A wild streak

It seems they've been having some biochemical fun at Rascals, with a slew of early autumn beers making use of out-of-the-ordinary yeasts and cultures. Let's see what we've got here.

Early September saw Pilot #63: Bubblegum Funk on at the taproom. It's described as a farmhouse ale and named after the Bubblegum yeast strain, farmers being well known for their love of bubblegum. I couldn't taste that side of it at all, but the earthy farmyard funkiness was definitely there, and highly enjoyable. There's some pithy citrus in the centre, along with a lime-rind bitterness, before a mildly sweet, clean finish. It's all done at 4.4% ABV and there's a lot of complexity for that strength. The yeast may be misnamed, but it's a good'un.

Pouring next to it was Pilot #64: Passionfruit Gose. There's no guesswork involved in what this is, although it's a surprisingly clear yellow colour instead of the murky orange I was expecting. The passionfruit aroma is fresh and real while the texture is soft and the tropical flavour is balanced nicely against a slick and savoury salinity. It's every bit as clean and refreshing as gose is meant to be, with that lovely hint of pink-umbrella exotic fruit added in but not interfering. Nicely done.

Beyond the taproom bar, Battle Axe made it to cans. The medieval Nordic theme comes from the use of kveik as the yeast in this 5.5% ABV pale ale. It's hazy and yellow and smells very much New England-like, with a fresh and sweet peach and mandarin character. The flavour doesn't stray too far from that, though throws in a balancing bitterness and a resinous herbal dankness, alongside the softer fruit. A tiny hint of vanilla sweetness tries to peek past the pith but ultimately fails to dominate the picture. This is a bitter sort of hazy pale ale and all the better and more invigorating for it. There's even a substantial alcohol sharpness, which is surprising given the strength. I liked the cleanness, the bitterness and the overall bigness of the taste, though as usual I can't taste anything that I can assign to the kveik. As far as I'm concerned it's just normal yeast, only faster.

One can't fault Rascals for variety of beer styles and that pilot kit is definitely paying its way, fuelled by no small amount of recipe creativity.