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Také Také
Wicked Weed Brewing
- From:
- Wicked Weed Brewing
- North Carolina, United States
- Style:
- Saison
- ABV:
- 7.5%
- Score:
- 87
- Avg:
- 3.86 | pDev: 10.36%
- Reviews:
- 9
- Ratings:
- Status:
- Retired
- Rated:
- Oct 20, 2016
- Added:
- Mar 14, 2015
- Wants:
- 0
- Gots:
- 4
No description / notes.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by kbuzz:
Rated by kbuzz from North Carolina
3.78/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
May 27, 2015
3.78/5 rDev -2.1%
look: 4.25 | smell: 3.75 | taste: 3.75 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.75
May 27, 2015
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by brentk56 from North Carolina
3.53/5 rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
3.53/5 rDev -8.5%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.75 | overall: 3.5
Appearance: Pours all foam with the liquid a clear golden liquid building slowly; very sticky but not the greatest look
Smell: Herbal and slightly vinous; funky, grainy and grassy
Taste: Herbal and grassy, up front, with a medicinal bitterness building; the barnyard builds, after the swallow, with a slightly vinous element in the finish
Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to high carbonation
Overall: I am always curious to see how Brett will fare with a bit of cellaring; in this case, I made a mistake as the New Zealand hops have faded and what remains is not particularly enjoyable
Feb 06, 2016Smell: Herbal and slightly vinous; funky, grainy and grassy
Taste: Herbal and grassy, up front, with a medicinal bitterness building; the barnyard builds, after the swallow, with a slightly vinous element in the finish
Mouthfeel: Medium body with moderate to high carbonation
Overall: I am always curious to see how Brett will fare with a bit of cellaring; in this case, I made a mistake as the New Zealand hops have faded and what remains is not particularly enjoyable
Reviewed by rudzud from Massachusetts
2.82/5 rDev -26.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
2.82/5 rDev -26.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 2.75 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.75
Thanks to JLindros for sharing.
A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice hazy honey hue with a fat white head that fades to leave light lacing and a creamy blanket.
S - Aromas of light brett notes, some really almost soapy hop notes, faint caramel, Very odd vegetal note.
T - Taste is similar to the nose, caramel, malty, yeasty, vegetal. The hops are poor quality too.
M - Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, odd finish.
O - Overall this beer was really subpar. Seems to be over attenuated, rather messy.
Serving type: bottle
Nov 22, 2015A - Poured into a Kate the Great tulip a nice hazy honey hue with a fat white head that fades to leave light lacing and a creamy blanket.
S - Aromas of light brett notes, some really almost soapy hop notes, faint caramel, Very odd vegetal note.
T - Taste is similar to the nose, caramel, malty, yeasty, vegetal. The hops are poor quality too.
M - Mouthfeel is lightly carbonated, odd finish.
O - Overall this beer was really subpar. Seems to be over attenuated, rather messy.
Serving type: bottle
Reviewed by jlindros from Massachusetts
2.8/5 rDev -27.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
2.8/5 rDev -27.5%
look: 3 | smell: 3 | taste: 2.75 | feel: 3 | overall: 2.5
2/20/15, thanks to Beerness
Huge foamy head, takes a while to fade, messy lacing, super murky candy orange color.
Nose is interesting, little yeasty, under attenuated I think, little earthy floral hops, little strange fruitiness, little candy sweetness, doughy grainy malts, little grassy citrus hop thing, soapy.
Taste is also icky, sweet grainy malt, syrupy candy, under attenuated and a bit yeasty, candy orange, weird herbal vegetal grassy soapy hop, little zest and pine notes. sticky mess. Finish nagging bitter sticky syrupy orange zest herbal grassy thing lingering.
Mouth is med bod, over carbonated, sticky.
Nov 22, 2015Huge foamy head, takes a while to fade, messy lacing, super murky candy orange color.
Nose is interesting, little yeasty, under attenuated I think, little earthy floral hops, little strange fruitiness, little candy sweetness, doughy grainy malts, little grassy citrus hop thing, soapy.
Taste is also icky, sweet grainy malt, syrupy candy, under attenuated and a bit yeasty, candy orange, weird herbal vegetal grassy soapy hop, little zest and pine notes. sticky mess. Finish nagging bitter sticky syrupy orange zest herbal grassy thing lingering.
Mouth is med bod, over carbonated, sticky.
Reviewed by Jugs_McGhee from Colorado
3.4/5 rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.4/5 rDev -11.9%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
BOTTLE: Courtesy of Duff27 in a trade. Thanks, man! 500ml. Brown glass. Branded brown pry-off crown cap. Bottled in 2014. Appeaing label art.
OG 1.062. 7.5% ABV.
Reviewed live as a brettanomyces saison per the label. Served cold into a tulip/snifter hybrid glass and allowed to warm somewhat over the course of consumption. Expectations are high given the brewery's reputation.
No bubble show forms as it's poured.
HEAD: Fills the entire glass. Very foamy. Frothy and soft-looking, with a fluffy airy consistency. Soapy. Not thick or robust. Somewhat delicate. Retention is quite good - about 9 minutes. Leaves no lacing as it recedes.
BODY: Lightly cloudy. Yellow-copper in colour. Average vibrance. Clean, with no visible yeast or sediment.
It's a nice enough looking saison, and has a brighter body than most beers in the style. Not unique or special looking, but certainly within style conventions.
AROMA: Bursts with fresh, vivid fruit - wow! Notes of juicy kiwi, mango, maybe guava, peach, and perhaps pineapple. Showcases New World hops marvelously, bringing plenty of tropical fruit to the table. The kiwi in particular is very appealing.
While I love the hop profile, it's more fitting for an IPA or pale ale than a saison, and I wonder how this will drink - or if it'll be balanced. The hops are emphasized at the expense of the brettanomyces yeast, which is buried in there but does bring some dry biscuity character as well as faint funkiness. The hops wetten the otherwise dry aroma, giving it more life - but are they drowning out the spicy notes and funky yeasts we drink saisons for?
Aromatic intensity is above average. Suggests a shockingly hop-forward juicy saison with a great hop profile but little spiciness and funkiness.
I detect no off-notes or booze.
TASTE & TEXTURE: Hmm...it's got a heavier malt punch than anticipated - probably to compensate for the assertive hopping. The neutral malt backbone is way more noticeable than it should be, and lends the beer far too much body for the style, annihilating the fragile delicate feel this might otherwise have.
And the hops aren't as vivid or expressive as the aroma suggested...kiwi is present but underwhelming, and the New World hops supplementing it - mango, passionfruit, guava, maybe pineapple, peach - while interesting, don't feel at home alongside the faint brettanomyces funkiness...which itself gets buried in the build. No, this doesn't emphasize spicy intricacy (like Fantome saisons) or milky funkiness (like Dupont saisons), but I like the experimentation with hops. The balance isn't dialed in, and the minor clash of brettanomyces and hops gives it a rough-around-the-edges feel, but damn if it isn't pleasant to drink in spite of its wanting complexity.
While too full-bodied and heavy on the palate as above-noted, the texture is actually mostly a success, with good carbonation aiding its pricky feel on the palate. Nicely soft, if a biteen scratchy. Smooth and wet, but not slick or uneven. Somewhat refreshing. It's mellow and easy on the palate. Well-executed as it is, this mouthfeel doesn't accentuate specific notes and fails to elevate the beer as a whole.
OVERALL: Highly drinkable, and certainly enjoyable. But it does have some noticeable booziness, especially on the backend - which is one of its major drawbacks.
Is it a success as a saison? Not really, frankly. It doesn't showcase Belgian malts or brettanomyces yeast(s), and it isn't anywhere near as intricate as style paragons like Fantome's offerings. The funkiness is minor...maybe a 2/10 in terms of intensity/noticeability.
But then, Wicked Weed doesn't seem to be going for a successful traditional saison; they're after a new breed of saison replete with plenty of hop character. And this would be a success if not for the malty punch and added body that accompanies the extra hops. Maybe a saison build just doesn't jive with this level of added hop character, but damn if Wicked Weed didn't go for it...and the result is one hell of an attempt at style hybridity. This is well worth trying in spite of its shortcomings. An inspired brew, but not a successful saison.
B-
Sep 26, 2015OG 1.062. 7.5% ABV.
Reviewed live as a brettanomyces saison per the label. Served cold into a tulip/snifter hybrid glass and allowed to warm somewhat over the course of consumption. Expectations are high given the brewery's reputation.
No bubble show forms as it's poured.
HEAD: Fills the entire glass. Very foamy. Frothy and soft-looking, with a fluffy airy consistency. Soapy. Not thick or robust. Somewhat delicate. Retention is quite good - about 9 minutes. Leaves no lacing as it recedes.
BODY: Lightly cloudy. Yellow-copper in colour. Average vibrance. Clean, with no visible yeast or sediment.
It's a nice enough looking saison, and has a brighter body than most beers in the style. Not unique or special looking, but certainly within style conventions.
AROMA: Bursts with fresh, vivid fruit - wow! Notes of juicy kiwi, mango, maybe guava, peach, and perhaps pineapple. Showcases New World hops marvelously, bringing plenty of tropical fruit to the table. The kiwi in particular is very appealing.
While I love the hop profile, it's more fitting for an IPA or pale ale than a saison, and I wonder how this will drink - or if it'll be balanced. The hops are emphasized at the expense of the brettanomyces yeast, which is buried in there but does bring some dry biscuity character as well as faint funkiness. The hops wetten the otherwise dry aroma, giving it more life - but are they drowning out the spicy notes and funky yeasts we drink saisons for?
Aromatic intensity is above average. Suggests a shockingly hop-forward juicy saison with a great hop profile but little spiciness and funkiness.
I detect no off-notes or booze.
TASTE & TEXTURE: Hmm...it's got a heavier malt punch than anticipated - probably to compensate for the assertive hopping. The neutral malt backbone is way more noticeable than it should be, and lends the beer far too much body for the style, annihilating the fragile delicate feel this might otherwise have.
And the hops aren't as vivid or expressive as the aroma suggested...kiwi is present but underwhelming, and the New World hops supplementing it - mango, passionfruit, guava, maybe pineapple, peach - while interesting, don't feel at home alongside the faint brettanomyces funkiness...which itself gets buried in the build. No, this doesn't emphasize spicy intricacy (like Fantome saisons) or milky funkiness (like Dupont saisons), but I like the experimentation with hops. The balance isn't dialed in, and the minor clash of brettanomyces and hops gives it a rough-around-the-edges feel, but damn if it isn't pleasant to drink in spite of its wanting complexity.
While too full-bodied and heavy on the palate as above-noted, the texture is actually mostly a success, with good carbonation aiding its pricky feel on the palate. Nicely soft, if a biteen scratchy. Smooth and wet, but not slick or uneven. Somewhat refreshing. It's mellow and easy on the palate. Well-executed as it is, this mouthfeel doesn't accentuate specific notes and fails to elevate the beer as a whole.
OVERALL: Highly drinkable, and certainly enjoyable. But it does have some noticeable booziness, especially on the backend - which is one of its major drawbacks.
Is it a success as a saison? Not really, frankly. It doesn't showcase Belgian malts or brettanomyces yeast(s), and it isn't anywhere near as intricate as style paragons like Fantome's offerings. The funkiness is minor...maybe a 2/10 in terms of intensity/noticeability.
But then, Wicked Weed doesn't seem to be going for a successful traditional saison; they're after a new breed of saison replete with plenty of hop character. And this would be a success if not for the malty punch and added body that accompanies the extra hops. Maybe a saison build just doesn't jive with this level of added hop character, but damn if Wicked Weed didn't go for it...and the result is one hell of an attempt at style hybridity. This is well worth trying in spite of its shortcomings. An inspired brew, but not a successful saison.
B-
Reviewed by russpowell from Arkansas
3.91/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
3.91/5 rDev +1.3%
look: 4.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Bottled 2/20/15
Pours an effervescent & hazed amber/ honey with 2 fingers of fluffy ivory colored head. Stellar lacing & super head retention, never clears up
S: Bready, citrus & slight funk
S: Bready, pineapple, slight funk, & pears up front, mangos as well. Funk on a small scale, mixes with white grape as this warms, some pear & grapefruit too& peach. Sourness, kicks in on the finish, along with dryness, pears, grapefruit pith & more white grape & faint acidity
MF: Medium body, Champagne like carbonation
Solid example of the style that is easy to drink, I'm guessing I would've liked this better fresh
Aug 13, 2015Pours an effervescent & hazed amber/ honey with 2 fingers of fluffy ivory colored head. Stellar lacing & super head retention, never clears up
S: Bready, citrus & slight funk
S: Bready, pineapple, slight funk, & pears up front, mangos as well. Funk on a small scale, mixes with white grape as this warms, some pear & grapefruit too& peach. Sourness, kicks in on the finish, along with dryness, pears, grapefruit pith & more white grape & faint acidity
MF: Medium body, Champagne like carbonation
Solid example of the style that is easy to drink, I'm guessing I would've liked this better fresh
Reviewed by maximum12 from Minnesota
3.5/5 rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
3.5/5 rDev -9.3%
look: 3.5 | smell: 3.5 | taste: 3.5 | feel: 3.5 | overall: 3.5
Thanks to AtlCarl for this one, which has weirdly escaped notice in my Refrigerator of Holding (26 geek points if you get that old geek reference). 500ML bottle split with my wife.
The pour is golden with a head on steroids; even after fifteen minutes of sitting it’s still as erect as, well, it’s healthy. The aroma is right up there with the best tap water I’ve tasted. Seriously: nothing. I’m not sure how that’s even possible. It’s either disturbing or impressive.
Take’ Take’ is bright. Bright, that’s the best I can do. Nice light hops that are very different. Is that juniper? Lemon zest, grass zest, herbal zest. Zesty! The brett is just a gentle reminder in the back of the throat that’s drying & gently abrasive. Nice & easy to drink.
This doesn’t smack of saison at all, more of a dry white Chablis-inflected pale ale. Good beer.
Jul 24, 2015The pour is golden with a head on steroids; even after fifteen minutes of sitting it’s still as erect as, well, it’s healthy. The aroma is right up there with the best tap water I’ve tasted. Seriously: nothing. I’m not sure how that’s even possible. It’s either disturbing or impressive.
Take’ Take’ is bright. Bright, that’s the best I can do. Nice light hops that are very different. Is that juniper? Lemon zest, grass zest, herbal zest. Zesty! The brett is just a gentle reminder in the back of the throat that’s drying & gently abrasive. Nice & easy to drink.
This doesn’t smack of saison at all, more of a dry white Chablis-inflected pale ale. Good beer.
Také Také from Wicked Weed Brewing
Beer rating:
87 out of
100 with
34 ratings
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