Fire & Ice
2SP Brewing Company

Review: 2178
Name: Fire & Ice
Brewery: 2SP and Industrial Arts
Location: Aston, PA
Style: Kellerbier
ABV: 4%
Date: 03/28/2024
Another new brewery to me is 2SP from Pennsylvania. Fire and Ice is a lighter beer with spelts and a massive dose of Saaz; this should be intriguing. Prying the top off, quite a bit of beer exuded from the partial crack. I thought this beer would explode; that would have been three. The pour formed a massive white frothy, airy, foamy, three-fingered bright white head with above-average retention. The slow dissipation left lots of lacing on the glass. The color is pale amber with straw yellow hues and is somewhat hazy, charting at SRM 8. The appearance is above average for this style.
Nosing the glass, a bright floral blossom, enormous earthy dirt, light bay leaves, and toasted nuttiness. The Saaz hop is fully displayed here; the aromas burst from the beer. The spelt is noticeable with notes of nuttiness and cereal grains. The malt is not as prevalent, but I still smell notes of lightly toasted malts, light, malty sweetness, and crackers. The beer does have light oxidation, akin to used cardboard.
Wow, the beer is brimming with Saaz hops. I would never have thought to add this much to beer; they are generally co-stars to other noble hop varieties. The flavor of hops starts with a tremendous earthy dirt, floral bouquet, bay leaves, and lemon. The spelt adds a noticeable nuttiness to the overall flavors. The malts are lightly toasted, with malty sweetness and crackers. I cannot taste any oxidation, so it was a faint hint.
The beer is astringent and finishing tannic. The body is light and has medium-plus carbonation.
After my first sip of Fire and Ice, my palate was in a state of confusion. This beer is only four percent, yet it drinks like six. The hops used are on par with a good SNPA in hop quantities. I am enjoying this beer a lot; I was skeptical about it at first, but damn, this beer is one of the best Kellerbier with an assload of hops.