Albion
Bellwether Brewing Co.

a very unique beer from a very unique brewery, not sure i have ever set foot into a brewery with three or four gruit types on tap, literally unheard of in this day and age, so i was stoked on all the innovation here. this is copper in color with some haze and a rusty orange glow, not much head from the tap, and listed stronger in terms of abv than i have seen in this style before. its also sour when i smell it, bacterial and a little funky, which is also new to me in a gruit. not hops in here, but i can smell the heather, which has a light lavender and dried herb vibe to it, sort of with the grassy bitterness of a noble hop type too used in a similar way. lots of malt in the flavor here, a liquid bready complexion with some sweetness for sure, a little of the doughy yeast coming through, and some notes of dried red apple, brown sugar, and toffee. the sourness has a vinegar thing to it, a cider vinegar and red wine vinegar mix to me, some fruitiness there, dark berries and raisins, but also a pretty bracing acidity that is there through the whole drink and gets more and more as it warms. the body is there though so this never seems broken down or thin, and the little bit of wild character is has is nice as well. the heather keeps it fresh while the rest of it seems ancient. really neat recipe, kind of a twist on a classic here, just creative and smart and good, really enjoyed my time here and cant wait to go back. one of my favorites in spokane so far!

32oz grunt purchased at the brewery in Spokane, WA. I believe the fill was $7. According to the blackboard at the brewery this is 8.4% ABV and 0(!) IBUs. I had a snifter of this on my first visit and took a liking to it.

Poured into a St. Bernardus goblet, this was a hazy, russett color, with virtually no head. Lace was rare and spotty. If I had drank this as soon as I got home on Friday it might have looked better, but it’s a kinda boozy beer that’s been in a grunt for a little over 48 hours, so I’m not inclined to judge too harshly, and will absolutely adjust this if I see consistent proof that it's better looking than this.

The aroma was mildly sweet and malty, with a little bit of a floral thing happening. I presume that’s the vaunted heather (I’ve never actually smelled heather to my knowledge, except one I knew in college – whoa!). It smelled a bit like a Scotch Ale, but a little different.

Very malty taste, but not to a point where it’s a sweet malt bomb. It resembles the nose in drinking like a mellow version of a wee heavy, though there’s a bit of a warming alcohol sensation that comes out to play a bit as the beer warms. There’s also a bit of mild, cherry flavor that also increases as things warm up.

The body is at the high end of medium (if that makes any sense), with a coating but not overly sticky mouthfeel

An interesting beer that to this hop-headed reviewer worked pretty well despite having no hops whatsoever. I’m not sure it’s a session beer, but it’s hitting the spot on a fall evening after getting home from work. Some of Bellwether’s beers (the braggots) are a little too different for me at this point, and some seem a bit too “homebrewy”, but they're a new brewery and I like this, and will no doubt be having more of it.