Up North
Bosque Brewing Co. - North

was expecting a fairly basic blonde ale with this one, just my second ever from these guys, but it hits sort of weird, maybe unintentionally so, and this one raised a few questions, not as clean and sort of minimal as i was thinking it would be, the grain has quite a bit going on, there may be some freshness fading here too which amplifies some of the malt, and there is a curious almost ester in here that makes it fruity in a way i dont think is super becoming, but at least its not generic! off from ideal clarity but not messy either, short lived white head with some creamy patches of lace as it drinks down, large bubble size but maybe not quite enough of them. the aroma is a little oxidized, some honey sweetness that seems richer than its color, and to me an almost banana and citrus thing, possibly from the ferment, this doesnt seem hoppy or anything, not stinky or gross, but also not quite right to me either for a basic blonde, confusing anyway. the flavor has some of that tiredness too, a little generic citrus thing, and maybe even a subtle spice note, like maybe this was just fermented too warm, its also slightly tannic and faded, somewhat sweet too, and again a little more malty than its color really lets on. overall disjointed and not as light and bright as it probably should be. on the one hand its cool because its a bit different, but also its just not great beer overall, so thats kind of where its at. i had a bunch from these guys in the same session and not sure i was wild about any of them...