Wisconsin Craft Beer Review: Furthermore "Fatty Boombalatty"

Fatty Boombalatty

Jay Mollerskov and Jesse Kulp review Furthermore brewery's Fatty Boombalatty in this July edition of the Wisconsin Craft Beer Review.

Jay

On pouring, the bottle yields a brownish-orange beer. Its cloudy clarity is to be expected, since it is brewed with a moderate portion of wheat. A two-finger width, off-white head forms. It reminds me of thick, billowing clouds, and it sticks around for several minutes.

The nose is full of rich, bready malt and mild banana-like esters. There is a slightly spicy aroma from the hops, but it is subdued, overshadowed by the complex balance of malt and esters. As it warms, spicy phenolic notes, very appropriate from a Belgian yeast, become more and more present along with a nice touch of citrus.

More of the phenols jump to the forefront right away as I take my first sip. They are spicy, almost to the verge of a plastic-like character. They could be a bit more refined, but aren't offputting. Spicy European hop flavors compliment the phenolic flavors and meld with them nicely. The hop bitterness is moderate, with balance leaning toward the rich malty flavors which linger almost to the end, giving way to mild spicy hops as well as notes of banana and citrus esters.

The body of this beer is perfect! While not as thick as a rich stout or IIPA, it is nice and creamy. The silky, lucious texture really bolsters the complex flavor. There is a definite alcohol warmth, but it isn't distracting and seems to fit with the spicy character of the yeast nicely.

A mellowing of the astringent finish would be an improvement, but I find this beer very drinkable. True to American microbrewing fashion, this is definitely a bigger take, all around, on a Belgian Witbier. More hops, bigger body, and apparently higher alcohol than its Belgian counterpart all beef this beer up. With all that said, I still found it refreshing in the middle of a hot summer!

Jesse

The aroma of citrus and spice with bubblegum in the background comes off the glass after pouring. The beer is an beautiful orangey gold with a good size white head – though this dissipates fairly quickly leaving only a thin layer of small bubbles. The flavor of the beer is full of coriander, ginger and orange peel. There is a substantial bitterness that reminds me of orange pith. A slight banana ester comes through in the background. The alcohol lends a peppery heat that is pleasant at first, but quickly starts to detract from the drinkability of the beer. Medium bodied with a slight astringency in the finish, possibly from the coriander.

I am a bit disappointed – in past years this Spring/Summer seasonal has been produced with a bit more finesse. This year's offering is a touch too boozy and more heavy handed than I'd like. The idea is intriguing – a big, refreshing, citrusy Belgian wit hopped like a pale ale. Hopefully in the future Furthermore will execute it a bit more cleanly.