I’m a bit late posting this review of Goat Thievin’ Low Life, the cocktail-inspired sour ale I received from 10 Barrel Brewing; it came with the brewery’s Sugar High Pastry Stout, which I wrote about for the local paper, but GTLL slipped through. Time to rectify!

Both beers came out of 10 Barrel’s tinyHaus series, which is the company’s “brewery within a brewery” specialty small-batch system. With GTLL, it was inspired by a cocktail from a local Bend bar San Simón, built upon a sour ale base by brewer Bryon Pyka. I don’t know what the cocktail itself is (a “beergarita”? I’ve never been to San Simón), but the ingredients going into the beer are something:

This thirst-quenching cocktail-inspired ale was brewed in collaboration with our friends at San Simón, one of the absolute best places to hork down a cocktail and shower a Mayan deity with offerings. Inspired by their practice of spiking beer with lime juice and a certain red-orange colored apertif, we added lime juice, citrus zest, rhubarb, and gentian root to a crisp, drinkable base to create a beer like none you’ve ever had.

This is likely the first beer I’ve ever had that contains gentian root, though it’s common in bitters and other cocktail-adjacent ingredients. And I’m a fan of rhubarb though I don’t see enough of it in beer.

At any rate, Goat Thievin’ Low Life is 4.8% ABV with 30 IBUs. My notes:

Appearance: Mostly clear, bright gold color, with a fizzy white head that fell quickly.

Smell: Lime juice hits first, then there are lots of floral notes peppered with citrus zest, a bit like a brightly floral syrup. Perfumey, that lime throws a lot of these floral perfume like aromas. A touch of rhubarb pie? No “beer” notes in the usual sense (hops etc.).

Taste: Elderflower, lime zest which contributes some bitterness, a tangy note with lots of floral character—almost some cologne-like character coming out of this. There is definitely a cocktail quality to this with a prominent lime juice flavor with a crisp, lightly tart base that doesn’t reveal much about the beer itself.

Mouthfeel: Medium-light body, crisp, with light tang, a floral/limey finish.

Overall: Quite unusual, I don’t know the cocktail it’s based on but I’d say the beer seems like a success based on the notes.

If you’re interested in trying this one out, cans are still available from 10 Barrel.