Bleak Season
Nomad Brewing Company

a delicious, clever, and funky black saison that i just realized was the name of this beer, just pronounced with a heavy new zealand accent, how funny! its a cool beer, lightly wild on the yeast, really mature and dry which i like in a dark saison, and then made even more unique with a couple of weird ingredients, wattle seed and cinnamon myrtle, which are unfamiliar to me mostly, but add cool earthiness and herbal elements to this beer that play super well with the distinctive yeast profile. not much head on it from the bottle, and i smell a little oxidation, like this one may have been on the shelf awhile before we picked it up. sort of the color of soy sauce, lost between black and brown with some reddish edges and long legs on the edges of the glass. aroma and flavor are great, heavy roast is bitter and intense, more than anticipated, and there is an almost burnt note all the way through this. some cool toffee sweetness from the grain, a raisin note, tobacco and licorice spice too, subtle anise maybe, minerals, cherry, brandy, burnt citrus rind and black coffee, bretty farmy mustiness, port wine, its awesome and complex, and i like it more and more as it warms too. i wish it had more carbonation, and life in general to it, its a bit still for what it is, but the flavors are really distinct and i like this recipe a whole lot. i have been impressed with the handful of beers i have had so far from these guys, this one is really different!