[Insert Juicy Bits]
Southern Grist Brewing Co.

 

 

 

Juicy, glowing orange-gold liquid. Full haze but no murk. Minimal cap of creamy-looking foam. Streaky lacing. With a more pronounced head, this would be a phenomenal looker. As is, it’s still damn inviting.

Wow, what a nose. Orange in every form, starting with a huge burst of pure orange popsicle — truly unique. Mandarine, candied mango, Tang, pineapple, berries and grapes, pear and candied apricot. Quite grassy with just a touch of dankness, but it comes off overall as pleasingly sweet. It’s not overly nuanced or complex. But it’s highly appealing and quite unique, which is a pretty rare find in a world awash in hazies.

Unfortunately the taste profile comes off as flat and a bit watery relative to the nose. Certainly very juicy and grassy, with lots of orange, mango, lemon-lime, and pithy grapefruit late. There’s also a pleasant mineral note, almost a salinity, and a light herbalness. But it’s all quite muted and muddled. And this beer is surprisingly dry with very little residual sweetness. But there’s minimal bitterness, too, so it falls off hard at the end.

Soft and silky, almost no carbonation, a touch thin so incredibly crushable.

The nose on this is so unique and wonderful, a big part of me wants to grade it higher than it probably deserves (e.g., a 4.25 overall, which for me is a real standout). But the taste just doesn’t justify it.