Fashionably Late
MERIT Brewing Co

Appearance: Alright, a lot of head with carbonation and retention is one thing, four fingers of head on a incredibly tender pour is way too much, even for a high ABV Belgian. It began a milder gold, but turned more to a cloudy yellow as it picked up bits of bottle yeast. It did lace a bit, and certainly stayed for the party, but like I said it's excessive as the fluffy head actually hampers me drinking the beer.

Smell: Strong citrus notes of which lemon is dominant followed by tangerine and a touch of grapefruit. It carries a backdrop of juniper and some other medicinal herbs. It was at this point I noticed the bottle that says that it uses spent gin botanicals, so I guess it smells like Gin? I've never really had or desired Gin, so I can't really say on that front. The potency is certainly there, but it's a funk I don't find all that appealing.

Taste: Starts with a nice lemon tartness with mild orange and then turns to this funky herbal swath that I would say is slightly unappealing to me. It's like a the noise of a crowded room, I'm sure there is things being said I appreciate, but it's drowned out by white noise. Some mild herbal hops then come along and send everyone out of the room.

Mouthfeel: The carbonation is out of control on this one, as it comes across as aggressive. While that can work, it doesn't here as it also makes the transition from citrus to herbal cacophony a poor handoff. The hops do a great job of calming down the room, but not so much they don't leave a mild dry juniper aftertaste.

Drinkability: Another problem with the high carbonation is that the beer doesn't settle down well in my gut. It's medium bodied, which is good for a beer with a bit more ABV. Refreshing, but not overwhelmingly so.

Final Thoughts: So I've never had gin in my life, and I don't think I'm about to start. That's pretty much the jist of this beer. Something to drink if you like gin, but can't drink gin, at least that's what I presume. I just don't see the appeal here.