Provisions
The Drowned Lands

 

Rich copper colored body, clear; excellent carbonation; thick, fluffy head. Sweet, fruity aroma; honey and cantaloupe; green apple. The taste follows the smell although earthier; white grape; a bit of raw oak; mild tartness; mild phenol presence. Medium body; slight coarseness; semi-dry feel.

Overall, this beer comes across with nice fruity esters which make for a great warm weather thirst quencher. It delivers wonderful eye appeal, enticing aromas, juicy orchard flavors, and finishes with a light dryness.

Pouring temperature: 48 °F; canning info: unknown

 

 

 

No canning date (released on 5/30/20, so presumably canned within a few days of that date); consumed on 9/29/20

Pours a clear, muddy copper-orange varnish capped with a finger and a half of fluffy, slightly off-white foam; decent head retention leaves spotty islands of paper-thin cap, a moderate, frothy collar, and a limited spread of spotty/webby lacing around the glass.

Aroma offers a firm, clean, oaky funk upfront, accented with lemon peel, a hint lactic acidity; an increasingly dominant malt expression emphasizes caramel, plum, and cinnamon swirl bread over time.

Taste opens surprisingly malt-heavy, only steadily inviting an intermittent funk upfront, which in turn displays notes of dirt, nutmeg, dusty cellar, plum skins, and moss in flux across the mid-palate; the finish is heavy with clean, rounded oak, any funk now off in the distance and replaced with a semi-sweet caramel note.

Mouthfeel offers a medium-light body, thinning in spots though consistent enough, alongside a moderate, lightly fluffy carbonation dispersing with an airy prickle over the mid-palate; a minor grit feeds into a minute acidity developing quickly and fading before a clean, dry finish.

Expressive in quick bursts, this uniquely malt-forward Bière de Garde limits the funk in favor of a more clearly defined malt profile, leaving it absurdly sessionable, if a bit timid and lacking impact, for a brew typically on the wilder side; a safe yet enjoyable take on the style.