Arcturan Mega Saison
Eastlake Craft Brewery

 

this years version is a whopping 13% abv! holy cow! it hides it super well though honestly, and the strength can be felt, but not tasted or anything while drinking this one. its brewed with grapefruit and ginger, which i think is a slight tweak from the lemons it has been made with in the past. really pretty unique beer, with an absolute ton of wheat malt to it, the flavor of the wheat is strong and the body is full, and its well in front of the additives. of those though, the ginger is stronger than the grapefruit, adding a neat earthy spice to this and giving it an almost health tonic sort of vibe. the grapefruit adds some acidity and some bitterness, but is less juicy and fleshy and fresh tasting than it might be. the yeast seems boring too, like its tired (i cant blame it at this abv!), but its not delicate like saison should be, and its not even all the way dry yet. carbonation is lacking too, which is hard in a beer this big. i dont think it benefits much from being absurdly strong, and while i like the flavors quite a bit, the beer would be better at the abv listed here from the last vintage i think. cool idea, to go crazy with a style that never gets this strong, but it seems a little forced, and one was obviously enough for me...

S: funky with a hint of wet horse blanket, grapefruit and ginger. The yeast aromas are medium high and the added fruit and spice aromas are medium.

L: bright gold under a moderate off-white cap with poor to fair retention. A swirl of the glass shows off some legs.

T: lightly sweet malt, grapefruit and some barnyard to horse blanket leading to an assertive bitter accent. The grapefruit is most prominent in the middle along with some alcohol. It interacts nicely with the malt biscuit flavors. The ginger comes out on the finish with a little ginger heat that goes very well with a mild alcohol warming. The beer is not hot and there are no fusel alcohol flavors. The hop bitterness is above average but it is not harsh.

F: This has a very creamy Brettanomyces texture packed into a medium body and slightly less than average carbonation.

O: This is a complex, flavorful and potent beer that fits together very well.

Didn't have fruit, orange, lemon and other flavors. Not crisp nor clean. Tasted more like a pale ale.