Spring is approaching… The bock beers will soon be flooding the streets of Cincinnati… Urban Artifact may not be releasing a bock beer this year, but that doesn’t mean they won’t be welcoming the spring with a beer of their own.  The spinning pinwheel is a carefree symbol of warm afternoons, laughing children, bright sunshine, girls in short skirts and picnic blankets spread out in the park grass.  This is how I also describe Pinwheel.  Though, for a more useful description of the beer, you can’t go wrong by going to the source and asking the brewery…

Bursting with orange aromas accompanied by bready wheat malt flavors and a bright acidity.  A Gose that captures the essence of Spring.  From 12th century origins and importation through the London Horticultural Society, the bright and citrusy Kumquat eventually found itself on North American soil and into this beer.  This little orange fruit combined with our wild house culture creates a refreshing, vernal experience.

The kumquats (which I confess I have never actually tried until I drank them in this beer) lend an orange-like flavor that sits wonderfully with the bright crisp character of the Gose, which uses it’s slight salt and bright hit of tartness to leave a clean feeling on your palate.  The brewing team added 200 pounds of the tiny little fruit into their Gose, and what resulted is a refreshing 4.5% ABV masterpiece of crisp springtime joy.  The aftertaste, or burp as I call it, is like an awesome burst of a breakfast-y mimosa.  Orange Juice and a salt and bell peppery kind of quality with a complex undertone that keeps me wanting to drink another sip.  As it warms up a bit, you can start to really pull out a lot of the bready malt profile that sits behind it’s crisp fruitiness.  This stuff is really good, you guys.

This could be my favorite release that they’ve done so far… It’s also possible that the beer screams spring so loudly with each sip that my winter-weary self has just latched on to this with an iron grip.  I need more of this in my life, and you need to trust me that you do too.

So… If you’re wanting to get your grubby little hands on some, start looking.  It should start making it’s way city-wide next week, and will be on in the taproom as well for their Tap Tuesday event.  If you’ve got plans to make your way down to Bockfest to celebrate the approaching spring, you’ll find this one on tap there as well.