Bière de Coupage
Side Project Brewing

750 mL bottle. Hazy orange with a big white head. Smells of bright citrus, herbals, oak, and light brett basement funk. Tastes of citrus tartness, brett earthiness, light doughy malt, and hefty oak. Medium body with fairly high carbonation. I expected a dry hopped brett farmhouse to be better than this. It's good, but there are much better examples out there.

 

 

Batch 1 (2020) - poured into a wine stem at 50°F.

Pours a deep glowing tangerine colour - translucent, but quite foggy, and topped with a creamy, fluffy off-white head, nearly 4 fingers tall, and receding fairly quickly to a moderate collar.

Nose: Biére de Coupage opens up with a big saturated aroma, showcasing some rustic farmhouse grains and a big funky element that's more akin to Hill Farmstead rather than Side Project. Ultra funky notes of damp hay bales, wet dead leaves, stone cellar, petrichor, barnyard, old wine oak, dusty parchment, and even a cheesy funk. Fruity and bright, with some overripe apricot, mango, tart lemon, and some hints of green apple, pear, kiwi, kumquat, and a touch of hyacinth and tea tree oil. Remarkably complex and saturated.

Palate: The beer greets the palate with an instant explosion of funk. A really nice malt base - a bit sweeter than the average Side Project saison with some nice toasted and hearty grains. The acidity is really nicely tame - tart and vibrant, but not sour or bracing at all. Lots of musty barnyard funk and sweaty tang. A touch of lemon pulp, with tart gooseberry, green wine grape, unripe nectarine, and Asian pear, all accentuated by subtle sweetness. Quite vinous. Not fresh wine, but musty, fruity wine-soaked cask. The Nelson hops are evident, with their fruity Sauvignon Blanc notes, but properly restrained and level with the funk. Some overripe peach pit, pomello pith, and a subtle spicy, nearly grassy note emerges, lending just a kiss of hop bite. Tartness and grian sweetness subside, as the finish highlights dry French oak and malted grains with a clean, dry conclusion.

Mouthfeel/Body: For a 6% ABV saison, there's quite a bit of presence and body here. The beer is medium-bodied, with a fair bit of soft malt. The subtle sweetness contributes to the weight as well, while the gentle tartness keeps it bright and relatively crisp. Effervescence is moderate - quite soft, and not quite prickly or champagne-like. Clean, dry finish. Lower acidity.

Overall: Simply put, this is stunning. Many of Side Project's offerings have been trending more and more acidic, which I don't personally care for. This is so supremely balanced, while also just exploding with complexity - from the wild funk, the wine cask, and those Nelson hops just seal the deal. This is almost on a Hill Farmstead level. I'm not sure how much Oude Fermier is coming through (haven't had it, likely never will), but this is one for the books.

 

 

So good. Medium lighter golden body, one and half finger white head, good retention. Crisp lemon, light straw, grassy and tropical Nelson hops, moderate acetic acidity, light funk, touch of oak. Medium bodied, refreshing and a bit of a drying sensation. More or less dry hopped Saison du Fermier with that funky Oude Fermier base being noticeable on the backend. A steal for what it is.

 

poured from a 750mL bottle into a stemmed bulb glass. pours darker gold with quite a lot of soapy off white head. smell is white wine, oak, some earthy funk and floral notes from the hops. taste is similar with the Oude Fermier shining with plenty of oak and white wine characteristics and a very mild acidity. the nelson hops give it a bit of earthiness and spiciness but they don’t play as big of a role as i’d initially assumed they would. mouthfeel is spot on. full and perhaps a little lower on the carb than normal for the style. overall, very impressed with this beer. i thought it sounded quite good from the description but it has completely surpassed my expectations.