Supah Phunk #5
Hermit Thrush Brewery

16 oz. can

Pours a foggy slightly hazy dark orange amber color with a creamy off-white foam head. Pretty complex and lambic-esque with tart funky aromas, big acidic sour taste, a bit of straw, hay, barnyard, horseblanket, slight vinegar, lemon, mild leather, some cherry, stone fruit, orange citrus, caramel, subtle chocolate, toasted malt, woody oak barrel, hint of vanilla, with herbal earthy floral grassy hops. Feels medium bodied, creamy smooth and slick with moderate carbonation. Overall a nice barrel-aged sour saison.

Poured from the can into a tulip glass. Canned February 19th 2019.

Beautiful beaming body color, a peach gem like orange with nice clarity, with hints of deep brass yellow. Two finger off white head, settles nicely to a simple crowned collar. Real nice ream and column center rising carbonation.

Very nice aroma. Tart hints of peach and apricot, with an excellent biscuity soft malt body. Hints of cookie dough and a bit woody like tones as well. Maybe even a touch of cherry. Real nice nose on this brew.

Palate is real nice. Solid body with some very tart and very sharp flavors. Steely and tangy notes of bright sour fruit, mixing citrus and a bit of tropical qualities as well. Red dark berried qualities, kind of juicy as well with a real nice thick profile.

Quite a nice flavorful sour brew.

L: This beer pours translucent with a slight haze to it. Golden and amber. Pours with a loose one finger head that settles down to a ring of foam around the edge of the glass and thin pool of foam in the middle. Some lively bubbles floating up.

S: This smells like many oak aged Belgian style sour ales that I’ve had. Specifically, it’s reminds me a lot of a milder Boon Mariage Parfait. The funky, earthy and fruity notes stand out to me as compared to the acidity, but they’re moderate. Funky notes come through as sweet, floral, powdery, lavender, with fruit notes of fresh cherry, white peach and Granny Smith apple. Those aromas are most prominent, but there are also some brighter and fresher notes of vinegar and lemon juice. There is a mild oak aroma.

T: This is a very approachable beer. It is moderately acidic and funky, and light on complexity. A great starting point for someone seeking an introduction into oak, wild fermented beer. Some citric acidity in the form of lemon juice. Bay leaf earthyness. The finish is dry.

M: Low carbonation and thin.

O: Overall, this is a very drinkable beer. I do find the moniker “sour saison” interesting as this does not drink like a saison to me, but rather it drinks like a Belgian gueuze. I say this because there are no spicy and yeast forward aspects that I often expect from a saison. Not to say this isn’t a saison, but including in my comments for anyone who might read saison and expect such notes. Regardless, it is a nice beer. Easy drinking. And balanced enough to work with many different types of foods. This is a good table / food beer.

 

This was poured into a tulip. The appearance was a bronzed burnt orange to brown color with a quickly dissipating white dissipating head that left no lacing. The aroma starts off with some woody glazed orange pulpy extra citrus, sly bready. Seems to want to show a ton of potential. The flavor takes some of the sour to tart citrus to ride into a dry woodiness. Quick aftertaste, sly bready finish. On the palate, this one sat about a mediun on the body. Dry sparking funk hits my tongue and throat. Overall, this was definitely one of their better beers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dark orange hazy look, heavy blood orange smell translates to the taste without being overpowering. Really nice. A high class version of Slumbrew Happy Sol which I also love. Fantastic.

 

 

Pours a hazy dark orange with very little head that quickly disappears. Smells tart with oak barrel and a trace of floral notes. Taste is purely sour with a hint of sweetness and the oak barrel. Mouthfeel is very clean with a little bite of carbonation and the sourness. The label says this is brewed with wild yeasts and oak casks. I first tasted this 3 weeks ago with what was probably fresh pint cans in their first appearance at the local store, and now trying it again 3 weeks later I think it may be more sour. Overall, a very clean tasting sour beer with some oak barrel flavors.