Estival Dichotomous (2022)
Jester King Brewery

 

 

Batch 5, bottled December 2022

Jester King has quite the interesting one here. Grilled peaches is quite normal, and throwing cinnamon on top of that makes sense too, but adding cardamom to the equation takes things to another level. Let’s pop this bad boy open and see what it’s all about

Pours a cloudy orange gold with 2 fingers of soapy white head that quickly fades to a thin ring and leaves minimal lacing

Everything seems to be working in unison in the nose here, along with a nice funk. I’m picking up on aromas of leather, grilled peach, wet hay, earthy cinnamon, coriander, sharp oak, lemon zest, wildflower honey, and white wine vinegar

The funk is turned up even further in taste, though the coriander isn’t as present. On the front end of the sip I’m tasting grilled peach, apricot skin, wet hay, leather, earthy cinnamon, straw, lemon zest, and light kiwi. The swallow brings notes of grilled peach, leather, apricot skin, white wine vinegar, crabapple, sharp oak, cinnamon, light cardamom, and stone

A light body pairs with moderate carbonation, resulting in a sharp beer. Finishes mostly dry and balanced

This one is damn tasty. Definitely a unique combination of adjuncts

Draft at the brewery
Light fizzy head, low retention, little lacing, hazy pale blonde to straw color

Nose brings the cardamom, big spice, some peach behind that, juicy peach even more as it warms, little doughy malt, citrus

Taste again cardamom up front, plenty of spice but doesn't seem to overpower too much, light peach up front, doughy malt, straw, light cereal, little bitterness, more generic stone fruit late, getting fair peachy as it warms, mild sweet sticky finish

Mouth is med to a bit lighter bod, med to a bit lower frothy carb, little flemmy sticky

Overall OK, not quite as good as I was expecting, good cardamom but not nearly enough peach or base beer