Adroit Theory Lux
Northern Virginia’s Adroit Theory just recently started shipping bottles to a few select locations earlier this year. As luck would have it, I just happened to run across several of their products on a beer run in February. Unfortunately, I only had enough funds to pick up a bottle each of Tenebris and Lux — these bottles ain’t cheap.
This review is for Lux, a 9.3% ABV wheatwine, that has apparently been heavily hopped in preparation to be barrel aged. This particular bottle was not part of the batch that went into wood storage and, at 98 IBU, it certainly packs some solid bitterness. It’s also a beer from which I’d like to see a bit more sweetness, especially for the style. When all is said and done, however, Lux proves to be an interesting beer with potential. I’d be curious what effect the barrel aging has on this baseline brew.
Appearance
A short-lived cap of beige foam falls to a thin, patchy surface cover atop the amber brew.
Aroma
There’s plenty of wheat, as expected for the style. Grassy hops, a hint of peach jello (it’s the only description that made sense to my brain), distant spices, herbal notes and a light alcohol presence also present themselves on the nose.
Taste
Aside from the flavors, the first impression I get from this beer is its dryness — not quite chalky, but man, is it dry. As far as the flavors go, there’s a good amount of wheat, grassy/earthy hops, a large amount of bitterness and very little sweetness. It’s hard for me to admit this as I think many examples of this style are too sweet, but this one could use a bit more sugary goodness to counter that hop presence. Herbal notes linger in the warming finish.
Overall
Lux is certainly an interesting beer. With as much hop bitterness as it currently has, it’s in much need of some counter-balancing sweetness. Over time the hop bite will fade in cellared bottles, but even then it’s still going to be a dry beer. I may pick up another bottle to see if my prediction comes true. We’ll see.
Rating: 3.5/5
