Hibernal Dichotomous (2017)
Jester King Brewery

 

 

 

this is really cool beer, jester king has been putting unlikely adjuncts together in their beer for a long time, and do it as well as anyone. this has grapefruit, rosemary, and chili peppers, which sound sort of disparate, but the come together in a pretty cool way. the grapefruit is an obvious choice in this well made grainy saison, the tart and acidic zest is just right with the floral brett and citrusy sourness if the house jester king culture, one of the most recognizable in the game. the chili pepper is thankfully subtle, i dont want this to be hot, and it isnt, but there is a touch of citrus with the pepper, a faint smoked element that makes this kind of wintery with the rosemary, and a warming aspect that i think brings up the more interesting aspects of the grain bill, meaning the spelt. its a unifying element as much as a flavoring one, and it works here. rosemary is somewhat pungent in this, but it doesnt linger long in the finish and it adds a needed freshness to this, nice with the grapefruit, and there is good botanical bitterness here from both. a little less sour than other beers i have had from these guys, but tons of funk. a light apricot note here with the brett too, and excellent carbonation. fun and well integrated beer, uncommon with the additives, very drinkable for being kind of weird.

 

Great beer.. Grapefruit zest comes in nicely.. Must try for those who enjoy a refreshing zest in their beer.

 

 

 

 

 

25.4 oz. bomber poured into snifter

L: cloudy gold topped by huge fluffy thick head of offwhite foam; some sticking off the head; keeps about half a skin and a vibrant white/offwhite collar; very little lacing but still beautiful ... the collar alone is work of art

S: yeast for days ... classic Jester King earthy yeast, not overly funky to start with just a load of yeast; as it warms starts mixing funky barn must with some citrus (orange mainly, a hint of grapefruit too); really strong black pepper note, perhaps those chilis trying to add something to the show; dill pickle ... and as it warms more and more, that note gets stronger and stronger, very "sour beer" sour but not overboard, well short of vinegar; halfway into the first glass you can get a little something from the rosemary, almost minty

T: much sweeter than the yeasty nose with a little minty zing from something, not strong enough to call it spearmint but in that direction, possibly from the rosemary; as sweet as any Jester King brew I've run across, far from sugary but sweet enough to say the malt is really working hard; as it warms and the palate adjusts, the vinous/vinegar note peeks in and gives it a nice sour layer to balance the sweetness; and just when you think it's going to roll into full-on sour, the rosemary jumps back in and shakes up that sourness ... an enjoyable palate tester that keeps it fun and entertaining

O: as good as it gets for these American-made Belgian-inspired farmhouse ales and another fantastic edition in a fantastic series; tastes perfect right now, and I'd suggest if you have a bottle drink it ... experience has taught me that a Jester King beer this good and this sweet is ready to go if you want to enjoy the flavors from the extra ingredients; of course, JK makes their beers to handle age in the bottle, and this tastes good enough to believe it will remain good for many, many months to come