Is time speeding up for Sobremesa Fermentary & Blendery? Just two weeks ago, we were enjoying a couple of new releases from the mixed-culture maestros and suddenly, two more come out. That feels like a rapid release schedeule for a brewery focused on old-world styles but then again, "rapid" doesn't quite seem right when talking about beers that respectively took 20 and 17 months to make.
Funk Wit It is a farmhouse witbier that’s as captivating as a lava lamp is to a teenager who's just heard Riders on the Storm for the first time. Lightly hopped with Saaz and featuring with orange peel, grapefruit peel and coriander, Funk was fermented with with a truly Sobremesean (to coin a phrase I'm going to be using a lot more often) mix of saccharomyces, lactobacillus and Brettanomyces that all brings upfront acidity that’s joined by quite a funky aroma. Textural to the point of being somewhat slick, it also brings plenty of spice by way of coriander and pepper that swirls into ripe orange and zesty grapefruit territory.
Then there’s Retirement Plan, presumably named after the reality that if you want a fast pathway to a cashed-up retirement, making mixed culture saisons is the way to do it. The final beer is a blend of two different mixed culture saisons, with one a year old and the other nine-months in the making. Apparently the older of the two had more Brett chracters and acid while the younger beer was more about classic saisons esters. Brought together, they bring lemonpeel, nashi pear, apricot, straw and an overall character akin to a zippy white wine.
Will Ziebell
Published April 17, 2024 2024-04-17 00:00:00
