6.8/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
750mL bottled on 7/1/15, drunk 3/26/16, shared by AirForceHops. Thanks for all of these mediocre Midwestern beers, Chris! ;)
Pours a moderately hazy golden-sunset with a small white head that fizzles to nothing.
No lack of juniper in the nose, with the orange peel, verbena and wild yeast/bacteria taking much a backseat to it. At first it’s pretty intense (well, it’s actually pretty intense throughout) but at least the fact that it’s second-hand (the juniper had to go in to the gin and also in to the barrel) sort of helps make it a little more bearable. Honey and light cellar characteristics, with some actual saison qualities (lemon, hay, dough, pepper) and no alcohol or flaw.
Again it’s very strong and dominant with the juniper, but everything else is quite nicely done. Light floral notes from the brett complement the gin, while bits of tannin help add body and soak up some of the sharpness. Soft citrus, honey, bread dough and white pepper on the finish are all enjoyable, but of course, had the gin aging been dialed back, this would have been a slam dunk. As is, it’s interesting and drinkable, but just a bit too unbalanced. Great carbonation and texture, with tight, creamy-like qualities and a malty and lightly tannic softness on the palate. Light caramel-honey creates good balance but the beer still remains on the more dry side.
Tried
from Bottle
on 08 Apr 2016
at 15:04