Baked - Blueberry, Marionberry, Boysenberry, Hazelnut, Cinnamon & Vanilla
Great Notion Brewing

 

Canned 3/26/22. “Bake me home tonight” stamped on the side of the can

Holy shit, there’s a lot going on in this one. It’s basically trying to mimic a berry pie, and I’m not sure how well it’ll work. That being said, Great Notion has impressed me with heavily-adjuncted stuff in the past, so maybe this’ll be good. Let’s find out

Pours an opaque reddish purple with 2 fingers of pink head that slowly fades to a thin cap and leaves minimal lacing

They really do nail the dessert aspect in the nose, I’m enjoying it more than expected. I’m picking up on aromas of jammy blueberry, brown sugar, tart blackberry, pie crust, sweet vanilla, light cinnamon, and a touch of grape jam

It’s surprisingly tart in taste but nicely balanced with the sweet elements. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting tart boysenberry, black cherry, blueberry, doughy malt, light vanilla, and lemon juice. The swallow brings notes of jammy blueberry, earthy cinnamon, pie crust, toasted hazelnut, raspberry, and brown sugar

A medium full body pairs with gentle tingling carbonation, resulting in a smooth yet tart beer. Finishes surprisingly dry for the smoothie vibe, and it’s insanely drinkable

I have to bump this one up in the overall just for the fact that it captures the sweet/tart dessert vibe wonderfully and goes down very easy. Definitely a splurge purchase but I may have to get more

L: Dark violet-red.
S: Coconut and nut smell
T: A tropical light blueberry flavor with a rooted strong nut with a light crisp tarty finish.
F: A light sweet tropical note.
O: A very simple tropical beer with a light smooth finish that's easy to pound.

 

Oh Boy! There's plenty of tasty ingredients here. Hopes are they mesh well for a good brew. A pint can has been emptied into a clear Imperial pint mug and the colors aren't characteristically beer like. It looks more like a deep blush wine, save the nice rose head atop. Dark violet-amber may best describe its color, but it is unique, even among fruited sours. The smell is intriguing, nutty and berrylike, but with a complexity that nothing stands out. Yet, it's not a muddled mess. There's obvious separations of berries, nuts, cinnamon and vanilla. That alone is quite an accomplishment. It even smells like there's an inclusion of coconut, but it's not a listed ingredient. The taste is multilayered, but not sour. It is nicely tart and the berries, cinnamon, hazelnut and vanilla are oh! so tastefully blended here. What a unique taste experience here. Maybe traditional sour lovers will quibble with it, but to a person that just wants a good tasting beer outside the typical ale/lager norm, this is a hit. Even if there's no glass lacing.

 

 

16 ounce can poured into a Duvel tulip glass. Canned 2/19/21.

L---Pours a rich purple color. Completely opaque. Fizzy pink head faded to nothing pretty quickly and left no lacing.

S---Cinnamon and vanilla are dominant. Hazelnut is stronger than the berries which are kind of muddled together.

T---Berries come through clearer than on the nose. Strong vanilla. Cinnamon thankfully drops to the background.

F---Fairly light, call it light/medium mouthfeel. Minimal carbonation.

O---Man, there's a lot of stuff going on here. Maybe too much. Still, pretty tasty.

 

 

**
03/25/21

Can to snifter.

LOOK: Deep magenta color. medium pink head. fades quickly. OK retention.
AROMA: Wow. Smells like a mixed berry pie. The hazelnut and cinnamon are not necessarily the first things you smell, but they are certainly the last, with an exclamation point! Blueberry and boisenberry play around in the background reminding me of the various syrups you can mix on your pancakes at an IHOP.

TASTE: flavors here are back to the berries. slightly tart and a touch toward overly sweet, but very tasty. Vanilla keeps this smooth and grounded; probably the lactose has an affect in that regard too.

FEEL: light to medium body, though the toasty pie smells can trick you into thinking it a little thicker. ok carbonation. Smooth, but a little sticky in the end.

Very Good. Great Notion 2 for 2 on the sours, which is unlikely coming from me.


**