There was a time when I would have said that this beer had one of the most attractive and interesting packages. I mean, a real champagne bottle, very minimally labelled, in a beautiful stained-glass motif box? Just lovely. But that time is past. You see, I have had bottles of Radical Road Canny Man. That’s an attractive, excessive all-round awesome packaging job. Incidentally, when I was out at Black Oak Brewery a few days ago, John (co-brewer at Radical Road) gave me a bottle of Canny Man. Literally, just a bottle of beer. No label, no paper wrapping, no neck hanger. He said I was welcome to wrap one myself, when I complained. But I digress. I really enjoyed both Canny Man’s packing and the liquid in the elaborate attire. So I was obviously excited to lay hands on Radical Road’s next foray into barrel-aged beers.
The Wayward Son — Radical Road Brewing Co.
First off, if you’re thinking “Oh man, I wish I had that Kansas song, Carry On Wayward Son, don’t worry; I got your back, Jack. Buy it on iTunes here, or click it below if you just want to listen to it right now.
From a 750ml capped champagne bottle from a gorgeous box, The Wayward Son pours a hazy deep gold. 3″ of loose head dropped to a 1/2″ dense layer of foam that lingered on through most of the glass. Aroma is amazing. Belgian yeast thick with spices, pepper, coriander and ginger. Tart fruits, gooseberries, lemon, grapes and strawberries. Big vinous notes, with oak and nearly some grape must. Warm sweet malts, and clearly some Belgian candi sugar. I’m pretty excited to take a sip….. Taste is incredibly dry, now showing lots of spices, grape/wine, gooseberry, oak and sugar. It’s strange, because on the nose I wouldn’t have expected it to be this dry, but it really is. There is nearly no sweetness on the front of the palate, and it’s got a champagne-dry finish. Tartness is there, but it is minimal. The balance between the golden ale and the barrel is amazing. Just enough oak and wine to taste, but it is not over-powering. The mouthfeel is incredible, weighty, with ultra-small champagne-esque bubbles. The finish leaves a trace of vinous tartness, and a spicy dry palate, with a hint of herbal hops, maybe a little grassy. Just amazing beer. I would love to get a few more of these, partially to drink, but also to see how they age. Because, really, it’s so damn good.
Carry on, Simon and John!
Buy The Wayward Son
Available at the LCBO right now, #337345. Buy many. Because I will and I would hate for you to miss out.
Drink it With
Figs in honey, and cheese! Ideally Manchego sheep’s milk cheese. The earthy slightly nutty hard cheese shows a bit of mustiness from age, and will go amazingly well with the spicy, vinous dry beer. And I just really like fresh figs drizzled with good honey.
About The Brewery
Nano-Brewery creating handcrafted beers.
Toronto, Ontario
