By The Horns
Three Magnets Brewing

a collaboration with logsdon, which is insanely heady and something i didnt even realize when i bought the single can. i am just sold on three magnets in general, doing some impossibly cool beers right now, and have risen to the top of my radar and stoke list, this is the real deal. like others i have had from them recently, there is a ton of fresh malt character that is neither sweet nor heavy, and just has this sort of raw earthy complexion about it, with some yeast that isnt bretty or sour or wild, but also isnt belgian or french saison, some sort of house thing going on that really sets this, and many of their beers, apart, id love to know more about it. i smell hoppy bitterness and yeast, like raw dough meeting a botanical injunction, some floral honey, but it smells and tastes too like actual farm beer, and for how often the term "farmhouse" gets tossed around these days, this one tastes like it has cows as neighbors. i also get cool and confusing notes of smarties candies in the taste, a generic fruity and citric acid thing thats hard to place, still lots of grain through this, and if there isnt rye, than ill be darned, because there is a dry white peppery spice that hangs out on my tongue even longer than any other element, this is wild without being bretty or bacterial, and represents a fermentation forward style that to me is uniquely american. if i made this beer, id be kicking down my neighbors doors and making them taste it, something to be proud of for sure, and a beer i will long remember. carbonation is really kicking here too, both visually and texturally. this is at once raw and new, but also old and mature and even ancient. the energy is emanating from it. i wish maybe that there was a little more obvious logsdon influence, but the beer is money, yet again, from these guys. i truly cannot get enough!

 

 

Poured into a Fremont small snifter. Pours a hazy, orange amber with a three finger white head with great retention and lacing. Aroma of grainy malt, graham cracker and lemon; nice. Flavor is grainy malt, lemon, mild light stone fruit, a little funk and hop bitterness. Lightly tart finish. Medium bodied with light creaminess and sharp carbonation. A classic Belgian saison profile; the aroma is spot on and the malt smells great. The flavor has less grainy malt depth and thins out into the finish, revealing the hops which make the taste more interesting, but less traditional. Light fruit, particularly lemon citrus dominate the finish. Tastes good, but I found myself wishing for the deeper graininess of the aroma to dominate the taste. Since Logsdon is the collaborator, I'm glad this has a little tartness as it does.

This is a run of the mill saison, clean and a tad funky. Not a standout for style but solid if you like the Belgian style here.