Their latest, nuanced ale, Garden Path Fermentation releases The Gentle Hint of Smoke.

If you’ve been a little distracted, this the second week into 2021, the beer community can forgive you. What with the rising cost of pints, the pandemic, and of course the ever-changing rules for indoor/outdoor seating, one might’ve missed the news from Garden Path Fermentation. 

What’s that? You’ve never heard of Garden Path Fermentation or their latest release, The Gentle Hint of Smoke? Well, pull up a chair and read this copy-paste (hack) job, borrowed (mostly) from Garden Path’s lips.

Located in the beautiful rural Skagit Valley in Northwest Washington, Garden Path Fermentation makes hyperlocal beer, mead, cider, and wine only using ingredients sourced from our own backyard. We exclusively use Skagit-grown grain, fruit and honey, Pacific Northwest hops, and ferment all of our products in oak with 100% native Skagit yeast. Our process draws on old-world brewing and winemaking techniques from a variety of traditions, which we reinterpret and adapt to take maximum advantage of the Skagit Valley’s abundant resources and temperate climate. Visit http://gardenpathwa.com for more information or follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @gardenpathwa. 

image courtesy Garden Path Fermentation

Get the picture? Oh! The beer! Right!

A Lichtenhainer-inspired [sic] native yeast ale, brewed with maple-smoked barley and native  Garryana oak-smoked barley, The Gentle Hint of Smoke is a real trip for those looking for something different. Oh,  and it’s fermented with local blackberry honey. 

As the name implies, this beer has mildly smoky notes resting on a foundation of slightly nutty, oakiness, before finishing moderately tart and dry. Considered balanced, nuanced, and complex, The Gentle Hint of Smoke is another exhibition of Garden Path’s support of local ingredients and flavors.

Now at their taproom, in Burlington, WA, at 11653 Higgins Airport Way, you can recover a bottle, or order online for local pickup, regional delivery or in-state shipping. For more information, visit https://gardenpathwa.com/.