First, a note about beer styles.  The process of naming beer styles began as a way of identifying and categorizing the beers that existed, not as a way of prescribing what beers were fit to brew.  Michael Jackson--the Beer Hunter, not the King of Pop--published The World Guide to Beer in 1977, sharing the beers he had experienced during his travels, and enumerating the first list of beer styles to describe them.  We have certainly seen in the intervening years that some beers outside those style have become quite popular, such as American IPA, hazy IPA, and the abomination that was glitter beer.

What then can we say about the style of this beer?  Well it certainly does not fit into a style recognized by the BJCP, BA, WBC or any other adjuticative body.  The recipe brings dehusked black malt from a schwarzbier, Belgian candi syrup, and Kölsch yeast together in a vat in Bothell, Washington.  This beer does not conform to a specific style, so we'll have to come up with a label to conform to it, just like in the old days.  With elements passed on to us by both German brewers and the Belgian monastic brewing tradition, I like to call this one a German-style abbey ale.

As always, when we brew, the focus is flavor. This beer is a fascinating flavor experience leading with bold plum-like flavor from the Belgian candi syrup, that morphs into something more akin to dates, before fading into caramel, malt, and finishing with a dry roast note. Focus on one note too long and you’ll miss the next one as the beer unfolds in your mouth.

Despite the rich flavor, the carbonation and relatively light body make this a fitting beer for sipping in the shade on a sunny summer evening. We hope you get to try this one while it’s available this summer, either at the release party 7/28 at The Hop and Hound or at one of our other events for Eastside Beer Week!