(Boulder, CO) – When designing the Artisan Ale Project, Twisted Pine Brewing Company intended to have its brewers flex their creative muscles in much the same manner as the local artists whose work is celebrated on each label. With the fourth installment in the series, West Bound Braggot, the Twisted crew has made it evident that they are both willing and able to match their creative might with the rest of Colorado’s artistic community.
West Bound Braggot, which will debut April 7th, is Twisted Pine’s modern take on a medieval classic. Braggot, more or less a hybrid of mead and ale, was popular throughout Europe in the Middle Ages and Chaucer even made mention of the drink in his Canterbury Tales. The Twisted rendition began with malted barley, orange blossom honey and Citra hops, before the brewers shifted into adventure mode and added Tasmanian pepper berries and Buddha’s Hand to the kettle. Then for the finishing strokes this unique ale was fermented with a Belgian saison yeast.
The resulting unfiltered brew pours the color of hazed champagne and the aroma that wanders off the snowflake head is a mosaic of pleasant flagrances. Scents of nectar sweetness and ripe citrus, along with earthy malt tones, a slight pinch of pepper and the farmhouse esters of the yeast all meet the nose in perfect proportions. As the first sip finds the tongue, the beautiful balance is upheld and the ale slides sweet and smoothly across the palate, highlighted by a wink of citrus and pepper and punctuated with a dry, crisp finish. The beer weighs in at 8% ABV and 35 IBU.
The label for West Bound Braggot features the painting “Running Wild” by Boulder artist Lael Har. The Twisted ale house will relinquish their wall space to Lael for the release-party on Saturday April 7th, where the artist will be on hand from 4-8pm to sign bottles and meet fans of brush and beer and both. Her pieces will remain on display in the ale house for the remainder of the month and until the following release on May 5th. For more details on the Artisan Ale Project, visit www.twistedpinebrewing.com.
