Expat (Red Wine Barrels)
Fulton Brewing Company

 

 

Thanks to Jeff for this one. 750ml capped bottle into a Surly teku. Shared with schen9303.

Nose is oak, mellow vinegar and cherry and red grape skin. Opens red grape skin, coriander and peppercorn. An odd combination of flavors but it works. Spicy with a light tartness. Low acidity, balanced and pleasant. There's almost a bourbon note in there. Some boozy oak presence towards the finish with a spicy, yeasty aftertaste. Tasty! Beer is light bodied with ample carbonation. Prickly and lively on the palate and with just a little kick going down and a mellow, soft finish. Very drinkable.

A really unique beer. This is pretty good!

 

Dark amber, white head, solid lacing. Smell is mostly barrel, some red wine, and funk. Taste follows smell along with banana, grape, crackers, slight lemon tartness on finish. Don't really notice the rye. Feel is nice, coats tongue allowing flavors to linger. Overall a solid beer. I love barrel aged beers and this one is no exception. I think it will only get better with age and will get a couple more bottles to add to the cellar.

 

 

Pours from the bottle a light and crystal-clear brownish-red with a bubbly white head that leaves spotty lace.
The aroma is bright, tart fruit, wheat, funk, and hints of oak and a slight winey acidity.
The taste is bold red wine up front with a bit of funk and acidity with notes of oak and vanilla. I get a bit of dark cherry and some pepper and clove.
Mouthfeel is on the thinner side, bubbly and crisp.

 

 

 

a pretty enough beer for what it is, but a little peculiar in terms of coloration. it's darker than i might have expected. nice, thick white head when it poured, and plenty of wet lacing down the sides.

peculiar is what i'm going to come back to with this beer. smell is spicy saison, but also that red wine from the barrel. it's not a great combination - not bad, but a little weird.

the barrel taste completely overwhelms the underlying beer. i've lost any of the rye, and really most of the saison gets trampled by the wine.

feel is drying, again, like the wine. not bad, but not what i wanted from a saison.

this one misses the mark. not terrible, just a bit too out there for my tastes.

On-tap at Three Cellars, Franklin, WI:

Pours golden with thin lasting head. Lacing sticks.

The smell is of red wine barrels with a spicy yeast character and biscuity malt.

The taste is of oak with some red wine. Some malt sweetness with a touch of tart.

It has a smooth medium body.

There is a general Belgian-esque character. The red wine barrels come through, especially in the aroma. A unique brew.

 

Poured from a 750 ml bottle into a Duvel tulip glass.

Appearance: Pours a deep amber with a moderate amount of bubbles. Solid finger of off white head which settles into a thin patchy layer.

Smell: A fruity and acidic Belgian style aroma with a scent of red wine, oak, and spices. Upfront barrel presence with big hints of red wine, oak, tannins, and wood. Belgian yeast with hints of farmhouse funk, pepper, and clove. Light hints of rye. Fruit hints of grapes, banana, pear, and slight citrus. Malt hints of grains, biscuit, and cracker. A pretty solid wine forward aroma.

Taste: Like it smells, a fruity and acidic Belgian style taste with notes of red wine, oak, and spices. Big barrel presence with notes of red wine, oak, tannins, vanilla, and wood. Belgian yeast with some farmhouse funk and spice notes of clove, pepper, and rye. Fruit undertones of grape, banana, apple, pear, and slight lemon. Malt notes of biscuit and grains. Pretty forward with the barrel. A solid taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a medium to high level of carbonation. Juicy, acidic, and fairly drying.

Overall: A nice Barrel Aged take on a Saison. Big red wine barrel presence.

Pours a surprisingly clean pale orange color... some loose carb hangs out for awhile.

Nose is muddy. The rye base is lost in the tannins of the wine barrel and (somehow) vice versa.

Taste takes a similar direction. Spice and barrel don't agree. No perceivable resemblance to a saison.