Tullekopp Norwegian Farmhouse Ale
Varietal Beer Company

 

very cool beer here, modern and rustic at the same time. usually i am not wild about this yeast in this sort of beer, i know its efficient and brewers love it, but its a known entity to me now, and when its done hot to be expressive its samey, like the 3711 french strain that tastes about the same in everything, and i gravitate toward this style precisely for unique fermentation profiles, so i have been less stoked on the kveik strain in these beers of late, however, its killer here, not overly high tone estery and amazingly compatible with whatever hops are in here, they combine to make the finish of this distinctive, pears and lemongrass and white wine and green grass, its awesome, pungent and sort of crystalline and candied too without being sweet, well supported by the grain, and its also sort of belgian to me, peppery and herbaceous, probably quite simple from an ingredient and process standpoint, but it comes together very well, and this crushed my expectations, which were already fairly high. this is great beer, fuller feeling saison but real bubbly too, and i think a great application of this yeast this time, better than a whole lot of its peers. i am excited to have these guys in idaho now, looking forward to dipping into more of their cans!

Can from Uptown Market.

A mildly hazy orange with a dense white head with good retention and lacing this looks solid. The nose is fruity and spicy with pineapple, citrus, clove, phenols, a little sage and rosemary, just wild like you'd expect with a kviek yeast. Mild pepper, a touch fatty, some bubblegum. The palate opens with quite a bit of bubblegum, along with lots of fruit. Again, there's orange, peach pineapple, a mild honey sweetness, a delicate floral note and a firming spice note. Light pepper, grains of paradise, a touch of husk are present. Drying, light, moderately fruity with a bit of bubblegum, this beer finishes with a little anise as well. Light in body, a little overcarbonated, this is solid stuff.