5.2/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 6
Flavor 5
Texture 4
Overall 5
750ml bottle pours a clear amber with tons of fizzy white head. Nose has a lot of straw, orange peel, potpourri, dirt. Flavor has a ton of citrus peel, dried citrus peel, cardboard, earthy, dried leaves. Herbal finish. Bleh.
Tried
from Bottle
on 12 Apr 2014
at 15:31
8/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draught at the brewery, 4/10/14
Lovely pour. Raspberry-red with some lighter orange/pink hues. Light haze to it, but not cloudy. Off-white, red tinged head is moderately sized but recedes quickly.
Fresh strawberry juice and tart lactic and brett acids in the nose are softened on the end by wheat, very light vanilla-like sweetness and a touch of lemon-tinted sugar. With warming, tons of complexities emerge. The acid mixes with the hibiscus and wood to give an almost red wine-like note, while more lactic acid mixes with the strawberry to give a light strawberry yohgurt-like note. No alcohol or flaws. Like the jojo, I think the hibiscus is not much of an aroma-enhancer in beer. It’s rather dry, nutty, earthy and just strange. But it certainly gives quite the color.
The flavor is shockingly reserved on the fruit. I would never guess there was kiwi in this and even strawberry is difficult to pinpoint. Some hibiscus-like dryness/earthiness and tons of soft, well-developed lactic acid that gives plenty of tartness. Wheat leaves a soft, supple texture and the body is light and well-carbonated.
I expected a lot from this one, and it delivered. What I didn’t expect was much of a traditional Berliner Weisse. Thought it was going to be extremely full-on brett and tons of fruit flavor. Nope. Very light, perfectly attenuated and full of wheat and lactic acid. Higher in abv than a traditional berliner, but that’s one of the few characteristics that it departs from. And you certainly don’t feel the extra alcohol. Wonderful, refreshing, tart wheat beer. Just as it should be.
Lovely pour. Raspberry-red with some lighter orange/pink hues. Light haze to it, but not cloudy. Off-white, red tinged head is moderately sized but recedes quickly.
Fresh strawberry juice and tart lactic and brett acids in the nose are softened on the end by wheat, very light vanilla-like sweetness and a touch of lemon-tinted sugar. With warming, tons of complexities emerge. The acid mixes with the hibiscus and wood to give an almost red wine-like note, while more lactic acid mixes with the strawberry to give a light strawberry yohgurt-like note. No alcohol or flaws. Like the jojo, I think the hibiscus is not much of an aroma-enhancer in beer. It’s rather dry, nutty, earthy and just strange. But it certainly gives quite the color.
The flavor is shockingly reserved on the fruit. I would never guess there was kiwi in this and even strawberry is difficult to pinpoint. Some hibiscus-like dryness/earthiness and tons of soft, well-developed lactic acid that gives plenty of tartness. Wheat leaves a soft, supple texture and the body is light and well-carbonated.
I expected a lot from this one, and it delivered. What I didn’t expect was much of a traditional Berliner Weisse. Thought it was going to be extremely full-on brett and tons of fruit flavor. Nope. Very light, perfectly attenuated and full of wheat and lactic acid. Higher in abv than a traditional berliner, but that’s one of the few characteristics that it departs from. And you certainly don’t feel the extra alcohol. Wonderful, refreshing, tart wheat beer. Just as it should be.
Tried
on 12 Apr 2014
at 11:12
7.6/10
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Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
On draught around Boston and at the brewery, 2013/2014
Chestnut brown body shows a good clarity with light auburn tints to it. Light beige/tan head is well-retained, especially for a chili beer.
Light biscuity/nutty malt and rye notes in the nose, with a hint of sweetness and a bit of chili pepper-like spiciness on the end. A touch of fruitiness from the yeast esters. Very mellow and softened by the yeast, as claimed.
Spicy rye and red pepper notes up front with a soft, supple body and creamy, tight carbonation. Light vanilla and cream-like maltiness balances perfectly and the slow building but very spicy habanero burn kicks in on the finish. Assertively spicy but really nicely balanced and drinkable (assuming you can handle chili pepper heat). One of the best chili pepper beers out there. It’s great that they put a lot in to the beer aspect of it, and it shows.
It’s a shame seeing all these worthless Danish ratings of the beer. Wish they could all just be deleted.
Chestnut brown body shows a good clarity with light auburn tints to it. Light beige/tan head is well-retained, especially for a chili beer.
Light biscuity/nutty malt and rye notes in the nose, with a hint of sweetness and a bit of chili pepper-like spiciness on the end. A touch of fruitiness from the yeast esters. Very mellow and softened by the yeast, as claimed.
Spicy rye and red pepper notes up front with a soft, supple body and creamy, tight carbonation. Light vanilla and cream-like maltiness balances perfectly and the slow building but very spicy habanero burn kicks in on the finish. Assertively spicy but really nicely balanced and drinkable (assuming you can handle chili pepper heat). One of the best chili pepper beers out there. It’s great that they put a lot in to the beer aspect of it, and it shows.
It’s a shame seeing all these worthless Danish ratings of the beer. Wish they could all just be deleted.
Tried
from Can
on 12 Apr 2014
at 11:00
7.1/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 8
Texture 6
Overall 7.5
4 oz. sample at the Brewery, as well as a 750 ml bottled on 2-28-14 with ABV of 5.9% Real interesting pink color with a red hue. Lasting head retention. Aroma is extremely floral with hibiscus and dry hopped floral aromas. A boat load of flowers here.
Carbonation gives a bright effervescent mouthfeel. Flavor is all flowers and floral hops. Strong amount of malt in the backbone with some light pine notes. I drank an 11oz. snifter on draft and really like it a lot, leading to a purchase of a bottle. In a bottle it seems the hibiscus gets a bit overwhelming. Still has decent drinkability. I think some more citrus hops would help balance the flowers. If you like hibiscus this is very drinkable at the 5.9%.
Carbonation gives a bright effervescent mouthfeel. Flavor is all flowers and floral hops. Strong amount of malt in the backbone with some light pine notes. I drank an 11oz. snifter on draft and really like it a lot, leading to a purchase of a bottle. In a bottle it seems the hibiscus gets a bit overwhelming. Still has decent drinkability. I think some more citrus hops would help balance the flowers. If you like hibiscus this is very drinkable at the 5.9%.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Apr 2014
at 13:24
7.6/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
4 oz. sample at the Brewery. Deep brown black color with lasting white head. Aroma is mild chocolate and cinnamon, traces of oak. A kiss of vanilla bean.
Taste of sweetened chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, caramel, very faint hint of oak in the finish. Dry, subtle pepper just enough to cut some of the sweet malts and cinnamon. Not much heat, but there without doubt. If you’re looking for the heat, it will be hard to find under all the awesome sweet flavors. Very mild oak toward the backend. Full bodied, lower carbonation, creamy texture. Very good sweet stout, liked it a lot! I recommend to any lover of the style, well crafted. My favorite on my 1st trip to this brewery, I shall return.
Taste of sweetened chocolate, cinnamon, vanilla, caramel, very faint hint of oak in the finish. Dry, subtle pepper just enough to cut some of the sweet malts and cinnamon. Not much heat, but there without doubt. If you’re looking for the heat, it will be hard to find under all the awesome sweet flavors. Very mild oak toward the backend. Full bodied, lower carbonation, creamy texture. Very good sweet stout, liked it a lot! I recommend to any lover of the style, well crafted. My favorite on my 1st trip to this brewery, I shall return.
Tried
on 06 Apr 2014
at 12:03
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 8
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
750 ml bottle purchased at the Brewery. Bottle on 2-14-14 at 5.9%. Slowly diminishing tan head on a pitch black liquid. Aroma is quite nice, chicory root, ginger and chocolate bars. Light smoke.
Flavor starts with smooth chocolate, followed by light charcoal and then transitions into ginger and chicory that gives it a brightness that lightens up the malt flavor. Also has a light earthy note as well. The body is really much more thin then people may want in a stout. I think thicken up the body would turn this from good, to exceptional. The brewer’s creativity does show a great deal in this stout and overall is tasty.
Flavor starts with smooth chocolate, followed by light charcoal and then transitions into ginger and chicory that gives it a brightness that lightens up the malt flavor. Also has a light earthy note as well. The body is really much more thin then people may want in a stout. I think thicken up the body would turn this from good, to exceptional. The brewer’s creativity does show a great deal in this stout and overall is tasty.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Apr 2014
at 10:16
6.8/10
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Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 6
Overall 7
750 ml bottle purchased at the Brewery. Bottle on 1-14-14, Batch 25 at 6.8%. Amber/ reddish color without any head retention. Nose is vegetable in nature with herbs and grass.
Flavor is similar to a green salad. Romaine lettuce, Italian spices, with just a light kick of habanera pepper in the finish. The heat is mild and not overdone. The texture is lightly syrupy and give all the herbs and spices some balance. Kind of a bit lighter in body. It’s kind of like drinking a spicy salad. It deliver exactly what the brewers say it is and because of that it really is a nice brew if you enjoy drinking something spicy. Well made.
Flavor is similar to a green salad. Romaine lettuce, Italian spices, with just a light kick of habanera pepper in the finish. The heat is mild and not overdone. The texture is lightly syrupy and give all the herbs and spices some balance. Kind of a bit lighter in body. It’s kind of like drinking a spicy salad. It deliver exactly what the brewers say it is and because of that it really is a nice brew if you enjoy drinking something spicy. Well made.
Tried
from Bottle
on 06 Apr 2014
at 10:01
8.4/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Draught at the brewery, 4/5/14
Wow, gotta say I’ve never really had a dark saison that I’ve loved so I wasn’t going in to this with too high of expectations....
Perfectly brightened dark brown body is topped with a well-retained off-white head.
Brett adds lightly tart acids and soft barrel tannins contribute a woody dryness up front. Nothing sweet about this. Even the fruitiness is restrained, barely yielding any blackberry juiciness to start. And the best part? None of that obnoxious roasted malt. Seems like theyve used only some dark dark caramel malt or debittered black malt. I absolutely hate roastiness in a saison (or any Belgian beer). Anyways, tart acids, soft esters and very classy, easygoing adjuncts. I daresay I’d even be able to pick out that this was grape and blackberry. Certainly no flaws or alcohol.
The flavor just blows it out of the water. At first, I was put off by a fair amount of bourbon flavor and was preparing myself for too much barrel character. But that was the last I tasted of that. Quickly, fruity esters (pear, pineapple, apple) emerge with more soft woody character. Perfect mouthfeel, to a t. Tight carbonation, engaging and producing a lightly creamy, supple texture. Blackberries are fully attenuated, adding only a lightly acidic, slightly astringent note that balances the little, but not underattenuated maltiness remaining. Grape must dosent really play in to the equation, but for adding another layer of complexity, just lightly perceivable. Brett acids build up lightly on the finish and a tartness clears the palate and prepares for each ensuing sip. Drank two glasses and coulda stayed and drank many more.
I’m so impressed how restrained they did the blackberry, grape must and barrel character. This is a statement from these guys. World class stuff and I’m so happy to have these guys near me.
Rerate, draught on 4/10/14
Hmmm, well this is kind of odd/embarassing...I don’t know if my tastes were off or what last time, can’t imagine the beer has changed in 4 days. Whatever the case, this time the big barrel flavor up front never really fades, giving too much whiskey-like heat. The alcohol is pervasive in the flavor and aroma and there’s too much raw glue-like notes from start to finish. I let it warm up a lot hoping it would burn off but no dice. Couldnt find as much brett, not enough to really balance all of this whiskey, wood dryness and alcohol, anyways. Hmmm...I’ve got two bottles, so I’ll see what those are like, I guess. Rating is for recent sample. Previous rating 8/5/8/4/18
And of course, the bottle proves to be incredible. No alcohol in the nose, just a touch of heat on the finish, but barely so. Really nice amount of brett tartness and fruitiness, with appropriate barrel character, a wonderful body and ample but not overdone maltiness. What the hell. Perhaps the bacteria are producing fusels in the draught line, that’s all I can guess. Back to the previous rating...
Wow, gotta say I’ve never really had a dark saison that I’ve loved so I wasn’t going in to this with too high of expectations....
Perfectly brightened dark brown body is topped with a well-retained off-white head.
Brett adds lightly tart acids and soft barrel tannins contribute a woody dryness up front. Nothing sweet about this. Even the fruitiness is restrained, barely yielding any blackberry juiciness to start. And the best part? None of that obnoxious roasted malt. Seems like theyve used only some dark dark caramel malt or debittered black malt. I absolutely hate roastiness in a saison (or any Belgian beer). Anyways, tart acids, soft esters and very classy, easygoing adjuncts. I daresay I’d even be able to pick out that this was grape and blackberry. Certainly no flaws or alcohol.
The flavor just blows it out of the water. At first, I was put off by a fair amount of bourbon flavor and was preparing myself for too much barrel character. But that was the last I tasted of that. Quickly, fruity esters (pear, pineapple, apple) emerge with more soft woody character. Perfect mouthfeel, to a t. Tight carbonation, engaging and producing a lightly creamy, supple texture. Blackberries are fully attenuated, adding only a lightly acidic, slightly astringent note that balances the little, but not underattenuated maltiness remaining. Grape must dosent really play in to the equation, but for adding another layer of complexity, just lightly perceivable. Brett acids build up lightly on the finish and a tartness clears the palate and prepares for each ensuing sip. Drank two glasses and coulda stayed and drank many more.
I’m so impressed how restrained they did the blackberry, grape must and barrel character. This is a statement from these guys. World class stuff and I’m so happy to have these guys near me.
Rerate, draught on 4/10/14
Hmmm, well this is kind of odd/embarassing...I don’t know if my tastes were off or what last time, can’t imagine the beer has changed in 4 days. Whatever the case, this time the big barrel flavor up front never really fades, giving too much whiskey-like heat. The alcohol is pervasive in the flavor and aroma and there’s too much raw glue-like notes from start to finish. I let it warm up a lot hoping it would burn off but no dice. Couldnt find as much brett, not enough to really balance all of this whiskey, wood dryness and alcohol, anyways. Hmmm...I’ve got two bottles, so I’ll see what those are like, I guess. Rating is for recent sample. Previous rating 8/5/8/4/18
And of course, the bottle proves to be incredible. No alcohol in the nose, just a touch of heat on the finish, but barely so. Really nice amount of brett tartness and fruitiness, with appropriate barrel character, a wonderful body and ample but not overdone maltiness. What the hell. Perhaps the bacteria are producing fusels in the draught line, that’s all I can guess. Back to the previous rating...
Tried
from Can
on 05 Apr 2014
at 16:24
7/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7
Draught at the brewery on 3/29/14
Deep, ebony-mahogany body seems pretty near opaque. Light beige head is small and shows low retention.
A quick shot of sweet vanilla, cream and coffee is quickly supplanted by cinnamon and nutmeg. The spices don’t drown out the rest of the beer, but they are certainly quite prominent at this point. Lactose and light roasted notes are still apparent and quite pleasant, while soft minerals and very little barrel character come through. Just a touch of light wood tannin and oak dryness. No flaws or alcohol, though, just lots of spices.
Low carbonation and a very slick, soft texture wash chocolate and vanilla over the palate. Sweet raisins, lactose and chocolate build up, but are tempered by the spiced dryness, to some extent. Barrel character is faint, and even the roasted character could stand to be kicked up a notch. No sign of the poblanos. Overall, a fine sweet stout. Probably too sweet for me, but certainly reasonable as a dessert beer. Would love to see a little more sourness/tartness, more prunes and such, and even a touch more woodiness. And less nutmeg/cinnamon, for sure.
Rerate on draught, 4/10/14
It’s funny, something about this beer is rather endearing. My friend didn’t love it initially, but then commented how he drank both his bottles, and wanted more. Then I started wanting more and sure enough, when I had this, it was much more satisfying than I remembered. Sweet, for sure, but not cloying. As it warms, the carbonation really helps allay some of the sweetness and the spices seem to being mellowing/melding a bit. Better than I first gave it credit for and certainly a great dessert beer.
Deep, ebony-mahogany body seems pretty near opaque. Light beige head is small and shows low retention.
A quick shot of sweet vanilla, cream and coffee is quickly supplanted by cinnamon and nutmeg. The spices don’t drown out the rest of the beer, but they are certainly quite prominent at this point. Lactose and light roasted notes are still apparent and quite pleasant, while soft minerals and very little barrel character come through. Just a touch of light wood tannin and oak dryness. No flaws or alcohol, though, just lots of spices.
Low carbonation and a very slick, soft texture wash chocolate and vanilla over the palate. Sweet raisins, lactose and chocolate build up, but are tempered by the spiced dryness, to some extent. Barrel character is faint, and even the roasted character could stand to be kicked up a notch. No sign of the poblanos. Overall, a fine sweet stout. Probably too sweet for me, but certainly reasonable as a dessert beer. Would love to see a little more sourness/tartness, more prunes and such, and even a touch more woodiness. And less nutmeg/cinnamon, for sure.
Rerate on draught, 4/10/14
It’s funny, something about this beer is rather endearing. My friend didn’t love it initially, but then commented how he drank both his bottles, and wanted more. Then I started wanting more and sure enough, when I had this, it was much more satisfying than I remembered. Sweet, for sure, but not cloying. As it warms, the carbonation really helps allay some of the sweetness and the spices seem to being mellowing/melding a bit. Better than I first gave it credit for and certainly a great dessert beer.
Tried
from Bottle
on 05 Apr 2014
at 13:20
6/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 6
Flavor 6
Texture 6
Overall 5
Batch #2, draught at the brewery, 3/29/14
This one is bright, though that seems to make little difference to the overall effect of the beer. Deep orange-amber body is topped by a small but moderately well-retained white head.
Lemons, oranges, grapefruit rind, lime; pretty much every type of citrus, and some almost meyer lemon-like zestiness. Sweetness from the malt mixes with it to give a caramel/candied orange aroma and there’s actually quite a bit of sweat and a strange peanut skin-like note. Spicy, phenolic pepper notes and not actually as much acid, not nearly as much actually, as the previous entries in the series. No alcohol in the nose.
Very round, soft mouthfeel, with lightly loose carbonation and soft, caramel and lightly toasted malts. Orange flavors abound, with moderate acidity, a firm but approachable bitterness and just too much of whatever off-flavor is going on here. Not cat urine, thankfully, but a strange, sweaty, almost salty/paprika-like note. Too bad, as this one was far less aggressive and in pretty good condition, sediment-wise.
This one is bright, though that seems to make little difference to the overall effect of the beer. Deep orange-amber body is topped by a small but moderately well-retained white head.
Lemons, oranges, grapefruit rind, lime; pretty much every type of citrus, and some almost meyer lemon-like zestiness. Sweetness from the malt mixes with it to give a caramel/candied orange aroma and there’s actually quite a bit of sweat and a strange peanut skin-like note. Spicy, phenolic pepper notes and not actually as much acid, not nearly as much actually, as the previous entries in the series. No alcohol in the nose.
Very round, soft mouthfeel, with lightly loose carbonation and soft, caramel and lightly toasted malts. Orange flavors abound, with moderate acidity, a firm but approachable bitterness and just too much of whatever off-flavor is going on here. Not cat urine, thankfully, but a strange, sweaty, almost salty/paprika-like note. Too bad, as this one was far less aggressive and in pretty good condition, sediment-wise.
Tried
from Can
on 05 Apr 2014
at 13:08