A few months ago I had a friend text me while having drinks at Barn Hammer asking if I knew about Low Life Barrel House. I've felt like I had a good idea of new breweries and projects opening up in Manitoba through the chatter I'd get while I was writing the beer column in the Brandon Sun, but in reality - nobody told me anything. I forgot all about Low Life until two weeks ago when I was at the Kenaston Liquor Mart and saw their Blood Cut Brett Pale Ale on the shelf for $8.00 per 500mL bottle.
Well, last week, immediately after getting yet another job rejection, I was in serious pain but I had to meet up with Brian over at Barn Hammer, I didn't feel like talking to anyone or whatnot, let alone going to a brewery but since I hadn't seen him in forever, it'll be a good way to get my mind off rejection. I chatted with him for quite a while and then I noticed the Low Life Barrel House menu sign at the Barn Hammer tap room, so I had to ask.. what is Low Life Barrel House? It's essentially a Barn Hammer side project by Brian, Tyler and a few others. Their entire focus is barrel aged and funky beers. As someone who only 3.5 years ago disliked Brett/wild yeast beers, I now crave it.. it's something you just don't see in Manitoba, so it's nice to see Low Life producing a line of funky beers, yum!
The first beer I'll ever be reviewing from Low Life is Blood Cut Brett Pale Ale. Blood Cut is foeder aged, cool fermented with tropical fruits and funk. 5.2% ABV.
Appearance: This one starts out as a gusher unfortunately, but not always a surprise coming from beers with wild yeast.. they're a fickle beast. Once it stops gushing, Blood Cut pours a heavy orange body. Moderate amount of carbonation in the body, and a thick amount of off-white head on top that diminishes light but gradually to leave behind a light amount of lacing on the glass.
Aroma: A tad soapy, good deal of Brett yeast to give off a bit of a barnyard funk to it but not overpowering. It's a bit sweet with caramel and citrusy with a bit of lemon in it. Leafy hop presence and a hint of a dill-like presence at the end.
Taste: The Brett is fairly light in this beer but it's more than enough for me to enjoy it in every sip - it's funky, it's got notes of lemon, a bit of straw and woodiness. It's also decently sweet with notes of caramel, a bit of a bubble gum presence to it, and grassy/leafy hop presence at the end. The aftertaste is a bit of a bubble gum and cereal presence at the very end. Fairly dry.
Overall Thoughts: I really liked this one - the funk of the Brett wasn't over the top but it was more than present enough for a snob like me. Decent amount of sweetness, easy to drink, I can't wait to see more of their releases in the near future. Their Kiss Kiss Sour is now in cans, so hopefully I'll pick some up the next time I'm in Winnipeg.
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