Elixir
Yonder Brewing and Blending

among my top few beers from our entire europe trip and like nothing i have ever had before. words can do this beer no justice, and to be able to sit out back of the brewery on a sunny day and sip this with my closest friends was a rare treat in this life, unforgettable. the beer is a wild porter as a base, alone enough to be intriguing, but its brewed entirely with birch sap, no water at all in the mash, just sap! i have seen this done with maple a few times, never with birch, its fantastically interesting from a process standpoint, but it makes the beer wholly unique. on top of that, they added chaga mushroom, which grows on birch, and then age the whole thing in oak awhile, really special. its dark brown and very lively from the little green bottle, a high rising tan bottle conditioned head resting effortlessly on top. it smells slightly sweet, very woody, and not overly roasty, i think they were smart to go a little light on the dark grain, its there but its not so bold that nuance is lost, its almost delicate for its color. i get the birch, a little concentrated and sweet now, amazing with the vanilla notes in the oak and the deeply earthy umami mushroom aspect, hints of citrus in the tartness too, some bretty funk, a little green glass weirdness is also flattering, and i know this is going to taste amazing. its impressive how much birch specifically comes through, especially in a dark beer, i love the sweetness with the chocolate character of the malt, and the earthiness, especially with the chaga. hints of black tea, licorice, vanilla, honey, and old brett swirl. the body is somewhat fuller, but the carbonation is enormous, and this really pops on the palate, just enough acidity at the end for it to finish clean. i like what the green glass does too. this is really insane beer, a heady process leading to an absurd liquid, you just have to step back and admire something like this. this is what craft is all about, or at least should be, and it moved me tremendously. world class, like no other! also special credit to the dudes here for selling us some bottles on site and letting us hang out to drink awhile even though they no longer have a taproom or public space, they recognized we came from far away, and totally accommodated us, way above and beyond in terms of kindness and hospitality, so i must again thank them, really made our day!