Longford nights

It's a seasonal twofer from Wide Street today, and I'm a little surprised that neither of them utilise the brewery's signature mixed fermentation techniques. I do hope it's not the customers pushing them in this more mainstream direction.

Well, I say "mainstream" but neither of these are common styles these days. There's not even an IPA! Time-Lapse Autumn, third in the new series of seasonals, is an Altbier. Though it of course exists canned, I was lucky enough to get to drink a pint of it on a visit to Brickyard in Dundrum. A light 4.5% ABV, it's the proper shade of reddish brown. I haven't had an Alt in quite some time but I have it in my head that this lager should have a modicum of rounded warmth and caramel sweetness. This one doesn't really, and goes big instead on tannic dryness, with a touch of coffee roast as well. As a result, it's a little sharp and less easy-going than I was hoping for. There's a green-nettle hopping in the aroma but it's no Uerige clone as the hops don't really show up in the flavour. It meets the basic spec for Alt, I guess, but i wasn't really done to my taste. We move on to...

BLACK IPA! Woooop! Wide Street gives us Neo-Noir, hopefully not a radical new take on this already-perfected beer style. It's got oats. Are there supposed to be oats? It pours thickly, belying a modest 4.7% ABV, an opaque jet black topped with a thick layer of tan foam. The aroma is black IPA squared: roasty burnt tar meeting tangy green veg. Seems the sprouts are a little early this year. I was right about the thickness: there's a glutinous mouthfeel with minimal carbonation, but it gets away with it. Think cask. The bitterness headlines the flavour, and like the aroma it's a mix of roast and hop acidity. I hoped there would be something fun to follow -- some citrus or spice -- but it's a bit two-dimensional: a swift smack and then they're flashing the lights and it's time to go home. There's plenty of aftertaste, so if you enjoyed the roast and veg thing so far, that's in no rush to leave. I liked it; I like how it gives an impression of a big strong luxury beer but at a modest ABV; it needs more subtlety and complexity added to it, however. And with that constructive technical feedback, I'll wait for Neo-Neo-Noir.

I don't usually kvetch like this over Wide Street beers. Next time give me something sour to shut me up.