Fat and Sassy
Knotted Root Brewing Company

 

my very first beer from the now apparently very highly acclaimed knotted root. i so wanted to love this, as it was shared so generously by two long lost friends on a random chance encounter, but this didnt move me like i hoped it would. i will confess this may have taken a little heat in my car for a few hours, but those are the types of issues im having with this. the label is whack, some kind of pop culture reference i think, but i dont get it. the beer is almost totally still from the can, thick as molasses, almost literally, and looking like an under attenuated yeasty stew, zero head, max body. i know this kind of thing is appealing to people, but like this level of dry hopping, tripel as they claim here, is just foolish, like to me this is a kitchen sink mess, not some kind of refined artistic expression, and ive never dug it. the nose is solid but it shows the hop burn to come, orange and peach candy, a little permanent market, lemongrass, and like nelson hops on steroids, darn fresh. the flavor is fine at first but the texture of whats in my mouth is rough, its near still, palate coating and oily, has a burning greenness to it from being grossly over hopped, and is also quite sweet, almost syrupy from the pale malt, which can only really present itself as a flaw here. i also taste this for absolutely ever after i am done with each sip, its burnt into my tongue and it just wont go away. finishing the whole can is a chore, and frankly having a couple of these would be enough to drive me to sobriety for awhile, its a big job to drink more than a little bit. i guess i get the novelty of all these hops in a beer, and it sure does taste like nelson, which is never a bad thing, but from a quality standpoint overall, this doesnt strike me as having come from a brewery worthy of the praise being heaped upon them, and its a shame i do not have any more of their stuff to try, but i am dubious on them right now after this as a first impression. white peach, honey, vanilla, and like a wet clay sort of earthiness when i am being nice, spray paint, some kind of solvent, and orange juice from concentrate when i am not. some appeal in small doses just for the sheer absurdity of it, but thats it. the lackluster nature of this beer in no way diminishes the awesomeness of seeing my friends or my thankfulness for the hookup, i am just as appreciative as i would be if this had been wonderful beer...