Category 12 Brewing Elemental Series Wild IPA American IPA at 6.8% ABV | 68 IBU (C$9.75 at Zyn, 650 ml, bottle date 28-Dec-2016, acquired 16-Feb-2017, reviewed 17-Feb-2017)
Appearance: clear pale amber with two fat fingers of fluffy ivory head, good retention and moderate soapy lacing. (4/5) Aroma: resiny pine, tropical fruit, dry hay funk, earth. (7/10) Taste: moderate sweet, moderate-high bitter, mild tart. (7/10) Palate: medium body, lively to moderate carbonation, off-dry lightly funky finish. (3/5)
Not my first go-round with Saccharomyces trois, the Brett-that-wasn’t, and it continues to be a decent performer. (There’s a long, convoluted backstory about how White Labs marketed it as a Brett, discovered it wasn’t, and didn’t correct their marketing for quite some time – but the bottom line is this critter acts an awful lot like Brett even though it isn’t, actually.) The Brett-like character here is present, but mild: it feels just a little light and lacking in complexity at this point, making me think I might’ve drunk it too fresh. Although the brewer notes claim El Dorado and Azacca hops here as well, my impression is that they’re not as dominant as the S. trois (notwithstanding that the funk is still mild at this point). I’m wondering how this would act if cellared for a year or two to let the funk out to play (not unlike Stone’s Enjoy After series), and might pick up another one for that purpose. Definitely an interesting one, if not a slam-dunk at this point. (14/20)
7/10 #ryansbooze ryansbooze.com
