Chola
Islla Street Brewing Company

apparently a blonde ale base, but this is anything but. one of the more inspired takes on the style i can ever recall having. its done with cumin, cantaloupe, and tamarind, and all of these extra ingredients come through beautifully. the base beer isnt that light, the grain isnt inconsequential, but its simple enough to remain drinkable and sturdy enough to hold up all these cool new flavors. the tamarind is what makes it the most interesting for me, its uniquely tangy, with an orange and even a vinegar note to it, balanced and mellowed by some of that natural fleshy sweetness of the melon. the cumin is light but its unmistakable in here, lightly toasty, far eastern as much as mexican, and sort of earthy and nutty, highly fragrant even if its moment is brief, and complimentary in the flavor too. there is a little more malt to this than a lot of them have, but its never sweet, it just helps these ingredients integrate. medium body, fine carbonation, and a long and wavy finish that shows all of these again, with the tamarind lingering a little. overall an extremely interesting and different beer, like most of the others in here, and quite well executed for something so adventurous. definitely check these guys out!