Tequila Barrel Aged Prickly Pear Tart Saison
pFriem Family Brewers

enormous thanks to my homie for scoring this one and sharing it with me, new, rare i assume, pretty exciting in concept, and real well executed as always with these guys, but somewhat subtle compared to what i was expecting, highly refined, cleaner than i thought it would be on the ferment for a strong saison, and with the tequila shockingly well integrated, i wasnt sure how that element would go. sometimes prickly pear things are pink, but not this beer, pale straw to deep golden colored, lightly hazy, and with an excited white head and a lot of fizz, drank this outside in what felt like million mile an hour winds, and the head withstood it all. the aroma is lightly tangy, but more driven by clean cultured saison yeast esters, no real funk to this despite all the newish oak that comes through, floral rather than fruity to me from the prickly pear, tea and hibiscus, light citrus too i suppose, a little more grain than expected, and then all the spicy tequila, surprised how layered this is, but also how it stays so beery, really neat, intriguing, even challenging. the flavor is unique, understated, and only very slightly tart. a little bubblegum and green pear ester to this, a definite white wine note, especially with the wood, like a sturdy chardonnay, light white pepper, orange zest and orange candy, and rose or something, slight perfume thing to the prickly pear, long taste journey with this one, but never intense in any way. the alcohol is well hidden, the carbonation is expert, and this is lively for being as strong as it is. unique mix of flavors and textures in this, the tequila is all through it not just on the back end, herbal and distinctive, black pepper, hay, and bitter citrus, just a little warmth. really different.