Cyano
Propolis Brewing

brett saison type aged in a grenache vessel with blueberries. i love what these guys do generally, despite some less amazing stuff from them over the years, when they hit its at a level very few can get to, and i was stoked to try this, been ages since i had one of their beers. the color is neat, blueish tinted from the fruit and the wine, malty caramel toned too though, and a little redness as well, shiny and brassy and pretty clear, but not overly carbonated, i think a more bottle conditioned look and feel would flatter this more, its a thin quarter inch of big popping bubbles that settle out slowly, its not still but its not real lively either. the nose is wonderful, the best part of this, smells sour almost vinegar-like and is quite tannic to me. notes of orange peel, honeysuckle, wine grapes, red apple, and indeed blueberries. more acid less bretty funk in the nose, which has been the case with some of their others too. the flavor is a pleasant surprise then, as its nowhere near as sour as it smells, more drinkable that way, it seems like wine tannins and oak elements and berries all coming together, prune and raspberry and cranberry with the obvious blueberry, but this isnt over fruited, and is every bit as much an expression of the wine vessel as it is the fruit. some generic grain heft to this that goes beyond the wheaty pale base i was expecting here, but its not a distraction, still earthy and on the dry side. some high tone esters as it warms, belgian-esque, lots of minerals, maybe slightly metallic on the finish with the pop of acidity there, but delicious and distinctive beer overall. more carbonation would make it better, but a cool recipe with neat proportions. such a cool operation! this was perfect for christmas eve with my wife!

Barrel aged saison with brett! Aged in a grenache vat with blueberries.