House of Earth (Blend 1)
Wax Wings Brewing Company

Bottled on 3/18/21; consumed on 4/24/21

Pours a heavily foggy, ruddy burnt orange body with a steadily perceptible effervescence and topped with multiple fingers of thick, fluffy, white foam; good head retention yields ¾ of a finger of creamy cap, an equally creamy, dense collar, and webs of stick lacing draping down the walls of the glass.

Aroma opens with a twinge of pomegranate lemonade before meeting lightly oaky and tannic Concord grape; figgy tones and light toast through the middle delve toward sweetness via dried caramel hard candies, while grass and pilsner malt come through in spots beneath on the close.

Tastes brings light caramel malt upfront alongside equally light fig and a burgeoning Concord grape over the mid-palate; dense minerality on the back end begins to supercede all else, though hints at a more delicate, bready character towards finish, and a sleek toffee sweetness lingering past the swallow.

Mouthfeel features a light body contrasted with a higher carbonation, peaking with a spritzy prickle and tingly texture upfront; a malty glaze teases the mid-palate, easing onto back end with a distant grit and tannic twang phasing into a semi-crisp, refreshingly dry finish.

With the incorporation of a wine barrel and some stylistic blending, this is a seriously ambitious go at a lager; the overall structure itself remains steady, even dodging an intitally perceived excess in sweetness, though the use of the barrel itself hints at a more overdone type of excess that sees this one step a touch too far out of focus.