Velvets Are Blue
To Øl

Copenhagen 2/9 2019. 33 cl bottle from Meny, Østerfælled Torv, Kbh Ø. Weird Blue tinged cactus on the label. According to the label “a Poetic Blue Saison”.

Pours deep red - almost brown - with a medium-sized pink head. Bubbly. Settles as fluffy carpet of foam covering the surface of the beer. Moderate Lacing.

Aroma is balanced between sweet berries and tart, citric sourness. Blueberry, citrus, Green Apples, pepper. Light touch of vinegar.

Medium carbonation. Soft and thin, yet lively texture.

Flavor is lightly sweet followed by a stronger sourness. Aftertaste is sourish and vineous. Lingers for a short while. Finish is fairly dry.

The combination of the tart Saison and the sweet berries works quite well. Nice one.

 

 

 

I picked up a bottle of To Øl's Velvets Are Blue for $5.99 at The Lager Mill. I was looking for a new sour to try and this one could my eye, so I thought it was worth taking a chance on, so lets see how it goes. 2016 Vintage. Poured from a brown 12oz bottle into a teku.

A- The label looks good, it goes well with the name and it's a little eye catching. It poured a dark blue, red, purple color that didn't change when held to the light with almost two fingers worth of fluffy and creamy pink head that died down to a thin ring that stayed till the end and it left some nice patchy lacing behind. This is a very nice looking beer, I have no complaints.

S- The aroma starts off with a lower amount of medium sweetness with some of that funky farmhouse yeast being the first to show up and it imparts a little bit of a barnyard and horse blanket like aroma to it and it's followed by the blueberry which is noticeable and it impart a nice and natural blueberry like aroma. Up next comes a little bit of a juicy aspect with malts showing up next and they impart some light bready, grainy, pale malt and light biscuit like aromas. This beer has a pretty nice aroma, it's nicely balanced.

T- The taste seems to be similar to the aroma and it starts off with just a little bit of sweetness with the yeast still being the firs to show up and it's a little lighter than it was in the aroma, but it still imparts the same funkyness. Up next comes the blueberry which shows up just as much as it did in the aroma and it imparts a nice blueberry flavor and it's a little less juicy than it was in the aroma. Up next comes the malts which impart all the same aspects that they did in the aroma, but they are lighter this time. On the finish there's a lighter amount of medium tartness with pretty much no bitterness with hardly any sweetness and it had a funky berry aftertaste. This is a pretty nice tasting beer, but I wish it wasn't so dry on the finish.

M- Fairly smooth, slightly refreshing, pretty crisp, dry on the finish, on the lighter side of being medium bodied with a high amount of carbonation that was a little prickly. The mouthfeel is pretty nice, but I wish it wasn't so dry on the finish.

Overall I thought this was a pretty nice beer and a nice example of the style, it had some balance to it and the all the flavors made it live up to it's name. This beer has nice drinkability, I think one would be enough for me, anymore than that and it might start to wear on me. What I like the most about this beer is the appearance and mouthfeel, to me those are the highlights of this beer. What I like the least about this beer is the dry finish, it could use a lttle more sweetness at the end to go with the berry aftertaste. I might buy this beer again and I wouldn't turn one down and I would recommend giving it a try, if your a fan of the style. All in all I liked this beer, but i didn't love and I thought it was just a little rough around the edges, but with a little more work this could be a very nice beer. It's one of the best beers I've had from this brewery and it's above average for the style. Good job guys, this is a tasty and unique beer.

 

 

Bought this bottle on a whim, not sure of bottling date.
Pours a beautiful deep red with a pink, very frothy head.
Smell is lemon, sweet ripe fruit (from the blueberry?), A slight funk that's expected in saisons.
Taste follows the aroma, lots of lemon flavor coming from the lactic acid, some sweetness that helps balance the lemon. Only slightly bitter at the front, lingering bitterness after that makes me want to continue drinking.
Mouth feel is very carbonated, not very thick. Pleasant to drink!

Overall, a really lovely saisons and my first beer from this brewer! Very nice.

 

Pours a cloudy, purple color. 3/4 inch head of an off-pink color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of earthy hops, floral hops, yeast, slight bacterial funk, earthiness, sweet malt, fruit, hint of alcohol, and a hint of liquor. Fits the style of a Saison / Farmhouse Ale. Mouth feel is very sharp and crisp, with a high carbonation level. Tastes of slight bacterial funk, yeast, earthiness, hint of sugar, hint of alcohol, hint of liquor, and slight fruit. Overall, good appearance, aroma, body, blend, complexity, but slightly disappointing feel.

 

Overly carbonated

 

 

 

this is another genius beer from these guys, about as much true blueberry as i have seen in a beer, really nice job with this one. beautiful in the glass, deeply stained purple crayon colored beer, not much sediment or haze, and a tall and creamy and lasting pink head just a few shades lighter than the liquid. it smells tart, but not from yeast, its like the tangy skins of the blueberry, almost pithy in the taste, and drying on the tongue, pretty concentrated and intense, like a blueberry juice thats pure, almost gritty. the yeast is more mild than i expected it to be, perhaps its just covered up by the intensity of the fruit, but its not all that prominent here, even as the beer warms right up. i also found the carbonation to be lacking a little bit, but it has a lightness and easiness to it just the same because of the semi acidic and very dry fruit. impressive depth of flavor here, even without much yeast action. hard to really figure on the grain too, this is a fruit beer for real beer lovers too, not just a sweet juicy thing. incredibly distinct from anything else on the market right now. i can always count on these guys for that!

330 ml bottle into tulip glass, best before 3/1/2021. Pours hazy dark ruby red/purple color with a 2-3 finger fairly dense and fluffy pink head with great retention, that reduces to a nice cap that lingers. Nice dense foamy lacing clings on the glass. Aromas of big tart blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, lemon peel, pear, apple, red grape, peppercorn, bread, herbal, floral, light funk, and yeast earthiness. Very nice aromas with good balance and complexity of fruity/spicy yeast, blueberries, and moderate pale flavors; with great strength. Taste of big tart blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, lemon peel, pear, apple, red grape, peppercorn, bread, herbal, floral, light funk, and yeast earthiness. Good amount of peppery yeast spiciness and tart/tannic fruit notes on the finish; with lingering notes of blueberry, raspberry, blackberry, lemon peel, pear, apple, red grape, peppercorn, herbal, floral, and yeast earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Very nice complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, blueberries, and moderate pale malt flavors; with a nice malt/tart/spiciness balance and zero cloying flavors after the finish. High carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, crisp, dry, fairly sticky/tannic, and lightly acidic mouthfeel that is nice. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 5.5%. Overall this is a very nice fruited saison. All around nice complexity,. robustness, and balance of fruity/spicy yeast, blueberries, and moderate pale malt flavors; very smooth and crisp to drink. Definitely a lot of fruit in this beer, to give it such a deep color and tannic fruit mouthfeel. A very enjoyable offering.

 

Hazy purple color with pink head. Aroma has lots of fruits like strawberry, raspberry and other berries with some lactic acidity. Taste starts quite balanced, just a bit astringent and tart, fruity and finishes bitter with berry seeds and earthy hops. Light to medium body with medium carbonation and dry aftertaste. Quite interesting but I think it's a bit too bitter and the lactose sweetness is not present at all.