Southern Fellowship
Blackberry Farm Brewery

 

 

i liked this one a whole lot, a unique collaboration with cigar city, a seemingly unlikely pair, not sure what the connection is there but the beer is beautiful. its sort of a belgian pale and saison hybrid, seemingly fermented with a yeast thats the same or very similar to what blackberry farm uses in their saison, but hopped up nicely here, robust and lively and delicious! hazy and orange in the glass under a colossal white head, looks belgian all the way, good body, cool color, and as alive as they come. the beer is uniquely fruity, bitter orange right away, some leafy vegetal greenness, intense pine, almost sappy, and some cool support from the grain, a beady pils type thing, some honey and toffee sweetness, and some nice body, wheaty i would think, rustic and saison-esque here to me too, some cool esters from the yeast, lemongrass and herbal tea and light clove, and finally a rush of carbonation and sweeping dryness to wash it all down. a touch intense with the hops and the yeast esters together, which limits drinkability for me just a bit, especially as it warms, but i love the feel and the hop complexion rides all the body through the finish. its well refined beer, bold as it is, and works well in a fancy food context but just as well without food at all and some drunken darts, a testament i think to its versatility, wide applicability, and high class but unpretentious nature. i enjoyed this quite a lot, a neat collaboration for sure and a fun take on an often underwhelming style!

750 mL bottle. Amber orange. Smells of clove spice, fruity yeast, caramel and doughy malts. Tastes of light caramel malt, bready flavors behind it, clove and fruity esters, light earthy hop bitterness. Medium body with a soft carbonation. Simple and delicious.

 

Darker amber color. Hazy. Thick head which gives some initial blanketing lace.

Mild smell with light Belgian yeast notes. Clean overall without any distinctive beer aromas.

The Belgian flavors come through more strongly in the taste. This is a predominantly bitter beer. Although the semi-toasted base malt is strong, the hop is like black pepper on the tongue. The finish is mostly the yeast and bittering hop, which leaves a decently long aftertaste. Predictable body and carbonation.