The Vinaceous Endeavor Forth
Garden Path Fermentation

epic bottle selection by my wife, a fellow gin lover! this is so cool, oak fermented wild beer with pinot noir must aged in gin barrels and bottle conditioned with honey, sounds like a lot and it is, but its crazy cohesive, love what the gin does, and this is the kind of thing that has made me fall in love with garden path beers. their yeast is always cool, and its especially cool in a beer this mature, that may also take some additional funk from the grape element and the barrels. some pink hue to this, hazy and not real well carbonated, looks a little underwhelming really, not real thick or anything for its strength, but lacking carbonation and life. the nose is striking, a little white vinegar pucker up front, lemon and the tannic fruit right alongside some bright botanical gin character, floral, spruce and and lime juice to me, sharp white wine, some sweetness from the honey, maybe this didnt totally condition up in the bottle, but i love what it seems to add. the gin makes it seem so fresh, but its also woody and mature, and i dont really smell much alcohol. the flavor is great, the grapes are subtle and first, along with some neat funky yeast, floral character, and a relatively simple seeming grain base. the almost menthol character of the gin is bold in the center of this, cool with the pinot grapes, complimentary, herbal and verdant and tangy, pine and sage notes in the mix, its crazy. some light fruity sweetness, neat with the oaken richness, and acidity is much less overall than the nose indicates, not even really sour just tart. i do wish for a little more carbonation, its not still but this would be elite with more effervescence. i like the vinous aspect with the gin, definitely uncommon and successful, and the little bit of honey is awesome. great beer, we loved it, gorgeous packaging as always from these folk too. really cool drink.