8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Draught at the brewery, 1/5/19.
Hazy, not heavily so at all. Their beers are on the lower side of that. Off-white head sits at cover. A drab brass, light copper-golden, a bit darker than usual for the style.
Nose is lightly vegetal in a good way with hints of pine, spruce, unripe tangerine and light grapefruit. But there's a juiciness not often found with this hop. Can only think of a few brewers that treat it right, with Trillium Moon Island coming immediately to mind. No excess acid and no resin with cracker, biscuit and light bubble gum behind it all and seemingly high attenuation with no alcohol.
In the mouth it's soft, malty and well-attenuated with juicy, sprucey, vegetal notes and tons of lime, tangerine and grapefruit. Very, very nice for the hop and where Moon Island balances more with rich, honey-like malts, this remains very dry with only biscuit and cracker to gently balance. Yet it's so low on bitterness and acidity, and no resin, that it still remains drinkable and balanced. No alcohol or flaw. Tight carbonation and hugely impressive.
Hazy, not heavily so at all. Their beers are on the lower side of that. Off-white head sits at cover. A drab brass, light copper-golden, a bit darker than usual for the style.
Nose is lightly vegetal in a good way with hints of pine, spruce, unripe tangerine and light grapefruit. But there's a juiciness not often found with this hop. Can only think of a few brewers that treat it right, with Trillium Moon Island coming immediately to mind. No excess acid and no resin with cracker, biscuit and light bubble gum behind it all and seemingly high attenuation with no alcohol.
In the mouth it's soft, malty and well-attenuated with juicy, sprucey, vegetal notes and tons of lime, tangerine and grapefruit. Very, very nice for the hop and where Moon Island balances more with rich, honey-like malts, this remains very dry with only biscuit and cracker to gently balance. Yet it's so low on bitterness and acidity, and no resin, that it still remains drinkable and balanced. No alcohol or flaw. Tight carbonation and hugely impressive.
Tried
from Can
on 08 Jan 2019
at 14:41
6.9/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 6
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Draught at the brewery, 1/5/19.
Bright, copper-orange with pretty good clarity and a small, off-white head that fades steadily to cover.
There's some very nice Brett in the nose showing lime, hickory, various mineral and apple-pear. Pretty much all of the good stuff. It's joined by a whole lot of oak, however, perhaps a bit too much, though it just seems rich and aromatic in the nose and doesn't seem to be a problem until.....
You take your first sip and it's a mouth full of oak. It's good and it's not like it's intensely toasty nor is there any pina colada character (or very minimal, at most), but it's just too much. You can still get a bit of Brett and some lightly sweet, honey-bread-like malt notes break through, but it was pretty tiresome after just a few sips. Soft, tannic, malty texture with good attenuation and low but engaging carbonation. No alcohol or flaw. If they had just taken this out a little earlier it would have been a near masterpiece.
Bright, copper-orange with pretty good clarity and a small, off-white head that fades steadily to cover.
There's some very nice Brett in the nose showing lime, hickory, various mineral and apple-pear. Pretty much all of the good stuff. It's joined by a whole lot of oak, however, perhaps a bit too much, though it just seems rich and aromatic in the nose and doesn't seem to be a problem until.....
You take your first sip and it's a mouth full of oak. It's good and it's not like it's intensely toasty nor is there any pina colada character (or very minimal, at most), but it's just too much. You can still get a bit of Brett and some lightly sweet, honey-bread-like malt notes break through, but it was pretty tiresome after just a few sips. Soft, tannic, malty texture with good attenuation and low but engaging carbonation. No alcohol or flaw. If they had just taken this out a little earlier it would have been a near masterpiece.
Tried
from Can
on 07 Jan 2019
at 22:54
8.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Draught at the brewery, 12/16/17.
Low haze on this goldenrod-blonde beer with ample carbonation creating a moderately-well retained, white head.
Nose shows obvious Dupont yeast throwing out black pepper and plentiful apple-pear. No clove and a good dose of honey-like malt, though it's not as hoppy as fresh Dupont (still shows good herbal, fresh grass-like character). No flaw, alcohol, or unwanted/messy, Americanized esters/phenols.
In the mouth it's soft, with zesty carbonation and tons of dry pear, black pepper and lemon-herbal hops. Malts are well-attenuated yet show depth, providing a supple texture with a clean, peppery, bright finish that has notes of honey and pear, as well. No alcohol or flaw. One of the better Dupont clones I've had in a long while.
Low haze on this goldenrod-blonde beer with ample carbonation creating a moderately-well retained, white head.
Nose shows obvious Dupont yeast throwing out black pepper and plentiful apple-pear. No clove and a good dose of honey-like malt, though it's not as hoppy as fresh Dupont (still shows good herbal, fresh grass-like character). No flaw, alcohol, or unwanted/messy, Americanized esters/phenols.
In the mouth it's soft, with zesty carbonation and tons of dry pear, black pepper and lemon-herbal hops. Malts are well-attenuated yet show depth, providing a supple texture with a clean, peppery, bright finish that has notes of honey and pear, as well. No alcohol or flaw. One of the better Dupont clones I've had in a long while.
Tried
from Can
on 19 Apr 2018
at 17:38
7.1/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 6.5
Draught at the brewery, 12/16/17.
Maize-bronze-canteloupe, moderately hazy, with a small, white head atop.
Brett comes off a bit perfumey, slightly overworked with lots of lilac and very dry lime zest character. Seems like a lot of Brett primary? Not getting the palo wood in the nose, particularly, yet nor is the lemon peel strong, thankfully. Some big honey, bordering caramel and biscuit character sits behind it. No alcohol or flaw.
In the mouth it's definitely on the malty side with tons of "thick", seemingly dextrinous character and lots of spice and lilac. Wood really isn't a factor here. Moderate attenuation, engaging carbonation and at the time I thought this was supposed to be a saison (which it certainly doesnt work as). Pretty bizarre, but ultimately competent beer.
Maize-bronze-canteloupe, moderately hazy, with a small, white head atop.
Brett comes off a bit perfumey, slightly overworked with lots of lilac and very dry lime zest character. Seems like a lot of Brett primary? Not getting the palo wood in the nose, particularly, yet nor is the lemon peel strong, thankfully. Some big honey, bordering caramel and biscuit character sits behind it. No alcohol or flaw.
In the mouth it's definitely on the malty side with tons of "thick", seemingly dextrinous character and lots of spice and lilac. Wood really isn't a factor here. Moderate attenuation, engaging carbonation and at the time I thought this was supposed to be a saison (which it certainly doesnt work as). Pretty bizarre, but ultimately competent beer.
Tried
from Can
on 18 Apr 2018
at 20:31
7.4/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 7
Flavor 7
Texture 8
Overall 7.5
Draught at the brewery, 12/16/17.
Clear peach-apricot golden, small white head shows moderate-to-strong retention.
Lots of fruit in the nose, but thankfully it doesn't take a heavy, or intense banana character. More like a mix of ripe nectarine, vanilla and very light banana skin. Tons of spicy hop character and perhaps phenol, as well. Good balance overall with soft, balancing honey behind everything. The fruitiness is interesting and not classic of a saison, yet nor does it seem Americanized/crude nor is there much clove, nor citrus. No alcohol or flaw.
In the mouth it's light but with a good sweetness from the honey-rich malts and the tropical/yellow fruit character gives it a round, gentle character that outdoes any potential heavy hop bitterness or unwanted strong phenol character. Carbonation is engaging, texture is soft and the beer is well-attenuated with no flaw or alcohol.
Clear peach-apricot golden, small white head shows moderate-to-strong retention.
Lots of fruit in the nose, but thankfully it doesn't take a heavy, or intense banana character. More like a mix of ripe nectarine, vanilla and very light banana skin. Tons of spicy hop character and perhaps phenol, as well. Good balance overall with soft, balancing honey behind everything. The fruitiness is interesting and not classic of a saison, yet nor does it seem Americanized/crude nor is there much clove, nor citrus. No alcohol or flaw.
In the mouth it's light but with a good sweetness from the honey-rich malts and the tropical/yellow fruit character gives it a round, gentle character that outdoes any potential heavy hop bitterness or unwanted strong phenol character. Carbonation is engaging, texture is soft and the beer is well-attenuated with no flaw or alcohol.
Tried
from Can
on 18 Apr 2018
at 15:31
8.9/10
—
Appearance 10
Aroma 9
Flavor 9
Texture 8
Overall 8.5
Draught at the brewery, 12/16/17.
Thoroughly hazy/soupy maize-bronze-golden with a small, well-retained, white head.
Nose is full-on passion fruit, mineral, light white wine and mild spicy character. Soft honey-biscuit malt below it balances gently and there is absolutely no resin or even any pine/grapefruit to be found. Alcohol is well-concealed, the beer is nicely attenuated and the yeast does not impart any big ester or dough notes.
In the mouth it's soft, mild yet nicely flavorful and full of my favorite hop notes of passion fruit, guava, white wine and strong mineral with a spicy, very mildly bitter character to balance the soft, supple malts. No alcohol, flaw, resin or unwanted yeast characteristics. Tight carbonation through and through. Bright and lovely. Yep, Buttonwoods is the real deal.
Thoroughly hazy/soupy maize-bronze-golden with a small, well-retained, white head.
Nose is full-on passion fruit, mineral, light white wine and mild spicy character. Soft honey-biscuit malt below it balances gently and there is absolutely no resin or even any pine/grapefruit to be found. Alcohol is well-concealed, the beer is nicely attenuated and the yeast does not impart any big ester or dough notes.
In the mouth it's soft, mild yet nicely flavorful and full of my favorite hop notes of passion fruit, guava, white wine and strong mineral with a spicy, very mildly bitter character to balance the soft, supple malts. No alcohol, flaw, resin or unwanted yeast characteristics. Tight carbonation through and through. Bright and lovely. Yep, Buttonwoods is the real deal.
Tried
on 17 Apr 2018
at 22:38
3.4/10
—
Appearance 6
Aroma 4
Flavor 2
Texture 4
Overall 2.5
Draught at the brewery, 12/16/17.
Light pink, slightly hazy with a small, off-white head that dissipates quickly.
Strong acetic acid mixes with lighter fruit notes that add moderate acidity and show good integration and authentic character. The acidity from the beer portion smells very strong, sharp and somewhat off-putting.
In the mouth, the reason is discovered quickly. The beer shows a bad infection, with chemical notes, harsh acidity and an unsettling, off-putting, dirty finish. Not sure why brewers choose to do this. It's incredibly obvious that you have beer that should not be consumed, and yet then you try to adulterate it. Makes it all the more worse to me, but I assume their thought process is that most people won't care or notice. Too bad.
Light pink, slightly hazy with a small, off-white head that dissipates quickly.
Strong acetic acid mixes with lighter fruit notes that add moderate acidity and show good integration and authentic character. The acidity from the beer portion smells very strong, sharp and somewhat off-putting.
In the mouth, the reason is discovered quickly. The beer shows a bad infection, with chemical notes, harsh acidity and an unsettling, off-putting, dirty finish. Not sure why brewers choose to do this. It's incredibly obvious that you have beer that should not be consumed, and yet then you try to adulterate it. Makes it all the more worse to me, but I assume their thought process is that most people won't care or notice. Too bad.
Tried
on 17 Apr 2018
at 20:18
8/10
—
Appearance 8
Aroma 8
Flavor 8
Texture 8
Overall 8
Draught at the brewery, 12/16/17.
Good and cloudy, maize-golden with a firm, small, white head. Nice NE IPA appearance.
Juicy nose shows tons of pineapple-mango-lime, with low pine resin and no doughy or overly bubble gummy yeast. Malts seem well-attenuated adding just a bit of biscuit and honey. I'm not particularly fond of any of the hops here, but nonetheless it's done very well and you'd almost not guess it was two PNW hops and the bizarre Ekuanot. No alcohol or flaw.
In the mouth it's well-attenuated, dry and malty. Juicy with just a bit of aggressive bitterness at points, but mostly soaked up by the supple mouthfeel. Fruity and with light honey-like character, there's no strong house character that I can discern, nor any heavy ester. Quite a start for these guys to come out with such well-executed NE IPAs right off the bat. Great carbonation and growing juiciness as it warms.
Good and cloudy, maize-golden with a firm, small, white head. Nice NE IPA appearance.
Juicy nose shows tons of pineapple-mango-lime, with low pine resin and no doughy or overly bubble gummy yeast. Malts seem well-attenuated adding just a bit of biscuit and honey. I'm not particularly fond of any of the hops here, but nonetheless it's done very well and you'd almost not guess it was two PNW hops and the bizarre Ekuanot. No alcohol or flaw.
In the mouth it's well-attenuated, dry and malty. Juicy with just a bit of aggressive bitterness at points, but mostly soaked up by the supple mouthfeel. Fruity and with light honey-like character, there's no strong house character that I can discern, nor any heavy ester. Quite a start for these guys to come out with such well-executed NE IPAs right off the bat. Great carbonation and growing juiciness as it warms.
Tried
from Can
on 17 Apr 2018
at 15:01