SaltFire Huldra and Holle, Bewilder I Love Juicy 

• Mike Riedel

SaltFire - Huldra And Holle: This Imperial Stout is aged in rum barrels, and has chaga mushrooms added to the mix. A thick, dense, black pour produces a two-finger, tight, dark mocha-colored head after a wonderful cascading effect that looks stunning. The head retains really well, and slowly fades to a good full cap. A jet-black body and minimal carbonation are evident. A fuller wisp and ring remain, showing some beautiful swirl patterns after each sip, and leaves some falling dots of lace down the glass. Much like the base beer, all the adjuncts are still there, with a nice roasted malt and molasses base, along with cocoa, vanilla and a nice bit of earthy chili pepper as well. Rum from the barrels also makes an appearance, but the base holds strong here. I would have expected a little more barrel to come through, but the nose is still wonderful.

The barrels seem to have brought out a greater spice component, somehow accentuating the chili peppers. Rum barrel, lots of pepper and earthy mushrooms emerge up front; some roasted malts and molasses are still there, but the spicy notes and alcohol are more prevalent. A bold and persistent aftertaste is boozy with all the spicy notes, cinnamon, some raisins and a touch of dark chocolate as well—all good stuff. The medium body is oily, with low carbonation. It's creamy on the palate, going down fine with a slightly oily and mouth-coating finish, and a touch lighter than expected because of the low carb.

Verdict: This was really nice for sure. The barrel doesn't dominate, though it adds a nice touch of flavor and booze to the mix. Perhaps the rum barrel helped the spicy elements come to life a bit more as well, as this was definitely the spiciest of Saltfire's big, dark beers. While I absolutely loved this beer and my review shows it, unfathomably this was my least favorite of the three barrel-aged dark beers, probably due to the rum. The other barrel treatments added a touch more complexity in flavor to the beer, while this one seemed to add more booziness first and foremost. Regardless, it's tasty stuff, and it's getting me out of my bourbon-barrel comfort zone.

Bewilder - I Love Juicy: This version of Bewilder's NEIPA is hopped with Cryo-Sultana, Citra and the yet-unnamed hop HBC 586. Light gold and glowing with a pastel tone and a matte finish on the glass, the HBC 586/Sultana version floats a creamy white froth and a billowing bouquet of citrus, tropical fruit, melon and herb. A light cereal sweetness kicks off the taste with notions of honeysuckle, angel food cake and vanilla wafer.

As those hops open up, the radiant aromas turn fruit to taste with a zesty tangerine and mandarin orange character and is backed with pink grapefruit and lime. With pineapple, mango, passionfruit and papaya coming in next, the middle palate is rife with fruit cocktail flavor. Trending juicy with honeydew, the late taste comes with a balancing bitterness with hints of coconut, currant, hemp, hay and green tea. Medium bodied and trending malty-dry, the beer's juicy character is plump until the very end, where it dries with a snappy and spicy hop bite. Finishing with a green tea/fresh herb bite, the ale extends with a medium length lingering of bitter verbena and tropical fruit rind.

Verdict: Easy to drink with well-hidden alcohol and a very pleasantly creamy soft/fluffy mouthfeel, this beer proves enjoyable with nice tropical, citrus, coconut, pine hop flavors and aromas. Very effective use of HBC 586, providing a coconut presence without the suntan-lotion aspects.

Your best bet for finding these 16-ounce canned ales will of course be at their individual sources. As always, cheers!