Granum
Propolis Brewing

 

 

Clear golden amber color with long-lasting foam in the Kasteel chalice. Clean yeasty aroma with cereal and herbal hints. Slightly tart but mellowed by the malt, still with a sweet start as you taste. Tangy with a spritzy mouthfeel.

Grainy and slightly bitter aftertaste. This is brewed with several grains plus sage, thyme, and hyssop, plus brettanomyces yeast. Poured from the 375 ml bottle purchased at the brewery, it's the 2017 vintage. This seems to be one of the perennial brews, and it's a good example of the Propolis style.

this is good not great, and i still havent made up my mind about the beers these guys make, a little hit or miss so far, especially on draft. this is a rustic saison fermented with brett, and while i like the layered grain base and the body and flavor provided by the malt, i am not in love with the brett complexion, relative maturity, or finish. it tastes a little amateur to me, neither a well executed fermentation with a known cultured brett strain, nor an appealing wild yeast profile, its sweaty and gritty and less refined and clean than it should be. still a decent brew though, with a lightly spicy and dry malt base, a dried botanical and noble hop flash at the end, and pretty solid carbonation and body, it feels right for what it is. i dont know if this is old or young, but the brett just isnt where it needs to be, bready and jus not quite there, whether its is yet to reach, or is past its presumed moment. drinkable though, not hardly even tart which is cool in one of these, but a full quality level below what i was hoping for with this, owing to the brett...

edit: i cannot believe how much better this was in a bottle (2017 vintage) than on tap, really exquisite from the bottle, not sure why such a variance, perhaps the bottle conditioning or the cork having something to do with it, but its a totally different and superior beer, drier, funkier, cleaner on the acidity, more mature, and so brightly carbonated. i loved it in this fashion, and i could really taste the sage in it. raising a few scores here to reflect the bottle experience!

 

 

 

 

 

 

On tap at Oak & Oar OKC. Pours a cloudy light orange with a finger of white head. Smells sweet and malty, and I get a touch of bubblegum too. The sweet breadiness is there on the tongue, but Belgian esters pop up. There's a slight taste of rye, along with pear and green apple. Medium mouth with a touch of dryness. Nice saison, and another solid offering from Propolis.

 

 

 

 

 

750mL (2015) into a Hennepin glass. Pours a cloudy orange color w/ a 1-finger head that subsides pretty quickly to a thin film and collar. Beautiful, inviting depth of color on this one.

Aroma is light and crisp, earthy, floral, herbal. A nice grainy quality. A touch citrusy.

Taste is likewise earthy and grassy, floral and herbal. A honey sweetness balanced by a subtle sour note from the Brett yeast. Crackery, bready malt. A tangy citrus note, more lemon than anything. Vague spiciness, but nothing I can identify. There's also an almost salty, briny note, similar to Gose; not sure where that's coming from but it contributes to the uniqueness of this beer.

Mouthfeel is crisp and light, refreshing. Finishes semi-dry.

Overall a nice introduction to Propolis. This beer is definitely unique, and thus difficult to compare to others, even within the style. I'd say it's probably closest to saisons I have had from Upright. Definitely enjoyable on a hot almost-summer afternoon.

Poured from a 750ml bottle into a Propolis tulip. Pours a hazy medium coppery amber with a massive half glass head with excellent retention and sheets of lacing; constant active carbonation. Aroma is saison yeast, rye bread, grainy and woody; unusual combination of grain and saison dryness. Flavor is dry saison yeast, rye tartness, bitter herbs, hints of mint, wild yeast and fresh cut wood, light fruit. Finishes earthy, woody and herbal with a somewhat astringent herbal bitterness. Medium bodied with very active, peppery carbonation. A unique saison, with hard to describe herbal, lightly earthy and woody flavors. Rye tartness and bitterness apparently more from herbs than hops. The finish is somewhat astringently bitter, but there are enough interesting herbal flavors to support the bitterness. Unusual and interesting saison.

(Served in a tulip glass)

A- This beer pours a hazy aged copper body with a thin ring of white foam around the edge. It is a bit to dense to see much carbonation.

S- The clean aroma has some nice slight tart fruit notes that later led to some cereal grain notes as it warms.

T- The raw spicy grain flavor has some nice earthy peppery spice notes that almost take on a mint character. There is a tart fruit note in the finish. Some herbal spicy notes linger as the beer opens with some clove phenols and apple skin notes. There is a buckwheat flavor that comes through in the grain flavor as it opens.

M- This beer has a medium-light mouthfeel and a crisp little fizz but no astringency or alcohol heat.

O- This beer has a nice unique spicy character to the grain with some good gentle tartness that is well balanced. I really kept sipping to try and figure this beer out as it kept opening up. It was great to have one but I don't think I would qualify it as a session beer, still very tasty.