I’m going to start this out by saying this is a weird beer. Moving on.
The beer I am trying today is called El Cedro and it’s brewed by Jester King out of Austin, Texas. Jester King is known for their big, bold, and slightly left of center beers. They make some great stuff – I have never had anything from them that I would call “bad” – but I have had a few things that missed the mark for me taste-wise. They are still excellent beers – but some of them are definitely sipping beers. Big, strong, and in your face. They also have some of the best labeling I have ever seen – great comic book-esque drawings – and El Cedro is no exception. The labeling is beautiful.
El Cedro is another one right in the same vein – big and in your face. El Cedro is a hoppy ale that is aged in cedar and fermented with Brettanomyces yeast. Brettanomyces is a strain of yeast that is found naturally in wood. For us homebrewer types – it is usually undesirable – it leaves a funky taste. But in the hands of experienced brewers and carefully controlled environments – it can make for a tasty beverage.
El Cedro pours a golden amber with A LOT of thick foamy head. The head dissipates quickly and leaves a nice thin cap of head throughout the glass.
The aroma is very interesting. There is a ton going on in here. Lots of orange, pepper, and cedar. Some funky yeasty notes that come from the Brett and lots of cedar on the back end. The cedar is almost overwhelming – but it stops just short of beating you across the nose. It’s kind of nice – I could smell this beer all day.
The taste is more of the same – citrus and cedar followed up by some spicy hops. The citrus, primarily grapefruit, returns in the end along with some farmhouse ale funkiness to round out the taste. Weird – but very tasty.
The mouthfeel is kind of a medium body with a slightly oily feel. The carbonation is clean and crisp and wipes that away – really nice.
Overall – this beer starts out very weird and finishes up being a tasty beer. The cedar starts out out by smacking you in the face – but it really rounds out the beer. This is especially true as the beer warms up. If you see some of this on the shelf – pick it up!
Overall – 3/5
Up and Adam 