Sunroom
Holy Mountain Brewing Company - Interbay Brewery + Taproom

 

 

 

From a bottle to a tulip. Fresh from the brewery.
Pours an orange gold with a chill haze that cleared as it warmed. A 2 finger, dense, white head dissipated in moderate time with minimal lacing.

Aroma is simply amazing. A smooth, well balanced Brett character blends effortlessly with white wine oak and a mix of sweet and unripened fruits that lean to citrusy orange. Lactic sourness is strong but not overpowering. Everything is just right.

Taste is Saison perfection. The Brett character is superbly balanced, funky and barn-like, yet not trying to steal the show. The white wine from oak character is elegant. Fruit flavors are strong - lemon, lime, orange from the meat, pith, and peel all at once. Hops lend spicey notes of grass and wood. Bitterness is moderate and fully appropriate. Lactic sourness is at a perfect level. A light, bready malt backbone is just enough to carry everything else. Alcohol not detectable.

Mouthfeel is superb with a medium, mouth-coating body and high carbonation. Crisp and dry with a long flavor finish.

Overall, amazingly well-balanced complexity that is also extremely drinkable. It is the best Saison I’ve ever had and possibly my favorite beer ever. If you can, you’ve got to try this one.

 

Crisp golden body, with a pillowy finger of crisp white foam. Sticks around for a good while. No lacing.

Nose is beautifully sweet and tart. Funky with bright acidity, brett, and a light earthiness, there's elements of white wine, lemon, some grassiness, almost a faint floral fruitiness, just really complex and engaging.

Flavour carries that same complexity and enjoyability forward. Oak brings out the white wine characteristics off the bat, and the brett receives that well, adding some bite as the tart and funky comes forward. Some lemon, some of that same fruitiness, and an interplay between the yeast and the NZ hops gives it not really a sweet character, but some restrained boldness. Finish brings more of the wood and brett together.
Coats the mouth in the way that I find many more acidic beers do, though this one doesn't feel quite as acidic as this would indicate. Definitely big tart linger to the finish/aftertaste though. Sharply effervescent which supports the other characteristics described.

Another fantastically crafted option from a brewery that does not surprise me when that's the case.

 

Tart, funky, sour, oaky, citrusy white grapes

 

enjoyed from a 750ml bottle, March 2017

No head

Brett, oak, light sour, white wine, tannic, vanilla from barrel, papaya

 

Drank on tap at Holy Mountain Brewing Company, Seattle, WA
Served in a cervoise

The slightly hazed, golden-amber liquid was topped a finger-tall cap of tight, creamy, bright white froth. Patchy, streaky lacing coated the glass. The head dissolved rather quickly and the lacing eventually did as well. By the drink's end, the chill haze dropped to reveal a nearly crystal clear body.

The aroma was amazingly interesting and complex. The first thing that hit me was a tart bretty-ness. Crisp, powdery and dry saison yeast notes also came through strong. Good dose of grassy hops. Loads of oaky barrel. A heavily oaked Chardonnay came to mind. Zesty citrus notes were apparent as well. Big lemon and lime presence. Some orange zest too.

The flavor profile was also outstanding. The beer started out with a nice wheatiness before the brett notes kicked in. Super crisp, tart and dry, like the nose. Zesty citrus notes came through big time. Loads of lemon and lime peel. Perfectly tart and bitter. There was a nice dry, powdery yeastiness. Subtle grassy and earthy hop notes appeared on the back end. The beer finished ultra crisp and tart with strong white wine and oaky barrel character, and zesty, citrus-like pith.

The mouthfeel was flawless. It was medium bodied and contained and an ultra fine, sprightly effervescence. Super smooth and supple. Pillowy soft and fluffy on the palate.

I read some great things about Holy Mountain Brewing prior to my trip to the Pacific Northwest, and this oak-aged saison was simply spectacular. I would definitely compare it to some of Hill Farmstead's best takes on the style.

 

Had on tap at Holy Mountain. The body is a cloudy bright orange with a receding white finger head. Aromas consist of juicy peach, orange, lemon, oak barrels, and brett funk. The flavors consist of the same, with a mild sourness. The feel is medium bodied with high carbonation, and a dry finish.

Look : Draft at Holy Mountain. Thin white head, somewhat hazy orange body.

Smell : Tart peaches, orange, lemon, mild barnyard funk.

Taste : Same as above, but with a touch of toasted grains and a slight woodiness from the oak. The fruit flavors are slightly more muted.

Feel : Medium body, medium-high carbonation, pretty tart and acidic. Interesting for a saison.