Those unfamiliar with sour ales – and how could that be possible, since they’ve been trending for years? – may find “Fire & Fermentation” a bit bracing at first.
Darts of apple cider vinegar and starfruit pelt your palate. But the fusilade slackens, revealing hints of peach, apple peel and wheat husk, some exotic fruits and a sprinkle of black pepper that sparks the finish. As all of this is going on, the ale remains vibrant, perked by an active effervescence. And there’s more: A steady foundation of minerality and a notion of drying marshmallow – not the stuff you melt in hot chocolate, but the swampland plant. The sharpness is riveting, the balance compelling.
Fire & Fermentation is based on the dry and boozy golden strong ales of Belgium, but borrows from a German brewing tradition – steinbier – as well, using hot granite slabs to bring the wort to a boil. Still, the unique character owes more to the brewpub’s mixed fermentation process – native yeasts in addition to a Belgian strain, fermenting for five long months before unleashing Fire & Fermentation on the masses.
YEAST OF EDEN, Carmel Plaza, Mission between Ocean and Seventh, Carmel. 293-8621, yoebeer.com