Borage
Propolis Brewing

16oz can (dated 8/19/21) poured into 16oz tulip. Poured a very turbid and dense dark yellow color with 2inches of white head that had long-lasting retention and moderate lacing.

Solid base grains and earthy oats had the front of the nose, with an overall floral note. Whether the floral aspect came from the dry hops or the actual flower added, I couldn't really tell.

Things started out similar on the tongue, but a bright citrus flavor popped out, and there was a touch of bitterness as well.

The body was bit on the full side of medium for the style, smooth, and had a finish that was medium, maybe a touch sweet.

Drinkability was good, a nice, easy quaff.

Overall, a pretty nice brew. Worth grabbing if you see it.

 

2018 vintage, turkish red wheat and borage flowers, a combination of ingredients i have never seen in beer before. this is light but distinctive, well mature, and among the best propolis beers i have had, a brewery i love the idea of, but have been hit and miss on in terms of whats actually in my glass. this is gorgeous, bright, and drinkable. its weird but familiar, the yeast is more bretty than sour, wild to me, almost ambient and lambic-esque in a way their others really havent been. this just seems so much more refined, but not at the expense of being weird. it almost looks like a pilsener, clear for the first part of the bottle, a little haze later, delicate white head, sexy in the glass. smells and tastes like cut lawn, well established brett, generic white wine, pear, and peach, with a little lilac and daffodil as well, springy and sexy, i dont know borage well, but i immediate like it in here. the wheat doesnt seem crazy different to me either in terroir or overall taste and feel, but its obviously wheat in this, and i like the subtle earthy rawness about it, always cool in saison types, and its cool here too. very minimal body, very bright beer overall, and less unique than the label suggests maybe, but subtle and brilliant and better than a lot of the others i have had from them. i was stoked on this, it was lights out with heady sashimi and cool company. i dont get enough beer from these guys anymore, price prohibitive and kind of hard to come by, but this was stellar. worth seeking out for sure, and sure to age very well. loved it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks to Skuter for sharing this one at his tasting.

This is the 13th beer made by the brewer in 2014.

Pours a hazy yellow with a foamy off-white head that settles to a partial film on top of the beer. Thin streaks of lace form around the glass on the drink down. Tiny particles of sediment are seen suspended in the beer after the pour. Smell is of grain, earth, floral, banana, and spice aromas. Taste is much the same with slightly sour floral, earth, banana, yeast, and spice flavors on the finish. There is a mild amount of spice bitterness on the palate with each sip. This beer has a lower level of carbonation with a slightly crisp mouthfeel. Overall, this is a pretty good beer with an interesting mix of floral and banana characteristics and a slight tartness in the taste.

Serving type: bottle.

Poured into a Propolis tulip. Pours a medium golden amber with active carbonation and a fine one finger white head with great retention and lacing. Aroma of biscuit malt, saison yeast; classic saison. Flavor is light apple and pear, dominant brett, earthy and peppery; dry, lightly tart and wild yeast forward in the finish. Medium bodied with active, peppery carbonation. One of the drier and simpler ales from Propolis, reminiscent of a dry, bretty European saison. I enjoy borage flowers and expected their gentle sweet flavor, which was mild in this ale. It was a bit dry and tart for my tastes, but well within the style.