"New Belgium and Elysian are together again with Kick, a rich and tart pumpkin cranberry ale blended with wood-aged beer for a uniquely complex harvest season sour. The russet and orange of autumn shimmer through a slight haze like sunlight through the smoke from burning leaves. The taste and texture of pumpkin give way to the refreshing tang of cranberries and critters, satisfying and exciting with each swallow, finishing with an urge for more.
Kim brought sour from New Belgium; Dick brought pumpkin from Elysian. You’ll get a Kick out of their collaboration."
One problem with this description (taken from the website, not the bottle. Drinking this on tap, but I may go get a bottle or two soon, for saving.) Maybe two, actually. First, "the taste and texture of pumpkin" do not really "give way", since they are barely present. Which makes the prominence of the Jack -O-Lantern's so misleading, on the label art. They look cool, though. Second, the phrase "cranberries and critters", while cute, clever, and alliterative, is kind of, shall we say, yucky. I know they mean wild yeast and bacteria, but does the average beer drinker really want to imagine "critters" in their drink?
Anyway, here's what I wrote when I sat down with some last night:
Bright golden appearance, midway between pumpkin and peach, slim but staying layer of chalk white head.
aroma: wild, tart and fruity. I get the cranberry, but it's mild, not especially pronounced, and melds well with the sourness. Pumpkin flavor is in the background, if at all discernible. Nicely hopped.
Taste: A little bitter up front, fiercely hoppy, then met and matched with tannin-y, wild yeastiness, and the distinct, sharp and sour cranberry flavor. Pumpkin is in the background, holding down the malty fort. The intensity of the initial flavor eventually falls back, rolls out tidily, and finishesneat and clean. This sends the palate screaming for more. "that was great, where did it go, get more in me," is how the conversation goes.
The tart stays on, an echo enough to keep it lingering, and keep it exciting. Pumpkin is back in the patch, cranberries are splashing up front, lactic sour keeps it kicking. Great creation. Hope they make this again, or something else like it.
1 comment:
I didn't intend on the red lettering, friends, it's a result of copying and pasting from the New Belgium website. After that, everything else followed suit. I have to admit, though a little hard to read, it looks pretty cool.
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