Coaster Critique: Austin Street/Bier Cellar – Bier 2 Cellar

Name: Bier 2 CellarIMG_6357

Brewed by: Austin Street Brewery in Collaboration with the Bier Cellar

Style: India Pale Ale conditioned with Brettanomyces

ABV: 6.5%

Bier 2 Cellar is a shadowy copper color that shimmers with red and gold highlights when held to the light, cloudy in the glass with a thick, bone white head.

Hops are strong in the aroma, fresh cut grass, a hint of citrus and pineapple on top of a bready malt body. I’m picking up an earthy character, dirt, dead leaves, which I take to be from the brettanomyces.

First sip I pick the malt, toasted bread and as sweetness, honey like. Hops show up about mid sip with a blend of fresh cut grass and citrus that’s followed immediately by a rich earthy flavor that reminds me of top soil. Mouthfeel is somewhat slick, high carbonation seems to lift the flavors off the palate throughout the sip leaving me with a dry finish and a mild, herbal bitterness.

When I realized today is International IPA day I didn’t think I had any IPAs in the house, and then I remembered I had a bottle of Bier 2 Cellar that I had picked up last weekend to review. I enjoyed this IPA, I’m not normally a fan of the grassy hop profile but this one wasn’t harsh and worked well with the Brettanomyces which imparted a rich earthy flavor, grass and soil all makes sense. This was a limited release beer to celebrate the second anniversary of the Bier Cellar in Portland, I’m glad I got a bottle but wish I had purchased a second one, while the name is Beer 2 Cellar for Bier Cellar 2nd anniversary I feel like it’s also a suggestion, a “Beer to Cellar” it would be interesting to see how the brettanomyces changes this beer in six to twelve months, if you have a bottle stashed away I’d love to hear how it is in the future.

Cheers!

Chaddah

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Chad Lothian

About Chad Lothian

Chad Lothian lives in Old Town, Maine. He is a craft beer enthusiast and homebrewer. Chad has travelled to brewpubs, breweries and brewfests all over New England.