Funky. Wild. Tart. There was a time when beer drinkers would not want any of these adjectives associated with their beer. But times are a-changing, and “wild ales” are one of the fastest growing styles in the craft beer world. This month Cincinnati’s Urban Artifact Brewing blesses the buckeye state with its latest seasonal offering: Sliderule, a chocolate raspberry gose.
Nestled in a former church in the Northside neighborhood of Cincinnati, Urban Artifact has gained quite the reception since opening in the Spring of 2015. With a focus on all things wild, the brewery prides itself on creating some extraordinarily unique offerings from wild yeast cultures.
For those not attune to the wild ale category, cultures such as Brettanomyces (wild yeast), Pediococcus (bacteria) and Lactobacillus (bacteria) are used to bring out more character in the beer and can often result in something funky or sour. These styles of beer have grown in popularity over the last half decade, despite the fact that gose was nearly lost for good after Prohibition. Thankfully, it has since been resurrected.
Urban Artifact finally unveiled their first packaged beer series statewide this month with the release of Finn, a Berliner Pale, and the aforementioned seasonal creation, Sliderule.
What better way to whet your appetite during these chilly months than with a winter gose containing one heck of a twist—cocoa nibs, vanilla beans and raspberry. Coming in at just 4.9 percent ABV, this sessionable brew offers up aromas of both chocolate and raspberry with a touch of the sea salt characteristics found in the style. The taste is where this beer really shines. Up front is the same raspberry you find on the nose, but the chocolate balances out the typical gose tartness, making for something incredibly one-of-a-kind and something all craft beer aficionados should get their hands on.
Urban Artifact’s Sliderule is available in six-pack cans for $10.99 at select Acme and Fishers Foods locations, as well as your finer craft beer stops, such as Mustard Seed, West Point Market, Lizardville and 101 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. Sliderule, along with other Urban Artifact releases, can also be spotted on draft at your favorite neighborhood craft-friendly watering hole.
