√400 Saison 20th Anniversary Special Edition I - Ale Brewed With Grapes
BFM (Brasserie des Franches-Montagnes)

 

 

Bottle, batch 8, best by 2020. Purchased at John's Marketplace.

A clear orange with a dense white head with good retention and lacing, this looks great. The nose is wonderfully deep. The venous, acetic depth from Bon Chien barrels is immediately noticeable, along with a bright, mineral and fruit heavy grape character. Peach, melon and a little jam are present. The palate opens sour with a blend of white wine vinegar, semi ripe grapes, melon, semi ripe peaches, a little honey. White wine, mineral and mildly jammy on the mid palate along with notes of vanilla. Drying, lemony, acetic and vinous on the finish. Excellent, though I wouldn't age bottles too long. The sourness does hurt the mouthfeel a little, but otherwise, this beer is excellent.

 

Poured from a 33cl flip top bottle into a teku glass. Pours hazy golden in color with a wispy white head that slowly settles into a modest lacing. Funky aroma with typical funky Brett notes like horse blanket and a bit of green apple. Much more sour than I was expecting, but not in a bad way. Lots of tartness with subtle notes of green apple, white grape and a just touch of oak. Bone dry mouthfeel with just a bit of a throat tingle from the sourness. Overall it’s an excellent sour that I would gladly have again. 4.28/5

this is a crazy little beer, i love the other anniversary saison, so i had really high hopes for this, but maybe should have opened it a little sooner. the label says slightly sour on it, but this is downright puckery, make no mistake. not sure if it turned a little in my cellar or if it was bottled like this, but there is strong white vinegar acidity in the nose, and while it does taper off some in the flavor, it seems a little more destructive than enhancing, although that might be being overly critical of a really good beer. its pale yellow, insanely active, and crystal clear until i swirl the bottom inch of the swing top bottle and pour it into my glass, giving the whole thing a gently frosted look, i stop before the heavier sediment goes in. it smells like a 7up or something, bright and almost artificial lemon and lime complexion, with a floral funk to it, really mature brett, anda fruity vinegar aspect. there is a heavy white wine barrel character with both the fruit an the oak, and the grapes they incorporated here seem to me overly fragrant, almost perfumey, like muscat or gewurztraminer often manifest themselves in beer, and its like that in the flavor too, a little sweet from the grapes before the funk and acid come in and dry this right out. wheaty and pils sort of base, crackery and earthy but also really clean, nice with the champagne carbonation and mature brett. what jumps out at me here in the rushing carbonation as this fades out is the overall quality, these guys always do something special, and this is another beautifully done beer, and while the acidity is a little high for my personal preference, especially measured against my expectations this time, i still the beer is fantastic. i wish we saw more of their stuff in colorado...

edit: less sour on tap, newer tasting, did they make this more than once? while i appreciate the lower acidity, we also lose some of its uniqueness in the keg too i think, and its not as grapey. still an awesome beer, much less abrasive but also much less distinct, hard to pick a favorite between them. man i love the beers these guys make!

 

Huge head of white soapy bubbles, almost dense enough to be meringue, but looser. Lots of lacing, good coverage.
Aroma is funky, very mineral forward, flinty damp rock, musty basement, light stonefruit sweetness in the background.
Taste is fruity with white grape and crabapple sourness. Very sour and puckering, traces of white wine vinegar.
Sharp and acidic, well carbed and effervescent at first, with the bubbles ebbing slightly halfway through.
Overall this a tasty beer, and interesting to try, though I still prefer the √225.