Saison Blue - Tequila Barrel Aged
Dragoon Brewing Co.

 

 

 

The non-barrel aged version is a really nice brew, nailing the traditional saison yeast profile while adding a touch of agave character (I swear you can taste it). This one gets some interesting notes from the tequila barrels - perhaps a hint of lime - but it also strips out some of that yeasty goodness. In the end, I'll take the non-BA version.

 

 

This beer is Saison Blue aged 11 months in tequila barrels blended with the 2013 vintage. Deep gold color with cloudy haze. Thin white foam, decent retention. Strong estery notes in the aroma with touches of grain and moderate hints of alcohol. Relatively clean, not seemingly very earthy or spicy.

The taste is a bit dry and slightly less sweet than the regular Saison Blue. Lots of fruit character, moderate oak flavor, and light peppery spice. It certainly tastes more alcoholic though the ABV was not increased any by the barrel aging. To me the regular version was not a very classic representation of the Saison style, and here the Tequila barrel effect makes this beer more reminiscent of a Belgian Tripel. In that sense I kind of like it more than the regular.

I haven't had a beer aged in Tequila barrels before so this was an interesting experience. I'm not big on the Saison Blue to begin with, but again this was a nice twist and I would like to see what happens with other barrel projects from Dragoon in the future. Definitely worth a try.