Nick Carr on January 17, 2020 0 Comments I haven’t been this intrigued by the name of a beer in a while. I mean, Blood & Honey, how can you not want to find out what this beer is all about? Granted this beer has been around for awhile. But, it’s only been this year that Revolver’s distribution has extended into my neighborhood of New Mexico. This comes after MillerCoors bought a majority interest in the brewery back in 2016. Like most craft breweries bought by the macro companies, distribution seems to be the key selling point. Putting Revolver in the MillerCoors holster (cheesy? ok, maybe a little) allows easier expansion and wider distribution for Revolver’s lineup — it’s probably the whole reason their beer ended up in my neck of the woods, giving me the opportunity to review it. How do I feel about them being owned by MillerCoors? I talk about this in several of my other reviews, so there’s no reason to go into it here. We’ll just leave it at: I see, and can empathize, with arguments for and against it. Revolver Brewing Company was founded back in 2012 by father and son Ron and Rhett Keisler and Master Brewer Grant Wood. Previously, Grant Wood spent 16 years brewing for the Boston Beer Company, designing beers like their Black Lager and the much sought after Utopias. Revolver became one of the fastest growing craft breweries in Northern Texas, and in 2017 expanded a whopping 50 percent. Along with the years of experience Grant Wood brings, one of their claims to success is their water supply. The water comes from their own well, piped up from an aquifer 440 feet below the brewery. Blood & Honey could be considered the breweries flagship ale. The name fits the beer to a T. It’s a Pale American Wheat Ale brewed with local wildflower honey and the zest of blood orange. The honey comes from the organic Fall Creek Farms, also local to the town of Granbury. A mix of undisclosed spices rounds out the character. The Tasting Below are the tasting notes I took while drinking Revolver’s Blood & Honey. If you tasted this beer, please share your thoughts with me in the comments below. Pour and Aroma In the beer glass, Blood & Honey is a hazy (it’s unfiltered), pale yellow with a slight orange tinge. Two fingers of sudsy white head ride the top, before breaking up and dropping away surprisingly quickly for a wheat. The haze isn’t quite enough to hide the lazy lines of carbonation rising off the bottom. The aroma is sweet, spicy, and floral. The first thing that finds the nose is a strong mix of spices; Allspice-like, along with a peppery gingery floral thing. The orange peel comes through on a lower level than the spice, but gives the whole a nice twang of citrus, and below that are whispers of grainy malt. Mouthfeel and Taste The wheat gives this beer an easy, slightly sweet fullness in the mouth and smooth draw across the palate, before the honey dries it out at the back. Astringency is slight and the 7.0% alcohol stays well hidden. At the front of the palate, there is some light honeyed sweetness along with orange citrus. The longer it sits on the palate the more the spices began to play; bringing a low peppery-cinnamon, allspice, ginger vibe. The hops peek through mid-palate balancing the sweetness just enough without shouting their work. The end is drying and doesn’t linger, but leaves you wanting that next sip. Very sessionable. Finishing Thoughts This is a nice American wheat with just enough added complexity to keep your palate excited about each new sip. The spices remind me (now don’t run away) a bit of pumpkin ale spices, but only slightly. It has a richness to it — wheat, honey, citrus all playing well and building that “wait, what” factor I love, but rarely find in American Wheat styles (a style that isn’t my favorite). Style: American Wheat Glass: Weizen IBUs: 20 ABV: 7.0% Malts: Two-Row, Wheat Other Ingredients: Orange Peel, Texas Honey, Spices Shelf Life: 3 to 6 months Serving Temp: 48 – 50oF Pairings: Grilled Chicken w/ citrus sauce, Grilled Shrimp Salad, Chèvre, Carrot Cake Availability: Year Round It’s this ah-ha moment of finding that wait-what factor that keeps me trying different examples of the style and this one has it. It is a great summer beer for sure and one I’d highly recommend for anyone who loves American wheats.
