Soft border

I had come to think of Boundary as being primarily a brewer of strong beers. They present very much in the contemporary US/Scandi fashion, and low ABV tends to be nothing other than an occasional novelty in that milieu. So it was a bit of a surprise when I pulled two recent Boundary purchases from the fridge to discover both were of a very modest strength.

To begin, Nothing Left To Say, a rye session IPA of 4.1% ABV, dry hopped with Lemondrop and Cascade hops. It's a dull ochre colour in the glass, the head fading quickly. Its aroma is fresher and more exciting than the appearance might suggest, however: fresh satsuma lacing a distinctive grassy spicing. I guessed this one would belong to the rye. Sure enough, that peppery grass bitterness is a big part of the flavour, lending it an almost incense quality. There's a citrus sherbet in the middle, tart and tingly, and then an earthy, savoury finish which one could charitably describe as Belgian-feeling, but also as a bit mucky. While analysing all that I couldn't take my mind off the texture. Beers with this sort of complexity are usually heavy ones but this is very light. I genuinely couldn't decide between finding it pleasingly gulpable or unpleasantly watery. There are elements of both. On balance, I enjoyed it. There's enough rye poke and hop fun to deliver what's promised, and nobody can feel gypped by the description.

A straight-up pale ale next, Double Negative at 4.2% ABV, and this time it's Idaho 7, Simcoe and Azacca, to the tune of 16g per litre. It's a bright and opaque yellow, more Sunny Delight fakery than real juice. The aroma mixes sweet mixed tropical juice with a dry and savoury yeast bite, and the flavour mostly follows through on that. It's not dreggy, more crisp and husky, with overtones of crispbread on the finish. Before that there's a rounded orange juice flavour, less complex than the aroma, and a smack of garlic, bang in the middle. It's very, er, modern tasting, and as such I don't think I really like it. I'm sure plenty of punters will, however: I'm used to yeast-bite and garlic being things I just don't appreciate. And hey, at least there's no vanilla. Once again the low ABV creates a light texture meaning no flavour, whether good or bad, hangs around too long. It manages to avoid being offensive by being, well, inoffensive. If you're after a lighter take on those DDH IPAs you love, here it is. Otherwise I wouldn't really bother.

An interesting diversion, but I'm ready for my next Boundary to have a bit more heft, especially if they're going to insist on my paying close to a fiver a can.