Bière Du Nord
Toolbox Brewing Company

 

a well made brett saison that is dry, funky, and winey, its very solid, but a little less original and unique then most of the toolbox beers i have had so far. pale golden and actually fairly clear from the bottle, capped with a rising inch plus of airy white head, very active and pretty in the glass, only sedimented in the bottom inch or so of the bottle. white wine, new oak, and belgian and bretty funk to the nose, slightly floral and even perfume fruity from the yeast for a second, white grape and pear, orchard-esque and bright and new, nice to have multiple yeast profiles in the same beer. some grassy hops here and some bitterness in with the brett on the back end, nice complexity of flavor for something so easy drinking. wonderful carbonation, this is super lively with champagne flavors and feels to it, especially in the finish, dry and funky, but so clean, really well refined, even with all the fruity esters in here, which for my palate could be scaled back just a bit, but i thought this was quality beer with a nice mature brett profile to it and a ton of drinkability. i continue to enjoy beers from these guys when i can find them!

 

Toolbox Brewing Co. "Bière Du Nord"
500 ml brown glass bottle without freshness dating
$7.99 @ Weis Market, Conshohocken, PA

Notes via stream of consciousness: Nice looking label. Toolbox Brewing... I'd never heard of them until now. It pours a very cloudy yellow body beneath a two-finger thick head of fluffy bright white that seems to be holding well and has already left lacing behind where the head has dropped. The aroma is definitely Brettanomyces accented with notes of leather, straw, earthiness, mineral, and soft "horse blanket". It's also a touch spicy, softly fruity (lemon and apricot), floral, and grassy. The flavor is much fuller and richer than the nose would have you believe, and I'm finding notes of grainy malt, flowers, tartness, banana, pear, not-too-spicy white pepper, clove, citrus pith, a hint of what I think of as metallic, and candy sugar. Everything put together is really almost too much to take in at once, but on the other hand it's also 'obvious' and 'real' and very simple to drink. A rigid bitterness cuts through it and balances it, and along with the subtle tartness, the earthiness, the spiciness, and the mineral and citrus pith it finishes dry. Wow, it's absolutely fantastic with lots of nuance and yet at the same time very grounded and 'simply' drinkable. It's medium bodied and soft across the palate. Very nicely done. Superbly balanced. Fantastique!

From a tall bottle, this brew is a hazy deep gold color. White head. The aroma is a little fruity, with some citrus cents (lemon?)... There is a bit of pepper underneath. The taste is sweet in front, and the mid-taste dries out a bit, with a little spice and finishes with a tart note. Medium body. Interesting and drinkable.

Poured from a tall bottle into a Dogfish Head tulip

L: Clear light golden apricot pour. Massive foamy white head with great retention and lacing.

S: Fruity and sharp... pear and apricot. Floral and funky.

T/F: MIld fruity sweetness... floral character, almost perfumey. Honeysuckle and strong notes of pear and summer fruits. A bit funky but not much in the way of tartness. Overcarbonated... bubbly, almost champagne-like. Finish is dry and floral.

O: Not a big fan. Looked great, smelled good, tasted meh... and the mouthfeel was a negative. Expected more flavor/tartness.... this was more like a pear perfume mix. Won't be getting it again.

 

Poured into a narrow glass: color is hazy straw gold, head is bright white and presents about 1 inch thick, minor lacing. Looks like a saison.

Smell is blend of light spice, phenol, pepper, clove, hints of light biscuit and some frutiness.

Taste seems like a blend of fuller wheat beer and light saison: moderate wheat/biscuit flavor, then moderate spiciness, notes of pepper, clove, phenol.

Mouthfeel is soft, sweet, then very feint drying.

Overall a pleasant tasting ale with notes of saison, heavy wheat/biscuit, just not quite enough dry or yeasty/belgian yeasty byproduct flavors.

 

 

It pours somewhat hazy with a huge Belgian head. The aroma is surprisingly Tripel-esque but with a Brett funk at the end. The taste is hoppy upfront with some citrus tartness toward the end and a barnyard aftertaste. This is a very enjoyable saison.

 

 

Pours a hazy light gold. With a tall bubbly white head lasting a while.

Smells of a strong saison brett, light floral And fruit

Tastes lightly fruit light sweet and grassy slight funk that fades in flavor as you drink more. Nice short dry finish. Medium body with creamy smooth feel despite the generous carbonation

A sudsy, mild, and fragrant sort of Saison. Read the label for an interesting story. The highlights are they brew with yeast from northern France, add some Bouclier hops from Alsace, and add Brettanomyces at bottling. The result is quite light and dry with just a hint of fruit.

Tastes like sweet, eggy, challah bread. There is just a touch of floral hops. Mouthfeel is frothy and quite delightful. This is my first Toolbox beer and I'm happy to have made the acquaintance. From the 500 ml purchased at Bine & Vine for eight bucks.