Saison De Brettaville
Almanac Beer Co.

Saison De BrettavilleSaison De Brettaville
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From:
Almanac Beer Co.
 
California, United States
Style:
Saison
ABV:
7.2%
Score:
92
Avg:
4.13 | pDev: 6.78%
Reviews:
42
Ratings:
177
Status:
Retired
Rated:
May 18, 2021
Added:
Jul 21, 2015
Wants:
  6
Gots:
  19
Brettanomyces, the wild yeast also known as "Brett," brings out a wide range of flavors and aromas in beer, from exotic fruits to earthy funk. We added a dozen different Brett strains to our dry-hopped Saison Dolores, then aged it in white wine barrels for several months. The result is an intricate farmhouse ale with the kind of nuance and depth that only Brett can create. Serve alongside soft funky cheeses or as a tangy counterpoint to rich charcuterie.
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by Tone:
Photo of Tone
Reviewed by Tone from Missouri

4.24/5  rDev +2.7%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4 | overall: 4.25
Pours a cloudy, maize color. 2/3 inch head of a white color. Great retention and great lacing. Smells of yeast, citrus, hint of bacterial funk, hops, slight wheat, sweet malt, and slight alcohol. Fits the style of Saison / Farmhouse Ale. Mouth feel is smooth and crisp, with an average carbonation level. There is also a noticeable tartness. Tastes of strong citrus, slight bacterial funk, slight yeast, slight hops, sweet malt, alcohol, and an earthiness. Overall, good appearance, aroma, body, and blend.
Sep 17, 2016
More User Ratings:
Photo of tide
Reviewed by tide from California

4.6/5  rDev +11.4%
look: 4.5 | smell: 4.5 | taste: 4.5 | feel: 5 | overall: 4.75
BATCH SD BRE. Bottled 0940 100115 (Oct 01, 2015). It’s 6 years old when I drink it.

Brettanomyces ale aged in white wine barrels, 7.2% ABV.

It’s golden in color, hazy. There’s couple of string of micro-bubbles surface up. The foam is coarse and rich, indicating a strong carbonation from bottle condition. Later, the next pour yield fine and beautiful micro-foam, but much thiner. The beer shows a radical smell, that mixes of strong blue cheese mold’s spice, lily floral, ripe apricot, apricot spread, sweet dried dates, fruity sake, melon, vinegar, apple cider, cinnamon, white wine, pungent toilet bowl cleaner aromas. That complex smell recalls wine tasting experience, pairing a oaky white wine with blue cheese, now you get both :-) It also have the barn smells, quite funky, but if you are into Brett-yeast beer you will love it.

The beer starts lightly tart, fizzy like a sparking water. It shows an elegant stone fruit aromas, like apple, pear, apricot, mixing with some light cinnamon like spices, this stage taste subtle-tart-sweet. And then the flavor turns bitter, ending dry and bitter, which is very pleasant. The ending is lightly peppery and earthy, old white wine barrel, dried apricot, dried plum, mild ginger root, strawberry jam, apple skin, port wine aromas. This bottle is a gem, it’s so elegant, super dry. The beer’s ripe stone fruit aroma recalls some fruity sake, there’s also canned pineapple, lemon peel, tobacco, leather aromas. And the funky smell doesn’t add any funky aromas in mouth. The complexity of the aromas is great! The depth of barrel aroma is very interesting in this beer, you can smell the rotten wood’s earthiness, barn’s funky air turns to cheese cloth and dive-bar’s dankness. That recalls Toronado to me, a mixture of notorious dank basement smell marry the elegant of grape, yeast and wood in a wine cellar.

When it’s warm, the stone fruit fruity and floral is boosted. Funkiness mostly faded. And the alcohol flavor is more noticeable.

A cellared Brett saison, from one of my favorite brewer Almanac beer Co. It’s brewed and bottled in San Jose, where I live right now. After 6 years, I found it taste so good. But I can’t time travel to get more. But this is life, you need to wait, and sometimes you can’t plan it.
May 18, 2021
Photo of EMV
Reviewed by EMV from Pennsylvania

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
Poured from a 12 oz bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Bright and cloudy medium golden pour with big foamy white head. Good retention... modest lacing.

S: Funk and brett. White wine, oak, and fruit.

T.F: Tart and funky... white wine, grape must, and oak. Lighter pear, grass, and apple peel. Modest acidity. Lemon zest and spice. Effervescent carbonation... medium to light bodied and dry finish.

O: An outstanding white-wine barrel aged saison. Complex, drinkable, and delicious.
Nov 10, 2020
 
Rated: 5 by TallGuyCM from California

Jun 11, 2020
 
Rated: 4.35 by Twal from Colorado

Aug 18, 2019
 
Rated: 4.25 by crob3888 from California

Jul 14, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by MickeyHops from California

Apr 08, 2018
 
Rated: 3.77 by Eziel from Ohio

Feb 27, 2018
Photo of BucannonXC5
Reviewed by BucannonXC5 from California

4.05/5  rDev -1.9%
look: 4.75 | smell: 4 | taste: 4 | feel: 4 | overall: 4
Type: 375-ml. bottle
Glass: Westvleteren 12 Trappist
From: Grocery Outlet in Allied Gardens (San Diego), Calif.
Price: $4.99
Purchased: Jan. 19, 2018
Consumed: Jan. 20, 2018
Reviewed as: Saison / Farmhouse Ale
Misc.: Bottled on Oct. 1, 2015 at 10:34 a.m. PT (I think)

Saw this and a three other Almanac beers for a really low price on a recent trip to Grocery Outlet in Allied Gardens. There were two 750-ml. bottles for $9.99 (regular price $22.99 and $27.99, respectively) and two 375-ml. bottles for $3.99 and $4.99 (regular price $9.99). Picked up this one ($4.99) and a 750-ml. bottled (the $22.99 one), as well as a couple of other 6-packs. Bottle description read, “Brettanomyces, the wild yeast also known as "Brett," brings out a wide range of flavors and aromas in beer, from exotic fruits to earthy funk. We added a dozen different Brett strains to our dry-hopped Saison Dolores, then aged it in white wine barrels for several months. The result is an intricate farmhouse ale with the kind of nuance and depth that only Brett can create. Serve alongside soft funky cheeses or as a tangy counterpoint to rich charcuterie.” Was going to be interesting.

Poured a golden hazy color with 2-to-3 fingers of rocky white head. Lots of fast moving bubble streams coming up from the bottom of the glass. Excellent layered foamy lacing. Almost perfect retention. (Sight - 4.75)

Smelled bubblegum, lime, pine forest, Juicy Fruit gum, Brett, lemon tart, grass, white grapefruit, pineapple, Mountain Dew, floral and green leaf. (Smell - 4.00)

Tasted at least as good as the nose. Got funky Brett, lemon tart, lime, white wine barrel, pine forest, grass, sharp white grapefruit, Mountain Dew, pineapple, green leaf, Juicy Fruit gum and floral. (Taste - 4.00)

Light body. Creamy texture. Lively carbonation. Funky, dry, oaky finish. (Feel - 4.00)

This was pretty damn good overall. More sour than saison, but good. Won’t ever beat that $4.99 price, but would have it again for sure. (Overall - 4.00)

4.05 | 91 | A-
Jan 31, 2018
Photo of Zorro
Reviewed by Zorro from California

3.3/5  rDev -20.1%
look: 4 | smell: 3.25 | taste: 3.25 | feel: 3.25 | overall: 3.25
Cloudy yellow colored beer with a tall white colored head. Let it settle for two days in the refrigerator so I don't think there is yeast in suspension.

Smells intensely of tropical fruit, especially the sour bitter scent of passion fruit. For a brett beer there is no horse blanket or barnyard scents. Just intense sour tropical fruit.

Starts out mildly sour but nothing like the scent would suggest. Coriander detected but isn't a strong flavor. Something about this makes my tongue say Gose, there does seem to be a salt flavor. That is pretty much it, not getting subtleties at all.

Mouthfeel is OK.

Overall, OK but I have had many better Saisons.
Jan 25, 2018
 
Rated: 4 by InfernoBoss from California

Sep 27, 2017
 
Rated: 4.08 by goalie35 from Canada (AB)

Aug 26, 2017
 
Rated: 4.17 by 2GOOFY from California

Jul 09, 2017
 
Rated: 4.19 by TheHopsman from Nebraska

Jun 19, 2017
 
Rated: 3.8 by stephenlee from England

Jun 10, 2017
Photo of kitch
Reviewed by kitch from Hong Kong

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A 375ml bottle, bottled in September 2015. Poured into a Lost Abbey teku.

Appearance: A nice hazy golden colour with a two finger white head that had pretty good retention and nice lacing.

Aroma: Flowers and orange zest with hints of grapefruit, oak, pine and brett funk.

Taste: White wine with hints of oak, mango, candied pineapple, lemon and funk.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.

Overall: This was nice and easy to drink. Only a little sour, but well balanced and still good after almost 19 months.
May 04, 2017
Photo of SHODriver
Reviewed by SHODriver from North Carolina

4.25/5  rDev +2.9%
look: 4.25 | smell: 4.25 | taste: 4.25 | feel: 4.25 | overall: 4.25
A: This was a clear golden beer until I got a lot of sediment out of the bottle when I finished off the pour which turned this into a very hazy orange with a three finger dense white head that fades slowly to a collar around the edge of the glass with decent lacing
S: Smells of white wine, a little funk and sour along with some fruitiness
T: Taste is slight tartness with some white wine flavors of melons, a little citrus zest, some dry malts and a little funk. Slight spice as well. Swallow is a little oak with more wine barrel as well as that hint of tartness which slowly fades away with slight lingering funk
M: This beer is fairly light while not being watery. The level of carbonation is fairly effervescent and slightly prickly while the beer has a drying finish
O: Overall this is a great beer with good flavors and complexity. It hits all the marks that I want from a brett beer that has spent some time in wine barrels. This one has some age on it and it is tasting great.
Apr 26, 2017
 
Rated: 4.27 by Shafaegalo from Texas

Mar 12, 2017
 
Rated: 4.75 by johnInLA from California

Mar 11, 2017
 
Rated: 4.25 by bigred89 from Maryland

Feb 25, 2017
Saison De Brettaville from Almanac Beer Co.
Beer rating: 92 out of 100 with 177 ratings