Beer of the Weekend #718: Rootstock
I’m sick. All week I have been plagued by a pesky cold and sore throat. Thankfully, I am getting better. And being sick is not going to stop me from posting a beer review — for a beer I drank two weeks or so ago: Rootstock, brewed by the Backpocket Brewing Company of Coralville, Iowa.
The color is lightly hazy amber with a ruby tint. Two fingers of bubbly, off-white head leaves a bubbly skim and bubbly ring. Yeast funk and spice are most prominent in the aroma. Is it white pepper spice? It is definitely some kind of pepper. It has that saison-like, farmhouse funk. There are also scents of… Well, I can’t detect anything past the spice and funk. The flavor is earthy — no doubt from the beets, carrots, and squash used in the brew — funky, and spicy. The pepper spice is prominent. The veggies taste a little like they have been marinated in their own juices for a little too long; soggy carrots, mushy zucchini. The alcohol is completely masked. Are there beets? I don’t know because I am not familiar with them. The beer does have a “fresh-from-the-garden” flavor; perhaps that can be attributed to the beets; it reminds me of the earthy flavor of carrots or radishes recently pulled from the ground. There is a lot of sedimentation at the bottom of the bottle, which I roll free and pour into the glass. The vegetal flavor fades as the beer warms, thankfully. It is still noticeable but the spice is still the star of the beer. The aroma also balances out as the beer warms; a scent of caramel becomes noticeable! It reminds me of a recent Schell Snowstorm. There is a touch of toasted malt, too.
Fun facts about Rootstock:
• Style: Field ale.
• Price: I’m not sure. I got this bottle somehow…
• Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV.
• Much like Hoppelganger, Rootstock is part of a series of collaboration beers. The New Pioneer Food Co-op is partnering with Iowa breweries and Iowa food producers to create Iowa-flavored beers. Very cool.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
The color is lightly hazy amber with a ruby tint. Two fingers of bubbly, off-white head leaves a bubbly skim and bubbly ring. Yeast funk and spice are most prominent in the aroma. Is it white pepper spice? It is definitely some kind of pepper. It has that saison-like, farmhouse funk. There are also scents of… Well, I can’t detect anything past the spice and funk. The flavor is earthy — no doubt from the beets, carrots, and squash used in the brew — funky, and spicy. The pepper spice is prominent. The veggies taste a little like they have been marinated in their own juices for a little too long; soggy carrots, mushy zucchini. The alcohol is completely masked. Are there beets? I don’t know because I am not familiar with them. The beer does have a “fresh-from-the-garden” flavor; perhaps that can be attributed to the beets; it reminds me of the earthy flavor of carrots or radishes recently pulled from the ground. There is a lot of sedimentation at the bottom of the bottle, which I roll free and pour into the glass. The vegetal flavor fades as the beer warms, thankfully. It is still noticeable but the spice is still the star of the beer. The aroma also balances out as the beer warms; a scent of caramel becomes noticeable! It reminds me of a recent Schell Snowstorm. There is a touch of toasted malt, too.
Fun facts about Rootstock:
• Style: Field ale.
• Price: I’m not sure. I got this bottle somehow…
• Alcohol content: 7 percent ABV.
• Much like Hoppelganger, Rootstock is part of a series of collaboration beers. The New Pioneer Food Co-op is partnering with Iowa breweries and Iowa food producers to create Iowa-flavored beers. Very cool.
The Quiet Man’s grade: C+.
