Prehistoric Pirouette – a jasmine rice lager from Seattle’s Urban Family Brewing
Seattle, Washington’s Urban Family Brewing has been around for over a decade now and sits in the Ballard neighborhood. They have some amazing neighbors too, as they are within walking distance to Reuben’s, Bale Breaker, and Fair Isle Brewing…what an amazing complement of breweries to have within four blocks of each other.
I don’t see a lot of their beers by me and have only had two previous beers from UFB. But I took a chance on one of their newer releases – Prehistoric Pirouette.
Prehistoric Pirouette is a Japanese-style Lager made with jasmine rice. It features a lighter, 4.7% ABV and was canned just about a month ago on May 22nd. The 16-ounce can was priced at $6, so it’s not too expensive even if you’re out of their distro range like I am.
This Lager was amazingly clear and super light in color. It was almost as clear as water, if not for a hint of hazy yellow. There was minimal head topping the beer, as less than half of a finger of pure white foam topped off the brew.
On the nose, the brew was quite light and inviting. There are a plethora of floral notes and a surprisingly delicious hint of graham cracker sweetness. That jasmine rice really sticks out, adding that subtle sweetness and overpowering the rest of the grains. I couldn’t wait to dive into this beer.
Each sip begins with a soft, slightly creamy feeling that isn’t immediately as light or crisp as most lagers…the jasmine rice once again making the difference in the beer, by adding a bit more to the body.
The flavors take a moment to appear out of that thicker mouthfeel but, when they do, they are oh-so-good. It’s slightly sweet, with some big notes of honey and white blossoms early on. The grist adds some of the usual Lager flavors, a cereal-esque quality and some breadiness, but those stay underneath the rice’s bigger and bolder characteristics.
Some sips have a nice pop of citrus to them, with a zesty burst of lemon and a dash of dry hoppy bitterness before the flavors begin to fade away.
As the taste goes on, the beer does become lighter and much more crisp, almost like the backend is there to remind you this is indeed a Lager and meant to be very clean and crushable. And it is VERY crushable.
Prehistoric Pirouette does finish on the dryer side, as the pithy lemon coats the taste buds for a few moments before fading away. But, outside of that, it’s a very clean ending and you’re immediately ready for another sip.
I am not normally a fan of jasmine rice, especially in my Lagers, but…Urban Family might have won me over with this one. It is done really, really, really well. It’s sweet and floral up front and then turns light and citrusy on the back end. It’s a bit sticky-sweet on the finish but, man, I could drink these all day.
