Jun 14, 2016

Sweetwater Brewing The Pit & The Pendulum

I just happened across this bottle of Sweetwater’s The Pit & The Pendulum back mid-April (and enjoyed it shortly after purchase) while on an after-work beer run. I don’t recall having received word of its release from the brewery, so spying it on shelves was a welcome surprise. And needless to say, it didn’t take long for me to escort one into my cart.

The Pit & The Pendulum is an Amerian wild ale that is brewed with Brettanomyces and, what I can only imagine is a metric ton of pureed peaches. I mean, just look at that brew — it almost looks like peach juice. Any way, the 8.3% ABV brew carries a lively carbonation that pushes a brief tartness, funky yeast, peaches and a moderate wild character briskly around the mouth. The fruit presence is strong, but not overly sweet or jammy thanks to the tartness, but it’s also a bit too much for my personal liking in a beer such as this. I’d prefer the peaches to accentuate the beer, not dominate it.

I am, however, extremely curious how this one would have developed over time, at least a short time in the cellar. The Brett influence certainly has me intrigued, but I’m not sure how the fruit puree would hold up over an extended period in the bottle. I supposed the only way find out would be to hunt down another bottle, but I haven’t seen it since.