An Unconscious Encore
Tired Hands Brewing Company

Pours the color of apple juice with excellent clarity and loads of persistent white head. Aroma is fruity and funky. Hard to describe, but excellent smelling. Fruit is clear on the tongue, but it's almost more of an apricot flavor than plum. Whatever it is, it's really good. Tart, but without crossing the line. Very light, lively and easy to drink. This exceeded my expectations.

 

 

 

 

Poured from a corked bomber into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Nearly clear golden pour with massive foamy white head. Lasts forever with great lacing. Sediment at the end of the pour.

S: Funk and fruit. Tart and acidic.

T.F: Just like it smells. Tart and funky. Strong oak and barrel. Moderate acidity... with rich fruit flavors. Plum and stone fruit... white wine and berry. There's an 'almost there' sweetness to the fruit which probably isn't there. Smooth and effervescent. Relatively light bodied with more fruit, funk, and some lemon rind at the finish.

O: Another outstanding Saison from Tired Hands. A style where they seemingly can do no wrong.

 

Massive thanks to Ryan for this one!

750ml bottle - dated 12/4/18 - poured into a sauvignon blanc stem at 42F.

Pours a substantially hazy deep orange blossom honey golden topped with two fingers of snow-white head wirh decent retention. Head eventually deflates to a thick collar, leaving some spotty lacing behind. No visible effervescence.

Nose: Bright, tart, fruity, funky, oaky, with a big dose of that house saison yeast Tired Hands uses. First aroma to register is mainly brettanomyces. It's a little bit dusty, a little bit musty, a little bit funky, and has an almost overripe stone fruit note to it. Next is the grain. This wonderful crackery saison grist with malted wheat and pils grist. Next is the fruity character from the plum. It doesn't register specifically as plum, but rather a vague mix of apricot, peach, grape, plum, and raspberry, but if you focus hard, the fresh plum not really shines. All the while, through the entire aroma, there is a giant presence of French white oak, and a prominent bright acidity that never becomes vinegar, but is way more complex than straight lactobacillus. I think it could become vinegar at a much higher concentration, but where it's at, it's bright, sharp, and lemony, with a wonderful minerality. Secondary aromas of wet flint, fresh grass, petrichor, damp forest floor, and lilac are present.

Palate: This ale greets the palate with an immediate bright zap of tingly acidity. It isn't too sour, like a mouthful of warheads, but it has this wonderfully bright citric acid pop, with just hints of acetic sharpness underneat. It is sour, yes, no questions asked, but beautifully so, and stays two steps behind the line of overly acidic or puckering. The sourness lends a bit of lemon character - specifically Meyer lemon that has stewed in hot black tea. Parallel to the tartness is thr delicate grainy grist bill, lending some subtle sweetness and oaty roundness to the sharp, pointy tang. The plum and yeast components emerge simultaneously, with the yeast lending some wonderful farmy (not stinky) funk and a honey-covered beeswax flavour, and the plums, that nondescript ripe stone fruit, with lots of apricot flavours, and a hint of concord grape. In the middle, are the classic farmhouse notes of dusty wood, bales of hay, old books, grass, and fresh rain. Everything moves at an even pace towards the finish, where the French white oak that has been present all along really takes the stage. It lends a beautiful spice component and even a hint of tannic bitterness. This carries through the finish, becoming more pronounced, bringing that black tea note above the tart lemon, which remains only in essence, without its bright tartness. Spicy French oak, subtle grain, and lemon zest linger in well into the finish.

Mouthfeel/Body: The body is light and crisp, but never watery, thin, or lacking in any way. I thought this may have been 5.5% or so, but I've just been informed it's 7.4. It drinks with a refreshing crispness that no 7% ABV IPA could deliver. Effervescence is lively, even a bit scrubbing, but it serves the style well, and really helps emphasise the brightness of this ale.

Overall. I've had a few TH sours/saisons, and I have to say, this stands up there. I have to put Sticky Drippy Crystals a notch above it for its unique flavour profile and complexity, but this is a fantastic fruited sour farmhouse ale, and is worthy of attention. If you enjoy sour ales in any capacity, this is a must. It's uniquely Tired Hands, and it's just a wonderfully crafted beer.

A gorgeous body walks a line between brass and copper. Not quite to a polished level, but shimmers nonetheless. Above, a bright white foam grows to a three fingered pinnacle before settling back down to barely more than a memory.

The aroma is deeply ingrained with the wild. Damp attic wood from a forgotten barn mixes with the overgrown mossy earthen floor below. Pops of stone fruit, honey, orange and wildflower blossoms transport you directly to a rustic and well loved farm in the dead of spring.

Tart tangerine zest encapsulates the aforementioned with a splash of lemon that was squeezed through a wooden civ. Plum juice is subtle in the background, but is evident in its sweet contributions. Long after sips, a fresh slice of sourdough bread soaks everything in.

Dancing between tart and sour, with sweet, bready, and earthy notes, this ale has depth. There's even a light pinch of bitterness too. It's crisp, light, and bubbly scrubbing clean feeling, yet still intense enough to demand small sips.

Wild ales are an interesting beast. While those crazy bacterias and yeasts seem to impart common characteristics, they also allow for well made beverages shine to masters of the ingredients. This one fits that bill.

Thanks again, Arthur! Cheers.

 

A look somewhere between gold and amber, and hazy. The beer is tart, but just to the point where it's enjoyable, never getting to wince-sourness. Nicely brewed with plum flavor underneath--again, not heavy-handed. The plums give it a flavor that approaches grape. Great beer to have with turkey, duck, chicken.

750 bottle poured into a flute

A- A slightly hazy golden copper with a two finger white head.

S- Tart, wheat, oak, earthy funk, plum skins, some plums.

T- Sour, plums, some oak, lemons, some wheat, mild earthy funk.

M- Smooth, light body.

O- A tasty saison with a nice touch of plums, easy to drink.