As I type these words, I've just returned from the Great Divide Brewing Company, a brewery known for big, bigger and even bigger beers, like their Oak-Aged Yeti behemoth and Hibernation Winter ale. What caught my attention this visit, however, was a decidedly smaller brew called Samurai.

     Brewed from barley malt and 20% rice, Samurai is an unfiltered blonde ale with a character that is at once quite approachable and hugely enjoyable. On the nose is a lot of fruit - more than he would prefer, brewery owner Brian Dunn admitted to me - and a hint of vanilla, but surprisingly, no graininess. The brewery's "dirty little secret" - my turn of phrase, not Dunn's - is similar on the palate, with hints of spice, a little more vanilla and a light, fruity-caramelly sweetness, leading towards an off-dry finish.

     It may not appeal to the legions of Yeti fans the brewery can lay claim to, but for me, on this day and at this time, it was pretty much the ideal sipper. Now if only they could make it available beyond it's currently tight, local and draught-only distribution.

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