Foley Brothers Ginger Wheat

Foley Brothers brewery out of Brandon, VT debuted their Ginger Wheat along with a brown ale over Thanksgiving weekend. Vermont grown hops, wheat, and ginger were all used in the process. Although I sampled it at the brewery's grand opening, I bought both to bring home and review for a later time. I've been meaning to open this one before it ages for too long.

Alcohol Content: 6.3%

IBU: ?

Malts: ?

Hops: ?

Price: ?

Medium: Pint glass

Aroma: Ginger is very forward and wants to come out of the beer as I pour into a glass. Base malts come across as grainy and mildly sweet. Some spiciness may come from both alcohol and hops, but I also find the hops to be more floral while the alcohol provides warmth and spice. Slight banana character suggests isoamyl acetate from yeast/ fermentation. This is partially covered up by the ginger. Also somewhat tart or lemon-like citrus, which some describe is a malted wheat character so it could be power of suggestion that implanted this thought.

Appearance: Presents a dense haze typical of wheat beers, especially for traditionally unfiltered versions. A nice goldenrod color with a head of white foam forms - decent retention. Moderately high carbonation is visible in the body. Some sediment in the bottom of the bottle.

Flavor: Soft graininess on the front end of the palate with a pleasant sweetness. Ginger combines with an assertive bitterness to overtake the malt flavors. This is where I also started to pick up on more of the banana notes that continue into the aftertaste. Banana (isoamyl acetate), and high carbonation clashes a bit with the ginger character. Hops come across as floral. Fruity esters from fermentation linger on perfume-like. Some alcohol spice in the finish. Balanced more towards bitterness, with ginger being the showcase ingredient.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body partially due to high carbonation that helps lift the overall experience - increased carbonic acid also makes the beer feel more acidic than it probably is (all beer is acidic to some degree). Bitterness is relatively high. Some drying in the aftertaste, although the malts leave some residual sweetness as well.

Overall Impression: An obvious approach to pairing this beer would be sushi, as the intense ginger is known to cleanse the palate between sushi dishes. After talking to Patrick Foley, one of the brewers, I was informed that they may go with a different approach to labeling the beer/ changing the name. They are still early in the business and have much to explore and I look forward to keeping up with their new beers.

Foley Brothers Brown Ale

Last weekend was the grand opening of a new local nano-brewery, or as some like to call "garage breweries", of Foley Brothers out of Brandon, VT. After meeting Patrick Foley at the Otter Creek Oktoberfest I was excited to hear news of their work-in-planning: A Blichmann Top-Tier setup in which they brew 6 barrels of beer/ week. They also bottle with the Blichmann beer gun and use oxy caps to reduce oxygen pickup. Talk about real homebrewing gone pro! I bought both of their current beers in 22oz bombers, a brown ale and ginger wheat beer.

Alcohol Content: 7.2%

IBU: ?

Malts: ?

Hops: Locally grown

Price: Don't remember

Medium: Pint glass

Aroma: Great depth/ layers of aromas consisting of sweet molasses, brown sugar, maple syrup/ sap, fig, light pomegranate, malts, and fusel alcohols. Hop profile is surprisingly very low - I expected a little more for a brown ale whereas this example is more of a strong ale with little hop character. Alcohol is heavy, contributing notes of spice and warmth. Fusel alcohols come across as bubblegum (varies by palate but think Long Trail double bag/ triple bag to get an idea of similar alcohol flavors from yeast). Maple is more upfront as the beer warms.

Appearance: Very dark brown and great clarity for an unfiltered beer. Showcases a ruby highlight and a tan head with great retention. Steady bubbling stems from the bottom of the glass (nucleation sites) and is consistent throughout the session. 

Flavor: Fig/ winterfruit, cherry, and/or pomegranate as described by fermentation character (fruity esters) and malt bill. Malts provide body with some sweetness as expected from the aroma. This is partly due to an assertive bitterness and alcohol spice that quickly takes control over the malts. A strong molasses and maple syrup flavor turns into a dry finish. Aftertaste remains dry with a lingering maple flavor. No flavors from hops as far as I can tell. Hint of coffee in the background but this is quite faint and my guess is from the dark specialty grains used to also color the beer.

Mouthfeel: Moderately bodied, the maple syrup providing more alcohol from conversion of sugars (fermentation) which lends a nice note of flavor but also thinning the body/ reducing an overly sweet or cloying beer. Lots of spice and heat from alcohol. Fusel alcohols. Moderately high carbonation. Light astringency in the aftertaste. Could be a little cleaner in hop bitterness

Overall Impression: This is a slow-sipping beer, and 22oz is all you should need for a relaxing evening. Definitely out of style for an American brown ale but style names are more for consumers than anything else. I would put this into the strong ale category with all of the alcohol and fruity ester notes. It actually reminds me of a blend between the Shed Mountain ale and Long Trail Double/ Triple Bag. Lots of character and a great "homebrewed" beer. Congrats on their grand opening - also look for their Ginger Wheat ale. Keep on brewing Foley Brothers!