Manor Light
Highway Manor Brewing

 

This one was rather astounding from the outset. I had popped in at the Belvedere Inn's small takeaway shop, which is an anomaly in and of itself. The Belvedere caters to a rather austere & upscale clientele while their corner bottle shop is meant for (primarily) the AML crowd. Still, it is along the same street as my house & I often find myself running errands nearby that allow me to see what's what in Whoville while in the area. It doesn't hurt that an old high school classmate from the neighborhood is one of the countermen & Loran will point me towards new & different beers that they have gotten in. My stunned shock at finding this one had him smiling like the butcher's dog! Highway Manor?!? Table Beer?!? Sold!

From the Bottle: "Manor Light (Microflora Diaspora) Table Beer"; "Brewed with Australian and New Zealand hops. Complex, dry, quaffable."

There were some noticeable lees on the punt so once I Pop!ped the cap, I was extremely gentle in my C-Line pour so as NOT to rouse them. I got two fingers of rolling, fizzy, foamy, bone-white head from my pour, but they quickly dissipated into mere wisps. Color was an oh-so-slightly-hazy Straw-Yellow (SRM = > 2, < 4) in a highly effervescent beer! It had a champagne-like quality to it, which is probably why they put it in such a heavy bottle. Nose was lightly funky with a barnyard scent, but it was not as pronounced as in some that I have had. Mouthfeel was thin-to-medium, not watery, but not far removed from it, either. The taste was tart, with a lemony citrusiness along with the aforementioned funk. I really did not perceive the hops mentioned on the label due to the tart funkiness. It really did not matter to me, but it might for some, which is why I mention it. Quaffable? I suppose, especially since I am NOT a tart/sour/wild ale guy & yet I did not mind drinking this. Granted, I took a Prilosec OTC beforehand since I am very prone to GIRD, but this was not setting off any alarms. Finish was, indeed, dry as advertised. This was really no surprise since beers in this style really tend to have any available sugars devoured by the eager, hungry & aggressive yeast & this one was no exception. My scores are probably going to come in kind of low, but that's oaky by me. I did not find it to be a shining example of the style; it was not the sort of thing that I would want to serve guests at my table & I was left feeling kind unfulfilled & underwhelmed. If that makes me the bad guy, so be it. YMMV.