I suppose this is a seasonal from Bison that I saw in the store the other day. Brewed with honey and basil, it sounded like an interesting combination. I decided to use a goblet because I thought it would help capture the basil a bit better, but I was surprised by how dark this poured. I wasn't expecting that, but I guess I didn't know what ale they were using here. The color is a really nice, clear, vibrant red-orange that catches the light very well. The taste is interesting, to say the least. A mild malty punch up front but it evaporates really quickly and dries out. Maybe that's the effect of brewing with honey. In tasting my experimental batches of mead, I found that champagne yeast can ferment a lot of that sugar and end up with a pretty dry product. The finish has a slightly spicy, herbal tone, and that must be the basil. Overall, it's a very subtle, mild beer that requires some big draws and a swish to pull out some of the flavors.
It takes some amount of effort to enjoy this beer, and for that reason, I wouldn't say it's a very good session beer. Plus, the honey gives it a boost up to 6%ABV. For solo drinking beers, there's certainly more satisfying brews.
- Appearance: Clear, red-orange, no head.
- Smell: Slightly malty, mild spicy (like chiles) honey
- Taste: Short-lived malt, mild honey, cool basil on the finish
- Mouthfeel: Very low carb, dry, round and hollow.
- Drinkability and Overall: Very easy drinker but too mild to go with anything. Falls into the class of beers worth trying once but not much more than that.
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