Marsh Madness

Marsh Madness by Low Road Brewing is a Fruit and Spice beer and was judged as such (BJCP sub-style 29B). It poured gold and clear into the glass, forming a thick, white, short-lasting head.

At first the aroma featured intense lactic sourness followed by fainter raspberry notes. Not surprisingly the flavor resembled the aroma: dominant lactic sourness, then raspberry esters secondary, and then faint notes of vanilla and spun sugar in the finish, the latter reflecting the brewer’s addition of marshmallow, presumably late in the brewing process and almost certainly post-boil. Hop and distinctive malt flavors and aromas were not evident but some lower level of bittering hops were presumably used to provide the beer’s final pleasant balance of sour and sweet.

The mouthfeel consisted of a light body and moderate carbonation. Alcohol warmth and astringencies were absent, which again was to style. Overall, this is a refreshing well-balanced beer. Drinkability is high for this beer with a little something (e.g. sourness, fruit, candy sweetness), but not too much of anything, for lovers of a range of beer styles excepting the ultra-hopheads.