I can't understate how ready I am for fall. I told Michelle last night that, after Tuesday (so, starting September first) I won't recognize summer 2021 any longer (she's totally fine with this). Around these parts, this means that you'll be seeing Oktoberfest beers very soon.

However, summer isn't over yet, nor is my acknowledgement of it. To see it off from the blog in style, I'm doing one final low calorie beer: Fifty West's Quencher. Let's get to it.

Fifty West doesn't have an about page of any sort that I could find, but there is a blurb about them on their homepage. The brewery, based in Cincinnati, OH with a second location in Chillicothe, is situated right on US 50, which spans the country from Maryland to California. The brewery serves to offer drinkers and visitors pieces of the America served by the route--from food inspired by the states through which 50 runs to beers that evoke that great spread of the nation. Oh, and they also appeal to outdoor sportspeople with volleyball, biking, pickleball, running groups, and cornhole. I can also say from experience that their biergarten is exceptional.

Quencher is listed on Fifty West's "Beers" page as a "watermelon + lime activated ale." There's a little more information on the beer's Untappd page: The 4.1% ABV beer features a dry finish and was conditioned on watermelon puree before seeing an addition of lime. According to my can, the beer only has 100 calories in a 12-ouncer. 

Okay, before we get into my thoughts on the ale's bouquet, let me preface this bit by saying that Purrl loves how this beer smells. She gave my open can sixteen whiffs and (seemingly) didn't want me to pull it away from her when she was done. Regardless of my thoughts, that's damn high praise because she's a cat with an impeccable sniffer.

But that's not to say my thoughts aren't flattering because, frankly, they are. Quencher's nose is amazing. There's a twinge of sour backed by a whole heaping of watermelon and a rush of lime. I'm also picking up on some bright, floral notes in the bouquet. Overall, a it's homerun.

Flavorwise, this hits quick with a fading punch of watermelon sweetness. But that's only there for the briefest of moments before the lime and a wash of sour steal the show until the crisp, dry finish when the watermelon makes its presence known in the mix once more, urging you to take another swig. Each swig leaves me with a bit of salt on my tongue.

Surprisingly, Quencher has a full mouthfeel. Think of something like a creamy wheat ale--that's what you'll find here. When paired with the lime, it gives the beer something akin to a key lime pie quality.

A few years back, Michelle went down to Florida with my folks. We had a blast--soaking up the sun, swimming in the ocean, and looking for shark teeth. This was in mid-May, so it was before the heat of the summer set in, and we just enjoyed walking around town and breathing in the salty sea air. I say this because, well, in retrospect I wish I'd had a sixer of Quencher with me. Would've made the whole trip that much more perfect.

This is one of those beers that it's hard to stick with a numerical rating. Push come to shove, though (because that's kind of my whole thing around here), I'm going with a 9.5/10. It's a stellar ale, and just the one I want to see the summer out with. Good on you, Fifty West, for brewing Quencher. But there's a chill in the air right now and I have a warm meal to cook before breaking into that pumpkin ale I stashed in the fridge earlier. I know I said that summer would last me until Wednesday, but it's seeming more and more like it'll be done as soon as I get this post up.