The Boy has waxed poetically, on the blog and Facebook, about his love for Grand Teton Brewing’s (www.grandtetonbrewing.com) Sweet Grass APA*. He compulsively keeps it stocked in the fridge.
I have my compulsions too. As I’ve stated I have a weakness for any beer that involves being aged/limited Released/super special. Now the Boy has made it clear that I am not to buy any more beer until we are caught up on what’s in the fridge.
I’m a good Girl, so I obliged.
Which is why I have to state, that officially, I have no recollection of getting the Grand Teton Brewing Company’s (very special, limited, reserved ubber cool) Cellar Reserve Double White Ale.
The official story is that it appeared in the passenger seat of my car on the way home yesterday and I don’t know how it got there. The beer, named Tail Waggin’, stared at me like an excited puppy the entire drive home. I thought of dropping it off at a humane watering hole so I wouldn’t get in trouble for bringing another stray home, but then I thought better of it. After all the Boy loves beer and Grand Teton’s beer…so clearly he wouldn’t hold it against me for rescuing a stray from the dark dank underbelly of a beer breeding farm (I.E. BEVMO)!…not that it’s necessarily where it came from…
Now from the web page…”Tail Waggin’ Double White Ale is brewed in the Belgian tradition, using malted barley, wheat malt, candi sugar and a unique touch— unmalted rye. Noble-type hops are used for balanced bitterness, with spices added in the whirlpool. We followed the Belgian tradition of using bitter orange peel and coriander, then added a bit of lemongrass to make our wit something special. Finally, we fermented the beer with a Belgian witbier yeast that adds its own complexity with spicy phenols and fruity esters.”
The wit pours (as the website promised) a hazy gold, with a thin white head. The aroma is citrus, spice (They say it’s coriander) bubblegum and banana.
I’ve found very few Double/Imperial whites. This is my favorite for the the complex flavors and incredible balance. Most of them the flavors are so light that the abv conquers them. Grand Teton was wise and kept the ABV to 7.2% which allows the beer to shine through.
This is my second Cellar offering from Grand Teton (The first was Sheep Eater which you can read about here) and I can safely say Grand Teton Brewing is doing things right.
*(For those suffering from label confusion I clarified with Grand Teton Brewing, The Sweet Grass was their IPA but as the public’s palates changed to accommodate ever hoppier beers the Sweet Grass found itself better suited to the American Pale Ale category, where it won a Gold in 2009 at The Great American Beer Festival)
P.S. (I LIE! I REMEMBER EVERYTHING! It was staring at me, inciting my beer greed! I couldn’t leave without it!)
Grand Teton is one of my favorite breweries. So favorite I had to get my ugly mug in the shot. Great double white!! The girl that did the artwork on the bottle won a contest to get her picture on there.
Dear “Girl,”
Thank you for the kind words. Since you’re in SoCal and you like the Tail Waggin’, I’d like to invite you (and the Boy) to meet me in SDO on October 2. I’ll be at Hamilton’s with a record 21 Grand Teton beers on tap, several very limited, including an incredible, rare chardonnay barrel-aged version of the Tail Waggin’.
Rob
I must consult with the Boy and our work schedules, but you better believe if we can swing it we will!
Thanks for the invite Rob. We are angling to do the Roseville event.
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