Lavender Uprising
Broken Clock Brewing Cooperative

 

THIS is a remarkable brew. The lavender and the hops dance together beautifully. A VERY satiating and calming brew to ingest, this ale is one for the ages. Unbelievably drinkable, I finished all 25 ounces of this quicker than I do most tallboys.

 

 

 

Month + 4 days from the date on the crowler. There’s certainly a lavender presence, which isn’t cloying or unwelcome. Unfortunately, the beer it’s trying to support isn’t particularly remarkable. Muddled in appearance, it comes on like a 2010 AIPA and legitimizes it’s existence w the lavender. Enjoying the brew, but not doing backflips.

 

L: gold with a light haze permeated by streams of rapidly rising bubbles and capped by 2" of lacy white foam with good retention

S: The lavender creeps into the aroma accentuating some floral notes from the hops and a little highway ditch smell joined by a trace of citrus and light fruit

T: Citrus and floral start the flavors with a nice slap of slightly sweet tangerine. Background bread crumb smooths out and softens an assertive pithy citrus rind bitterness with a light herbal note

F: The medium bodied beer is creamy with medium soft carbonation.

O: A creamy luscious texture make this big flavorful beer delightfully drinkable

i like an ipa with something in it other than fruit, and i think this beer makes a lot of sense. bright citrus forward hops, a sturdy enough grain bill, and the lavender element. the only thing though, is that the lavender seems way overdosed to the extent that this smells like perfume and turns the whole thing a little excessively bitter, especially when it warms up to room temperature. that said though, the selected hops work really well with the lavender, which seems natural and fresh in here, its not that chemical toxic artificial smell or taste, its all real, they just overdid it a little bit. the beer also drinks a little heavy, increasingly so as it warms, the malt becomes a bit sweet and very hefty, and although the flavor is nice, the mouthfeel doesnt match the light and springy vibe. the hops taste northwestern, high alpha, and rather intense, but i think its necessarily assertive to balance the intensity of the lavender. this will likely be a homerun for some drinkers, but for me it lacked the delicate nature and high drinkability i often look for in beers brewed with flowers of any kind. cool idea, needs some refinement, but nice to see this new brewery taking some risks! this is best when its ice cold!