Lavender Honey De Brettaville
Almanac Beer Co.

A: Poured into a tulip to a light golden yellow that's just slightly hazy topped by a finger of dense white head which fades quickly into a collar around the edge of the glass with minimal lacing
S: Smells of oranges, bretty funk, citrus and honey like sweetness
T: Taste is tart up front with some nice strong orange flavors, nice underlying funk, hint of chalkiness, and some honey. Surprisingly tart. On the swallow tartness comes back strong with more honey, oranges, and a lingering lemony tartness
M: This beer is on the lighter side of the spectrum but it is not watery. Carbonation is effervescent but not prickly and the beer has a drying finish from the acidity.
O: Overall this is an excellent beer. Great flavors and some really nice complexity make this one an enjoyable drink. Not too challenging and surprisingly tart but still very well executed. Definitely one to try if you can find it.

Golden sour with a funky twist more than a real farmhouse ale. Very nice drinkability, the spices and lavender works quite well. The honey is not really present. Citrusy. Went well with goat cheese and courgettes lasagna

 

 

Light gold color with a mild haze. Small head which leaves only a few streaks of lace.

Interesting and attractive spicy aroma. Well-blended, hard to pinpoint the specifics. Even the lavender isn't obvious. The overall effect is flowery but promising.

The flavor surprised me due to the tartness that was never apparent in the smell. Here the lavender is more prominent and identifiable. The sour flavors come strongest at the swallow but the spices reappear in the aftertaste nicely.

Tap @ Brewdog Bristol - Pours cloudy golden with a thin white foamy head which quickly disappears to the rim, Medium carbonation. Nice lacing. Aroma - floral outlook,sweet honey notes, light yeasty/brett notes, light citrus. Taste - Sweet honey front, floral notes in the middle, crisp tart finish. Let you decide whether a saison or farmhouse, but whatever it is a great refreshing well balanced in flavour ale.

 

 

375 ml bottle into a tulip glass. Bottled Summer 2016, had 1/26/17.

Pours a bright golden yellow, fairly hazy, with a half inch foamy head and some foamy lacing. Active carbonation. Smells of Belgian yeast, Brett, some funk, lavender, mint- from the hops?, a hint of orange when warm, a little black pepper in the head. Great aroma. Who doesn't like lavender, right? The yeast also leads the taste, then malt, Brett- not intense, lavender- stronger as it warms, a middle level tartness and light sourness, some light orange bitterness at the finish and a light sweet note throughout. Smooth, a solid medium body, well carbonated.

My favorite of the Brettavilles, so far. The lavender is great in both the aroma and flavor, and everything else is complimentary to it. A truly different Saison and another big effort from Almanac.

This was poured into a tulip. The appearance was a soft golden color with no head and no lacing. The aroma had some sweet orange pulpiness with some sweet honey. Relaxing qualities of lavender come forth to balance brightly. Light lemon comes out as it warms. The flavor brings together all of the previously mentioned aromas sweetly with a nice sourness of the Brett. Some vinous-ness, sly moodiness. Sour brett with a slight honey aftertaste. Quick light vinous to honey finish. On the palate, this one sat about a light to medium on the body with a nice sipping quality about it. Carbonation feels fine as it is. Overall, this was a nice American wild ale that I would have again.

Another hugely complex offering.
Is it Saison? Is it Wild? Does the Brett take over? Or is it sour lemonade? You be the judge, I can't. (PS lemons kinda win)
It's hugely fizzy, wonderfully zesty, and as usual you can smack it down at the rate of $5 per sip....

 

 

375 ml bottle into tulip glass, bottled on 6/17/2016. Pours slightly hazy pale golden/light straw color with a 1-2 finger fairly dense and fluffy white head with good retention, that reduces to a thin cap that lingers. Light spotty lacing clings on the glass, with a moderate amount of streaming carbonation retaining the cap. Aromas of big lavender, tart lemon, lime, orange, citrus zest, pear, pineapple, melon, cherry, berry, cinnamon, pepper, honey, oak, wheat, cracker, hay, herbal, floral, light leathery/musty funk, and yeast/oak earthiness. Damn nice aromas with great balance and complexity of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, lavender, honey, oranges, oak, and moderate pale malt notes; with great strength. Taste of big lavender, tart lemon, lime, orange, citrus zest, pear, pineapple, melon, cherry, berry, cinnamon, pepper, honey, oak, wheat, cracker, hay, herbal, floral, light leathery/musty funk, and yeast/oak earthiness. Light-moderate fruity/lactic tart/sourness, and light yeast/tannic oak spiciness on the finish; with lingering notes of lavender, tart lemon, lime, orange, citrus zest, pear, pineapple, melon, cherry, berry, cinnamon, pepper, honey, oak, wheat, cracker, hay, herbal, floral, light funk, and yeast/oak earthiness on the finish for a good bit. Great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, lavender, honey, oranges, oak, and moderate pale malt flavors; with a great malt/tartness balance; and minimal puckering sourness after the finish. Light-moderate dryness from sourness and carbonation, increasing through the glass. Medium-high carbonation and medium body; with a very smooth, moderately crisp/grainy/acidic, and lightly tannic balanced mouthfeel that is great. Zero warming alcohol as expected of 6.5%. Overall this is an awesome fruit/spiced wild ale. All around great complexity, robustness, and balance of fruity/funky/acidic yeast, lavender, honey, oranges, oak, and moderate pale malt flavors; very smooth, crisp, and easy to drink with the balanced acidity and sourness. A really enjoyable offering.

 

This beer pours a very hazy golden
color with a one finger, fizzy white head. Retention is minimal and lacing is non existent.

Smell is lemon, orange, floral, champagne and sour cherries.

Taste is the same with a nice bit of lavender on the finish. Very sour, 7.5/10 on the pucker scale.

Feel is light and very carbonated. Refreshingly sour.

Overall a great beer. I love most of Almanac's fruited sours, but after a very bad experience with a local beer flavored with lavender I was skeptical about ponying up the $13 for this beer. Boy was I wrong. One of the best Almanac beers I've had. Excellent.