Smartmouth Alter Ego Farmhouse Saison Ale

Established in Norfolk, VA, in 2012 by former business attorney Porter Hardy IV (great name for a brewer!), Smashmouth Brewing Company's 20 barrel brewhouse has quickly garnered a solid reputation with tasty brews and eye catching packaging.

Smartmouth Alter Ego Farmhouse Saison Ale, 6.2% alc., 12 oz. can

C: Golden with a crisp white head that quickly moves to the edges of the glass

N: Wheat forward with spice behind 

P: Crisp and refreshing with more wheat, more spice, and hints of ground pepper

F: Pleasantly drying with lingering pepper

In conclusion: Truth be told, I'd already polished off the first five cans of my six pack (not all today!) before working on this review so I knew what to expect from this darned tasty farmhouse saison ale. Living in VA and purchasing this six pack locally for $10 isn't the worst thing in the world. Looking forward to posting more Smarthmouth reviews on the site.

Devil's Backbone Cran-Gose

Gose (pronounced "goes-uh") is a thousand year old German beer style brewed using slightly salty water with a top fermentation (using Saccharomyces cerevisiae). The mash bill contains more wheat than malted barley and the brew is spiced with coriander and hops. After falling out of favor in the last hundred years the style has been resurgent since the turn of the century. You can really geek out on details about the style here.

Virginia's Devil's Backbone Brewing Company was founded in 2008 by Steven Crandall. A well regarded staple among Virginia's 140 breweries news broke last month that the brewery had been acquired by Anheuser Busch InBev for an undisclosed sum. Devil's Backbone's operations team will remain in place post takeover. More information about the takeover can be found here.

Devil's Backbone Cran-Gose, 4.0% alc., 12 oz. can

C: Pink with a thin white head that's completely gone half way through the drinking experience

N: Pleasantly yeasty and sour with some tart cranberry fruit and just a little salty

P: Leads with sour cranberry fruit then just a hint of salt behind, thin mouthfeel with limited alcohol presence

F: Medium length with lingering sour fruit and just a little wheatiness 

In conclusion: A very easy drinking session-style ale with pleasant sour fruit and just a hint of salt. A good introduction to this salty wheat style.