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Austin Street Brewery

 

 

Just a beautiful beer.

Pours like champagne. An aggressive pour out of the 12.7 oz bottle into a white wine glass that left a good inch or two of white head with lots of bubbles that dissipated and eventually left just a trace of film.

The color is a pale gold and the nose is a light Brett, nothing much more. Maybe hay too but that's testing my olfactory sensibilities a little too much.

The taste is like Lolita, if I was Humbert. This beer is a thing of beauty and delicacy. I found it appropriate to only take small sips which enabled me to gain the maximum level of appreciation in its ever so appropriate body - which wasn't too full, and wasn't too light - it was just right for the style. Speaking of style - I'm not sure what this is - but I'd call it a saison even though it's labeled as a blonde.

All Lolita-like sexual innuendos aside - this beer was the bomb for me, and I'm glad it wasn't in a bomber, and I'm glad it's only a one-time offering, because I think it made me appreciate it all that much more. Really well done Austin Street!

Cheers!

 

 

 

Straight pour from a 12.7oz/375ml pry-off bottle to an oversized wineglass (specifically, Jester King stemware). This was purchased at the brewery about two weeks prior to drinking, but refrigerated fairly consistently. It was bottled on September 15, 2016, according to a hand-written bottling date on the label, making it just over three weeks old at the time of consumption.

Appearance (3.75): Three to four fingers of crackly, bone-white foam rise off of the pour, dissipating quickly (befitting the style). The body is a nearly clear, 24-carat golden color, and the head leaves basically no lacing. That fact feels a little disappointing, but it is more or less par for the course.

Smell (4.5): Light, orchard-like fruits—Honeycrisp, Bartlett, light orange blossom, candied lemon zest, etc. And then loads of dry, and a bit dusty, hay follows the fruit. Gorgeous and nimble. Vinous mineral tones like pinot grigio, with white grape skin. Common crackers and baking soda biscuits fill out some malt base.

Taste (4.5): Holy. Shit. A bold, clear mixture of mineral, vinous pinot grigio and sweet but flower-light orchard fruits jump right out of the gate. Ripe Bartlett pear, Macoun or underripe Honeycrisp apples, red grapes—but kept firmly in check by minerally and citric vinous notes. Brett shows its face on two fronts: citric, slightly tannic tartness, along with the bevy of fruit sweetness. The hay and very slight mustiness are products of it, too, but take a back seat. The malt is dry, light, and crisp, transformed into the juicy sweetness of pear, candied lemon zest, and apple. All this time, I nearly overlooked the spicy part—very light, but quietly and satisfyingly playing a background role. Coriander, white pepper, green pepper . . . clove, too. But it reall is just a background to some honey sweetness. Fantastic.

Mouthfeel (4.25): Feather-soft, fine-grained carbonation is married to a velvet-smooth, but ultimately still very dry body. The carbonation tingles lightly before washing ouot, and the tannic body keeps the finish dry. Very, very satisfying.

Overall (4.0): I love young brett, and I have no doubt that this beer would continue to morph into a lean, complex, bone-dry crusher of a blonde. Right now, however, it’s still fruity, complex, smooth, minerally, and vinous. It’s beautiful. I just wish I had a few more bottles to try over the next 12-18 months!

 

 

From a 12.7 oz bottle purchased at the brewery and hand dated "Bottled 9.15". I purchased it on Saturday, September 10th. That's taking "fresh" to new heights! (unless it was bottled a year ago.)
Very nice slightly cloudy deep gold color; a bit of a head with some lacing that fades.
Smell of spicy ripe fruit, a hint of Bret.
Taste of spicy fruit, hint of spicy cider. Not sour, not very funky, just a hint of funk. The spicyness reminds me of Allagash White, but this is fruitier. A good first Bret experience for the uninitiated.
Nice bubbly feel.
Overall a nice version of light Bret, light Farmhouse, spicy white.