Fonta Flora Brewery has never met a foraged ingredient it didn't want to put in a can, and Doom Tree continues that streak with local elderflower and fresh lemon zest folded into a Kolsch-style lagerbier. The name is doing some heavy lifting here, conjuring images of something considerably more sinister than a delicate, floral, citrus-bright lager, but that's rather the point.

Kolsch-style beers already sit in a pleasant no man's land between ale and lager, crisp enough to feel refreshing, delicate enough to let other flavors speak up. Elderflower brings a soft, honeyed floral note that shows up in everything from cordials to fine wine, and pairing it with fresh lemon zest keeps the whole thing from drifting too far into perfume territory. The result reads less like a doom-laden omen and more like something you'd want on a porch in July.

Morganton, North Carolina's Fonta Flora has built its reputation on this kind of restrained, ingredient-driven brewing, favoring local, foraged, and heritage inputs over flashy adjuncts. Doom Tree fits that mold precisely: two humble ingredients, elevated by a brewery that clearly knows what to do with them.

This one surfaced on July 3rd and is draft only, so it's not sitting in a six-pack waiting for you at the store. Check with your local account representative for availability, or track it down at an event Fonta Flora has poured at recently.

Whatever's growing on that ominously named tree, it's apparently blooming into something quite lovely in a glass.