The saleswoman at the brewery practically warned me that I wouldn't like this beer. She doesn't know that I'm a little odd and don't mind spending a bunch of money on a big bottle of beer that I won't like. It's more about the experience for me, and trying a rare and unique beer is my idea of a good time even if I don't end up liking it.

The dire warnings about North Coast's Twentieth Anniversary Ale were well founded. This is an odd beer that probably turns a lot of people off.

XX is a unique beer, pale and lightly hopped, brewed with agave nectar and fermented with a special yeast strain. Some of the lots were aged in oak barrels and then blended to perfection so the final is a complex, subtle new direction in brewing art.

We could smell the agave as the beer was poured. It poured a clear golden color and in addition to the agave it had a floral odor with a hint of apples and white wine. The flavor was crisp and alcoholic, almost like white wine. This white wine flavor verged on a tequila flavor with the agave influence. The high yeast and alcohol content with the agave and lack of hops didn't make for a good blend for me. It's great to see North Coast experiment though, and I hope they continue to make interesting beers for many years to come.