Carolina Bauernhaus - Screw Yuzu

Capping this awesome group of beers from Carolina Bauernhaus is the hefty Screw Yuzu, a strong golden rye ale made with yuzu fruit grown by friends of the brewery in upstate South Carolina and dry-hopped with Vic Secret hops. The lattermost, an expressive newer variety of Australian hops, has a lot of similarities to Galaxy, showing tropical characteristics such as pineapple and passionfruit. With the lemony intensity from the yuzu zest, the addition of Vic Secret works brilliantly alongside it, adding some pine and expanding on the tropical profile of this beer. It’s a super-smooth release from Carolina Bauernhaus, and a perfect way to end this quartet of exceptional beers from this young brewery.

Screw Yuzu pours a deep, golden-orange color in the glass with modest off-white foam. The aroma’s generous and nicely rounded from the get-go, packed with rounded honey notes and fresh lemon zest, alongside floral notes and spiciness from the rye additions. The core fruit’s citrusy and fresh, and shows off a peppery yeast character that also gives the impression of a Belgian-style golden ale: nicely dry, the fruit counterpointed by generous phenols—overall a bold combo of honey, spice, and fruit.

All of the Carolina Bauernhaus beers we’ve tried have been exceptionally well composed, ready to go from first pour, and the biggest of this current bunch is no exception. This is a dangerously drinkable 9.2%, leading with a lot of core vibrancy on the tip of the tongue: a combo of spicy rye, pepper, and fine-bubbled carbonation that keep this feeling quite dry. Richly rounded notes of honey and complex rye provide a nice foundation for the massive amounts of citrus that play out: firm lemon zest, dried pineapple, grapefruit pith, even a bit of lemon verbena. It’s like an impressive Belgian-style strong golden in terms of the overall structure, but the Galaxy and Vic Secret hops, plus yuzu zest, take this into an entirely new space without overshadowing its core focus. A brilliant, super-smooth strong golden ale.

While the higher ABV indicates this could definitely stand some extra months in the cellar, we’d encourage folks to sample it early to get the most from the dry-hopping and additions of yuzu zest. For food pairings, the honeyed notes plus peppery spice and rye have us in the mood for some grilled fennel sausages, roasted pork, or juicy lamb kebabs. Super versatile.