Beer of the Week! 08/28/23

Drowned Lands Milieu

Normally $19.99 / Now on Sale for $18.96
Spiced Tripel-Style Ale

We just want to go on the record. We were dubious about this Tripel. From its description, we did not think this beer would work. Fortunately, Warwick, NY’s Drowned Lands Brewery knows more about brewing than we do. (Not hard. Your momma knows more about brewing than we do. We just know about drinking.)

(Actual brewers can stop reading now in case you want to laugh at our ignorance.)

Drowned Lands starts this Tripel with Pilsner malt, which we guessed would be too light for a Tripel. (Turns out — you guessed it — a high quality Pilsner malt is standard for a Tripel.) (Stop laughing!) They then add “a touch of oats,” and we were, like, “uh … sure. Why not?” Then they add in Grains of Paradise (which we had to look up) and white peppercorns, and we were, like, “What is this, a witbier?” We just couldn’t see how a couple of peppers could mix well in a Tripel.

Well, the Milieu is a delicious fruity, spicy Tripel. It has aromas of brown sugar and apricot that roll right into the flavors in the glass — apricot and mandarin orange. Grains of Paradise turn out to be part of the ginger family giving off notes of everything from cardamom to nutmeg to ginger. Here, it helps the Milieu tingle your tongue with a wisp of pepper on the finish. Delightful.

How gratifying to work in a field where it’s sometime good to be wrong.

Bonus Beer of the Week (‘Cause your mother told us you’d like one, and your mother should know.)

Charles Towne Sungazer

Normally $18.99 / Now on Sale for $17.96
Single-Hop New England Style IPA

Charles Towne Fermentory in Charleston, South Carolina has been brewing their Sungazer New England Style IPA pretty much since they opened in 2017. Now, the latest version keeps things simple and local.

Originally, brewed to coincide with the 2017 solar eclipse, the Sungazer first was made with Vic Secret Hops and Citra hop powder. Now it’s stuffed full of just Citra hops and is made with all Carolina malts.

As if it’s made to eclipse the sun on its lonesome, the Sungazer is very, very hazy. Plus, in step with early NEIPAs, it is juicy, juicy, juicy with a mango-like flavor, except dry before falling into a zesty finish. What such a tasty New England IPA is doing coming from the first state to secede we’ll never know … but we’ll drink it just the same.

Remember!

You can see our entire beer inventory on Untappd.com!