Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8.5
Brewery draught, 1/9/26, as pictured.
Musty basement with old oak and bright, lemony acidity. Good mix of Sacch, Brett, lacto, with lightly biscuity, rustic grains in support. Gets maltier and oakier with warming, in a good way. Nice and rich and aromatic but no strong tannin; just light oak aromatics with an almost berry aspect, as well.
Very fruity with melon, blueberry and lemon. Kind of crazy how similar this is to the Fox Farm Quartolet I had yesterday despite that being a blend of spontaneous ales. Guess the cultures are still quite similar regardless. There's a lush oak character mixing with honey and bread from the malt, on the finish, and very tame, but ample acidity. Satisfying, balanced and flavorful with just a touch of pleasant, Sherry/vanilla-like oxidation.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 9 | Overall - 8
Brewery draught, 1/2/26, as pictured.
Nice and rustic with random grains and a bit of bright, lemony acidity. Hints of oak with a touch of bread. If there's Brett here it's very slight. Mostly Sacch.
Soft, with more oak than in the nose, but still very tasteful. Juicy lemon and newly emerging Brett acidity with gentle Sacch yeast showing nothing crude. Excellent, robust, deep texture drinks like it could support an 8 or 9% abv, but is satisfying and not overbearing at this abv either. The fresh, bright, lemony acidity on the end really refreshes and keeps the beer bright and drinkable. Great stuff, been a bit since they've released a saison of this caliber.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
750mL bottle from the brewery, drunk 12/28/25, as pictured.
I get an almost blueberry character, less so than pineapple. But it's distinctly fruity, though far from sweet. Mild Brett, mild Belgian esters (or is that just the pineapple fruitiness?). Rich, honey-like malts easily balance the zesty acidity.
More big fruit in the flavor and I swear it's more blueberry than pineapple. Lots of Brett and a juicy, sweet, floral character. I suppose the rum is adding this spicy, zesty acidity and making it seem like blueberry. It's very, very similar to a few of the other beers I've had of theirs recently (though this says Rum Whiskey, not Rum). Love the maltiness here, though. It's rich and rewarding, yet not too sweet/thick. Lingering rum/floral blueberry spice/acidity. Interesting stuff, very drinkable and robust.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 6 | Overall - 7.5
750mL bottle at the brewery, 12/28/25, as pictured.
Fruity yeast with light dark malt influences of cocoa and fig. Adjuncts are tasteful and don't jump at you. Some cacao and light spice that could be cinnamon but it's folded in to the malt nicely. Not sure what oat whiskey smells like, but given the second use of the barrels, it also doesn't jump out at you. Just a general roundness of fruitiness tempered by roast and and spice.
Lighter-bodied with very fruity yeast and lots of cocoa, dark chocolate and cacao. Traces of cinnamon and everything is rather dry. Some fruity acidity on the finish, mixing with light roast. Don't really get any whiskey. Would definitely like a bit more body/texture, even if it's not quite thin, just very light. But it is only 6.7% and I'm glad it's nice and dry.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
750mL bottle from the brewery, drunk 12/22/25, as pictured. The very first Dead Sparrow Society produced. Nice that they still had this available at the brewery two years later.
Bit of a zesty, cranberry-like rose hip with some earthiness and light orange. Lots of solid Sacch. character with plaster, black pepper and light mustiness. Mild Brett finish with mild lactic acidity. Rustic grains with seemingly high attenuation.
Zesty acidity with an almost vanilla-like character mixing with slight oakiness. Lighter, but still chewy body thanks to the varied grains. Mostly Sacch at this point with mild Brett on the edges and even milder lactic character. Tons of interesting grain, with a very mild, even, round wood character. Good balance and great flavor for its size. Tastes more blueberry than rosehip and orange.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
375mL Dead Sparrow Society bottle, drunk at the brewery, as pictured, 12/21/25.
Wow, caramelized pineapple is pretty crazy. It's there, mixing with Brett and rich, honey-like malt. Not dominant but certainly fairly prominent. Juicy, rich, inviting.
Oh hot damn! That rum barrel counteracts the sweetness perfectly. Spicy, floral, warming and drying with excellent malt structure and good barrel depth and roundness. Pineapple is only a soft, fruity expression in the flavor. Lingering rum warmth. Yet another wildly unique beer from AT. Wouldn't hate a touch stronger Brett and/or Sacch expression, but the rum strength is tough to not love here.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 7.5
375mL Dead Sparrow Society bottle at the brewery, as pictured, 12/21/25.
Blueberry is moderate, with a floral intensity and mild red wine. Not getting much, if any Brett. Bit of saison yeast on the end adding some spice/acidity. Vanilla also very low, adding a softness and perhaps creaminess. Very clean. Low malt character. Oats/wheat may be dulling things.
Completely different flavor. Wow that is wacky. Does it taste a bit like a blueberry muffin? Soft, creamy vanilla, wheat and oat with floral, mildly fruity blueberry but no sugar and oddly low acidity. Attenuation is good and there's a hint of Brett and more Sacch emerging on the finish as it warms. Certainly very interesting, and with patience the beer gets better and better. Still just a bit less saison/Brett/barrel character than it needs, I think.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 7.5 | Flavor - 7.5 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
Bottle pour at the DCBeer December 2025 share. Poured a mostly clear golden yellow color with a small white head. Aroma was big peppery notes, yeasty saison. Light spice, herbal notes come through in this one. Lots of crazy yeasty character. Super funky.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
375mL bottle, 2024 Dead Sparrow Society, as pictured, drunk at the brewery, 12/20/25.
Hop and Brett match perfectly with good fruitiness, intensity, acidity and mild funk. Moderate Sacch showing apple and black pepper, with little no lactic, no acetic. Biscuity, scant malts but it's balanced with some oak tannin.
Nice and malty with a juicy Brett that is near peak. Just starting to get some stronger, more unwanted acids creeping on the edges of the palate, but it's very minor. Tropical flavor augmented by the hop, but it's almost all yeast here. Gentle oak provides some woody tannin but otherwise just rounds the edges of the beer. Fantastic stuff and a great start to my membership.
Appearance - 8 | Aroma - 8 | Flavor - 8 | Texture - 8 | Overall - 8
375mL bottled 8/24/25, drunk at the brewery, 12/3/25, as pictured.
Lots of floaties.
Big passion fruit, not sure I get the rhubarb, but perhaps that's contributing more acidity (light) than aromatics. Not much evidence of barrel other than the round, well-aged, easygoing character. Fruit-accented maltiness seems ample. Not hugely distinct in Sacch. Kind of a lot of passion fruit, but it's authentic and lovely.
Barreled acidity with minor, gentle oak and supportive tannin. Excellent malt depth and texture with strong attenuation. Vanilla, passion fruit (not as strong as in the aroma) and lingering mixed culture. As with tea service, it's soft, balanced and super drinkable with low (but ample) acidity. Wouldn't mind a little less passion fruit, but it's young so that's understandable.