Our newest local brewery continues to impress me. Their latest offering is a unique brew that involves taking a single batch of malt and grains, splitting it in two, and then fermenting one half as a cold lager and the other as a warm ale, then blending it back together.  

Appearance: A beautiful pour, clear and deep golden with a creamy, sustained, slightly off-white head.  

Aroma: Subtly sweet with suggestions of vanilla and cloves.  

Mouthfeel: Very mellow and smooth on the palate. Medium viscosity and little astringency.  

Taste: Clean, malty, without the hint of alcohol (sometimes more than a hint in poorly executed versions) I’d expect in most imperial styles. A subtle suggestion of hops in the aftertaste, but very subtle. The vanilla I noticed in the aroma is more pronounced in tasting this beer.  

Drinkability: Highly drinkable, a wonderfully complex yet mellow beer. But watch it: it doesn’t taste like an imperial. It’s so smooth that you might miss/forget that it’s 7.2% alcohol.  

9.0/10