The Castle (Strata)
Root + Branch Brewing

Copenhagen 28/02024. 47,3 cl can from Best of Beers web-shop. Root + Branch's typical stark white and black design with a figure standing on a staircase among many other staicases.

Pours opaque hazy, slightly dirty, yellow with a mid-sized white head. Stable. Settles s 0,2 cm thick layer of foam covering the surface of the beer. Clinging to the sides of the glass. Substantial lacing.

Aroma is medium intense with a sweet odor of ripe Stone fruits with a tart touch of currants. Citric notes. Sweet peach and apricot. Sour berries. Grapefruit and citrus.

Medium strong carbonation. Slightly thick, oily, soft, smooth, lightly tingling texture.

Flavor is medium intense with a medium strong sweetness followed by a stronger bitterness. Aftertaste is bitter with a light sweet undertone. Lingers for a while. Finish is rather dry.

Smooth and pleasant drink.

Draft: Poured a cloudy/hazy yellow color ale with a lacing foamy head. Aroma of juicy citrusy undertones with some hoppy floral notes. Taste is a smooth mix of citrusy and light tropical notes with some juicy hoppy notes. Body is full with a nice smooth texture and good carbonation. Solid pale ale even though wheat malt doesn’t show much.

 

Canned on 8/17/22; consumed on 9/12/22

Pours a nearly glowy egg yolk-gold body capped with barely a finger of creamy, white foam; mediocre head retention leaves a sparse few islands of paper-thin cap, a thin, frothy collar, and myriad spread of chunky webs accompanying groups of spotty lacing strewn about the walls of the glass.

Aromas of boggy peach guide to sweaty hop subtext and freshly zested papaya as funky tangelo stimulates a floral undercurrent through fluffy wheat on the back end of the bouquet.

Taste opens to fresh cream of wheat dominating upfront, leaving musty mango over the mid-palate to accent orange peel and a discerning grapefruit twang into the back end.

Mouthfeel offers a medium-light body and a fluffy, moderate carbonation easing with a slight prickle to a boggy, quasi-juicy twang invigorating juicy textures over time.

A subliminal fluff suggests ethereally wound thread of hop resins in contrast to the predominant, grainy heft, effectively capturing a fruity, dank minimalism within a hazy pale ale which, above all else, insists upon drinkability.