Asheville, North Carolina is not a particularly large town. Nevertheless, they appear to have quite a few budding breweries. This one might not be considered budding, as it was founded in 1994. Unlike several of the small breweries that I have enjoyed wares from, this brewery is actually older than my blog itself. The fact that they've been around for a while should indicate that their beer has some staying power. With the recent rise in hazy IPAs as being one of the favorites, I assume this is a much more recent recipe. I can't say for sure, and I'm not going to do the background work.
First sip is relatively smooth, and it would not be easily confused with being crisp. Instead, the beer manages to leave its mark on the taste buds long after the beer is gone. While this remaining taste is rather tart and bitter with a musty old bag of oranges being its center, the taste of the beer itself is rather bright. These two flavors seem disconnected and almost inappropriate for each other.
Tip-in is gentle carbonation tickle with thick dough malt and a bit of a funk with orange and tangerine spritzed. The middle raises a notch on the carbonation as the fruit meat hits hard and is joined by grapefruit and lemons. The finish is the same as the sip - funky bitter-tart with an echo of the malt.
Bottom Line: Intriguing, but it's not for everyone.
2.5/5
