Barbe Rouge
Bull & Bush Brewery

super unique beer, although somewhat more subtle than anticipated. i always love coming back here, so many good times over the years, i even met my wife here, it will always hold a special place in my heart. this is a clean and tidy french saison base, done with barbe rouge hops and blood orange and grilled clementines, way cool. a little deeper color than expected too, in the low light its almost pale amber, a little fizzy looking but not holding a ton of head, with a strong aroma of citrus, burnt orange peel, white pepper, coriander, and white wine, cohesive and different, with some berry character from these sexy hops on display too, lots of elements swirling, in places cohesive and in others dissonant, the fruit has some sweetness, the malt is fuller, some interesting wrinkles as it warms. in the flavor its yeast first, familiar and a little safe to me for a saison but still pushing past the richer malt and the citrus. the hops are delicate all the way, not just concentrated to the back end but part of the whole flavor trip, i just wish for more of them, its fine that its low bitterness but the uniqueness of this strain is masked a little bit by the other elements. the grilled aspect is cool, it subtle but it adds intensity to the orange note, light acidity only from the fruit too, more sweetness than anything. interesting combination of ingredients and flavors in a style that can handle it, clever recipe and quite ambitious, very tasty, but also i was hoping for a little more somehow. carbonation is lacking a little but the texture is still neat. love to see the level of experimentation here, these guys will try anything, and pretty much always successfully too. one of the most underrated breweries in the west for my money, but i am biased...