Got a chance to visit these guys in Seattle this past weekend. Had one of their signature stouts, which I have to say was quite impressive. Anyway, the Bifrost pours a nice dark honey color, definitely not what I was expecting from a winter ale. Pretty hazy; light yellow color around the edges. Almost no head produced; seems to not be carbonated too strongly. Nose is full of very sweet, candy-like malt. Some rich caramel. Definitely some strong esters; getting some banana and maybe a bit of cherry. Hop presence is definitely noticeable; mostly earthy, little wood and citrus.
Malt character upfront is very subtle. What does shine through are some nice toffee and caramel notes. This quickly evolves into an ester presence that seems to dominate a lot of the taste. It would best be described by me as some general fruitiness, but it does seem quite plum-like if I did have to narrow it down to something. Finishes off some some nice hop spice without being noticeable bitter. No noticeable alcohol taste even at 7.6%. Some candy sweetness lingers. Medium body
This is definitely something much different that what I think of as a winter ale. Typically, a winter ale is a dark, full-bodied, malt/ester bomb. The ester notes and candy-like malt definitely make this a very seasonal, holiday sort of brew, though. Good stuff.
No comments:
Post a Comment