Pryes Main Squeeze Lemon-Lime Blonde Ale

Pryes Main Squeeze Lemon-Lime Blonde Ale.
4.6 % ABV, 22 IBU.
Pryes Brewing Company, Minneapolis, MN.

Clear, bright golden hue, slim white head.

In the nose: Light and slightly malty. Lemon and, later, lime chimes in.

In the mouth: Citrus fruit is charge from the start. Nice and lemony-limey, minor hops, medium malt. There's a genuine blonde ale below all the citrus fruit, and it works. Crisp, breezy, refreshing, easy-drinking, with a consistent lemony-limey flavor. I don't not like it.

Our refreshing, golden, citrus ale is the ideal sidekick for a day in the sun. Packed with real lemon & lime, this “juice” is worth the squeeze

Oliphant Awesome Juice, Great Job! Witbier

Oliphant Awesome Juice, Great Job! Witbier. 5.0 % ABV.
White Ale brewed with lemon juice, lemon zest, and spices.
Oliphant Brewing, Somerset, WI.

I picked this up at a store recently, happy to see it in cans, and then surprised that it has never appeared here in the Nib before. Well, it appeared briefly, listed as being among the beers that I included in the tap release party at Acadia, way back in late 2016. But, I never/rarely review from on tap. Checked in on Untappd, though no notes. That first time, and then the next keg we tapped, in summer of 2017. And then the years flew by. Now it's in cans. Now, I'll review it.

Clear, bright yellow color, slim white head.

In the nose: Light citrus, spice, floral, delicate and delightful. Belgian yeast/malt, slightly funky.

In the mouth: Light, smooth, wheat texture/flavor. Slightest hop bitterness, washed away by lemon and spice. Clean and easy-drinking. Witbiers do not bring complexity to the table. They offer endearing flavors, delicate tastes, refreshing quaffability. This one delivers that. Very polished, this one. Misses some of the particular telltale flavors that the classic Belgian version bring, but it's trying, and doing it's damnest. Just sweet enough, and plenty drinkable. the Belgian malt & yeast really comes through to the very end.

Good wit and you can drink it. Great job!

A Youtube rabbit hole, layered in wikipedia articles, covered with metaphorical lava sauce. Wit with spices and lemon.

Elements of "Tim & Eric's Awesome Show, Great Job!" have appeared in and around Oliphant's beers for years, now. Sometimes in the names of the beers, like this one, and sometimes on the chalkboard. Here are a few:

Tim Heidecker, as his Spaghett! character, I think.

John C. Reilly IS Dr. Steve Brule

More Heidecker, from when he milked himself,
of course.

Will Forte, from an especially disturbing scene.
Noteice how layered the references are. The name
combines Alan Rickman's villain Hans Gruber from
Die Hard with Forte's SNL/film character McGruber,
but for the illustration, Jeremy dodged both and
went for a Tim & Eric scene with Will. Deep stuff.

Oliphant Splendid Squishy Sour Ale

Back in September, I told you about Super Squishy, the Blackberry Raspberry sour ale. Well, now we have Splendid Squishy, which is not explicitly named after a Simpsons reference. There is something about a witch and a 3-eyed cat which may come from somewhere, and maybe someday, I'll know.


Oliphant Splendid Squishy Sour Ale.
w/ lactose, pineapple, ras/lem, vanilla, sea salt.
5.6 % ABV.
Oliphant Brewing, Somerset, WI.

Berry red color. Slim white head.

In the nose: More fruity than sour, at the start. Full of the berries and lemon, with those ingredients off the side. I'm picking up some pineapple. Vanilla, lactose, and sea salt, are these the new magical ingredients? We'll find out...

In the mouth: Here comes the juicy, salt on the side. Smooth and slightly creamy. Stays clear of being either too sweet or too sour. Pineapple's not dropping, the raspberry's in charge. All these ingredients are doing something in harmony, here, and in balance. That's the story of the Splendid Squishy.

This is tasty and beautiful stuff, indeed.

glendid the good witch descended upon our quaint village with three demands. i interrupted her and asked, “aren’t you supposed to grant us our demands?” she raised her wooden harold potter’s twig at me and said “that is a genie, i am a witch, and a good witch at that.” the next thing i know, i’m a large three-eyed cat. sweet!

sour w/ raspberry, lemon juice, pineapple, vanilla, & lactose. 5% abv

Sociable CiderWerks Road Rash Shandy Apple

Sociable CiderWerks Road Rash Shandy Apple. 6.6% ABV. Sociable CiderWerks, Minneapolis, MN.

Clear, bright yellow, no head.

In the nose: big apple, medium carbonation, what else? Shades of citrus.

In the mouth: Big lemon on the palate, big citrus and a ton of tart. Toss up between sweet apples and tart lemon. Lean bodied, refreshing, tasty. Ain't bad at all. I wouldn't turn to it more than once (I can only take so much lemon), but maybe you might. I won't stop you.

Road Rash scuffs up what you’d expect from shandy by blending the Midwest’s finest freshly pressed apples with zesty shredded lemons. The result is a light bodied citrus character that is tart, refreshing and never too sweet.

Surly Zest Crazed Pale Ale with Grapefruit and Lemon added

Surly Zest Crazed Pale Ale with Grapefruit and Lemon added. 5.5% Alc. by Vol. Surly Brewing, Brooklyn Center (& Minneapolis), MN.

Slightly hazy, bright golden hued, slim white head, leaving lace. Quite nice.

In the nose: Citrus explosion. Zest is king here, hops are second fiddle. Fruity as you get. (Within reason, naturally.)

In the mouth: Boom! Zest and hops hit together! Oof! Pow! Blam! Blaze of bitterness blasts the palate, with the juicy fruit keeping time behind. Bright, fresh and lovely. Light-ish bodied, easy-drinking. You can toss back one after another.

Go ahead and drink it.

Our brewers couldn't say no. Once they got a taste of the peel, they were hooked. They were....Zest Crazed Maniacs! The bright aromatics, paired with juicy grapefruit and lemon zest, dominate our citrus-heavy take on the American pale ale. 

BREWED FOR: THE TYPE OF FLAVOR YOUR PARENTS WARNED YOU ABOUT.

Bright hop aromatics and grapefruit and lemon zest combine in our citrus-heavy take on the American pale ale.

AMERICAN PALE ALE WITH ADDED CITRUS
COLOR
Dark Yellow

HOPS
Warrior
Citra
MALT
2-Row
Acidulated
Honey Malt
Simpson's Golden Naked Oats
OG
13.6º Plato
YEAST
English Ale
IBU
Low
ABV
5.5%

SURLY MN USA

Bauhaus Short Pants Lemon Shandy

Bauhaus Short Pants Lemon Shandy. 4.5% ABV. 15 IBU. Bauhaus BrewLabs, Minneapolis, MN.

Clear, bright golden hue, large, lasting pure white head. Looks good.

In the nose: Loud lemon. Big citrus. Quite fruity.

In the mouth: Big lemon bursts out from the start. Slightly tart, refreshing. Light bodied. Lip-smacking. Lean and clean. Quenching.

I don't care for shandy, but I understand their appeal. Believe it or not, we do feel the heat in the summertime here, we can get above 100 for awhile, and beers like this come in very handy. It's too lemony and light for me now, when it's the second week of April AND SNOWING!...but, when the time is right, I wouldn't refuse one, that's for sure.

For now, it's too early. I know what they're going for, but I'm not ready for it. Want to be. So want to be.

Minneapolis Town Hall Brewery Blackbarrel Gold

Town Hall Blackbarrel Gold. Barrel-aged Belgian blonde infused with blackberries. What barrel? I can't find the information anywhere. Wait, found something. I'll post it later. 9.1% ABV.

Clear, bright burgundy color, slim head that drifts to nothing in no time.

In the nose: dark fruit, berries, bright, sweet, ...oaky. Lemony.

In the mouth: Lemon bursts first, followed by the berries, and only later do the aspects of the barrel eke out. As a blonde ale is the base, it is entirely smothered by the extra effects. But, sometimes, that doesn't matter and we take full delight in the after-effects. Oddly enough, I don't get quite as much of the bourbon flavors as I'd like, for the fruit seems to have smothered that. It seems. Maybe if I drink more, I'll get it. Maybe.

It is tasty, though. Strong, beautiful, delicious. Far from sublime, but full of slippery pleasures.

A strong Belgian blond ale infused with fresh blackberries, aged in bourbon barrels, and finished with a touch of fresh lemon. Bright tart fruit balanced by Belgian yeast esters, round malt, and lingering oak and bourbon.

Omnipollo Aniara Pale Ale

Omnipollo Aniara. Pale ale brewed with lemon juice. Brewed at Crazy Mountain in Colorado.
There may be more information here, but I can't read the label very well. Green on blue doesn't pop out at you.

Bright, beautiful straw gold coloring, lightly hazed, with a generous helping of milky froth atop.

Aroma: Major citrus zest meets minor cat pee. Low hop bitterness. Lovely stuff.

In the mouth: The lemon leaps out and wrestles with the tongue, palate is pummeled by citrus twists. Spanks the tongue with each new sip. Yee-ow. After the initial assault, it mellows in time. Lip-licinkgly delicious. Medium-bodied, and easy-drinking. Nice one.

Shall I call this a "lemon bomb"? No, because I detest that phrase. But it's long on the lemon, and definitely a treat.

Stone 16th Anniversary IPA

Stone 16th Anniversary IPA, 10% Alc./Vol. Brewed and bottled by Stone Brewing Company, Escondido, San Diego County, CA.
Ale brewed with lemon verbena and lemon oil. A lot of words on the back. I'll try to read them…team effort…double IPA…new direction…too small amount of rye to call it a RYE-PA…tropical fruit flavors, Amarillo and Calypso…European specialty malts…spicy rye and subtle lemon…etcetera…

Let's crack it open, and drink it down.

Clear, pale crimson appearance, large, flowering head, looking good.

Aroma: bright, vibrant hops, with lemon character largest and in chargest. Tropical fruit lurks below.

Taste: bracing bitterness spanks the palate, dunks it, slaps it, pins it to the ground. Grabs the tongue and takes it to town. Then it gets fine and mellow, sweetness ensues, and it gets utterly groovy.

I didn't pay too close attention, but heard that people are calling this a bottle of "lemon Pledge." Yes, you can taste the lemon, but that's not all involved. Tasty malt, a little sweet, a little spice, with plenty of fruit. Alcohol is rather shy in this one. Wait…there it is.

I'm liking this. Unique. Interesting take. Really, how many more ways are there to do a double IPA without going weird?