The beer has a firm feel, medium-light body, and a crisp, dry flavor. Soda crackers up front, then citrusy hops in the form lemon peel and some herbs and pepper on the finish, which is dry, appetizing, and refreshing.

Overall, I think this beer could use a little bit more sweetness for balance, but I enjoyed it a great deal and I think it would make a terrific summer beer. It reminds me of some of the Saisons that brewers are making these days. A growing selection of these traditional Belgian farmhouse ales are being made with American malt and American hops. The results are dry beers with citrusy character that are refreshing, thirst-quenching, and which can accompany some tricky foods with ease. In fact, I would encourage Urban Artifact to market it that way and not as a ``Wild Style IPA'', which to me would imply that it is a sour beer. It's not sour at all. Recommended.