Napoleon Sour Farmhouse Ale
Free Will Brewing Co.

 

 

 

I picked this 750ml corked and caged offering up for $11.50. How could I pass on a "sour/wild" barrel aged saison aged with grapes. This brew essentially calls my name and in description alone sounds right up my alley and a grand slam waiting to happen. Poured into a snifter, the brew appears a hazy golden copper color almost reddish hinted with a white frothy topping.

The smell is vinous, herbal, floral and lactic. A little earthen oak brings out vanilla sweetness and a touch of bready grain. Overall the nose is very, very inviting, I cant wait to dive in.

The taste is grainy sweet and tannic with mild yeastiness and undeveloped funk. A mild vinous tartness evolves as it warns up but it is a far stretch to even call this tart. All flavors present are excessively mild and diluted.

This is a medium to light bodied brew with a light level of carbonation. The description of this beer is infinitely better than it's execution. Across all fronts but the nose, this seems watered down. What initially seemed like a hell of a bargain (fruited and barrel aged wild saison) ended up being a regrettable purchase.

Growler fill at the brewery. Pours a cloudy slightly reddish amber with a medium white head. Lighter than the best Farmhouse ales I've had like Monk's but still has the sour, moderately sweet, fruity taste characteristic of the style. As good as it is, I actually prefer the macro Blue Moon Farmhouse Ale better. This one has the flavor but the higher ABV detracts from the experience. Still, the best I've had at Free Will in two trips there (12 beers).

 

 

 

LOOK: Pours clear straw with white head. Decent clarity, looks like a standard beer.

SME:LL: The nose is pretty big on pungent, noble hops. Slight citrus, bread and straw.

TASTE: A coarse graininess and light sour lemon notes prevail in the flavor. Fairly bitter and sufficiently dry. Leans more on malty sugars than true sourness, other tasters have described this American Wild ale as tame, and that it is. If it was advertised more as a Saison, as it is on this site, it would do better in delivering to style. Light bodied with a low medium carbonation.

Overall, this is a decent beer, and the best I have had from Free Will.