Ampersand
Blackberry Farm Brewery

 

 

A: Pours up a hazy straw gold with a creamy three finger head.
S: Malt, slight toastiness, estery notes, slight bubblegum and bread, hints of corn.
T: Tastes like corn, there's some herbal spiciness, but ultimately it tastes like corn, fuck this.
M: Dry as hell.
O: It tastes like corn, I miss the old kanye.

again and again from these guys, the quality of the beer they are making stands above just about everything else that exists in these styles, especially from domestic breweries. more than the flavors, its the overall quality that always strikes me first when i get into their stuff. this is gorgeous saison, bright in the glass despite a tiny little bit of haze, a two inch airy white wispy head is permanent on top of it, and the brassy shine and high carbonation makes it look impossibly attractive! this is done with nelson and aramis hops, a cool combination that teases noble grassiness but also has a vinous fruity white complexion, things like lime and kiwi and meyer lemon from the nelson, oily and fresh, quite a bit hoppier in both aroma and flavor than many of the beers i have had from these guys in the past, but its still sort of delicately done, or rather the balance found is impeccable, with some cool earthy cereal grains in support, and the saison yeast i recognize from some of their others, estery, peppery, grounded, patient, drying, and also with a white wine element of its own, lightly french in that way, but not as sharp to me ever. faint coriander aromatic to it, some real herbal hop character in the finish, effervescent carbonation all the way through, notes of mushy plantain, light pale rye malt perhaps, and a zippy citrus character too. so many layers to this, but so well integrated, neat to have a hop combination like this in what is fashioned as a pretty classic old worldy saison type. brilliantly done, as always, by blackberry farm here. i will be on the lookout for more of this one!