Balloon Boy

Burnt City Brewing’s Balloon Boy Farmhouse Wheat Ale started with an initial burst of sulfur & carbonic acid upon first sniff. Below that was banana with a bit of bubblegum and vanilla. Low peppery notes and a hint of earthy funk were there too. Medium low grainy/bready malt was in support. I detected a very low spicy & floral hop aroma.

The beer poured a pale straw and was very hazy, almost opaque. It sported a thick, near white fluffy head that had excellent retention. It was obviously highly carbonated, as lots of bubbles kept streaming up and no doubt that gave rise to the initial note of carbonic acid.

Light grainy pils malt notes were on the front, underpinned by low bitterness. Medium esters, more pear-like, with a touch of citrus and banana at the very back. There were some low vegetal notes in there too, celery. Hop flavor didn’t show much but what I did note was floral. Medium low spicy pepper character was in the mix as well. Other phenols in the flavor were interesting and hard to pin down, not quite smoke or plastic, they were just interesting layers to the phenolic character and they added a bit of complexity. Low sulfur was evident, a little less in this beer would be a plus.

Medium body was tempered by high carbonation that lent a low carbonic bite. Very slight drying astringency helped to contribute to the drier finish.

Delicious farmhouse ale! I found this to be a mix of coarse and elegant flavors. It showcased the ingredients and the yeast character quite well. It tasted as though it used one of the Belgian yeast strains that I’m personally conflicted with on my palate, but here it works!