For the culture

Canvas wasn't pouring beer at this year's Mullingar Wild Beer Festival, but Moss had brought along a selction of cans. On my way out I grabbed a handful of what was left for home drinking. Let's see what that got me.

"It was an IPA once yet now is far from it" says the description on Flatland, an ale dry-hopped with Galaxy and Vic Secret and aged in Côtes du Rhône barrels where "the culture" got to work on it. I assume they don't mean literature, drama and the visual arts there. It's 5.4% ABV and a medium ochre shade. The aroma is mildly wild, with sparks of citric tartness and some red wine oak as well. It has been well attenuated, resulting in a thin fizzy body and a touch of wateriness, though what I'm guessing is a Brettanomyces strain has had a thickening effect, adding a chewy, gummy side to the mouthfeel as well. The hops have not given up their hold on the flavour, and there's still a zesty, fruity quality at the centre of the picture: juicy jaffa orange and bitterer herbs and resin. Around it sits a different kind of spritz; a funky floral perfume, with greasily sweet incense and balsam. The oak is presumably contributing to this, but I couldn't taste it specifically. Most of all, I liked how it channels the fun side of sour beer while holding it in check, not allowing it to turn the whole thing to vinegar. The result is light and refreshing, and deliciously complex, making equal use of the hops and the wild microbes. I disagree that it's a long way from IPA, and I would have badged it as a sour one. Regardless, it's an understated beauty.

Next is Untamed II, and I'm coming to the franchise late as I haven't seen the first one. It's a sour beer with sloes and blackberries, presumably foraged wild rather than harvested from Canvas's vast underground hydroponic bunker. Once again "the culture" appears in the description as the source of its sourness: no wood-fired kettle-souring here. It's a deep amber colour and smells of both the tart hedgerow berries and a greasy, Bretty funk. Promising. Again it's very light-bodied, and in fact it doesn't taste hugely different to the previous one, even though it's considerably stronger at 6.8% ABV and isn't barrel aged. The difference is that instead of citric hops providing the balance, it's the ripe and dark fruit. The two aspects are blended neatly together, the combination suggesting tart cherries and high-end cranberry jam. This has a certain amount in common with with the more subtle type of aged fruit lambic, minus the barrel effect. The gentle sparkle even lends it a touch of cask-like smoothness. My only real gripe is the thinness: something this strong shouldn't feel watery. Canvas is missing a trick by not presenting it in a 75cl cork-and-cage bottle. It really tastes like it belongs in one.

Finally, strongest of the lot, is the 7.7% ABV Full Moon. The label describes it as both a "white ale" and "farmhouse blanche", though I think we're some distance from Hoegaarden here. Of note is that all of the ingredients are from the Canvas farm, so no hops: sweet gale instead, and a yeast they captured and have named WILB. Is this "the culture"? They don't say. (All of the cans have an explanatory URL on them; all produce a 404 error. Farmhouse!) It's a dull murky yellow colour, and headless, like a bad witbier on the morning after the party. The aroma doesn't offer much, but there's a hint of sweet herbs. In the flavour, that translates to a kind of dry floral quality, like a fancy tea blend with exotic botanicals. Lapsang souchong comes to mind, as there's a hint of smokiness too. I don't think WILB has any Brett DNA because there's none of the gummy fruit or funk of the others, and there's no particular sourness either. Half way down, posh botanicals became garden weeds: dandelion and dock leaf. While I liked the slightly sharp and wild edge, it's an edge on nothing substantial. The beer is a bit dull and doesn't really deliver on the promise of its specs. It's fine, but if you wanted a twist on witbier or a spontaneous fermentation extravaganza, you will be disappointed.

Still, these show that Canvas has gone from experimental messers to a serious contender in Ireland's wild beer scene. If you see their beer buy it. Now more than ever you maybe pleasantly surprised.