Borderlands Agua Bendita

Brewed by Borderlands Brewing Company
Style: Barley Wine
Tucson, Arizona USA

Serve in Snifter

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The beer arrives from the tap with a hazy, full amber color and is topped by a one-finger thick, pale tan colored head. The aroma is lightly sweet, with a nice grain character, hints of dried straw, a white French-bread without yeast character like note, and even some touches of brown sugar. There is a pale hint of hay-herbal character, lots of pale wheat cracker notes and a touch of whole grain nuttiness / toasted character towards the finish.

Lightly sweet, lots of graininess, but with an herbal and hop bitterness in the finish to balance. Lingering hay and threshed grain flavors in finish, warming alcohol note, chewy cracker like malt. Hop and grain combine to give a herbal, sort of dried wildflower, sort of mellow dried weed flavor that softly influences the flavor. Body has a nice heft to it, but without being overly chewy; good for a wheat wine; palate coating, but a little too drinkable for a beer of this strength. As the beer warms up a substantial fruit character starts to come out; mix of golden raisin, perhaps some pear, melon hints, and some soft berry perhaps current notes, this last, especially in the oral nasal, after finish notes.

Clean with lots of grain /wheat influence. Quite tasty, i would have loved to have seen a more characterful yeast used here, but I certainly would not have expected that here. A really solid beer to celebrate the larger system, and first anniversary. Here’s to hoping that this young brewery continues to strive to do bigger and better things.