#202: Off Color Brewing » Troublesome (Gose) & Scurry (Dark Honey Ale)

Former respective Goose Island (Bourbon County, Sisters Belgians) and Two Brothers brewers, John Laffler and Dave Bleitner left their respective organizations, to combine their lauded talents into a joint, independent venture.

Off Color Brewing (Chicago, IL), already gathering acclaim for their first two bottled beers below, is the result of that partnership.

Troublesome (Gose) ABV: 4.5% | IBU: 10 | 9.3/10
This brew is a blend of two beers, a plain old wheat beer and overly acidic & funky beer fermented solely with lactobacillus, finished with coriander and salt towards the end of fermentation.

In person, it starts of a transparant, pale yellow with minimal cap of white head that is plenty lacy. Bringing Troublesome to my nose, heavenly, wild aromas bloom - yeasty, juciy notes of white wine, lemon, and citrus.

The flavor is incredible and refreshing. Soft carbonation and perfect restraint of coriander matched with a deft hand of faint sweetness and delicate tartness. A gifted brew. Recommended.

Scurry (Dark Honey Ale) ABV: 5.3% | IBU: 18 | 9/10
Brewed with honey and molasses, Scurry pours out a dark, opaque brown with a touch of ruby and almost no head. Strong coffee nose is prevalent with soft notes of wood and honey and packed with molasses aromas.

It's dark and roasted on the palate, but not too heavy. Smooth and perfectly carbonated. Mild, sweet, but not sticky. Roasty, toasty, with just a flicker of earthy notes. Solid.

#071: Steadfast Beer Co. » Golden Blond Ale & Sorghum Pale Ale (Gluten Free)

There's a new gluten-free brewery on the block...

The Brewery: Steadfast Beer Co. (Albany, NY)
The Brew: Golden Blond Ale
Availability: Bottles, Draft
ABV: 5.5%
Rating: 8.0/10
Location: Home

The Story? It's a tricky time for those seeking, or who require, a gluten-free beer experience. Taste can be an issue, as some market offerings aren't quite up to par with the rest of the craft movement. Some just attempt to provide a lack-luster substitute without taking into consideration the full potential of non-wheat ingredients. Others still aren't truly gluten-free, having removed the gluten from wheat, which in sever cases of gluten intolerance is just not enough...

Thanks to our friends at The Westy, a new upstate brewery - Steadfast Beer Company - is on our radar.  My partner is gluten intolerant and while she's lucky enough to be able to still enjoy beer if the rest of her diet is gluten-free, we have other friends with full-blown Celiac disease who are not so lucky. So, we're always on the lookout for the latest, true, quality gluten-free offerings, and boy did we find it this time.

The Beer? Hazy, yellow body with a very quickly fading head. The nose is quite interesting, with full, Riesling-esq notes of sweet white grape and subtle notes of the coriander and orange peel it's brewed with.

On the mouth,we're met with very bubbly carbonation coupled with lemon and yeast flavors. I'd easily use the word "sparkling" on this one. Notes of citrus and vanilla appear early on and lead way to a pleasantly dry finish.  The honey provides some subtle sweet notes, but is never overly present on it's own, more balanced to support the rest of the cast.

This brew is notably self-aware (no, not sentient) in-so-far as it's not trying to just be a beer. Steadfast has taken the strengths of sorghum, coupled it with complimentary ingredients, and produced an elegant blond that is somewhere between a champagne and a beer.  On to the next one...
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The Brewery: Steadfast Beer Co. (Albany, NY)
The Brew: Sorghum Pale Ale (brewed w/ Molasses)
Availability: Bottles, Draft
ABV: 5.5%
Rating: 9.0/10
Location: Home

The Beer? Wonderful caramel-amber body, again with a quickly fading head. The nose is reminiscent of the Blond with that Riesling aroma, but the sweet white grape notes are much brighter, coupled with jammy hint of strawberry.

Great mouthfeel right from the first sip. The carbonation is much subtler than with the bubbly blond. Unlike some other gluten-free offerings, this Sorghum Pale Ale is packed with plentiful hops along with sweet mild strawberry notes that were found in the nose. Fantastic balance of the bitter hops and sweet malt & sorghum. There's mild floral notes to the hops as well (perhaps rose?) along with a slight nuttiness and robust body from the molasses.

My partner and I both agreed that this one is an easy 9/10.  A great pale ale whether you need gluten-free or not. Look for Steadfast to be one of the best options on the gluten-free market.