Farewell Imperial Pilsner
Grain Bin Brewing Company

 

650ml bottle - an ode (to themselves, really), commemorating their moving brewery locations, and not shutting down, as one might think, going by the name. Bourbon barrel aged.

This beer pours a slightly hazy, medium copper amber colour, with a near-teeming tower of puffy, loosely foamy, and generally bubbly tan head, which leaves some cursive Runic character lace around the glass as it slowly sinks out of sight.

It smells of grainy and bready pale malt, boozy orange peels, a further indistinct light orchard fruitiness, mild ashy notes, and some tame earthy, leafy, and floral green hop bitters. The taste is gritty and grainy pale malt, a subtle vanilla-tinted woodiness, ephemeral black peppercorn spice, mixed and matched domestic citrus rind, damp char, and more understated leafy, musty, and besotted floral verdant hoppiness.

The carbonation is fairly straightforward in its placid frothiness, the body a decent middleweight, and mostly smooth, with just a touch of Bourbon booziness making for an unkempt and unpleasant houseguest at this particular juncture. It finishes off-dry, the latent fruit character gathering some lingering steam.

Overall, this one is a bit of a strange bird, as the barrel character is less wood and vanilla, and really more fruity in its bearing, which goes a long way in obscuring the underlying Pils crispness. Interesting, and surely drinkable, even with the 19-proof wowee sauce component. Looking forward to the new incarnation of Grain Bin, even though I may never set foot in the Swan City again. Farewells, indeed.