Blimposaurus - Gintastic Period
Wonder Aleworks

very hoppy strong ale, or triple ipa as they call the base on its own, aged in gin barrels, super cool botanical profile from the gin, great synergy with all the citrusy hops, and a beer thats almost over the top enormous, which is novel, but i think its also a bit of a distraction. this is boozy, pretty sweet, and without the bitterness needed for it to be balanced, even though its not overly malty or anything either, its like strong without any real central grain character, all hops and gin, tasty, but almost as much cocktail as beer, certainly a strange brew, lots of oddities on the tap list here when we visited. this has a golden brassy look, short head but fine carbonation, and a cool nose of fresh juniper berries, rosemary, muddled lemon and lime, and fresh pine, very foresty and christmas tree, a little weed thing too, fresh and bright, more herbal than woody to me, although some oak is evident. the flavor carries more of the wood, a hint of vanilla and the sort of generic grain sweetness there from start to finish. there is a little sharpness to the alcohol which makes the botanical pop in the second half of this, notes of quinine, key lime, honey, clover, and even arugula. lightly pepper and spicy and green like that at the end, some hop oiliness adding heft to an otherwise lighter bodied beer at this strength, cool finishing complexity and even though the ferment is just slightly imperfect, i respect the uniqueness of this. some obvious hop fade from the barrel time, doesnt really hit like an ipa anymore, despite being real hoppy. cool beer, gin and these hops is a nice combination, but a little goes a real long way here.