Last week the good folks with the Untapped Festival released the official beer list for their combo indie music and craft beer event next Saturday in Fort Worth. There were a few surprises from local breweries on the list, like an American barley wine style ale from Deep Ellum Brewing Co. called Numb Comfort. I realize you're savvy to the Pink Floyd reference, but I'll point it out anyway since it's Monday and all.
DEBC has released a little more information on the new concoction.
"It's been aging in rye-whiskey barrels since April 20, 2012 and will be released exactly one year later on April 20, 2013, at the Untapped Festival."
As far as the physical state of being comfortably numb, the name is a reference to the 12 percent ABV and also serves as a suggestion that the beer should be "approached with caution."
Numb Comfort is from the pale ale family of beers, but specifically the "biggest and baddest" part of the tree. From the DEBC site:
"We fill the mash tun to the top with four of our favorites malts, then dose it with enough of our favorite resinous, piney and fruity hops to balance. English Ale yeast takes it from there. But, we're not done yet! We age the a portion of this flavorful ale in oak whiskey barrels to drive complexity past the horizon."
Drive the complexity past the horizon? Is that like the really weird part of that Pink Floyd movie where that dude shaves his ... ah nevermind. What does it taste like?
Chief brewer Drew Huerter says in a word the brew is "kaleidoscopic."
"It will sound pretty insane until you have a taste, or several, but bear with me," Huerter says. "The flavors are so big and fully developed that the resulting effect isn't unlike that of a flip book or shimmering star, but in your mouth."
Huerter adds that as with many beers, it changes significantly as it warms or is combined with food, but the dimensions are deeper. "When sampling with a few fine folks the other day, even the two tasters couldn't reach an agreement if it was a hop bomb or malt dominated. In fact, they are both correct. The only thing we didn't use a lot of to brew this beer was water."
Numb Comfort will be unveilded at the Untapped Festival in Fort Worth Saturday and will be available at local bars and restaurants next week. Approach with caution and don't shave anything.
