Autumnal Dichotomous (2014)
Jester King Brewery

Autumnal Dichotomous (2014)Autumnal Dichotomous (2014)
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From:
Jester King Brewery
 
Texas, United States
Style:
Saison
ABV:
4.9%
Score:
85
Avg:
3.79 | pDev: 8.71%
Reviews:
10
Ratings:
112
Status:
Retired
Rated:
Jan 05, 2022
Added:
Jan 07, 2015
Wants:
  4
Gots:
  19
We are pleased to introduce Jester King 2014 Autumnal Dichotomous, our fall saison brewed with squash, long pepper, and sage. Autumnal Dichotomous is our third seasonal saison, following 2014 Hibernal Dichotomous and 2014 Estival Dichotomous, which were released in April and November of last year. As we mentioned with the previous releases, our brewing is largely driven by the seasons. We make farmhouse ales when the weather is warm and temperatures are conducive to fermentation in stainless steel, and we make spontaneously fermented beers and barrel fermented beers when temperatures are cooler and conducive to overnight inoculation of wort and slow maturation in oak. We also use the ingredients that are available to us at various times of the year. In the winter we make beer with root vegetables and citrus, in the spring we use peaches and raspberries, in the summer we use apricots, strawberries, and figs, and in the fall we use grapes, horehound, lemon bee balm, and squash. Autumnal Dichotomous is reflective of the ingredients available during the autumn months.

19 IBU
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by CavemanRamblin:
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Rated by CavemanRamblin from North Carolina

4.11/5  rDev +8.4%
look: 3.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4

Aug 18, 2015
More User Ratings:
 
Rated: 4 by Nichols33 from Massachusetts

Jan 05, 2022
 
Rated: 4 by RiceOwls27 from Texas

Apr 16, 2020
 
Rated: 3.75 by acurtis from New Jersey

Jan 07, 2019
 
Rated: 4.1 by Kurmaraja from California

Jul 02, 2018
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Reviewed by bobv from Vermont

3.84/5  rDev +1.3%
look: 4 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Moderate pour yields a one inch off white head over a mahogany-brown body with some lacing. Nose of very slight funk with some squash-like aromas as well. Tastes a bit sour, a bit funky, a bit spicy, with a tiny bit of sage, but mostly the squash comes through on flavor and feel. Overall, a fairly enjoyable offering from Jester King, but I've had better. Cheers!
May 07, 2018
 
Rated: 4.25 by BEER88 from North Carolina

Sep 24, 2017
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Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado

3.14/5  rDev -17.2%
look: 3 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
BOTTLE: Batch #1 - Nov 25, 2014. Purchased at Jester King and cellared for ~2.5 years. Brown glass. Branded pry-off crown cap. Appealing autumn-themed label art. 750ml format.

"4.90% ABV. FG 1.004. IBU 19. Ingredients: Hill Country Well Water, Malted Barley, Malted Wheat, Butternut Squash, Acorn Squash, Hops, Longpepper, Dried Sage, Farmhouse Yeast, Wild Yeast from the Texas Hill Country, Native Souring Bacteria." "Unpasteurized." "100% Bottle-conditioned."

Served chilled into a tulip and allowed to come to temperature over the course of consumption.

HEAD: Fills ~80% of my tulip, suggesting potential overcarbonation (in spite of its bottle conditioning). White and fluffy, with a soft airy consistency and plenty of frothiness. Good retention - ~8 minutes. Leaves no lacing on the sides of my glass as it recedes. No legs form on the sides of the glass when tilted.

BODY: Clear vibrant amber-copper. A bit weak, lacking a robust colour. Clean, lacking any visible yeasts or lees.

Appears well (if not over) carbonated. It's a nice appearance for an autumnal farmhouse ale, but it lacks the style's characteristic haziness and isn't as lively as the appearances of the best expressions of the style. Generally appealing, but not unique.

AROMA: Autumnal spice is evident to such extent I might mistake this for a pumpkin ale in a blind tasting. Sage, nutmeg, clove, peppery spice. (No cinnamon or brown sugar aromatics). I get a vegetable aroma - not cooked vegetable like DMS off-flavour, more like a pumpkin presence without pumpkin gourd's unique flavour...I guess that's the squash, but I'd never identify it in a blind tasting. When I know to look for it, it's obvious and contributes nicely to the overall aroma, playing well with the spices.

Ale yeast esters. Mild floral and fruity hop aromatics. No overt farmhouse yeast funkiness (i.e. brettanomyces) or obvious bacterial acidity or sourness.

Seems perfectly attenuated, bringing enough sweetness from amber and bright (I'd guess Munich or Vienna malt, along with 2 row) malts to deliver on the autumn ale premise and enough spiciness to keep it true to the style.

Suggests a pleasant and drinkable spritzy medium-bodied amber ale with nice spicy complexity but little in the way of the farmhouse yeasts, microflora, and bacterial subtlety Jester King's marketing so desperately wants us to believe is in there.

Aromatic intensity is above average. I find no off-notes. No overt booze.

TASTE & TEXTURE: Some bacterial sourness (think 1-2/10 in terms of intensity) does come into play, but it's actually to the beer's detriment: the otherwise pleasant smooth, wet, medium-bodied, bready mouthfeel is subjected to an onslaught of unwelcome sharp acidity and off-putting smackiness - evoking an infected amber ale instead of a deliberately soured farmhouse ale.

Amber malts and pale malts lend this beer its unremarkable backbone. Spices contribute needed complexity but fail to ring as distinctly in the taste as they did in the aroma...clove, spicy Belgian yeast, vague peppery spice. No evocative sage or deep pepper flavour, unfortunately.

The squash is as generic in flavour as the spices, lacking a distinct or recognizable flavour; one would be hard-pressed to identify this as a squash beer in a blind tasting, but the general vegetable-redolent taste is sufficient to evoke an autumnal vibe when combined with the spices.

Finishes dry and starchy.

Bottle conditioning has left this beer near perfectly carbonated; going 100% bottle conditioning really paid off for Jester King.

Hop flavours are backgrounded, but there's some fruity and floral flavour there. Ale yeast esters play into the vague fruit milieu.

Lacks the intricacy one would hope for in a wild yeast farmhouse ale, but it's pleasant enough even if it isn't particularly intricate or well-balanced. Depth of flavour is average. Flavour duration is average, as is flavour intensity.

Pleasant and approachable. Mouthfeel isn't oily, boozy, scratchy, harsh, rough, or otherwise overtly problematic, but it could do with more softness and more of a refreshing texture.

OVERALL: Bottle conditioning and clever uses of underused ingredients like squash and sage help this achieve a definite autumnal vibe and I love what Jester King is going for...but they don't quite get there. Bewilderingly misguided additions of bacteria throw the already murky flavour profile off-kilter, and the ingredients Jester King intended to showcase never quite come into as clear a focus as would be ideal. It's drinkable enjoyable fare for what it is, but it's far from amongst the best expressions of the style and its alarmingly high price for the (lack of) quality would keep me from buying more bottles.

Competent and inspired work from a brewery known for doing better.

C+ (3.14) / ABOVE AVERAGE
Jun 01, 2017
 
Rated: 3.75 by oline73 from Maryland

Mar 25, 2017
 
Rated: 3.74 by aufie from Texas

May 27, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by Intlpostman from California

May 15, 2016
 
Rated: 3.76 by kingjohnh from New Mexico

May 12, 2016
 
Rated: 3.75 by ralerwen from Illinois

May 01, 2016
 
Rated: 4.16 by Crab_gang from Pennsylvania

Mar 27, 2016
 
Rated: 4.41 by traxstar7 from Texas

Jan 29, 2016
 
Rated: 3.5 by rspauldi from Texas

Jan 29, 2016
 
Rated: 3.7 by Stinger80OH from Ohio

Dec 10, 2015
 
Rated: 3.32 by Dreynolds1808 from Texas

Dec 06, 2015
 
Rated: 3.75 by SocalKicks from California

Oct 29, 2015
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Reviewed by Ri0 from Wisconsin

3.75/5  rDev -1.1%
look: 3.75 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
Dark crimson with a 2.5 finger khaki head. Thick cap and spotty lacing. Light citrus aromas with malts and dark tart fruit. Tart and malty with some cherry/apple like flavor. Funk is minimal and it does have a faint squash flavor on the finish. Easy to drink with a tingly carbonation and drying finish. This was enjoyable for this very beautiful fall day.
Oct 25, 2015
Autumnal Dichotomous (2014) from Jester King Brewery
Beer rating: 85 out of 100 with 112 ratings