Saison Du Fermier - Pinot Noir Puncheons
Side Project Brewing

Blend #6.

Great pairing with Wagyu Tomahawk. Musty red grape skins on the nose; hints of pear & lemon. Palate is light & tart, w/ soft carbonation accompanying notes of grapefruit, raspberry, & a nice dryness from the oak. A floral character rounds it out nicely.

 

10 year blend on tap. Yellow cloudy body with a full white head, spotted lacing. Smell is a wonderful use of the wine barrels getting all the vinous and oak trappings to come out and play with lemon, orange, slight sliced red apple, big flowers, wild yeast and mild funk. Taste is much the same with slight minerality, oak is dark than it smelled, red grape note really develops. The loverly barrel character continues in the feel, showing off rustic, vinous, and wild elements, smooth and sour in an artful way, dries out perfectly

 

Pinot noir barrel is an interesting choice, and and it comes off better than I would have expected. Tart, light, refreshing, nuanced, acidic and dry. Taste is grape, oak, barnyard funk, and lemon zest.

 

 

 

Blend 5
Look - Fantastic bright golden clear with a fantastic white head and great rimming and lacing
Smell - tart Oakley red wine
Taste - tart Oakley red wine slight floral
Feel - medium full body slight fizz creamy
Overall - a really great tart oakey saison with a nice wine backbone and a great feel to it

Blend #3

It's always a treat to have any kind of Side Project beer, but this one intrigues me. If you're going to age a Saison in wine barrels, white wine is the typical choice. But Pinot Noir? That's out there, and it excites me. Let's see what kind of character it lends to this beer

Pours a cloudy orange gold with a finger of white head that quickly fades to a ring of bubbles and leaves minimal lacing

The funk is definitely present in the nose, but it's gentle and nuanced to create a complex aroma. I'm picking up on aromas of lemon juice, crackery malt, earthy wheat, sharp oak, tart red grape, wet hay, apricot, apple skin, and light white wine vinegar

Damn, this is huge in taste, the Pinot Noir grapes really add a punchiness to it that keeps it interesting throughout the sip. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting red wine, wet hay, sharp oak, toast, peach pit, lemon zest, light leather, and apple skin. The swallow brings notes of white wine vinegar, dry oak, apricot, earthy wheat, red grape, lemon zest, straw, and light stone

A light medium body pairs with moderate carbonation, resulting in a smooth yet funky beer. Finishes slightly sticky but the tartness dries it out eventually

Wow, this beer is awesome. It's to be expected from Side Project, but it's still such a treat. I need more from them

Blend #5

Pours a cloudy golden color. Essentially opaque. Thick, frothy, velvety white head forms on the beer, lingers, then slowly dissipates until no residual head remains.

Aroma is lovely - notes of grain, slight funk, a hint of dry red wine, lemon zest, lemon grass, and some light oaky notes.

Taste follows the nose with notes of grain, lemon, lemon zest, moderate tartness, with a slight funkiness to it. The pinot noir puncheons bring some oak, some red wine notes - pinot noir - with a certain dryness and light peppery spice on the back end.

Feel is light to medium bodied. Tart enough to produce a light pucker. Light carbonation. Semi-dry finish.

Absolutely delicious farmhouse ale. Expertly crafted all around.

 

 

Bottle. Blend #5. White head. Cloudy orange color.

Nice saison notes. Peach and apricot, stonefruit. Oak. Some citrus. Oaky saison vibes. White grape vibes.

Light to medium bodied. Tart and refreshing. Great saison.

 

 

 

I received a bottle of this Saison from @fbarber in the NBS BIF #14. Poured into a Side Project Lambic Style glass also provided by @fbarber. It pours a cloudy, golden-orange color with a half finger of creamy, bright-white head and lacing. Its nose has the classic farmhouse funky scent of a Saison, including musty tobacco notes, with addition of the Pinot Noir grape. It's a great aroma. The taste is unique and fabulous. The Pinot Noir barrel is evident in the first sip and gives it a great depth of flavor. The base Saison offers tart lemon and a hint of banana sweetness, along with the coriander and musty oak I'd expect. The local wild microflora is evident but not distracting and there is an earthy tobacco, as well. As it warms a bit the sweetness of the Pinot Noir becomes more evident and the balance is superb. It has a great, crisp mouth feel with lively carbonation, and at 7% ABV a second pour from the large bottle is welcome. This is my second offering from Side Project and I'm very impressed by the creativity and quality.

This is a delicious pinot noir-accented saison.

 

Looks and tastes like many other AWA’s, with more barrel complexity and a relatively fine texture, but a little thin.

Bright pale gold, sharp clarity, thin cap of foam with minimal lacing. Aroma is fruity, sweet-tarts candy, oaky vanilla. Tart and mildly vinous, some wine-derived fruitiness from the barrel, but it veers lemony and sharply acidic. Dry oaky finish. Finely carbed with a smooth texture, overall it’s pleasant and drinkable, but no one is reinventing the wheel here. More wild ale than saison, but that’s the point. Thanks to Eric for this one!

 

 

 

 

Such a wonderful blend between beer & wine

 

Copper colored with a fingernail of off white and covering two thirds of the top. The aroma is of lactobacillius, Pinot noir, and oak. I’m tasting oak, Pinot noir, and lactobacillius. The mouth is dry and moderately carbonated.

 

750 mL bottle. Golden body. Smells of deep vinous notes, grain, light acidity. Tastes of deep wine flavors, more distinctly pinot noir here. Sweet wine up front cut quickly bit tart lemon and vinous sourness. Grain. Oak. Back end is earthy and winey. There's a lot of wine there. Medium body. Dry, oaky, and winey. It's good, but it's not a subtle beer.

 

 

Pours a bright copper color with a clear transparency, just a bit of fog to it. Head is a finger of white foam that retains decently well. Aroma is cellar stone, biscuity and wafery malts with lemon zest and then green apple, dry pear and green grapes draped over the top. What starts as a standard saison evolves into a lightly tart white wine. Flavor profile is green apple, dry pear and green grapes with cellar stone, lemon zest and wafery malts beyond. Punchy dryness meats punchy tartness, both of which hit quick and then recede, exposing the underlying saison. Balance is good, with the first hitting just hard enough to be counterbalanced by the saison effectively. Mouth feel is crisp with a refreshingly dry and tight effervescence texture each and every sip. Thickness is medium. Overall, crisp and refreshing with punching notes that strike outside of the saison norm, this is a refreshing and unique twist on the style, while still coloring within the lines.

Served in a 15.5oz Speigalau tulip from a 750mL bottle. Batch #4.

 

 

 

 

 

Blend #1.

Bottled July 2016; drank 8/12/16 @ Golgi Apparatus.

Opaque light orange appearance.

Minimal bright white head; minimal lace.

Tart pineapple notes in the nose.

Medium thin mouthfeel.

Tart pineapple & peach flavors; not overly sour but your jowls will notice by the end.

Fruity yet challenging.