Saison Noir
Woodfour Brewing Company

 

 

 

when i ordered this i expected a black saison, hence "noir" but i was surprised to learn that the noir here means that the beer is aged in pinot barrels, very cool. there is a redish hue to this otherwise light amber colored brew. it looks mostly flat, and real clear, two traits not usually seen in saison. the nose shows q bit of brett with some funky saison yeast, a light malt base despte the color, and a ton of red wine character from the pinto barrel. its sharply acidic from the wine, which works really well with the grain here. the yeast goes back and forth between fruity saison and dry funky brett. its a long flavor profile with the wine imparting a great deal of flavor, especially in the finish, but a lot less oak itself influencing the beer. this would be immensely improved if it had more carbonation, but it just sort of sits there a little lifeless on the palate. if it were more brightly done, this would be really fantastic, but flatter saison never really gets me going. overall though a great flavor profile and a clever beer from these guys.

Aged in pinot noir barrels. Bright, earthy, musty, lactic and tart. Fun beer.