Day Three - Bruery Terreux Saison Rue (USA, 8.5%)
Apologies for the late post - although I was able to drink my beer and make notes yesterday, I was without my laptop. There'll be two posts today to catch up.
'Gusher' is the term usually used to describe beers that foam up aggressively when opened. We've all experienced this - they fizz from the neck of the bottle, out the top and all over your kitchen counter. In this case, the word is inadequate. When I popped the cap, this bottle didn't simply 'gush'. It sprayed energetically, recalling scenes from crap comedies in which someone tries to hang up a picture and drives a nail into a water pipe. It was like a Freudian water feature, except dispensing expensive farmhouse ale rather than water. I was more impressed than disappointed and, in fairness, the bottle had been jostled around a bit in transit, evidently agitating the volatile saison yeast. Eventually I got a couple of glasses under it.
It pours a lot darker than your average saison, with an amber hue. The aroma reminds me of health food shops, which all smell the same - nutmeg, patchouli? The flavour has much of what you'd expect of a saison, including bubblegum, pepper and chamomile. The malt bill marks it out; it includes rye, and brings a background of caramel and some spicy joss-stick. The finish is dry, and also has a suggestion of alcohol heat which, together with some of the herbal/botanical flavours in there, kind of reminds me of gin.
Like the best saisons, its simultaneously complex and refreshing, though less than sessionable at such a high ABV. The explosive bottle is forgiven.
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