Polyjuice Potion
Central State Brewing

 

L: Poured from a can to a cylinder glass. Had a reddish-brown color and an extremely cloudy consistency. There was an inch of creamy, somewhat long-lasting head. Average lacing.

S: An decent, but not spectacular, aroma of malt, dark fruit, wheat, and citrus fruit.

T: Tasted of a good shot of wheat (present throughout - a big component), some mild citrus fruit notes (lemon, in particular), a good shot of dark fruit (plums, especially), and a bit of malt as well. Kind of an uneven flavor, but there's something interesting there. The wheat seems to dominate everything else (mostly), but the addition of dark fruit is a nice one.

F: A good amount of carbonation with a very dry finish. Medium-bodied.

O: Definitely an uneven beer, but it has good qualities. Worth a look.

 

 

 

 

Strong head production; decent retention and lacing. Body is dark, orange-brown color, nearly perfectly opaque without being pulpy.

Sweet and fruity nose, along with sweet notes of caramel grains and yeast. Darkly fruity, not entirely unlike a Belgian Dubbel.

Mildly sweet, with extremely low tartness and moderate saltiness. Plums (skins and all), caramel grains, blueberries and blackberries, and mildly spicy yeast notes.

Very light and easy drinking, despite the high ABV. Very slick, not particularly lively.

This isn't remotely what I'd go for in a Gose. It tastes fine, but I'm just not really sure what they were going for, despite the fantastic can art.

 

 

 

This is a hazy, dark straw colored brew. Murky with a medium-sized, fizzy head. The aroma is lightly fruity and the taste is tart, but not quite sour. I can't place a specific fruit...instead, it seems multi-fascinated...berries, cherries, apple? More? Medium-light in body. Interesting and fun.

 

 

 

 

 

a fun little fruited sour here, not as funky or nuanced or complex from a yeast standpoint as a lot of beers these guys make are, but i like the delicate tartness here, and still find it refreshing and drinkable, not too acidic for that at all, summery and fun, brewed with plums and elderberries, but taking on almost no color at all from the fruit. its a neat complexion here, some sweetness from the fleshy juicy plums in the middle but dried out by the medicinal astringent almost gritty feel of the elderberries and of course the bacterial sourness, which is more of a piquant thing than something overtly acidic. its stronger than it tastes like it should be, which is an interesting twist, but it stays light and highly charged in the feel, summery and drinkable for sure, but look out at 7% abv, this goes down more like 4% abv. its not over fruited which is nice, and the combination is distinct without being intense. i am more and more impressed by these guys each time i drink one of their beers. they deserve a lot more credit than they get i think. neat mix of fruits in a well made sour here.

16 ounce can into tulip glass, no can dating. Pours moderately hazy ruby red/orange color with a 2 finger fairly dense and rocky light pink head with great retention, that reduces to a small cap that lingers. Nice spotty soapy lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big tart/tangy elderberry, plum, currant, cherry, lemon, red/green apple, red grape, hay, straw, grass, pepper, wheat, cracker, light musty/lacto funk, and yeast earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, fruit, and moderate pale/wheat malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big tart/tangy elderberry, plum, currant, cherry, lemon, red/green apple, red grape, hay, straw, grass, pepper, wheat, cracker, light musty/lacto funk, and yeast earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tartness, fruit tang, and yeast spiciness on the finish. Lingering notes of tart/tangy elderberry, plum, currant, cherry, lemon, red/green apple, red grape, hay, straw, grass, pepper, wheat, cracker, light musty/lacto funk, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, fruit, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; with an awesome malt/tartness and tangy fruit balance; and zero puckering flavors after the finish. Moderately crisp/clean finishing. Light-moderate increasing dryness from tartness, tangy fruit, and carbonation. High carbonation and light-medium body; with a very smooth and moderately bready/grainy/acidic/tangy/tannic balanced mouthfeel that is fantastic. Zero warming alcohol for 7%. Overall this is an excellent fruited sour/wild ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, fruit, and moderate pale/wheat malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, clean, and refreshing to drink; with the modestly acidic/tangy/drying finish, not overly lactic. Great well rounded Brett/Lacto complexity, balanced fruit, and solid pale/wheat malt backbone against acidity. A very enjoyable offering, and spot on style example.

 

Received from @Beer-Economicus in NBS BIF #7- Thanks Darwin!
Undated 16 oz can. Stored at 42 degrees and served at 44 degrees in a hand-washed and dried Jester King snifter.
Appearance – 3.
Body – Puce, opaque, some carbonation evident.
Head – Large (Maximum six cm, aggressive pour), Dense, light pink, average retention, diminishing to a three mm ring fed by carbonation and a complete thin layer.
Lacing – None.
First pour – Light puce, hazy.
Aroma – 3.25 - Some light fruitiness.
Flavor – 3.5 - Follows the aroma with some light fruity/berry-ness but nothing distinct. Ends with a bit of a tang, like lactic acid. No malt, no hops, no alcohol, no diacetyl, no dimethylsulfide.
Palate – 3.25 - Medium, watery, lively carbonation.
Impression and summation – 3.25 - I’ll bite – what am I drinking? It lacks the salt to be a gose so my best guess would be some fruit/berry cooler. The faint fruity aroma tends to support that hypothesis. The appearance, while not particularly off-putting, does not inspire confidence in the beer origins of this brew. The redeeming feature here is the acidic ending that cuts the cloying juiciness. It’s not a bad drink, just not one that I’d seek out.