Gin Barrel Saison
Hermit Thrush Brewery

I’m not a fan of gin barrel aged beers.
This is an interesting concept- a saison aged in gin barrels.
Beautiful amber color.
Very pronounced gin barrel aroma.
Medium light body.
Full gin barrel taste with some honey.
Overall: the concept is excellent as is the brewing,
Not my favorite style, but worth checking out.

I’m not sure I’ve had a gin barrel aged Saison before, and I’m glad I’m starting with Hermit Thrush. I hear this subset of Saisons are wonderful, and it makes sense in my head considering the shared notes between the two. Let’s crack this open and see what the hype is all about

Pours a cloudy orange gold with 2 fingers of creamy off white head that quickly fades to a thin cap and leaves decent wispy lacing

It's definitely unique in the nose, real floral but also with a funky tartness. I'm picking up on aromas of lemon zest, juniper, floral hops, wildflower honey, sharp oak, crabapple, and white wine vinegar

It displays a very similar character in taste, funky and sharp but nicely balanced. On the front end of the sip I'm tasting lemon juice, wheat bread, wildflower honey, mint leaves, juniper, dry oak, and white wine. The swallow brings notes of juniper, white peppercorn, lemon zest, wheat bread, apple skin, sharp oak, and light vanilla yogurt

A medium body pairs with gentle carbonation, resulting in a surprisingly soft beer. Finishes dry with a nice funk

Absolutely a unique beer. The balance here is crazy for a beer that is rather extreme

Poured cold to a couple IPA glasses for sharing. 6.5% ABV. Color is a bright golden copper amber. Head is effervescent 1-2 fingers that burns away quickly. Nose is musty, with a sense of wet ginger in the back. First sips are TART! Lip-puckering sour all the way. The gin is prominent up front, almost as if there was a separate layer of a gin shot just before the sour profile hits in the middle. I get a very strong white grape / wine vibe in the middle, with a lot of instant warming, despite the human-level 6.5% ABV. The end of it accents the oak and ginger. The former is fresh barrel and drying, while the latter is crisp and fresh, like a cross between sushi ginger and ginger ale. Mouthfeel is crisp and dry, with loads of carbonation. This crosses what I pick as a regular due to the amount of serious sour pucker factor, but it’s a nice treat to try. All the more appreciated that the son was willing to pony up $15 for a pint can, plus some other nice Vermont offerings.

 

 

 

 

It appears the rest of these reviews are from die-hard "beer people." Let's get one thing straight. This is not a something normal people should drink. Unless your brain and taste buds are addled by the gratuitous consumption of the poison that is alcohol, avoid this pungent concoction at all costs.

I tried this with three sane people. Here are the things that did not affect our opinion:

1) A misguided urge to enjoy everything we buy.
2) Pretending we have uniquely refined taste-buds and are able to enjoy things sane people do not.
3) Feigning a "tough guy" persona in the face of "craft" consumables that actually tastes like garbage.

This beer is bad. It tastes like the juice squeezed out sweaty undergarments left in a damp basement was brewed in a rusty pot and dashed with the liquid that collects on the bottom of a trash can.

My stomach churned like it never has when I was only 1/3 finished with the can. But I finished it. We all did. And no one was happy. We were all in pain. Avoid this it all costs. I don't what kind of scarred, used up, leathery stomach you need to deal with this terrible potion. If you get this as a gift, the person that gave it to you hates you; pour it down the drain.

What I'm looking forward to least after drinking this beer is the smell; I am sure that my pores and urine and general aura will be reeking of whatever byproducts were used to create this for the next week.

The only thing right about this can is the name of the company - "hermit thrush" sounds like the bodily origin of the puss that's inside of it.

 

OMFG! All of my plans have just suddenly taken a turn off of the rails! One unexpected thing segues into the next, into the next, ad nauseum! Jeezum H. Christopher! At least there is one CANstant - The CANQuest (tm)! Viva The CANQuest (tm)! This one brings us closer to my original intent - I was going to have this following Left Hand's Les Quatre Saisons, but look at how far the detour took me. 8=O This must mean that I'm close to being back on track, right?

From the CAN: "Gin Barrel Saison Vermont Gin Barrel Aged Sour Saison"; "We harness local wild cultures, barrels, and time to create balanced oak aged sour ales."; "American oak Tom Cat barrels from Caledonia Spirits, Brattleboro mixed culture."

I was looking forward to this one for a number of reasons. I got turned onto Tanqueray & Fanta Limon during my first overseas Mediterranean cruise in 1985 & when we returned CONUS, beer was simply AALs & so I switched to T&Ts or G&Ts as my drink of choice for many years. Once craft beer got a foothold, though, I put all liquor aside for many years. Well, I'm back to it occasionally, especially with so many small distillers popping up.

I Crack!ed, not Pop!ped, open the vent following some in-CAN agitation since clarity is not a CANcern in the style. I went with a steady, firm C-Line Glug. I watched as it created just over a finger of rolling, roiling, fizzy, tawny head that seemed determined to reduce to wisps as I CANtinued the Glug. 8=( I was left with a glassful of deeply-hazy/lightly-cloudy Golden-Amber (SRM = > 5, < 7) beer. Nose was très intéressant in that 1) I could definitely smell the gin & 2) it had a similar funkiness to the other beers of theirs that I have recently reviewed. The botanicals were there, the farmhouse funk was there, the oaky woodiness was there & I was ready to drink! Mouthfeel was medium, about on par for the style. The taste was kind of surprising in that, once again, it was NOT "sour", but instead very tart.

Yes, Virginia, there is a difference! That is the beauty of the English language - we have words for everything & some of them actually make sense, especially when used correctly.

It started with a puckering lemony tartness slowly damping down to an oaky, woody flavor before allowing the gin & its botanicals to have a turn in the barrel, so to speak. This paired beautifully with a wee G&T that I had poured for myself as an acCANpaniment.

Faber Liquors is a relatively-local PA distiller whose output is fairly inexpensive to begin with, but when the PLCB began having seemingly-weekly sales on their liquors, I purchased a bottle at a time at the State Store across the street from the bus station. I amassed a pretty good assortment, especially of their flavored vodkas, but also Gin & Rum. An old local friend in the industry recently took a rep job with them & when I did not have anything peach-flavored, he hooked me up with a bottle of their Peach Schnapps! I am not generally a big liquor drinker, but this self-quarantine has inspired me to have a wee dram with my beers, as appropriate. No, I am NOT drinking liquor with EVERY beer! 8=O

Back to the beer. Warming, the tartness reduced, the oakiness increased & so did the botanicals. I am not a huge fan of ice-cold beer anyway, but I do like to cool them in my reefer before drinking them. There must be a happy medium, but I have not found it! 8=( Finish was dry, as you might imagine. I have never heard Gin described as anything but dry & when Saison/wild yeast is added to the mix, you had better be prepared. I was. A couple/few days with this brewery & I felt like I had a real handle on what they are doing. YMMV.

 

 

Optically clear pale yellow tap pour with a thin foam ring and an aroma of wild yeast and oak. The flavor is dominantly vinous and oak influenced. Subtle herbal notes include ginger and juniper. The flavor is full and a wild yeast funk is noted. The finish is very dry. This is a pleasure if it is in your preferred range of taste.

 

 

 

 

 

Having a 5 oz. sample pour of this in a flight of beers I am enjoying at a very nice craft beer bar called Beer Snobs in downtown Jamestown, NY. This beer draws a clear, light to medium golden color with a small white head that settles to a very thick ring lining the inside of the glass and a nice big cluster swirl of surface foam. Aromas of tart oak, barnyard funk, and some bready malts along with a slightly astringent musty...something. I’m not quite sure what that last thing is exactly, but I like it. Has a musty, funky, oaked, tart and sour flavor upfront followed by some breaded malts on the back end. No discernible hops here really. The oak and tart, sour notes really dominate this beer’s flavor profile, as it has reached out and grabbed my tastebuds and isn’t letting go. And I am liking that quite a lot here. Certainly the most tart and sour beer of this style I have ever had. Damn good! Has a crisp, also smooth and frothy, light to medium golden bodied mouthfeel with light to moderate carbonation. Has a dry and slightly burning aftertaste. A really unique take on this style. I thought this was excellent. Liked it so much I ordered a full pour of it at the bar.

Eric