On the docket: 475mL bottle of Free Will’s Key Lime Lambic
Poured into: Innis & Gunn stemmed craft glass
S: A nearly lemonade-golden yellow, slightly hazy body spills into the glass, with only the faintest stark-white head. Tight clinging to the outside rim, consisting of small and medium bubbles. More bubbles lazily rise to the surface from the bottom of the glass.
A: Green with envy? This one boasts boatloads of limeade, tartness, and a hint of funk. Fairly one-dimensional, but very fragrant and refreshing aroma.
T: If you’ve ever eaten key-lime pie, with that mandatory meringue topping, imagine that with a spritz of carbonation and the tartness of a sour lime candy, and you have yourself Freewill’s lambic. The malt and hops are overshadowed by the puckering citrus. Crisp. Let this one warm just a tad in order to experience the subtle malty sweetness, which shows up oddly enough, on the finish. Want a little less twang? Pull air through your mouth as you would with wine, the aeration softens it up.
F: Light to medium-light. Tingly, biting carbonation does a major scrub-job on your tongue. Awesome for a hot day. Try this over a gin/vodka gimlet. Long finish that morphs slowly from citrus to just a hint of grainy sweetness that emerges on the lips.
O: Certainly tart and sour, but flavor-packed and refreshing. Noted on the website, all natural flavoring and no back-sweetening (post brewing). Perhaps a beginner or intermediate sour beer, and a definite must-try for Key lime pie lovers and sour fruit candy eaters. Warheads anyone?
Suggested food pairing: Summer salad with blood or mandarin oranges and arugula, jerk chicken, Thai, Vietnamese or Indian food, and sure, Key lime pie with a homemade graham cracker crust.