When I first tasted this beer, I knew it contained Buddha’s Hand, but since I’d never tasted Buddha’s Hand before I wanted to discern what kind of flavour that added to the rice lager. I was definitely getting a citrus flavour, but what kind of citrus flavour? I went through in my head. Lemon? Orange? Lime? Mandarin? Grapefruit?
As I thought of each one, my brain kept telling me: “Yeah, I think that’s it!” Stupid power of suggestion. Then I had a look at the description New England Brewing Co had sent me, and saw they described Buddha’s Hand as “a smashed together version of all citrus”. Right. Well. Perhaps my brain didn’t let me down too much after all.
It really is a refreshing mix of traditional and playful: grainy German pilsner malt character, a sizzle of multi-citrus sherbet freshness, Hallertau Mittlefruh hops holding the bitter line while Cashmere bolsters the Buddha’s Hand, and an addition of flaked rice drying everything up quite nicely.
Shout out to Buck’s Farm in Chillingham for growing a cool old citrus fruit I’d never tasted, and to the New England Regional Art Museum for providing a 150-year-old artwork by Ando Hiroshige – Masaki Inari Shrine – for the label too.
Mick Wüst
Published May 4, 2022 2022-05-04 00:00:00
