REVIEW: Prairie 'Merica

This beer was bought purely on the strength of it's label. I'm unfamiliar with Prairie Artisan Ales. I found this bad boy at The Beer Trappe down In Lexington, Kentucky. One of the best craft beer bars you will ever find. But seriously, a red, white and blue, multi-beard (?) Also on the sides of the bottle are American Gladiators, a fat guy with his ass stuck in a lawn chair, cat-headed professional wrestlers with heat vision, old dudes grilling steaks, french fries, meatloaf, catfish, cinder blocks, and plenty of ketchup and yellow mustard. A truly wonderful magical melange of all this land of opportunity has to offer! Add the insanity of the bottle to a saison brewed with only floor-malted pilsener malt, Nelson Sauvin hops, and Prarie's farmhouse yeast and I'm ready to pull the trigger. So one hop, one malt, one 'Merica, as the label says. I could not, in good conscience, leave this beer sitting on the shelf. To the beer!

'Merica pours a hazy yet vibrant bright gold. A tall fluffy layer of bubbly bright white foam that recedes pretty quickly but persists as a resilient rim atop the beer. Also, how about that photo? I'm channeling my inner JJ Abrams with all that lens flare!

The aromas here ate a lovely mix of earthy, grassy hops and a great citrusy fruitiness. Notes of lemon and grapefruit mingle with herbal peppery hints, a touch of bubble gum, and plenty of yeasty esters.

'Mercia is light to medium in body, quite creamy, and pretty dry. Powdery citrus flavors of lemon, grapefruit, and tangerine are contrasted by a very light, crackery malt. The sweetness of the citrus flavors and the malt are balanced out by a rather bitter, crisp herbal/ grassy/ earthy hop bite. There's a peppery spiciness in there too.

It's pretty incredible the depth of flavor and complexity gained from just one malt and one hop. This beer is incredibly tasty, but it's all the more impressive knowing the simplicity of the recipe. This is a great summery saison. I will most definitely be on the prowl for more beers from Prairie. These guys know what they're doing.

HD