What Our Editors Thought
Doughy lemon-tangerine aroma like a citrus sugar cookie is backed by a pale linen note, for a push-pull of engagement and detachment. The flavor is an embrace of subtlety and understatement, quiet yet self-assured, simultaneously rounded with present malt yet lean and light as it quickly disappears from the tongue. The low acidity lets the light mineral funk shine through, and a slight honey sweetness appears toward the finish to soften the light edge they create. Considered as a whole, it's a remarkable work—delicate but deep with an interplay of acid, funk, and malt that tell a considerable story as they unfold.
What Our Panel Thought
Real-lemon-grapefruit nose, complete with flesh, pith, and peel, plus barnyard, grain, and earthy log-cabin floor. Lemon-lime flavors—lively, prickly, light, with a wonderful tart and juicy stripe enmeshed in dusty gauze. Softness of earthy bitterness allows restrained acidity to shine. Balance leans toward funk. Finishes dry, leaving a splintered memory of that acidity, so you have to go back to the well. Convincing.
What the Brewers Say
Amalgam and Primitive lovingly teamed up to create Friends With Blendefits, an expressive yet balanced blend of beers, bottle conditioned on a variety of priming sugars. Our final split of this release was conditioned with Primitive’s four-month-young spontaneous beer.
