On tap at Seven Lakes Station, meek ‘ancient herbal ale’ tries to duplicate Classic Margarita with its lightly salted lime-peeled lemon juicing and key lime pie tartness. Setback sea-salted acidity stays low as orange-peeled tangerine fruiting brightens limey sedation.
The revolution against safe beers goes beyond restrictive boundaries with this limited edition 2012 offering. Gaining a spicier herbal seasoning than Berries & Herbs version, richly grain-malted medium-bodied gruit places dramatic gin-soaked blueberry lacquering atop white-peppered juniper-twigged bittering. Sugary crystal malting balances the bitterness and enlightens the wild berry finish.
Precarious brown-hued ruby-hazed moderate-bodied adjunct beer defined as Scottish gruit and described as chocolate ale rejuvenates ancient herbal recipe. Musty chocolate liqueur-wafted hop-oiled barley roast saddles cocoa-powdered hazelnut coffee mildness. Underlying black chocolate creaminess induces tertiary molasses cookie and maple sap illusions to earthen peat-seared bottom. Local bladder wrack seaweed provides salty brine accent to mocha-dried finish. Just a tad unassuming despite peculiar auspices.
Complex Scottish ‘gruit’ (a.k.a. herbal Froach) integrates tobacco-leafed cigar ash aromatics with menthol mint freshness and orange-soured prune-raisin mildness, overshadowing floral heather-lilac nuances to grassy bottom. Honeyed wheat backbone picks up cork-dried perfumed hop insinuation.
Herbaceous version of Siletz Wooly Bully has interesting rust-glowed hue and tidy spruce-tipped sprinkling. Remedial orange-soured eucalyptus-menthol freshness gains force as spruce-y sweetness resonates, snatching hints of tangerine and peach along the way.
Likable bottle-conditioned herb-spiced clear-hazed wheat beer with mild viscosity renders honeyed butterscotch regalia to dry coriander finish, picking up tobacco, tea, and lavender illusions. Beneath banana-breaded cracked wheat stipend lies lemony orange, peach, and grape tartness pleating sharp cider briskness.
Cumulous-headed orange-yellowed wheat-backed gruit-styled ale punctuates stark juniper-blueberry bitterness with off-dry crystal malting. More pungent and less tangy than most unsweetened berry-influenced brews.
Ashen spruce and burnt pine positively influence tawny triple ale. At midst, dry mocha bitterness overrides sweet malt extract to nutty bottom. Well-integrated and alcohol-laden, but stale Band-Aid mouthfeel and hop-smoked grain finish get staid.
Whimsical peculiarities disturb weird elderberry-spiced concoction. Faded white ale aroma and gentle juniper-hopped mouthfeel lure unbalanced ginger, mint, and eucalyptus confluence, battling back funky mocha-dried black licorice undertones. Misplaced adjuncts all over the place, but ultimately cherry oak timbre affects ashy oats finish positively.
Rarified pint-bottled light blonde counters soft Scotch malt pungency with tart citrus wining and uniquely antiquated floral heather adjunct. Betwixt honey-glazed orange tang, distant spearmint afterglow, and chintzy herbal tinge soften delicate midst. Fizzy, soft, lacking creaminess, but heather tether sets it apart from most (if not all) Scottish, English, or Irish brews.
Interestingly diversified brown-hued dry ale brewed with seaweed and bree nicely diverts auxiliary smoked ‘rauch’ beer essence. Toasted mocha malting, cocoa-powdered tobacco dryness and vegetal earthiness converge at roasted coffee bean finish. Would’ve been more idiomatic if salted seaweed was more noticeable.