From the outset, dear reader, please understand that this is a beer publication, and as much as we cover our favoured libation broadly, we don’t – or at least I don’t – profess to have a deep understanding of, for example, ancient Greek mythology. So, while The Seasonal Brewing Co's partnership with Wild Road Spirits might be attempting to lead us down that path, we might leave you with another guide to the tale of Orpheus, namely one Nick Cave.
In beer form, the Maylands brewers have emoted Orpheus’ skill with his lyre as a bright, modern, and lightly citrusy pale ale, one with enough of a malt base to welcome Wild Road Spirits’ Perthsephone gin as a boilermaker; note the provincial play on words from the Welshpool distillers. When taken together, Wild Road’s yuzu and cumquat citrus is amplified against the soft bitterness, while Medjool date-infused sweetness rounds the tongue with a hint of spice that lingers through the dry finish. It’s a nimble pairing, and although high concept, arrives simply refreshing in the glass.??
Also on the Seasonal scene for spring is a pair of IPA iterations, with more straightforward themes, which herald the arrival of a year-round IPA series. Spring’s East Coast and West Coast IPAs note the changing seasons, while drinkers can look forward to cold IPA stylings over summer and a noir IPA affair mid-year.
However, as we’ve seen from Orpheus above, what initially seems like a New School versus Old School showdown soon reveals a twist or, more accurately, a crossover as East Coast’s squishy trub runnings arrive pleasantly drier and leaner than most for style, echoing classically clear IPAs while maintaining a hazy tropi-citrus profile with a hint of pine. In a similarly hybrid burst, West Coast IPA serves up hits of beloved citrus and pine, while borrowing some haze from its New School sibling.
Guy Southern
Published October 6, 2022 2022-10-06 00:00:00
