Judge’s Review: 84 Rating – Sky Meadow by Sapwood Cellars

Festbier | Seasonal | USA

By Sal Mortillaro II

Judges Rating: 84.00
Aroma: 20.00
Appearance: 5.00
Flavor: 35.00
Mouthfeel: 8.00
Overall Impression: 16.00

This beer pours a light orange with generally clear clarity, however, there’s a touch of chill haze. The head consists of white small bubbles, slightly fleeting. Once the head dissipates, it leaves a thin ring of tiny white bubbles around the rim of the glass.
The aroma consists of a medium-low grainy malt with a low herbal hop aroma. There is a very low musty note present, almost reminiscent of earthy hops, plus a very low tart note on the nose, mingled with slight honey notes. 
On the sip there is a medium-low malt sweetness that lingers into the finish. The malt flavor has a low intensity grainy quality, with a toastiness leaning towards a touch of nuttiness, which stick around into the finish. The hop flavor is low with floral and spicy flavors. There is a medium hop bitterness on this beer, and there is also a low tart flavor which lingers into the finish. 
This beer has a medium-low body with medium-high carbonation, with no alcohol warmth or astringency to speak of.
Overall, this is an Average Festbier. The tart notes, along with the musty notes, are not typical for the style and are slightly distracting.