Lazarus First Noel

I'm almost done working my way through my holiday line up of beer that i've been saving, and now i've got brews to write about for weeks.  I was lucky enough to snag a bottle of Lazarus Brewing's 2018 version of First Noel, a winter wild ale brewed with 2 strands of Brettanomyces and refermented with figs, and it was delicious.  The 8.5% brew pours gold with a minimal and quickly dissipating head and smells of apple, oak, fig, and a little bit of funk.  The flavor is similar to the aroma, fruit notes and funky sour notes abounding.  It made for an excellent Christmas Eve wind down.

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Jester King Detritivore

For the Thanksgiving break, i amassed a small collection of beers to imbibe whilst cooking turkey and snacking on meats and cheeses.  One of those beers was the fantastic Detritivore, a 5.5% wild ale brewed with cherries, from the good folks at Jester King.  The beer pours a cloudy pink with a white head and smells of tart cherries and a little bit of funk.  The flavor is a kind of subtle mix of those same tart cherries and wild yeast funk, never overwhelming and with a refreshing finish, a great day drinker to pair with cooking in the kitchen.

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Lazarus Jacob's Ladder

I dig a complex beer, and Jacob's Ladder, a Tepache style wild ale from Lazarus Brewing, is certainly a complex beer.  The beer is brewed with pineapple, peppercorn, ginger, and more, fermented with two different strains of Brettanomyces, and aged in tequila barrels.  Pouring a clear gold, the 8.5% beer smells of pineapple, spices, oak, and funk.  The flavor is similar to the aroma and pleasantly tart with a dry finish.  Gonna need more of this one.

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Jester King Moderne Dansk

Over halfway through January, and i'm finally getting around to writing about my Christmas beers.  All year long, i pick up bottles to store and save and age for use over my holiday, and here i am.  Moderne Dansk from Jester King is a 7.1% ABV wild ale aged in aged in Danish cherry wine barrels and refermented with Danish Stvensbaer cherry juice.  I picked one of these up over Father's Day weekend and had been waiting anxiously for it ever since.  Pouring a deep reddish hue with a pink head, the beer smells of cherries (naturally) and some subtle hints of oak.  The flavor is a tart, but not too tart, mix of cherry and oak with a slight hint of alcohol, a wonderful meal accompaniment.

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Galaxy Grove

I just can't seem to help myself with brewery collaborations.  I find one, and i must try it.  And so i was rewarded with the excellent Galaxy Grove, a wild ale collaboration between Indiana's Upland Brewing and Florida's Cigar City (a perennial favorite).  The 7.3% ABV concoction pours a hazy gold with a foamy white head, aromas of tropical fruit, peach, and hops prevailing with some very subtle notes of oak and a little bit of funk.  The flavor is juicy fruits, peach, pineapple, and grapefruit with some bitter grass notes and a tart finish, a pretty complex brew overall.  It would be in our interest if these two collaborate together again.

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