Craft Beer Review #7- Omnipollo: Bianca Lemon Coconut Tart Lassi Gose
 |
| Figure 1: Omnipollo: Bianca Lemon Coconut Tart Lassi Gose in a can. |
The Brewery
Omnipollo is a Swedish gypsy brewery[1], founded in 2011 by Henok Fentie, a long-time home brewer, and Karl Grandin, a graphic designer and artist. The company was created out of a belief that craft beer wasn't "fashionable" enough, and hence the Omnipollo brand has an equal dependence on style, as well as substance.Omnipollo are well known for the "creative" beer recipes, and their use of unique adjuncts[2], however, they might also have some of the strangest names for their beers too[4]. While Omnipollo are a seriously innovative brewery, they don't just create weird or strange beers, they create wonderfully balanced beers that are easy to drink, as well as some weird and strange beers. As a testament to this, Omnipollo are credited with creating the (still unofficial) style of "Milkshake IPA" which has seen an explosion in popularity recently.
I must admit that beautiful artwork and/or funky designs on cans and bottles can easily catch my eye, and can be the deciding factor that makes me decide to buy a beer[5], and Omnipollo are the masters of this (I particularly like the running ice cream guy in Figure 2). Some of their designs could easily be on the clothes I wear, which isn't surprising as Karl Grandin also owns a clothing brand.
 |
| Figure 2: The Running Ice Cream Logo. |
To date, I've tried 19 of Omnipollo's 288 different beers. I've had mainly sours (9) and IPAs (8), and I've liked them with average scores of approximately 3.9. I've even had a grapefruit mead[6]! However, my favourite beers have been a fruit beer named "Elsa Açaí Goji Blueberry Mini Sour Smoothie®️", which I gave a 4.25/5, and a fruited Gose named "Bianca Blueberry Maple Pancake Lassi Gose", which I adored, and gave a 4.5/5.
Given that the last "Lassi Gose" I had was so good, even if it was a little too rich, I've got high hopes for this beer.
First Impressions
The can is well designed, but not quite as cool as others from these guys. However, some of the lassi Gose's have a theme which this simply adheres to: a solid background colour, and a feather. This particular incarnation of the design uses a seventies greenish-blue, with a red feather, which apparently has a cartoon skin condition. The bold colour and design are iconic for the range, but maybe not something I'd frame and put on a wall. Still, this is the sort of design you notice from across the bottle shop.
The beer pours a rather hazy amber gold, with a white foamy head that was quickly gone. It looks like any pale ale or IPA on first inspection[7]. The nose is, citrus and straw, with a tropical fruit juice note that helps to highlight a light sea salt character. I've don't really remember the smell of a real lemon tart in my life experiences, but this probably has more grapefruit and mango than you might expect, however the heavy scent lactose sugar is definitely "pie-reminiscent"[8].
The beer pours a rather hazy amber gold, with a white foamy head that was quickly gone. It looks like any pale ale or IPA on first inspection[7]. The nose is, citrus and straw, with a tropical fruit juice note that helps to highlight a light sea salt character. I've don't really remember the smell of a real lemon tart in my life experiences, but this probably has more grapefruit and mango than you might expect, however the heavy scent lactose sugar is definitely "pie-reminiscent"[8].
The Tasting
The first taste is an experience all on its own, but just because of what threatens to happen. The first thing you notice is a lemon citrus note that threatens to become jaw-clenchingly intense. However, as quickly as the lemon hits, it gives way to a mixture of a little malt biscuit, and a big helping of lactose sugar. The lactobacillus has brought with it some funky smells and flavours to confuse my sense of taste, but as I'm getting used to the brew, I taste mango and passionfruit juice, gold kiwi fruit and hints of coconut[9]. I think that this beer tastes like what I'd imagine a lemon coconut tart might taste like[10].
The piquant sourness from both the lactic fermentation and the lemon help to cut through the sweetness of the lactose sugar[11]. It's a healthy balance for the most part, although it is beginning to get a little sweet on me now. However, with that sweetness comes a creamy mouthfeel, so there's a trade-off there.
With no professional tasting notes, I checked to see what other reviewers tasted. It seems that we all agree on lemon, biscuit and milk sugar. I missed every fruit ever according to one review[12]. Not everyone mentions coconut, which is interesting, and I definitely missed the smell of "the inside of Ikea"[13].
The piquant sourness from both the lactic fermentation and the lemon help to cut through the sweetness of the lactose sugar[11]. It's a healthy balance for the most part, although it is beginning to get a little sweet on me now. However, with that sweetness comes a creamy mouthfeel, so there's a trade-off there.
With no professional tasting notes, I checked to see what other reviewers tasted. It seems that we all agree on lemon, biscuit and milk sugar. I missed every fruit ever according to one review[12]. Not everyone mentions coconut, which is interesting, and I definitely missed the smell of "the inside of Ikea"[13].
Final Thoughts
Omnipollo are a company that appears to pride itself on pushing the boundaries of what expect from a beer, and hence what you might begin to want from a beer. Ten years ago sour beers weren't a popular style in Australia, now you can't open a craft brewery without offering at least one. That's what this beer feels like here. This is not a beer you'd order too many times in a row. However, it is a beer that uses two types of sourness to try and find a balance, and in doing so brought together a myriad of flavours. The sweetness makes this sour pretty accessible, but it also renders it a little heavy. For me, it was one of those beers that I'm glad I tried, but maybe wouldn't order again in a hurry.
So who would I recommend this beer too? Well, after accidentally doing so last weekend, definitely not to someone with lactose intolerance. However, it's a fun beer to try for anyone else. It might be a bit too sweet for some beer drinkers, and given the flavour profile, it isn't as complex or long lived as you might think. Non-craft beer drinkers would enjoy trying this too, as it tastes enough like a lemon coconut tart to impress them. Finally, I definitely wouldn't recommend this to a beer drinker that loves hops though, as I couldn't taste any real bitterness, i.e. keep this out of a "real ale" pub.
Omnipollo seems to enjoy making beers that aren't what you expect, but that's often where you'll find your new favourite thing.
So who would I recommend this beer too? Well, after accidentally doing so last weekend, definitely not to someone with lactose intolerance. However, it's a fun beer to try for anyone else. It might be a bit too sweet for some beer drinkers, and given the flavour profile, it isn't as complex or long lived as you might think. Non-craft beer drinkers would enjoy trying this too, as it tastes enough like a lemon coconut tart to impress them. Finally, I definitely wouldn't recommend this to a beer drinker that loves hops though, as I couldn't taste any real bitterness, i.e. keep this out of a "real ale" pub.
Omnipollo seems to enjoy making beers that aren't what you expect, but that's often where you'll find your new favourite thing.
| Brewery | Omnipollo |
|---|---|
| Beer | Bianca Lemon Coconut Tart Lassi Gose |
| Style | International IPA |
| Alcohol | 6.0% |
| IBU | No IBU |
| Price | 7.99€ |
| Untappd Global Score | 3.79 |
| My Untappd Score | 3.90 |
Footnotes
[2] Some examples include: marshmallows, Graham crackers, pecans, maple syrup, oat milk, and probably a mid-seventies edition of Monopoly and a small picnic blanket[3].
[3] This is obviously untrue, but they do use anything.
[4] Some examples include: FATAMOSAICDDHDREAMATOMICDOBISHREDDER IIIPA, Tetragrammaton, Magic #90000 - Bilberry Smoothie I.P.A. and OMNIPOLLOSCOPE®️ #3 RAREREST GERMAN JESUS CHOCLORELEI WAFFLE NEAPOLITAN ICE CREAM CHEESECAKE SCOOOOOOOOP.
[5] It's sort of my version of flipping a coin; if I have to choose between two beers I was thinking of buying, I often go with the more attractive packaging. Call me shallow, but if a brewery puts a lot of effort into their marketing, there's a chance that eye for detail extends to their beers. This is unfortunately not always true.
[6] Which I swore to never drink again after the "speech incidents" at my friend's joint 30th birthday party.
[7] It did on the second and third inspection too. After this I stopped checking, relatively safe in the knowledge that my was not, in fact, a sort of shape-shifting beer.
[8] My first draft of the review used the phrase "pie-adjacent", which after much sole searching I realised was the best and worst thing I'd ever made up. I still removed it.
[9] It took me ages to identify the coconut, which given that it's in the name of the beer shows you how poor my memory is, how "refined" my palate isn't, and how poor my memory is.
[10] In the same way I imagine that you see actual birds flying around your head when you get concussed. But you don't. It just hurts and the bus driver never even apologises.
[11] Fun fact: lactose sugar is a really complex, long-chain molecule. Because of this, we require a special enzyme just to be able to break it down, which lactose intolerant people don't have. Similarly, yeast does not posses this special enzyme, and hence lactose sugar survives the fermentation process, making the beer heavier and sweeter! That's right. Yeast is technically lactose intolerant.
[12] Look, I know that we all taste slightly different things, but it seems that one reviewers simply tasted all the things: juicy/tart/tangy limes, coconut, citrus zest, lemon, orange, peach, pear, melon, apricot, red/green apple, white grape/wine, sea salt, hay, straw, grass, vanilla, cream, wheat, cracker, white bread dough, light peppercorn/lacto funk, and yeast earthiness. Did you also detect hints of slow roasted beef and a Pontiac Trans Am in there too?
[13] If I had to speculate, that smell would be a mixture of fake pine, plastic kitchen and my honest desire to escape and never return.
Sources
Figure 1: https://www.speciaalbierpakket.nl/Files/3/9000/9394/ProductPhotos/MaxContent/1087422764.jpgFigure 2: https://untappd.com/b/omnipollo-original-ice-cream-pale-ale/1247285
Comments
Post a Comment