Yikes! (That’s not the first word I wrote to start this, but my real response was a less genteel phrase that is generally not used to start a newspaper story.)

My tongue and the entire roof of my mouth and my lips are all on fire after taking a sip of Flying Dog’s Carolina Reaper Peach IPA.

It was highly hyped to me. Ryan at Bier Zot gave me a bottle and said he thought it was the best use of peppers in beer he’s had all year.

You know Ryan’s a great beer guy and I have incredible respect for his enthusiasm for all things beery, but on this one we part company.

Yuck! Where is the beer? This is all peppery, vegetal fire.

And where is the peach?

All I’m getting is heat. Everything that has come into contact with this beer is on fire. Lips. Tongue. That ridged material at the roof of your mouth.

It seems all I can do is cross my fingers and hope the fire does not continue on its way out of my system.

Ouch! I just took another sip and it is pure heat. What the…Where is the beer? My insides and outsides are on fire!

Who thought this was a good idea? Fear the Reaper, indeed.

Note:  It’s the next day and I seem to have survived the Carolina Reaper attack but I don’t feel any better for having done so. Sort of reminded me of people who relax on beds of nails or walk barefoot across burning coals. I can only wonder, why?

Needing to lighten things up, I went for a Songbird Saison from Tallgrass Brewing, because it claims to be “A refreshingly tart ale with citrus notes and light, dry finish.”

Sounds good. Nice floral/citrus aroma wafts out as I pour it from the pint can. Nice fizzy carbonation tickles the tongue. And just as advertised, tart, citrusy, light and dry. That’s about all you need to know.