Blend #2 bottle at SPC, 10/29/15.
Well, it sucks that you can only get a 750mL of this to drink on premise, but I didn’t come all the way here to not try this beer, so looks like I’ve got a whole bottle to myself. Oh woe is me....
Careful pour shows a bright apricot colored liquid that is sparklingly carbonated creating an off-white head that is well-retained. Good clarity to the liquid, leaving the sediment behind.
Damn, that is a fine, fine aroma that would turn a smile on the face of the best fruit lambic producers....It’s both funky, with nicely understated sulphur notes painting a very barnyard-esque picture, and polished, with reserved but ample oak character, homogenous acids and clear, bright, wonderfully authentic apricot notes. I’d be hard pressed to believe that this would score less than Fou Foune in a blind test, at least based on the aroma. No alcohol or flaw in the nose. Magnificent.
Oak and apricot at once square off in the flavor but before either can emerge dominant, a strong malt presence, both supple and sweet, arrives. Very rich honey notes balance poignant acids both from fruit and bacteria. Plentiful apricot flavor is garnered from start to finish and light oak dryness, coupled with soft funk and more gentle lactic acids sit on the end.
Tight carbonation and a supple maltiness make for a wonderfully soft, lightly spritzy mouthfeel right up there with the best lambics. The only thing I found at fault here was just a bit too much strength. It’s reflected in the above average sweetness and overall rich maltiness. It certainly never gets messy or boozy, but at the same time, the 8% is definitely felt. Even shaving off 1% abv here would work wonders, I think, but as is, this is still one hell of a beer.

Blend #2 bottle at SPC, 10/29/15.
Well, it sucks that you can only get a 750mL of this to drink on premise, but I didn’t come all the way here to not try this beer, so looks like I’ve got a whole bottle to myself. Oh woe is me....
Careful pour shows a bright apricot colored liquid that is sparklingly carbonated creating an off-white head that is well-retained. Good clarity to the liquid, leaving the sediment behind.
Damn, that is a fine, fine aroma that would turn a smile on the face of the best fruit lambic producers....It’s both funky, with nicely understated sulphur notes painting a very barnyard-esque picture, and polished, with reserved but ample oak character, homogenous acids and clear, bright, wonderfully authentic apricot notes. I’d be hard pressed to believe that this would score less than Fou Foune in a blind test, at least based on the aroma. No alcohol or flaw in the nose. Magnificent.
Oak and apricot at once square off in the flavor but before either can emerge dominant, a strong malt presence, both supple and sweet, arrives. Very rich honey notes balance poignant acids both from fruit and bacteria. Plentiful apricot flavor is garnered from start to finish and light oak dryness, coupled with soft funk and more gentle lactic acids sit on the end.
Tight carbonation and a supple maltiness make for a wonderfully soft, lightly spritzy mouthfeel right up there with the best lambics. The only thing I found at fault here was just a bit too much strength. It’s reflected in the above average sweetness and overall rich maltiness. It certainly never gets messy or boozy, but at the same time, the 8% is definitely felt. Even shaving off 1% abv here would work wonders, I think, but as is, this is still one hell of a beer.

750mL bottle, blend #6, drunk 9/21/23. Pours an unfiltered, deep maize-copper-golden. Massively carbonated, producing a staunch, frothy, off-white head. I can smell this stuff, through this initial 6 inch head almost across the room. Thankfully, it's much more Brett-driven, with stone fruit and mellower lactic acidity, than some of their other stuff (like CdC) and I don't get much, if any, acetic character. Very fruity, aromatic, clean and well-structured with heavy mineral, moderate wood/oak and lightly fruity, gentle wine character from barrel. Woody, fruity, with gentle white wine suggestions and massive amounts of mineral. Soft, deep malts with good attenuation, provide plentiful honey-like character. Healthy mix of stone fruit-like Brett character, with tropical hints, and juicy, tart lactic acidity that isn't too punchy. Acetic acid is not present, or low enough to not take part in the flavor. No heavy barrel tannin. This is bright, malty, refreshing and complex with a lovely mineral and fruit character and not overdone on the wine aspect. The bigger body, bolder acidity and higher abv move it away from a more traditional saison, but it's still charming and interesting in its own right. So strange how different and variable SP's saisons are.