Rubus Fruticosa
Brasserie Dunham

8oz glass at Beer Revolution YEG Oliver Square - this is being marketed here as a 'barrel aged wild fruit Saison'. No specification as to the nature of the wood employed.

This beer appears a murky, medium salmon-tinged amber colour, with one finger of puffy, finely foamy, and mildly creamy off-white head, which leaves some decent pockmarked limestone wall lace around the glass as things slowly sink away.

It smells of sour blackberries, gritty and grainy cereal malt, a gently funky yeastiness, ethereal generic woody notes, and some plain earthy, musty, and floral noble hop bitters. The taste is bready and grainy pale malt, a bit of crackery wheatiness, mixed dark berry notes, laid-back yeast, still hard to pinpoint wet staves, and more well-understated earthy, leafy, and floral green hoppiness.

The carbonation is fairly low-key in its quotidian frothiness, the body a solid middleweight, and actually smooth, as the yeast and fruit make nice with the locals here. It finishes off-dry, the malt and blended dark fruitiness working a bit of longer hours.

Overall - this comes across as more of a simple fruit Saison, than anything wild or that saw much in the way of barrel treatment. Easy to drink, but not really worth the elevated price tag.