Barrel-Aged Saison With Blackberry
Stone Brewing

 

seen a fair few kegs of this one around town lately, surprised nobody has had anything to say about it yet. really a different direction for these guys, so little hops here, no bitterness, hard to figure it as a stone beer. i wonder if its a different saison base than their original saison, this seems far less floral and herb driven, a little maltier, plainer maybe, but a perfect base for both the wine barrels and the blackberries, which work together to serve as the primary flavor agents of this one, well ahead of the somewhat mild belgian type saison yeast. the fruit colors the beer just a bit, but really is forward in the nose and taste. it goes between sweet jammy preserved blackberry to a more delicate fresh blackberry, juicy and a cool flavor with the yeast, very compatible. the wine barrels definitely give some dried fruit notes here too, some tannins from the wood, a sweetness from the oak too, and a great unifying capacity, bringing all the elements together really nicely. great carbonation here, plenty of body, and dry in the end for having fruit in it. a really pretty complex beer, even without all the herbal qualities of the base stone saison, i susupect this is a different brew, or it has spent so much time in the barrels that its mellowed considerably in that regard. easy drinking stuff, happy there isnt the usual hop bite here. nice work!

 

Funky brew. Mildly sir with blackberry flavor. Gets some bourbon from the barrels too. Interesting mix. Good though.