Binding Fate
Southern Grist Brewing Co.

 

6-week-old can poured into a tulip.

Pale yellow-gold fluid, totally opaque and perhaps a touch turbid and chalky, with a bright white, foamy latte head. Nice streaks of sticky lacing down the glass. Looks incredibly juicy.

Nice combination of dank greens and sweet tropical fruits, though the overall nose isn't overly in your face. A little piney resin, a unique spicy/zesty note, and wonderful citrus rind on the backend. But this one is dominated by fresh, weedy green trimmings (not not full ganja vibes), grape vines and skins, and Nelson-based fruits: melon, passion fruit, kiwi, and white wine grapes.

Taste follows pretty close in terms of notes and balance (minus the mystery spice/zing) with the semi-sweetness of the beer being really lovely -- not cloying in any way, and the sweetness falls off late to a more bitter, clean finish. But in between that touch of tropical fruit juice sweetness is quite lovely. No starchiness at all, but very dank. Overripe citrus and stone fruits (which is not my favorite characteristic). Heavy dose of Nelson personality. Maybe a little bit too much of a single good thing?

Silky smooth and very soft. Nicely carbonated but a hair thin for what I usually expect at 8% (though SG's 8% hazies tend to be less chewy and sticky than other breweries offerings).

Not my favorite SG hazy by any means, and the focus on Nelson makes this beer a bit one-dimensional (though layered in that NZ tropical dimension). But it's a rock solid offering with a very interesting nose and taste profile for those who love a Nelson-heavy IPA.