13 Hands
3 Floyds Brewing Co.

Not as sour as the nose would suggest, but that might only be because the brett funk takes over the palate. Loving the grape notes, hints of scuppernong sweetness at times. I'm not a gin fan but this works, presenting some nice botanicals, more floral than juniper, in concert with the rest of the beer. Very much in your face with intensity, but somehow it works; well composed.

Fairly hazy burnt amber to dull brick red with a short off-white foam head dying quickly to leave a short ridge of doily lacing.

Old barn wood, horse blanket and blue cheese meet unique accents of botanicals that lean more heavily towards wild herbs than flowers or citruses, though the acidity does bring some apricot qualities that cut through the funk in the finish. At times, the nose exhibits acetic acid and olive brine characteristics, but that thankfully does not translate on the palate.

The medium-light body has a softly minimal crispness and a slightly biting swallow.

Never have I ever had a 3 Floyds beer this funky. While I commend them for that, the high acidity does make this less quaffable over time, especially for a 750ml.

 

Appearance - The beer poured an orange-yellow color with a bubbly white head.

Smell - The funk of the saison combined with green grapes. The barrel notes were muted.

Taste - The gin barrel was very forward, which I enjoyed tremendously. Green grapes, apples, and perhaps a bit of peach accompanied the barnyard funk. Wine barrel impressions were also there. The gin barrel provided a nice dry and herbal finish.

Mouthfeel - The carbonation was faint, which made the body seem somewhat thin.

Overall - I rarely like a saison this much.

 

750 ml bottle poured into a teku

A- A clear amber with a small white head.

S- Tart, lemons, oak, funky, floral, juniper berries/gin, white wine, a little earthy.

T- Sour, fruity, stone fruits, peaches, apricots, juniper berries, gin, oak, floral, funky, earthy, some white wine.

M- Smooth, light to medium body.

O- A unique and interesting Saison, gin barrels add a lot of big flavors to this.

 

This new beer is from @FFFjunkie. I’m onto my second pour now and enjoying it immensely.

Look: Hazy and translucent amber color with an off white head that eventually disappears with no lacing left behind. No visible carbonation. Some chill haze at first as the beer brightened up almost completely after sipping on it for an hour. A wee bit of sediment in the bottom of my #properglassware.

Smell: White (bright acidity) and malt (sweetness, acetic, buttery) vinegar. Lemon juice acidity. A faint barnyard funk with whispers of manure when I take a deep inhale. Barely. It doesn’t define the nose. Sweet oak. Vinous and some dirty earth. Nothing screams gin but the nose is sweet and floral. Quite botanical, to borrow a word from the label. A bit powdery and pushing perfume. Sweet tart candy. A lot of tart, fresh berry including blackberry and raspberry. A lot of apricot as well.

Taste: There’s as much going on here as the description is long. That’s not a bad thing. A lot of stone fruit. On the tip of the tongue you get some fruity sweetness like apricot. The acidity is in the peach/nectarine/plum realm for me. Some buttery oak toward the middle and end. The beer is not as tart and citric acid as the aroma suggest. I really get a lot of lemon juice on the nose, but not the palate. It’s more sweet and sour acetic here. A dry, woody and vinous finish. The white wine has a big impact on the flavor.

Feel: Very low carbonation. I’d love some more liveliness to the feel, but it doesn’t detract from the enjoyment. A semi sweet beer. Doesn’t dry out too hard on the finish.

Overall: A really great beer. The Brett takes a back seat to the white wine, grapes and gin. There’s some citric acid on the nose, but the beer for me is defined by acetic notes on the nose and flavor, but it never goes full apple cider vinegar overboard. A lot of buttery oak on the finish as well, especially as the beer warms up. A really delightful and complex beer.

Dan, thank you.