Hansel & Brett'el
Forked River Brewing Company

Appearance: Poured with a single finger of head that evaporated fast and left minimal lace, the body is a slightly cloudy. The body shows a fairly strong stream of thin carbonation.

Smell: White wine is by far the most dominant scent on the nose, but pale malt and a kind of funky fruit yeast is noticeable. It didn't require warming to come out, it's potency is there.

Taste: Starts with a sour lemon and sour apple note that seems to hold the barest traces of pale malt which turns to a white wine note of which the sour keeps powering though that ends with a slight bit of honey and dry fruit and stale bread yeast note.

Mouthfeel: The lemon and sour apple permeate the beer, and if not for the dry yeast end finally managing to climb on top of it and the end, that would be all you would taste in the aftertaste. The carbonation is a bit thinner then I would normally like it to be, but here I think if it was amped up, it would lend itself to the already potent sour note which comes across as frankly, a bit too acidic.

Drinkability: This drinks like mid-grade wine, its too sour and restrained to be a guzzler, but isn't complex to the point you savor every drop. Incredibly light body and on the gut. That said, I'm not a fan of wine that has a lot of acidic presence, thus I'm not a big fan of it here.

Final Thoughts: I'm really starting to avoid these white wine aged beers, as far too often I'm left asking "Why didn't I just buy a bottle of wine?" In this case the answer is because you want a sour note, but wouldn't really get that pale malt and yeast note to reign it in. I guess it would be cheaper then buying a decent local bottle of wine too, but I can't say I'd pick this one up again, despite it being well done.

Bottle: Poured a hazy blonde color ale with a large pure white foamy head with good retention and some lacing. Aroma of dry Brett notes with some fruity ester with some vinous notes is pretty complex. Taste is a mix of dry Brett notes with some fruity ester with some complex vinous notes and light oak presence. Body is about average with good carbonation. Interesting but lacks some balance between all the different flavours.

 

 

A Very decent sour beer. On tap at volo. Some lace. Balanced for white wine ageing, smooth mouthfeel. Recommended. A good ageing series is hoped for.

 

A bit honey ish on the nose, a touch dusty, super sharp carbonation.

 

500 mL bottle picked up at the brewery last month; served slightly chilled.

Pours a foggy golden-yellow colour, topped off with one finger of frothy, white head. It recedes steadily over the next five minutes or so, eventually settling into a denser, creamier cap and collar. The aroma is vinous and somewhat acidic, with notes of white grape, apple and lemon, along with light touches of oak, grainy pale malt and funky yeast. I am intrigued.

Light and refreshing, with a pretty interesting flavour profile. A mild, grainy malt sweetness is soon overshadowed by the more noticeable barrel features - Chardonnay and oak, with suggestions of Granny Smith apple skin and citrusy lemonpeel. It becomes more funky and acidic at the finish, with these flavours, and a touch of oak, carrying on into the aftertaste. Light-bodied, with zippy carbonation that gives this saison a crisp, thirst-quenching mouthfeel. As is the case with more traditional saisons, a glass of this would be a fitting reward after some hard work outdoors.

[Updated Aug 28 2016]

Another bottle from the brewery; picked up in Feb 2016 (I think?). Brilliant golden clarity this time - probably because most of the sediment has settled into a solid cake at the bottle's base. It still tastes fairly good, with subtle oak-derived flavours and Brett tartness - but the flavour profile has still fallen off a tad over the last half-year or so. Hansel & Brett'el is definitely a beer you'll want to drink fresh: it's a refreshing and creative effort from one of Ontario's younger craft breweries. I really enjoy this brew, and if it showed up at the LCBO even as a limited release, I would be a loyal purchaser. Craft beer fans that appreciate white wines will naturally gravitate toward this one, but anyone looking for an easy-drinking saison with a little bit of funk should keep an eye out for this unique brew.

 

On-tap at Volo. Lightly tart, and the white wine barrel comes across nicely, resulting in green grape flavours and a bit of oak. Yeast is notable. Everything about this beer is done in moderation- the Brett, the barrel. Nice balance of flavours.

On tap at Bar Hop in Toronto. Really nice Brett character. Had never tried anything from Forked River before and was very impressed with this one. Will try some of their other offerings.