Italian Mountain Basil Ale
High Alpine Brewing Co.

 

 

my first beer from these guys, friend brought back a crowler from his trip out there to share with me, and we did it up last night. i had not heard of these guys before, but id sure like to get out there and check them out after being really impressed with this basil brew. its got a little copper shade to it, good clarity, and a nice white airy head with fine retention. smells like fresh italian basil, the real thing, not an oil or an essence, but the actual plant, just awesome, especially with the earthy spicy hop profile that this has to it, botanical and fresh and totally unforced, a sort of balanced pale ale type as a base if i had to place it, outside of the basil. nice malt balance in the flavor, a little honey and biscuit note to it, not sweet at all but big and lingering enough to keep the basil and hops from running away with this. full but drinkable, fermented down mostly dry, but leaving a lot of the barley character in tact. sweet and peppery basil to finish with the hops, summery but also hearty overall, with a very clean fermentation and a neat mineral complex to crisp up the finish. warms up well too. this is great beer, unique, and a splendid use of the basil. looking forward to my next glass of this one!