Brut Du Sauvin
Cismontane Brewing Company

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hazy amber in the Coronado Brewing junior tulip. Lots of lacing and attractive foam. Sudsiness is exactly right. A great frothy and velvety mouthfeel. Aromas of vanilla with an acidic whiff of the winery.

The winey and woody flavor is quite delightful. A restrained but distinct Belgian yeastiness fills the mouth. Some bitterness, but mostly from the yeast. The alcohol content is mostly forgotten, but all the flavors make for a great high-gravity brew. Totally interesting and full of fruity, smooth, and savory flavors. Hugely fragrant and yeasty. I wish I could describe all the intriguing flavors. A dry ending, like the best Belgians, though it's better than virtually all the beers I had on a recent two weeks in Belgium. Just the right amount of bitterness, and a long aftertaste of mellow barrel wood.

One of my favorite beers of the year. From the 750 ml bottle bought at Best Damn in San Diego.

 

Just picked up a 750ml bottle of this at the local BevMo for $6.99. They must have just put it on the shelves today because it wasn't in their system when I went to check out!

So this beer is a "Champagne Saison Aged in White Wine Barrels" for 8 months. Upon pouring into my Duvel tulip glass:

appearance: A hazy, amber color. Head kind of faded away quick, nice lacing on the side of the glass.

smell: Grapes! Champagne! Wine! My first thought was that this was a bottle of wine placed in the beer section. Very interesting smell!

taste: Equally interesting. At first, it seems like it's a mix of chardonnay and Saison Dupont (this beer actually utilizes the Saison Dupont yeast, according to their website). Citrusy, acidic, tart, lots of green grapes.

mouthfeel: Nicely carbonated, tart.

finish: Lingering tartness. Green grapes.

overall: This is a fantastic beer, though it feels more like a wine/beer hybrid to me. Nonetheless, I'd immediately purchase this again and again.

 

A: swraw colored with a haze. White head whith low retention and decent lacing.

S: medley of grapes with the green grapes dominating. Subtle spice of coriander meld with orange peel and dried grass.

T: Grassy bitterness and heavy carbonation take force on the tongue. Coriander and cardamom suggestions tickle the palate with citrus pith and zest following. Grapes come through in the end and suggest more green grape skin than meat. Light wood on the finish adds a little astringentcy.

M: carbonic bitter

O: this is an interesting quaff and one worth trying. Mild metallic notes on the palate bother me a bit and I'll have to downgrade its flavor score some because of it. Also it's pretty out of balance finishing more bitter than necessary. That said the flavors are good and mostly work well with one another.