Year of the Fox

Year of the Fox by Social Fox Brewing is being evaluated here as a Grape Ale with Chardonnay grapes, category 29D (Grape Ale) in the 2021 BJCP guidelines. The beer pours a deep gold with a bronze tinge to it with minimal head that collapses relatively quickly. The nose on this one is pretty grapey, almost foxy-type like Niagara or Concord. There’s a distinct fruitiness to the yeast as well, which I’ve learned is a kveik strain. Grape aromatics, however, mostly dominate here, if a bit one-dimensional and fruity. On the palate, the carbonation is medium-low, adding some light effervescence. While there’s a distinctly grapey quality to it, the alcohol seems to temper the residual apparent sweetness. While the malt and alcohol work to balance this out, more carbonation would help carry that sweetness across the palate. The more one drinks, the heavier it starts to feel regarding that sugary element. The idea here is sound, but some more attenuation would help round this out, and likely bump the pH downward further, helping to give a sense of dryness and wine-like character.